Back from holiday break - coffee, anyone?
I sincerely hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I took time off to spend with TB and the kids. I think it was one of the most enjoyable Thanksgivings we've ever had.
I've stayed at arms' length from the news and blogs for several days. Did a little catching up this morning, it seems I've missed a little, although no more than I expected.
The previous week wasn't without local glitches, though. The weather on Thursday was awful, the stores were a trial on Friday, and our 5-year old Braun coffee pot died last wednesday.
The coffee pot was clearly the biggest disaster, as Braun stopped making the model we had, and their newer models aren't getting rave reviews. Most of the major retailers in my area have ceased carrying them as well. Wonder why?
After a couple hours' careful research, I settled on this model from Cuisinart. It rates well with Consumer Reports, has a small footprint, and I don't mind that it beeps.
Picked it up from Linens & Things in brushed stainless for 79.99 and they gave me a free pair of 1-liter carafes as a bonus. My only complaints are that the opening to pour water into is smaller than I would like, requiring more accuracy than I can usually muster at 4 A.M. - but it's a complaint I would make about several other models I saw at Linens & Things as well. And condensation collects on the underside of the lid, when opened, it drips down the back side of the unit.
On the plus side, it makes terrific coffee - every bit as good as the retired Braun. It seems quieter than other coffee makers I've owned, too. And best of all, the carafe doesn't dribble - a marked improvement over the Braun.
If you live in the Philly area and haven't taken the kids to see Santa yet, consider going to the American Helicopter Museum in West Chester next Saturday (We went yesterday, next weekend they'll repeat). Santa arrives in a helicopter, it's all very well organized, and not crowded at all. If you have the time and means for it ($35/person), you can also get your kids a ride in a helicopter as well - mine loved it, and so did TB. Note - the Museum's web page is currrently down, not a bad link. Just keep trying. Here's a cached version.
