Day 16 - Enjoying Little Slices of Time

Ever have one of those odd little pockets of time that fills up in an unexpectedly pleasant way?  Maybe you had time set aside to work on something that you weren't particularly enthusiastic about, but ended up enjoying it anyway.  Or perhaps you had a couple of hours that had no direction and you decided to do something on the spur of the moment and it brought you a measure of happiness.

I was blessed with one of those little episodes yesterday afternoon.  I found my schedule slow for the afternoon, so I left the office and went by the grocery store to pick up a few things.  I knew in advance of heading to the house that I was going to have to sweep and mop the kitchen because Jake tracked in a stinkin' bunch of mud right before I had to scoot out the door in the morning rush.  I just put all three dogs in the kitchen, on tile, until I could get back to the house and clean it up.  The knowledge of that chore waiting on me at the house hung over me like a dark cloud.....

However, once I arrived home, the dogs greeted me so enthusiastically that it was hard to remain mad about the mud.  I shooed them out of the kitchen and it seemed I had the mess cleaned up in no time.  So, I decided to throw a quick dinner in the crockpot and try out my new cookie sheet.  For the next couple of hours, I hummed Christmas tunes and piddled in the kitchen.  I made oatmeal cookies with Heath toffee pieces and pecans in them.  I also prepared some jalapeno cream cheese dip so we would have something in the fridge to serve if anyone dropped by.  (Okay, in case we get a bad case of "the nibbles" ourselves.....)

All in all, it was such a pleasant time.  I don't spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen these days, but it felt really good to spend some time baking and cooking while the dogs looked on.  And, it didn't feel like a chore.  Instead, it reminded me how much I enjoy being a "homemaker".  To me, being a "homemaker" means making this home feel comfortable and welcome to all who enter.  Once in a while, it feels nice to focus on achieving that in some way other than just cleaning!

I am thankful for that little slice of time that brought me so much joy!  Not only did I find peace and pleasure in doing something so simple, but we had an easy and delicious dinner and will no doubt enjoy the homemade snacks in the coming days.  In fact, I am sitting here with a cup of hot coffee and a yummy oatmeal cookie as I write this post!

Enjoy and be grateful for those unexpected times when you find joy where you least expect it!

Jane