Do you have rituals that you perform every day? I do… & sometimes, they change when I least expect it!

In our household, every morning, after walking & feeding the dogs, we used to walk around the block, get coffee & kick off the day. I’d kiss my husband on the corner, he’d go off to work & I’d return to the blogosphere.

I finally did the math & figured out that going to the coffee shop every morning & buying two drinks — a soy mocha & a regular latte — was costing us over $60 a week. Multiply that by 52, & you realise you’re spending over $3000 a year to be caffeinated… Not including tips. As much as I like that going-&-getting-coffee time, I don’t know if it makes sense to pay three grand for the privilege.

As I was thinking about this, I remembered something my mother had whispered in my ear when she was here, which went along the lines of, “The Nespresso machine will change your life.” I started to do some research, & saw that it was actually a very reasonable investment.

I was even more encouraged to make the leap when I discovered these porcelain dollhead cups designed by Natalia Gruszecka! They were so cute & weird, I couldn’t resist. I imagined myself drinking coffee out of them in the mornings & smiling blissfully at my husband.

So I took the plunge & ordered her cups, as well as the Nespresso CitiZ — the skinniest machine they have. Our kitchen counter is, well, it’s not even a counter. It’s a tiny sliver of laminate that separates the sink from the oven. Thankfully, the CitiZ fits in perfectly, & dare I say, it’s pretty good-looking, too.

I am the opposite of thrifty, but I have to admit taking a slightly perverse thrill in the fact that my morning coffee now costs me 40 cents… & it’s delicious.

My new morning ritual: I squirt a little raw agave nectar in the bottom of the dollhead to sweeten things up, then press the button. About 30 seconds later, I have a perfect cup of espresso, piping hot & ready. Sometimes I add a little almond milk, if I’m feeling WACKY! (This is a combination that has to be tasted to believed. It is out of this world!)

Picking up the coffee itself isn’t difficult either, I just go to the Nespresso store in Soho. I wish they had an official store on Amazon but, well, maybe one day! We drink Fortissio Lungo, which is dark green & has a strong kick. I usually buy four cartons of capsules at a time. It costs $4 for 10 capsules: such a good deal.

You can also buy refillable coffee pods if throwing all those capsules away makes you crazy! (Thanks to Tina for pointing this out!)

As the temperature drops further with every passing day, I am even more pleased that I decided to pony up for the CitiZ. I mean, it was below freezing when I walked Dolly this morning. Why subject yourself to that nonsense any more than necessary?!

Oh, & in case you’re wondering: no, of course, my husband does not drink out of the dollhead cups. They freak him out! (He has an M monogram mug from Anthropologie, a gift from our friends Fumi & Asami!)

We still have shared coffee time… It’s just that now, it happens in front of our twinkling white Christmas tree (my new favourite thing)!

So tell me, what’s your morning ritual?

Love & dollheads,

P.S. Oh, if you’re wondering, this is NOT a sponsored post! I wasn’t even given anything “for consideration”. I just love my new morning system & wanted to share!