Cake, chocolate, coffee, and creative gifts

The official 7 Quick Takes linkup has ended, but let’s continue the fun here on our own. I really enjoy reflecting on the past week and seeing the little moments that define our lives.

~1~

Our older son turned 14 this week. Every age so far has been my favorite, and 14 is really wonderful. When people tell you to cherish the moments when your children are young, they’re right. Those times are very special, and I do cherish them. But these times are special, too.

I love having children who are older. They are full of opinions and knowledge. They know what they enjoy, but they’re willing to try new things. They are wonderful conversationalists. They are mature and immature. They are independent and dependent. I am thoroughly enjoying this season of motherhood.

And, to be perfectly honest, birthdays are easier as they get older. The emotions are more navigable, the expectations more realistic, and when you find out the hibachi place you planned to get your birthday dinner from is closed that night, people readjust without any huge issue.

Fourteen is a magical age.

~2~

When I spotted Advent calendars at the store this week, I bought two for each child. I knew that there was no way we could wait until Advent to taste those first calendar chocolates.

What I didn’t realize was that one child would take the a-calendar-a-day-keeps-the-doctor-away approach. Who can blame him? There is something delicious about those Advent calendar chocolates. But I might not buy another calendar before Thanksgiving. I just hope the stores won’t run out.

~3~

While I was picking up the Advent calendars, I also saw some chocolate turkeys. I am an absolute sucker for animal-shaped food. I picked out a few and took them to work with me. As the day went on, I distributed them to a few of my colleagues and told them I was grateful for them.

I couldn’t give one to everyone I saw and certainly not everyone I am grateful for, but I enjoyed thinking about who might enjoy them the most.

The other day my friend Christina asked me whether giving gifts is my love language, and it absolutely is. Nothing brings me joy like giving someone something tangible. And chocolate turkeys are just so marvelous.

~4~

When I went to daily Mass on Friday, the priest mentioned in his homily that this is the first fall he’s really experienced. He is from outside the United States, and he has never seen leaves change color or fall to the ground.

Hearing him describe the wonder of experiencing this season for the first time was so beautiful. It reminded me that we all encounter things in different ways. I look at our yard and all the wet, brown leaves that require raking. But this priest sees it with new eyes and sees it as a wondrous experience it is.

~5~

I don’t usually think I’m a very fussy person, but I bought some dish detergent a few weeks ago, and I just don’t care for its scent. Everyone in my household is tired of hearing me complain about it.

There are real problems in this world, and this isn’t one of them. It makes me laugh how much this annoys me—and how the bottle of detergent seems to be bottomless. And we are going to finish it. I am not throwing away soap, especially not during a pandemic and a shipping crunch.

~6~

This week, our coffeemaker died. It has served us well, especially during the pandemic, when I decided we would leave instant coffee behind and drink real, brewed coffee every day. So, I really can’t complain. It has served us well.

Brewing fresh coffee every day was one of the best decisions I made during the pandemic. The others were getting pet finches, encouraging John to buy a grill, and eliminating pretty much every household rule we had in place. Maybe that last one wasn’t such a great idea, but here we are.

In good news, I ordered a new coffeemaker, and it arrived that evening. So, maybe the shipping problem hasn’t hit me yet.

~7~

My friend Jaime always seems to be selling her work at a craft fair, and I always seem to miss going. This weekend I realized she would be selling her work at a fair at our sons’ school, so I had every reason to go.

It was rainy and cold and blustery, but I was excited to see Jaime—and I do love a craft fair. No one in my household wanted to join me, so I invited my friend Joan to go, and she was happy to join me. We had a great time, and I got to see Jaime and pick out a couple gifts and notecards at her booth.

It’s so great to be able to live out one of my personal mottos: Buy local, buy the work of creative artists, and buy anything you can find with rats on it for your niece.

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