OFF THE COFF

Beginning in May, I decided to stop drinking coffee, along with a few other goals (you can read about it here).

There are a few reasons I decided to give up coffee.

Here are a few:

1. I think I was drinking too much. 2 sometimes 3 cups a day. It was a lot for me

2. I knew it would be a challenge

3. Breast Cancer runs in my family and I've read that caffeine can cause lumps to grow.

It sure hasn't been easy.

I love everything about coffee.

I love the smell.

The taste.

The environment and community of it all.

And the people.

I am soooo guilty of wanting to be a part of the crowd and hold that Starbucks cup.

Such good marketing!!

But I haven't actually weaned off of caffeine.

I've been drinking Mate tea, green tea, and occasionally black tea.

STASH has a decaf chai tea that is very flavorful.

I like it with a little sugar though (I wish I could drink it straight, but its strong)

It definitely hasn't been easy. I feel very tired at about noon. I know that its okay to take a little nap. They are so good for you, but sometimes I think that that is too indulgent, when there is stuff to get done.

So have you ever given up coffee?

 

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DIY on the Cheap Series: Coffee Bar

I've been wanting to do a series on something... and my brilliant hubby suggested DIY on the Cheap. So here we are!

Since moving into our new home, we are needing to become more creative with the space we are given. It is so easy to crowd countertops with appliances. And that is exactly what I did. However, it really looks more busy than cozy. My husband suggested that we create a coffee bar so that we can eliminate all our crazy coffee making equipment from the counters. He is so smart.  

So here is what we created:

I was so excited I forgot to take a picture of the before. We found this dresser for nothing on Craigslist. Seriously....nothing. 

We went out and bought a gallon of paint (30 bucks at most)

Got some sandpaper to remove any coating from before.

We painted 2 coats of paint.

We even coated the drawer pieces

Then my husband went to it with more sandpaper, chains and nails to give it a distressed, cottage look. The best way to distress a piece of furniture without making it look ugly is to only distress things that stick out. In the above picture, my husband took some sandpaper and roughed up the handle, not the entire piece. He scratched the corners of the drawers and dresser. This really gives it, the "shabby chic" look. If you overdo it and place scratches on the drawers or all over th tops and sides, you will have a piece of furniture that just looks ratty. When using sandpaper. Less is more. You can always add more, but you can't take it away.

And boy do I love it!!

We added our Nespresso, french press, coffee maker, and hot water heater.

Ta Da! I LOVE it! It seriously makes our home so comfy.

Well what do you think? Have you distressed any furniture before? Come by next week for a post on my nightstand.

Why I blog- Part 2

Here is why I blog::

1.I've always dreamed of being a mommy blogger

2. I wanted to be able to stay at home and make a little money on the side

3. I wanted to share my thoughts and become a part of something bigger.

4. I wanted to use this as my journal

5. I enjoy reading other posts and it inspires me to blog.

When I first started my little blog. I thought that everyone would be reading it. But then I looked at the blogs that I was reading and realized that they were all 'mommy blogs' or 'diy blogs'. So until I had Little Miss...my blog always seemed boring. And I really didn't have anything to blog about. 

Sometimes blogging about my personal life seems to be hard for me. I've gone through a lot but when people know you have a blog, I don't want to write about things that may be about someone else...does that make sense?

I don't want to become a facebook status...impersonal and passive aggressive. You know the ones that say 'I wish I had true friends.' 'Today was so horrible...'

I wanted my blog to be a reflection of me. Honest and bold. But its hard to do that without offending involved parties. 

There have been times where I have lost friends, said unkind words, and had to say no to friendships. I don't want to write about that yet...maybe its too soon. One day.

I loved the idea of being able to make money at home while raising my babies. That is still a dream of mine. However, I have found the joys of being a part of a community to be much more rewarding. I like that I can relate with others on this 'blogosphere'. I've made a few friendships...but I know that I need to put more effort into continuing those relationships. The past month I had a hard time keeping up with all this media and blog stuff. Balance is what I really need to learn. I'm getting there. 

Then I read a blog post today @ Blogguidebook and there it was...a simple answer.

Why do I blog? I blog for coffee. 

The concept is totally what I've been trying to put my words into. 

Find a little hobby that fuels my love for community. That feeling of coziness and love. Relaxing among femininity.

A cup of coffee!

So here I go, extending myself and asking for you to refill my cup, but only if you want to :).

I hope you have enjoyed reading...and maybe I can refill your cup!