A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked,

'Tell me what you see.'

'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean , mother?'

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique,However. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on
your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee
bean?'

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I will stand become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was
smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and
everyone around you is crying.

You might want to send this message to those people who mean something to you (I JUST DID); to those who have touched your life in one way or another; to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose friendship you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in your life.

If you don't send it, you might just miss out on the opportunity to brighten someone's day with this message!

May we all be COFFEE!!!!

Back when I lived in Edinburgh, there was a little African cafe that made homemade desserts (some African but stuff like carrot cake etc too)
Very occasionally they made a chocolate chilli or chocolate ginger cheesecake and the stuff was pure sex in a styrofoam box - dark, rich, creamy, spicy and smooth.
I hunted online but cannot find any recipes for Chocolate Chilli Cheesecake, and was wondering if anyone knew any, or would be able to furnish me with a good chocolate cheesecake recipe and pointers on what kind of spices and quantities may have been used.
If it helps, I don't believe this was a baked cheesecake - the texture seemed too smooth and creamy for that

Thanks :)

True Story. The background: Ian works in a coffee, bagels, and sandwiches trailer on the campus of UNH. Vinnie is his boss and the owner of the place. Ian is the one telling the story.
Her: Yes, I'd like a milk with some coffee in it.
Me: So, that's just a splash of coffee in a milk?
Her: No, a regular amount of milk, but not coffee.
Me: Is there more milk or coffee?
Her: Oh, definitely more coffee.
Me: So that's a coffee with some extra milk.
Her: Just the usual amount of milk.
Me: A coffee with milk.
Her: Yes.
Me: Anything else?
Her: A little extra milk and do you have coffee with no caffeine?
Me: We do have decaf.
Her: No, I don't want decaf, just some coffee without the caffeine.
Me: Ma'am, that's what decaf means, no caffeine.
Her: Oh, then do you have milk with no caffeine?
Me: Milk doesn't come with caffeine.
Her: Yes it does.
Me: Not that I know of, where do you get your milk?
Her: It doesn't say caffeine free on the milk so it must have caffeine.
Me: Oh, you're right, my mistake, I forgot that we only get the decaf milk. No problem, we have only decaf milk. Anything else?
Her: Do you have any bagels?
Vinnie: (who has been listening all along) I'm sorry, ma'am, we're all out of decaf bagels.
Her: Oh, well, then I'll have one of those, with sesame seeds.
Vinnie: We're all out, ma'am.
Her: Well what are those? (pointing at sesame bagels)
Vinnie: Those are sesame doughnuts with extra caffeine added.
Her: I guess I'll just have the coffee. Do you take credit cards?
Me: No ma'am, cash only.
Her: What about Visa?
Me: Is that a credit card?
Her: Well, yes.
Vinnie: Is it cash?
Her: No.
Vinnie: Then no, we can't take it.
Her: What about checks?
Me: Cash ma'am, nothing else.
Her: Okay. How much is that?
Vinnie: Eleven dollars and 45 cents.
Her: Really?
Vinnie: New war in Alaska is ruining the coffee business, plus you wanted the coffee with no caffeine, that's hard to find now, had to grow it myself.
Her: Okay. (proceeds to write a check)
Vinnie: Please leave.
Her: Why?
Vinnie: You're raising my blood pressure, leave now.
Her: But what about my coffee?
Vinnie: Leave and never return.
She leaves, but pays the $11.45 first.

23 Keira Knightley
8 Other (chocolate, coffee)

   

(More here)

Things don't always work the way we think they might.
One day Joe was walking across a building site and saw his foreman pouring coffee from a Thermos flask.
"What's that you've got there foreman?" Joe asked.
"A Thermos Flask," said the foreman.
"And what does that do?" says Joe.
"Well," said the foreman, "if you put anything hot in it, then it stays hot, and if you put anything cold in it, then it stays cold."
"That's fantastic!" said Joe. "I must get myself one of those."
The next day Joe sat eating his lunch when his friend Mick came in.
"What's that there Joe?" asked Mick.
"A Thermos Flask," replied Joe.
"And what does that do?" asked Mick.
"Well," said Joe, "if you put anything hot in it, then it stays hot, and if you put anything cold in it, then it stays cold".
"That's marvelous," Mick exclaimed. "And what have you got in there now?"
"Well," said Joe, "I've got two cups of coffee and an ice-cream."

Big Lots has International Coffee On the Go for $1.00 for a box of 6 packets.

0 Sugar
7 carbs
3 Sat. Fat
10% calcium

YUMMY! I"m drinking one right now at work.

We had the Decadent Dessert Platter at a soiree at work the other day. SO GOOD!

I didn't realize Hersheys teamed up with Starbucks to make the Starbucks Chocolate bars.

I had my first one yesterday. It was Mocha Dark Chocolate and it was HEAVEN. Only $2.79 which isn't really bad for what you get.