Tag: #writing

The Magic Pot

My daughter returned home from England with new ideas. One was, she asked me to buy instant coffee. I guess they drink instant coffee in England?

Our coffee paraphernalia had outgrown the intimate kitchen, so I began setting up a coffee bar in the breezeway. We needed an electric kettle.

Here enters the magic pot.

magicpot

Isn’t it pretty? It’s rather magical as well.

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This morning I walked by and flipped the switch of the magic pot for the water to begin heating. After drinking one cup of instant, I wasn’t satisfied.

It also left a foul taste in my mouth.

I went in search of the Chemex.

There is nothing quick about making a Chemex. The pour over kettle heats slowly. You place a Chemex filter in and splash it with warm water, then grind the beans and pour them in. Making a Chemex takes about 15 minutes and patience.

After it’s all prepped you get to watch it make the coffee. Yes lovely. You get to stand back and watch.  

That is how life is.

dontworry

Really good things don’t happen instantly. Give it time. One example is, my Virtual Assistant job.

The man I work for surprises me with bonuses. It’s not that I did a spectacular job for him one particular week. No love, it’s that I try and do my very best every week. The time and effort add up.

Out of nowhere he sends bonus money.

I never know when he will do this, but it happens a couple of times a year. It’s not something I depend on by no means. It’s his way of saying ‘thank you’ for spending quality time on his business.

♥ ♥ ♥

Another example is our writing.

Just like the Chemex, we tend to our Blog and consistently click ‘publish’. We pour everything into to it and it takes time, but at some point, we get to stand back and watch it bless other people’s lives.

Like my bonus, we don’t know when that magic will occur, but everything worthwhile takes time. 

I wish for you a Chemex life over the magic pot.

 

 

Now is the time.

The Bounce Box

My daughter and I have this thing going on with the box of Bounce dryer sheets. Every time I reach in the cabinet to retrieve the box, the lid of the box is mashed in. It makes me smile when I see it.

It shows me my daughter has her own way of doing things. When I use the bounce box, I ‘tuck’ the lid in, but she just mashes it. I’ve never showed her how to properly close the box, so she adapted her own way.

bounce

She’s growing up, and doesn’t ask very often how to do things anymore. I’m glad. I’m not the type of Mother that believes it has to be done a certain way.

I want her to find her own way.

Maybe I will find her way better and mash the lid down too! If I was the last person to use it, she sees that it’s tucked, so she can choose to tuck it instead.

I’m not going to ask her to conform.

We have our own way of doing things, but at least they get done. You just keep doing you darling because it makes me smile. Just like my boss told me, “It’s only Pizza!“, this is only the bounce box!

It’s Only Pizza!

Everyday at the pizza place is different.

It depends on who and how many walk in.

When I leave to go home, God shows me a little snippet of why I’m there. Last night was no exception. I made mistakes.

Mistakes (1)

I work the front of the restaurant alone.

Lastnight, several families came in at once.

I was trying to take their order as quickly as possible and get them seated, so they could enjoy their evening meal. I need to stop moving so quickly.

Two families ordered beer with their pizza. The register has changed. You used to be able to tap the name of the beer and it would add it automatically, but we’ve added pitchers of beer along with mugs.

Now you have to choose the size, or it doesn’t know the dollar amount to charge. Just the name of the beer and $0.00 appear. I forgot to tap the ‘mug’ size, so I had just given 4 people free beer. 😦

mistakes

I addressed one couple about my mistake. They didn’t think anything of it. The woman came up to the counter to pay, and ordered two more.

Then there was this sweet, elderly couple sitting over in the corner. Sipping their beer and enjoying the pizza. I didn’t have the heart to tell them!

I told myself that I would suck up my mistake, and cover the cost of their beers, but God had other plans. God doesn’t want us to carry the burden of a mistake. He wants us to learn from it and move on.

The elderly gentleman came up to the counter holding an empty glass. He asked for a refill, and that’s when I apologized and told him I hadn’t charged him for the previous two. He understood and handed me enough cash for all three.

He placed the remaining dollars in the tip jar!

Something like this happens when I begin to rush. I make mistakes, but I continue to learn. The owner of the restaurant doesn’t want me beat myself up. He always says, “C’mon Barb! It’s only pizza!”

Beauty from Ashes

I was nominated for The Sunshine Blogger award.

Thank you Gary, for the nomination.

I’m grateful each time someone nominates me, but it pains me to write a Blog that long in response, so the buck usually stops here. 🙂

If I type over 600 words in a post, I begin to hyperventilate, but I want to share his Blog.

Gary inspires me. A couple of months ago, he lost everything in a fire that ran through his town. I always tell myself, “Things can be replaced”, but it would still be devastating to lose every little thing.

He has not moaned, or whined about it. Instead he’s in a mellow space, and closer than ever to God.

Gary  is a fine example by sharing what’s on his heart, that God does bring beauty from ashes.

Gravitate Toward Glitter

I’m surprised to see how much glitter is in my life. When out shopping, I find myself gravitating toward it. I want to share some with you.

This is my daughter’s ornament for 2019.

ornament

You can shake it like a glitter globe.

Yesterday, I met a friend for coffee and conversation. It’s funny how she messaged me wanting to meet, but as our time was coming to a close, I felt like I’d completed a therapy session.

We meet at least once a month, sometimes more.

I’m grateful how she loves me with no judgement.

After coffee, we stepped into our favorite shop.

Their after Christmas sale was still going on, and all of their shoes were half price. My friend tried on boots, but what did I gravitate toward?

shoes

Yes lovely. I came home with glitter shoes.

Life is a beautiful thing, but I believe we have to gravitate toward the sparkle of it.

This sign is hanging in my den.

leavealittle

When trying to decide where to hang it, I’d sit it down to hammer the nail into the wall. It fell over once and left a trail of glitter on the table. I’m pretty sure it’s still there because why would I clean it up?

A trail of glitter is happiness in my life.

May you always gravitate toward glitter.

The Queen B

My daughter is still in England, but will be on her way to Paris to celebrate New Years.

I’m home making changes to the house.

I read a Blog where one Mom has a stack of shower curtains. She changes them out seasonally, which I thought was a sweet idea. My daughter and I don’t have room to store things plus, I love my shower curtain, but could see room for improvement.

Our shower curtain hooks are plastic.

We’ve had them a long time, and they’re beginning to break. I spotted these on Etsy and fell in love.

bee

My daughter’s nickname is “Queen B.’

The choices we make snowball over time.

Three years ago, my daughter would not be in England for three weeks. I wasn’t sure it was possible a year ago, because when she told me her plan, I saw dollar signs floating through the air.

By the grace of God, she’s on a trip of a lifetime.

I could have bought a new shower curtain, but opted for bee rings. It’s the small choices over a period of time that add up to a beautiful life.

All hail to the Queen! xx