Perfection

There is something to be said for doing things well.  I have always been somewhat of a perfectionist, a trait which I acquired from my father.  With a background in psychology, I of course spend a lot of time debating whether the acquisition of this trait was based upon the nature of my genetics or the method of nurturing I experienced.  That, however, is a discussion (not a debate), for another day.

All through school, home, and the general human society, we are taught to put forth our best effort, doing all things the best that we can.  The Bible even tell us, "whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord..." (Colossians 3:23).  This, of course, is a virtue that I agree with and that I strive to achieve.  But, I can't help but think that we put too much emphasis on perfection itself.  It drives fathers to be workaholics, mothers to be plastic, children to be deceptive, youth to be anorexic and addicted, and many to be suicidal.  

I myself have experienced the feeling of utter failure, particularly this week.  Sometimes it's the little things in life that I expect to do perfectly that drive me to destruction.  For example, let's take Spike.  If you've been reading my previous posts, you know I raised a sourdough starter... we named him Spike.  Well, Spike failed.  On two different attempts this week, I tried to make some sourdough bread with Spike (two different recipes), both to no avail.  As I've been spending a lot of my time reading various homemaking and cooking blogs, as well as researching natural living and attempting to put all these methods in practice,  I figured that success should follow in-turn.  Unfortunately, that's not how it worked out.  I ended with three dense loaves of rock, a dinner which my husband disliked, and a whole bunch of dirty dishes, that ended up being washed twice.  Let's just say, I was a wreck, made myself sick, and missed a day of work.  I don't know that all this week's home failures are what led me to illness, but I wouldn't put it past God to force me to my end's wit to trust him. :)

This is just something small.  I realized this week that perfection is not everything.  David, who I have been reading about in 2 Samuel for quite some time, was far from perfect.  But do you know what?  The Lord himself called him "a man after God's own heart".  Wow.  With that, nothing else matters.  My goal in life should not be perfectionism, but should instead be complete unity with My Lord and Savior.  

I'm not saying that I get to throw perfection out the door right away, because I know that's not possible for me... Perfect is part of who I am.  But, I can leave some room for mistakes (which are the best teaching manipulative!), and know that God desires nothing more than for me to run into His presence and seek His heart.  

Something to Nurture!!

Mac and I finally found something we agree that I can nurture!  

Our new addition to the family is:

1.)  not alive... well, not really.

2.) needs to be fed every 24 hours.

3.) doesn't smell very good until later in its life.

4.) is a bit touchy on the environmental temperature.

5.) benefits us both greatly!

Any guesses?

I wish it were a puppy or a baby, but obviously those would both be most definitely alive and need to be fed more than every 24 hours... the other 3 qualifications fit just fine.  Anyway, we're adding a sourdough starter to our family, and it's going to be my pet.  Mainly, because I have to take care of it and "feed" it every 24 hours and keep it "alive" so that it will continue to make wonderfully yummy bread for us.  I'm not quite sure what recipe I'm going to use for the actual bread yet, but I do know I will use whole wheat flour, olive oil, and honey - if needed.  For the starter, I'm going with this:  http://www.io.com/~sjohn/sour.htm

Not only can we make bread, but we will be able to make pancakes, rolls, bagels, and many other things (as soon as I find recipes for them!).  Also, making my own bread is going to save on money and be better for us.  Homemade bread generally takes about 5 ingredients (flour, water, salt, and a little oil and sugar sometimes), whereas store-bought bread has approximately 15 ingredients, many of which cannot be pronounced.  Mac really like sourdough bread, and I like the idea of making bread without store-bought yeast, since flour contains yeast already, and just needs time in the fermentation process to mix with the bacteria for leavening.  

That said, I've given up on asking for a puppy, realized I can't keep a plant alive without sunlight, and settled for a pet sourdough starter.  How sad but wonderfully simple my life has become! :)

Dairy-Free

For those of you who don't know, I have an intolerance to lactose.  (I don't like to title people, and therefore try not to say "lactose intolerant").  Yes, I'm weird. I know. I'm also tired, and under the weather.  Therefore, should not be writing a post right now.  But, I can't help it because I'm excited.  I just found a website that has lots and lots and lots of dairy-free (and in turn, lactose-free) recipes, cookbooks, and links.  www.godairyfree.org 

I like cheese and ice cream too much to give it up completely, although I've been trying for a long time, because I feel much better when I don't consume dairy products.  But, I think websites like this one will help me finally omit dairy from my diet completely, as I can now count on actually good-tasting recipes that don't have any milk products.  Woohoo! 

Wish me luck as I attempt to get rid of the amazing tillamook cheese, butter, and yogurt in my fridge.  Milk is not something that gets me, as I don't like it anyway, although I do use it to bake with... And yogurt, actually, contains lactase in its live cultures (which is what my body doesn't have enough of) to break down the lactose for me, so I can eat yogurt.  And we're too frugal to buy ice cream... so really, it's just the butter and cheese (and occasional sour cream/buttermilk in recipes) that I have to cut out.  Also, wish my husband luck as he shares dairy-free dinners and baked goods with me.

This was a random post. sorry. but i'm excited.

I'm Excited For...

...Friday (yep, that's tomorrow. Best news of the week!)

...going to Oregon on March 25th!! 

...the completion of my 1000 hours on April 10th!!

...to be an "auntie" for baby Weasel #1

...Third Day being in tri-cities even if I can't go... but I plan on being there

...my kiddo  to keep up the amazing progress on his programs (sidenote: I only use the word kiddo to distinguish that the child is not actually my own, but one i take care of - otherwise, the word kiddo does NOT make me excited)

...my other kiddo to stop tearing up my hands

... for the word kiddo to die

...someday my husband to let me have a puppy to nurture

Righteousness

I went to a worship night with a friend yesterday and spent a lot of time reading Psalm 37.  The passage spoke about the rewards for the righteous.  The Lord really spoke to me through the scriptures, the worship songs, and the prayers of the people around me as I sat in His presence for a couple hours.  The following is the raw journal of my reflection... I'll try and edit it for confusion, but please just take it as it is... 

Righteousness is not based on perfectionism.  No, it instead comes from a relationship with and respect of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The righteous do not earn their salvation - it is given, a gift from the Lord God Almighty.  One is not qualified as righteous simply by his actions. 

Righteousness begins in the heart.  The righteous one delights first and foremost in the Lord, in His desires, and commits to following his way, however it may differ from the individual's thoughts and self-driven goals.  The righteous one spends time with the Lord the Savior, demonstrating patience - waiting for the Lord's plan and words to come.  Peace is granted to the righteous one who is still before the Lord.  Trust in the Lord and righteousness rains down out of the floodgates of heaven.

The righteous live for a cause - a just and holy cause to further the kingdom of the Holy Lord God Almighty.  Trust is shown in the act of doing good.  Hope of the righteous is rooted in the trust of the Lord God Almighty's perfect, holy plan.  Hope brings an inheritance, on immersed in the glory of the Lord.  Righteousness brings peace, beautiful peace.  Characterized by meekness... the righteous are humble, lowly in spirit.  Jesus Christ the Lord was righteous - meek and humble in spirit.  The righteous one is slow to anger, turning away from wrath and bitterness.

Rest for the righteous comes in the presence of the Lord God Almighty... the loving, holy presence of God's Holy Spirit.  Peace, love, and victory are in the presence of God.

The righteous show no shortage of generosity; and because of their free-giving spirit, the Lord never forsakes them.  They are well-cared for, never hungry or in need.  Their generosity comes from the free gift of Jesus Christ's salvation - his sacrifice.  The righteous one can do nothing but give to others in response to his amazing rescue.

What is the land that the righteous inherit?  It is the presence of the Lord of Glory, full of abundance and grace.  A land of peace, one where there is rest for the weary soul.  The righteous desires nothing more than to be in the inheritance - in the presence of His glory.  

One who is righteous does not speak lightly nor rashly.  Instead, the words that come from his mouth are full of wisdom, peace, and healing for those who hear.  The words bear the good news of Christ in every syllable.  They speak of the devoted love of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The righteous know the law of God, the precious words of scripture - they are written on his heart so that he will not falter.

The power of the Lord rests upon the righteous, equipping his hands to do the good work of the Father and bring healing to the nations.  One who is righteous does not rely on shortcuts or the easy way out.  He waits for the Lord to fall down upon his heart... the righteous wait for the Lord to use them to heal and bring a new vision and dream to the broken and lost. 

The Lord is the stronghold of the righteous; she relies on him alone for help in times of trouble.  The righteous take refuge in the Lord and He helps.

Fridays

Why do we all LOVE Fridays?  Because it means the week is over.  We get to go home.  There's no work responsibility or specific routine following Friday.  Friday means relaxing, seeing a change of pace, and spending time with those you love.  

But, of course, getting through Friday is always treacherous.  Something goes wrong and we always say, "hey, at least it's Friday." The day drags on... "I'm so glad it's Friday!" You get pinched or fail to complete something... "well, come 3 o'clock, it's the weekend." I feel that Friday never quite receives the full attention it deserves like every other day.  On Fridays, we slack.  We say, "oh, it's Friday, I don't feel like working." We wear jeans. Push through the day, but don't give it our full effort.  Simply because we're glad it's Friday and we're more excited about what's to follow it... going home.

What if we treated life like a Friday?  We should, you know?  Everyday should be, "Thank God it's Friday - soon I get to go home."  I hope that I'm as excited to go to heaven to be with my Loved One (Jesus Christ my Savior) as I am to go home from work to my husband.  Everyday should be filled with anticipation of the weekend, the time when God calls us to our true home and we get to spend every moment with no agenda praising Him.

I'm so glad it's Friday!!

Second Blog

I started a separate blog to put recipes on.  I did it more for the sake of Anna, my sister, who is in the Philippines and needs some good stove-top and no-bake recipes.  That said, the initial recipes posted here are not necessarily my favorite, but are definitely easy to make, use fresh ingredients, and can be made without an oven.  Enjoy!

http://morecipes.blogspot.com

and it wasn't supposed to be "more recipes" it's MO (my initials) recipes.. .just so happened it also make more recipes. ok i'm done.