Happy Love Day

Valentine's Day is not my favorite day of the year. There's just too much pressure to be romantic, to purchase something, to do something to express appreciation for each other. I do believe it's important to express appreciation and love, but not to make such a big deal about it on this day. This year, my husband and I both agreed to each think of two or three things that we would like to do and we'd choose one or two of those. Ideally, he was supposed to offer ideas HE would enjoy, not what he thought I would enjoy.   And I was to do the same.  One of my suggestions was that I'd pull out my paper craft material and and we'd make cards for each other.  The response was.... well, um..... definitely not in favor! Was I surprised? No! It was a long shot, I admit! 

After all was said and done, we agreed on a drive out to the Shuswap, about an hour away, stopping at a little independent coffee shop in a small town along the way. That was my idea, but he was game.  It was lightly snowing when we headed out, but nothing to be concerned about (I don't enjoy driving in snowy weather!).

The cafe was housed in a very old building with lots of character, located on the main strip. The barista was so friendly and welcoming. I enjoyed a little chat with her after I ordered, and then Dave and I shared a date square and our specialty drinks.  We headed out to the Provincial Park, and enjoyed a quiet tromp through the campsite we have often enjoyed during the summer. We surprised a parcel of deer, which quickly but gracefully pronged through the woods to avoid us. At the lake, a pair of beautiful swans, as if in a synchronized  dance, were gracefully swimming, then alternately dipping their heads in water, with bottoms up. The surroundings were quiet and beautiful. 

 A little getaway, nothing fancy. Just time away together enjoying nature and some good conversation. We tried to keep it light, avoiding some topics. You know what I mean, if you know what's happening in Canada (God keep our land glorious and free!). A few times I veered off course and raised my voice a bit too much, but I reigned myself in quite well, I thought. I'm trying. 

Happy love day to all my readers! Hope you have someone in your life who you can squeeze today! 

Improvisational Skillz for a Better World

verb im·pro·vise \ˈim-prə-ˌvīz also ˌim-prə-ˈ\.: to make or create (something) by using whatever is available.

One thing I look forward to in the morning is a good cup of jo. I have a keurig and it does a pretty good job (depending on the quality of the coffee, of course). But sometimes mornings call for something a little more special. To celebrate getting up in good time, perhaps? 

So, in those cases, I use this: 

This is an aeropress coffee maker I received last Christmas. It's perfect for making lattes, which are my go-to special coffee drinks.  It is inexpensive ($30), simple and you can take it pretty well anywhere (camping?) and know you'll be enjoying a GOOD cup of coffee.

I have hummed and hawed lately about what type of milk frother to purchase. There are a few options out there costing anywhere from $10 (battery operated, no steam frother) to well over $40 and over $100 if you add the steamer option.  

I have been using a mason jar lately. It does the job, albeit,nothing to rave about. The milk is bubbly, but not thick and creamy. 

1. pour in milk

2. screw on lid. tightly.

3. shake the jar like crazy for a minute

4. remove lid

5. heat jar in microwave

6. pour frothy milk/bubbly milk in prepared espresso

As I was doing some research, I had a light bulb moment. As I watched a few videos on various milk frothing equipment and methods, I realized I had an Epicure coffee press sitting in my cupboard which I hardly used. It closely resembled this ($46): 

So, I took it out and tried it. Oh my! Best frother EVER! (It also makes a great little pot of coffee and keeps it hot!)

It made a delicious latte and rivaled my favorite coffee shop one.

Enjoying a quality homemade latte meant I wouldn't have to decide whether to support  Planned Parenthood with my coffee purchase that day (I had to figure out some way to make you aware of this horrific practice going on with Planned Parenthood, so that link is IT).  If you'd like to make your views known to Starbucks, here is a link directly to their company information where you can email them.

How about you? How do you make and enjoy your favorite cup of coffee in the morning?

What's Not to Love?

I am currently away for a few days, spending time with my sister who lives several hours away. Since I don't travel much over mountain passes in the winter, we don't get to spend a lot of time together during the snowy season. Come spring, we are just itching to see each other again.

Despite the busyness of life and unforeseen and often unwelcome circumstances that sometimes threaten to steal our joy, we have managed to laugh and have a lot of fun together over the years. She has the best sense of humour and if I am ever really stressed, I just have to connect with her and she puts things into perspective, usually leaving me chuckling. And I know she appreciates my practical support  and just 'being there' when she needs it. We've shared a lot of sister love these past four days.

What I've loved about our time together: 

What is it about spring cleaning  for someone else that makes it almost fun? My sis is a super busy girl, so I knew she would really appreciate it if I tackled the room that has been driving her crazy. I shared with her the simple question to ask when determining whether to keep or discard/give away an item-- Does it spark joy? Thankfully, she had already gone through her books earlier and kept the joy-sparking ones! That would have taken us all day just to do that! Several hours later, the room had been cleaned and reorganized. We loved that!

Taking a trail walk through Campbell Valley Park with M & D and the dogs. Being outdoors with some of my favorite people, enjoying a fresh spring morning..bliss. 

Watching The Voice together. She introduced me to that show last year and now it's something I anticipate regularly. Last week, we watched in our respective homes and texted back and forth during the show, giving our opinions and critiques. But sitting side by side is even better! Except when one of us falls asleep (which seems to be a regular occurrence). Late night watching does that!

Enjoying a cup of coffee together whether in her (newly renovated) kitchen or in a cute little coffee shop in the heart of a nearby community, bustling with people listening, laughing, and sharing, bent over their drinks of choice. Oh, and the coconut/almond latte was worth every penny!

Meeting Enzo, her recently adopted chi. I've been considering getting a little dog for a while and when I met this little guy, well, it was sort of love at first sight. He is sweet, cuddly, and smart despite looking a bit like a rat (the feet are rather undogly). Some people don't consider chihuahuas real dogs, but I know better. I understand why they might not be appreciated by those who prefer big, thick coated dogs, but this little guy has a charm all his own. We have the option to adopt him next month, when he comes over for a week while my sister is on a road trip. But that will take some serious considering and possibly convincing. A dog does tie owners down, unless there are family or friends around willing to do some doggy care when necessary. So.. we shall see.. 

Will post a few pics when I get home! 

Hope you have enjoyed some simple and lovely things the past few days, too! 

Sweet Somethings

I enjoy coffee without sugar, but it's gotta have cream, the more fat content the better. :)  The best, of course, is coffee with whipped cream. Honestly, it should be its own food group, it's that good. I have always loved whipped cream.

This morning I dropped two generous dollops of the good stuff (which had a bit of maple sugar in it) in the bottom of my coffee cup, then placed it under the Keurig spout, pressed the button, and watched the coffee slowly stream down.   It was smooth and caramel-looking and the flavor was YUM! Better than usual, for some reason. Perhaps the slowly mixed ingredients warmed up together and that made the difference.

Sometimes it's the little things that add a sparkle to the day, don't you think?

Moments like:

• not having to cook supper because you remembered the leftover turkey dinner you froze in October (stuffing, mashed potatoes and turkey!)

• getting a hair cut and color and loving it  

• getting positive, happy emails at work

 “As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness -- just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breath it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day; and a cool breeze when the day is warm.” 

― Laura Ingalls Wilder, Writings to Young Women from Laura Ingalls Wilder - Volume One: On Wisdom and Virtues

Have you had a sparkly moment today?

The Spiral

Do you ever have one of those days? One where you let your imagination run wild and fears you have rise up, leaving you exhausted and discouraged?

Yeah, I had a day like that yesterday. Thankfully, I had the wisdom to leave the house after supper and check out the craft store and visit with a friend for a bit. No, I didn't even share the particulars, but I didn't have to. It was just good to get out and focus on something else. It helped.

And this morning I got up and decided a brisk walk in the cool morning air was in order. I talked to God, was reminded of some comforting Bible truths, and met up with a friend to finish up the walk.

Not everyone will understand the feelings that threaten to overwhelm at times. Not everyone goes through it! And it's not something that is easily overcome. It takes some work, in my experience.  It can be difficult to  turn those spiralling thoughts off.  

There's definitely something comforting about sharing with someone who says, "You, too? I thought I was the only one!" Two friends and I once studied Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. I remember it being a beneficial time for all of us.

I've got  The Anxious Christian, on my radar-- heard an interview with the author  and it sounds like a great book.

Do you have any books that are 'keepers' and have helped you through your bad days?

Driven to exhaustion

I'm tired today.

 It was one of those days that really wasn't very productive. I got up early. Left the house at 8:15 a.m. Drove for 1.5 hours to a town to meet up with other teachers for a regional staff meeting (which, in my opinion, could have been done over computer chat, but that's just my introverted self speaking). We spent approximately 2 hours together and I drove 1.5 hours home. 3 hours of driving for a 2 hour meeting.  And by the time I got home, I was exhausted from the drive, so I had a nap. Not much work done today. And that is a pity.

But I did get to enjoy the drive. No snow on the road. Bright blue cold November sky. I took the quiet, scenic route.. oh wait, every route around here is scenic. :)

And I listened to podcasts to my heart's content.

At our meeting ,we were encouraged to regularly meet up with other teachers in our area for some face to face encouragement and support. As an incentive, we were all offered a $10 Starbucks or Tim Horton's gift card! Cool school I work for, eh? Guess which card I chose?