The One With All Of The Good Thoughts

In the Friend's episode, "The One With All Of The Thanksgivings", the gang of friends recall Thanksgiving's past where they all experienced something bad that happened to them making the holiday appear as a terrible one.

 

To bounce an idea off from that episode and this card that is from that episode I could post on Thanksgiving all of the terrible things I have gone through this year, but I decided not to. Why re-hash and re-visit any of that?

Instead, why don't I focus on the positives? I am here. That's good right? You better say yes. Coffee. Coffee is good. I am back to blogging a little more, that is good right? This one you definitely better nod your head with. A friendship this year was patched up which is a great thing right? I still have a roof over my head, food on my table, a car to get places and online friends, those are all good things, right? I have a forgiving God on my side as well, that's good? My family is good and loving. All great things right?

Sometimes I don't see the full picture. It's becomes too easy to focus on the terrible/negative things and not see all of the positive things that actually exist this year. Even if the negative may outnumber them.

Nobody said life was easy and that it was going to be a smooth road. There will be challenges, bumps and hot coffee spills in your lap every now and then but there is still a silver lining to uncover. I think going forward I need to do a little more of that.

There is so much that I am thankful for in 2024 despite the coffee spills that I can't list it all off. This hobby, this blog, friends, family, you guys and so on and so forth. All have a special place in my heart and I am thankful for that.

I hope everyone reading this has a Happy Thanksgiving and sees the silver lining in their life. Especially if this has been a rough year for you too. Don't let me be the only one with all of the good thoughts.

I need to get back to cooking, the food isn't going to cook itself as I am head chef this year. 

And I suppose there is some football game I should watch later today. Should, but will I? The Giants have looked more lifeless than this turkey that's hitting the oven soon. At least the turkey will make me happy. Maybe sleepy so I can survive watching this team.

Once again, have a Happy Thanksgiving.

*Coffee Card Thanksgiving Chef Blogger Out*

Hot In Herre

*takes a sip wishing the title of today's post was actually true, that it was actually hot in herre. but for now, the coffee will keep me warm while I do the latest Cards Over Coffee post*

Picture it, Sicily, 1929, me and my soon-to-be wife...no this isn't Golden Girls nor is today's post, it's more like Picture it, it's 2002 and two young lovebirds are heading out for a weekend at the beach. It was the first long trip for us as a couple and my first time ever going to the beach. Yes, we didn't go anywhere when I was a kid.

We had the car packed full, windows rolled down and no trip is complete without music. At that time in my life, I was 19, I was really into rap music. Rappers like Eminem, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and Ludacris were among those that made my daily play list.

My soon-to-be wife at the time wasn't really too much of a rap fan, but there was one she would listen to with me and one song she liked the most. The rapper was Nelly, the album was Country Grammar and the song was, Ride Wit Me. How fitting for the long trip.

*takes a sip, begins to hunt for some breakfast but couldn't find anything enticing yet. sits back down, takes another sip and begins to think about what may sound good*

We listened to that song for many years when we took that yearly trip to the beach and until rap was no longer appreciated in my life.

But, what was appreciated still were the memories it brought and when I saw that Leaf Pop Century had a Nelly autograph in their product for 2021, no doubt that had to be in my collection.

If you couldn't tell by now, I really like the Pro Set Super Stars autograph set. Nelly's autograph isn't terrible, it just doesn't fit the sticker very well and appears to be cut off some.

 

Back of the card.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post*

Country Grammar isn't the only Nelly CD that I still own. Yes, I still own them. There is also Nellyville, Nelly Suit and Nelly Sweat. As for listening to them, I don't anymore. However, if Ride With Me pops up on the radio, I may turn it up some still.

How about a little coffee rap with me before I end this post?

If you wanna go and have a cup wit me

We be drinkin' two cups maybe three
Oh what are we gonna to drink?
(Hey, must be coffee)

Hope you enjoyed that and have a great Sunday.

Let me know your favorite Nelly song in comments!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

And It's Christmas Time Again...

*takes a seat early on this bitter cold Christmas morning. Coffee in hand and ready to celebrate the day. Christmas will always be my favorite time of year*

Spoiler alert for today's post, there are no cards with the coffee today.

Today, I just want to celebrate Christmas as the dice have hit 00 on my Days Till Christmas Countdown Scentsy holder. Before you ask, my wife is a Scentsy consultant, so this is kind of a promoting her side business kind of deal. She sponsors me with kisses and coffee. Hope that wasn't too much TMI, if so, just cover your kids' eyes if they get to that part of today's post.

I cut back a lot on my decorating this year, not sure why, but instead I upped the lights. I have lights in every room of my house, including the front of my house, but not the bathroom where my cats like to hang. If you have seen Christmas Vacation, you will know why I didn't put them in there.

These Christmas throw pillows were the only new addition this year to my nonlight decorating, I think they are solid additions though.

 

My tree, bless its soul, has probably seen it's last year as one of the legs had broken and it's being held up by a book instead. I should have gotten a new one this year or even gone into the woods where I live and got a real one, but I just gave this one its final goodbye tour. It's like when a player gets signed back to their original team on a one-year contract to retire as a part of that team.

I should also mention the tree won't make it another year as it has fallen over a couple of times, once on me. Just picture that scene in Elf when he was trying to put the star on.

I am sure that will be one for the Christmas memory bank.

*takes a sip, starts to take a dive into that memory bank for a story from the past to share today*

Growing up poor, there wasn't a lot of expectations around Christmas. We visited the mall Santa maybe twice my entire childhood, only got a few gifts yearly which mainly came from the Santa Fund-and wasn't anything off from our lists-and my family didn't decorate much. The tree we would get, was usually the ugliest one that could be found in the woods-not on purpose-that made Charlie Browns look like a tree from heaven.

I also remember my parents never using real wrapping paper for our gifts, instead it was grocery store plastic bags or old newspapers. Then the memory of my sister getting caught in the middle of the night trying to snoop at her gifts. Another year, she opened them all and then tried her best to re-wrap them...my parents obviously saw that, and she got in trouble. I remember watching Rudolph, Frosty, California Raisins Christmas Special, Peanuts Christmas Special and the Garfield Christmas Special on television every year. I also remember watching Silent Night, Deadly Night and its sequels with my mother who would rent them on VHS.  None of this was the Ghostbusters Firehouse I wanted or felt at the time I needed, but looking back on those memories, they were so much more.

This may sound corny and probably repetitive, but Christmas truly is about family and the memories you make with them. It's not about the gifts, not about the glimmer and glam, and it's not even about having the prettiest tree. It's family.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post*

I have plenty of other memories to share about Christmas and you will hear them all as years go on.

For this year, I just need to get off this computer to go and make some memories with family and I hope you all do the same. Well, expecting you to read this first of course.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! May your coffee mugs be filled, and your hearts be full.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*