This morning after my breakfast of piggy chow and Cheerios I was reading the newspaper… You know catching up on the current events. While reading the paper, I had a cup of coffee that looked kind of like this. That started me thinking. Wouldn’t you love to go to your neighborhood coffee shop and order a cup of joe like this? Wouldn’t it make you smile? You would think of me, wouldn’t you? It takes a very talented barista to pull this off and make coffee look this good. Maybe Starbucks needs to add it to their menu. Mom would definitely order it.
Having this cup of coffee made me think of the different changes in the world. What if… Let me stop laughing… What if the roles were reversed and mommy stayed at home and I went to her worky place? I think being a pig I could fit right into the mix. It might work. Let’s really think about it shall we.
Mommys computer has dual monitors. I’m not sure what that actually means but it sounds exciting. Mom says she types a lot all day long and plays with numbers. Now I can’t type the 100 plus words a minute that she does cause you know she has 10 fingers and I only have 2 hooves but I can try. And playing with numbers, well I’m not so good at that but it should be interesting in payroll and monthly STATs that she does. Ok well maybe going to work wouldn’t be a good idea.
Then I started thinking about the animal store called Petco. Have you been there? They have a cat and dog buffet bar that the humans can fix for them. Petco, I have a complaint with that. Why can’t you make a piggy buffet bar? Just saying.
Welcome my friends to another edition of Shopping Around the World!
This month my brother Phenny is hosting SATW – thanks bro! This month we are highlighting pumpkin recipes. This should be fun because my mom loves anything and everything pumpkin. Doesn’t pumpkin just scream fall? In fact, mom just posted a funny on her Facebook about pumpkin spice. I thought I would share with you and let mom take it away with our recipe. Again thanks brother Phenny for helping us out here at the Hotel Thompson ❤
mmm – pumpkin – one of my favorites this time of year. Put spice behind it and I’m in hog heaven – sorry Bacon. My favorite recipe is Pumpkin Spice coffee. I love it so much throughout the year – not just at Halloween. And yes, you can ‘buy’ it in those fancy coffee shops and even McDonald’s has a great one; but, why not make it at home yourself. I mean think about, coffee shops will range from $3.50 to $5.50 a cup. And that’s just enough pumpkin spice coffee to make you want more. A second cup at a coffee shop and you will be getting out a loan – LOL. So what do you need?
Now I’m a sugar free girl. Of course fully leaded you get more of a pumpkin spice taste but sugar free gets me there. I use the following:
⇒ Skinny Syrup Pumpkin Spice (costs $9.00 a bottle. A full bottle can last about 30-35 cups = that’s only $0.26 a cup!)
⇒ International Delight Sugar Free Pumpkin Pie Spice (costs $2.50 a bottle. A full bottle can last about 20 cups = that’s only $0.13 a cup!)
⇒ Your choice of coffee. We use Maxwell House here. We buy a medium can for about $5.50 on sale. That has enough to last 52 pots! So basically how do you price that, right? LOL
⇒ Two packs of Splenda (a box costs $4.00 for 200 packets = $0.04!)
So let’s talk price first. For somewhere around $0.50 a CUP at home vs coffee shop prices. Doh! It’s a no brainer for sure.
Prepare your coffee as you normally do in your coffee pot. On our coffee pot, we have the option of making one cup or an entire pot. When I want one cup, I put my Splenda in my cup along with a shot of my Skinny Syrup Pumpkin Spice. I then place my cup on the coffee maker and hit Latte (I know I’m blessed). While that is percolating and the aroma is driving you crazy, pour some creamer into a glass container. Then froth that cream… again my coffee maker has a frother – don’t hate. Froth that cream as much as you want. I find the glass container keeps it cold.
Once your coffee is done, pour the froth into your cup. Then sit on the couch, prop your feet up and enjoy that pure delight. And then go back for another cup… .you’re welcome ❤
This month my cousin Teddy is hosting Shopping Around the World for me. (You might want to make a note now that cousin Teddy will also be hosting for me next month as well.) Thank you so much cousin Teddy – we really appreciate the help here during these hectic times at the Hotel Thompson.
This month the assignment was favorite snacks. Now mom has been enjoying a favorite snack that she kind of whipped up (literally) that she can’t get enough of at work. She says that sometimes she needs the extra caffeine. Rolls my piggy eyes. I guess since she has given up sodas she has to make it up somehow huh? I hope you enjoy her snack my friends. It seems mom proof which means it might be a little easy – I hope.
First you need some ingredients: Creamer. Mom loves the Almond Joy creamer – but any kind will do. This entire bottle was $2.50 and it lasts mom for almost three weeks. That averages to about $0.12 a cup for creamer. Two packs of Splenda. A box of 100 cost $3.00 therefore that is $0.03 per packet. 12 ice cubes – free YAY. 1 cup of cold coffee. Mom paid $6.00 for a container of coffee that makes something like 32 pots of coffee which calculates to $0.19 a pot.
Total cost for mom’s treat is less than $0.50 – what a steal for a cup of instant energy.
Now how does she make this wonder? Put all ingredients into a blender. Make sure blender is plugged in (mom has forgotten that important step in the past – snorts) and push blend button for smoothie. There you go bend and then pour into a cup. Add straw and enjoy your moment in the afternoon… or morning… or evening… or in the middle of the night. Mom makes this snack all of the time now.
Welcome my friends to our weekly issue of Journey with Friends. This is a time that we come together for support, for encouragement, for fellowship – all with one single goal in mind – to live better. Welcome to our journey to share our goals and our accomplishments and our disappointments and frustrations.
Together we can do this!
Hello my friends. How was your week? Mine is still having mountains and valleys but seems to be getting better. I’m still going to the plasma clinic twice a week. Sometimes it’s a fight to get passed through. Some days either my iron is too low or my pulse rate is too high. Then when I don’t pass, I have to go back the next day to try all over again. Some peeps say, “Why keep going then if you are having such a hard time?” You know however it puts me out, can you imagine the other end of the spectrum in the aspect of the people my plasma might be helping? I stick with that philosophy every time I have a day that I get dismissed and can’t give. I need to hang in there to help others. ♥
And computer people – there is a special place in hell for them. I’m still having issues at work on certain programs. Anyone want to come over and kick their butts for me?
And I leave you this morning with my husband. Yes, you can start laughing and rolling your eyes now. Enjoy my friends and have a fantastic week!
Every Wednesday for the month of February, I’m going to bring you a travel story of a trip to Israel that my aunt went on during the Christmas holidays. This was indeed a once in a lifetime kind of trip full of great scenery, history and wonderful food and people. I’ve looked over my aunt’s pictures and I can tell you in one word a description of them – AMAZING! I hope you enjoy us every week this month so that we may all relive her travels.
A trip to Israel? Seriously? Do I have to scream YES?! Plans to be made – passports to be ordered. What do I pack? What will the food be like? The people? Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself. First things first, travel arrangements. Everything was planned months in advance.
Then the big day came – WOW! I’m so excited. I rushed around the house doing final packing and out the door to the airport I was. I was happily counting down the hours until touch down in the old country. I get to the airport for the first part of my trip which is to fly in to Detroit for my connecting flight to Paris. However, this is where I met my first obstacle. My flight to Detroit was delayed due to damage the plane took on while in flight. Bummer. But safety first, right? So they put us up in a hotel overnight with food vouchers. Who can say no to that, right? It was part of our adventure.
The next day, we did it all over again and was able to get on the plane for Detroit. This flight took us a little over an hour. Once in Detroit, we then boarded our connecting flight to Paris – the land of love. This time we would be in the sky for almost 8 hours. And who says that airplane food is bad – especially served with free wine 🙂
Airplane food – pastas, lentil salad
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Finally we touched down in Paris where we would have a six hour layover. Paris has lots of emphasis on style, perfume, alcohol shops and lots of smoking areas – thank goodness. Since our layover was only six hours, we decided to check out the airport and what it had to offer. Chocolates for one thing – yum! The Paris Airport has a Fauchon shop which is known for their macarons. Also at the airport, the have cheese and wine – who would have thought that huh? It just makes you want to pull up and nibble on some for a while.
Below is a picture of the ‘smoking rooms’ at the Paris Airport. Crowded huh? Also below is a picture of a coffee shop. Coffee in Paris is different than in the States, not only by taste but size. In Paris, the largest cup size that is offered is smaller than a Starbucks tall. What a difference!
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Finally, it was time to board the plane for our final connecting flight to Tel Aviv which would take us over 5 hours. Again, with free wine and great food – we were set for the destination of our travels. Please join us next Wednesday for more in my travels to Israel.
Okay all of us anipals here at the Hotel Thompson are writing this to mom as an open apology for our misbehavior this morning. We apologize and will try very hard not to let it happen again. Really. We will. So let us explain our behavior my friends.
First up. Mom is not a morning person. Not at all. We are talking zombie before coffee – no coffee no talkie. Well this morning, rolls piggy eyes and looks innocent, someone set the alarm to zero five hundred dark in the woods time to get up… something about trying to be the first to check in with cousin Sammy’s Tuesday Teaser. (And no I wasn’t first – darn it and shuffles hooves). Well after I checked in, I went back to sleep in the big bed – see me here in the picture. Mom was not amused. She got up, went to the bathroom, mumbled about who in their right mind would change the alarm clock and then went back to bed for a few minutes. Unfortunately that’s when she fell asleep and that’s bad. Bad because today is a worky day and she has to go that worky place. And the alarm clock already went off. This is not good.
A couple of hours later, mom wakes up because Hemi is rolling around on her side. That’s when she notices that it is awfully lit inside of the room. She sits up and oh.my.gosh.it’s.a.run.for.your.money because it’s almost 8:00AM. What the cream cheese? What happened? I know – I know – “someone set the alarm to zero five hundred dark in the woods time to get up”.
She jumps out of bed, tells daddy she’s running late and starts the marathon. But of course we are all standing there looking at her like, “Hey, remember us?” You know that pitiful look of we have never eaten before and are starving – snorts. And did you know there is a reason why we anipals get up in shifts in the morning for feeding. You see, I need to eat first. It’s just the way it is. Once you satisfy my rumbling belly with my piggy chow and Cheerio’s, I’ll go back to sleep. Then there is Houdini that gets fed. If you don’t feed him by himself and watch, the purr things try to eat his food. And then lastly, it’s the purr things. We all like the purr things food – snorts. Try feeding us all at one time – snorts with piggy laughter. Let’s just say that it didn’t go too well and mom still had not had any coffee.
And then there was the incident with the front room carpet mat near the entrance. Someone was caught gnawing on it like it was a puppy treat – not mentioning any names little guy. There’s now a hole in it and mommy might have blown a gasket because of that…. or maybe it was because I butted my head through the baby gate into the kitchen and ate some of the purr things food?… or maybe it was the purr thing Hemi chasing Houdini around the house knocking over the water dish? I’m not really sure what exactly it was that threw mommy over the edge this morning but I think she sure was glad to go to the worky place this morning. Sorry mom.
Dear Bacon – I’m just being friendly. That’s it. Really I am. He looked so lonely in the cage. I just thought I would pop in to say hey and you know give him a reassuring pat of assurance from me. That’s it. Really. Signed Felix the Friendly Kitty
Dear Felix the Friendly Kitty – Sure buddy. Whatever you say. Just remember though that the proof is now in pictures. That means no mistakes in your friendly ‘pats of assurance’. Just sayin’ my friend.
Dear Bacon – I’ve heard you come from a long line of football players. We know not players per say but footballs themselves – Barks! Well, we gotta game going in our hood all of the time. Next time you are in the area, join us. And don’t worry, we won’t deflate the ball at all. Signed Peyton, Tom, Eli and Brady
Dear Peyton, Tom, Eli and Brady – What guys you are. Thanks for the invite and I will definitely keep that in mind. Can’t wait for the football season to start this year!.
Dear Bacon – There was this pot that mom had on the porch. She grows beautiful things in it. So I was thinking that I’m a puppy and maybe for me to grow into something beautiful, I would pot myself. I jumped in and added water. Is it working yet? Signed Puppy Flower
Dear Puppy Flower – I don’t really think that is how it happens my friend. But on the other hoof, you look really cute in that bucket. And hey you got a bath out of it too. I say just be you. You are going to grow up soon enough. And remember one final thought buddy. You are already beautiful.
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Dear Bacon – Sometimes no matter how small you are, one needs to draw the line. The humans put me in a wine glass. What.were.they.thinking? A wine glass. I’m not a wine glass kind of pup. I think I’m more of an oversized coffee cup kind of pooch. What do you think? Signed Small Barks
Dear Small Barks – I have to say my friend, either way I think you are cute in either a wine glass or a coffee cup. I think you should play it for everything it’s worth. Make the humans pay in so many different ways – extra treats, extra puppy chow. .
Dear Bacon – I have to say a puppy power nap is sometimes the best thing you can do. I highly recommend them any time during the day or night. Take notes from me pal. Don’t forget your blankie and pillow. Signed Sleepy Town
Dear Sleepy Town – WOW! You are the posted child for a puppy power nap my friend. I love it and trust me. I am so taking notes!
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REMEMBER my friends – Dear Bacon issues can’t happen without YOU. Please remember to email me your picture and letters.
Dear Bacon, Our parents are so funny. We are brothers born on the same day in the same litter. Our personalities are like twins though – we both have separate ones. Our parents thought it was funny to put is in these contraptions. But don’t worry. I’ll be showing them what I think about this set up shortly. Barks! Signed Sitting Pretty in the Booth of Shame
Dear Sitting Pretty in the Booth of Shame – I have to admit something my friend. Think of the originality that your humans came up with on this set up. It’s outrageously funny. Okay may not so funny from the side you are sitting BUT from the other side of this computer where I’m sitting – it’s hilarious! I say play it for all it’s worth and have some fun. You can always leave something in your humans shoe for payback later 🙂
Dear Bacon – I had surgery and as you can see I had to wear the cone of shame. Shakes dog head and whines. The cone of shame! But look I’m not sad – I’m happy! My master – he’s the best. He made a game out of it and threw in all of my closest friends. See, I even thought about you with Super Piggy in the front. He reminds me of you. What surgery? I know no pain here. Signed Happy Doggy
Dear Happy Doggy – Oh pal! Where were you when the little guy here had surgery. This would have been fantastic for him to wear his cone of shame and have some fun. Your master is tops in my book my friend. I say when he has surgery, you do the same for him!
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Dear Bacon – What? I was tired from working the hood the night before. See I’m on the neighborhood watch. I gotta make sure I protect all of the humans from the bad peeps that come out at night. The local diner takes care of me. I need coffee STAT – and hey why don’t you make it a double and serve it with some eggs and a steak? Signed Neighborhood Watch
Dear Neighborhood Watch – You are the DOG my friend. I like how you take care of your hood and they repay you at the neighborhood diner. I gotta get a gig like that. Where do I sign up? PIGGY POWER!
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Dear Bacon – Using Facetime on these i Phones are the bomb! See my girlfriend and me were talking. We could see each other and it was a blast. Neither one of us wanted to hang up. We both fell asleep like this. Isn’t she adorable? Signed Beef Cake
Dear Beef Cake – hubba hubba. She is a dish my friend. I know exactly what you mean about Facetime and talking to friends not wanted to hang up. My pet rock here Bashful has been doing a LOT of that lately with some of his friends. Modern technology has come so far, hasn’t it? Just remember to block the picture when you go wizzy. No one wants to see that – it doesn’t matter how much in love you are.
Dear Bacon – Please explain something to me. This yellow ball – why do the humans throw it and then expect US to retrieve it back to them? I mean heck if they want to play fetch, shouldn’t “I” be the one throwing it for them to fetch? That would help in their exercising… right? Signed Confused
Dear Confused – You know what friend. You have a wonderful point on fetch. I understand this completely. Humans do say they are playing ‘fetch’. I think we should try it your way. Throw the ball for the humans and let them fetch it. We shall see how long that lasts. If it’s my dad, maybe 2 minutes tops – snorts and rolls with piggy laughter!
REMEMBER friends – Dear Bacon can’t happen without YOU. Please continue to send me your letters and pictures via email. Snorts and thanks!
My friend Fozzie and I have scheduled a group posting today of Shopping Around the World. We thought it would be interesting to see the differences between different countries all over.Here are our prices for the following from our area – Georgia USA:
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Items to price this month:
Soup – Yummy! Soup is fantastic in the winter and for colder days. Dad’s favorite ‘can’ soup is Chunky’s Beef Barley. He LOVES that stuff! When mom can find is for a $1.00 a can – she stocks up the cabinets. It’s great, convenient for daddy to prepare and tastes awesome. Yep, I know it does. I’ve licked the bowl a couple of times – snorts!
Christmas Trees – Why are trees so expensive? Of course, the longer you wait until Christmas, the cheaper they are. That makes sense, right? We don’t have a tree here at the Hotel Thompson so I had to check with a friend on this one. Our friends have a five foot fir. It cost them – right after Thanksgiving – nearly $80! Of course, if you wait until the day before Christmas – the price will be so much lower… as well the branches. So it might look like a Charlie Brown tree then. Snorts.
Cold Medicine – Mom couldn’t believe the prices on this! Her and daddy will sometimes take DayQuil or Nyquil. As an alternative, they will buy the store brand of these items. Sometimes if mom is lucky, she can get a combo pack with one of each for around $8.00 – can you believe that? And mom says what is up with Mucinex? Have you seen the prices for that stuff? It’s between $20-25.00 a box. Mom has recently found a generic brand for this at Kroger for $4.00 a bottle! What a mark up for brand name huh?
Hot Drink – This time of the year, there is nothing like something hot and satisfying on your tummy for warmth and to head off a bad cold. Mom LOVES a hot toddy. This is a rather cheap drink because you have most of the items on hand – perhaps less than $2.00 when you calculate. Mommy said I could share her hot toddy recipe below – enjoy and let us know what you think 🙂 It *always* puts mommy in a good mood.
Random Item of your choice. Whiskey – Mommy tries to always keep some Jack Daniels on hand. Her and dad are NOT big drinkers here but there is an occasion when you need this stuff. Her random item will be Jack Daniels Tennessee honey, 750 ml. It costs around $30.00 but lasts for a while and goes GREAT with mom’s hot toddy recipe.
Mom’s Hot Toddy Recipe:
1 teaspoon of honey; 2 ounces of boiling water; 1 1/2 ounces of whiskey (your choice but JD Honey goes great with this recipe); 3 cloves; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 slice of lemon and 1 pinch of nutmeg
Combine all of the ingredients above except for the nutmeg. Let stand for at least five minutes to combine the flavors. Add the sprinkle of nutmeg and then let your worries go away!
Thank you my friends for Shopping Around the World – hope you had a lot of fun!
Miniature pot bellied pig and friends - Bacon, Houdini, Hemi and all of the Rock Clan with Journalist Rocky the Squirrel all out looking for adventures from the Hotel Thompson.
door to the airport I was. I was happily counting down the hours until touch down in the old country. I get to the airport for the first part of my trip which is to fly in to Detroit for my connecting flight to Paris. However, this is where I met my first obstacle. My flight to Detroit was delayed due to damage the plane took on while in flight. Bummer. But safety first, right? So they put us up in a hotel overnight with food vouchers. Who can say no to that, right? It was part of our adventure.
A couple of hours later, mom wakes up because Hemi is rolling around on her side. That’s when she notices that it is awfully lit inside of the room. She sits up and oh.my.gosh.it’s.a.run.for.your.money because it’s almost 8:00AM. What the cream cheese? What happened? I know – I know – “someone set the alarm to zero five hundred dark in the woods time to get up”. 
Dear Bacon – I’ve heard you come from a long line of football players. We know not players per say but footballs themselves – Barks! Well, we gotta game going in our hood all of the time. Next time you are in the area, join us. And don’t worry, we won’t deflate the ball at all. Signed Peyton, Tom, Eli and Brady
Dear Bacon – There was this pot that mom had on the porch. She grows beautiful things in it. So I was thinking that I’m a puppy and maybe for me to grow into something beautiful, I would pot myself. I jumped in and added water. Is it working yet? Signed Puppy Flower
Dear Bacon – Sometimes no matter how small you are, one needs to draw the line. The humans put me in a wine glass. What.were.they.thinking? A wine glass. I’m not a wine glass kind of pup. I think I’m more of an oversized coffee cup kind of pooch. What do you think? Signed Small Barks
Piglove 