From Simple Things...

I've been hearing a lot lately about how people are feeling alone. Outnumbered. Insignificant. Useless.

It's almost as though we feel that if we can't do something “BIG” that it isn't worth doing – or that it won't do any good.

If we're not a glamorous celebrity we aren't anything at all.

If we're “just a mom” or “just a dad” we aren't doing anything useful. We're wasting away our potential.

Somehow it's more acceptable to leave our children with others so we can take care of someone else's children than it is to simply take care of our own children in the first place.

To put our children in school and daycare so we can be a teacher is a good thing – home schooling is “weird” and wrong and a waste of our potential.

To put our children in daycare to go be a preschool teacher is a good thing – to stay home with your toddler is a waste of time.

Strangers can do the job better than we can.

Just one vote doesn't matter. My vote doesn't matter – unless it's for the “correct” candidate. One phone call to a senator doesn't matter. One letter doesn't matter.

One. Alone. Useless. Small. Insignificant.

LIES!

One hour of rest in the middle of a busy day is a God-send. One friend during a lonely time is a blessing. One smile. One hug. One good word. One hour of play. One person. One family. One home. One friend. One who understands. One act of kindness. One act of service. One hand to hold.

All precious. All powerful. All together – immense.

I am one person. I have one family – one husband, one daughter, one dog, two cats. I have one heart and many friends. One testimony. One name. One sacred honor. One life. One relationship with the Almighty – the Grand Creator – the Great God of the Universe – my Father.

I am a catalyst. I can give one smile – one hug – one good word – one hour of play – one kind act – one act of service – one moment of understanding – and set off a chain of events for good that will never end. I can start a ripple on the pond of a life – which will then start other ripples.

Do we really understand how truly powerful we are?

Some powerful things people have done for me – small things said – sometimes by a person I have only met once – and who I will thank throughout the eternities:

“I have just lost all respect I ever had for you.”

“I don't need a comfort zone. I can move freely from room to room in my father's house 'cause He's 'got my back'.”

“Stand in holy places – even if those places are only as big as the soles of your feet.”

“America has just sold her birthright for a mess of pottage.”

“Maturity comes from sustained righteousness over an extended period of time.”

“I love you.”

Because someone said “I do not need a comfort zone”, I no longer need one. I truly can move freely from room to room in my Father's house. I am free to explore new friendships. I am free to try new things. I am free to trust the man who would become my husband. I am free to love my daughter. I am free to tell others what I have learned because one person – who I met only once – said what she did.

Because one person in my sophomore year of high school said, “I just lost all respect I ever had for you” I have lived my life since then so that I will never have to hear those words again. Thank you for the courage you displayed by saying those words to me!

If every individual would say “I love you” to those they love – how much would this world change?

If every individual made a choice – a real choice... one backed by action – to be honest, how much would this world change?

If every individual chose to make what happens within the walls of their home the most important thing in their world – how much would this world change?

If every individual chose to call their representatives in Washington, DC to say when they were doing a good job, or a bad job, or “don't vote for that bill!” or “please do vote for that bill!”, how much would this world change?

If every individual knew the constitution as well as they knew their favorite novel, or television show, or website, or video game, or magazine – how much would this world change? How much freedom would we retain and regain?

If every individual chose to be a positive force in the lives of their own children and in the children they know – how much would this world change?

If every individual chose to be kind to everyone they meet – how much would this world change?

We are not alone. We can make a difference. We can effect a change. We can preserve our freedom. We can do it one person at a time.

We do not need a large, nationally visible platform. We do not need to be a celebrity. We do not need a huge circle of friends.

We need to begin with ourselves. We need to begin with our families. We need to begin with our friends, and our coworkers, and the person next to us in the checkout line.

Me. I. One. Alone. Significant. Honest. True. Chaste. Kind. Benevolent. Faithful. Merciful. Forgiving. Strong of Spirit. Influential. Great. Loving...

Powerful.

Alma 37: 6

6 Now ye may suppose that this is ^afoolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by ^bsmall and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

1 Ne. 16: 29.

29 And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us ^aunderstanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it. And thus we see that by ^bsmall means the Lord can bring about great things.

D&C 64: 33.

33 Wherefore, be not ^aweary in ^bwell-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of ^csmall things proceedeth that which is great.

D&C 123: 16.

16 You know, brethren, that a very large ship is ^abenefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.

D&C 133: 58-59

58 To ^aprepare the ^bweak for those things which are coming on the earth, and for the Lord’s errand in the day when the weak shall ^cconfound the ^dwise, and the little one become a ^estrong ^fnation, and two shall put their tens of thousands to ^gflight.

59 And by the weak things of the earth the Lord shall ^athrash the nations by the power of his Spirit.

1 Cor. 1: 27

27 But God hath chosen the ^afoolish things of the world to ^bconfound the wise; and God hath chosen the ^cweak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

D&C 124: 1

1 ...that I might show forth my ^bwisdom through the ^cweak things of the earth.

UH – 005 – Security in an Insecure World

What is security? Is it predictability? Is it stuff? Predictable stuff? An omniscient knowledge of what will happen tomorrow?

We can have predictability without security. Stuff is just stuff. It can help us or hinder us. It can become a burden if it collects and is not shared. Stuff is not security. Therefore, predictable stuff isn't security, either? And none of us have an omniscient knowledge of what will happen tomorrow.

So in a world of unanswered questions and too many possible outcomes, how do we obtain security?

Of course real security comes through our relationship with our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. To know that we can be forgiven of our sins and obtain eternal life – a life with Heavenly Father – is spiritual security. But what about temporal security?

Forgiveness does not feed us. Atonement does not clothe us. Mercy does not shelter us. Or does it? Can it? Will it?

Consider this:

D&C 130: 20-21

20 There is a ^alaw, irrevocably decreed in ^bheaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all ^cblessings are predicated—

21 And when we obtain any ^ablessing from God, it is by ^bobedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

So if we wish t enjoy the blessing of temporal security (knowing we will always have a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food in our mouths) we must obey the laws upon which those blessings are predicated. Some of those laws are honesty, hard work, industry, preparation, gratitude, and thrift.

Honesty, hard work, industry, preparation, gratitude, and thrift can take us a long way. These are character traits we can develop in ourselves. They are very good traits to have. Unfortunately, these traits hold no sway over the powers of nature nor the forces of men. While we may be honest there are those who are not. What buffers us from the choices and actions of others? If we would like the blessing of protection from forces beyond our control, what laws do we need to follow?

First, : D&C 29: 34-35

34 Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a ^alaw which was ^btemporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created.

35 Behold, I gave unto him that he should be an ^aagent unto himself; and I gave unto him commandment, but no temporal commandment gave I unto him, for my ^bcommandments are ^cspiritual; they are not natural nor temporal, neither carnal nor sensual.

Every law God gives, although it may seem temporal, is actually spiritual in nature. What temporal-seeming laws have we been given to help us both temporally and spiritually? The laws of the Tithe and of the Sabbath.

The Law of the Tithe

Malachi chapter 3 is a lovely place to start:

8 ¶ ^aWill a man ^brob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In ^ctithes and offerings.

9 Ye are ^acursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

10 Bring ye all the ^atithes into the storehouse, that there may be ^bmeat in mine house, and ^cprove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not ^dopen you the ^ewindows of heaven, and pour you out a ^fblessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11 And I will ^arebuke the ^bdevourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.

“…. prove me now herewith... if I will not open you the windows of heaven...” Doesn't this sound like God is daring us to try it out? To see if he won't? The presumption, of course, being that he always will. God always keeps his side of the bargain.

Prov. 3: 7-10

7 ¶ Be not ^awise in thine own eyes: ^bfear the Lord, and depart from evil.

8 It shall be ^ahealth to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

9 ^aHonour the Lord with thy ^bsubstance, and with the ^cfirstfruits of all thine increase:

10 So shall thy barns be filled with ^aplenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

So if we pay our tithing (one tenth of all our increase) we will be blessed. We will always have the necessities of life. We may not know how they will come, but they will always be there. In addition to the financial blessings, there are many blessings from tithing that have nothing to do with money (but in the end could save us a lot of money). “... health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones...”

I have noticed that when we pay our tithing, no matter how “broke” we are, our money goes farther. Our gratitude is greater and our wants are lessened. We are happier with what we have. We have an easier time finding bargains. We get sick less. Our animals stay healthy (which keeps down the vet bills). Things are sometimes really tight, but we always have a place to live, groceries in the house, and clothing to wear. In fact, the more “broke” we are, the more determined we are to pay tithing. Some would say “I cannot afford to pay tithing.” Our experience has taught us that “We cannot afford to not pay tithing.”

And that's not all! Wait! There's MORE blessings!

D&C 64: 23-25

23 Behold, now it is called ^atoday until the ^bcoming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of ^csacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is ^dtithed shall not be ^eburned at his coming.

24 For after today cometh the ^aburning—this is speaking after the manner of the Lord—for verily I say, tomorrow all the ^bproud and they that do wickedly shall be as ^cstubble; and I will burn them up, for I am the Lord of Hosts; and I will not ^dspare any that remain in ^eBabylon.

25 Wherefore, if ye believe me, ye will labor while it is called ^atoday.

D&C 85:3

3 … that he may ^dtithe his people, to prepare them against the day of ^evengeance and burning, … [and] have their ^fnames enrolled with the people of God.

Rebuking the devourer, health, plenty, spiritual strength, all nations calling me blessed? All this and peace for only 10%??? Sounds like a deal to me! (100% of what I have is God's anyway...) Do I really want that measly 10% more than I want the blessings? Do I love that 10% more than I love my God? Will I be obedient to Him even with it's difficult?

The Law of the Sabbath

From the “Bible Dictionary” at the back of my King James Bible (LDS version):

The importance of a sacred day for man to rest from his temporal labors, contemplate the world of the Lord, and assemble for public worship is a major item in person’s spiritual development. Furthermore, decay in the national religious life always follows any tendency toward carelessness in the matter of Sabbath observance. The existence of a weekly holy day is a most important safeguard; it leaves a constant reminder to the individual of his need for spiritual sustenance and his duty before God, and serves as a witness to the world that there is such a thing as revealed religion.

The change from observing the last day of the week to the first day of the week is not so important as is the concept and principle of the Sabbath. In either case, the Sabbath was symbolic of the mighty works of God, i.e., the creation of the earth, the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

For other references to the Sabbath see 2 Kgs. 4: 23; 2 Kgs. 11: 5-7; Isa. 1: 13; Isa. 58: 13; Jer. 17: 20-27; Ezek. 20: 12-13, 16; Hosea 2: 11; Amos 8: 5; Matt. 12: 1-13; Mark 2: 23-28; Mark 3: 1-5; Luke 6: 1-10; Luke 13: 11-16; Luke 14: 1-5; John 5: 18; John 7: 21-24; Rom. 14: 5-6; Gal. 4: 10; Col. 2: 16. Acts 20: 7; 1 Cor. 16: 2; Rev. 1: 10 Neh. 10: 31; Neh. 13: 15-22

Ex. 20: 8-11

8 Remember the ^asabbath day, to keep it ^bholy.

9 ^aSix days shalt thou ^blabour, and do all thy work:

10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy ^astranger that is within thy gates:

11 For in ^asix days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord ^bblessed the sabbath day, and ^challowed it.

If we take God's laws seriously, we will not work on the Sabbath day. We will treat it as a tithe of our time. (There are 168 hours in a week. Hmmm... the amount of time we're awake on Sunday... wouldn't that be close to 16 hours if we sleep 8 hours every night?)

If we take God's laws seriously, we will not require others to work on Sunday, either. If not even our animals are supposed to work, then why would we ask/require/expect one of God's children to work at the restaurant, the grocery store, the amusement park?

How does God feel when we break the Sabbath Day?

Amos 8: 4-10

4 ¶ Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,

5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the ^asabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ^bephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the ^cbalances by deceit?

6 That we may ^abuy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?

7 The Lord hath sworn by the ^aexcellency of Jacob, Surely I will never ^bforget any of their works.

8 Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one ^amourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall ^bbe cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.

9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the ^asun to go down at noon, and I will ^bdarken the ^cearth in the clear day:

10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into ^alamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and ^bbaldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an ^conly son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

Mark 2: 27-28

27 And he said unto them, The ^asabbath was made for man, and not man for the ^bsabbath:

28 Therefore the ^aSon of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

So we see the importance of the Sabbath. One tenth of our time to praise God and do His works. One tenth of our time to commemorate the tender mercies of the Lord. One tenth of our time to commemorate the miracle of the Atonement. One tenth of our time to commemorate the resurrection of Christ and therefore of us all.

I have six days every week to go out. I have six days every week to fart around on the internet. I have six days every week to grocery shop, get my hair cut, go swimming, socialize, earn money, and entertain myself. Is it really too much to give only one tenth of my time to the Lord? Isn't it HIS time anyway? Do I not breathe at His mercy?

Is it too much to give one tenth of my time to the Lord? Is it too much to spend one tenth of my week going to church, spending time with my family, enjoying the company of friends, learning about the gospel, writing letters to friends or shut-ins or missionaries, or even simply resting from my labors and being still so I may know that He is God?

Do not all these things have their inherent blessings? Is it not a blessing to simply have a rest? Is it not a blessing to slow down and enjoy my family? Is it not a blessing to get to go to church and learn about my Father? Is it not a blessing to socialize with like-minded people? Is it not a blessing to sing in the choir? Is it not a blessing to have time set aside to write to my friends? Is it not a blessing to have time already set aside for fasting and prayer?

Our Heavenly Father is so kind and loving that he wants to give us even more than what has been mentioned so far...

D&C 59: 9-19

9 And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself ^aunspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of ^bprayer and offer up thy ^csacraments upon my ^dholy day;

10 For verily this is a ^aday appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;

11 Nevertheless thy ^avows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times;

12 But remember that on this, the ^aLord’s day, thou shalt offer thine ^boblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, ^cconfessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.

13 And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy ^afasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy ^bjoy may be full.

14 Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer.

15 And inasmuch as ye do these things with ^athanksgiving, with ^bcheerful ^chearts and countenances, not with ^dmuch ^elaughter, for this is sin, but with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance— [meaning we are to be cheerful but not to be irreverent in our laughter and to remember to be respectful of sacred things]

16 Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the ^afulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;

17 Yea, and the herb, and the ^agood things which come of the earth, whether for food or for ^braiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;

18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the ^abenefit and the ^buse of man, both to please the eye and to ^cgladden the heart;

19 Yea, for ^afood and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to ^bstrengthen the body and to enliven the soul.

What amazing blessings our Father wishes to give us. Is not this interdependence on God true security? To have sacred covenants (two-way promises) truly can bring us peace and joy.

Tithe as a Covenant + Observe the Sabbath as a Covenant = Joy, Peace, Prosperity, Bodily Strength, Enlivened Soul

Is it worth 10% of what already belongs to the Lord to get it?

Happy Ramblings

I got my seeds today. Yes, more seeds! I sent off a SASE to WinterSown.org and I got my seeds already. Here's what they sent:

Yellow Hibiscus
Sunflower (Mammoth)
Crab Apple
Sweet William
Purple Coneflower
Summer Squash (Golden)
Blue Flax
Tomato: Way a head
Mixed Morning Glory
Agastache Honey Bee Blue

I'm not even sure what a couple of these are, but I'm looking forward to watching them grow!

This has been a good but slightly weird week. We had Monday off (YAY!). We all slept in and totally bummed around. I don't think I even got out of the ol' jammies.

Tuesday there was snow (ok.. it may not seem like a big deal, but I'm in Columbia, SC. The 1/8 inch we got was quite the novelty.)



OH... we also got a show! We suddenly had three fire trucks pull up pretty much in front of our place. A couple of doors down a dryer had caught fire. The guy who lived there took it outside while it was on fire and then let the three fire trucks, gaggle of firefighters, and a few MPs put out the fire. I also go to read a WAY COOL blog which led me to another one. I started HERE: The Prepared Family and ended up HERE: Listening to Katrina. I spent the rest of the day reading that and realizing how NOT prepared I am.

Wednesday Charlotte wasn't feeling too hot so I let her stay home. I got to go on a "play date" and spend the day at a friend's house. Charlotte watched TV on their couch. She had a good time - they have movies we don't. It was a lovely playdate!

Today I got to play at the pool. Then I spent the day cleaning out files and piles. I shredded tons of stuff and made lots of hamster bedding. Too bad we don't have a hamster. And no, if you have one to get rid of, we do NOT want it. The cats would see it as a toy. I got to go swimming again with Charlotte and we ran into some really lovely people there. I love the military. Lots of "instant friends". Home schooling is a lot the same way. So is meeting someone who's a member of the same faith. You automatically have something to talk about together.

I now have a large pile of stuff to scan but that's OK. It gives me an excuse to listen to the radio & munch on M&Ms. It also gives me an excuse to "cheat" and head to the 'mat instead of washing by hand. My goal is to have most of my "60 second plan" done by tomorrow, and the rest of it and the "1 hour plan" done by "close of business" on Saturday.

My reward for when it's all done? SEEDS! I get to start my winter sowing! YAY! I'll post up some pics.

Not too interesting I know, but that's been my week so far. Maybe something "cool" will happen. Then again, relative "boredom" would be nice. It helps me get things done.

I think I'll sleep well tonight.

Spiritual Jello

This may be a bit rambling, but if I don't get this posted tonight, I never will...

Spiritual Jello

Imagine in front of you a table. On this table are a number of bowls. Each bowl holds an ingredient. What are we making? Jello Salad. (A yummy dessert one... not an icky one with shredded carrots and mayo.. YUCK!)

So what's in this Jello salad? To find that out we'll have to look into each bowl and look at the ingredients. We'll look at a bowl's ingredients, set it down, and then look at the next bowl – rather than try to look at all the bowls at once. At the end we'll mix it all together and hope it congeals.

Bowl #1 – Something Bubbling to the Surface
Bowl #2 – An Accomplished Week
Bowl #3 – Iraq Comes to Visit
Bowl #4 – Stolen Freedoms
Bowl #5 – Stubbornness
Bowl #6 – Help from a Friend
Bowl #7 – Redemptive Compote

Bowl #1 – Something Bubbling to the Surface
The other week I spent some time distancing myself from God. After a few days of my usual so-not-in-touch-with-my-inner-workings-ness, I realized that I was avoiding praying, not reading my scriptures, and just being a brat. I was in the middle of a full-blown spiritual hissy-fit and was angry with God. And I had no idea why. I actually prayed a bit, and was given a mental image of a boiling liquid with something floating to the surface. That made sense in a way, but what was bubbling up? I couldn't quite see it.

Bowl #2 – An Accomplished Week
That same week I was experiencing organization hereto unexperienced. I was exercising every day. My house was becoming clean. And despite my spiritual hissy fit, I was still learning a lot about my heavenly father. This was also the week that I rediscovered to joy of play dates. Not play dates for the kids. For ME! I went to the library and found out about lots of lovely things going on and put them into my BlackBerry. I started scheduling some mystery shopping and merchandising. I was spending time with my family and generally having a lovely time of it, although it made me quite tired. Which means, of course, I was sleeping well. (I've had sleeping issues since I was a kid.)

Bowl #3 – Iraq Comes to Visit (Same week – really!)
My husband, Greg, was injured in Iraq. Some nut job thought it was an exceptionally brave and glorious thing to plant IEDs along the roadsides in Iraq. Greg made acquaintance with some of those. Then, on the first day of Ramadan '04 (October), he made very good friends with a VBIED (car bomb). Another nut job thought it would be highly glorious to blow himself up. Fortunately the only fatality was the insurgent. However, it left Greg with PTSD and blast-related traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

One of the sneaky things about mTBI is that it causes brain cells to change on the molecular level. The metabolism of the cell changes so basically the brain starts aging faster than it should. In “dog years” so to speak. So the goal is to teach the injured soldier how to build new neural pathways faster than the old ones disappear. Unfortunately, there are some things that are gone forever.

Sometimes Greg seems like good ol' Greg. Other times he's the “new from the scratch and dent store” Greg. The funny thing is that they both look the same, and you never know which one is going to show up, and sometimes they choose to switch places without warning. Sometimes there are tell-tale signs... the way he nervously rubs his thumb against his fingers, a look in his eyes, known stressors....

This week that the “jello” was being made was one of those tricky weeks where you weren't sure which Greg was going to show up. Was I talking to the reasonable, rational, able-to-think-in-abstracts and able-to-extrapolate Greg? Or am I going to talk to the uber-concrete Greg that acts like a petulant teenager and is horribly difficult to communicate with? After a long time of having the “old” Greg here, Iraq paid a visit and I got a lot of time with the “new” Greg. Often the “signs” weren't there. Just triggers I didn't know about and couldn't see. I hate it when this happens.

Bowl #4 – Stolen Freedoms
Friday I learned of a “new” law. One that was signed in August '08 and takes effect Feb 10, 09. It seems like a good law... limit the amount of lead allowed in products sold to children, right? But how is this going to be accomplished? If carefully written it could have been a very good law that could have spread the cost of implementation so that people could stay in business, products could still be available to the public, and we wouldn't see too much of a cost per item increase. But of course, this is not how things were done.

The cost of implementation will be enormous to all business selling anything intended for children. Clothing, toys, shampoo, detergents... anything that could come in contact with children under 12. Beginning Feb 10, 09 we will see many small businesses close. Many more people will lose their jobs. Many retailers will be hit hard by this. I'm not sure what the final consequence will be, but I'm going to pay attention.

What bothered me most is that almost no one knew about this law. There are many retailers who are unaware of this law. How could this have been passed so quickly? It's happening so fast, our loss of freedom. Hastily written laws touted as “for the children” passed in the middle of the night without any press or announcement. No representation. No vote. No scrutinization until it's too late. I wonder what the stores will look like on February 11?

Bowl #5 – Stubbornness
Need I say more? Stubbornness can be good or bad. I decided to be stubborn in the Lord. I was not going to continue in this spiritual hissy fit. I was not going to give in to despair over my husband's condition. I was not going to give up hope for freedom. My stubbornness helped me get on to the next stage:

Bowl #6 – Help from a Friend
Cranal-anal-ectomy. Head out of buttocks. Perhaps a little more detail?

Here's part of an IM conversation between me and a dear friend:

Me: All I want to do is hide under the covers - which is what I've been doing for a little while - I came in to take a nap but I can't sleep. I'm just kind of laying here and dozing a bit-mostly hiding. But from what? Hmmmm.... This may be a good topic for some kind of cathartic blog.

Her: well, I think that God is beginning to hand out answers to some of our burning questions. I would probably tell you to pull a Samuel and ask him what he is trying to tell you

Me: I think I'm in mourning

Her: for what?

Me: I'm in mourning for the freedoms we keep losing as careless and too-quickly-written laws are passed without our knowledge and consent (found out about one of those on Friday and I get to start reading it tomorrow while the bread rises). I keep getting surprised by the changes in Greg since Iraq. At the same time this week has been full of good things like epiphanies and play dates with friends and a chance for more involvement with church and community now.

Me: I feel like I've been in this weird fog - with the move, dealing with Greg, the breakdown, the surgery – lots of healing and changes- mostly good ones. I feel a bit spiritually dizzy and a bit disoriented if that makes sense

Her: Yes it does. I have to believe that the answers are coming. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is not surprised by anything happening right now.

Me: I think I'm having some control issues-in other words I want to be in control but He's wanting me to quit getting in his way It's not like I'm really able to control anything anyway. But I want to try to be. Even the way I'm being led to garden this year requires me to "let go" and quit trying to fiddle with things - like sprouting things indoors and such.

Her: I told you fear likes to control. What is your biggest fear?

Me: My biggest fear.... Hmmm.... Thinking.... My biggest fear is that I have failed God - or will. That somehow I'm going to mess things up and make a mistake that will cause someone else to turn from Him or cause someone else to suffer. I'm determined to "keep the faith" - to always follow Him - but I still can't seem to shake this deep seated terror that I have messed up too much.

Her: Can I ask you a question?

Me: Go ahead –

Her: Do you think that the creator of the universe, the one who loves us enough to send his only son for our redemption, expects us to get it right all of the time?

Me: This is where I have trouble - my brain knows that we are here to make mistakes - to learn from our own experience - to fail and rely on the atoning sacrifice and be redeemed – But why do I have such a hard time getting it through to my heart? Why is it so easy to believe that redemption is available to everyone else, but I sometimes doubt it applies to me? It doesn't make any sense. It's completely irrational.

Her: Because we believe the lie that we aren't worthy of redemption. It's a pride issue, we think higher of ourselves than the atoning blood of Jesus.

Me: Head has now been removed from buttocks. Cranal-anal-ectomy was successful.

Her: I know that usually does it for me too.

Bowl #7 – Redemptive Compote
In the fairy tale “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Anderson, a mirror was created by the devil. This mirror would only reflect the evil and none of the good in the world. In the story the mirror is broken and shattered into millions of pieces, some no bigger than a grain of sand. As these shards got caught in peoples' hearts, they could only see the darkness in the world and became miserable and some even outright evil.

That made me think on the “shard” in my eye. The incorrect way I saw myself. I thought that I had been cleansed of all of them, but it turns out there was one more. This one was left over from a “childhood trauma”. This is what was bubbling up to the surface of my soul. My fear of messing things up.

This concept led to remembering this:

1 Corinthians 13:11-13

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a ^aglass, ^bdarkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13 And now abideth ^afaith, ^bhope, ^ccharity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

[Note that the term “darkly” comes from the Greek, meaning obscurely or enigmatically.]

So as my Father refines me and heals me, I no longer look obscurely through a shard of mirror made by the devil. I see clearly, and know even as also I am known.

My dear friend suggested reading 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 but to replace the word “charity” (which is the pure love of Christ) with the word “Jesus”. So, here it is with the substitution:

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not JESUS, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of ^aprophecy, and understand all ^bmysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not JESUS, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the ^apoor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not JESUS, it profiteth me nothing.

4 JESUS ^bsuffereth long, and is ^ckind; JESUS ^denvieth not; JESUS vaunteth not [him]self, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself ^aunseemly, seeketh not his ^bown, is not easily ^cprovoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in ^ainiquity, but rejoiceth in the ^btruth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 JESUS never ^afaileth: ...

The Results?
The Jello congeals and looks like this:

LOVE

My Heavenly Father loves me enough to be patient with me and my “hissy fits”. He loves me and comforts me as I go through His refiner's fire. He loves me enough to wash me with fuller's soap. He loves me not in spite of my weaknesses, but because of them. He loves me enough to offer me mercy. He loves me because I'm His daughter, and He's my Dad.

He loves me enough to offer His Only Begotten Son.

Plotting the Plots for Plants

Once again it's time to start plotting against the plants. Yes, that's right. Plant murdering time again. Every year I successfully euthanize at least two gardens.

This year will be different! Really!!!!

I've been reading a lot about winter sowing seeds. (www.wintersown.org) As I get things together I'll post pictures, etc. But for now I'm just having fun cataloging what the plans are.

We have tons of soil in bags but no compost yet. From what I've been reading, nothing fancy is needed for the soil yet. Just a nice place for the seeds to sleep outside. That I can manage.

I'll also need some little "mini green houses". I can manage that, too. People have used large ziploc bags (we've been washing out the 1 gallon sized ones as we use them). Some have used those plastic "clam shell" containers from salad bars. Greg gets those for free from work. (They come with his lunch that the generous taxpayers pay for.) Cool whip containers work, too. Lemmee see.... (looking around in the avalanche area also known as the "tupper cabinet"...) YUP! There's a few in there.

We have some lovely sunny spots almost due south for them to live for now (the front porch) and plenty of space for planters. (We have to do the ol' container garden thing because of where we live.) Greg gets to build them. Sometimes he acts excited about this and sometimes he just sighs and mutters "more mass graves...." We have 65 "squares" - 1'x1' mini-plots for veggies (square foot gardening method). Well, four of those are 1'x1.5' and we'll use those for the three sisters planting. We also have 25 pots for flowers and herbs.

What else am I doing this year? Less. A LOT less. These past few years have been so hectic and crazy that while I could get a garden (or two) planted, I never did have time to take care of it. This year my feet will be fixed (next surgery in about two weeks). We will NOT have any body else living with us (long story).

And the most important thing? Relinquishing control. Yes, I will monitor, talk to, water, weed, and feed the plants. However, I will not obsess over them. They are Heavenly Father's creations and I am just the facilitator. I'm the surrogate mommy so to speak. (Without the worry of having to fork out tons of money for therapy once they're grown.)

And I'm working on the whole "Keep the Sabbath Day Holy" thing. Yes, that's another post. And yes, I WILL write it! Tomorrow... tomorrow is wash day so I can do lots of writing while the clothes are soaking in the tub. And it's a half day, which means Charlotte with either go to her friend's house, or friend will come here. Either way I'll have more time in the afternoon to write.

Where was I? Oh yes... reaching for the ritalin... no... it wasn't that... umm.... SEEDS! Yes, seeds....

So we have planned out where the containers will go and how big they will be (even took measurements). I have studied a lot and am prepared to try several different types of planting (square foot, three sisters, winter sowing).

Now to the best part.... SEEDS!

Here's what we'll have in our garden veggie-wise:

Potatoes (from seeds)
Pumpkin
Peppers (green and red sweet)
Broccoli
Carrots (a couple different kinds)
Beans (bush and pole, and "Dragon Tongue" heirloom)
Peas
Onion (Golden Sweet and Evergreen Long White Bunching)
Summer Squash
Winter Squash (variety)
Lettuce (ice berg, mesculin mix, caesar's favorite)
Cantelope
Watermelon
Radishes
Cucumber (traditional and "Lemon" heirloom)
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Beets
Corn (sweet, early)
Tomatoes

Herbs:
Chives
Fennel
Oregano
Dill
Parsley
Basil
Cilantro

There are a few more herbs we want to get, but that's what we have seed-wise so far.

Towards the end of the growing season, I'd like to learn how to save my own seeds so I'm not always dependent upon somone else, or mass shipping, or governmental infrastructure, to grow a garden.

As I go through the stages I'll put up pics.

Baking Day

Today is baking day. I really like my baking day. It's the day I get to get all the "work" of cooking done for the week. Here's this week's menu:

Monday: Turkey Dinner Casserole
Tuesday: Tostadas
Wednesday: Pancakes
Thursday: Baked ziti
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Salad Night
Sunday: Turkey Veggie Soup

It took me about two hours to get everything done (except baking bread - I do that Monday afternoons with my daughter).

08:00 - Did a "mystery shop" then came home and got settled in.

09:30:

I had a turkey leg my mom gave me (it's been chilling in the freezer) so that got boiled with some onions, celery bits, garlic, and carrots.

While that was boiling I boiled 1/2 pound of pasta for the ziti (we have a small family so 1/2 pound worked well). (While waiting for the water to boil & the pasta to cook, I mixed up the pancake batter.)

Once the pasta was drained, rinsed, & refrigerated, I used the same pan and made up a pot of cream of wheat for breakfasts.

Once the cream of wheat was done I washed the pot (pan? pot? what's the difference?) and started cooking 1 lb ground turkey.

While all this was going on I started pancakes on the griddle (low temp so I had some "flex time" - less chance of them burning). I also chopped up some carrots, celery, tomatoes, and onions for salad night and also for the soup. (The carrots were looking a little tired of being in the fridge so I finished chopping them up and a bit of onion, and those went onto the dehydrator.)

While the ground turkey was cooking, I got the turkey soup stock strained and the turkey off the bone and snipped in little pieces (I used some kitchen shears for that).

When the turkey meat was cooked I applied the taco seasonings. Then that stuff got refrigerated and the pot got washed.

I cut up 3 potatoes (white potatoes so I didn't have to peel them) and got them boiling. Meanwhile I put the green beans in the casserole dish and cleaned up the kitchen.

Once the potatoes were done I used the water from that to make up some stove top stuffing and then mashed the taters. Then the Turkey Dinner Casserole was assembled and covered.

11:30

The kitchen is clean and the week's dinners mostly made. I got to enjoy a leisurely lunch and get my swim gear together. It's now 12:36 and I'm going to post this and then head on over to the pool.

I didn't finish getting the house "done up" because of the mystery shop today, so I'll take care of that when I get home.

Turkey Dinner Casserole
1 can green beans
stove top stuffing (cooked)
chopped turkey (I snip mine with kitchen shears)
mashed potatoes

Assembly:
Drain green beans and put into casserole dish. Dot with butter or margarine. Sprinkle on some snipped/chopped turkey (not too heavily). Spread on the stuffing. Sprinkle with a little more turkey. Top with the mashed potatoes. Cover with foil. Cook at 350 until warmed through (about 30 minutes). Serve with a side of cranberry sauce.

If I remember to take pictures, I'll post the bread baking adventure tonight. Charlotte's only gotten to help with the bread a few times. Today we'll be pulling out the Alton Brown book and discovering the science behind the bread and hopefully this week's bread will turn out better than last week's. We're making loaves and rolls, in both wheat and white. (We may have enough for two weeks... that would be AWESOME!!!!)

From Laura and Laura (includes recipes)

Here's a "fake post" for you. No personal thoughts or ramblings. No urban homesteading. Just some fun sort of stuff while I keep composing my "real" post.

Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was asked for the recipe for Mounds bars. Here are a couple of recipes from my dear friend Laura Collier:

Mounds Bars
2 lb powdered sugar
1 stick butter
½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp coconut extract
1 large pkg coconut flakes
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Mix all ingredients well. Shape into oblong flat pieces. Chill until firm.

Chocolate dip:
1 pkg chocolate chip cookies
shortening as needed
Melt chocolate chips and some shortening until a good consistency for dipping is formed.
Dip bars and place on wax paper to dry.

Texas Turtles
1 lb caramels
2 T water
3 C broken pecan pieces
1 tsp vanilla

Melt caramels and water over double boiler. Add vanilla and pecans. Mix well. Drop by teaspoon-fulls on well-buttered cookie sheet. Chill well. Dip in Chocolate. (see Mounds recipe)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the “other Laura” - aka Laura Ingalls Wilder

A piece of hers I really liked.

“If We Only Understood”
December 1917

Mrs. Brown was queer. The neighbors all thought so and, what was worse, they said so.

Mrs. Fuller happened in several times, quite early in the morning, and although the work was not done up, Mrs. Brown was sitting leisurely in her room or else she would be writing at her desk.

Then Mrs. Powers went through the house one afternoon, and the dishes were stacked back unwashed, the bed still airing, and everything “at sixes and sevens,” except the room where Mrs. Brown seemed to be idling away her time. Mrs. Powers said Mrs. Brown was “just plain lazy,” and she didn't care who heard her say it.

Ida Brown added interesting information when she told her schoolmates, after school, that she must hurry home and do up the work. It was a shame, the neighbors said, that Mrs. Brown should idle away her time all day and leave the work for Ida to do after school.

Later it was learned that Mrs. Brown had been writing for the papers to earn money to buy Ida's new winter outfit. Ida had been glad to help by doing the work after school so that her mother might have the day for study and writing, but they had not thought it necessary to explain to the neighbors.

I read a little verse a few years ago entitled, “If We Only Understood,” and the refrain was:

We would love each other better,
If we only understood.

I have forgotten the author and last verse, but the refrain has remained in my memory and comes to my mind every now and then when I hear unkind remarks made about people.
The things that people do would look so differently to us if we only understood the reasons for their actions, nor would we blame them so much for their faults if we knew all the circumstances of their lives. Even their sins might not look so hideous if we could feel what pressure and perhaps suffering had caused them.

The safest course is to be as understanding as possible, and, where our understanding fails, to call charity to its aid. Learn to distinguish between persons and the things they do, and while we may not always approve of their actions, have a sympathy and feeling of kindness for the persons themselves.

It may even be that what we consider faults and weaknesses in others are only prejudices on our own part. Some of us would like to see everybody fitted to our own pattern, and what a tiresome world this would be if that were done. We should be willing to allow others the freedom we demand for ourselves. Everyone has the right to self-expression.

If we keep this genial attitude toward the world and the people in it, we will keep our own minds and feelings healthy and clean. Even the vigilance necessary to guard out thoughts in this way will bring us rewards in better disciplined minds and happier dispositions.

Chore Days

Chore Days

In Laura Ingalls' childhood, every day had it's own chore. It went like this:

Monday: Wash Day
Tuesday: Ironing Day
Wednesday: Sewing Day
Thursday: Churning (market day)
Friday: Cleaning Day
Saturday: Baking Day
Sunday: Lord's Day

Even into the 1960's and 70's it was very much the norm. However, it may have looked like this:

Monday: Wash Day
Tuesday: Ironing Day
Wednesday: Sewing Day
Thursday: Market Day
Friday: Cleaning Day
Saturday: Baking Day
Sunday: Day of Rest

As I keep on looking for ways to “simplify” and slow my life down, the more I find myself drawn to the “old ways”. My week tends to look more like this:

Monday: Baking Day
Tuesday: Paperwork/Desk Day
Wednesday: Sewing Day
Thursday: Market Day
Friday: Wash & Cleaning Day
Saturday: Fun Day
Sunday: Lord's Day

I've stuck to it this week more than any other. Of course “stuff happens” and things can get a bit jumbled up.

For example, Monday was still baking day, but I also worked on unpacking and getting the house settled after a trip. Tuesday I finished unpacking and did some paperwork. Wednesday I didn't even LOOK at the sewing machine, but I finished “mending” my computer (had to reload Windows just before I left on the trip so I finished downloading and upgrading boogobs of stuff). Now today is Thursday. The house is already “done up” and I'll run to the “market” to restock the cupboards and run by Lowe's for fencing (and take a gander at some seeds if they're in yet). Tomorrow is my wash and cleaning day. I'm looking forward to it... which is a little on the weird side.

As I've traveled through this week, a scripture keeps coming to mind:

Doctrine and Covenants 88:119-120, 124

119 ^aOrganize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a ^bhouse, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;

120 That your ^aincomings may be in the name of the Lord; that your outgoings may be in the name of the Lord; that all your salutations may be in the name of the Lord, with ^buplifted hands unto the Most High.

. . .

124 Cease to be ^aidle; cease to be ^bunclean; cease to ^cfind fault one with another; cease to ^dsleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be ^einvigorated.

I've thought about these much in the past but haven't acted on them very well. I was staying up too late at night and either oversleeping, or dragging myself out of bed and being weary all day. We were OK with our family prayers, but it wasn't as consistent as it ought to have been. I was always trying to do things in the wrong order as well.

According to the scripture, here's the proper order (that I wasn't doing):

1. Organize yourself
2. Prepare every needful thing
3. Establish a house
        of prayer
        of fasting
        of faith
        of learning
                to achieve a house
                        of glory
                        of order
                        of God
4. Cease to be
        idle
         unclean
         find fault
         sleep longer than needful
5. Achieve the above by
         retiring early
                 so you won't be weary
         arising early
                 so you can be invigorated

I don't know about you, but when I'm NOT weary and I'm invigorated in both body and mind, I am more productive (not idle), happier, more patient (not finding fault), and my mind is more easily focused on the good of life and my blessings (rather than being unclean by focusing on the negative).

And know what? The formula works!

I organized myself (thoughtfully and prayerfully made a schedule) and prepared every needful thing for doing so. (Got the house in a general sense of order and let go of perfectionism.)

My daily schedule looks a lot like this:

05:00 wake up, read scriptures (usually I do this before I get out of bed – I have them on my BlackBerry), get dressed, and then have some quiet time to myself. I may or may not play on the computer.

My body has always liked getting up this early... even as a child. I remember many mornings waking up to a dark and quiet house and turning on the TV and watching “Romper Room” before everyone else got up. I always wondered why she never called my name and how she could actually see all those other kids... “I see Bobby and Janey and Jill and Mike....” CHERYL! I'm CHERYL! Why can't you see me!?!? **sigh** and people wonder why I'm so whacked...

06:30 Make Breakfast

07:00 Eat Breakfast as a family.

I have found that I really do enjoy this. (It's a lot more fun now that I'm going to bed earlier.) Charlotte and I get to chat and she'll set the table and take care of the animals. When we finally roll Greg out of bed we have a family morning prayer and Greg will read scriptures to us while we eat (right now we're reading “Book of Mormon Stories”).

07:30 Charlotte leaves for school.

We watch her go off into the world for her daily dose of adventure and give the dog the breakfast leftovers from our plate. (It helps keep Socks from trying to follow Charlotte to school.) I get the house “done up” (dishes, litter box, sweeping, bed made). This is usually all done by around 08:00 (give or take 15 minutes).

09:00 Glenn Beck comes on the radio and he keeps me company while I do my “daily chore” - whatever that may be for the day. Most days this is done by 11:00 or so.

11:30 Lunch

12:00 Extra errands, nap, reading, visiting friends, going to the pool, or whatever the day calls for.

15:00 Charlotte comes home from school.

I like this time of day. I get to hear about her adventures and get to soak up “all the good stuff”. She'll do her homework and I may do some writing or a craft or work on dinner. Once her homework is done she gets time to play with a friend or just generally mess around.

17:30 Dinner.

We are fortunate that Greg gets off work between 16:30 and 17:00 and is only a few minutes away from home.

18:00 – 20:00 is family time.

Some nights there are church activities. Sometimes Charlotte may have a class. If we're home we may watch a DVD (LOVE Netflix!). Most of the time, though, we put on some quiet music and hang out together. Even if we're doing different things, we're still together. It's nice. Very 1950's. Dad reading the paper (online), mom doing a craft, child reading or playing quietly. Some nights we'll put on a audio book or we'll read out loud to each other. Tonight we're starting the Redwall series by Brian Jacques.

20:00 Charlotte finishes getting ready for bed.

20:30 Family prayer and then lights out for Charlotte. Mommy starts getting ready for bed.

21:00 Mommy goes to bed.

Then it starts all over again.

At first I thought doing this would be stifling. However, just the opposite has proven itself true.

I don't have to worry every day about “what's for dinner” because most of my meal planning and cooking has been done on Monday. (Sunday is always “leftovers” day.)

It's nice to get the mail and not have to “deal” with anything until Tuesday. But at the same time, I don't have to worry about anything either, because I'll handle it on Tuesday.

My mending won't pile up anymore because it will be done every Wednesday. It also gives me one day a week to enjoy sewing as a hobby.

I'm not running out of things, or running out to the store several times a week. I do that on Thursday. Very rarely will I find that I have to run an errand that can't wait until Thursday. We're also set for the weekend (especially Sunday) because I've done it on Thursday.

Laundry? That can wait. I like not having to worry about doing a load of laundry every day or having clothes to fold all the time. It all gets done of Friday. Changing the sheets, scrubbing the floors, cleaning the baseboards, dusting the junk... it's all done on Fridays. That means that Friday is busy, but it also means I don't have to worry about it through the week (hmmm... that window looks dirty... oh, well... it can wait until Friday). It also means that on Saturday the house is clean and we can go have fun as a family and not spend the day cleaning. The house is now ready for Sunday.

Sunday is the Lord's day. That's a whole post in itself. I've been studying a lot about the Sabbath and we're changing the way we've been going things and it's a good thing.

When the house is neat and orderly life seems simpler. It's easier to feel the Holy Spirit. The whole family is less distracted by the junk and it's easier to be spontaneous and say “Let's play a game”. It's easier to have family prayer and scripture study – we know where the scriptures are, and we're not running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get stuff together for school, or bed, or whatever. The time is naturally there to do the most important things.

It's easy to go to bed on time because by the time the dinner dishes are done everything is “done” for the day. All that's left to do is spend time with the family and set out my clothes for the next day (which is easy to do because all the laundry was done on Friday). It's easier to sleep because I know that I've done all I needed to do that day, I've had a little time with myself, some time with my family, and most importantly some time with my Heavenly Father.

It's nice to fall asleep thinking about all the good that has happened and all of my blessings. Even when they day before included arguing with the computer, listening to my child whine about homework, and finding out a tree has fallen on the car.

I slept well last night.

UH – 004 - Canned Bacon, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and American Onigiri

Canned Bacon

In the last post I promised a recipe for canned bacon. Please note this is NOT approved by anyone but experience, so please follow this recipe (and all others posted) at your own risk.

Once bacon has been canned (or jarred, in this case), it doesn't really cook in strips any more. What you end up with is more of a bacon-bit type foodstuff. It's still tasty and works well in scrambled eggs, on salads, etc. If you are wanting to eat it in a more “traditional” manner, then while it's cooking sort of clump the pieces together and do the same while they're cooking.

Why jar it if it's not as handy as freezing? Because not everyone has a freezer to store bacon in. Or some wish to still have it in case of a power failure, or whatever. There are some who homestead and have no electricity at all. So this comes in handy.

Jarred crumbly bacon is better than nothing.

Ingredients:
Bacon
Water
Liquid Smoke if desired.

In each jar pack in as much bacon as you can, leaving ½ inch head space. Some recipes have you put the bacon on parchment. I tried that. Same result except that it's a pain to try to get the bacon off the parchment without making too much of a mess.

Add water being careful to remove air bubbles. Remember to leave ½ inch head space in the jar.

I found that the flavor of the bacon was a bit “diluted” so adding 1 drop of liquid smoke to each jar couldn't hurt things a bit.

Cook those babies in a pressure canner at 10 lbs for 40 minutes.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

From Drop Box

“We are told that the life of a woman on a farm is narrow and that the monotony of it drives many farm woman insane. That life on a farm as elsewhere is just what we make it, that much and no more, is being proved every day by women who, like this one, pick up a thread connecting farm life with the whole, great outside world.

“ In the study of soils, of crops, their origin and proper cultivation and rotation; in the study of the livestock on the place, their proper selection and care; with the care of her house and poultry, always looking for a shortcut in the work to gain time for some other interesting thing, there does not seem to be much chance for monotony to drive her insane.”

From “This and That – a Neighborly Visit with Laura” originally published in 1916. Reprinted in “Writings to Young Women from laura Ingalls Wilder, Volume Two, On Life as a Pioneer Woman”

“We are told that 'There is no great loss without some small gain.' Even so, I think that there is no great gain without a little loss. We do not carry water from the spring anymore, which is a very great gain, but it was sometiems pleasant to loiter by the way and that we miss a little.”

From “We Revel in Water!” originally published in 1916. Reprinted in “Writings to Young Women from laura Ingalls Wilder, Volume Two, On Life as a Pioneer Woman”

American Onigiri

Another experiment. As our goal is to eventually grow most of what we eat, it means that one – we won't be eating out as much; two – we'll be cooking from scratch a lot more; three – our food will be healthier. Which means that one – I have to cook more; two – I need to learn how to cook a greater variety of things from fewer ingredients; and three – we need to get used to the healthier foods.

In an attempt to accomplish all these things (and have fun in the process) I have decided to learn how to make sushi rice and onigiri. For you purists out there, yes, I know that onigiri (rice balls) are NOT usually made with sushi rice (sticky rice mixed with coating of rice vinegar and sugar). However, I'm having fun. :p so there. And they turned out yummi-licious!

Why “American Onigiri”? Because I haven't found an Asian food market in the area yet. I'm sure there is one... I just haven't searched it out yet. Because of my ignorance as to the location of an Asian food market in the area, I improvised. Instead of roe or some other salty fish type substance, the filling is frozen veggies (cauliflower, zucchini, squash, broccoli and carrots) cooked in some soy sauce.

From Drop Box

Rather than nori (a type of edible seaweed... and Greg's sister's nickname) I used lettuce. Hence the “American Onigiri”. And yes, it's quite edible, although I'm sure not nearly as nifty keen as an authentic recipe.

First, the rice. Sticky sushi rice with a lovely coating of rice vinegar with a little rice wine and sugar.

From Drop Box

Next, forming the balls. I tried a couple of techniques. First, the slap the sticky stuff into the bowl and then try to form it method:

From Drop Box

Then I tried the gee-why-don't-I-read-the-directions method. Wet hands, warm rice, no sticky on the hands:

From Drop Box

From Drop Box

From Drop Box

A little practice with the molding, and I started to obtain something that looked a little like onigiri:

From Drop Box

And finally, the full-blown American Onigiri, complete with lettuce:

From Drop Box

It's being served with a plate of fruit – mango, avocado, kumquats, and blackberries. Ok... not very Japanese, but it works.

From Drop Box

And the table is set. (Those jars on the side are on the windowsill. They hold sugar, brown sugar, and other condiments we keep handy at the table.

From Drop Box

So that's been my day. That and some serious NCIS watching. And a little bit of chibi-herding, and later I'm going to force oops I mean recruit, my family into helping out. He he he.

OH yes... and experiment with dehydrating kumquats. They're pretty strong flavored and I don't think we'll eat the ones we have before they go bad. I'm hoping that once dehydrated, they'll be good for flavoring things, or for substituting for orange rind in recipes. I'll let you know. (Like you could stop me...)