Today I want to share my coffee and tea station. It, along with my baking station, has been apart of my kitchen from the start. It's the place I set up our coffee maker on move in day (or weekend). It sits right between my fridge and toaster. Easy access for creamer, and cream cheese for my breakfast bagel. All my little tea things tucked nicely into a little basket, It made me happy for a long time. I was perfectly content making my coffee at home, occasionally a green tea with lemon. Then Dunkin' Donuts released it's ice cream themed summer flavors, one being Butter Pecan.
I kind of lost my mind for a while. Like, I was seriously a little cray cray!! The kind of crazy who would load the truck with 3 kids in pj's (and sometimes a dog), take a 10 minute drive to Dunkin Donuts (closest one), then wait in a 5 (sometimes 10) minute line, then order a medium (or large) iced butter pecan coffee (light and sweet of course), then drive 10 minutes back home, kind of crazy. I mean I had to have it. I was taking the drive 3, sometimes 4 times a week, just for an iced coffee! However, like I said, I am recovering. Too much sugar, too many calories, too much money, too much wasted time in the car! I decided it was time for a change. So to help entice myself back to my little mini coffee and tea station, I gave it a bit of a makeover.
This is what it used to look like. By the way, please excuse these pictures. I am neither a photographer, or user of fine equipment. This picture was probably taken with my iPhone, and the after pics were taken late at night, definitely with my iPhone.
Anyway, there's a lot of crap in there!! Sorry, but seriously, remember I said there was just so much space. All the empty space was calling for random crap. I do most of our school time in the kitchen, so there is a lot of school stuff stashed away here and there, in all the empty space. There was even Easter grass! SMH!! That's Shaking My Head in case you didn't know. So, yeah, you see all those empty containers? They were used here and there for projects or activities for the kids, but this is not the place to store them. There's construction paper, that doesn't even fit nicely. A mess, just a mess! You can't even see my cute little basket I had all my teas and things in. I had long since grown out of it, but never changed or upgraded... until now!
Just so you know what we are looking at. This is the area directly to the left of my refrigerator. No Kale Chips tonight, I had only some crystal light in my favorite Wonder Woman tumbler to keep me going.
Here's my finished project! Smile... I did just looking at this dark, slightly blurry picture!
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| crooked much? |
The next shelf down is protein powder for smoothies and shakes, as well as extra NutriBullet accessories. That is my cute little basket I've always had! Glad I found a way to make it functional again.
Do you see that empty space? At first, I was a little concerned. Would I fall back into my bad habit and stuff it full of something I need to hide? NOPE! I have a plan. This area is strictly for drinks, and drink making. It is not for school supplies, or a wooden letter D, or Easter grass, or any other random item that needs a hiding spot! If something goes in that spot, it will belong and be a perfectly welcomed member of the drink community.
Anyway, I decided at the last minute to add my blender because A). there was space, and B). it made more logistical sense, since a lot of things I use for smoothies, are in the fridge or freezer, and of course its for making drinks!
On the bottom shelf, under the blender, I have a few mugs. My husband doesn't drink coffee or tea often, but I leave his "Good to be King" mug with in reach just in case. I typically rotate between 3 mugs, the other is in the dishwasher of course. I also keep the travel mug handy for when the need arises.
Next to the blender I've placed two new bins. I love these bins, I picked them up from Lowes by the way. One holds coffee and chocolate. Those packets are actually Carnation Breakfast drink. Sometimes I make the boys a chocolate banana smoothie using those. The other basket holds my growing tea collection and tea ball. They fit perfectly on the shelf and keep all the loose packages nice and neat.
On the bottom shelf under my two bins, I have items I use for smoothies, tea, and coffee. I placed some Truvia packets in the white sugar bowl, I have a ton of little spoons for stirring, mixing, and even adding ingredients. There's almond butter, and ground flax seed that I snagged from my baking cabinet. I mostly use it in smoothies, so it makes more sense here. Behind my little sugar container is a small bottle of agave nectar. My health nut uncle talked me into trying it as an alternative sweetener and I have not regretted it.
So that's it for my coffee and tea station. I guess it's more of a drink station at this point. There are still a few things I'd like to do, the main thing being, to add cute labels to the bins. Also, I want to get another Better Homes and Gardens container to put the protein powder in. I just think it will look a little prettier that way. SMH and LOL at pretty protein powder!!
I'm heading out of town for the week, and I'm not one of those super organized blogger's who has posts lined up, Sooo I'll have to share more next week. Until then, have a wonderful week... and enjoy these last few precious moments of summer!!
Leiah
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