Two little changes in the kitchen

A couple weeks ago, my husband found a couple goodies for me at the grocery store. Things I wanted, but would never buy for myself. When he put them in our cart, I admit… I did a little happy dance.

The first item… you’re all going to roll your eyes at me. It was a dish drain. A $5 dish drain. I was giddy! Really!

See, the only dish drains I had already were too small and just really didn’t do the job. So either I used the dishwasher, or if I hand washed dishes they got stacked up on a towel on my cutting board. As a result, for some reason, I’d leave dirty dishes in the sink until I had absolutely NO choice but to wash them.

My new dish drain? My nice, big, sturdy dish drain… Now I never go to bed with dirty dishes. I actually enjoy don’t mind doing the dishes. Its one of those jobs you can step back and admire your hard work in the form of a big pile of dishes drying. My utensils no longer piled up, but instead in their little drain cup. Plates lines up neatly in their slots. Cups along the sides. It makes me smile! And all it cost was $5! Heck I didn’t even buy dishwasher detergent this last week, even though I am out of it. I’d rather hand wash my dishes!

My second goodie is an iced tea maker. You know, like a coffee maker only for tea? I’ve actually lusted over them for a few years now. My parents have one and it makes the BEST tea, and you really don’t have much of an excuse not to make some any time. It’s SO easy.

Not that, you know, the tea kettle over tea bags way isn’t easy. I mean, I still make my cups of hot Vanilla Chai tea some evenings that way. But…

My iced tea maker ROCKS. Almost as soon as we drink up the 3 qts. of tea it makes, I have another batch brewing. I’ve actually cut my carbonated drink intake down to maybe one glass every few days. I’m addicted to my fresh brewed sweet iced tea! The last batch I squeezed a fresh lemon into and, let me tell you, my taste buds rejoiced. They cried out, “Where have you been these last few years!?”

It’s been at the store because I just couldn’t bring myself to buy it. Neither it nor the dish drain. I’m so silly! Thank heavens my husband insisted I have them, because I am pretty much addicted to them now. I don’t consider myself high maintenance. I don’t need every kitchen gadget in the world. I don’t WANT every kitchen gadget in the world! But, man, these two items are just… the awesome. My kitchen just further became my own, somehow. And, you know, you gotta love that.