"Pick Me!" But, Why Should He?

Being a married woman for all of my adult life doesn't make me an expert per se in the area of singleness. Some have told me that I'm the last person that should be dishing out advice to single women. Maybe they are right. But on the flip side, who would give the best advice to a single woman who's hoping to be found? Could it be a married woman that's been married all of her adult life? The odds are favorable for a single woman to become a helpmeet, if the advice was taken from another married woman and applied to her life.

We don't have to go very far to see women carrying the invisible sign that says "Pick Me!"

The question that I would like to pose, "Why should he? What makes you different from all the other women?" In order to be notice, you have to be different.

This is just my opinion and only my opinion. I believe men are looking for a woman who's wife material. There are many things that a man looks for when searching for a wife. One thing he's looking for is someone who can be a secret keeper. What do I mean by a secret keeper? Let me explain....

Whether they will admit it or not, men have very sensitive egos. They pride themselves on being the best in every area of their lives. When they are good at what they do, they want others to notice. When they fall short in an area, they quickly try to cover it up before anybody gets wind of it. When a man gets married, who sees the short falls in his life? His wife.

When a single man is searching for a wife, he's looking for one who doesn't gossip. He listens closely to what single women say about others in their conversations. If he sees that she is prone to gossip and speaks0 negatively about others, he does not see her as wife material. Why? Because he is afraid that she won't be a secret keeper and will expose his short falls for all to see. At the least, he knows that her friends will know about his short falls.

Over the years I've watched the prettiest girls get passed up for the girl who was least expected to get the guy. There have been times when I've even had to scratch my head and say, 'Hmmm....." He didn't choose her because she was the prettiest. He didn't choose her because she wore the latest fashions. He didn't choose her because of her hour glass figure. He choose her because she made him feel safe. He knew that she could be his secret keeper.

America's First Lady of Food

I've always felt I was born in the wrong time period. Every since I was a little girl, I secretly wanted to be a wife and have lots and lots of children. I wanted to be the stereotypical woman who was always "barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen."

I was born in an era where women were running from the kitchen in hopes of finding independence. The kitchen became cold due to the ovens no longer in use. Homes across America no longer had the smell of homemade cookies permeating to every room of the house.

Had I been born in my desired time period, I would have been among a great company of like-minded women. Not saying that I'm dissatisfied with the company I have now. Back then I would have had more RLF (real life friends), versus the many I have online. Funny thing is, I have so many online friends that I've never met, but some are my closest friends. There's one lady I'm sure that I would have been "BFFs" with. Her name was Betty Crocker.

The other day I was looking at the pile of books that have been waiting for me to read. Each book was crying out to me saying, "Read me! Read me!"

I figured it was a good idea to start reading them instead of tripping over them each time I walked by my favorite chair. I look at a book titled "Finding Betty Crocker, The Secret Life of America's First Lady of Food." I thought the book would be filled with recipes.

I was shocked by what I found. Yes, there were a few recipes, but what I found astonished me. It contained some dialogues between Betty Crocker and American women. What stood out the most was Betty Crocker's five keys to happiness: love and affection, good food, self-expression, pleasant surrounding and spiritual faith.

Betty Crocker wrote a Homemakers Creed and this is what it said:

I Believe

homemaking is a noble and challenging career.

I Believe

homemaking is an art requiring many different skills.

I Believe

homemaking requires the best of my efforts, my abilities, and my thinking.

I Believe

home reflects the spirit of the homemaker.

I Believe

home should be a place of peace, joy and contentment.

I Believe

no task is too humble that contributes to the cleanliness, the order, the health, the well being of the household.

I Believe

a homemaker must be true to the highest ideals of love, loyalty, service and religion.

I Believe

home must be an influence for good in the neighborhood, the community, the country.

This is to certify that ____________ is a member of the Home Legion dedicated to Good Homemaking for a Better World.


General Mills, Inc.                                    Betty Crocker (her personal signature)

Seventy thousand Betty Crocker American Home Legion members received a copy of the Homemakers Creed, suitable for framing.

The Homemakers Creed inspired so many women back then. I believe it can be an inspiration today. I've decided to make a copy and hang it up in my kitchen.

Below are excerpts from letters written to Betty Crocker regarding the Homemakers Creed:

"I want to thank you for the Homemaker's Creed. I think it is so nice and means so much to me. I never realized home could be such a heavenly place until I heard your program. It really has done wonders for me and I love it. You must be a grand person."

"The Homemakers Creed scroll does a lot for my home front morale. Whenever I glance at it, it reminds me of my duty to my home, my family and myself. I am a homemaker and proud of it. In fact, my Homemakers Scroll means more to me than my Bachelor and Master of Arts sheepskin."

"I'm very much interested in your Home Legion project and sincerely hope you can accomplish wonders with the average homemaker. your Home Legion has given me real encouragement in my work."

A Letter to My Son

To My Son,

Some day, some one will walk into your life and make you realize why it never worked out with anyone else. You, Dad and I have had so many conversations about the young lady that God created just for you. There were times you've expressed frustration because you know she's out there, but you just don't know where.

As it's written in Proverbs 31, King Lemuel talks about what his mother taught the son of her womb. Those words hold true still today. As the son of my womb, I utter the words, "It will be worth the wait."

I also want to encourage you to not lower your expectations and settled for less than what God has for you. That would be so easy to do. I know first hand because I've done that many times in my life. The pain that I've experienced by settling left me empty with a broken heart.

I know that you desire a young woman who's heart is totally sold out for Christ. That's the greatest asset she will have. But I also know the virtues that you're looking for. I want to say to you that there's nothing wrong with the virtues you're looking for in a young lady. Continue believing the truth found in the word of God about what a virtuous woman is.

I must confess my son that I think about her too. I wonder what type of personality will she have. Will she laugh at my corny jokes? Will she adorn herself in an apron during the holidays and stand with your sisters and I in the kitchen? Will she encourage you to remain close to your family while raising your own? I know that's your desire. It's mine too.

I look forward to the day when she becomes a part of our family :)

Some day son you will find her.

Love,
Mom

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."
-Galatians 6:9

Monkey Bread

This Monkey Bread turned out to be a hit in my home. I hope it's a hit in your home as well.

1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 tsp. yeast
1/4 tsp. sugar
3 1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbls. sugar
2 Tbls. melted butter
1 cup warm milk
brown sugar
cinnamon
butter

*In a small bowl dissolve yeast in the 1/4 cup of warm water. Add 1/4 tsp. of sugar and set aside.

*In a big mixing bowl mix together the flour, salt, vanilla, egg, sugar, 2Tbls. of melted butter and milk. Once this is mixed, add the yeast mixture. Knead by hand or mixer with a hook for 4 minutes or until smooth. The dough will be sticky.

*Cover the bowl with plastic and let the dough sit for 30 minutes.

*After 30 minutes, roll out the dough and cut into strips. Then cut into small balls.

*Melt about a half of stick of butter (you may need more or less). Put about a cup of brown sugar and tsp. of cinnamon in another bowl. Mix with hands. Dip each piece of ball in the melted butter. Then into the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Once completely coated, gently drop the balls into the bundt pan. Make sure you spread the balls out. Don't worry if it looks like there are holes among the balls. As your bread bakes, it will all come together.

*Once all the balls are in the bundt pan, cover with plastic and let it sit for 1 hour. 

*Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Now pull apart with your fingers. If you find yourself pulling a piece of bread every time you walk by like I did, take a break, grab a plate and pull as many pieces as you like.