Welcome To My Office, Let Me Make You a Cappuccino!

I love the morning time more than any other time of day. It makes my soul feel warm and fuzzy!

But I don't have a wild morning routine. As long as there's a pot of coffee brewing and sunshine in the forecast, I'm a happy girl.

When it comes to my morning rituals, it goes something like this: wake up around 6:30 or 7am, brush my teeth, make coffee, sit at my desk and write, eat breakfast, do hair and makeup, get dressed, and leave the house by 9am.

Then there's days where it's noon and I'm still in my PJs with flour on my nose wondering how I'm such a hot mess.

I'd say the biggest factors that determine the greatness of my morning are 1) my coffee situation, 2) my bright little office space, and 3) the birds chirping.

A sunny morning at my desk in peace and quiet, an espresso topped with frothy milk, and birdies singing outside is my dream circumstance.

I like to get up early-ish so I have time to do a little blog work and slowly wake up. In an ideal world, I'd get up at 6am so I could have an hour to lay low and enjoy the morning calm.

I don't always get up as early as I'd like, but when I do I really savor that time. Now, I say "office" because it's really just a desk in an unused space off our bedroom with no other office-like things around it but it's my favorite place to be in the morning.

It all started with me recognizing that doing work at the kitchen counter wasn't resulting in my most productive self.

writing desk | chair | my favorite mug | ceramic planter

I could hear Jeff watching TV in the next room and I felt super distracted. I craved a quiet, dedicated space with tons of light where I could sip coffee and do my writing in peace.

Off our bedroom we have a slightly strange open space before the bathroom that Jeff was using as a second closet. It's lined in windows and has some of the best southern facing light in the house, so I knew putting a desk in front of the center window would be amazing.

I used to leave the house to go to coffee shops and now I can't wait to settle into my own space in the morning. It's such a good feeling!

Now let's talk beverages! You guys know how much I love coffee. I enjoy it daily, sometimes more than once. My usual coffee routine involves grinding organic coffee beans, smelling the ground coffee and wishing I could turn it into an air freshener for a solid minute, and then proceeding to brew said coffee.

I like the smell of coffee brewing just as much as I like the taste. But guess what? Lately I've been gushing over espresso with steamed milk courtesy of my new Espressotoria® countertop espresso machine! I drank cappuccinos daily in Italy and Israel and always miss that experience when I come back to the states. Why not enjoy them at home?!

To be honest, as much as I adore cappuccinos, the process always sounded really intimidating to me. Brewing a pot of coffee is so much easier, right? Actually, no! It takes more effort for me to make a pot of coffee than it does a cappuccino.

And there's something so elevated and treat-like about espresso drinks. I feel like I've been missing out on so much morning joy not having an espresso machine till last week!

Now believe me when I say I am terrible with technology. It's kind of miraculous that I have a fully functioning website. Anyone that knows me knows I'm good at being creative and communicative, not problem solving.

The best thing about this espresso machine is that the only thing that separates you from a perfect cup o' espresso with fluffy milk is the press of a button.

You simply place the espresso capsule in the machine, press down the lever, pick your size, and then inhale the most beautiful scent of espresso in your cup.

While it's brewing, pour your milk of choice (it froths almond milk amazingly well) into the frother, put the lid on, press the "on" button, and in less than a minute you'll have an epic froth situation. The whole thing takes less than two minutes!

The machine has three parts: the Caprista Machine, Milk Frother, and Espressotoria® Capsules. Not only is this espresso machine total eye candy on the kitchen counter, but it's also the most affordable machine I've seen.

The best part is that it makes my frothy cappuccino dreams come true in the comfort of my own kitchen. I LOVE FROTH.

I was hesitant about frothing almond milk because it doesn't have much fat or protein but the milk frother turns it into warm fluffy perfection in minutes. Such a treat!

The pods come in several varieties of 100% arabica beans. My favorites are the Espresso Italian Dark Roast, Brazilian Breakfast Blend, and Latte Dark Roast. They even natural Decaf Medium Roast and Organic Light to Medium Roast.

Now for the fun part! Espressotoria® and Walmart.com are teaming up for a special promotion where shoppers can buy six Espressotoria® Coffee Pod Packs and receive a FREE Espressotoria® Machine! How epic is that?! This would be the perfect little Mother's Day present, don't you think?