The Garden

I recently attended a Garden Party offered by our Women's Ministry team.  I went with the expectation of escaping mommy-hood for a moment and having some grown-up conversation with sisters in my church family.  What I did not expect, but what in fact happened, was a worship experience.  When we walk into a worship experience unexpectedly, and we come face to face with the almighty God, the experience is just so much sweeter. Don't ya think?

I limited God in what He could do with that moment in time.  I put my own expectations in place of His much greater blessings.  He drew me closer to Him when I was in a mindset of escape.  Has anyone else noticed the many paradoxes in God's ways?  They never cease to rightfully put me in a state of awe. 

Not the actual party, but quite similar. I will get a picture of our party.

At first, I assumed that the reason for the theme of the event was a garden party because it was convenient to decorate for that kind of party especially when the ministry already had so many of the that type of decor in their store room.  Some flowers, some pots, a watering can and voila, garden party done. Let me clarify that I don't think, by any means, that the leaders of our women's ministry team look for the easiest way out of anything.  They are super hard working laborers for the Lord.  This was evidenced by the beauty they were able to display with gorgeous detail in a very plain room with black rubber floors.  When they shared why they chose the theme, it immediately became clear that this was not a convenience thing at all, instead it was nothing short of a blessing.

At that party, God reminded me through our church's women's ministry leaders, the speaker, a small book, and the music leader of the beautiful, albeit perfect (of course), metaphor of the garden.  Jesus Himself uses the Parable of the Sower to describe the type of soil needed for a seed to take proper root. Everyone is a plot of land, a meaningless spot of dirt until we accept Him.  He cultivates us and prepares us for His use and plan, a plan to prosper us for His kingdom.  For the purpose of us to then share the Seed of His Word with others. When He has prepared their soil then those seeds can take root, and so on as it is meant to be by the Creator of all Life. We are not called to work the soil of hearts of others, that is His labor, we were only called to spread the Seed of His Gospel, Jesus' last command to His people.

Additionally, He reminded me that this metaphor must be introspective, too. He desires for me to grow in His garden and be fruitful for His purposes, not my own. Realizing that it is His love, mercy, and grace that waters my soul to make me fruitful.  And by that fruit, others will see Him and seeds can be planted for them to become fruitful, as well.

It is all beautiful, perfect, and ALWAYS good in God's garden.  

My "Poo-Free" Experiment

Ooo! Gross!
Yeah, I know, but I'm not speaking of that "poo"!  I'm talking shampoo here.  In my attempt to continue moving toward being a good steward of all that God has provided by making most of the cost effectiveness of the cleaning items I use in my home, I began to look at my beauty products, as well.  I tried toothpaste for a while.  It worked great!  However, I developed some tooth sensitivities and had to begin using store bought toothpaste made specifically for sensitive teeth to get some relief.  I still use (and have my children use) a homemade whitening toothpaste occasionally to brighten our smiles.

Moving to a poo-free life was not difficult at all.  I began about six months ago. I simply began using baking soda to wash my hair.  I use it two different ways.  When I have it mixed, my preferred method is half baking soda and half water.  After a quick shake in the shower to mix it up (water and baking soda separate when left to sit for a period of time), the mixture squirts easily from a bottle and I can get it down to my scalp better.  When I don't have this mixed up, I also keep a bottle of just baking soda.  I put a small amount in my palm, let the shower stream spray on the pile, rub my hands together until it is a shampoo-consistency and apply to my hair.

Either way, I have found that the SECRET to using baking soda for shampoo is scrubbing all the way down to the scalp.  And making sure every hair comes in contact with the soda.  It really is just that simple!

My hair did not respond well at first.  It felt super oily, sticky and heavy for the couple of weeks.  Of course, my hair has never been accused of being dry.  Just one missed day of shampooing, prior to this experiment, and my hair was a greasy mess!

THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT: I believe the oily, sticky, heavy feeling is due to your hair being used to overproducing oils when the chemical cleaning/stripping agents in store bought shampoos are applied to it daily.  So when you quit, it takes a few weeks for your hair to regulate oil production to the mild cleaning action of baking soda.  I have even heard of people whose hair has regulated to only being rinse by water each day.  Bless their hearts!  Maybe someday, but I am not there yet.

For whatever reason, at first I had to wash it everyday to get it even close to styleable.  Everyday got a little better and soon I found myself washing less often, so that now I can sometimes even go 3-4 days between washings!  This is amazing for a girl who, when using shampoo, had to wash at least every other day.  I could never go three days, and even the second day was iffy at best! I am impressed with how clean my hair feels, how well it styles, and the money I have saved.

***If I feel I need to condition, a half of a pea-sized amount of extra virgin coconut oil, tames the frizz and makes my hair feel soft as a cloud.

****Another fact I should point out is that I do not color my hair. I am not sure how this method works on colored hair.

I have not gotten my family on board yet, but my husband is getting close to trying it, so we will see how that works out!

No White Space

It has been TOO long since I have written.  It is not for lack of desire.  I have just felt a tad bit overwhelmed with life.  In a nutshell, my calendar has no (zero, zilch, nada) white space.  It is full to capacity.  Please know that I am far from proud of this fact.  I promise, I am not bragging here at all by any means whatsoever.  I am usually quite opposed to filling my calendar to capacity for one simple reason, it leave no room for God.  You know, the One for whom we were created to praise?  Yep, that one.

My Calender

*It leaves no room for me to spend the time with Him.  (The daily quiet time that I desperately want to spend with Him.)  *It also leaves little room for Him to work through my life.  (If I am rushing to and fro, I may not hear the Holy Spirit tell me to do something for someone else.) *It leaves little quiet space in my life for me to hear from Him as I desire.  (It is too loud in my life to hear the quiet, still voice of God.) Yes, filling the calender as I have is not a point of bragging rights for me at all!  Even if the things on my calendar are pretty great events.

Events that include mission trips, camps, kids activities, bible studies, volunteering, foster care, church events, appointments, etc.  All good things.  Still, none of which I can take any credit for.  Jesus is the only thing good in me.

I must do all things with Him and I can do nothing without Him.  

He is the source of my strength and life.  I would not have a life to fill it if not for Him.  So, no, I take no pride in my calendar looking as it does.  It is just proof of the abundant provisions and blessings He has given.

And just as He gave 1 day's worth of manna to the Isrealites each morning in the desert, He will, today, give just what we need to get through the day.  Not a gram more or less that we need or can handle.  And whenever it feels like it might not be the right amount, He wants us to turn to Him for strength.

We can proclaim His name for strength by saying, "Praise the Lord! Praise theLord! Praise the Lord!", "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!" or "Blessed be the name of the Lord!".  In this way we are proclaiming His name with our voice and heart to invite Him into our lives.  God gave the name of Jesus power and distinction so Christians may call upon that name at any time.

Praise and worship invites God into our immediate circumstances.

There is no one I want to experience life's circumstances with than the Life-Giver Himself!  I will proclaim His name in this good and bad times.  In the overwhelmed and white-space times.  In the fulfilled and broken times.  In the busy and lonely times.  Any time, really.

Take some time today and look up "the name of Jesus" in your study Bible or a Bible web site and see what God's Word has to say about His name.  Big Daddy Weave lyrics to The Only Name say it well, too:

There will be one name that I proclaim!
Jesus! Jesus! Jesus, just that name!  

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

It was recently brought to my attention that I had not ever posted my most favorite recipe in all the world.

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
(pictures soon to come)
If followed exactly, the baker of this recipe will end up with consistently perfect chocolate cookies every time.  Promise.

This recipe requires a couple of very specific pieces of kitchen equipment to make them perfect: a digital kitchen scale and an upright mixer.  The mixer might be able to be bypassed with a hand mixer (although you may be tired afterward), but the scale is necessary as all of the loose/dry ingredients in this recipe are measured in grams.

2 1/2 sticks real butter
227 g white sugar
284 g light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp real vanilla
2 eggs
241 g bread flour
241 g cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 bags 60% cocoa or greater chocolate disks (Ghiradeli or Hershey's)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream together room temperature butter and sugars for 5 minutes in an upright mixer on high, scraping as needed.  While still on high, add the vanilla and one egg at a time.  Beat on high for another minute.  While mixer is going, weigh flours and add baking soda and powder to the flours, along with the kosher salt and whisk until blended.  Turn mixer to low and slowly add the flours into the mixer until JUST MIXED.  Once flour is added, mix for a minute or LESS.  Remove bowl, add chocolate and stir.  Put in a glass container and cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap.  Put in the fridge for 48-72 hours.  Remove the dough and allow time at room temperature to soften and make it easier to handle.  Weigh out dough to 50 gram portions and roll into a ball, pushing in any chocolate that sticks out.  This will make for a prettier cookie.  Place dough on parchment paper cut to fit on a metal cookie sheet.  Sprinkle tops of each dough ball with a tiny bit of kosher salt.  Leave plenty of space, they will spread to be about 2 inches in diameter.  Bake for 18 minutes.  Check after 15 minutes.  You want the cookie only slightly browned.  Let sit for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then gently transfer cookies with a large, very thin spatula to a cooling rack until cooled.

MORE INFORMATION:
You can pre-make dough balls, freeze them in a tightly closed container and bake as many or as few as you need over the course of a few weeks.  Why weigh loose ingredients and not use cups to measure?  Well, cups can be VERY inconsistent each time depending on how packed down the ingredient is.  Therefore, weighing in grams is a more accurate and consistent way to make the same cookie every time.  The kosher salt adds just the tiniest amount of saltiness to bring out the sweet of the cookie and the bitter of the chocolate, YUM!  The mix of flours give the cookie the perfect amount of chewiness and rise.  Using all purpose flour will not yield the same quality of cookie.  If you over mix the flours, your cookie will NOT rise properly.  This is not a recipe for your stoneware baking pans.  Parchment paper on even the cheapest aluminum cookie sheets work best.  Spacing is key so cookies are round, not lop-sided because they ran into each other or the sides of the pan.  Even on my large cookie sheet, I only put about 6 dough balls, on my small pan, only four.  This means more rounds in the oven, but well worth it for pretty, round cookies!

I got this recipe originally when I went on a Paula Deen cruise.  One of her guest chefs was doing a cooking show (well, "cookie" show, as it turned out) and I was chosen from the audience to be the chef's helper.  His name is David Liete.  He spent 6 months of his life researching and perfecting this recipe (must have been a tough job!) to make the ultimate chocolate chip cookie every time.  I have made this recipe hundreds of time in the last few years, when I follow it to a "tee", they turn out perfect and the same every time.  Any changes or short cuts are noticeable in the quality of cookie produced.  Please let me know how yours turn out!! Bon Appetit!!

Cabbage Creole (and a lesson, too)

One weekend, my mom brought over a dish.  It was the most delicious cabbage recipe I had ever tasted.  I am not a fan a cabbage.  Of the healthy-eating foods I will eat, it is very low on the list.  I kind of like the taste, but the smell...oh the smell...when it is cooking is nearly unbearable.  That is...Until I tasted this recipe.  Then I was certain I could endure the smell if this wonderfully simple and delicious flavor was at the finish line.

CABBAGE CREOLE

1 lb. of LEAN ground meat, seasoned, browned and drained (beef, venison, turkey)
(I use Tony's to season meat, but the flavor here is up to you)
1 chopped onion, sauteed
1 chopped green bell pepper, sauteed
1 LARGE head of cabbage, roughly chopped to about 1 inch squares
1 can of Rotel
1 can of Cheddar Cheese soup -OR- 1 8 oz block of Velvetta, cubed

In a large dutch oven, brown meat and drain, set aside.  Saute onion and bell pepper in a little of the meat drippings until just under-done.  Add cabbage and Rotel, cover and cook until just done, stirring occasionally.  Add meat and cheese, stir and let simmer for an hour or two.  Or put a lid on it and put it  in the oven at 250 degrees for the same amount of time.  I prefer the oven method, mainly because all my gas burners are too hot and simmering for too long usually burn on the bottom.

That's it!  A fairly healthy meal of simple deliciousness.  And only one pot and one colondar is dirtied!  It is a meal I can throw together on Sunday morning, and it is ready when church is over.  Speaking of which....

One Sunday morning, Easter Sunday as a matter of fact, I did just that.  Only, I had forgotten to turn the oven on when it was time to leave and put the pot in the oven.  So, in my infinite culinary wisdom (haha), I turned the oven on to 500 degrees to get it heated up more quickly, then I was going to turn the heat down and head out the door.  Only thing is...I forgot to turn the heat down. At first, walking up to the back door, it almost smelled good, then we walked into the kitchen.  OH NO!  It was not good.  Not good at all!!!

As I have mentioned previously, the smell of cooking cabbage usually prevents my preparing it in my house, however, the smell of burned to a crisp cabbage is enough to turn a person off to cabbage-eating for a lifetime!  Now keep in mind...it was in a cast iron dutch oven with the LID ON, and it still burned a layer of solid blackness an inch deep on the top and two inches deep on the bottom.  Only the thinnest layer of color was visible in the middle.  I was tempted to throw out the dutch oven and all, but with some hard work of three days of elbow grease, I am pleased to report I was able to recover the use of my dutch oven once again (I know, you were concerned, haha).

THINKING METAPHORICALLY:
Because I was so busy by the numerous things I was doing to get us out the door on Easter Sunday, I  missed some very important steps in the process of the task that I had been given, to make the Cabbage Creole.  More importantly, I and my family missed out on the blessings of deliciousness in my inattention and lack of focus on the other things.

I do this in my spiritual life at well.  I take my eyes off the important things and put my  attention and focus on other things.  This causes missed blessings.  And may even cause those closest to me to miss out on His blessings in a ripple effect.  It may not be as obvious to me at the time, like the stinch of burning cabbage, in fact we may never know we missed a blessing at all.  However, to teach and discipline us, sometimes God gives us the opportunity to see the missed blessing and we learn just how much He truly desires us to stay close to Him, focused on His ways, not for the what He can do for us, but simply the joy of having Him near.