Slow Brew

I subscribe to a newsletter called Slow Brew Sunday, a wonderful weekly reminder to slow down and take life at an easier pace. The creator, Jules Acree, is a new mom—an entirely different stage of life than this grandma—but her words of wisdom and approach to mindful living often resonate with me.

It’s been a hectic few days, and now that I’ve reached midweek, I find myself being overly critical for not accomplishing all the goals I had set. Do you ever do that? Even when others reassure you that you're doing just fine, you still feel like you’re falling short?

I think it’s the creative person’s curse. My mind is always buzzing with new ideas and projects, and when I don’t get to them all, I beat myself up. Instead of recognizing everything I have done, I fixate on what I haven’t.

This blog is often a source of that inner struggle. I want every post to be meaningful, to truly connect with my readers. And sometimes, that pressure keeps me from posting as often as I’d like. If it’s not deeply inspiring, is it even worth sharing? Is this topic “blogworthy”? Is this conversation valuable enough to justify the effort?

On top of that, my day job has been particularly demanding lately. I work in a busy university office, and the pressures of administrative work can be overwhelming, especially at certain times of the year. At the moment,  I see my coworkers feeling the weight of it too. I want to support them, but it can be  exhausting—worrying about my friends and their struggles in addition to my own.

The Slow Brew Sunday newsletter arrives (you guessed it) every Sunday, but it wasn’t until today that I finally took a rare coffee break at my desk to read it. And I’m so glad I did. It had exactly the message I needed to hear.

Jules Acree reminds us that it’s okay to share simply for the sake of sharing. She encourages letting go of overthinking, embracing the joy of expression, and trusting that creativity flows more freely when we stop putting so much pressure on ourselves.

I can relate to that. I’ve never considered myself a perfectionist, but I suspect that my own expectations—especially about the quality of my writing—sometimes hold me back from even starting.

So, I’ve decided to take her advice to heart. I’m going to share more of the small, joyful moments in my life—just because I feel like it. Hopefully, along the way, I’ll write something that resonates with you, something you can carry in your heart for the day.

But I’m going to try not to overthink it. I’m going to step out of my own way.

Because really, isn’t that what this is all about? Just sharing myself with you. I'll just be here. And that's enough. 

Tiny Things

As a little girl, I was always enchanted by tiny things.

My friend Sindy and I loved visiting the drugstore to pick up miniature sample sizes of shampoos and lotions. We’d take them home, excitedly admire the tiny bottles, and then stash them in our "collections"—seldom actually using them.

I also loved making accessories and furniture for my Barbie dolls. Some of my first crafts were miniature furnishings and decor for my Barbie houses, and I would spend hours perfecting the details.

One of my favorite childhood book series was The Littles by John Peterson. Similar to Mary Norton’s The Borrowers, The Littles tells the story of a tiny family living in the walls of a regular-sized house. These little characters would repurpose everyday objects like bottle caps, buttons, and spools into tools and furniture for their miniature world. I was fascinated by their creativity and resourcefulness—sometimes I found myself enjoying the inventive ways they used common items even more than their actual adventures.

Over the last few years, I've rediscovered my love for miniatures as a creative hobby. I’ve always admired the talent of those who elevate miniatures into a true art form. Shows like The Great Big Tiny Design Challenge and my personal favorite, CBC’s Best in Miniature, have only fueled this interest further.

I draw, I paint, I make vintage assemblage greeting cards. I knit, I crochet, and I even try to write a little on this blog. I certainly didn’t need another hobby! But the idea of making miniatures myself has always intrigued me.

In 2023, for my birthday in March, my sweet husband bought me a miniature kit—a ROLIFE kit from a local hobby store. It sat on my shelf for months, waiting for me to find the time, and honestly, to build up the courage to try something completely new. Of course, there was always something else to be done, and with grandkids and puppies around, I found plenty of excuses to put the project off.

But after the holiday rush of Christmas, I found myself with some quiet days at home during vacation. I decided it was finally time to dedicate myself to the kit.

To be honest, at first, I saw it more as something to check off my to-do list. After all, I’d had the kit since March, and now it was almost the new year!

I sat down at my dining room table and began working on the kit. I can’t explain how much I loved the process! It was completely different from anything I’d worked on before, and with everything included in the kit, it was a perfect place for a beginner to start. I was fully immersed in the task, and before I knew it, hours had melted away as I assembled tiny cabinets and packages. It was a candy shop, filled with bright colors and whimsy—two things I absolutely love!

The project took me about three days to finish, and I was thrilled with the results! It now has a proud spot on my bookshelf, where I get to enjoy it every day. My first miniature assemblage—what a joy!

Another busy year passed, and I had received another ROLIFE kit from my husband. This time, it was a coffee shop (so perfect for me!). I had set it aside and looked forward to the quiet days after Christmas to work on it. A few glorious days in my art room later, I completed this little gem. It was so much fun, from assembling the flowers in the tiny vase to creating the coffee machine.

As I immersed myself in the assembly of these tiny things, I didn’t think once about the troubles of the outside world. It was the perfect mindful task. And that, my readers, is what a hobby should do!

Like the first kit, putting this one together made me so happy! And when I look at my little coffee shop, its tiny light glowing in the evening on my bookshelf, it fills me with joy all over again. I’m already excited to choose another kit to try, maybe even before next Christmas vacation.

Do you have a hobby that takes you away from your worries? Have you done any miniatures? I would love to hear from you! 

Slices of Joy

Instead of new years resolutions, which have never been a good thing for me, I always choose a word of intention for the year. 

I knew what direction I wanted to go. I knew what idea I wanted to cultivate this year, but I wasn't sure what the specific word was going to be. 

And then, in the way that these things often happen, this wonderful piece by feminist writer @leilamadeline___ crossed my social media path. 

This little post really resonated with me! I do not think that I am alone in the feeling that life's challenges and the worries about the state of our world often overshadow happiness in my life. I would like 2025 to be a year where I notice all the good things about life! I want to be open to see more of the magic that this world has to offer.

Chade-Meng Tan, in his book Joy on Demand, talks about Slices of Joy. Slices of joy are those little every day things that we tend to move through without much thought. That first sip of hot coffee in the morning. The scent of a favourite candle. The softness of your dogs ear when you pet her. How you feel when your friend gives you a hug. Chade-Meng says that the more that you notice these small moments of joy, the more you will experience joy in your life. You teach your brain to notice it. In 2025 I want to recognize more slices of joy every day.

these are some of my slices of joy!

So my word for 2025 is...

So my hope for 2025 is to notice more and more of the simple little things that give me joy, and I would like share them with you. I would also LOVE to hear about some of your slices of joy, so please share in the comments below. 

Nickie Things

I am one of the many who lives with General Anxiety Disorder, and Depression. Thanks to the nature of my brain, my challenge has always been to find the positive in things, as I can be the one that sees the glass half empty, or even more accurately, sees the glass falling off the table and smashing into a million tiny pieces!

It seems that these days we are ALL inundated with negativity. Between the world news, social media, or even conversations at the grocery store, these are definitely challenging times. 

Of course, like everyone else, my life has its share of ups and downs. Along with the highs (and there have been lots of those), we have had some lows. We have had our share of losses of friends and family members. Our family has dealt with some pretty serious health challenges .There is never a dull moment at my house, I always say! 

To keep myself mentally healthy, I have to do what I call "the work". This is what I call, the "Nickie Things". These are the things that re-charge my batteries. The things that fill my soul. The time I spend with pens, paints, crochet hooks, and knitting needles. The time spent hugging my grandbabies, or spending time with my friends that support me. The time I spend with my dogs. The time I spend writing the stories of my heart. 

When I stop doing "Nickie Things", it is a pretty strong indication that I am heading towards trouble.

Without doing the work, my brain can start to lie to me. The imagination that is my gift as a creative, is my curse that can turn on me in an instant. I start worrying about everything, envisioning the worst case scenarios. Catastrophizing becomes my jam. It is not good.

Which brings me to this blog, dear reader. I want to try to promote positivity as much as I can. I would like to hi-light the joy in simple things. I want to show how one can connect with one's self, and connect with others through creativity, and with community. I want to share the "Nickie Things" that keep me in the light.  I want to help you, dear reader to see the magic and the blessings in every day life. I know that I am not alone in having these challenges, and maybe what I share, may spark something in you, like it does me. 

Drops of Moments

My husband is currently going through old family photos. As we look at photos in the stacks of albums, we flip past the pages of landscapes and seascapes and tourist attractions. Of course, there are the happy Christmas photos of family gatherings, and school portraits which are wonderful. But the photos that get pulled and cherished the most are ones of seemingly "everyday moments'. A photo of my husband and his brother, not much more than toddlers, having peanut butter and jam sandwiches on their grandmother's front porch. There is another one of the two boys a little older, at the kitchen sink in their childhood apartment, with dishtowels in hand. Little boys standing in the garden, among the peonies. Those drops of moments in that come together to create the ocean of a lifetime, the story of a family. 

So often we spend our days wishing them away. We wish for the workday to end, wait for the weekend, count down the days until vacation. We get caught up in just getting through until the next big thing. Instead of being in the moment, we think that the things we are doing now are insignificant, not worthy of note.

Our wedding day, 1986

Of course, those major milestones are amazing, those life events can truly be joyful and memorable. I remember my wedding day like it was yesterday, I remember when each of my three children were born. Those memories come to the surface very easily. Those memories are truly gifts. 

But just last week, my husband and I drove by a building that has gone through many transformations over the years, and we both commented on how it used to be a  Sir Donut Shop in the 1980's. Long before the Tim Hortons showed up in our part of Canada, the Sir Donut was the place to go. And we both brought up a memory, of a Saturday back in 1984 when we were first together, and we stopped at the Sir Donut for a coffee and a donut. We sat at the counter, on little upholstered  stools that spun around. We had hot coffee in the white ceramic mugs, and I had a maple dipped donut. I had a polariod camera (ah yes, the 80's!) and I actually snapped a photo of my sweetie as we left the building (I came home and searched my photo boxes so I could add it to this blog post!) 

What a cutie!

The vividness of this memory, and how we both could revisit it with such detail, was a delight to both of us. 

The fact that such an insignificant event, a drop in the ocean of a lifetime, could still hold space in my memory almost 40 years later, makes me think about how many of those moments I just push through, without appreciating them. Those moments are so special, those moments of summers enjoying flowers in the backyard, of doing the dishes after a meal of delicious food and shared laughter, of peanut butter and jam sandwiches on the back patio with the grandchildren. I am trying to make a point of savouring those everyday moments. I want to be mindful of those blessed days as they happen, instead of waiting 40 years to remember how beautiful an inconsequential morning at a donut shop really was.