Celebrating My Favorite Season with Starbucks® Fall Blend

 

 You forgot Fall coffee, pumpkins, pumpkin creamer and fall festivals...

It's September in South Central Pennsylvania, which means cooler weather is here.  Sometimes.  Then it gets really hot, then freezing, then we don't know if we should put away the summer clothes and pull out the jackets or if we should keep the shorts, stash the swimsuits and grab the hoodies from the attic.  We never know, and that's what I love about this season and this state. 

Fall is:
Back to school (woohoo!).  This year I have an 8th grader (last year of middle school), a 4th grader (big school district changes mean a new school for her), a 1st grader (and a walker- YES!) and my little baby boy is in his last year of preschool.  Where would I be without coffee when I have to wake up EARLY for school?  I miss them like crazy but I've been working hard to live in and enjoy the moment.  So I'm enjoying my coffee in peace!

The York Fair: 
 

Image source:  http://yorkfair.org

My town is host to the oldest fair in America!  It''s a short walk from my house and therefore the best spot to park if you're family or friend.  If I go to the end of my block, I can see the Ferris Wheel, at night in its flashing, spinning lighted glory.  It's one of the only lighted rides that doesn't make me feel like I'm about to have a seizure.  If the wind is blowing right (or at all) I can hear and smell the fair.  Talk about a tease!  True to its roots, The York Fair is still a big agricultural fair, with contests for homemade foods, homegrown produce and plenty of stinky and beautiful farm animals shown by local farmers and 4-H.  Of course, what fair wouldn't be complete without a circus, carnival rides and pig races.  Every year (I think this was only recently) some amazing person creates a BUTTER SCULPTURE.  For real!  

This is BUTTER.  Butter! 

 I swear I don't live in the middle of nowhere.  
Check out their Facebook page for some neat pictures.   


Fall is FUNDRAISER TIME:  I am the "fundraising lady" at our elementary schools.  This job just became twice as big, so that I can love it twice as much.  It's chaotic but so worth the end result.  You can't put a price on a smiling kid.  During the fundraisers I typically drink an extra cup or two of coffee to get me through long days of checking and rechecking orders.  Thankfully this is a super easy fundraiser! 

This is just my first cup.

 


Fall is: Busting out my favorite hoodies, campfires, pants, warm blankets, fall festivals (there are dozens here in York and it's awesome!), pumpkin everything, changing leaves, raking (yes, I like to rake, then have my kids jump in the piles), warm drinks (coffee for me, hot chocolate for the kids) and perfect weather.  

Not a Starbucks cup, but it says coffee.

Fall is: Starbucks® Fall Blend.  When this arrived I was hoping for something pumpkin-like.  What I got was so much more.  I have tried a few delicious Starbucks seasonal blends but this was by far my favorite.  This is literally autumn in a coffee drink.  It's a medium roast, called "a cozy coffee for the early days of autumn" and the description is perfect.

To quote the bag: Welcome the season with a harvest of flavors.  Layered and full-bodied, this three-region blend offers the best of all worlds.  Sumatran beans lend the warmth of fresh spice notes while coffees from Kenya add citrusy brightness, and beans from Peru provide balance and a subtle nuttiness.

I highly recommend adding Starbucks® Fall Blend to your list of fall must-haves this season.  Stop at your local grocery store to see if they have my newest favorite coffee then head to your local Starbucks to find out if they are one of many offering this awesome deal: Buy Any Fall Drink and Get One Free from 2-6pm.  Valid until 9/21.  And if you find an awesome seasonal mug while you're there, please let me know!  I'm on the hunt for a new one and haven't found THE ONE.



What's your favorite fall activity and fall drink?


 Disclosure:
Modernmom and Starbucks supplied me with the products to facilitate this review.  All opinions are expressly my own. 

Starbucks Spring Blend and My New Spring Celebrations (Hint: It's Chaos) @Starbucks @ModernMom

Happy spring!!!

As a child growing up in South Central Pennsylvania, spring was hot, windy, snowy, rainy, cold or practically any other weather you could imagine.  It was also when families- determined to free up closet space or living in denial- would pack away the winter gear and send the kids outside no matter how poor the weather conditions were.  It was spring and we were going to enjoy it!

I’ve always been a creature of comfort.  Tradition is my way of life.  Every Christmas we go to the same places and see the same people at the same time.  Birthdays are spent partying with friends and family.  Mornings are spent drinking coffee (preferably a smooth blend of Starbucks).  I always welcome new people, but new places throw me off and a totally new schedule causes an internal meltdown.  For less significant activities I’m okay with a little variety.  I wasn’t too upset to leave the Mother’s Day Street Fair early the year that it felt more like mid-January than May.  I won’t cry if we don’t go to the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade every year. 

But this spring has been a major test for me.  It’s truly been a season of change, stress, little sleep and crazy days.  I’ve been thrown out of my comfort zones and have been busier than ever.  I’ve been much more active in Girl Scouts, and even managed some (stressful) camping and overnight trips.  Rather than our yearly Easter dinners, egg-decorating and Easter egg hunts with family and annual birthday party for my daughter, Amara and I had a girls’ weekend with my mother-in-law, grandmother-in-law and sisters-in-law.

Leaving my little boys overnight was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.  
 

Love these guys!

And the ones that wouldn't let me take photos too.

Before this year, I had never been away from them overnight.  They have left me- going to Grandma and Grandpa’s house or Nana’s but that’s different.  When they go away I can retrieve them in a flash.  When I was gone, I was hours away and too busy to call.  I was missing them and wishing they could enjoy my experiences.  Not that I didn’t have fun; I spent the night and following day at the Philadelphia Zoo.  I had a girls’ weekend in Manhattan.   

FAO Schwarz, NYC girls' weekend and 9th birthday celebration.

I camped in a lodge at a beautiful campsite in perfect weather.  I went to a PTO Expo in Philadelphia (yes, that IS fun!).    

What’s kept me awake during these long days and sleepless nights?  Coffee!  During these busy weeks, thanks to the awesome Starbucks and Modern Mom, I’ve been downing Starbucks Spring Blend coffee, stopping in the Starbucks in NYC (on Broadway!) for a drink and an awesome new mug and chugging it to get through another few hours after 4 hours of sleep. 
 

Starbucks on BROADWAY!!!  I think you can see a Broadway sign in the background.  Can you see my new #Starbucks mug?

Here's a close-up.  It's the New York skyline!  But there's more:

A taxi AND a Starbucks store on the mug!

And here we are outside of #Starbucks with Ellen's Stardust Diner in the background.  Awesome place!

I even brought a few VIAs with me when I went camping, since I knew they wouldn’t have a coffee maker. 

By the way, that Starbucks Spring Blend I mentioned?  It includes notes of milk chocolate and sweet orange.  I thought this might be strange, but it's probably my new favorite.  It combines beans from Latin America and East Africa.  I'm not an aficionado so I'll describe it as best as I can.  It's smooth and just strong enough.  A hint of the flavors can be smelled when it's dry and it smells amazing.  When it's brewed, it smells and tastes like good coffee. I had a picture of it but a virus got my computer and currently my photos from the last month or so are missing.   

So anyway, while this has been an incredibly difficult time for me, it’s also been full of amazing experiences.  I fell in love with the orangutans at the Philly Zoo.   

The hippos were pretty cute too.  And how can you not adore a massive, dumb rhino?  They are afraid of birds.  Tiny birds!  They have no idea how big they are and are scared of everything.  

While visiting New York we had the opportunity to stay in China Town, tour the skyline by boat, eat amazing food (Lebanese was awesome and the servers at Ellen’s Stardust Diner sing!!!).   

 

Can we join the crew at Ellen's Stardust Diner?

We were serenaded on our first ever subway ride, 

Lucky Amara getting a nice song for her birthday.

we walked to Times Square and listened to live jazz while eating brunch.  Central Park was mind-blowing!   

Look at that skyline!

No, really, just look at that!

I never expected the size and seeing the city behind the trees was amazing.  The amount of people (so many people!) but there was still so much space!  We took a carriage ride around and learned about some landmarks in and around the park.  We watched the ice skaters at Rockefeller Center and checked out all of the gorgeous Easter egg art on display.  I played chess with a guy in Washington Square Park- and I won!

He said he was rated near 2000.  I think he was just flattering me.

While I missed out on a lot of family moments this spring, I wouldn't have changed anything for these experiences.  I'm grateful for the memories we've created and I'm glad I had some energetic family members and Starbucks coffee to keep me awake!

How else could I keep up with these girls?

Do you have any spring traditions or memories? 

 




Starbucks and Modern Mom provided me with Starbucks Spring Blend ground coffee and a gift card to try some great mugs and other coffee.  All opinions are expressly my own.

We Have a Winner!

Check to see if you are the winner of the $15 Starbucks gift card from the Holidays with Starbucks #sharejoy giveaway.  If you are the winner I will email you and if I don't hear anything by Saturday, January 11, 2014 I'll choose a new winner. 

Holidays with Starbucks: Share the Joy! A Review and a Giveaway

Starbucks goodies!

Happy Holidays!  My Christmas hasn't met the expectations that one with a family full of children might anticipate, due to the loss of my father after a battle with cancer.  I know I have to keep the spirit of Christmas alive for my kiddos and while it's been a struggle, I realize what a strong support system I have in my family and friends and without them- and copious amounts of coffee- I'm not sure I'd have left my bed much.  What's Christmas without a tree (at least we got it decorated by Christmas Eve), lights, holiday music and shopping for presents (something I didn't begin until Christmas Eve)?  Without moping any longer, I give you a review of good coffee and the chance to win some of your own. 

Holidays in my home are a bustling time of visiting family, drinking coffee, running to the store for last-minute things, eating cookies, forgetting to by regular groceries, visiting more family, drinking more coffee, going back to the store, ignoring the laundry build-up, avoiding piles of boxes of Christmas decorations until I have no other choice, watching others put up Christmas lights while I stand by being helpful (telling people there's a light out can be helpful)...all while listening to Christmas music, which I diligently avoid until about December 10th.  I get too angry at the world when it reminds me that two of my boys (my hubby Jason and my son Jonas) have to share their birthday with one of the biggest holidays and I don't have enough time or money to focus on all of them at once.  Probably sounds a lot like the holiday for many people.  

Thankfully, Starbucks and Modern Mom sensed my plight and blessed me with the opportunity to try a new holiday blend of Starbucks ground coffee.  I didn't have to run back to the store for coffee after all.  
I made some right away, with my favorite milk (shameless plug for Rutter's right here) in my Keurig.   

How did I make ground coffee in my Keurig, you ask?  With my handy-dandy reusable k-cup!  Close up so you can't see the clutter.

The Starbucks Holiday Blend- available at major grocery stores- is created with "vibrant Latin American and smooth Indonesian coffees.  It's balance of herbal and sweet maple notes pairs pairs beautifully with everything the holiday season has in store for you."  That's what Starbucks has to say about their coffee.  I have to say it's definitely smooth; it's not a strong coffee and does have a holiday flavor.  I prefer strong, smooth coffees and while this one is weaker than my normal choices I can fix that by adding extra when I brew it.  Without reading the description I honestly couldn't have told you what flavors were incorporated into this blend, but it's a relaxing taste (that's the best way to describe it!).  After knowing what's in it, I can smell a light maple scent.  I made sure to use only sugar and milk to be sure I didn't think I was drinking coffee but was actually drinking cigarette ashes (I never had cigarette ash flavored Starbucks but there have been quite a few others that really did taste like cigarette ashes so I wanted to be certain).  It was very good.  Good enough that I wanted to keep drinking beyond my normal two cups in the morning.  

I had it while stringing up the tree lights:

I'm so helpful.

While wrapping Christmas presents at 1am:

This was just the first one...

 And of course, I had lots of it while spending the holidays with my family.

Sorry for the blur.  I blame my camera's inability to work with movement.  So unfortunately you can't see the amazing breakfast that my in-laws make every Christmas morning for their family.

Merry Christmas!

And now for the news you've been waiting for:

Starbucks and Modern Mom also provided me with a bag of Holiday Blend ground coffee to give away to one of my readers.  I decided to keep the coffee because it's good, and sponsor a giveaway for a $15 gift card instead (with permission).  Then you can try the Holiday Blend yourself, or any other coffee or Starbucks product (but if you don't try something new I will think you're boring).  United States entries only.    


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Disclosure: Starbucks & Modern Mom supplied me with Starbucks Coffee Holiday Blend to help facilitate this review and giveaway.  I didn't want to share the giveaway coffee and was given the okay, so I am sponsoring the gift card giveaway myself.  No other compensation was received.  All opinions are expressly my own.