Kookie Cut-Outs by Rachel Britz

Delivering cookies and good news.

A Cookie Story

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I just finished a marathon of baking. 30 dozen cookies to be exact. I’ve spent the last couple days mixing and measuring, rolling and cutting, baking and cooling. I’ve loved every minute of it! I had my favorite Christmas music playing and I just set in motion the cookie making process that I have done so many times I could probably do it with my eyes closed.

I remember the day it came to me. It was late 2002, and my son was just a tiny seed in my

womb. As I sat in the living room of the farm house we rented, curled up in my Grandmother’s old chair, I began thinking about my future. My future in the workplace. Until that time, I had embraced a challenging yet rewarding career in property management. But with the anticipation of our second child came thoughts of a different sort of workplace. In my heart, it belonged to my home and my family. With that longing, the prospect of finding a good work that I could do from home set in motion thoughts about the future.
In my quest I considered Proverbs 31: The Wife of Noble Character. As I sat with my journal in hand, I just began penning random thoughts. I considered all the things I enjoyed doing and wrote them down. Baking was at the top of the list. Baking led to cookies, which led to cut-out cookies for holidays and themed parties, which eventually led to the birth of my cookie cut-out business.

It’s funny how once your on the right path everything seems to fall into place. My job at the time, managing a senior housing complex, proved to be the best breeding ground for practice. Every day I would try a new recipe or batch of cookies, practice my decorating techniques, and bring them in to share with the residents. They had become my unofficial critique group. One day I recall a nice lady asking me if my 5 year old daughter had helped me with the decorating. Swallowing hard, I was back into the kitchen. Soon enough, I found the right recipe and was getting a knack for the whole process. As I started marketing myself in our small town I discovered that 2 miles down the road from our farmhouse an elderly man and his wife ran a cookie-cutter business. Turns out he was the supplier to my confection shop in the Twin Cities. A few years later we bought land from this man and built our first home.


Fast forward 9 years. It’s Christmas time and I’m once again in my kitchen as orders continue to pour in year after year. Today I was able to deliver 16 dozen cookies to a local business. The joy on their faces was priceless. As I drove away I too had joy in my belly.

I consider this joy and the root of it. I’ve dug deep to remember how this story, this journey has transpired over the years. I realize that it first began in my heart. A longing to pursue a path that I was passionate about, to do a good work with my family in mind. Then I devoted my time to it, little by little, pouring myself into it. The result is just plain and simple…joy!


Blam!

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Recently my husband and I were invited to a dinner event for business. As we stepped into the banquet hall I scanned the room noticing a few familiar faces. The evening appeared to be business as usual, for the most part. After a short while of standing among the crowd, mingling and carrying on casual conversation, I felt a hand on the small of my back. Turning around I found the delightful smile of a women I met a few years ago. She is roughly my mother’s age, so pretty young (wink)! I bent down to her petite frame and gave her a hug and she sweetly grabbed my arm. I was expecting the typical conversation starter. You know, ‘how are you?’ and ‘what have you been doing?’ Instead she looked directly into my eyes and said “You know, I have to tell you that I pray for you all the time!”

Blam! It hit me all at once. Where did that come from? In an instant my mind quickly raced with disbelieving thoughts like ‘why me?’ and ‘surely she doesn’t really mean that?’. Yet, just as quickly as disbelief shot up I caught the gaze in her eyes. They assured me that she was in fact speaking truth. As we stood there she continued to talk, filling me with wholesome goodness, and in a few short minutes I was in tears and she was gone.
I have wondered why this basic, simple gesture had such power to overwhelm me the way that it did. For starters, I believe that it was the unexpected. Although I’m trying to get better at moving freely with the unpredictability life brings, it certainly is a lesson I’m in need of repeating. Practice makes perfect…or so they say. The element of surprise in this case was beautiful and undeserving.

Secondly, it was the truth. She meant what she said and she said what she meant. My mind wanted to disbelieve but in the end sincere honesty won out. I’m thankful for that.

And lastly, her words came at a time when I needed to hear it most. My heart just needed to know that someone out there has been rooting for me.

In life I feel like we have a tendency to get caught up in the day-to-day. Putting forth little effort to make a difference in the life of someone else. That somehow were not quite in that right place or we don’t have it figured out…yet. I’m certainly guilty of this. But my friend has reminded me that we can ALL make a difference – a big huge difference- if we simply take the smallest (sometimes unplanned) opportunities to speak truth into the lives of those around us who we see or feel need it most.

Noir No! Silver, Yes Please!

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You’ve waited….and you’ve wondered. What could possibly be all the holy noir goodness?!? They say diamonds are a girls best friend but I presume running a close second would be precious designer jewelry, right?

A few years ago read about this offer in a Consumer Report and just had to try it myself. I choose a pendant that looks something like this picture. I did end up buying the chain necklace to go with it but only because I didn’t have an extra one. And since the offer, I have
not been haggled or e-blasted at all!
So here’s the offer my friends, FREE designer jewelry! And the absolute best part is that there are no strings attached. You simply visit the website and select one item (out of four) and checkout. I know, I know your asking the big question. Why would someone just give away designer jewelry? Well, it actually is the brilliant marketing plan for Peora. A jeweler who believes so much in their product that they would be willing to give you a piece for FREE in hopes of earning their trust as a premier designer.
Go ahead and grab yourself this FREE gift for yourself or someone you love this Christmas season. Happy Black Friday shopping!
Visit:

http://www.SilverJewelryClub.com
P.S. Be sure to share this fun idea with all your peeps!

Follow for Great Finds!

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If you’ve ever read this blog before my hope is that at some point it was meaningful to you. It made you wonder a little more, think a little deeper, scratch your head, or even roll your eyes. I’m trying to be intentional. Writing with passion and sharing a few finds along the way.

So here’s the scoop, if you want to gain a better connection without missing a beat scroll down to the bottom of this page and FOLLOW me through the Google connect.
A few days ago I posted on the subject of anticipation, this notion of waiting and looking forward to something. With that said, I’m really excited to tell you about a great find that I found. It’s beautiful and very valuable. Most importantly it’s something that you can have for FREE. I ordered mine and am absolutely in love!
I really can’t wait to tell you more about it. But first, you need to sign up below to FOLLOW my blog. Then, on Friday (aka:Black Friday) I will release all the details and information to get you this fantastic gift for FREE!
Trust me, it’s worth the wait…

The Eve of Anticipation

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I grew up in the small Minnesota town of Hutchinson. I’m fortunate to say that I had a great childhood with grand memories. Now that I’m grown and raising my own children I often think back to certain moments as a child.

One of my great memories always came on the eve of Thanksgiving. Each year we traveled 1 hour west to grandmas house. I loved going to grandmas. Her gentle touch and fresh, clean scent. Her sweet apple pie with melt-in-your-mouth crust. The sound of trains choo-chooing in the neighboring distance. All those moments carved into the fondness I now recall. Yet, for me the anticipation of returning to our hometown sometime late into the dark winter night had this girl giddy year after year.

Each year it had become our small-town tradition to blanket downtown with Christmas lights, garland, and ornaments galore. The grand reveal set for Thanksgiving night. In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, busy city workers strung lights and garland from one end of the street to the other. Traditional ornaments like a bell, a star, or a Christmas tree would swag from the center arch. Every year on the Eve of Thanksgiving downtown became a lit up oasis stretching block after block as far as the eye could see.
We knew it was coming. It was expected, something to look forward to. It had become a grand unspoken proclamation that the Christmas season had now arrived. With the flip of a switch our hearts and minds created a new hope. A hope that centered on retelling stories of old, sharing our time, giving gifts out of love, and gathering together to feast on food and remembrance.
But all of these wonderful things would have to wait until the timing was right. The beauty was in the waiting. For we all knew, that we must first pass through a season of giving thanks. Thanksgiving wasn’t overlooked or hurried through to get onto the next thing. Stores closed their doors. There were no distractions. That mindful focus is what I hope for this week. A time to reflect and really be grateful!