This past year has been a year of coffee education for me.  After attempting to give up my precious Diet Coke, I substituted coffee for the caffeine fix, and actually learned to appreciate it.  The problem was, I was absolutely horrible at making it for myself, subsequently spending millions at the local Starbucks for my four bucks of coffee.  With a little encouragement from my husband, my sister-in-law researched this little doozy of a coffee maker, and gave it to me for Christmas.  IT IS THE BEST INVENTION EVER.  Since I don’t drink gallons of coffee a day, its brew- by-the-cup strategy is perfect for me.  I can brew 2 sizes, and pick any flavor I have on hand.  In addition, it can make hot tea and hot chocolate amazingly fast, which we used daily when we had that terrible WIND CHILL OF FOUR going on, and the kids were demanding hourly shots of the stuff. Every cup is super yummy, super fast, and super perfect.

I’d almost say it was life-changing, but I reserve that stamp of approval for REALLY amazing things, like Tivo.