We love hosting friends in our home, whether it’s for Friday game nights, family movie nights, afternoon play dates, or holiday parties. Inevitably, everyone ends up huddled around the bar in our kitchen with drinks in their hands, nibbling on an array of snacks.

As a hostess, I want to be able to enjoy the company of my friends, but of course I also want to make sure they’re as comfortable as possible, and always with enough coffee to keep their mugs full. So this holiday season I transformed a section of my kitchen into a coffee station, for guests to find everything they would want to make their coffee exactly how they’d like it. Most of my friends are coffee drinkers, but I always have bags of tea nearby and hot water in the kettle. We’re so excited to host a holiday party this year, and I already have my fridge stocked with loads of International Delight creamer to soup up my new coffee station. Check out how I assembled the station!

This is what the area of my kitchen looked like before the mini transformation. Breadbox, radio, and pantry items in clear glass jars. I moved the breadbox and utilized cup hooks under the shelf to hang mugs, rather using precious counter space to stack mugs.

I then moved my coffee grinder next to my radio (there’s an outlet there, or else I probably would’ve placed it on the countertop surface) and placed a tray on the counter. I love using trays on the kitchen counter, because it makes items placed on the counter feel less random and more like they belong there.

I store my french press and insulated carafe here when we’re not hosting friends and coffee hasn’t yet been brewed, as rare as those moments might be! There is a variety of sweeteners (and marshmallows for the kids and kids at heart), and space to fill with creamers as guests arrive.

I love to change out the mugs I have displayed on the hooks, depending on the season or how I want the kitchen to look. (White mugs = a cleaner, simpler look.) As people take mugs, I’ll often restock the hooks with different mugs from my cupboards.

Before guests arrive, I brew coffee in my french press and transfer it to an insulated carafe. Then I make sure the kettle on the stove is full of hot water for tea drinkers, but also in case I need to make another pot of coffee.

The last thing I do is set out an arrangement of creamers fresh from the refrigerator, and then, of course, make myself a cup of coffee to enjoy as guests arrive!

I literally have seven bottles of flavored creamer in my fridge right now, so I’m actually contemplating filling a tub of ice to hold all of the bottles for our next gathering. But for now, these three favorite flavors (Pumpkin Pie Spice, French Vanilla, and Hazelnut) will do!

If you enjoy flavored creamers too, make sure you’re signed up for International Delight’s newsletter so you can learn about discounts and new seasonal offerings. Check out their Pinterest and Facebook pages too for some fun ways to use International Delight creamers in your recipes and holiday treats!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

I always thought California would be such a cool place to visit. But so, so far away, the idea of visiting intimidated someone like me who isn’t exactly well-traveled. It turns out, though, that I was right! California is so cool! And I got to see so much of it in my recent trip with Glamping Hub.

I flew from Ohio to LAX, met up with three of my dearest friends, and drove up through the mountains to Big Bear Lake, where we had the chance to stay in this amazing mid century cabin. We enjoyed the view of the mountains and forest, but also the amenities of a modern home with civilization just down the road. What a fun trip it was!

If this place seems pretty grand for a cabin, well, that’s because it is. The airy great room and openness of the stairs and walkways makes the home feel airy and modern. But somehow it felt cozy and homey as well. My idea of a mountain cabin, that’s for sure!

We played games, cooked food together, explored the town and antique shops, soaked in the hot tub, and tried to watch movies (inevitably talking overtook the movie-watching experience.) Such a couple couple of days in Big Bear, and a perfect way to recharge without kids or responsibilities to worry about for a bit.

This was actually my first experience flying alone, renting a car alone, and organizing a trip on my own. I guess this is what being a grown-up is like! Ha! It was a great experience, and working with Glamping Hub to find cool places to stay in California made the experience even more exciting. The hosts of the cabin were very helpful, providing useful information about the house we were staying in, and the best places to visit in the area. I’d love to head back soon, and am already planning my return!

After staying in Big Bear, we drove up the Pacific coast to Sonoma, which was also quite an experience. I’ll share more about that part of the trip soon. For now, check out how cool this cabin is! And you can book a visit this this Big Bear Lake cabin right here, if you’re interested.

Okay, let’s be real here. How many of you have time for a balanced breakfast in the mornings? As a work-at-home mom, you’d think I’d have breakfasts on lock. But in reality, most days I’m putting Juniper down for her first nap before I realize I haven’t eaten anything. But as busy as my mornings are, I always make time for coffee, so I wanted to find an easy way to make my first cup of the day a bit more substantial in the nutrition department.

I’ve heard of people making iced coffee protein shakes in blender bottles, but in the morning, what I really crave is hot coffee. I figured putting scalding hot coffee in a blender bottle wasn’t the smartest decision, but just stirring protein powder into hot coffee resulted in a lumpy, grainy drink. I thought about blending it in my Vitamix, but that seemed like too much fuss (and more dishes to wash), but then it occurred to me— I could use my mini milk frother as a submersion blender and create the perfect hot cup of protein-filled coffee! And it worked!

Check out how I made my morning cup taste like a pumpkin spice latte, but with plenty of protein to see me through the morning!

Start out with some International Delight Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer in a large cup (I used one tablespoon) and pour some hot coffee into it. Make sure the cup you use is twice as big as what you need, because blending will cause the drink to slosh around.

Add vanilla protein powder to your coffee (one spoonful at a time) as you use a milk frother to blend it together. It will get frothy and foamy, and grow in size.

Then simply pour the drink into a coffee mug, or just use the cup you blended it in. It will be frothy, sweet, and rich! I only used 1/2 the amount of a regular serving of protein powder, because I didn’t want it to be too flavorful and overpower the coffee. 10 grams of protein is still pretty good for a cup of coffee, I’d say!

To be clear, this is not an actual latte, because I didn’t use espresso and steamed milk, but it has similar frothy qualities to a latte. Very yummy just the same!

Of course, you can change up your creamer flavors with the seasons, but I loved the Fall flavor of International Delight’s Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer with this morning’s cup of protein coffee. You can use International Delight’s product locator to see where you can find seasonal flavors near you.

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.