Author Archives: mittonmusings

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About mittonmusings

A Canadian, lifestyle blog with an inspirational twist!

My Favourite Mug

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Anyone who knows me, or even if you’ve been following along in the blog for some time, will recognize that one of the ways I love to “chill” is with a good cuppa something. Usually a cup of something warm and soothing. Coffee starts my day and often placates it at the end. There’s nothing like a cup of hot chocolate after tobogganing. Now many of you will immediately say that tea calms your heart – and I would never disagree, although tea isn’t my first go-to (although I am learning to love good matcha…) Sit for a moment and just imagine it.

Now, continue to muse along with me about the vessel which holds your beverage. Do you have a favourite mug? Or a precious teacup that was given to you by your grandma or treasured friend? Or do you have a wacky character on your coffee mug that makes you smile after a grumpy day? We have a plethora of mugs in our cupboard. My late mother-in-law had a favourite one that “was not too big”, and I can’t bear to part with it. I like the ceramic ones that look like handmade pottery. They perfectly fit a large pod from my Keurig machine with just a dash of cream. The hubby likes a good-sized mug that could fit a small serving of breakfast cereal. I have a collection of beautiful teacups and have a soft spot for a good breakfast brunch — all fancy-like. Take a moment to think about what are the first ones out of the cupboards and into the dishwasher?

Realistically, cups, mugs and even glasses are pretty ordinary, everyday objects. We can use disposable ones and simply throw them away after a single use (although I don’t like to think that way…bring your reusables, people!) Still, where would we be without them? The great kings and queens had bejewelled goblets. The Vikings sloshed great steins in jovial celebration (usually after pillaging some poor village), and you and I continue to use a humble mug every morning. Because no matter the material or design, the cup has a purpose. It holds the liquid in. If it doesn’t fit the purpose, it overflows. Tiny teacups can only serve tiny portions. The Vikings wanted extra froth. I want a full coffee pod.

And so it is with us, my friends. How often have you thought of yourself as too ordinary or insignificant for a bigger purpose? Take a look at the variety of cups we have.  Some are beautiful yet fragile; some are sturdy yet plain; some are great for on the go yet not made to last forever. We are a lot like cups.  We come in a variety of sizes and designs.  We all have both our talents and our weaknesses.  We were not created to all be exactly the same. Still, all of us have a purpose. Let’s let our teacups remind us that we must continually be filled and poured out by God’s goodness and Holy spirit in order to be completely useful.

I know of two significant people in my life who can take a whole day to drink a morning coffee. It sits there, going cold, only to be found again about five o’clock after a full day of busyness. Or maybe your mugs get left sitting on the shelf, collecting dust in the curio cabinet. Or filled with candy or nuts and bolts or paperclips. Does anyone have those stained rings at the bottom of their cups? Are your mugs due for a good deep clean?

As Christians, we can find ourselves in some of these same places.  We may be filled to the brim and used to pour out the goodness of God.  Or we may be just sitting, looking good, but collecting dust.  We may have been filled, but then forgot about what God said about His plan. We’ve left that stagnant ring hanging around and we cling to the past. We are in need of a good cleaning.  Perhaps our lives may be so full of “other things,” that we can’t be filled with what’s best.

For a cup to be used, it must first be emptied, washed and then ready to be filled with the life-giving substance it was designed to hold. A cup can do nothing by itself, and neither can we. We need to be filled… often daily or hourly! Like our dishwashers – it’s a constant cycle of fill, empty, wash and fill again!

So tomorrow, or tonite, or as you sit and read this post, think about your favourite mug, and let it be a simple reminder to you that although ordinary, you, too, are special and purposeful in God’s big picture!

Check out my Pinterest boards for a cute teacup story that would go great at a tea party or a gift of a new favourite mug! Or check out the mittonmusings board for more posts about coffee and tea!

Rotting Fruit

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Alright, my friends… this post is not for the squeamish, so if you can’t handle the yucky stuff, move on. I have a funny story to share. We had a lovely dinner out this past weekend, and halfway through dessert, I put my hand down on the booth beside me, only to discover something sticky… which I promptly blamed on my son for being messy and dropping his dinner between us. I was wrong. It seemed to be my purse leaking some awkward, yet sweet-smelling substance. Rewind a few days. Heading home from work late and a dear co-worker says, “Here, take this banana home – it’s a little too spotted for my liking”. Yup. Popped it in the purse to empty it later… fast forward to three days of overripening fruit accumulating in the bottom of the handbag. Lightly coating the contents in the thin, fruity film à la rot. Gross. Lesson learned.

Please tell me I’m not alone in this constant battle of trying to keep fresh fruit and veggies crisp and vibrant. Who else fights with avocados and zucchini, willing them to stay around long enough to be eaten? Or “gently reminds” their children not to play with the apples for fear of bruising? Of course, individual consumers are not the only ones who fight the rot. Margaret Barth, author of “Microbiological Spoilage of Fruits and Vegetables,” estimates that of all the product that is grown in the United States, 20% will be lost to spoilage.  In Canada, 45% of produced fruits and vegetables are wasted. And 1.4 million kids don’t have access to healthy choices. A sad reality.

And although efforts are being made to rectify these issues, moving forward is prooving to be difficult. I watched a video recently about “American dumpster divers”. Folks who make it their mission to finding the treasures left behind by stores. Now, second generation iphones are one thing to find… but 50 lbs of overripe cherries? How do we save such a rich resource? One lady in the video explained it simply… time. Her crew of helpers wash, cut and process the perfectly-good-but-needing-quick-attention produce to share with those who need it. A job the supermarkets simply can’t take on, and so the dumpster it is. The divers have a worthy cause, although unconventional. How many of us are willing to make the sacrifice? Visions of one slimy purse banana creep into my head.

And so I muse. What “good intentions” do we have that seem to solve little in this messy world? God created the natural world and humans to co-exsist in perfect harmony. Sin arrived and made it messy. Unfortunately, nothing we can do can restore that perfect connection we had with our Creator. Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us that it is only through God’s gift of grace are we re-united with Him (perfectly…as He originally intended). None of the “good things” we do can reconnect us. Despite our best efforts, good food still rots. If we work hard and make good choices, we can preserve a larger portion of “fruit” and share the wealth with others who can benefit from our efforts… but ultimately God’s perfect gift of salvation is the only way to an eternity in Heaven.

So next time you pluck out that bruised apple from the fruit basket, or search near the back of the fridge and discover the shrivelled up zuchinni (or dare I say find the left over lunch at the bottom of your purse?) be reminded that our best “fruit” still spoils quickly. The dumpster divers among us can assist in using our resources as best we can. We can help reduce the waste by working together to get the job done before time takes over and everything gets yucky. Ultimately, though, we simply must take the gift God gives us from His pure and perfect garden. And how sweet it is, friends, to taste that perfect offering!

Want to learn more about food waste? Here’s some interesting stats: Food Waste

Want to learn more about accepting God’s free gift? Try here: Perfect Fruit

Want to learn ways to make your food last longer? Here’s one source: Preservation

Life is Messy

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Oh, my friends! What a world we have come to live in! Not only have we only just begun to crawl out from under a global pandemic, our own country has faced huge discord among its people in recent weeks, resulting in freezing assets, misguided information, and rally cries for dissension. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, Europe has gone to war. Power-hungry men are puffing up their chests in attempts to gain … something. And the innocent are suffering. I have no words. In fact, I skipped a week or two of posts because I am beginning to question it all. Do words have value anymore?

Is it worth my two cents if I choose not to post my personal views and take sides? Is it worth it to “remain neutral” and bring some light-hearted script to encourage when the world is in such darkness? Last week I received a new book on the Psalms (check out my Instagram reel here) and I am looking forward to doing some doodling as I delve into it. The Psalms were never my go-to book. I think King David was a bit bipolar. His words always seemed far too “up and down” for me. One minute praises — the next, deep laments and evil wishes to dash his enemies. Recently I heard this about the Psalms: that you don’t truly know the light until you’ve been in the dark places. I suspect that is a very true statement. And the Psalms hit it on the head.

A couple weeks ago was my eldest daughter’s birthday. Now, she will be the first to admit that her culinary skills are not top-notch. She has a few basic recipes under her belt and she is happy to repeat them week by week. However, she wanted to try a few new things for her birthday dinner. Fine. No problem, sweetie, I will help you shop for ingredients and make a few suggestions, but the work is yours. The food was great. Everything tasted wonderful. The problem with amateur chefs? My kitchen was a disaster! Every dish, every appliance, every spoon and platter was well used and left for dead on every counter space left available. Sigh. These are memories. We can clean up later.

Life, like cooking, is sometimes messy. Challenges abound. Sometimes we have to be under fire to grow, change and “glow”. Life is not meant to be perfect and predictable.

“Governments make plans, but the Lord checks them. He does not let people do everything that they want to do. The plans that the Lord makes will always happen. His ideas will always be with us.”

Psalms‬ ‭33:10-11‬ ‭(EEB)

It’s pretty clear — God doesn’t let people do everything they want. The governments — and the common people, make plans; plans they think are best, but only God has the last say. None of us have been through this life before. We cannot predict the outcome or guarantee that our methods for living will be the most ideal ones. We are like my daughter… following the recipe hoping we interpret the instructions well, and that our efforts will somehow resemble the glossy picture in the book. More often than not, we create a fairly good tasting, but messy delectable delight. This world is full of sin and it’s going to get messy. Life with God will require patience. But God is infinite and promises to bring good out of the mess. 

Photo Credit: Do it yourself from Scratch on WordPress

Perhaps you are like me, tired and at a loss for words about all the things that have been weighing on the world lately. Maybe it has lit a fire under you and your faith has been made stronger in the face of opposition. Maybe you are just trying to eat some good-tasting stuff and will deal with the clean-up later. Take heart to the assurance that “the plans that the Lord makes will always happen” and I don’t think He’s done with us just yet. Be blessed with the journey, friends.