A Tea Basket

One of the hardest things I've had to deal with here, is making our house feel like a home.

We left so many of our personal belongings, like pictures, knick knacks, books, furniture, etc. in storage back in the US.  What we brought with us, for 2 years in Africa, was 23 pieces of luggage and/or plastic bins.  In this amount we fit most of my kitchen stuff, sheets, towels, clothes and shoes for 5 people, books and toys for the children, homeschool materials, gifts for birthdays and Christmas, vitamins, bathroom stuff, and the list goes on.

We have tried very hard while we've been here to buy simple, basic stuff that will last us for our tenure in Dar.  We question everything we purchase, trying to be frugal and to also not buy so much that we can't sell it, or give it away when we leave.

There are often times that I miss my conveniences and my "pretty" stuff.  I'm being totally honest here.

While in Dodoma, I think I have mentioned that we shared many a cup of tea and coffee.  Here, in Dar, we hardly ever have tea and coffee, even though we very much enjoy it.  I started wondering...why is that?  It's not just the heat.  I finally hit the nail on the head...the reason was, that it wasn't convenient.  So many things here take so much longer than they should; but, I can control how long it takes me to make a cup of tea, and set it up so that it's easier for me.  Enter, the tea basket!

Wendy had a similar basket, and so all you had to do was heat up your water, grab your cup and the basket, and everyone could make their own cup of tea, or coffee, or hot chocolate.  So simple, and yet I had to see it in action to make it a reality in my home.

I already had the basket, it was in the pantry with odds and ends in it...like ziplocs of nuts and chips and crackers, half eaten.  I cleaned it out, put those snacks in re-purposed, plastic cookie containers, and I had a tea basket.  Then I grabbed a plastic leftover container to put the tea in and old glass jars from sauces that I had kept, to put in the sugar and Nido (powdered milk).  I found salt and pepper shakers at Game (it's like a super small Walmart, we have the only one in the country here in Dar) for the cinnamon and cocoa, they are hiding behind the purple spoon cup.  Finally, I decided to take the plunge and buy an electric kettle.  I actually have a tea pot at home, in storage, so we've been using a cooking pot here to boil water.  The tea kettle was such an answer to prayer.  I hesitated, went back and forth, not wanting to spend the money; but, finally Indy said, "We're still here another year. Do you think we'll use it?  Then it's worth it."  So, we bought one and it's been great.  NOW, we have tea (and coffee or hot chocolate) everyday.  You can see Indy's French Press, that he bought last fall on his HOPAC trip to South Africa, behind the kettle.

Have you ever re-purposed anything?  Like baskets or plastic bins?  I have a few more examples to share...but, that will be for another day!