Hey There!
Welcome to one of my musings—thanks for stopping by!
Ever have one of those days where you can’t quite decide if it’s a good day or a bad one? When the pendulum swings wildly between frustration and happiness without warning? Well, I had one of those days.
One of the best things about a wood stove? On cold mornings, you get to start a nice, blazing fire and make everything toasty. One of the worst things? On cold mornings, you have to start a fire just to get things toasty. The latest cold snap made for plenty of chilly fingers and toes while waiting for the warmth to catch up.
Then there’s running water. Don’t get me wrong—I’ve lived with and without it, and I definitely prefer with. But when temperatures drop, pipes can freeze. Thankfully, we installed PEX piping in our new house, so they expand without breaking. Still, waking up to no water is… well, waking up to no water. Not exactly the best start to the day, even if it was confined to the upstairs and not our living area.
To make matters more interesting, my washing machine must’ve taken offense to the cold and flat-out refused to run. And when you’re cloth diapering, laundry isn’t just a nice thing—it’s a must. But today? Nope. Not happening.
And as if that weren’t enough, most of the kids must have secretly conspired to wake up on the wrong side of the bed at the same time.
So I did what any mom of six kids does in a crisis. I kicked it into SuperMom Gear, ready to conquer the chaos with lightning speed. In my mind, I was about to whip up gourmet breakfasts, negotiate peace among the grumpy troops, fix the laundry situation with a single touch, and maybe even defrost the pipes using sheer willpower. It was going to be legendary!
Only… not exactly.
I did manage to get breakfasts made for all concerned and that did help out childish dispositions. But there was one more issue—a truly dire one. Coffee. Or rather, the lack of it. In a well-intentioned attempt to save money and cut back on caffeine, Tim and I had decided to limit coffee to Saturdays and special occasions. This decision, unfortunately, affected not just us but also Micah and Alayna.
So there we were, facing a morning of freezing temperatures, broken appliances, grumpy kids, and—perhaps worst of all—no coffee. The realization hit me like a cruel joke: This was a special occasion if I’d ever seen one.
Well, I looked around and surveyed things and decided something had to change. No day goes well when everyone is feeling depressed and discouraged.
Somehow the conversation got onto nutmeg and I decided to see if there was a way to make nutmeg tea. So I whipped out my phone and sure enough, a delicious-sounding nutmeg tea recipe!
Out came the mugs, the tea kettle, the grater, and the fresh nutmeg. Soon all four mugs had a quarter of amazing-smelling grated nutmeg and the tea kettle was whistling on the wood stove. We all crowded around the stove to watch impatiently as the tea steeped. Then, after adding a little cream, we each had a steaming mug of liquid joy. Finally!
It honestly didn’t take very long for the mood-boosting qualities of nutmeg to kick in, and we all started feeling like we might actually make it through the day. All too soon we finished our mugs, with even the kids drinking the dregs so as not to waste a single drop. As I was cleaning up the mess, I read the rest of the recipe article and down at the end, you know, where everyone puts the disclaimers, it said that nutmeg tea is not to be drunk by pregnant women.
To be completely honest, I got a little miffed at that. I mean, who were they to tell me I couldn’t drink this wonderful, mood-saving potion? I had just discovered a cheaper, tastier alternative to coffee—a rare thing in the world of budget-friendly life hacks—and now, apparently, it was a forbidden elixir of doom because I was pregnant. Of all the nerve!
So I started researching to see if nutmeg was harmful to pregnant women. The first five or so articles all said that nutmeg in excess was indeed harmful but didn’t give any reasons why or even explain what they meant by excess. Finally, I found an article that said nutmeg contains something called “myristicin,” which can cause nausea, hallucinations, and in the worst cases, miscarriage. Well, there went that excellent idea. Now the day felt worse than ever. I stared at my empty mug, mourning the loss of what could have been my new morning ritual. With a sigh, I determined not to let the day completely unravel and decided I needed to find something—anything—to lift the mood again.
That’s when I noticed them. Not one, not even two, but three little bursts of unexpected joy.
The day before, while shopping, we found that the cut flower arrangements were all one dollar. So I grabbed three and put them in vases around the office area. When I say vases, I mean my style of vases. One beautiful bouquet was in a glass pitcher, and the others looked stunning in two vintage silver-plated ornate footed teapots. They might have seemed inconsequential to some, but I love flowers and beautiful things and even knowing I had managed to arrange them so nicely helped. I made sure I noticed them every time I walked past my desk for the rest of the day.
And just like that, the day took a turn for the better. Did the washer magically fix itself? No. Was everyone else in a more encouraged mood? Again, no. But I realized that having a “good” day or a “bad” day was not based on circumstances but on my choices. How I reacted to frustrating things made the difference in how the day went.
That was honestly pretty eye-opening. I knew it in my head, but knowing a thing and putting the thing into action are two very different things. Intentionally choosing to have a good day regardless seems to go a long way toward making any day work smoothly.
Two verses from my devotions that morning really stood out and helped me keep my focus where it should be as well. I had just started the book of Psalms and the fifth chapter ends with these two beautiful verses.
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you cover him with favor as with a shield. –Psalms 5:11, 12
By taking these verses to heart, I found joy in God’s loving care—even when circumstances offered little else to be thankful for. And God’s blessings are an awful lot to be grateful for. Tim and I often try to run through every blessing we can think of. In just the ten years we’ve been married the number is staggering.
At the end of the day, nothing about my circumstances had really changed. The pipes were still frozen, the washer still wasn’t working, and we were still coffee-less. But my perspective had shifted. Instead of focusing on the inconveniences, I had chosen to focus on the little joys—flowers on my desk, a warm wood stove, and the simple fact that despite the chaos, we were making it through.
Life on the homestead (and life in general) isn’t always smooth sailing. But I’m learning that joy isn’t found in perfect circumstances—it’s found in gratitude, in choosing to see God’s goodness even when things don’t go as planned. And hey, if nothing else, at least I got a great story out of it.
Bringing Life 