[UPDATE: Giveaway is now closed. Congrats to ZDubb, winner of the Aerolatte frother!)
“A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short.” Andre Maurois
You may assume a couple that works from home together shares a great deal of time—and, in fact, they do. In our daily routine, Tim and I prepare joint breakfasts, raise questions to one another from across the room, share work snacks of chopped apples, almond butter on celery, warmed-up leftovers from the night before. Most afternoons, when one of us receives a question about schedules or planning, there’s little of that lag time between initial query and checking with the spouse because answers come quick when the spouse is but an arm’s length away. And I’ll tell you, quite candidly, that once you’ve tasted this kind of immediacy, it’s a hard thing to let go of, so we’re prone to say how much we hope we never will.
Still, though, time is not time. And what usually seems less obvious about the married home office is that as you sit side by side, working at your individual laptops, focusing on your individual projects, it’s painfully easy to dwell physically together and mentally apart. More evenings than I can remember in recent months, I’ve looked at Tim well past the sunset and, only then, paused long enough to realize it was the first time I’d done so all day. We are typical people, you might say. We are task-driven and laser-focused; but who is not? Maybe. But while it’s true we daily savor the luxuries of a shared workspace and an eliminated commute, while it’s honest that the world is hurried and so sometimes must we be, it’s also true that quick questions and passed plates are not enough to sustain deep connection for a lifetime.
And so, we tell ourselves to stop.
We take walks in the park with our camera and laugh about the February chill. We drive to Goodwill for a project and find ourselves sewing it together late on a Friday night. We read aloud in bed. We grab hands in the hall. We sip homemade lattes at a cleared table on a Saturday afternoon.
We ask each other, “What have you been thinking today?” “How do you feel about that?” “Do you know I love you? I do.”
We don’t do this because we’re sappy or silly or romantics—we do it because we’re not. We do it to purposefully seek connection, even when what motivates us is realizing how we’ve forgotten to seek it again. We do it because in those moments of facing each other, seeing eye to eye, asking questions and listening to answers, endeavoring to both know and be known, we remind ourselves of the gift right before us, the one we find too easy not to stop and see.
About Homemade Lattes
The admission of homemade lattes into our daily routine is as new of a development as a new purchase I found on Amazon, inspired by Meg Gordon’s post at The Kitchn: Aerolatte Milk Frother
Since that little milk frother arrived, I’ve made tea lattes and frothy hot chocolates at least a dozen times, and the recipe in this post is just proof that this is a beverage we have got down. I’m loving the way the milk frother is so easy to use, easy to clean and simple—in fact, I’m loving it so much, I’m going to give one away here. You can enter the giveaway through the Rafflecopter tool below, just after which you will find the latte and cookie recipes.
Maple Ginger Tea Lattes
Makes two eight-ounce lattes
This is the tea latte we’ve been loving lately, easy to interchange with different types of tea and with honey or another sweetener instead of maple syrup. We last drank it alongside these buckwheat ginger cookies, sitting across from one another at our dining room table.
Ingredients:
16 ounces water
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, divided
2 tablespoons loose-leaf ginger tea (or whatever tea you like)
1/4 cup raw goat’s milk (or whatever milk you prefer)
Directions:
Bring 16 ounces of water to a boil with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Combine maple water with the 2 tablespoons of ginger tea (we like doing this in a French press) and let it steep for five minutes.
While tea is steeping, warm 1/4 cup of milk over the stove with one tablespoon of maple syrup. When it’s warm (not hot) to the touch, divide it among two cups. Use milk frother to froth it up to your liking and set aside.
Press out the tea (or remove tea bags) and pour it into the two froth-filled cups, dividing it evenly among the two. Enjoy!
*Disclaimer: This giveaway is in no way sponsored by Aerolatte or any other brand; all opinions expressed in this post are our own.
About Shanna MallonShanna Mallon started Food Loves Writing back in 2008, as a way to remember her grandma and write about her life through food. Since then it's become a place leading her to a lifestyle of eating whole foods, a new home in Nashville and the love of her life, Tim. Follow Shanna on Twitter @foodloves, keep up with Food Loves Writing on Facebook and stay inspired with the monthly newsletter.
Leaving my coffee career for a new path in one week, would love to make lattes at home!
Here’s to new adventures, Carrie! Best wishes to you on your new path!
What is it about frothed milk that is just transformational? Ordinary beverage no more! Thanks again for tender insight and the always precious reminder to savor the incredible gift of my beloved husband. Ten years of marriage this summer and 13+ valentines days… and God still amazes me daily with the sheer magnitude of the gift of of our marriage and the sacred responsibility it is as we seek to pour out the great love we have been given.
I like your last line especially, Mattie, and the idea of pouring out of the love we’ve been given. That’s lovely.
Lovely post (as always). I love how much thought and care you two put into keeping your relationship strong, even when you’re working side by side every day. You’re inspiring.
Thanks, Kate. I wish we always remembered to put thought and care into loving each other and other people… but I’m always so thankful when we do.
As always, a wonderfully worded post that, this time, leaves me feeling blessed to have love in my life and inspired to find new ways to celebrate and nurture that love every day. Cheers to many more latte-filled moments!
Cheers indeed! Thank you for that sweet comment, Joanne!
This is such lovely writing. And I almost texted you just now to tell you that I love the new header, but then I realized it was 8pm on Valentine’s Day. Perhaps I’ll comment instead.
Haha! You text me anytime! We’re tucked in at home about to eat pizzas for a very late (aka, back from a movie finally!) dinner. : ) Happy Valentine’s, friend!
This recipe looks great..and I love your thoughts on marriage. It’s in the mundane of every day life that we need God’s grace the most. And with Him we can appreciate the sanctity of small acts of love for the ones we are with. Thanks for posting!
So true, Marie. Thanks for that comment!
Hello Shanna, My husband and I have recently become best friends after 30 years of marriage, we stopped to smell the coffee, together. What a great suggestion to stop and connect. Thanks
Becky
Becky, I love hearing that. It’s the kind of lesson I think we’ll keep on learning, too. Thanks for saying hi here!