Happy Wednesday.....

I have this small little book of famous quotes and I love to thumb through it in the mornings to try and glean some inspiration and I found this wonderful quote that said,

"If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethovan composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. he should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.

I loved this and it reminded me of my shop. It is just a small, funky little coffee shop in a small town, and I am the owner, but really just a glorified waitress. But I am called to serve everyone who enters and show love and a smile, and when I make a cup of coffee, or offer you a small or listening, ear, I do it like Shakespeare wrote poetry and this is my success story!

Gorgeous Missy Special!

vanilla

Hey Guys.....sorry I haven't blogged in awhile! This is a shot of the Missy-T special. It is a double shot of espresso with Vanilla syrup, frothed milk and chocolate syrup on top. WOW! 

Missy comes in almost every day.....wait....Missy comes in every day and gets this little beauty. However, if I am not in the shop she will contemplate, text me, asking when I will be back. I text her back assuring her that I know Jaime will make it just as good as I do. She does give in, for she is addicted. She approves and Jaime smiles. Missy is convinced that I must add crack in my coffee because it is so darn addicting. I don't of course, but I do love the flattery. Thanks Missy for being such a great customer.   

If this looks good to you, just come on in and ask for the Missy-T special!

Clifford finds a friend

The quote of the day today in The Shop Downtown came from the one and only, "Clifford".

Clifford was sitting at the bar just quietly enjoying his cup of Joe, while Cody sat in the big red 1930's chair and Jaime and Lisa hung out chatting at the bar. He suddenly looked up with a little smile and said,

"I have met so many new friends via The Shop Downtown."  

It was awesome and it made me laugh and smile as he usually does. Clifford your the best and we totally love the new head band. You and Jaime are going to look great at the prom!

NEVER A DULL MOMENT AT THE SHOP DOWNTOWN!      

Repeat customers from Iowa!





This couple came back into The Shop Downtown today! They are from Iowa and first visited The Shop last year while they were on a road trip. Well, they were back again this year for another visit. Yea......The Shop Downtown has regular customers all the way from Iowa. They had another Latte with skim milk and no sugar. They also bought a bag of Organic whole bean Sumantra coffee. Dennis owns a roaster and roast all of his own coffee beans at home. He loves Sumantra, so they grabbed a bag to compare. They are gonna let us know how they do against each other, so stay posted to see his comments. 

Thanks guys for remembering my...........

 "Little Shop Downtown, Schulenburg", and coming back.

 I hope to see ya again next year when you travel  south to escape the cold!

We love havin' ya'll in Texas!  

Sharon's Story

Sharon is the gentlest lady you will ever meet.

She is older; I would refer to her safely as in the autumn season of her life.

 Sharon has a very small frame and stature. She wears short naturally graying hair and glasses.

Her voice is quiet and slow. You must really stop and pay attention when she is speaking. She does not naturally demand attention or make it easy for you to hear her.

 Her spirit is quiet and gentle.

        During her visit in the shop this morning she began to candidly share a story of when she was younger and going through an extremely difficult season in her life.

       This is the beautiful story that Sharon shared with The Shop Downtown this morning.

       I was young in my early thirties and we had just moved from the city into an old farm house out in the country in Columbus, Texas.

I was a stay at home mom with my two small boys Jason, who was young preschool age and Josh, a toddler.

 I was not very content at the time. It was a particularly rough season in my life and I was just not very happy. 

 I had not met anyone in this small little town and had no family or friends around to speak of at all.  I found myself lonely, tired and sad. This was my life as I started my morning with my sons.

 I realized suddenly that Jason, my oldest, was nowhere to be found. After looking exhaustedly, I found him in the bathroom, where he was pouring my favorite and most expensive perfume into the toilet. 

       I am not usually a screamer, but today I became one. I yelled at Jason and whipped around in my frustration and anger to find Josh at my heels where I accidently trampled backwards over him, making him cry. Both boys were now in tears, along with me.

       I quickly and not very gently picked Josh up and held him sideways on my hips as he cried. I continued to yell at Jason as I chased him down the hallway into the living room trying to retrieve and possibly save any remains of my perfume. Just as I entered the living room, I heard a knock at the door. I could hear them clearly and as I stopped, knew that they must clearly hear me as well.  

       Knowing full well that I should feel ashamed and embarrassed as I approached the door, I was not. I was at the point today of reckless abandonment of all cares and concerns about impression.

I didn’t know anyone anyways, so I approached the door, which was already open on this cool day, leaving the barrier of only a screen to mask my behavior.  

       There behind the screen door stood a stranger I had never seen before. It was an older gentleman that appeared normal and very harmless.

 He began to tell me that his car had broken down up the road and asked if he could possibly borrow my phone to call someone for help. I didn’t stop to think or discern the situation as harmful or safe; I just opened the door and welcomed him into my home.

 The kids continued to cry, run around the room and bounce on my furniture as he dialed his numbers and phoned for help.

After he made his calls, he sat down for a moment on my couch and I sat down as well, and began, for whatever reason, perhaps temporary insanity induce by stay at home motherhood, poured my heart out to him.

He began to comfort me through his words and gentleness while giving me council in a way. The kids both calmed down and snuggled in beside me as I spoke and visited with this stranger. 

       The phone rang and I went out of the room to answer the call. When I came back, he was gone.

I looked outside on the porch, then walked up to the road to see if he had gone back to his car, but he was nowhere and there was not a car in sight anywhere on the road.

I never had the chance to thank him for the kindness this stranger shared with me that morning and the peace that he brought into my life. He was just gone.

Vanished, like my bad mood.

       Was he an angel? It was a very bad season. I was in a very bad place and desperately needed someone at that moment, anyone.

 Had God sent me an angel?

I like to believe that He did!

      

Allen, Jaime and Lisa chatting around the bar. Lisa is pretending to be telling Jaime a secret, but she really is trying to hide from me in the pic. Jaime and Lisa work out every morning before coming by the shop and Lisa doesn't have her makeup on. She's gorgeous anyway......Don't ya think!!!!!!!

LISA YOUR GORGEOUS, so just STOP IT!!!!! :-)

*This bunch is a blast every morning at 9:00*

Thanks guys, your the best!

Sweet, fun, Spunky Melissa. She owns Missy-t's on 77.

It's an awesome shop.

I'm sure you have been there, but if you have not, you have too!

Missy's favorite is the white chocolate Mocca and chicken salad sandwich.

You can almost always catch her around 9:30 or 10:00, or one of her cute little workers running in to grab her order. Missy's a busy girl, and so much fun.:)

*Thanks Missy for all the support*

Love ya! 

Cute Mrs. Brown sporting her Carmel Macciatto Milk Mustache.

"Ya got Latte?" 

Salt and Pepper

They could not be more different, then Martha and Trisha.

Martha is a petite, cute little spunky lady in her fifties.

She has a weekend home out in the country in Schulenburg and lives in the prestige’s inner loop area of Houston.

Martha, "not Marsha", is a Marsha in every way.

 I like to joke when I refer to her and call her, "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha”, with that sad pathetic, frustrated Jan voice from the Brady Bunch.

Martha is always put together. Her clothes are fresh and preppy, and her hair looks like she just stepped out of the salon. It is a beautiful color of natural grey with wonderful highlights. It is cut in a bob and worn straight with every hair in its proper place.

Her eyes are bright and intense. She looks directly at you the entire time she is speaking and shakes her head a bit as she talks with the cutest of expression.

You may hear her saying at least a couple of times, "Oh……., that is fabulous", with a dramatic flair.

Oh…., “Martha, Martha, Martha"!

Trish-A, and it is Trisha, not Trish, as she told me recently as if I had one more chance to get it right, or she just might smack me, is the polar opposite of Martha.

Trish-A is decorated from her neck to her toes in colorful, unique tattoos. She is also petite, but has a grungy earthy look, with loose fitting clothes flat, worn leather sandals and scarfs draped around her neck.

Trisha's hair is dark brown and usually loosely piled up upon her head. She is cute and spunky just like Martha and wears dark framed glasses over her dark brown intense eyes.

Trish-A recently bought a home in Schulenburg, it is over 100 years old and she has decorated it with her antiques and vintage art. Her closet is made out of an old ladder with a vintage slip as the drape to serve as the door.  Her kitchen was completely gutted and has stainless steel shelves and racks which look like they were pulled straight from an industrial restaurant kitchen.

Trisha and her husband are both artist and they are turning their old ran down house, in the small little town of Schulenburg into their greatest art piece yet. 

It's funny when I think about these two ladies and trying to describe how different they are, because as I am doing so, I am realizing how similar they actually are.

They are unique, petite, intense, funny, outspoken and a bit overbearing in a fun exciting way. These two women are actually extremely alike, despite their differences.

I met them both through The Shop Downtown. They both have just appeared and became a part of my shop and my life, without me seeking or searching or asking for either one of them.

This seems to be the constant in my little shop. The people I need seem to always come exactly when I need them to arrive.

It’s a God thing! 

Truthfully, if I had them both sit down one day for about an hour together, I could sell tickets just to listen to these two talk!

I am, however, extremely thankful for both of them.   

Life can always use a little Salt and Pepper!

Two different spices, that are, complimentary to one another.