My Time Out

Date Night on Youth Night

Life can be so good. It has taken years to be happy about Secondary Infertility. So once I came to terms with it I was able to start finding joy in being a mother of one. Last night was one of those days where I was able to see the Joy. I dropped Alec off at Church for Young Mens and Scouts. It was such a pretty night. When I went to pick up my husband from work I told him lets go for a drive and that is what we did. This is one of the pictures I took.

Cooking and Timing

I have been married for 14 years now. Yet it is only just now that I have realized that my cooking has improved. Lately, I have been cooking in a kitchen that is not my own. I only brought with me two things from my kitchen: my mixer and my rice cooker. Sometimes the kitchen is very hard to work in because I don't know where things are. Still, I am grateful to be there.

Through the years cooking has been hard for me. If I follow a recipe exactly, it will never turn out for me, no matter how many times it was tested in a test kitchen somewhere. I know it's not logical, it's just the way it is. For instance: Koolaide. How do you screw that up? I have no idea, yet somehow I screw it up every time.

So I have learned a different way to cook, what I call "Going With The Flow". Basically I cook to taste, feel, and sight. Yesterday I made pulled pork. There was not enough BBQ Sauce in the fridge. So I made my own, throwing in a bowl all the things I thought it needed, tasting it, and then repeating the process until it tasted right. When I made sweet and sour chicken, the process I used to bread the chicken was this: I put the chicken into a milk and egg mixture and then into flour full of seasoning and back again until it felt right. When it was done it was just the right texture to hold up against the sauce. Sight comes to play mainly with plating the meal, but I have had to learn to not cook the veggies to long or they lose their color. When cooking like this, sometimes things don't turn out very well. Most of the time, however, I create something that is wonderful.

This brings me to timing

My step dad (my Daddy) was an incredible cook. He would walk into the kitchen cook a wonderful meal and walk out of the kitchen leaving it better than when he was in it. I never had anything that he made that I didn't love. I have often thought about him and wondered how did he do that. I am sure he couldn't have told me ether it was just one of his talents. As I have been married there have been times - brief though they were- where I tried to follow after him.

Since I have been here I have realized that somewhere I have began to learn how to do just that. Almost on a daily bases when I walk out of the kitchen with the meal on the table it is cleaner then when I walked in. I am also realizing that I enjoy making a meal more than a free for all. As I am leaning to cook foods and knowing the timing to do so I can use the time better. Cleaning around me when needed is easier to do. Yet, so is adding more attention to a specific area of a meal. Somewhere I have learned to add my heart to a meal. Rather than creating a feed trough.

So, the other day I was noticing this as my Mother in Law and I where working together to make lunch of leftovers. I was cutting apples and tangerines when she asked, "Do they ever get to eat just a whole apple?" I was set back I didn't know what to say, how to answer her question.
Yes they each fruit all the time. Without my help. The answer I gave was just as shocking to me as the question. "Yes, I am sure they do. But does it hurt to take a moment and serve my family?" Until this point I had never 100% realized that is what I was doing.

That is what cooking and using timing has taught me. I can serve them in a way that somehow comes from my heart. When I take the time to put extra effort into a meal I benefit because I am learning to deepen my heart, while they enjoy the labors. But when time is used wisely and the kitchen is clean whoever finishes the clean up has less to do and can spend more time doing the things they need to do.

In the past time was truly wasted on meals and clean up because I didn't have the talent or the desire to have it. Yet the Lord has found away to teach me a simple truth. A house of order truly will give you more time to spend with Lord and serving him with the mind set of serving others.

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Thomas S. Monson, “Building Your Eternal Home,” Ensign, Oct 1999, 2

Our house is to be a house of order. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven,” advised Ecclesiastes, the Preacher. 14 Such is true in our lives. Let us provide time for family, time for work, time for study, time for service, time for recreation, time for self—but above all, time for Christ.

Then our house will be a house of order.

Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Cultivating Divine Attributes,” Ensign, Nov 1998, 25

Once faith grows into a firm, abiding testimony, giving us hope in our Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness; once we see through the eye of faith that we are children of a loving Father who has given us the gift of His Son to redeem us, we experience a mighty change in our hearts. 27 We feel “to sing the song of redeeming love,” 28 and our hearts overflow with charity. Knowing that the love of God “is the most desirable of all things … and the most joyous to the soul,” 29 we want to share our joy with others. We want to serve them and bless them.

Derek A. Cuthbert, “The Spirituality of Service,” Ensign, May 1990, 12
Service changes people. It refines, purifies, gives a finer perspective, and brings out the best in each one of us. It gets us looking outward instead of inward. It prompts us to consider others’ needs ahead of our own. Righteous service is the expression of true charity, such as the Savior showed.

Fall - It's My Favorite

Favorite time of year, whats yours?

Hands down Fall is mine. My Father in Law and I found a really good Forestry service road to travel down on Saturday. I brought my camera ready to go! Or so I thought. I can't believe it I left my card in my laptop. We felt that it would be a great Sunday drive. This time we brought my Mother in Law and Hubby. And BTW camera, charger, card, and tripod.

I have been blessed to live most of my life where you could see fall colors. This year is no different. Deep in the Ozarks you can find roads that you can drive and see nobody on the road for the whole trip. Thus enabling you to go 5-10 MPH so you can truly see life as only the Lord could create.

Prayer

Today my Joy moment is about Prayer.

I was feeling overwhelmed with life and feelings that I couldn't seem to put in the right place. So today I wanted to go hide far away from the things that bugged me. I knew that wasn't the right thing to do. So, I prayed just a simple one to myself. Later in the day I found my Joy it was just a Fleeting thought one you may have just let pass by. It Said your feeling better. I had realized that I felt better. I was happy and things are going to be just great! How wonderful!

Prayers work! Sometimes it is hard to recognize the answers to them. I am glad I did today!

Angels Among Us

Hummm I'm sounding like a Country song.

Did you know there are people around us that are angels?

Take for instance today. I have this friend. She became my friend because she is helping my Hubby. We talk once a week and figure out what we should do next. Today she called and we talked, she is the greatest! She is my "joy" today. When you have people helping you it is good to have a connection with them and today Elizabeth and I made a connection. She is able to help me more I think because we have this connection.

Angels are just that People that the Lord has put in your path to help you that day. Some days that angel is just a man opening a door for me or a friendly mail in the mail box.

Who are your angels?

Pictures bring Joy

I have found that taking pictures have brought Joy to my life . I took this picture this past weekend. Yes this is just a Mushroom but look how tall it looks and the light from Sun filtering through just another reminder of the Joy one can feel.




Here are a few from today's Picture time of my Mother in Laws flowers.

Joy

Did I tell you my hubby lost his job. Sept first my life turned upside down. A week after I am living with my in-laws. While my hubbies health becomes better. It's now been a month and a half since and I am not doing well. I can say that right.

Yesterday I read that during this time people around you do not know how to act. I can believe that. Yet I am not even sure I do. I received a blessing before my move. While it said many wonderful things the one I am going to share is Joy. To find joy everyday.

Can you do that? How do you do that? For me even the things I have once loved I can't seem to find Joy and keep it. Even when I find it the moment it is gone or done I am sad again. I don't want to be this way. But this is very hard not to be.

So this morning I thought I would leave a post on Joy. What is joy? What feels your heart with happiness?

I think I'll be leaving Joy posts. Maybe this will help me stay in the peaceful times.

So my first Joy post is Sunshine during a sunrise. Why Because it reminds me of Jesus Christ. After the 3rd day he rose and brought light to the world. When I allow him he will bring light to to my life.