The Dough of 2011

I forgot it was the new year.  I jumped out of bed this morning (after my alarm went off for the 3rd time) once I realized all I needed to get done in the first few hours I was out of bed.  I had to start my husband's work laundry (being from the farm it all soaks in the washer for at least 10 hours), get the meat out to thaw for today's dinner, wrap two presents (hubby's family is celebrating Christmas today), wash dishes (I was exhausted last night and we somehow ran out of hot, even warm, water last night!) and prepare the dough to make 3 loaves of bread.  The bread was the most critical one.  With all the rising and falling and rising again that it needs to go through, I had to have that dough made by 5am.  I got it done by 5:02.  Close enough!
As you can tell, I had no time to waste when I got up.  I got crackin' on my list and was bustling around the kitchen for almost an hour when all of a sudden it hit me that it was now 2012!  I felt like I should be very contemplative at that moment, but my mind just jumped on to the next thing.
Now that I have a moment in between my "to-dos" I can think back.  It has been a year of tremendous joys, but there has been great heartache mixed in as well.  As I look at it all now, I can't help but compare it to the bread dough I made this morning.  The dough that is rising on the dining table right now is mainly composed of flour.  That's just the day to day moments that fill the majority of our time.  There is also a smidge of salt.  Now, I don't know that too many people would want to just dig into a bowl of salt.  It would horribly dry up your mouth and could even feel like it was burning your throat going down.  The salt I could say, would be the heartaches of this past year.  On it's own it may not be pleasant or something we desire, but God allows those heartaches to season our year.  The yeast is an easy one.  That would be the great joys of this year.  There were only a few events (our wedding, the birth of two babies, etc . . .) that would be considered great joys, but it greatly changes the rest of the year.  As just a little yeast permeates the entire loaf of bread and makes it all rise, so even a few great joys sprinkled throughout the year creates joy in our day to day to make it a joy-filled year.  The last thing I add is water.  Without the water there is just a bowl up of differing ingredients that although they are mixed together, they create absolutely nothing useful or of beauty.  The water works all things together to create something good.  Remind you of anything?  "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28.  God is the water.  God through His Holy Spirit and His Holy Word, work in our lives to take all the events and moments to create something good.  When we rely on Him, when we allow Him to work in us and to shape our perspectives, wants and desires, He alone can make it all work.  He gets us through the heartaches.  He brings tremendous moments of joy to our lives.  He sustains us in our day to day with the very air we breath.  Without Him, this past year would be a useless bowl of dry mix good for nothing at all.  With Him, this year has been a great creation of blessing that when it goes down, is warm and soothing to the soul.  Only God can mix just the right amount of each ingredient and give it just the right amount of "rises and falls" to make something useful out of our lives.  And every loaf of bread is a little different.  They all have different seasonings and can be made into a variety of shapes.  But He knows what we need when we need it.  If we allow Him, He will make us good, whether it's a light french bread or a hearty sourdough.
As I head into 2012, I pray that I continue to let God be the creator of all things beautiful, good and useful in my life.  I pray that while I relish the joy He brings, I also allow Him to add the salt when needed, knowing that He will never add too much, and that He will work it all together for good.

Simple Woman's Daybook December 31, 2011

A friend of mine utilizes The Simple Woman's Daybook in her blog.  I love the way it forces you to slow down for a moment and take in all that is around you.  I thought I would give it a try so here it goes! 
 FOR TODAY ~ December 31, 2011


Outside my window... it is still dark outside.  It is rather chilly and I am keenly aware that my husband has already been working for over three hours out there.


I am thinking... I hope all the work my husband and I have done for a special present will be appreciated.  It has taken quite a bit of time and it is something so personal and from the heart.


I am thankful... for my husband that joyfully gets up every morning at 3:10am to go milk the cows.  He never complains, but is almost always found singing.  I am incredibly blessed!


In the kitchen... I am finishing up my meal planning for the next two weeks on a significantly reduced budget (I'll post about that tomorrow).  I am thoroughly enjoying a nice shiny stove top after a couple hours of scrubbing and waxing!


I am wearing...sweatpants and a thermal top.  We live in an old farmhouse and it gets chilly in here!


I am creating... I am hoping to create corn heating bags for the family.  I still have to figure out how to thread this sewing machine though!


I am going...to my mom's house to making applesauce today.  We were blessed with a large gift of apples from Kentucky!  This will be my first canning experience as an adult.  I have so much to learn!


I am wondering... if I will ever be the woman I feel my husband deserves.  


I am reading... The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards.  It is convicting to say the least!


I am hoping... to have a great time and really connect with my son, Michael, today as we go on a "date".


I am looking forward to... resting my head on my pillow tonight knowing that God has blessed us tremendously this year.


I am hearing... my son whistle while he cleans his room and my daughter talking to herself in the bathtub!


Around the house... it seems so bland.  All the Christmas decorations are put away and the house seems to have lost something.  It gives me a desire to create more things!


I am pondering... what an amazing journey 2011 has been for me.  I got married, moved, became a stay-at-home mom, started homeschooling and began to discover that I actually can be somewhat crafty after all!  And I enjoy all of it!  I wonder what 2012 holds.


One of my favorite things...is the super thick quilt that tops our bed.  It helps to keep me warm when it's only 60 degrees in our bedroom.


A few plans for the rest of the week:  Sew corn heating bags, begin our "snowball" pom-pom wreath, start back into school and possibly host our church's mid-week prayer meeting.


Here is picture for thought I am sharing... I pray that I never get too busy being a "good mom" to take time for impromptu trips with my kiddos.

Visit Peggy and enjoy more Simple Woman's Daybooks:

The Simple Woman's Daybook

My New Year's Resolution ~ starting Dec. 29th

I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions.  It seems to just give people an excuse to put off changes they know need to be made until the "magical" hour.  Plus, most of the time the resolutions are too grand and lofty without any practicality and don't seem to stick much past February.  However, I do think that anything that causes you to reflect on your life and areas that you need to improve is definitely a good thing.  
One of the things God has been laying on my heart lately is the 24 hours He allots to me each day.  Every morning I get a fresh start and approximately 16 hours (give or take depending on sleep schedules) to do with whatever I please.  Some days I am more efficient than others.  There is not one day that I can claim that I am perfectly efficient.  Each day I waste some of the precious time God has given me.  
Lately, I have become more aware how 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there can so quickly add up to hours lost.  Now please understand, I am all for down time and getting sufficient rest (even if that means a nap when needed).  I'm not talking about scheduling every moment of every day.  That is just as bad in my opinion.  What I am talking about, is making the moments count and being wise in my use of time.  There are so many time wasters in our home.  Between the phone, the computer and TV, there is always something that calls to pull my attention from what matters even for "just a minute".  There are days when those "minute" interruptions turn into half an hour or even more!  And that time adds up to more and more till the end of the week and I'm left frustrated because I didn't get everything done that I should have and tired/exhausted because I didn't get enough sleep.  It shames me to even say that, but it's honest.  
The past month has been worse.  I can try to blame it on the holidays, but in reality, I have just let things slide.  I am usually a religious list maker.  My dad (who successfully ran his own business for 30 years) was an avid list maker.  I remember as a child in elementary school being asked by my dad what was on my "punch list" for the day.  I thought it was so odd then, but now I see the tremendous value to it.  Every day I saw his list sitting on the kitchen table.  What a great example he left me!  That being said, I haven't made a to do list in about 2 weeks!  That might not seem like a big deal to some, but for me, that means that I'm not getting much done.  If I don't have a goal set in front of me when I start the day, it is way too easy to flit and float through the day and not accomplish half of what I could be doing.  Well, today that changes.  I'm not going to wait till the magical January 1st.  I have already made my list and have started crossing things off (what glorious satisfaction there is in crossing things off!).  I am determined to honor God with my time.  To put Him first in all I do includes how I manage my day.  If I have planned ahead, I can be more efficient and therefore offer something better to my God, my husband and my children.  In this simple way, I can be a better wife and mother, and isn't that the goal for which I am always striving?
So I will finish this post and cross off another item on my to do list.  At the end of the day, hopefully my list is complete.  But even if there are a couple of items left till tomorrow's list, I can be satisfied that I made a plan, accomplished much, and utilized my time wisely.

RACK ~ conclusion?

I guess we are officially done with RACK (Random Acts of Christmas Kindness).  I have blogged our journey here and I'm sure I will go back and reminisce from time to time.  I have to say that when we pulled away from our last RACK yesterday, as happy as I was for what we had just done, there was a bit of sadness.  I have loved this journey.  My children have loved this journey.  It has been so fun to discuss our RACKs around the dinner table at night.  It has been amazing to watch how God has worked.  To see Him so clearly direct us to certain people and specific circumstances has been an unrivaled joy.  I have watched this journey transform me and my children.  God has led us to pray for perfect strangers; to look well beyond ourselves and our little lives; to maybe for a moment in the smallest of ways, to see the world as He sees it.  We actually pay attention more to those bustling around us.  Even while I am driving, I wonder what the person in front of me or behind me is dealing with in their life.  Are they in a state of pure joy?  Or are they in the deepest well of depression?  Are they numbingly stumbling through their life looking for a purpose?  I feel like I am beginning to see people.  Not just bodies moving all around me, but real people.  To look past the uniform of our mail carrier, delivery person, cashier, server, utility worker and garbage collector and see the face, the person, the soul standing before me.  This has affected all of us.  My children seek out ways to help and to be an encouragement.  This journey has opened their eyes to see beyond the four walls of their rooms and their needs and desires.  I don't want that to end.  I don't want to lose what we have learned.
I understand that we can always do Random Acts of Kindness anytime, any season.  However, this has been such a joy to set out purposefully each day seeking the one that God has for us to bless.  I am fearful that without that express purpose, I will slip back into my own little world and I will miss opportunities God places in my path.  This is going to be something that I commit to prayer.  I will have to work to keep my heart in tuned with God's heart.  I will have to focus on listening to the Holy Spirit's still small voice in the busyness of our every day lives.  I want this RACK journey to simply be a beginning point for our family.
When we started down this path, I had no idea where it would lead.  It wasn't always easy.  We dealt with sick kids, busy lives, changing circumstances and even rejection.  Several times we tried to RACK someone and they rejected it.  We offered coffee to someone ringing a Salvation Army bell and we were turned down.  We offered to buy a couple different cashiers gum or a snack or a drink to no avail.  We offered to return a cart for a store employee.  I tried to give hot cocoa to some men working on our house but by the time I got the cocoa ready, they were done and gone!  Not to mention the times that we had the best laid plans that completely fell through (I cannot tell you how many times I tried to catch a delivery person to give them a little something but I failed.  They move awful quick in this busy season!).  However, all those "failures" just makes me more determined to reach another one (One of these days, I WILL snag a delivery person and genuinely thank them for hauling around all those packages day after day!).  It also makes me realize that God is in control of this all.  If I am listening to Him, He will always put the right person in my path to which I can minister.  If I am in tune with Him, He will lead me.  I just have to make sure that no matter how "loud" my life gets, I can still hear that still, small voice.  I also can't wait for my daughter's birthday (the next birthday in our family) when we will have an excuse to purposefully set out to do more Random Acts of Kindness.
All in all, this journey has humbled me, encouraged me, overwhelmed me, inspired me, blessed me, taught me and changed me.  What a great way to end a year!  For those of you that have followed us through this journey, I thank you for your words of encouragement and your prayers.  It has been a beautiful walk.  I can't wait to see what 2012 holds for this little family!

RACK 24 and 25

RACKs 24 and 25 were a two in one kind of thing.  I had been thinking about who would need encouragement on Christmas Day.  There are so many people that I could think of.  I settled on those working in the emergency medical field and those that might need that emergency care, specifically children.  From the trips that I have made to the emergency room with children, it can not only be scary, but overwhelming and draining for a child.  On top of the fact, any child in the emergency room, whether there as a patient or with a family member, is need of some extra love and care.  Well, earlier in the month I saw a bunch of Little Golden Books on sale and we stocked up.  I have a bit of a love affair with Little Golden Books.  I grew up on those books and seeing that gold spine just warms my heart and takes me back to a little girl sitting cross-legged on the living room eagerly flipping through the pages.  We took each of the books and taped a RACK card on the inside cover.  I had the exact amount of RACK cards left to fill each book!  We didn't quite have enough tracts, but we put what we had left in the back of each book.  RACK 24 was ready to go!
RACK 25 was definitely easy in preparation.  The day before we purchased a whole bunch of clementines (yet another love affair of mine ~ sweet little fruit that can be peeled easily with your fingers and no seeds!  What's not to love?) and a case of water bottles.  RACK 25 was ready!  :)
We loaded everything up in the car Christmas afternoon and headed to our local emergency room.  We walked in carrying all the goodies and we were greeted by a woman at the counter.  She asked us how she could help us.  I told her that we brought the clementines and water bottles for those that were faithfully working on Christmas to care for the rest of us.  To say that she was thrilled would be an understatement.  Another woman peeked around the corner and her face just lit up when she realized what was going on.  We then gave them the books and explained they were for any children that may be in the emergency room, either as a patient or with a family member.  They were so very grateful!
We quickly left and my children just exploded with joy.  They kept replaying everything the ladies had said and how cool they thought it was.  As we pulled out of the parking lot, a minivan was pulling in.  I wondered if there might be some poor child in that vehicle that we might be ministering to without ever meeting them.  Again, God only knows who will blessed by all the RACKs we have done.

RACK 23

RACK 23 was yet another one of those rerouted ones that makes me sit back and wonder what God has up His sleeve.  He so clearly opens doors and closes doors to lead and direct us to different people.  It was Christmas Eve and with my husband's work schedule (cows don't take a holiday!), we were going to have to eat dinner in a quick hurry and run to make it to Christmas Eve Service on time.  My husband and I were both singing in the service and my son, Michael, was playing piano.  We had to get there early for sound checks and quick run-throughs.  My husband suggested that we just do pizza for dinner.  I feel bad for those people that have to work on holidays and I try not to patronize businesses during the time when people would rather be celebrating with their families.  However, this was a crazy early dinner (4:30 to be exact) and I had a plan!  We made up a platter of cookies to take with us when it was time to pick up the pizza.  I called our regular pizza place and they didn't answer.  I assumed that they were closed for the holiday.  So I called a place nearby that I had actually never been to before.  They were there and rather cheerfully took my order.  I asked them how late they were open on this Christmas Eve, and they said that they might be able to close as early as 7:00.  When it was time to pick up our fabulous Christmas Eve dinner, we grabbed our platter of cookies (and some canned goods as this pizza place discounted your pizza for donating to their food drive) and took off.  We drove right passed our usual pizza place.  Guess what?  They were open!  Huh.  They always answer their phone if they are open so I was definitely surprised.  This is when I just smiled to myself and figured that God was directing us elsewhere.  I ran in to get the pizza and gave the ladies at the counter the platter of cookies.  They were so surprised and appreciative.  The one woman said that this was nicest thing anyone had done for them all day.  The other lady was slightly giddy at the sight of some white chocolate cookies we had.  We left our RACK card and the tract and skedaddled on home to chow down.  We added them to our RACK prayer list and will continue to pray that God will use this little act of kindness and the info we left with them to draw them to Himself.  Mission accomplished
Only two more RACKs to do and I can't wait!  I am off to stuff stockings for the little ones before they come charging down the stairs! Merry Christmas everyone!

RACK 22 ~ and a soapbox

Well today I was able to do one of the RACKs I tried to do earlier in the week.  I was able to give blood.  A double red specifically.  This is one RACK that simply tops the level of "kindness" and it certainly is anonymous to the receiver.  I try to give somewhat regularly.  Who knows if one day it will be someone in my family or even me, that will need blood.  I know some people have a thousand and one excuses as to why not to do it.  If I wanted to, I could give those excuses.
When I first started giving blood, I had a very, very hard time.  I was just out of high school and very thin.  I passed out.  A lot.  I kept giving.  I started to tell the workers whenever I gave blood that I had a tendency to pass out.  They would take extra steps starting in the very beginning to prevent it. I started to give blood without passing out!  But then I had other issues.  My veins were very weak and they would collapse, they would roll, they would do all sorts of wonderful things that would frustrate the workers and leave me with big fat bruises.  I began warning the workers of these things and if I got a "newbie" inevitability they would switch out for a "pro".  Those problems soon dissipated.  There were still times that there would be a small issue, but they were few and far between.  It was not until this past August, that my iron was finally high enough to give a double (that's what happens when you actually care for your body and take a good multi-vitamin!).  This is a very different process and it uses a machine that does something that I still don't understand.  The first time I tried, I clotted halfway through and because of that I started bleeding from the needle site.  I won't go into details, but it was a bit of a mess.  And I was left with a pretty bruise.  Humph!  Oh well.  I was due to give again in mid-December so I made sure I took my vitamins so that I could try for a double again.  I'll be honest with you, I was a bit nervous when I went in yesterday.  I went through all the questions and the testing (that finger needle prick thing ~ so much worse than actually giving blood!  I am a total wuss when it comes to that!) and I was indeed had a high enough iron count to give a double.  Yay!  I got all situated in the chair and the wonderful worker went over the last minute instructions and we were off to the races.  Now, with giving a double, there are some side effects from it. Through all my different blood giving experiences, it has taught me to really listen to my body.  So with this being a new experience, I listened closely.  Things went great!  I did get cold (not a big surprise as I am usually the cold one in the room!) and my lips got a bit tingly when the saline was put in my body, but it all went great!  One of the beautiful things about giving a double, is that you feel better afterwards due to the platelets and plasma being returned to your body with some wonderful saline solution.   When giving a single unit of blood, sometimes I would feel a bit weak.  After this donation I was ready to take on the world!!  Ha!  I didn't even need the juice and cookies they offer after each donation (oh don't worry!  I still took my cookies!).
I write all this about my donation experiences simply to show that even if you are one of those RARE people that struggle with some of these things, it can be worked through.  It is so very important to give blood.  Get past the "eww, that's gross" or the "I can't stand needles" thing.  You are literally saving someone's life!  Just think about that.  Not many of us would hesitate if we saw a car accident or a similar situation to try to help the person in need.  This is the same thing, except you can schedule your superhero work, you get to recline in a comfy chair and you get a snack!  This takes maybe 45 minutes or so of your time and you can save the life of a mother, grandfather, child or who knows?  I pray that someone in my family is never in a situation that they need a blood transfusion, but that day may come.  Am I going to wait until then to start caring?  A friend of mine has a very sick little girl that her life depends on getting regular blood transfusions.  Who am I to say that it's not convenient to give blood, or I had a bad experience once, or yadda, yadda, yadda.  Please, if you have never given blood, consider doing it.  If you have fears about it, be honest with the workers.  Trust me, they want a problem even less than you do!  They deal with this all the time and they will work with you and help you.  If you have given blood in the past, but haven't done it recently, do it!  Pick up the phone or set up an appointment online.  This time of year is when there is the greatest need.  Don't hesitate.  Forget the excuses.  Save a life.  The place that I go to is LifeShare.  You can look up a place near you and get all sorts of info.  There are other perks to giving, too.  It may be a t-shirt (I get one when I give at our local fair each year), a coupon, or LifeShare currently has their "Loyal for Life" program where you can earn gift cards for each time you give during the year.  See?  Perks!  Plus the cookies!  Have I mentioned the cookies yet?  Seriously, take a moment out of your busy life to save the life of another.  What can be more kind than that?