The Little Spa That Wasn't

And you thought this blog post would be titled January didn't you?

Well, being February is almost over and the events of the previous month are fast becoming faint memories, I decided to break with the monthly title pattern and just give you an up-date.....

It seemed like the winter months in Canada this year were really just a series of mini-Springs. This meant that the ski hill where the Man-Son and I were working had a tough time keeping snow on the slopes. I say "were working" cause although the season is winding to a close due to un-cooperative weather, I bowed out and gave my "quittin' notice" yesterday. I had had enough of the poor management. I concluded that life is too short to spend that much time, working for minimum wage, in such a stressful environment. I was getting almost full time hours since six staff had quit before me. Seems I wasn't the only one who thought the place was best to stay away from!! To sum it up, I was raised to be a non-swearer and as a Christian I believe it is honoring to my Lord to keep my language clean as an adult. But after only a couple months in that kitchen I was afraid to open my mouth to respond to the supervisors cause I was afraid that @#$^%* would come out. So, I concluded that in the best interest to all involved I would quit before such a dreadful thing occurred.

Remember how I was telling you about the "The Little Spa Shop"? Well, it's a dream that isn't going to become reality.

Instead my peeps and I will be opening up a different business much better suited to our strengths and abilities.

It'll be a little SWEET shop instead. I do think making tea and serving cookies will be a little more up my line of expertise than asking people to strip down from neck to waist to have oils applied to their backs or soaking feet and trimming toe-nails of strangers. Haha.  I would have been happy doing the later, but I have more experience in the hostessing department.

"Christine's Sweets By The Sea" that's what we'll be called.  It was hoped that we would be "Sweets by the Sea" as it will be a family business......but the good ole government thought it was too closely related to another business out there called "By the Sea Refreshments".

Yeah, I can see how all you poor folks out there might be confused by the two. (insert sarcasm)

So being "Christine's Christmas Cookies" was fast becoming a brand name....we added "Christine" to the business name and it was accepted.  At least the locals who enjoyed my holiday sweets will know who I am...and come summer the folks visiting Tata will find out as well!  :)

The location is just the BEST. It'll be in the front of the Grain Elevator.

Different paint colour same kitchen.  Awesome location..... it's where all the tourists hang out on the weekends.  Perfect seasonal hours.....I will only be using it (paying rent) for the months of May-October. It's separated from the rest of the Grain Elevator by a door, so I can have more "Open" hours than just Friday-Sunday. Then come November-December I'll kick into Christmas mode....and when the New Year strikes I can have a break from baking for a bit. I'm liking the sound of that already! hahaha

To say we are excited is an understatement. I will save details about menus and such until a later blog.  Right now every extra minute is spent sewing aprons, working on getting permits and business numbers, finding wholesale suppliers, out-sourcing sign making and trying out new recipes on any "guinea-person" I can find. So, far I've had no complaints and many happy volunteers.

In the mean time....if you hear of anyone named Christine Harris who would like to open a spa at the Grain Elevator in Tatamagouche....I already have business cards for them....I'll sell them for a good price too!!! lol

Until next time...... Sweet Days and Dreams to you!! 

December

Like I warned you in the last post, December was mostly about cookies as well.

So, I'll tell you how it was that I happened upon a Cookie Business.
Truth be told I rarely make cookies for my family. I'd rather make muffins or squares.Only one pan and you're done! None of this six or seven cookie sheets later while you watch sugar vultures devour your work before you're even finished!

But apparently I know how to make a great cookie! Who knew?!

I am not sure if it is a gift? Or because I am a perfectionist that loves to create edible things? (Once I set my mind to learn how to make something I keep at it till it comes out right! Pretzels are next) Or if being the manager of my own kitchen for twenty-eight years meant I honed my skills? But whatever it was I was getting reviews like this....

"Exquisite and delicious and even better than your own Grandmas cookies. I cannot go a week without a dozen.......or 2."

"Delicious! Your box of assorted dozen I got at the farmers market was a huge hit with the grandparents! They sure loved them" 

"The Twix cookies are quite amazing, we both love them. I am glad that we did not get into them before Christmas while you were still at the market and had access to more! Thanks, they are yummy."

" I decided to make a coffee and sit quietly to finish my very last two GingerBread Houses... and I was wondering if you have any more of these culinary delights squirreled away in your freezer. I think I need a couple dozen more!!! One must not live without your gingerbread cookies!!!"

In just two short months I ended up with "regulars" who by the second week of December started to look worried....what were they supposed to do once Christmas ended?!?!

Anyways, back to how it came about.

As you know I worked at the Grain Elevator this past summer.  Or rather played there on weekends I should say. I really can't think of a more delightful thing I've done. I'm sure there were times in my life that had wonderful moments, I know there were, but there is something about being in an unusual, old building made of wood.....it's kinda a magical place I guess.  Anyways I was often saying "I can't believe I'm being paid to be here".  When it was my turn to "man-the-booth" it was up to me (as per my suggestion) to supply the baked goods to go along with the coffees and espressos etc.  So I tried out a few of our favorite recipes.  Two weeks running I offered Molasses Gems. A molasses ginger cookie with raisins. They are one of the best cookies we've ever had. Of course the sign had to include the fact that they had raisins.

They didn't sell.

Not that my family minded since they finish off any left-overs!

But I had to try one more time....without the raisins.

Yep! That was the trick. They started selling then.  I also started getting asked for the recipe. By now I was thinking......"Hummmmmm, maybe I'm onto something......". 
I decided to keep the recipe to myself until I could figure out what that was exactly.

After yet another request for the recipe (and my denial) my-now-friend suggested, "Never mind, I couldn't make them as good as this! When is your bake day? I'll just buy them from you" I admitted to her I don't usually bake with this much sugar for my family, but that if I ever did go into business I would let her know.  On the way home that day I decided to give some of the left-overs to the East Neighbours. We'd been eating a rather lot of Molasses Gems and it seemed right to share.
They walked over later that day and said something like "BEST Cookies ever! You sure know how to make a cookie! Have you ever considered doing it for a living? Cause you should!!"

Twice in one day. What did this mean?

And so the Cookie Business idea was born. Thanks to the Molasses Gem.

If this was a food blog, I would include a hundred more pictures of this wonderful treat and then add the recipe at the very bottom.

But this is not a food blog.

Meaning you are spared from scrolling through countless pictures of a cookie taken from every conceivable angle! But you also, (pout face), aren't getting the recipe either. I can't be just handing out "for free" what is "bringing in the dough" now can I?!
The Molasses Gems recipe is special to me for another reason, it was given to me by a friend who was like a Gramma to me. Sadly, not long before my cookie business started, Jesus called her home. I've teared up a couple times thinking how she never heard that Molasses Gems, minus the raisins, are a hit in Nova Scotia and have actually provided an income for me........but maybe she does know?

Last month after reading "November's" blog you might be thinking "What does a "Tim Hortons" of Cookies look like? How does one have too many cookies to pick from?"  So, here is a list of what we offered. (Taken from my Facebook page)

14-15 types of Cookies are a lot to pick from or even remember what is available. Here is a list to help you sort it all out....(a * beside the name means it is also available Gluten-free)

Shortbread types -
Classic Shortbread - cutouts with coloured sugar
*Twix (shortbread base with caramel and chocolate layers) 
White Chocolate Cherry- pink cookie drizzled in white chocolate
Russian Tea - Finely ground nuts in shortbread balls rolled in icing sugar
*Peppermint Melt-Aways - an iced, mint shortbread

Chocolate
*Dark Chocolate Candy Cane - Chocolate cookie dipped in white chocolate with candy cane sprinkles
*Chocolate Crinkle - a brownie cookie rolled in icing sugar
*Salted Caramel Coconut Macaroons - dipped in milk chocolate
*Buck Eyes - Peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate

Ginger/ Molasses
*Classic Gingerbread - cut-out shapes nicely decorated
*Molasses Gems - a five star cookie!

Snickerdoodles - vanilla cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar
*Oatmeal Coconut Cookies with jube-jubes
*Egg Nog Cookie - soft, iced cookie with rum flavor, eggnog and freshly ground nutmeg
*Meringues - sometimes coconut, sometimes chocolate :)

So what would you pick out for a dozen? :)

December found two of our family members debut in a Nativity re-enactment on Christmas Eve.  The Youngest had the honored role of Mary and Geoff was a shepherd.  The sweet sheep on center stage were a loan from the local Yarn Shop whose owner was supporting my cookie business. After a practice run The Youngest suggested a couple sheep would be a nice addition. I instantly thought of the darling sheep I had seen there and contacted the Yarn Shop to ask about borrowing them. My request was met with an enthusiastic "For sure!".  It was a wonderful evening, everyone performed their parts well and all the hard work of preparation resulted in a lovely representation of the birth of our Saviour, the Best Gift the World has ever received!

Cold winter weather arrived along with December! Keeping animals watered is challenging as we are finding out. haha. We've made areas for the cat and rabbit as snug as we could with bundles of hay built into forts and walls to block out drafts. They seem to be thriving no matter the drop in temperatures!   Neela was a delight to watch as she discovered snow for the fist time. She LOVES it outside and will find stuff to amuse herself with or just sit there all furry and cute on the step looking out over the yard and farm. We often imagine she is planning how she'll care for this place once she is all growed up and trained to behave off the line.

Sadly the last month of 2017 was also the month it became clear that Geoff's eldest sister, Joan, was nearing the end of her battle against cancer. She had been fighting against that dread disease for seven long years. Geoff's parents came from Newfoundland. Joan's two sons flew from Ontario for a short visit and we tried to get over as often as we could around work and weather. She passed away January 6th at the age of fifty-five. :(   Joan is now Home with her Saviour, healed, happy and pain free. As much as we miss her already we can only be thankful that she is in a better place. When we said our good-byes just days before the end...I asked her to take a message from me to the Lord.  "Tell Him that I can't wait to meet Him too" I said. In a voice cracked and little more than a whisper she said, "I can do that. Jesus is who I am waiting to see".  Then a few minutes later she announced "I am at peace". As it turns out those were pretty much her last words.
What a roller-coaster ride the loss of a loved one is!! Every kind of emotion possible goes through your mind and heart all within a day, an hour or even a short moment. Prayers for Geoff's family, as they navigate a world without a mother, daughter, sister and Grandmother..... are appreciated!! Thank you.

May I leave you with this prayer for the New Year. I wrote it out and gave a copy of it to my in-laws, cause how can one give the standard greeting of "Happy New Year!" when their daughter lays dying. It's from something I read on-line (with a few changes)...and it is my prayer for everyone reading this.

May God make your year a good one!
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
But by making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;
Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when someone needs you most, and by giving you the strength to help them.

Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows.
God's love, peace, hope and joy to you and yours for the year ahead. [Anonymous]