But There's Still Coffee!

Friends, we're talking important stuff today. We're talking COFFEE! The title of this post is a quote I heard from clutter-free living guru Kathi Lipp. In a recent podcast she was talking about how setting up your coffee maker the night before will help your morning get off to a great start (for the coffee drinkers, anyway). She said even if you can wake up thinking your life is terrible and there's no purpose any more, you'll smell that coffee brewing and remember but there's still coffee! Haha.

My husband and I sit and talk for a few minutes each morning with our cups of coffee before he leaves for work. We both look forward to this so much that it really motivates us to get up and at 'em each day. One night we were driving home from church and I looked at him and said, "Is is bad that I'm already thinking about tomorrow morning's coffee?" 

We've learned a few different methods of coffee brewing over the years. We have a Keurig combo with a pot and pods but both prefer to use the pot rather than the pods. On the weekend, my husband likes to play around with his espresso machine or a pour over carafe I got him for Christmas a couple of years ago. And most recently, my husband gave me a French press for Valentine's day that I'm excited to try out this weekend! 

We keep three kinds of coffee on hand at all times. Our basic everyday coffee preference is "Colombian Supremo" from Costco. Then for a special cup on those mornings we need an extra boost, we like "Montana Morning" from Montana Coffee Traders. We heard about this coffee company a few years ago, ordered a bag, and loved it. So for my husband's birthday that year, I gave him a monthly subscription to receive a bag each month in the mail. And now I renew it each year for his birthday but we use it more sparingly than the Colombian to make it last all month. 

Lastly, is a bag of something seasonal (fall, Christmas, etc.) that is mostly for my daughter and me. Right now our seasonal pick has been Fresh Market's "Raspberry Chocolate Truffle" because it feels very Valentiney! We will brew our seasonal pick about once a week for a special treat. 

We usually purchase whole beans to grind at home but sometimes for our seasonal coffee will just get the pre-ground coffee. 

I used to love flavored coffee creamers but finally gave those up a couple of years ago because they gave me headaches when I used them too much. So now I just use half and half and if I want sweetener I add a spoon of sucanant. Sucanat is just an unprocessed cane sugar which I also use for baking. You can see it pictured above in the "sugar" bowl. It's darker, larger granules than white sugar. 

I already shared a little about the setup of our "coffee/tea room" a couple of weeks ago when I posted about our tea and books side of life, but have more recently added a couple of more fun things to go with the vibe. Above is a little teacup/coffee cup wall art from Hobby Lobby that I thought was so cute. And below is a delicious coffee-scented candle from White Cottage Company. It's all-natural and smells amazingly like the real thing. 

My husband and I often comment that there's just not a cup of coffee we enjoy from a coffee shop as much as from home. I think it's because we can make it exactly like we want it. And boy, a cup from a coffee place is so expensive! But if we do get it while out, our favorite is a flat white. 

I hope you all have a fantastic day today! And if you don't, just remember, there's still coffee!