But First, Coffee.

Confession time.  I have OCD. 

 Obsessive Coffee Disorder.  

I can't start my day without a steaming hot cup....or two.  

MUST.HAVE.COFFEE.

Okay, so I must have Jesus first and then all the coffee.  And just in case my love for coffee wasn't apparent enough, I had to make sure all my guests were aware of that fact, too...

            

Besides white pitchers, coffee mugs are my favorite thing to collect.  

Albeit busy and cluttered, I love our little coffee bar.

When I first started teaching 13 years ago, I made it my personal mission to love coffee.  Before my first day teaching, I had never had a cup.  I'd also never woken up before 11, but that's a whole different story.  Waking up before the sun rose was a struggle.  I remember my 35 minute commute like it was yesterday.  From my tiny little apartment in the heart of Dallas to a little school in the suburbs just north of the city.  I would stop at Whataburger...because it was right down the street...and grab a small coffee...along with 9 creamers and about 6 packets of sugar. #thestrugglewasreal

A year or so later, I was introduced to Starbuck's.  It didn't take long for me to find my favorite flavor.  I started out with a grande caramel machhiato.  Then I fell in love with white chocolate mocha.  Now, this was all before kids, so the fat conent in the white chocolate mocha didn't reside on my thighs and hips like it does now.  After kids, I switched over to the skinny vanilla latte because it made me feel **thismuch** better.  And in all honesty, I preferred the taste.  That's not to say I didn't love my occasional caramel frapuccino (extra caramel, please!!!) or my iced white mocha, but the taste of the skinny vanilla latte was my morning cup of happy.  

Adam eventually bought a Keurig so that we could brew our own little cups of happiness from the comfort of our own home, but I didn't get on board right away.  I went to the gym before going to school, so taking a cup of coffee with me wasn't an option.  Plus, there was a Starbuck's in the gym parking lot, so I'd stop there every morning after working out and grab a tall skinny vanilla latte and a cup of oatmeal.  YUM.

Upon moving to our little town just east of Houston, I was BUMMED to find out that the nearest Starbuck's was a 20 minute drive away.  Okay, so depressed would more accurately describe my feelings.  Where would I get my morning cup of overpriced coffee now?!?!?!   There was no way I was willing to drive 20 miles in the opposite direction before school every morning.  It was hard enough for me to get myself ready, but adding 2 kids to the mix would make the feat nearly impossible.

So I gave into the Keurig craze.  Donut Shop Coffee K-Cups were always in full supply and with a little...ahem, A LOT....of my favorite hazelnut creamer, I was sure I found a winner.  I've become a lot more health conscious these last few years and about a year ago I ditched the creamer and went straight to milk and Stevia as my preferred sweeteners.  It was a gradual process, of course.  I missed my frou-frou coffee.  A lot.  My husband kept telling me how much I'd love plain, black coffee if I'd just give it a try.  Well...I did.  And I spit it back out.  

I wanted to like black coffee SO badly!!!  So I gradually weaned myself off the milk and sweetener.  And now I can excitedly say that I LOVE black coffee and don't want it ANY other way!!!!  That's not to say I don't enjoy the occasional frou-frou serving of sweetness, but black is definitely the way to go. 

My favorite plain, black coffee is from none other than Sonic.  Their Red Button Roast is hands-down the best coffee EVER.  I keep hoping to see it on the shelves at my local grocery store, but I'm sure that's just all wishful thinking.  For $1.50 a cup, I'll gladly stop by our small town Sonic for a cup every morning.  I just can't get enough!!!  

Of course, my husband would prefer I just brew it here at the house, but now that I've been drinking it black, I have yet to find a flavor I really enjoy. I ditched the Donut Shop K-cups because I felt like it had a sour flavor.  Some of the others I've tried are a little too bitter.  Adam ordered a bevvy of k-cups for me to try because he's determined to find me the perfect flavor.  Bless him.

So now the question begs to be asked.

What's your favorite?!  Is there something I'm missing??  I've tried the Folger's medium and dark roast...not my favorite.  I've also tried the French Roast (which is just a touch too strong).  If you have a favorite K-cup, I need to know what it is so I can try it, too!!!  

Cuteness in the Kitchen

The cutest thing in my kitchen are the two little ankle biters who like to “help” mommy cook.  By helping, I mean pulling EVERYTHING out of the fridge and pantry and trying to feed it all to our pudgy little pug.  Trust me when I say there’s a reason our little Lloyd has packed on the pounds these last few months.  Aside from those sweet faces, I like to *try* and maintain a little cuteness in the kitchen with a few fun little kitchen accessories.  Here are a few of my favorites…

I LOVE my Dotty Match potholders from Anthropologie.  Not only are they too dang cute, but they’re durable as all get out, too.  I’ve put these sweeties through the proverbial wringer. LOVE.

I’ve been eyeing this set, too.  So pretty!

 

This frilly little Pier One apron was a gift to myself for Christmas a couple of years ago.  I think I even wrapped it and put it under my tree.  It’s always a fun surprise to open something you forgot you bought yourself :)  Even when I’m looking and feeling pretty rough, as soon as I put this on, I feel like a fun & frivolous little 1950’s domesticated housewife…sans the pearls.

 

Speaking of aprons, I am DYING over Anthropologie’s latest selections.  These are my favorites!!  I mean, seriously.  Could these BE any cuter?!?!?  I might need to gift myself a new one SOON!!! :)

 

I think I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating.  I am a HOT mess in the kitchen.  My daddy and I share the same love of cooking and trying new recipes, but the one thing we don’t have in common is keeping the kitchen clean in the process.  I like to think of my method as visually displaying my ADD.  I am ALL over the place and so is every.single.ingredient I use in my meal prep.  I would need about 50 of these dishtowels to cover up the mess I make, then I could probably get away with calling it a “beautiful” mess :)

Seriously though.  I LOVE that dishtowel. 

And these are pretty dang cute, too…

What proper southern girl doesn’t love her some biscuits and gravy?

via House 8810

And if you know me well, you know this means A LOT.  For me, it’s more like, “Would you like some coffee in your creamer???”

via House 8810

I like a good variety of dishtowels in my kitchen and let’s face it…the cuter, the better.

Remember how I said I was a {beautiful…HA! yeah right} mess in the kitchen?!  Well, are these not the most darling little scrubbers??  I would seriously be excited to clean up if I had a few of these laying around.  Okay, okay…the novelty would wear off after the first use….but still.  They’re adorable!

Speaking of keeping things clean, this is my most FAVORITE cleaning product.  I love, love, LOVE this stuff.  And darn if I can’t find it ANYWHERE here where I live.  I have to order it from Amazon.  But it’s worth it because I don’t go into town very often, so I don’t mind waiting for it to arrive.  And the lavender is my most favorite scent.  I’ve even got my mom using this stuff!

Now back to the cuteness. 

Everyone needs a cute set of measuring spoons.  I USED to have the cutest set.  They were a precious gift from one of my littles for Teacher Appreciation week last year.   I took care of those measuring spoons like they were my babies.  Then I went away a few weeks later for a weekend with my best girls and left Mr. Spouse and the family at home to pack up the house.  Guess what was destroyed in the process?!?  I’m not pointing any fingers, but I’m pretty sure Mr. Spouse was responsible for packing up the kitchen.  Just sayin’.  I think he owes me a new set like this one…

And while he’s at it, he can throw in a set of these, too.

Basically, he should just buy one of every home product from Anthropologie and I’d be a happy girl.  Happy wife, happy life.  Right?!

So tell me.  How do you like to keep things cute in the kitchen?!