Coffee rituals...

 

It has been said that waking up ten minutes earlier than you normally would just to sit in bed and drink your coffee is one of the most worthwhile things you can do to get your day off to a great start.

Sitting in bed with a cup of coffee and zoning out, watching TV, or scrolling through social media can put your mind at ease - even

 if only for a few minutes.

My friend's husband brings her coffee to her in bed and she does this exact thing. My husband enjoys his coffee on the back deck during his devotion and prayer time. 

I enjoy my morning coffee too, however; it is not until I have showered, readied myself for the day, and prepared it in my "to-go" cup...that I start sipping my latte on my way 

out the door!

What is your coffee routine? Do you have one?

How's it working for you?

Staying Cozy and "Coffeed-up",

Carrie

A West Elm "steal"

I was soooo excited to find this table at my Goodwill Store the other day...

I knew I wanted it the minute I saw it. My husband was with me - but he wasn't so sure. It was marked $19.99! I told him if it didn;t work out in the kitchen we could use it outside for a potting table at that price.

 (although I knew it would be perfect lol) 

We had to go back and pick it up the next day and as my husband and the store employee turned it over to take the legs off to fit in the car...there is was...

a "West Elm" sticker!

Funny how my husband's opinion of the table immediately changed...haha...as he whispered,

 "Shhh don't say anything" ... as if they might notice and take it back from us.

Well needless to say it works beautifully in our kitchen and we both love it!

When we got it home I, of course, looked to find it on the West Elm website!

And sure enough there it was...

The lower shelf was missing - but that was fine with me as it gave me room to push my stools underneath. On their website the description reads :

What a steel. The stainless-steel surface of our Rustic Kitchen Island pays homage to zinc-topped counters from Parisian bistros, while sturdy legs in acacia wood warm things up.

 It's just as ideal for slicing and dicing as it is for mixing and mingling.

 $599

A "steal" indeed - for us!

Stay Cozy,

 Carrie

Not forgetting to count my blessings....

I realized today is the the 2 year aniversary since I had to have a partial nephrectomy.  Long story how it was discovered...a story in itself...but I had to have a portion of my left kidney removed along with an "angry" tumor that had grown on the side of it. I was told  there was a good chance it was cancer - an 85% chance - but then right after surgery it went down to a 10% chance and as it turned out there was no cancer at all! It was truly a miracle for me. The recovery was certainly a challenge - but so much sweeter knowing how fortunate I was.

Prayer was my best friend - especially during the long waiting and wondering time before the actual surgery. God showed himself to me in so many special ways - during my times of doubt and tears and during the days of " why me" and "why not me". I am so grateful for my faith then and now - I cannot imagine my life without it.  My hope...to continue to remember what a gift my life is and to keep striving to live the purpose He has for me.

Happy Healthy Anniversary to me!

Kale or Kraze?

I know it has been the latest craze...and  pre-packaged kale chips can be so expensive...but kale is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, manganese, and copper; a very good source of vitamin B6, fiber, calcium,potassium, vitamin E, and vitamin B2; and a good source of iron, magnesium vitamin B1, omega-3 fats, phosphorus, protein, folate, and vitamin B3.

You can easily make them yourself - for a fraction of the cost!

Just buy a nice big bag of Organic Kale (pre-washed if you prefer) - or pick up some fresh kale in bunches, remove the leaves from the stems and wash. 

Next put all the kale in a large bowl and pour the tahini dressing (recipe at the end) over it, mixing well to cover all the leaves. 

I use a dehydrator as I can make many trays of kale chips at once, 

turn it on and walk away. Place the kale leaves flat on the dehydrator

 trays (with no overlapping) and dehydrate until crispy (2-4 hours).

You can also make these chips in the oven. 

 Bake, tossing kale halfway through, until crisp, 

about 15 - 20 minutes.

 Keep an eye on them for doneness.

 Cooking kale does not take away its nutritional benefits. 

Dark green vegetables are powerhouses of nutrients ...
they call it a superfood for a reason. 

Kale offers more iron per ounce than beef!

Creamy tahini dressing

• 1⁄4 cup tahini.
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 to 1 ½ lemons)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.
• 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced.
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard.
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt.
• 2 tablespoons water.
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Stay Kozy,
Carrie

I Could Have Danced All Night...

Our 30th wedding anniversary was soon approaching and I was on the hunt for a special gift for my husband to honor the day. While perusing a local vintage store, I found this wonderful old musical liquor bottle sitting on one of the shelves just waiting for the right person to discover it.

It was just perfect... you see we met on New Years Eve at a disco in the

 late 70's when he came over and asked me to dance. 

♥ We clicked right away on the dance floor...

 and we have been dancing ever since ♥ 

The bottle has an iner chamber where the couple dances while the music plays untouched by the liquid spirits that would have surrounded them. 

The tuxedo clad gentleman spins his pink tulled partner

 around ever so magically.

To top it off, it was on sale for exactly $30

 (the # of years we had been married).

"I'll take it!", I said.

Isn't it just so sweet?  It warms my ♥

(p.s.. This August will be 38 years! Where does the time go?)

Stay Cozy,

Carrie