This may be the single most important post you ever read if you love iced coffee. It’s usually 90 degrees here by 8 am. No way I can drink hot coffee when I am already hot. For years I have continued to brew my coffee hot and then put on ice for the summer months. Then I discovered the Toddy coffee brewer. Well, that’s not entirely true. First I read on the pioneer woman’s site her system involving two large tubs to fill and transfer, and filters, and cheesecloth, and I thought, never in a million years would I go to that much trouble. Shortly after, I was reading a magazine and saw the ad for the Toddy. I honestly had never heard of such a contraption or I would have ordered years ago.

So, here’s the deal. You take a pound of coffee and water and let it steep for at least 12 hours in the top container, which has a filter on the bottom and a stopper. Then you place over the decanter for the coffee concentrate to drain into the decanter. The decanter comes with a lid for storage in the refrigerator. Most of what I read said the coffee would last you two weeks, but so far it last me a week. You can use cold or hot water.  Add 2/3 water to 1/3 of the concentrate when ready to serve. The wonderful thing about this, which I didn’t know before, is that if you use this method it reduces the acid in the coffee by 67%. Who knew coffee had acid? Ok, if you say everyone keep it to yourself because I had no clue!

The system comes with two filters and one stopper. The instructions state that each filter last ten uses, so for me I have enough with two filters for 20 weeks of coffee.

This coffee is fabulous. It taste so good. It is so easy to make and the package comes with detailed instructions. The thing I was worried about the most was that there would be coffee grounds in the decanter.  Not a one! You can also make tea with the system.

There is nothing better these days then waking up to 90 degree temperatures to start off the day and have my coffee cold and ready to serve.

I promise if you order this you will thank me. If you are a coffee lover you might even name your first born after me.

Let’s face it, social media and texting are here to stay.  Sometimes I worry I won’t ever talk to my son again because we communicate only by text and emails.  I recently read this article in Reader’s Digest that I thought I would share.

Ten Bad Habits to Stop in Text and Social Media

I love my mother. I hate how she texts. Multiple exclamation points followed by rapid-fire texts that fill up my phone. And I’m sure she doesn’t appreciate the TMI texts I send that were meant for my friends. We all make text and Facebook mistakes. Here’s a list of what to watch out for before you send.

Excessive exclamations!!!

Your Facebook and Twitter updates and your texts are not as exciting as you think. Please tone them down.

Auto correct flubs

Check what you’ve written before you send. Auto correct can be funny, embarrassing, or very damaging. Funny if it’s your friend, embarrassing if it’s your mom, and damaging if it’s your boss. We are texting everyone these days. Check your work.

Over initialing

“Omg” and “lol” are OK in a pinch, but stop adding “rotfl,” “imho” and “smh” to everything. A few shorter words are great in text messages, where space is at a minimum, but stick with the English language in an e-mail. “Srsly.”

Wrong person–”oops”

You and a colleague are complaining about your jobs when you decide to text another workmate about your gripe session. But, oops, the text goes to your boss. Please double check your recipient before firing off a tirade. If sensitive or choice information is being sent out, think before you hit send. It’s not coming back.

Too many back and forths

This happens frequently on Facebook posts: Two people completely unrelated to the image or original post topic having a conversation about, say, the upcoming weekend. Get a room, people!

Long text messages (or multi-fire text)

If you have to talk to someone about a great life-changing event, pick up the phone or write an e-mail. Rapid-fire texting is annoying, especially if the recipient is in a meeting and his phone keeps buzzing.

Commenting on the “single” post

Facebook is the new lunchroom. We all know when a relationship breaks up. What we do not have to do is comment and make everyone involved feel uncomfortable. Let some things go. A friend going from “married” to “single” is not your invitation to start cheering. Send your friend an e-mail if you want to know more.

“Liking” bad news

Everyone knows you mean to send support to a friend who posts about grandma’s death, but it looks creepy when you “like” the news. Write a condolence. Please don’t “like.”

Copying information

We use our social networking accounts for many things. If you’re looking for a job, you’re probably on LinkedIn every day. Don’t plagiarize someone else’s job description. Write your own.

Tagging an unflattering picture

Use tact when posting images. Just because your camera can upload dozen of images instantaneously, doesn’t mean they need to be visible to the world.

It’s recipe Friday.  Here is my favorite cookie recipe that I got from my friend Detta, who originally was trying to make another cookie, made a mistake in the ingredients, and found she loved these cookies so much she just named them Mistake Cookies.

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (not margarine)
• 1 ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups Quaker Oats (quick, uncooked)
• 1 12-oz. package milk chocolate chips
• ½ 12-oz. package Heath Almond Toffee Bits

1. Heat oven to 350
2. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
4. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well.
5. Stir in oats, chocolate chips & toffee bits; mix well.
6. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake 8-9 minutes
8. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove and eat!

If you have a favorite recipe and want to share, email me and I will post it!

This post is a quick tip.  Instead of using my good washcloths that match my towels, I buy cheap white washcloths. I use washcloths to clean off my makeup at night and in the morning as I get ready to clean off my eyeshadow brushes, etc. The cheaper the better, because you know my mascara habit. They get a little stained after a while. When they get too discolored to continue to use on my face, I move them to the kitchen to become rags to use to oil my front door, oil my patio furniture, or whatever else I need a rag for.  They basically could last me forever even dirty but there is just something about using a nice clean washcloth on my delicate face. I usually get mine at Sam’s Club, but you can buy them in bulk at Target or any other discount store.

When I travel I take some from the rag drawer and then throw away each night. That way I don’t have to use a hotel washcloth or discolor a friend or relative’s washcloths with my makeup removal.

It’s the simple things.