The Coffee Problem

It's not that complicated to make a pot of coffee, right?

1. Empty carafe.
2. Empty filter basket.
3. Put fresh water in reservoir.
4. Grind beans and dump in basket.
5. Press the button.

And yet somehow I have managed to botch the process innumerable times, leaving out one step or another.  I have on an online pal who calls it the coffee bootstrap problem -- you need caffeine to think clearly enough to make coffee.  I do it even when I'm off caffeine, though.

This morning the younger boys both woke up at half-past Lord-have-mercy (at least I think that's what the clock said; I'm pretty nearsighted though).  When I bowed to the inevitable and got up, I decided to make banana muffins for breakfast since I had some extra time.  I started the coffee and started the muffins, attempting to strike the right balance between welcoming toddler participation and keeping some portion of my kitchen unfloured.  "Oh, no!" said Joe.  (Look at that -- a poem.)  "Hot coffee is spilling." 

I had forgotten step 1, forgotten that my husband made a pot of coffee last night and it went mostly undrunk.  Just in case you wondered, a carafe with six cups of coffee inside it will not accommodate an additional eight cups.