Why "Courage and Coffee"

I realized that I have never answered this question on my blog, but it is a question I get asked most often.

"Why the name Courage and Coffee?"

Here's how it came to be.....

I began writing this blog months before I actually published it to the world. I kept the settings on "private" so only I would see it, and my blog had no name at that time. I just needed a place to get out all that I was feeling & thinking before I had a nervous breakdown......seriously. I was so overwhelmed with being the main caretaker of a chid with special needs. I felt as if I was thrown into the deep end of the "autism pool" without knowing how to swim. I was over my head & didn't know how to stop drowning. All I was trying to do was just tread water & get through each day one at a time.

New Winners!

Well....let's try this again! Both of the first names drawn DID NOT claim their prize in time! So, I'm moving on to the next to names on the list that was created at Random.org.

And the NEW Winners Are......

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW WINNERS!!!

 

1. Rachel Lamberson
2. Niki Meyers

 

  Each of you will receive a $10 gift card to Starbucks! YEAH!

 

Rachel & Niki, please privately email me your addresses, and I will put your prize in the mail on Wednesday ! You each have until Tuesday (8/14/12) at midnight to get that to me before your prize goes to someone else.

 

Thanks to everyone for entering! 

It was a lot of fun to do this giveaway!

And the Winners Are......

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS!!!

 

1. Sarah Ruby-Whitehead
2. Amanda Preller

 

Out of 66 entries & using the program at Random.org, these 2 gals came out as the first two names in the drawing & each receive a $10 gift card to Starbucks! YEAH!

 

Sarah & Amanda, please privately email me your addresses, and I will put your prize in the mail on Monday! You each have until Sunday (8/12/12) at midnight to get that to me before your prize goes to someone else.

 

Thanks to everyone for entering! 

It was a lot of fun to do this giveaway!

 

 

Happy Anniversary! Here's a GIVEAWAY!!!

Apparently, it has been ONE YEAR since I launched this blog. WOW.....I can't believe it. Honestly, I feel like it has been LONGER than that because of the many topics & events we have covered in the last year. Well, in honor of Courage & Coffee's one year anniversary, I think it would be fun to do a prize drawing!!!

Sooo.......Courage & Coffee will be giving away.....

TWO $10 gift cards to STARBUCKS! 

Want to enter your name in the drawing??? Here is how you can enter your name in the drawing TWO TIMES!

1. Write a comment on this blog entry. One comment is one entry....and that is the maximum you can enter on this site. That is ONE ENTRY.

2. Want to enter your name again? Be our friend on FACEBOOK! Become our friend, and you will enter your name again for this drawing! Already our friend??? You are already entered!

The deadline for this drawing is this FRIDAY, AUGUST 10TH, AT MIDNIGHT. This is also my husband & I 10 year wedding anniversary, so it seemed like a good day to choose!

I will announce the winners here & on facebook on Saturday, August 11th, and those winners can privately email me their home address. I will get the gift cards in the mail on the following Monday.

ARE YOU EXCITED???? I AM!!!!!

In honor of this blog's anniversary, here are links to the 10 most popular Courage & Coffee posts of the last year. ENJOY! And let the entries begin!!!!!

#10 - Ethan's Sensory Diet - Smell, Sound & Sight

#9 - A New Sleeping Challenge

#8 - Dear Family

#7 - What Exactly Is Autism

#6 - Easter Egg Silly Sentences

#5 - Light It Up Blue Soap

#4 - 4th Birthday Party

#3 - Sensory Processing Disorder

#2 - One Year Later

#1 - Our Story

LoveYoMug.com

Awhile ago, this blog received a facelift. Wanting to have a design that was unique & personal, I contacted my amazing artistic cousin, Jenny. And I LOVE the new look!!! Since that time, she has developed a website for others to receive this same kind of individualized & creative self portrait....in print OR in digital form!

If you submit a photo to her, she is able to create several types of looks.....depending on your preference! She can do a comic book look, an oil painting print or a sketch-up style (which is what I choose)! She can even take photos of several different people & create a group picture of all of them! IT'S AWESOME!!!! She is very easy to work with, too! She was able to create a design for me that was PERFECT....even though it was difficult for me to tell her exactly what I was thinking. She's that good!!!!

Check out her new website, LoveYoMug.com. Here are some sneak peeks!!! These would be great gifts! I'm already thinking about using her services for our next Christmas card!

Oil Painting

Comic Book

Sketch-Up Style

A New Look

Recently, I have been playing around with a new look for my blog. I was even all ready to contact someone to design it for me. And then.....

I contacted my amazingly talented cousin, Jenny (who is more like a sister). She is an amazing artist, and can pretty much do anything. Not only does she do graphic/media work as her career, but she is also currently working on illustrating a couple of children's book as well as many other projects. One of her books is about a goat who faints at loud sounds....remind you of anyone??? Jenny has been very proactive in learning about autism as well as sensory processing disorder, and is a regular reader of this blog. She really is an all around amazing person. Check out her many projects at her blog, http://jennycorleyillustration.blogspot.com/.

I asked her if she would like to be interested in designing an image for my blog, and she went all out! Here is her beautiful artwork!!!

In the next few days, some changes will be happening, design-wise, to this blog....built around this image. I am soooo thankful to my talented cousin for creating such a one of a kind piece. She is currently in the process of getting her own website up & running where she will provide personalized images, similar to this one. LoveYoMug.com won't be live for many many weeks, possibly around a month, so check it out soon!!!!

THANK YOU JENNY!