Reading Habits: A Mug of Something Warm

We are having some weird weather here. It snowed Monday night, about four inches, and it was beautiful. Then Tuesday the temperature went up to just above 32 degrees, it rained all day Tuesday and by Tuesday evening most of the snow was gone. But now the temperature has dipped back down again and all the water that had no where to go has frozen over everything. 

So all in all it's a cold, crappy, winter here. Which is perfect reading weather! When it's cold out there's nothing better that a blanket, a book, and a cup of something warm. I usually save my coffee/tea for The Toddler's nap time, when I'm actually alone and can sit down and enjoy it. I used to be a two-cups-a-day, don't-talk-to-me-till-I've-had-my-coffee, type of person, but in the last year that's changed. I don't know if it's just that I'm getting older or has to do with my anxiety or what, but I can't handle sugar first thing in the morning. I get all shaky and jittery, which is not an enjoyable thing, and I can't drink coffee without cream and sugar. So, when the house is quiet I boil some water and make some coffee or tea.

 I use a french press for my coffee because I recently discovered mold growing in my little 4 cup coffee machine and had to toss it. I already had the french press so I decided to use it instead of buying another coffee machine. I like that it's a more mindful process but it does require a higher quality coffee than a drip machine. I can't wait till my three pound can of coffee grounds from Costco is used up so I can buy a small bag of fresh ground coffee. The Costco coffee, though okay for a drip machine, kind of turns into mud in the french press, tasteless and bitter. I discovered the other day though that I can put hot chocolate mix into my coffee and it tastes almost like my favorite Starbucks drink! YAY! So now I do that most afternoons. I get to have a faux mocha latte and read a book. 

I also love tea! For a long time I loved the idea of tea but didn't really like tea itself. Of course I was only buying black tea bags from the grocery store and didn't know anything about proper brew times or anything like that. Now I buy loose leaf tea from a small, local, tea shop and it is infinitely better. My favorite tea for the morning is called Scottish Morn by Harney and Sons. It's a black tea and it's stronger than English Breakfast tea, but not as strong as coffee, and I drink it black in the morning. I like tea in the evening too. I love a blend called Heavenly Hazelnut. It's so cozy and has little bits of chocolate in it. I drink that one with a little milk and sugar in it but not much, the flavor is too good to cover up with a bunch of sugar. 

Honestly, I usually only get though half a mug of whatever I happen to be drinking. I usually get too involved in whatever I'm doing and forget about it, especially if I'm reading. But the mindfulness of brewing a cup of tea, of selecting my favorite mug and choosing a tea and preparing the teapot/infuser. I find it so calming after a day of constantly being needed and doing everything for other people, even though I love the people, that's why I do it all, but I need those few minutes for myself at the end of the day.