Tuesday Tea Time!

It's that time of year that I'm yearning for adventure! The snow is more or less melted, the days are hit or miss sunshine or gray & drizzly, & forward thinking is in full mode with planning next year's calendars for work & fun alike.

I find myself wishing I was having tea & macaroni pie at that quaint cafe somewhere in Scotland. I remember venturing in with Casey & Taransay - or at least that's where my memory takes me - it may have been Emma & Hannah or even Pip & Sara! None of us had ever been to this particular place before & we all enjoyed it. I remember being teased for the macaroni pie because it was "horribly American" of me to choose that with my tea. The thing is, while America has plenty of versions of mac-n-cheese, I have yet to come across anything quite like this treat.

And being that my memory is faint & the friendships with these ladies has grown distant due to time & space, the chances of finding this place again are slim. Which only means one thing, a challenge to find a new quaint place to make happy memories with tea & macaroni-pie. This also means challenge! The challenge of recreating macaroni pie at home, making friends with English gals my age, getting my English & Scottish Flatmates to visit, or taking a trip back to Scotland. SO many possibilities!

All this inspired by the photo taken in England at Epcot...

Friday Favorites!

Thinking about Friday Favorites today with the question, "What have I learned this week?"

Believing we are made new each day in the light of a resurrected savior, it is only right to lift up praises each day. I have found myself giving such thanks when people compliment me or something about an object that might be related to my work with "Thanks be to God!"

My hope is that people realize that I am who I am because of the living Word of God. And all that I do, I strive to do for God.

While I'd like to think that there is nobody reading this thinking, "Well good for you!" I know better. Please don't read this as "look at me" sort of thing. It is yet another bitter cold January day here & while the sun is shining - Praise be to God - it is January & many people are stuck inside & many people are dealing with depression from the often gray weather this time of year.

I share praises to lift all spirits of the good happening in the world. Some times these praises seem fairly mundane, but it is a nice thing to have a home that has electricity that powers my alarm clock that I am thankful for its snooze button. See, can be sorta mundane. Challenge yourself to list 5 praises a day for a week & see how it lifts your spirit. It's worth it!

"Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day." Rishika Jain's Inspiration

Sunday Snippits: good, bad, & awesome!

GOOD: The plank challenge continues! To push myself more since I was already including planking in my routine before the challenge I do 30 extra seconds on top of what's asked of participants for the day. September is already half way over, say what?! Here in Northern MI there's no denying that Summer is closing or has closed & Fall is upon us. There's even murmurings of snow before the end of the month. Let's pray that those are simply murmurings! While I love the freedom of sandals weather, I also welcome the opportunity to wear scarfs & boots & cozy up under old loved quilts. This week our day off adventure even allowed me to wear my puffy vest. It was refreshing to do some hiking near to home in the cooler weather. MG even got to come with & have her first experience with a snout-full of sand. We all can learn lessons on happiness & allowing our curiosity to lead us on great adventures from this puppy!

BAD: My mom took a trip this past week & banged herself up good. Thankfully no bones were broken, but she got quite the shiner that will last her for a while. Being nearly an entire state away I've only been able to check in on her via phone. Thankfully my cousins were able to respond to her need to be taken for stitches. There's nothing quite like communication through text messages & social media to share something like this (Thanks Mom, you goof!)

AWESOME: Having reason to use my old lap quilts from cancer camp. As a kid I used to go to Camp Watcha Wanna Do every summer & each year we would get to pick out a lap quilt to use in our cabins. The sweet thing was it was generally too warm being IN in June to need them but now they are perfect for sitting around the fire or just getting some fresh air on the front porch early in the day.

WORD: Psalm 103 & thinking about what this actually looks like when one believes it with all that they are & lives it with all that they are.

coming up: ROAD TRIP! This week I am on the road visiting friends & family.

Tuesday Tea Time!

Tuesday Tea Time!

Good morning! This morning I come to you with HIGH ENERGY tea that seemed needed for the second gray day in a row. Thankfully today it is raining! I don't know about you, but I deal better with the cloud cover when it brings rain (or snow). While I don't think I would do well living in an area like the Pacific Northwest, I do enjoy a rainy day.

As I continue to process my summer working at camp I'm simply amazed at the people I've met & the good they share with the world. Thus today I was inspired to use this giant "Good morning" mug. No, I can't read every language on the mug, but I honestly believe I know enough people that working together we could decipher every language shared on this mug.

Who's up for the challenge?!

It's interesting the things or people that make you share different pieces of your past. It was easily the second to last week at camp & I made a nonchalant comment about when I was in  SE Asia. I hadn't realized this was a piece of my past that just hadn't come up in the conversations with staff over the summer. This is the beauty of relationship though. As Z & I have learned from our grandparents, you may know a person for 70+ years & you will still never know everything about them.

Surprise somebody today with a piece of your story you haven't shared recently or maybe ever! And while you're doing that, enjoy your tea time!