Easy Hot Mocha Latte Recipe

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Krissyar

If you pay any attention to my social media accounts, I have been obsessed with my coffee lately. I’ve been trying to be a bit more frugal and make my fancy coffee drinks from home, instead of buying them out (have you really ever paid attention to how much money those suckers cost? Times that by 5x a week, and you’re looking at a pretty good chunk of change).

I was given the opportunity to try out Community Coffee K-cups recently, and I am in love! 

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I love the dark roast to use in my hot mocha latte recipe. The breakfast blend is yummy as well (along with their other great flavors), but I prefer a bit richer, bolder flavor since I’m mixing other ingredients into my drink.

The recipe I use is super simple,because well, I don’t have time to be all fancy and complicated. I start off making 1 (or sometimes 2 depending on my need for caffeine that day) Community Coffee K-Cups. 

In my travel mug I mix 1 tablespoon cocoa & 1 packet sweet n’ low together. (or your other favorite sugar substitute) add a few tablespoons of your coffee so you can stir the cocoa in and make sure it’s completely dissolved. Then pour in the remaining coffee – then you will want to foam the milk and pour slowly over the hot mocha (no specific amount, whatever you desire) and then if you want you can garnish with some cocoa powder, but I prefer non-fat whipped cream 😉

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Community Coffee offers a great array of gift baskets perfect for any coffee lover in your life – I have ordered a few of these for family members out of state – I mean, who wouldn’t love the gift of coffee??
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Pumpkin Spice Covered Oreos

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Krissyar
What you Need:
-Pumpkin Spice Baking Chips
-Oreos
-Green Sprinkles
-Cupcake Liners
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Directions:
-Place your Oreos in your cupcake liners, this just makes things a little less messy.
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-Melt the bag of Pumpkin Spice Chips in microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth and creamy
-Spoon the chocolate over top of your oreos until fully covered
-Sprinkle the top of your oreos with the green sprinkles
-Allow to cool in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes
-ENJOY
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Eye allergies and Pataday

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Krissyar

Similarly to other allergies, eye allergies are usually hereditary. Furthermore, they often appear together with other allergic reactions. When a patient has this issue, his eyes are sensitive to different, volatile substances in his midst. Even though this matter is not necessarily damaging to organism, person will experience numerous symptoms. In medical practice, any substance that can lead to allergy is called allergen. For example, dust, which is harmless to most people, can cause excessive secretion of tears and mucous in eyes. Besides regular issues, allergies can also lead to some other complications like pink eye or asthma. Combined nasal and eye allergy can cause state known as rhinoconjunctivitis.

Commons symptoms include red, teary eyes or itching, runny nose, coughing and sneezing, itching of the nose, throat or mouth as well as headaches due to stuffy sinuses. Additionally, patient may experience fatigue or he may lack sleep.

Various substances that are present in our environment can lead to this state. In most of the cases, these agents are airborne. This way, they can easily come into contact with patient’s nose and eyes. The list includes things such as pollen, mold, dust and animal hair. Other things that are commonly causing allergies, such as bee sting or certain types of food usually do not cause eye issues. Sometimes, patient may also be sensitive to antibiotic eye drops, other types of drugs or even cosmetic products.

Every medical expert will recommend avoiding all these substances as the first line of defense. Some things can easily be avoided. You can give up your pets or you can clean your home more often. During blooming season, when there is a lot of pollen in the air, stay at home and turn on air conditioning. Use high quality filters that can prevent these allergens from reaching your eyes. Similarly, use glasses that are really tight in order to prevent irritation of eye membrane. Drive your car with windows shut. If none of this helps, you can always buy Pataday online and quickly eliminate most of the symptoms that were troubling you.

Have in mind that watery eyes can sometimes be caused by dry eye syndrome. When a person has allergic reaction, histamine in his body will cause crying and watery nose. On the other hand, this syndrome, even though it seems illogical, can also cause similar reaction. Precisely due to this dryness, glands will start with hyper production of tears in order to lubricate the tissue. Before you take any action, make sure to visit the doctor and determine what the precise problem you are facing is.

Pharmacists from You! Drugstore suggest using Pataday as a great way to eliminate most of the eye issues caused by allergy. Medicine blocks histamine eliminating unwanted symptoms. Have in mind that Pataday needs to be used preventively, before you come into contact with problematic substances. Even though this drug is regarded as pretty safe, it may cause issues such as sore throat, headache and stuffy and runny nose.

Posted in Fitness/Health | Leave a comment

How to Winterize Your Car

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Krissyar

The cold weather is officially upon us – no turning back now. If you are like me you’ve already packed your summer clothes away in the back of your closet and dug out the jeans, sweaters, hoodies and snow boots. Switched from iced coffee to hot – even switched your nail polish to the darker winter colors instead of summer brights. Just like we have to make adjustments for the cold winter weather, we need to make adjustments for our cars as well.

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Change Up the Engine Oil. Just like you might use different shampoo or lotion in the winter, your car needs different oil. During the winter if you live anywhere where temps might get below freezing,you should think of switching to a thinner oil. For example if you use a 10W 30 oil, for winter you may want to switch to 5W 30. If you are unsure check your manual, or with a professional.

Battery Check-Up. Your battery capacity is reduced by the cold weather, too. A thorough inspection of your battery, cables, terminals, and fluid will help you make sure your car is ready for the winter. Check the cables for breaks or cracks, make sure the terminals fit correctly and there isn’t any loose connections. Check battery fluid, level of charge in your battery and even check the date. The older the manufacture date, the more likely you will lose charge.

Emergency Kit. If  you don’t already have some sort of emergency kit in your car – you need to get one now! If you do, make sure it’s ready for the winter. Besides making sure you have a working spare time and tools to change one, you may want to look at adding flares, blankets, snow boots, emergency  radio, extra engine oil, washer fluid, coolant, hats and gloves.

Snow Tires. Some think that all season tires will work just as well as winter tires in the snow, but that’s far from true. Snow tires gives you more control and traction in the ice and snow. Mounting and rotating the tires correctly can give you a huge advantage when driving through the  snow. To make sure that your tires are snow ready visit your local dealership,like Junction Auto near Cleveland to make sure they are correctly mounted.

Check Engine Coolant. Your engine coolant is not only for keeping your engine well, cool, but also for protecting your engine from corrosion. Before it gets too cold make sure you are using coolants with ethylene glycol to help protect it. Most manual’s will let you know what your engine needs when it comes to the coolant / water ratio. For most cars a winter ratio is 60 /40. Sixty percent coolant, and forty percent water. Adjusting this ratio during the winter months is an important step.

Windshield Treatments. This is one of the easiest – and most important part of winterizing is  using a winter windshield treatment. Being able to clean off the wet dirty snow and ice off your windshield use a washer fluid with an antifreeze solution. Be careful though, some washer fluids can be a bit harsh and damage car paint.

 

 

 

 

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Must Take Steps to Buying a Used Car

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Krissyar

Car shopping to me is equivalent to a root canal, there isn’t much that I hate worse. But making sure you take these few important steps to buying a used car can at least make it bearable.

Couple looking at car

How Much Can You Afford? This is the most important step in the guidelines to car shopping. No matter how much you love a car, buying something you cannot afford is rarely worth it. Experts say that your monthly car payment should never be more than 20 percent of your take home pay. Staying within your budget can prevent you from getting in over your head, and keep you in a reasonable budget.

Make a List of Cars You Want. Believe it or not the car you want could be the car you can afford. It might not be as new, or the right sub-model, or color, but overall with research and time, you can find what you are looking for. The best way to do this though, is to make a list of at least three different cars that meet your needs, and find the ones that fall within your budget.

Find a Reputable Used Car Dealership. Ask friends, family and co-workers for a reliable, trustworthy car dealership or sales person to visit. Check them out online,with the BBB and then begin searching their inventory for for what you want.

Test Drive. Test driving not only gives you an idea if it’s the right car for you, but it also will give you an idea on how it handles, and if it’s in good condition. Try to drive the car the same way you would on your way to work, or whatever type of driving situations you experience on a daily basis – highway, back roads, and fast breaking etc.

Check the Car Facts. Before you start making a deal on a vehicle that you think might be the one, make sure to run a car facts report – in fact, some dealerships will have them on hand, or even order them for you. If the report is negative – move on!

Get a Vehicle Inspection. Once you make a decision  and have test driven it, ran the car facts, and know you can afford it, have it checked out by a professional. If you have a regular mechanic most of the time they will check  it out for free; if not, you can hire a professional to check it out – a pre-purchase inspection can save you thousands of  dollars (and lots of heartache).

Negotiate. Make an opening low offer  –  but in the ballpark. Always be prepared to walk  out – be patient – leave if you are starting to feel frustrated, tired or hungry, you can always come back the next day – and don’t be distracted by them  bringing in the ‘boss’ or a financial  specialist. I’m kind of a sucker so I always bring my Dad with me to tell me what I should do, I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve walked out of a dealership, to have the sales person come running after me with a better deal.

These few steps will help make the car buying process a bit more tolerable.

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