We recently had an invite to a party that read "the courtesy of a reply would be greatly appreciated" along with the phone number. It was for our niece's 21st, I didn't ring because we had told both my BIL and SIL on different occasions that we were coming. My husband told me a few days before the party that most of the family members invited had not replied at all. This was for a catered sit-down meal that had to have definite numbers ahead of time.

I am so looking forward to having a morning kitchen in the next house. It's a big place and the kitchen is down a flight or two of stairs. I'm going to take out a bathroom (there are too many) between what are now two bedrooms. The one bedroom will become a big master suite closet with washer and dryer (for family use) and between that room and the master will be a passage way morning kitchen. Currently it's a closet converted to a bathroom, so I'll split it in two with the hallway, one side will have a small sink, fridge and items for after dinner drinks and wine (glasses etc). The other side will have a built in coffee maker and a single dish washer drawer. I can't claim to be the angel that amity is (and I mean that in sincerity! I love people who work their family into their lifes. It's the right thing to do) but I still love peace and sanity in a home with a small child. We have a lovely turret in the room and I can see myself getting up earlier than DS (I do that now) just for that hour of total peace and quiet, enjoying a lovely latte in my jammies :) And at night, the ability to have a glass of port after a long day is not to be sneezed at :) The ability to do it in peace is even better LOL To plan one in a small room though, just think like a hotel (I don't think that's a bad thing by the way). Get a lovely try to set a 2 cup coffee maker on with the acoutremants (spelled terribly dang it) of a pot of coffee with any necessary additives (do you do cream, etc?) If necessary, put a tiny refridgerator somewhere for that stuff, or use the stuff that does not need refridgeration. A couple cups is of course a must as well as a nice napkin and spoon. If you put this all on a tray, and then set that on a dresser or side table, or even in the bathroom if you have a larger counter, you can easily take it to the kitchen with you after your morning coffee time and clean and refill your supplies, then return it to the bedroom during the day after all is tidy, ready for the next morning. I'm sure before we start our remodel this will be my system :) I'm going to add this in our master closet in this house as soon as it's finished :) I have a nice big dresser top that will be free space (something I don't have much of now). By the way, I used to make these trays up for an inn, so I know that once you're used to doing it daily it's about a 2 min clean up and refill. The key being the tray that is always used to carry things back and forth.

Mine is a hutch built into our breakfast room and just a few steps from the main sink (a DW and small drawer stack away). Since our espresso machine has a tank that only needs filling a couple of times a week, it's no big deal. The base is 15" drawers on either side of 24" fridge drawers. The fridge drawers make this not just a coffee station but also beverage central and the lunch making station -- taking a lot of foot traffic out of the kitchen when it's time to cook and set the table as well as other times. The uppers are 15" custom leaded glass doors with 2 small drawers below that come down to the counter. DH wondered what we'd use those small drawers for and realized we could use 2 more. They hold napkins, trivets, wine gadgets, tea stuff as well as vitamins and some pill bottles. The leaded glass cabinets have our glasses and stemware while I decided to put coffee mugs on the bottom shelf of the bookcase that goes between the two upper cabinets. It doesn't come down to the counter, so it creates the nook where our coffee maker and a few accessories sit. I was going to take a photo since the last attempt was with a camera that got dropped and was out of focus, but DH took the camera on a trip out of town. Here's a drawing of the plan before we added glass doors.

cece interesting about the parents fined for the kids drinking in their house. Over here, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, the laws regarding drink are somewhat different. It is the purchasing of booze by 'underage' young people either over the bar in a pub or from an 'off-licence' (the shops where alcohol can be sold) that is against the law. Shopkeepers and landlords may be fined if they are found to have sold drink to someone 'underage' . . . as ID cards are not used in the UK it is not always easy to guess how old many of these tarted-up little girls and skin-headed youths really are. I'm not sure what the age is . . .about 17-18? But younger than 21. In the past children were never allowed into pubs, and scenes of small kids sitting outside rougher pubs with a bottle of pop and a packet of 'crisps' were quite common, even until quite late at night. Today many pubs have what they call 'Family Rooms' where kids are allowed. As the law allows children to enter places where food is served, and as pubs have tried to boost their profits by offering meals, more children will be seen in these places. There is no restriction on serving children with a drink as part of a meal and there have never been any ban in what your child drinks in 'private' ie his own home. Our laws have also tightened up on drinking in 'public places'. After complaints about the number of down-and-outs begging and drinking in the streets, often in centres of tourism such as Bath, which used to be swamped by them, the local Councils passed bye-laws forbidding them to congregate . . .of course it is then up to the police to clear them off the streets. Is this now the same in the US? I remember a visit to San F. was marred many years ago by the sight of winos lying unconscious in the gutters.