Everyday

I am a routine-oriented person. Doing certain things the same way or in the same order help me be more productive...and less forgetful.

One of my "everyday" habits is coffee and toast in the morning.
I get hungry about an hour after I wake up so I'll make a piece of toast (sourdough, please) with a little butter, and coffee. I will enjoy it as I check email or blog or whatever, and it just starts my day off the right way.

In the very cold months, I go for hot coffee, but most of the time, iced coffee is my beverage of choice. I make my own using a recipe that my girl Ree came up with. Sometimes, though, if I'm short on time (running late...let's be real) I'll grab a packet of this and off I go.

The Starbucks option is very tasty. I prefer the plain lightly sweetened or the caramel versions. With the caramel one I don't really need to add any more sugar.

My homemade version, however, is the best. I can control how strong it is and I make it in a big batch that lasts a week or two in the fridge. It's also much, much cheaper.

I'll pour some over ice, add a little vanilla creamer (I like the low fat, all natural versions) and....oh what a beautiful morning!

I have several of those double-wall plastic cups with straws (Starbucks sells them for about $12 but you can find them as low as $5 at CVS or Walgreens). These are great to take to work. No messy spills, and it keeps the coffee cold for a while.  I love them for tea, water and juice too!

Coffee and toast are just two little everyday things that help me get going and make my day better.