Serving Selflessly

Last week I was so excited when my husband received confirmation that his shift will change this week due to Spring break. That excitement continued throughout the week. I made so many plans for the family. As the days went on, my list of plans grew.

Yesterday after church my husband took me for a drive through the country. We talked. We laughed. We even flirted with each other. I then asked him what time does he have to be at work the next morning. I knew it was early, but how early I wasn't sure. He told me the time to be at work. He didn't stop talking there. He asked if I was going to make him breakfast like I always did when he worked the early shift.

My first thought was, "What about you letting me sleep in on Monday mornings and you getting up with the kids? You've allowed me to sleep in since September."

A wise woman once told me that I shouldn't say everything that comes to my mind. I'm glad I remembered that at this moment. My flesh wanted to rise up sing the "Me Song." I had begun to really enjoy my Monday morning sleep-ins. I had a routine established where I would stay up late on Sunday nights and catch up on emails, Facebook and making long distance calls.

My first calling is to my husband before anything else. The emails, Facebook, long distance phones, ect, will always be there. My husband needed to be served. Served by me. Although this service to him required me to give up something that I've become accustomed to, I still needed to serve. Serve with a thankful heart. Thankful that I have a husband who goes out and works hard to take care of his family. A man who hasn't called in sick for work in 20 years. A man who needed me to serve him selflessly.

This morning I made him a delicious breakfast. A breakfast of champions, as my son would say.

Before he left for work, he prayed for me. He asked the Lord to consume my day and the day of our children.

Boy do I love it when he prays for me!

What shall I make tomorrow morning for breakfast? :)

"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.

Sticks and Stones

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, 

but words will never hurt me."

Whomever originated this phrase never read Proverbs 18:21, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue..." If they had, maybe they would have thought twice before saying it. Words hurt! 

I remember my 3rd grade bully named Earl. Earl wasn't popular. He was just your average boy running around the school yard with a foreign object in his nose that always moved back and forth with each breath he took. Earl wasn't tall and didn't appear to be strong. I shouldn't have been afraid of him, but yet, I was. Why? Because of the things he would say to me.

Finally one day there was a showdown between Earl and myself. This day I noticed Earl coming toward me with more than the usual two boys that always accompanied him. He had a crowd. I had a choice to make and I needed to make it quick. 

What's the worse thing that could happen? After all, he had already spoken such harsh words that a right hook to my jaw wouldn't hurt as bad. I knew that eventually whatever physical pain Earl will inflict on me would heal, but the words he had spoken to me wouldn't heal as quickly. 

Earl gave me the best options that day. Instead of saying hurtful things in front of a larger crowd of people, he just came up to me and pushed me. I remember the sense of relief not hearing the sting of his words.

I quickly jumped to my feet and started swinging. I felt so free as I swung my arms like a wild child. I'm not sure who won that fight, but I do know that Earl's hurtful words ceased after that.

Hurtful words are like bees. They sting and leave their poison to spread to the core of the person. Sometimes, there's an allergic reaction to the bee sting and can result in the demise of it's victim. Same with hurtful words according to Proverbs 18:21.

As a wife, a mother and a Christian, I'm accountable for the words that flow from my mouth. The words I speak go out into eternity. I can seek forgiveness and forgiveness will be granted, but I can't take back my words. We all say things that we wish we can take back. When our tongue cause hurt to others, we need to humble ourselves before God and our victims.

James 3:8 says, "But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." If the Word of God tells us that we can't tame our tongue, it behooves us to think before we speak.

Let us not allow the bully have power over us with the hurtful words they speak. Don't be provoked by others to respond. We don't have to, the Lord will.

"Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; 

for it is written,

"Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord...

Do not be overcome by evil, 

but overcome evil with good." 

Romans 12:19 & 21

Jill - Maternity Apron Give Away Winner

Back in November I had a maternity apron give away. You can go here to read about it. I just received an email from the beautiful mother Jill. She's wearing the apron. She gave me permission to share with my blogger readers.

Here's the wonderful email that I received!

Hello Sandra!

I was having a rather rough day a while ago (after not being able to sleep for the past week due to 'practice contractions'...so much fun!) and when I went to my mail box I found a beautiful apron inside!!!  Thank you so much!  It's lovely and I really appreciate it as I'm doing a massive baking spree on the weekend in order to get ready for baby (currently 34 weeks and the midwives think I'll go early!) and my current apron doesn't fit at all anymore. It's soooooo comfortable too!  I have to say, I love the length as well.  I'm very tall (6'0") and right now I can't stand anything near the tops of my legs and this skims beautifully. 

Thank you so much for your generosity, it's very much appreciated.  I plan on getting some action shots for you this weekend but please accept this one in the mean time of me at my Mum's house.

Hope all is well with your grandbaby-to-come!

Jill


*Let us remember to pray for Jill during this time as she prepares for her new blessing!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, 

the fruit of the womb is a reward."

-Psalm 127:3