The world's greatest invention — my sister (Ahhhh!)

Thank you, thank you, thank you, sister dearest!

Back in October, Brad's mom asked if we might like a single-cup brewer for Hannukah. Not being coffee drinkers or well-schooled in single-cup brewers, we declined.

Over the next month or so, I kept seeing them everywhere. And there appeared to be thousands of different K-cups in not only coffee but tea, cocoa and even apple cider and iced tea. Well, I love those last four things.

So, I was singing a different tune when I got to Iowa in November and my mom and sister asked what I'd like for Christmas. I knew the brewers were a bit pricey but thought maybe there would be a Black Friday special or something. It never hurts to ask, right?

After Thanksgiving, Brad was supposed to take the presents for me back in his suitcase but couldn't, claiming they were too big. That left my mom to mail all the presents. She informed me that the present from my sis would be coming parcel post because it was so big. At that point, I suspected it was fancy foam pillow I'd asked for. I saw those while out shopping on Black Friday and they came in rather large boxes.

Fast forward to a few days before Christmas. I came into several Macy's gift cards from helping out a friend and trading "holiday bonuses" with a co-worker. The plan (in my mind) was to wait until the day after Christmas to use the cards to get either the iPhone alarm clock I wanted or a brewer. I mean, you can't buy stuff for yourself before Christmas.

Christmas Day, I got the alarm clock from my parents (thanks, fam, it rocks ... way better than beep, Beep, BEEP!) and hot cocoa K-cups from my niece and nephew. That meant the brewer was on its way! So the Macy's cards went toward a K-cup carousel and some tea K-cups.

The brewer took a bit longer than expected to get here. I was racing home every night to check the mail. But it finally arrived yesterday. And just in the nick of time — I woke up this morning on the verge of a cold.

Now we just wait for the cider, iced tea and peppermint tea cups I ordered online last week to arrive ... we'll have a different type of beverage of every day of the week.