Hope

HOPE is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I ’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

-Emily Dickinson

My inspiration this week comes from one of my all time favorite poems by Emily Dickinson, I've loved this since I first found it as a teenager.  For this  self professed "Dream Girl", HOPE is an important part of my life.  Without it, what do we really have?

There is so much I hope for, at this time in my life in particular, and always.  First and foremost on my mind these days is HOPE that my beloved uncle will fully recover from the recently found cancer he has been diagnosed with.  He is only 43 years old.  We grew up together, so we are more like cousins than uncle and niece.  He has never smoked and does not drink.  He and his wife are dentists, and they are truly two of the nicest people I know.  He will finish his last chemo and radiation treatment on Monday.  We are all hopeful that it has worked.  It's been a rough few weeks for him.  I can't even imagine what he must have felt when he first found out.  It was surreal, to say the least.

I am continually full of HOPE for my daughters, who are bright, sweet girls.  I imagine their futures, and wish them success in whatever path they choose in life.

I am also hopeful this week for a new opportunity that may be coming my way.  For those of you who read my blog regularly, you know I've been trying to find ways to make some extra money, and thinking of getting a second job.  Well, sometimes things come to us in indirect ways.  In my attempt to find a commercial kitchen to bake out of, I contacted the owner of a cute little organic cafe located in the downtown area (where I live) of my city.  As it turns out, one of her daughters, and my youngest went to pre-school together about 11 years ago.  She was offering me lots of good advice and gave me the hourly rate for her kitchen rental. 

During our conversation, she asked if I was interested in working for someone else.  She was recently accepted into the farmers market in a very upscale poplular city about 20 minutes away.  She needs somone to help her run the market on Sundays...she even asked if my 14 year-old daughter might be interested too!  A farmer's market!  I love them!  I've been to this one quite a bit and I just love it.  It's very busy and offers a wide selection of fruits, veggies, artisanal food, and much more. 

How exciting!  Spending the day outside, meeting new people, and doing what I love...food!    The only glitch...she (Lynn), must do enough business in her booth to actually pay me.  She begins on Feb. 28th, so only time will tell how the first couple of weeks go...but I'm keeping my fingers crossed and remain full of...you guessed it...HOPE!

A little update on last week's "Accomplishment"post...I did get my truck cleaned, even managed to stop after work and get the oil changed, started cleaning up my yard, got the layers and cupcakes done for the baby shower order for this weekend, finished the candy bars for the same shower, cleaned my bathrooms, and even cleaned out my spice cabinet before the weekend was over!

This weekend, the list grows once again, but I am relieved to say, the cake and cupcakes are finished, and my friend seemed to be happy with them.  I can't wait to hear how the shower went and if her guests liked my desserts.  I have been re-thinking whether or not I actually want to take a cake order again...I am definitely more into the baking part than the decorating!  Very stressful, and being a bit of a perfectionist makes it doubly hard.  My first attempt was "ok", but nothing I'd go around bragging about.  I can confidently say that it tasted really good though!  And after all, when the cake is cut, who remembers what it looked like anymore when you are taking that first bite!

Wishing you a future of HOPE and Happy Thoughts,
Lisa