you know how many people mentioned coffee in their things to be happy for? which got me thinking, is it the coffee itself…or is it the ceremony? the ritual of mornings and repetitive act of scooping, grinding, pouring, brewing, listening, sipping, steaming, cupping, savoring…
i think it’s the latter, and although i have grown accustomed to the hot rich flavor of it and once actually won a hundred bucks in a bet over whether or not i could taste the difference in two cups of similar blends…i have to say it’s the beautiful ritual of my mornings and the role coffee plays in it that makes me enjoy my little things.
smiled at this recent article in cookie magazine:
i’m not proud that my 13-month-old has already learned, when she first wakes up, to wait–very quietly–for me to have my coffee before she starts angling for a bottle. or that there have been times, watching the coffee drip through the filter, that i’ve caught myself whispering plaingtively, “okay, almost there…come to mama.” this isn’t just about “jump-starting” my day. sure, cofee wakes me up, but so does hearing my 5-year-old shouting, “skittles fit in my nose!” it’s what cofee does to my mood, the way it alters–i mean really changes–what i believe about my life, my loved ones, myself. that vague, haunting feeling that i’ve done something terribly wrong with my life begins to dissolve with each sip. and in its place emerges my love for my kids; for the idea of a jam-packed day stretching out in front of me; hell, even for myself. and that’s just the first cup. –kate porterfield
blatant addiction aside, she has a point.
some of my best memories in life are over a cup of coffee…slowly savoring a cup on christmas morning. slamming down my ninth cup at four a.m. trying to finish a paper due the next day. getting eyed by other diners at our favorite breakfast spot while us girlfriends laugh a little too loud and pour another. and then being served a weak cup, in a white ceramic mug on a gray plastic tray…to my hospital bed on the morning after the best day of my life and savoring its not-so-goodness while i held my own goodness in the form of my very tiny little on her very first day.
yup…i love my coffee.
it’s my good friend, and it’s high time it deserved a shout-out in the world wide web.
and with that said…the ornament winner, using random.org….was drawn.
Commenter #14: Lena from New York!
Lena, send me your address and the number of peeps in your family, and I’ll paint it up and send your way! : email me at: kascryder@yahoo.com
…enjoying the with-cream things. ~k
Congratulations Lena from NY! Although I am a bit sad.
I have to agree with you Kelle on the coffee, it’s in the ritual, the things we do while we are sipping our steaming hot coffee that makes it so enjoyable.
Lucky Lena!
Many mornings, I have my breakfast. I wait until EXACTLY 9 a.m. The girls have gotten off to school, Darby has finished her breakfast and is playing.
So I brew my first cup of the day, and I mechanically walk to the pantry and get out a “vanilla latte” flavored Caribou bar. I take it out of the wrapper and put it on a little saucer. By this time, my coffee is done brewing.
I use the same mug, and I use the same creamer..southern butter pecan, and I walk to the lazy boy, throw a blanket over myself and turn on Regis and Kelly.
I savor those 10 minutes. The smells, the tastes, and Darby playing in the background, or sometimes watching Regis right along with me.
Those are my very favorite mornings.
I love my coffee.
Funny, I almost went back to add a sixth for my coffee after reading those comments. My coffee is about ritual and taste. Some call me a snob…we love our Italian stovetop espresso maker (lovingly called our spro). Andy and I have actually had bad days on vacation defined by the morning coffee. We have fun seeking out the perfect little espresso shop, crossing our fingers that we made the right choice. Coffee. Good stuff.
Whether it is the psychology or ritual or whathaveyou, I love it all. Can’t wait to share a coffee morning in Florida! And Montana!
I didn’t always love the taste of coffee.
I didn’t always crave it.
But I have always associated it with home and hospitality.
When your mother and I were in those far-from-home seminary years,
we would actually (it was cheaper then) brew a pot just to make our cozy little apartment smell like home. It still, when I brew it, smalls like home. I have heard it perk, drip, and steam…and it all says “You’re home, sit down, relax.”
I can hardly pass this up . . . tell everyone approximately how many cups you leave around all day. I know there is one in the kitchen, one in the bathroom, one by your computer, maybe even one outside. Come on now, be honest. When Ms. Kelle worked at Beaumont, it was part of my daily ritual to pick up the coffee cups behind her. In fairness, she would get so wrapped up in something, she would forget about the coffee. . but let’s just see how many are around the house today. (Maybe a new contest????) Love ya Kelle –
Great post and Coffee is wonderful! And so funny the last cup of caffeinated coffee I drank was on Christmas morning last year. I was prego and had just one small cup. Since then none especially since I am nursing but maybe just maybe I will splurge and have another cup of caffeinated coffee this Christmas. I do have decaf only on our Friday ritual! So sad I didn’t get the ornament maybe next year and cute idea!
Ha…Roberta, you and Brett could sit and have a talk. Ask him how many coffee cups he’s found around the house since he’s known me. …and in strange places. I’ll set it down, look everywhere, give up and pour another cup. And then, days later, we find…or shall i say “he” finds half-filled cups of coffee on top of book shelves, in the bathroom…
i love the cookie article…!!!!
i, too, have willed my wake-up goodness to drip more quickly into my waiting cup. i don’t crave it everyday, but when the craving releases itself-i simply can’t wait to get it going-i love those days tho.
love these pictures kell:)
PS beckham LOVES coffee. “Dink coffee, mama??!!!”
yes, he has snuck in a drink here and there. hey, he waits until it cools off first which i find very responsible:)
half caff/half decaf latte in hand as i read about coffee…how apropos.
also i notice that the random generator said you could try again…um why did you not try again until you “randomly” came up with my number? no, i’m not a sore loser… š
i am sick of not being pregnant.
it is definitely the ritual. and the warmth on a cold day …
it was -1 here this morning.
and my coffee was the only thing that got me out the door.
i’m sorry that i didn’t get my favorite things in your last post! my loss.