Autumn, tea, life



NOTE: This is not a whole post devoted just to a flavour of tea. Psh, that would be ridiculous!?

Autumn has arrived knocking rather harshly at our doors, demanding to be let in. Summer has been stretched out and I’ve been soaking up every extra ray, thanking my stars that it’s nearing the end of March and I’m still wearing shorts. As I peek through the crack in the door I reluctantly I feel the warmth-less winds buffeting me all around, and try to embrace that summer has pulled the curtain, gone to sleep, and drawn to a close.

Of course, it’s a roundabout now when I dust off the candles and pull out my good tea mug, excitedly scour the supermarkets for boxes (and boxes) of tea.

What floats your boat? Coffee? Tea? If it’s the latter, then you’ll be just as excited as I was when I first discovered that Ginger Kiss was actually a flavour. And if it’s not tea, then I give you permission to roll your eyes at my sincerity and keep scrolling.

I’ll admit, if I’d tasted it with a scody piece of ginger in mind, I’m not sure it would have been love at first sight. But with that sweet little sponge biscuit on the box? It’s a ginger-based flavour with a caramel vanilla infusion and it’s a completely autumn friendly flavour. If you’re looking for a new tea, then I believe you have found it. I BELIEVE.

Happiness weighs on my mind frequently as I try to class myself as 'a happy person'. I'm getting there (I'll write about it more in the future, as right now I feel that covering the topic of happiness is a little too daunting and I perhaps don't know enough about it). I feel so much more #happy by doing what I love. Cliché? 

And don’t be weighed down by the weather. I can feel that the rain and wind will soon come, so I’m enjoying every last drop of sunshine, every last whiff of summer.

X

Mean? Just love.

I find it sad when I get a rude phone call from someone that I used to be close with, without knowing why. When I find myself in a slump and can’t figure out why. When people are mean.

Maybe you get sad too?

Let’s pray.

Dear God, I pray that you will fill me with more love, more love, more love. And grace.

Love never fails, and when life deals us bad cards we can have grace to forgive those people and give out more love. Because often the people that are mean just need love. We all do.

 

Before I get uptight about things are plan my passive-aggressive schemes, I just remember that their sins are not my problem, and WWJD? Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love.

And more love.

(By all means don’t go out and be a people pleaser, bowing before everyone even when they throw toenails in your face, I don’t mean that, stick up for yourself, but remember to love always)

And what does love look like?

Read the bible to find out. Breathe in how Jesus acts. That’s the best of the best, in my opinion.

Walk tall and proud, friend, you’re a love-er!

X

This is honestly like therapy, my feathers were a bit ruffled (I'm not actually a bird haha) tonight, but God has an amazing way of weeding out the weeds and showing me things from His perspective.

Photo source(s)

Just Say Yes

I love mornings. I love the smell of the air, the sight of the sunrise. I love everything about it – except the getting up.

When I set my alarm clock, it always sounds nice the night before. But that moment when I jolt awake because of it, it does not always sound so nice.

I hate having to get out of bed. That’s it. Full stop. I always just want to stay there for as long as possible between my soft sheets.

Life’s like that sometimes….you just want to stay right where you are even though you know God’s called you somewhere else. It’s seems so perfect and surreal living in the space that you are; why move?

It’s called obedience. And if I may be so bold, the reward is always greater. God knows what he’s doing, and I haven’t just heard this, I’ve learnt this.

With my hot drink in my hands, watching the world wake up is always so enchanting and I savour it. I am always so grateful I got up at the unearthly time I did (7:00 – I bet some of you are rolling your eyes) to enjoy my morning without rushing around.

It’s my reward for literally forcing myself out of bed and obeying The Alarm Clock.

Here’s my advice when God calls you out of what seems the perfect place to somewhere else:

Just say yes.

It’ll be worth it, I promise.

X

 

9 Things I Can't Stand

Here's a little piece of fun. Something lighter, and I promise I won't do the whole analogy evangalizing thing (today at least).

I hereby present you with...

9 Things That I Can't Stand
1. Ribbon material. I get the chills just thinking about it. It's 10 times worse than nails on a chalkboard. If you dare scratch that material when I'm around, don't be surprised to find a toad on your bed.

2. Burps. Common, but none the less.

3. People walking in, then walking out, and leaving the door open. As Swift says "I knew you were trouble when you walked in."

4. "Off" butter. This is a biggie. So big that it should almost deserve to take up a page. If you are part of my family, you will be rolling your eyes.

5. Sitting in middle seats. This is one for my friends....I actually don't mind, it's just all the little crumbs that seem to gather in abundance.

6. Wet hair. Not on other people (I actually think it can look quite beachy), just on myself. The whole wet feeling on my face is just errrrr. I either let it air dry quickly, or keep it in a towel. Is that weird?

7. Movies with unfinished endings. SO BAD.

8. Having sticky hands (from eating an apple for example) and not being able to wash them. No, I'm not a clean freak.

9. Slow WiFi. I actually do have a lot of patience. But I reckon this was too much of a first world problem not to.

There you have it, a post of random things I can't stand (to mention a few). I could have done things I love, but why not plunge into the deep end of what I don't? Haha.
What about you?
X

We all look up to the same stars. Even THOSE famous people.

I know, I know, it's the moon not the stars. Forgive me.

The clock says it 9:48, but it feels like midnight.

Hair whipped back in the wind, blissfully ignorant of how I look in the darkness, street lights flying by.

As I stared at the stars out the window, I had a revelation.

As I’m sure you know, there are celebrities, right? And we (sometimes) want their life, right? Right.

The deal is: they don’t get any more sunshine than we do. They don’t automatically get an envelope of happiness delivered straight to their door. They have to brush their teeth same as we do.

They look up to the same stars we do.

They aren’t any more valued in God’s eyes. God doesn’t love them any more than you. God doesn’t just look at the outside, he looks at the inside. They're humans, just like you.

As I gaze at the stars, everything swirls back into its rightful perspective. It’s not really about having lots of money or fame, is it? It’s about God. His purpose.

Sure, follow celebrities, but just admire them, don’t compare. You can’t be happy and compare.

God should be plan A, whether you’re an Oscar winner or not (if you are an Oscar winner then wow I can't believe you're reading this and what the heck).

X

*And please don't think I'm saying being a celebrity is bad. If you are, then congrats. It's just that 99% of the population isn't, so as they say...."take the meat and leave the bones". I tried to make it as meaty as I could. Honest.

Let's bake a chocolate cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is what days off are for, aren’t they?

I tried something different, and captured ‘making a cake’ with pictures, not words. It was most fulfilling to flick through them afterwards and bask in the glorious joy initiated by baking.

Autumn has abruptly arrived, and rang the doorbell quite sharply demanding to be let in. Unwillingly I have accepted that summer has come to an end, but rejoiced in all the winter pleasures to come. Soups, warm cakes, fires, fluffy slippers and cold fresh air, to mention a few.

Sometimes we have to slow down and make something, and autumn seems the perfect season for doing so. I suppose it is with every other season, but autumn and cakes seem to fit like gloves.

Happy Monday!

(Oh, and if you’re confused with why the heck I’m talking about it being autumn, it’s probably because you’re in a different country. If you’re from here, and still confused, then….c’est la vie.)

X

Keep reading if you want to make that deliciously simple chocolate cake*…..

1 ½ cups unsifted plain flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

1 tablespoon icing sugar

1.       Preheat the oven to 190c. Grease and flour a 20cm cake tin. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, and add the vanilla, vinegar and oil, then gradually stir in the water. Continue stirring until thoroughly blended, but do not overmix.

2.       Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake, uncovered, for 35 – 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Do not overbake; the secret of this cake is moistness. Cool in the tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the cake from the tin to the rack to cool completely. Sift the icing sugar over the top, and serve.

*Credit for the recipe goes to Readers Digest. An old ‘n trusty one!

 

You're never 'too busy' to stop for the small things.

A beautiful sunrise in Paihia, New Zealand. Just because it’s beautiful.

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Matthew 25:37-40

This scripture speaks for itself. I’d like to be able to listen to this and hold my head proud, not hang it in shame.

Sometimes we fall short. It’s just life. But remember that each week, each day, is a fresh start. And believe me, fresh starts are what are we ALL need.

(I'm talking about this scripture in the context of being busy, there are other blocks in the road, but I think this block is a big one for a lot of us.)

You know when a little kid wants you to come and help them color in? And you…cough….sometimes are just too busy?

Maybe we think it doesn't matter, that it's only one kid (and we were having a bad day anyway - not just me?). But God sees everything.

We don't know the hour that Jesus will come, the minute that our days will end. Sorry to say.

Let’s not be too busy to stop for the small things. To cook dinner for someone who’s had a rough day, even though you might be tired and your day probably wasn’t perfect either.

Because when we stop and love that extra person, we love Jesus.

X