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Last week, Mr. Incredible got a magical 
Amazon Prime box. We live for these boxes, they always hold such treasure. And with free shipping to boot! 

If you didn't know it, Friday was National Coffee Cake day!
You guys, they must've seen me a mile away. I jumped on this holiday like crazy woman! I got what I needed from the grocery store to make Homemade Raspberry Danish. I've had a love affair with Entenmann's danishes for as long as I can remember. And when Google dropped a copycat recipe in my lap, I could practically taste it. WE HAD TO MAKE IT. 

My original plan was to make it early Friday morning, so Pirate and Mr. Incredible could have some for breakfast before work and school. But, Tootsie Roll woke up sick, and this mama doesn't sleep well with a sick baby. Our fresh pastry for breakfast turned into a "Quick! Eat this! We gotta go!" as I handed her a chocolate muffin and cup of coffee.

Okay, I know it's technically not a coffee cake - but always remember: nothing about this blog is, or ever will be, about being perfect! Just go with it! 😜 I'll link the recipe here.

Anything celebrated well should be documented well! Or so says, mama paparazzi! Here are some pics of us making and enjoying our weekend with our Homemade Raspberry Danish. 


(top left) I felt so organized setting up all the ingredients first that I felt it needed to have its own picture. If this isn't already a life hack, it should be! 
(top right) It took me three tries to get that yeast going in the warm milk, finally I threw in some sugar. It didn't mention that in the recipe, but I made an executive decision and fed those little guys some sugar. It worked! 
(bottom left) My poor sick one year old, Tootsie Roll, woke up from her nap and needed to lend a helping hand. 
(bottom right) And here it is, in all its yumminess, our Homemade Raspberry Danish! And, that's it! Hope you enjoyed National Coffee Cake Day. 

Leave us a comment below, we'd love to hear from you! Do you get any Coffee Cake or Danish on Friday? What's your favorite sweet? 

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We have had quite the weather lately.
It will be sunny and glorious one day, and then BAM! the heavens open with rain and thunder. Weather woes light up the Facebook news feed and the power flickers.

Yesterday was one of those beautiful days. Today, not so much. Yesterday, we played in the water and the mud. Today would be a good day for Benjamin Franklin to learn something shocking.

So what do we do when the weather gets nasty, and we're stuck inside? What do we do when we're not certain the power (read: Netflix and lights) will stay on?
I'm glad you asked!

I've rounded up a list of 5 (non-emergency) things we like to keep on-hand during bad weather and power outages! These are things that have saved our sanity and kept the fun going. These may be actual items or just a fun idea. Either way, Mom & Dad have gone from zero to hero with this list!

But first, I need to say it. Always be mindful of your weather and safety! Safety first, always. Make good decisions. For realz.

1. Glow Sticks
When the power goes out, nothing makes you question your environment (and your family's headcount) quite like not being able to see anyone in the dark. We can grab a pack of glow sticks at Dollar Tree. Pirate is a huge fan of glow sticks, they make life fun! I like that, in most cases, they're safer around kids than candles. I mean, don't be crazy. Don't microwave them or bite them! 😜 They've got a few different styles to choose from at Dollar Tree: bracelets, necklaces, even swords! We like this style of glow sticks for power outages!

By the way, if there's still life in your glow stick after the power comes back on, stick it in the freezer until next time! We've had glow sticks last for multiple uses this way!

2. Candles & Marshmallows
A few weeks ago, Pirate and I roasted some marshmallows at the kitchen table. You can see our post about it here! So much fun. Lots of yumminess. Lots of smiles. It's not your everyday activity. And, the best part, NO ELECTRICITY required! Perfect for the rainy power outage!

3. Board Game
Maybe it's cliche, but board games are awesome. Something about a good classic, you just can't go wrong. We were short on board games this winter. We got snow and were home bound for a wee bit. We took to the internet and DIY'd our own game of Clue! Pirate had never played before, but she loved it! You can read about that here!

4. Charged Mobile Devices
Charged devices are key! Sometimes nothing will soothe my child as well as her favorite show! It's hard to freak out over the lightening when your hypnotized by Elsa singing your jam! Did you know that there are some movies on Netflix that you can download onto your mobile devices to watch without internet? Score!
Not to mention, Pirate will happily spend hours on my phone playing her favorite games: Tom the Cat, that one Pet Rescue game, or the emergency doctor game where she performs surgeries and c-sections! (I'm being 100% real on that!)*ick*

5. Books
How could I make a list like this without including books?! These are some awesome thing that don't need electricity, don't crash, and don't need to be charged! Yes, I'm being sassy on this one. But for real, grab a flashlight and your favorite book! Our favorite book right now is Elsie's Endless Wait. You guys! It's so good. We are only in chapter three, but I cannot get over how uplifting and God glorifying this children's book is. Elsie is an eight year old little girl, who has never felt loved or been treated fairly. She is picked on and would every excuse to repay evil with evil, but instead she shows kindness and patience and the love that only comes from her Savior. On every page, we see her faith lived out. It is wonderful.

And that's our list! I hope your weather is gorgeous, but if it isn't, I hope you find this list useful! Don't forget to leave us a comment below, what do you do when the power goes out? 

As a bonus, I want to see Mr. Incredible produce a tasty cup of coffee without electricity! Anyone else? He's an Eagle Scout, I might add! Add a comment below if you want to see him do it! Tweet us @caffein8edmelly with #NoPowerCoffeeChallenge ☕☕☕

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Note: Please, always take proper safety precautions and more than common sense when using candles, lighters, fire, anything hot, anything dangerous, or anything I haven't thought of! Everything in this post took place under responsible, alert, and sober adult supervision. Seriously, make smart decisions. Future you will thank you!

It's peanut butter jelly time!

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We are not decaf drinkers here.


Then, along came Five Cups Coffee.  It came to me in a magical Amazon Prime box. In case you don't know, "I offer free shipping" is a great pick-up line.


My thoughts were something like this: Um, it's decaf. But it's apparently special. I mean, it says so on the package, "The World Finest Coffee". (That's a direct quote.)

A roasting date of September-something was written on the back of the package, as well as some good coffee making directions. I didn't get a picture of that - oops.


Inside, whole beans! But we had no fear, the Magic Bullet was here. In a matter of seconds, we were ready to brew.

Y'all, this stuff is good. Mr. Incredible and I have had several cups over the last week. It's a really smooth cup of coffee, with a good taste. That's probably what stood out the most.

Why is this coffee different?
That's generally my first question. According to the packaging and their website, they use a gentle and chemical free decaffeination process called "Swiss Water". I had never heard of it before, but that's no biggie.

The great thing about this process? Apparently, you can drink more than 5 cups a day with no health risks. That's what they brag. Oh, and it's organic. So, yay for that! Oh, and it comes with a money back guarantee if you're not loving it. But, in all honesty, Mr. Incredible and I are actually loving it.

It's right here on Amazon, or you can go straight to their website! I'll link it here. I had the chance to buy this coffee at a discounted price, and jumped at it! But it did not come with any obligation to blog or comment about it, I did not have to name my firstborn after this coffee, I did not have to get a tattoo, and this is an affiliate post. This is just me telling you what's in my coffee cup! These are my actual thoughts and opinions!

I'll close with a half candid selfie of Mr. Incredible and myself feeding our coffee addiction on the way to church. And that's it! Go check out Five Cups Coffee. Don't forget to check us out at Caffeinated Melly on FB!

Once we got Tootsie Roll down for her afternoon nap, and one trusty google search later, we landed at Skip To My Lou where she had this amazingly easy recipe for Gummy Candy. 

Pirate's days are long. They start before "bright and early", since it's still dark at 5am. By the time she gets off of the school bus, we get about three good hours with her a day, four if we're lucky. After the 7 o'clock hour rolls around, all bets are off. Exhaustion takes over. Monsters come out. 

This post contains affiliate links.

This post contains affiliate links. 

CLICK HERE to find this on Amazon!