“Hello?”
“Hi, Sharon. What are you doing?”
“Just chillin’.”
“I was wondering if we could come over and change into dry clothes.”
My little sister went on to explain how she and my nephew were soaking wet after spending two hours wading through flood waters. They’d made it to my side of town to buy dry clothes and hopefully check into a hotel. Unfortunately, the hotels were booked.
“Of course. You can change. You can eat dinner. Stay as long as you need…spend the night if you need to.”
Later that evening, after changing into dry clothes and settling in under a cozy blanket, my sister asked, “Do you have coffee? I guess just have a chill from being wet. A cup of coffee could warm me up.”
“Yes, I do.”
She didn’t end up having coffee that evening, but was delighted to know it was there if she wanted it. So was I. Normally, I wouldn’t have had coffee since Mr. Hines and I aren’t coffee drinkers. But, I happened to save the coffee from Easter in the freezer, just in case.
I also happen to keep a hot beverage station organized and ready to go.
How to Set Up a Coffee and Tea Station
Choose an area of your kitchen that works with your lifestyle
I had a lot of empty shelf space in these cabinets, so that became my coffee and tea station. In our case, that is tea, hot chocolate and coffee. We aren’t coffee drinkers ourselves, but I keep all the supplies on hand for guests and entertaining.
Organize your coffee and tea by category
I used these small milk crate baskets from Target and organized by beverage type. One basket holds varying types of tea, another the coffee filters, creamer and sweeteners. However, the hot chocolate supplies are stored in jars.
I keep the coffee basket on the top shelf since it is used least. We don’t drink hot chocolate year round, so once the jars are empty, they stay that way til the weather turns cool. The tea storage bin is easily accessible for refilling the tea bag organizer which is kept within easy reach for daily use.
I fill the tea bag organizer with different flavors of tea: green, chai, black, and earl grey. We enjoy hot tea in the mornings; green for Mr. Hines and Earl Grey for me. The chai tea is for our daughter and her boyfriend when they’re visiting. We serve sweet and unsweet black tea when we’re entertaining.
Label bins as needed
I labeled the baskets so that I can tell what’s in each basket ,and so that others know where to find what they’re looking for. Labeling also helps everyone return items to the proper place.
You don’t need to label a clear jar, but I kid you not, when the marshmallow jar is empty, I forget what the jar is for. So, I labeled it.
Store cups and spoons in a convenient location
My tea and coffee cups as well as spoons are stored in the adjacent cabinets, making serving our hot beverages convenient.
Since it’s just Mr. Hines and me, I only keep four to six tea cups. This number also works well when we’re entertaining since we have a limited number of coffee drinkers in the family. I have two monogrammed, mugs I use for hot chocolate.
I keep a eight of each piece of silverware on hand for daily use, including stirring tea. The rest of the silverware is stored for entertaining.
The key to setting up a coffee and tea station is to organize it based on your needs and preferences.
I love having an area in my kitchen that serves our lifestyle so well. Having everything to make hot tea in the mornings or brew some sweet tea feels like a warm hug. But, this occasion was such a kind reminder that mindful living isn’t just about me and how I organize: It’s also about being able to show up and meet people where they are, including being a big sister, one of my favorite roles ever.
See you in class,
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