Ultimate Melt-In-Your-Mouth Pancakes

** I've decided that tomorrow when I write the official "weekly bits" - I'm going to write about my love of cooking. And then from time to time, I'll post some of my favorite things to make - just in case you're looking for something new. So you can check back tomorrow for the official explanation of this project, but for now, here's recipe #1. **


I think it has been well established that I am not a fan of mornings. Therefore, my work day breakfasts are usually peanut butter and jelly toast...sometimes carted to work on a paper plate if I run out of time to eat at home. But Saturdays...those lovely leisurely Saturdays...I enjoy nothing better than sleeping in until my eyes just pop open...and then sauntering into the kitchen to whip up a batch of pancakes. It's one of my cooking traditions that I hope to continue after I'm married, unless I marry someone with an aversion to pancakes. I don't get to do this every weekend, because sometimes my Saturdays fill up and turn into breakfast-on-toast-on-the-go days too, but I dearly love the lazy weekends when I have the time to make these.

For many years, I tried to make pancakes from the boxes of pancake mix. But they always tasted odd to me. Perhaps they tasted like they were from a box of pancake mix. So I determined to find a good actual recipe for pancakes that was both easy and tasty. I stumbled upon this one in a church cookbook that was given to me several years ago as a birthday gift. (By the way - I love church cookbooks. They are written proof of why church potlucks are still the best thing in culinary life.)

The Recipe:

2 cups Bisquick
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs

Stir all ingredients until blended. Cook on hot griddle until edges are dry. Turn and cook until golden.

And now...for you visual learners.

I prefer the generic versions of pretty much everything:


Mom taught me to keep my Bisquick in the freezer between uses to keep it from being overrun by ants or other bugs. I just store it in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Sometimes, though, it gets lumpy, so before I add any of the other ingredients, I press the lumps out with a spoon. No one wants to bite into a lump of Bisquick.


After all the ingredients are added, it should look like this - kind of runny:

Rachael Ray has her garbage bowl...I have my paper towel trick. I measure all my dry ingredients over a paper towel, so if they spill over, cleanup is easy. I also put my egg shells on the paper towel. When I'm totally done assembling, I just gather up the paper towel, toss it, and the kitchen is halfway cleaned.

The full recipe, as it is listed above, probably makes about a dozen pancakes. Because I only eat about three at a time, I cut the recipe in half (which works out very nicely - you don't need half an egg or anything impossible like that) and then I use half the batter on Saturday and half on Sunday. The batter doesn't keep longer than a day, but it will be okay just overnight in the refrigerator. I pour it into a storage container for the next day. This makes it nice on Sundays, too, because I can have a real breakfast before church, but I don't have to get up early enough to mix up a new batch of batter.

Even though I have a non-stick skillet, I still spray it with cooking spray because these do tend to really stick. I let them cook until they're super bubbly on top and the edges are dry enough to slip a spatula underneath to flip them. I cook mine on medium-high heat.


Yeah even after all this time, I'm still not a pancake flipping expert. The one at the top of the picture came apart and ended up being about half the size it was supposed to be. But it still tasted good. This recipe really does well on the perfect golden color part.

Mmmmm.....butter and syrup. The perfect ending to almost perfect pancakes. (They did taste perfect. They just didn't look perfect.)

So there you have it - my favorite pancake recipe. And these make not only a great weekend breakfast, but a great dinner, too. When I lived at home, Mom sometimes served breakfast for dinner. Pancakes, sausage, eggs...it was always a fun meal. And when I was in college, I lived on campus in an apartment the summer between my junior and senior year. My roommate, Christi, liked to make pancakes late at night and invite friends over for a pancake party. They were a lot of fun. And best of all - a pretty cheap meal!

Head and Heart Stuff

I haven't written for a long time. Okay a week. But in motor-mouth Bekahland, that might as well be a decade. And I wasn't sure...am still not sure...about writing now. But I'm doing it anyway.

Life has been busy, but not so busy that I couldn't write. School started for our students on Tuesday and work has been chugging along at a pace that goes beyond definition. I try my best to stay not just up with work...but way above it. Weeks like this make it tough - especially when I really really want to be my best and do my best for all the students, and I feel like I'm not able to meet all their expectations. Having said that, the group this year has been exceptional in the niceness category, so I appreciate that.

In all the fluffy stuff - the refrigerator finally died and I had to purchase a new one. The new one is beautiful (okay so it's plain white, very standard, absolutely no bells OR whistles...but it is STILL beautiful) and best of all - things inside are COLD! It's just a concept beyond anything I've known for the last few weeks.

Sunday night, my friend Angi invited me over to use her Cricut. (If you're not a scrapper, that's not going to mean a blessed thing to you...it's a die-cut sort of tool that I will never be able to afford but it's SO COOL.) Anyway, I made several things, some of which I can't post yet because some of you will have a spoiled surprise if I do! But I did make this for my niece...who should have it by now.

I was pretty excited.

And now to the non-fluffy. It's been a really tough week, and that has led to my posting hesitation. I don't really like to post the poor-me business because really...it's okay. But it is, after all, my blog, so I guess if I want to fess up to a rough time, then I'm certainly allowed.

This morning when I got up and headed for my daily devo book, I told God I needed something big. This followed last night's six (I think) kleenex meltdown over the prayer journal where I proceeded to tell God a variety of opinions I hold concerning some people who have disappointed me pretty significantly lately. I had to throw in a (sincere) apology to God that it took such intense hurt to bring me back to a drawn out conversation with Him. Why do I rush so quickly through my time with Him when life is good? Question of the ages, I guess.

So anyway, I opened the book and the first verse on the page said this: "Be still, my daughter." I had chills. I printed out every verse from the morning round and planted them right in front of my computer monitor to view throughout the day. Perhaps a practice I should employ more often?

I do have to stop here to tell you this which just made me giggle and helped ease the extreme tension of the day. One of my friends (whose name I won't mention in case she'd rather it be that way) sent me this as a potential alternate verse...."She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died." I have to admit, it was tempting to write that one down too!

I joined a Beth Moore Bible study (via DVD...not one of the live studies...rats!) and it's about Daniel and prophecy. My dad would clean up on stuff like that. I somewhat get it, but parts of it feel about as natural as chemistry class. But one thing that did come through loud and clear was to follow Daniel's example to resolve to be strong no matter what. So as I've been hit with one "ouchie" after another this week, I've tried to remind myself to resolve to remember what I know to be true about the way God views me.

It's been kind of tough. There are some rumors that have been circulating about me in the past few weeks. I haven't really wanted to blog about this because I know some people who read might be hurt by it...but again...it's my blog. After about a year of fighting God on the issue, I made the decision to obey Him and leave the church I've been attending for a very long time. I didn't go because I was mad at anybody or disgruntled with leadership or anything of the sort. I was just simply obeying what I know God was leading me to do. I expected rumors, because situations like this tend to lend themselves to such things. I even figured out what some of them would be. But one in particular hit me from out of nowhere and it was really really hard to hear. I cried so hard because it made me question everything about who I am.

Add to that a week's worth of "fat days" - you girls get that, right? - and the complete loss of confidence over my ability to write...it's made for some tough, tough days.

So I say all of that with really no idea what I'm trying to say. I have no great concluding paragraph. This is just me and my bruised up heart hoping you were able to read this in the spirit I intended and not in some "poor Bekah" way.

Ahhhhhhhh....Shopping

It's been a WEEK. Work has, as I mentioned earlier, taken most of my brain from me. It's been pretty humid here too, which means exercising takes most of whatever energy is left after work. And then, of course, there has been the saga of the refrigerator (which has, to a great extent, settled down...so I'm hopeful that it was just ill and not terminal). Slap on top of it some rather unsettling information that had filtered my way throughout the week...I needed therapy.

Today I realized that I hadn't been clothes shopping since May. MAY. This is not like me. Now I'm not a huge shopper, but I do like to get a little something every now and then. (This summer was light on now and heavy on then.) Retail therapy to the rescue of all problems.

This weekend we've been permitted to wear school T-shirts to work - which is a luxury of great magnitude. We can't wear jeans, so that means I have to stick to the khakis. I realized that I had absolutely no appropriate footwear to go with a T-shirt and khakis. We can't wear flip-flops, no matter how dressed up. I don't believe in wearing any sort of athletic/canvas shoes at work. All my sandals are too dressy. So I had no choice but to SHOP.

And ahhhhh what sweet joy. One shirt (work AND church appropriate). One pair of pants (work appropriate). Three pairs of shoes (one pair that will work for both T-shirt days). Twenty dollars and seventy-four cents. Thankyouverymuch.

Vera

This time of year tends to sap my brain. The phone calls roll in at work faster than I can answer them, and after a while, I struggle to make sense of it all.

Yesterday, for example, I had a string of voicemails to return. I picked up the phone, dialed the number of one of the ladies who had called me, and when she answered I said, "Hi Rebekah, this is Vera from the Financial Aid Office." Pause, pause, pause. Then I said, "No, that's not right. You're Vera. I'm Rebekah."

Fortunately she had a good sense of humor and could understand days like that.

But it's my new name now. Just call me Vera.

Bits for Sunday, August 24, 2008

I like to consider myself fairly resourceful. Sometimes this translates to cheap. I’ll drive to three grocery stores to save thirteen cents on a loaf of bread. I’m the person who doesn’t have a stash of pocket change to use toward a vacation because I actually live on my pocket change. I’ll only make a purchase at Hobby Lobby if said item is half price that week. If it’s not, I will wait until it is – because at that point it has become a matter of principle. I view the forfeiting of a “ten dollars off ten dollars or more” coupon at Fashion Bug as actually throwing away ten dollars and will hunt carefully around the store for a purchase that brings me to $10.01 so I can pay pretty much tax only on my purchase and feel ever so excited about my frugal spirit. I purchase glue sticks in ridiculous quantities when school supplies are on sale so I have a year’s supply on hand and don’t have to pay the extra three cents a pack throughout the year.

Those are the minor things. I also heat my house with candles in the winter because I’m too cheap to run any sort of decent heat. If that doesn’t cut it, put on another sweatshirt and get under a blanket. (Thankfully cats have fur coats and so far they’ve not had to chip through ice in their water bowl, so all residents of my home seem to be happy.)

But it’s not just about saving money. It’s about figuring out how to make the best of things that don’t work as they should. For example…the light in my closet broke and I keep forgetting to ask the fix-it guy to fix it…so for now I just drag the floor lamp into the closet to find my clothes. Whenever I don’t have time to do that, I just grab something and hope it matches. If it doesn’t and someone has an issue with that…perhaps he or she would like to contribute to the light fund.

And if you think I’m going to be in any sort of hurry about that light – let me just tell you THIS. A year or so ago, the kitchen light (an Edison original) went out and it was a while before I rounded up an electrician to replace it. I was used to cooking by the glow of the Christmas lights above the cabinets, but when my sister came over to help me make broccoli salad one night, she gave me some strange looks when I pulled out the flashlight to check the status of the bacon on the stove.

I hadn’t realized just how much I temp-fix my house until today when I was talking to Mom before lunch. I told her that the radio in my bathroom has one of those flimsy cord-like antennas, and in order for me to pick up the station I need on Sunday morning (to hear my Dad’s program), I have to stretch it toward the towel bar and then stuff a towel around it to hold it in place. When I’m done, I have to coil up the cord and hide it in my makeup so Braeya doesn’t chew off any more of the end than she already has. The towel, at that point, needs to be relocated to its place over the bathroom door (over the top of it) to prevent the door from shutting…which locks the cats inside.

I’m afraid if the cats are locked inside and get bored, they’ll figure out how to get around the Tupperware onion storage container that currently hides the toilet handle. Braeya has a flushing addiction. That’s life at Bekah’s…flashlights, towels, and onion holders in the oddest of places.

There are some things, though, that the temp fixes just won’t cover. Remember how I just bought a new washer and dryer? Ever heard the saying that things happen in threes? Yeah. I think I have a second appliance about to croak. Literally.

I told Mom and Dad today that my refrigerator sounds like a pig being strangled. I even imitated the lovely screeching sound that has occasionally emanated from deep within it for the past several months. This weekend, said sound moved up to full time. I about moved out of my own house. Let the pig die!!!

Mom thought I was exaggerating. So I came home, called her, said, “Listen please” and stuck the phone in the freezer. When I returned to the phone, she said, “That is your REFRIGERATOR??? That doesn’t sound good.” As I was saying. Strangled pig.

Sigh. Yesterday I stood in the kitchen and shouted, “I don’t want to buy more appliances!!!!” The pig continued dying. I see another trip to the store in my very near future. Meanwhile, if things really do happen in threes, I hope the next appliance to go is something more along the lines of my toaster.

But I'm Too YOUNG!!!!

While I am grateful that hair and pudgy cheek conditions have improved since these photos,

I am still much too young to have a niece going to college!

My good little buddy...


...is a little too tall for things like this now.

But I'm very proud of her and very excited for her. College was definitely the beginning of the defining part of my life - and I am looking forward to seeing what it brings for her.
Still...let the record show...I am too young for this.

Fifty-Four Years

To go with my earlier post....

I know. I know. I look exactly like my mom. But what I'd actually like to point out is all that HAIR my dad has!!



This one is one of my favorite pictures from their wedding because I guess I just never expected this sort of photography that many years ago. The whole soft glow thing....very cool.
I would have posted this last night...but I was knee-deep in a typical Bekah overbooked night. I finally had to quit doing chores because I'd run out of room to write them in the day planner so I could proceed to cross them out as completed. (Oh come on - at least one of you does that!)

Anyway, yesterday was my parents' anniversary. Fifty-four years. I think it's great. Fifty-four years is milestone enough to celebrate with much thankfulness but not milestone enough to require a party. :D (I think my sisters and I are still recovering from the fiftieth shindig we threw.)

I shared in devotions at work that I'm very thankful for their long-standing marriage, though. It's given me many good examples of how to work hard and keep going even when it's tough. I know they don't' always see eye to eye on things, but I appreciate their determination to not let those things drive them apart.

Given that I did NOT get married at seventeen like my mom did, chances are, I'll never see the same length of marriage (and if I do, I'll probably be too out of my mind to know I've arrived) but I hope that if I ever do get married, I can enjoy a good long life with my husband!

So even though I'm a day late, congratulations, Mom and Dad! Love you!

Bits for Sunday, August 17, 2008

I know you’ve already seen bits and pieces of this story, but this is one that deserves to be told from the beginning, so I’m just going to start at the beginning and work my way forward.

My washer died. Yes, the infamous washer that ate my sheets about a year ago and at a later point in time ripped the ties off one of my long-standing dresses. That washer. I have no idea how old the washer was. It was quietly parked in its corner of the bathroom when I moved into this house eight years ago. It wasn’t anything fancy, and it had been known to cause the entire house to shudder during the spin cycle, but apart from the isolated incidents of clothing sabotage, it had been a good little washer.

The night it died, I planned to do three loads of laundry. Hot, warm, and cold. I put the first load in, went for my walk, came home, put that load in the dryer, put the second load in the washer…and suddenly I was very aware of wet socks. Never a good feeling. I looked down to see a stream of water rushing to the center of the room from underneath the washer. I hoisted myself over the top of the washer to look at the hoses (as though I would even know what I was looking for in this situation…but it seemed the thing to do) and found nothing that looked strange. Nothing spewed water anyway.

So I called Dad. It was that or 911. Dad (who is so good with appliance-challenged-daughter-emergencies) got in the car, toolbox in hand, and drove over to take a look at it. We formed an assembly line with plastic tumblers, emptying water out into the sink while beach towels (that otherwise get little use) mopped up the river that had slowed a bit from under the washer. By the time Dad left, having concluded that a plumber should be called, I was left with one half-soaked load of clothing staring at me from the laundry basket.

You know you have good friends when you can call them at 10:30 at night and ask to use their laundry room. I packed up the load (wet clothes are heavy!) and drove to the other side of town to use Marie’s washer, and then drove home and stayed up until 2 in the morning drying all these wet clothes.

The plumber came a few days later and pronounced the washer dead at an unknown age. Cause of death? Hole in the drum.

While the next step may seem simple, it was anything but. Obviously I needed a new washer…but did I also want to get a dryer? Or did I want a glaringly unmatched set residing in the path of everyday life? Did I want to pursue the idea of getting a space-saving stacked set? (That would require rerouting the plumbing, the dryer vent, and calling the siding boys back to the house for more work.) I spent hours online reading prices, sales, rebates, customer reviews, and appliance specs. I marched back and forth from the computer to the bathroom measuring and re-measuring.

As the dirty clothes piled up, I reminded myself that my mother could not do my laundry forever, so finally I jumped in the car and drove to the store to make “the decision.” I think choosing a husband must certainly be easier than the agony I went through of choosing a new washer (and dryer, since my OCD won out and I knew I could not function in a house of mismatched appliances). As it went, the salesman had an accent like the Geico gecko. He could have sold me every appliance in the store. I paced around in the washer aisle while he watched (with amusement, I might add) from behind the cash register. Finally I summoned him, pointed at the washer and dryer nearest me and turned away before I could change my mind.

He promised me next day delivery, until he discovered that my careful choice was on backorder for another two weeks. I told him I could just turn my underwear inside out for the next two weeks. I think he thought I was serious.

I came home, receipt in hand, much poorer, and spent the days following carefully choosing each day’s clothing, knowing I could ill-afford any spills or mishaps until the washer came.

This week I came home to find a message awaiting me from the automated delivery guy, announcing he had an important announcement for Frellanrebekah. After the second time through the message, I discovered that was their interpretation of my last and first names smashed into one and somewhat re-spelled. They left a toll free number for me to call and confirm, which I did, assuming it would be automated. Oh if only I had been so lucky. Frellanrebekah boy was nothing compared to the man I got live.

His accent sounded like Bella Karolyi's - and probably listening to him so much over the course of the Olympics was what gave me the one thing I did get out of the conversation. The end said “WewilluhcalluhyouondeuhFriday.”

When they “uh called me on de uh Friday” to confirm the two hour window for my Saturday delivery, the magic time fell between ten and twelve. I assumed that meant sleeping until eleven was out.

Or seven. Because that was when the delivery service first called to remind me they were coming. I don’t accept calls at 7 on a Saturday. Or 8. Or 9. Or 10. If you’re going to wake me up on a Saturday, somebody better be dead. I didn’t answer the seven a.m. wakeup call, but I did answer the one at 8. I answered it in my best “you just woke me up and someone better be dead” voice. It was the delivery service. Running an hour ahead of schedule. That okay?

What’s the point in a delivery window if you deliver outside the window? Fine. Whatever. I met them at the door with full bedhead, smeary mascara, and pajamas still on.

But for all my annoyance, I must say that it is nice to have a washer that doesn’t jar the house on spin…a dryer that buzzes to signal it has entered the anti-wrinkling stage…and a floor free of rivers.

In Case You Have Nothing to Watch...

I know, I know...there's just NOTHING on TV these days! ;)

Lori sent this link to me - if you want to check it out for the full scoop. The summary is this: Doug Wilson and Faber Dewar (both from Trading Spaces) did a six week design series which will air on TLC starting next Saturday night, August 23rd. They helped six Greensburg families settle into their new homes.

Lori and Cassie have been keeping me up to date on their treks about town. I happen to be a rather ridiculous admirer of Doug Wilson...and Cassie told me she'd said hi to him a few times. You know...while just out and about. I would have passed out.

So if you're looking for something to watch on Saturday nights, check it out.

Ick to Stress

I'm stressed.

I try not to let it get to me, because I absolutely cannot afford a sick day right now, but truth be told, I'm stressed.

It happens every year right before school starts. The work load increases, and because I'm a perfectionist, I demand a ridiculous amount of production from myself. (This is the sort of annoyance that allows me to understand exactly why Michael Phelps was annoyed even while breaking a record and winning gold...because he knew he could have done better.) Though I'm thrilled beyond words at the impending end of DST, the shorter days are forcing me to hurry much more in the evenings to get all the chores done before dark (and now before the Olympics start, too, so I can continue to find more life analogies in the daily happenings).

And there's just been lots of "stuff" going on in my life. I wish I had time to sit and ponder it more than I do. Pondering makes me happy.

But here's the laugh for today. Always gotta have a laugh in the stress, right? Remember my dead washer? Its replacement is scheduled for delivery soon, and today I had an automated voicemail telling me what I needed to do next in the great delivery proceedings. Automated male voice #1 announced the call and the purpose, and then about halfway through the message, he paused and automated male voice #2 inserted my name. I've been called a lot of things, but this was a new one for me: Frellanrebekah.

There you go, Chris. You can start a second list - name mess-ups. In this case I think I'd rather be Ralphetta.

Mom and Bekah Watch the Olympics

If I am going to succumb to the bad habit of being a grouch for the next couple of weeks due to Olympic-induced lack of sleep, I would like to drag others down with me. :) I'm starting with my Mom. She's retired. She's got time to watch hours and hours of TV. Right?

So anyway, I called her a couple of times tonight to see if she was watching. My sister (Julie) works with the mother of one of USA's synchronized divers, so I wanted to make sure she saw them dive. Later we watched some gymnastics - the floor routines.

But here's the crazy part. Mom (still operating on a rabbit ear TV until February 2009) was watching the same channel I was watching (on cable) - but hers ran about 3-5 seconds faster than mine. So on the floor exercises, she could tell me everything ahead of time. "Ooh...he stepped out of bounds..." and sure enough! A few seconds later, he went right out of the little line. The suspense of these things kills me, so I've decided she should just stay on the phone with me the whole time and let me know what to expect.

Bits for Sunday, August 10, 2008

I was halfway through the writing this week when I realized I’d already written about that particular topic. This is a very good example of why you should not try to watch the Olympics while writing something meaningful.

Normally I’m not such a sports girl. At all. If you asked me to tell you the channel location of EPSN on my TV…well…you’d have to wait for me to find the TV guide and read it to you. But there’s something about this Olympic spirit that gives me just a bit of sports fever. And this weekend I’ve kept very close to the TV…watching swimming, diving, biking, gymnastics, sculls (is that the right word?), volleyball…and taking crash courses on each thing as it flashed across my screen.

But aside from my fresh every-four-years encounter with sports this week, I have to tell you that God did a lot of teaching in my heart this week – and it was completely aside from anything Olympic-related.

For the past week, as part of my daily devotions, I’ve been following this little prayer guide I received. I loved it so much because every day had a theme (yay!) and all the theme words started with the same letter (double yay!) Search, Surrender, Seek, Silence, Stand, Secure, and Sing.

Sing is actually today’s, so I’ve not really explored that one too much yet, but the study on Secure last night really hit me.

I had stayed up far too late (as is the norm for Olympic season for me) and knew I was really going to regret that decision when the alarm sounded for church. I crawled into bed with my Bible and my journal and put the Olympics on mute. My heart was pretty restless, and I needed to know that God was aware of that. (As if the audible “AAAHHHHH” hadn’t been clue enough.)

I settled in with my prayer guide and flipped open the Bible to Joshua 1:9. The reference seemed familiar even before I arrived on the right page: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Perfect verse. I could have closed the Bible right then and known that I’d been heard, but I kept reading the other verses on the card. Deuteronomy 31:6…8…23…pretty much the same words in a slightly different order. It was exactly the confirmation I needed.

And it took me back to another time many years ago…when I was in junior high. The youth pastors at my church were newlywed college students, and they were just so sweet to me. They were very good influences during a time in my spiritual life when I was first starting to get excited about having my own thriving relationship with God. They encouraged all of us in the youth group to memorize verses and told us how the verses they knew best were ones they’d learned when they were younger.

This verse, Joshua 1:9, was the first one I learned under their teaching. It seemed an appropriate junior high verse…don’t be afraid, don’t be terrified…God is with you. Maybe life has become an extension of junior high…I’m not sure. I am sure, though, that I was very glad to re-encounter this verse this weekend. I needed these words. I needed to know that I could be strong and that God was going to be with me. I needed to be reminded that all security comes from Him and to try to find it anywhere else is futile.

And I needed to be reminded that it’s good to memorize verses. That’s one of my commitments for this decade – to work on Scripture memorization. (The memorization of the actual words…not just saying “I know it’s that yellow verse in the lower left hand corner of the page.”) What a perfect verse to push me forward in that commitment.

Pancakes, Toilets, and Volleyball

Nah, they don't really have anything in common.

It's shaping up to be a pretty perfect Saturday to follow a lovely Friday evening. It was so beautiful outside last night, so I went for a walk, cooked dinner, and settled in for a long evening's scrap while I watched the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. I was prepared to be unimpressed, but I was wrong. I thought the pageantry part was amazing. I loved the part that showed the movable-type "art" - but I had no idea people were powering that! Of course I loved the "human stamping" with the larger than life stamp pads that the athletes walked over to get into the center area during the parade of nations. And my favorite moment was that little boy that got to march with China at the end. That was great.

This morning I slept in late (the making of a perfect Saturday) and had pancakes for breakfast. That's my favorite Saturday morning gig, but I don't always get the chance to do it.

Thought I'd update you on the feline flushing in the house. Christina suggested I try double stick tape on the handle and given it was the most cost effective option of the list, I started there. Worked GREAT. The first time Braeya sneaked up to the toilet and stuck her little paw on that handle...she recoiled and I cheered. But never underestimate the perseverance of that little critter. I woke up two days ago to the sound of a toilet flushing...

...So back to brainstorming I went. I am now to plan B which seems to be working, but I guess only time will tell how LONG it will work. I'll have to take a picture of this for you, but a few years ago, I got an onion storage thing from a Tupperware party. It's designed to hold half an onion (so it's flat on one side and round on the other) and has a bit of a handle that you're supposed to use to hang it from a wire shelf in the refrigerator. I've never used it for that purpose, but I had to wonder if I could stick the flat side with the handle under the tank lid and let the rounded part hang down and cover the handle. It fits beautifully, but we'll have to see if she figures out how to move it. Plan C is to tape it down so I can lift it up but she (hypothetically) can't.

As for now...it's time to get ready so I can go back to scrapping. But I want to see how the volleyball ends. It's USA vs Japan and right now we're precariously close to winning...but could lose without a lot of effort too. My ex-boyfriend was a volleyball coach, so I thought I'd see if I remembered anything from what I tried to learn while we dated. Verdict? Not so much.

Summer Fun

I'm very bad about taking pictures in the summer because not much happens in Bekahland then. Not a lot of parties, not a lot of birthdays...not a lot of memorable moments. :)

But here's a small sampling from the past couple of weeks.

Faith came over to stamp with me. Faith's table:


Bekah's table: the coffee was what got me through starting at 8:00 AM...after having been up until 2 with the laundry fiasco.


Our matching scrap day shirts. Yes, we do this on purpose.

This past weekend I went to Ft. Wayne to see my best friend. We had our little birthday celebration. Belle (her dog, in case you're not able to discern that from photo below) helped me unwrap my gift.

And then she helped Lynnette with hers. Oh how I wish Kaegan and Braeya got into this sort of thing. It was hysterical.

Bits for Sunday, August 3, 2008

Today I lovingly bring to you what I like to call “the peril of the drive-thru window.” I’ll start by saying that I grew up in a home vastly divided on the issue of the drive-thru. My Mom (much like most mothers, I’m sure) loved the creation of the drive-thru. My, father, on the other hand, had nothing to do with them, insisting upon the extra personal touch of actually walking into the business.

In seasons of rain, sleet, snow, wind, ice, and extreme heat (so in Indiana…95% of the time) I agreed with my Mom. Why bother exiting a comfortable car to brave the elements for an ice cream cone? In seasons of social need (so in Bekahland…95% of the time) I agreed with my Dad. Nothing could top that actual face to face meeting, even if it was just to make a bank deposit.

I think you see the dilemma.

But the event that pushed me entirely to my Dad’s side happened when I was fairly young. It was probably a Friday because I’m pretty sure the bank drive-thru line was long with paycheck owners. Obviously the fact that I was in the drive-thru line tells me I was with my Mom. As we waited our turn for Mom to do whatever she came to do, we noticed some commotion in another lane. Long story short (and I’m not entirely sure how we figured all this out unless we overheard the hysteria), the woman trying to cash her paycheck ended up losing it somehow, somewhere in the bank chute. I don’t remember if the whole canister got lodged somewhere between her car and the inside of the bank, or if it came open and the check came out. Maybe we didn’t even know. But we knew that the woman and her “I need this to survive” money had been separated and it was not a pretty picture. And that soured me toward drive-thru windows for years to come.

It all happens in the drive-thru. The lid comes off the drink in transit between the worker’s hand and yours and 32 ounces of Mountain Dew showers your freshly washed driver’s side door. (This one is obviously not a personal example since anyone who knows me knows my driver’s door hasn’t been “freshly washed” since the last rain.) The quarter you’re trying to hand over slips through your fingers and rolls back to the car behind you, leaving you to scour purse and car seat for a new one while drivers six cars back start slapping the steering wheel and muttering lovely things.

And of course there’s the final acceptance of the food, followed by the merging into traffic only to discover that something is missing….a straw, or worse, the burger, which was the only thing scheduled to get you through the afternoon.

Because of these things, for years, I followed my Dad’s leading and boycotted drive-thru’s, but recent years of laziness have caused me to follow my Mom’s perspective.

Yesterday, however, provided a “this is why I should side with my Dad on the drive-thru issue” moment for me. I’d gone to Ft. Wayne to see my best friend and I had a great time hanging out with her…shopping…all the fun stuff. On my way home, I began to crave a Starbucks caramel frappuccino. The farther I drove, the more I craved.

So I found the nearest Starbucks, drove in, and headed for the drive-thru. It was blessed hot yesterday and my car was so cool (okay frigid) from a solid hour of blasting air, and I didn’t want to walk outside even for three steps to the front door. I was welcomed by the chipper barista and placed my order for a caramel frappe (because I normally order at Tree of Life, it just spills out that way). She verified my order and I scooted around to wait. I saw her coming toward the window and my mouth watered for the frozen drink.

But she was carrying a hot drink. She pushed open the window and said (rather cheerily, I might add) “Here’s your caramel latte!” NOOOOOOOOO!! Not latte. FRAPPE!!! I didn’t argue it. She’d repeated the order to me and through the magic of garbled drive-thru systems, she said and heard latte, and I said and heard frappe. I knew I should have said the full “frappuccino.” But then…doesn’t that sound exactly like “cappuccino” on the other side of electronic devices? I can’t win.

So until Starbucks gets a camera in their drive-thru to lip-read the orders, I think I will join my Dad in the persuasion that in-person transactions are better.

Eight Years Ago Today...

...I watched a baby's birth for the first time...and not on TV. As a rather big fan of A Baby Story on TLC, I'd seen a lot of births. But this was the first live and in person one I'd seen...and let me just tell you, they sure don't happen in 1/2 hour. Try 21 hours. No commercial breaks.

My friends were expecting their first baby and asked me to be present to video tape and take pictures. I was so excited when "the call" came (after a couple of false alarms), and I rushed to the hospital ready to document.

Before we got to that point, however, we had several hours of labor to get through. During that time, I learned how to count through contractions, administer ice chips without dropping any down the front of the fabulous gown, have my hand squeezed until circulation almost never returned, and PROMISE that this would be the very last push...knowing full well there might be twelve more to go. (Finally got caught on that one. Women in labor are very intuitive.)

I arrived at the hospital around 9:00 a.m. on July 31, and little Carol arrived at 2:54 a.m. on August 1. I had to drive home (45 minutes) and get up at 6:00 for a full day of work. Needless to say, I think at this time eight years ago, I was sacked out on a couch catching up on lost sleep.


In later years, I attended the births of her little sister and little brother, but there was something so very extra special about hers. She was the only one whose gender they chose not to learn ahead of time, and that made the entire thing extra exciting. Definitely sold me on that method. I was crying so hard when she finally arrived that I could barely see to tape!

This is one of only three pictures I have with baby Carol. We only got to keep her here with us for six months - another one of those very difficult moments of life that sent me questioning God and finding Him to be so faithful to comfort His hurting children.

I wondered today what we would be doing this weekend to celebrate an eight year old's birthday. I felt I needed to do something to honor her on this day. I've been flipping through the scrapbook, remembering her cute facial expressions and sweet smile...and the miracle of her birth...one of the most significant moments of my life.

Washing Machine Opinions (Dryers Too!)

Well it is official. My washer has gone the way of all the washers...hopefully to appliance heaven. Cause of death was an irreparable hole in the basket/basin/tub/WHATEVER it's called. The thing that holds the water.

So now I move forward to the decision making process of what to buy. I have never before purchased a washer and/or dryer, so this is a very new thing for me. I spent about two hours online tonight reading reviews of different brands and I am not officially more confused than EVER.

I'm not getting some super-de-duper get-the-clothes-out-of-your-closet-and-fold-them-when-it's-done sort of laundry system. Just the basics. I'm open to any opinions, good and bad.

Apparently You CAN Take the Country out of a Girl

You know...you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of a girl?

Saturday I went to my parents' house to wash my last load of laundry (stupid broken washer....rrrr...) and while it washed, I went into Greentown to catch up with one of my friends. After we finished gabbing, I went back to my parents' house, picked up my laundry, and headed home. I was on the phone with my sister, and as I drove down the highway, this plane took a total nosedive right over the road and I lost sight of it behind the woods.

GREAT. I am not equipped to handle a plane crash! I said to Lori, "Uh, gotta go. I'll call you back." I turned down the side road and started looking for a plane...smoke...smoldering corn...anything. I saw nothing. I called my parents (because they're 911???) and said, "Mom there was this plane and now it's gone!!!" She said, "Um, was it yellow? It's a crop duster."

Thank goodness I DIDN'T call 911.

I forgot about the crop dusters. I'm such a city girl now.

Bits for Sunday, July 27, 2008

Today I bring to you some thoughts on weddings. Not on marriage. I have a billion thoughts on marriage – many of which, I have been told by my married friends – will fly straight out the window once I am married. We’ll see, I suppose.

Anyway, yesterday I was a judge at a competition…and it was my second year to be in this role. One of the other judges recently got engaged, so we sat there in between performances, talking about rings and dresses and all the planning she’s trying to cram into a very short amount of time. I enjoyed it, because I love wedding talk. What is it that Mary Fiore says in The Wedding Planner? “Those who can’t wed…plan?”

I also scrapped some this weekend and ran across this picture:

It is my first captured-on-film wedding planning. I was three, and while everyone else was planning for Christmas, I was planning for a wedding. You’ll notice that the attire leaves a bit to be desired. I believe that is someone’s nightgown over my yellow footed pajamas, and I have no idea what I have on my head – a sweater, maybe? Pretty sure I stole the red flowers from my sister’s room. I have no idea what possessed me to be a bride that day. Maybe we had just gone to a wedding…maybe I heard someone talking about getting married…I’m not sure. I didn’t think my first crush rolled around until I was four. Maybe I was unaware that wedding planning worked best with a groom as part of the plan.

While Faith and I scrapped on Friday, we saw a commercial for WE’s program “Platinum Weddings.” Ever seen that? RIDICULOUS amounts of money go into these weddings. I watch the show, not on a regular basis, but whenever I need a good jaw-dropper. It is not unusual for the brides to have at least two wedding dresses (one for the ceremony, one for the reception), and to spend more on their shoes than I will someday spend on the whole ceremony, reception AND honeymoon. Flowers alone can cost anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 and are often imported from places I never even learned about in Geography class. The wedding planners spend the better part of a working day individually hanging crystals from tree branches and another day installing multi-colored lighting fixtures and covering the ceiling and walls in (more imported) silk.

My thought…why spend your entire life’s income on one day? I don’t mind splurging on a thing here or there…but I think I’ll draw the line at crystals on tree branches. I probably won’t even be able to see them in the pictures. Pictures, incidentally, would be one area where I’d be willing to spend. At least I could look at the pictures every day and get my money’s worth.

I also think…why spend a year’s salary on shoes? Ever heard of flip-flops? (I’m sure some of them have…but only if encrusted in diamonds.) I just might wear flip-flops when I get married. OR tennis shoes. (You must admit, the Runaway Bride was probably the most comfortable bride you’ve ever seen…all four times.) Those who wear slippers or go barefoot entirely…definitely subscribe to a cost-effective plan, not to mention comfy.

Really, I see no need for two dresses. I think I’ll be fortunate to find one I like. I’ve looked at dresses often during my years as a professional bridesmaid…and I’ve found that few are made for challenging body shapes. And I don’t want to be one of those women that makes the Sunday paper readers shower the wedding section with coffee when the page turns to the wedding announcements. (You know zactly what I’m talking about. You’ve raised an eyebrow at some bride along the way…a bride who tried to make a dress work that just didn’t.)

Another popular budget-buster from the show is the guest gift basket. Some people spend $100 or more on every guest’s gift basket. I’m confused. I thought guests brought gifts to the couple…not the other way around. When did guests stop being content with taking home a napkin and a program and maybe a flower petal stolen from the aisle runner? (The runner, incidentally, is another item you will not see at my wedding. I’ve tripped on too many of them, and I’m not spending my wedding day face down in the center aisle with my dress straight up in the air, giving the photographer some new material!)

You know the more I think about it, maybe I did have it right when I was three. Wear your footed pajamas, throw a sweater over your head (save the money you would have paid someone to do your hair), and carry some flowers from a vase in the bedroom. Just don’t forget to have your mom show up with the Polaroid camera to take some pictures.

Washers and Wal-Mart

I took today off work to participate in a long-ago-planned scrapping day. I've been very busy all week getting the chores done so I could participate in hobby-land, guilt-free. I had to clean the house...and plan the meals...and mow the yard...you know how it goes.

The very last chore was laundry. It's not that I h-a-t-e laundry. But I don't like it very well, either. Both my sisters have a fond affection for laundry much as I have a fond affection for scrapping. To me it's just one more chore to be done. And last night, having run out of workout clothes, the time had come.

I put load number one in the washer, went for my walk, came home, moved it to the dryer, and dumped load number two in the washer. And then...I was suddenly aware of the streaming of water on my floor. Not being equipped to handle home emergencies such as this, I did the only thing I knew to do: "DADDY!!!!!!" (Hey, it was either that or 911.)

Well let's just say that 2 hours and several trips from the washer to the sink later (emptying the washer one cup at a time), I packed up my soaked clothes and headed to a friend's to borrow her washer. I got home at 11:30. 11:30 and a whole bunch of wet clothes. And so began my drying party.

I finally went to bed at 2. As in...in the morning.

You'd think that wouldn't be so bad on a vacation day, but I had to be up at 6 to prepare for scrapping. That was great fun, but eventually the babysitter (not for me...for my scrapping buddy) fell through and we had to end our day early. It was sad.

So I went to Aldi's to shop...and realized when I pulled in the parking lot that my money was home safely on the table. (My car has has such an emergency workout this weekend running around to fix problems!)

After Aldi's, I ate dinner before braving Wal-Mart. JUST before I walked out the door, I went to the kitchen to put my ice cream bowl on the counter, TOTALLY crushed my thumb against the counter in a moment of horrible depth judgment, and broke my nail so far down I couldn't even cut it off. I'll be sporting a band-aid for weeks.

To end the evening, I had a brand new experience in Wal-Mart. I won't bore you with all the details, but let me say that this is the first time - at least that I can remember - a trip to Wal-Mart ever reduced me to tears. It wasn't an all out snot-fest. But there were definitely some escaped tears. (To which I say again...Come quickly, Meijer.)

Things That Make a Day Better

I hate not feeling well. And worse than that, I hate succumbing to a sick day. So far, I haven't given in to taking any portion of this day off work, but I feel ICKY. Very sick to my stomach. And I really just do not care for that feeling in the least.

BUT - I found this article on the Gaither website. STOP rolling your eyes...all of you who are weary of my GVB obsession. Anyway, they taped a reunion yesterday....and I am SO EXCITED. And a little mad that all of these people were breathing my good Indiana air and I didn't even know it.

So I'm pretty ready for THAT to release. Don't know if I can wait a whole year, but it appears I do not have a choice.

Heartaches and Healing

This morning when I should have been working on curling my hair or ironing my shirt, I sat on the edge of the bed rummaging through my Craig box. I do that twice a year...every January around his birthday and every July sometime during the week he died.

It may seem stupid, but I really don't care. It's what I do. It's how I remember my friend that I knew for entirely too short a time. I miss him terribly and twelve years of distance hasn't really softened the hurt all that much.

My Craig box holds a tiny collection of things that remind me of who he was...and who he was to me. Newspaper clippings about the accident, about his death...his obituary. A business card I snatched from the holder before someone came to clean out his desk. A rose from the wreath that hung on the front door of the office in the days following. A jawbreaker, still in its wrapper...from my desk drawer, where I'd stashed it after he threw it at me to get my attention one day. A photocopy of my first ever time card, which he had signed. Somehow just sifting through those things reminds me of the comfort of his friendship during a very lonely time in my life.

Last year his mother sent me copies of a couple of snapshots she had...and one sits in a little frame on my entertainment center. Mom asked me once who he was and when I told her, she issued me a pretty puzzled look. I know it probably doesn't make any sense why I need to have a framed picture displayed...but I do.

Craig's death marked one of the most pivotal moments in my faith. The moment when I had to decide if I was going to follow God even though He took away the very person I asked Him to heal, or if I was going to accept what would be a lifetime of puzzles...and trust His heart anyway.

To think of that day twelve years ago still makes me cry. I remember walking into the office and hearing the news of the accident. I remember walking around in a fog for days. I remember riding in the back of my parents' van down to my sister's pool the day of his funeral, huddled against the window so they couldn't see my faces, whispering how sorry I was that I just couldn't go to the funeral...I just couldn't say goodbye.

And yet if that had never happened, I never would have known how God could step in and so tenderly fix a broken heart and steady a wavering faith.

So today...and tomorrow...and all days...I think of him and miss him. But I also am thankful for healing and hope. Because I have found them even in the hurt.

Bits for Sunday, July 20

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Jeremiah 33:3

This is one of those verses I’ve known “forever.” One of those that I learned probably as a five year old. I can spit it out with the best of them, but I never really stopped to think about what it could mean if I would dare to think beyond the obvious.

Maybe I’m the only one who ever stuck to the obvious…but then again, maybe I’m not. So I’m going to share with you what I learned this week.

I have lots of questions for God…and I’m sure that doesn’t shock any of you. And I long ago learned that God isn’t scared away or worn out by my questions, so I feel quite free to ask. But my interpretation of asking…of calling to God…is that I ask a specific question with a specific answer and in whatever time He deems appropriate, He answers in a specific way that I cannot miss. For example, I might say, "God, what color is a pumpkin?" And a week later, I might drive by a pumpkin patch and realize, "Oh! Pumpkins are orange! Thanks, God!" (Okay...truly my life has a BIT more depth than that, but you get the idea.)

The questions I ask are so specific. This week I learned the beauty of recognizing an answer that fell outside my perfect little specific formula.

Normally I don’t mind spilling all sorts of details to you. I figure life is lived in part to share…and I don’t mind sharing. But every now and then some things are just personal, and this is one of those times. So I’m not going to give you every little detail. Just enough that I hope you’ll understand what I learned.

I faced a decision that left me in one of those classic “angel on one shoulder, devil on the other shoulder” moments. I weighed the pros and cons. And I definitely prayed about it. I was specific in my prayers…asking God very pointedly to soften a heart to be receptive to my words. I knew that at some point in this decision process, I was going to have a conversation with a friend, and I knew God needed to do some work in that heart. So I asked for softening, because I expected...well, I wasn't sure what to expect. But none of my imagined options seemed "softened." And I had no idea how God was going to do it. It was somewhat of an impossible task, I figured. That’s why I asked Him to do it. It was beyond my ability.

The day of the conversation rolled around and I was thrown a bit off course because the banter didn’t go as I’d prefabricated it in my mind. (Imagine that.) But the responses I received in the course of the conversation were so filled with gentleness and compassion that they left me truly puzzled.

I pondered (okay…mentally rehashed multiple times) the whole conversation when it ended and I told God that I just didn’t get it…I hadn’t imagined any of it going the way it did and I had no idea what to think of the whole thing.

And that is when the verse came to my mind.

I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
I went into that prayer time days ago asking God to soften a heart to hear my words. He chose to answer in a different way…a better way. I asked for softening, and He gave me responses filled with gentle grace. That was a thousand times better than what I’d thought to ask for…and it was such a confirmation of God’s love to me. He knew that I needed those words in that tone on that day and would never expect them. And furthermore, the heart He softened was MINE. He softened it to hear His Words with unexpected answers.

Sometimes the unserachable things I do not know are not concrete answers to various mysteries I’m aware of…sometimes they’re things so unsearchable that I am truly unaware of them entirely.

And yet, when I’m willing to step back and recognize these moments as answers to my prayers…God delights to allow me to bask in their beauty and to feel His love through them.

So About Those Groceries

At the end of last month, I posted this about my grocery overhaul. I'd been challenged by a health-friend to incorporate more fruit and veggies into my diet. Diet is not a good word. Daily eating. There we go. Anyway, in order to accomplish this, I needed to increase my food budget and shop more than once a month...at least if I wanted to avoid going to the ER at the end of every month because of bad food.

So tomorrow night marks shopping trip #4 of this great experiment. I have noticed the following changes in life since implementing this plan:

1. I actually plan menus now. Instead of running through the store, throwing into my cart a combination of the things on my list I'd run out of and a few impulse buys, I now have a list of "must have" and "optional" items. When making my list, I think through the coming week's activities, including meals I know I won't be home and work carry-ins or company coming over.

2. I'm learning that theme weeks are good. Last night, I multi-tasked an episode of the Baby Borrowers with my menu planning. I decided to go with a Mexican-food themed week so I could shop for similar kinds of food. I think I should do more theme weeks.

3. Extra money should be spent on staples for the future. A couple of weeks ago I had an extra couple of bucks, so I picked up a brownie mix in case of emergency. I had an emergency at 9:30 last night and I was really glad I'd done that. (Craving constitutes emergency, right?)

4. I actually do eat more fruit and vegetables for snacks now that I know I have them on hand. (I know how much I paid for em and I'm not flushing that money down the tubes!)

5. I cook more now. I have always been a pretty decent cook...in fact, my Mom says to me at least once a week, "I wouldn't cook for just me." Well, can't help it. Love food, therefore must cook. Anyway, I had gotten in the bad habit of not doing good rounded meals, but now I am very aware of my cooking habits.

6. It really is a pain to shop once a week, but it's worth it enough in the long haul that I think I'll keep doing it.

I know many of you were just WAITING for an update. (eyeroll)

Childproofing

I think I've posted about this before, but my desperation for a solution is growing. So if you're a mom...and you have any ideas, TELL ME!!!


My cat (yes I know she's not a kid, but she acts like one) has taken up the habit of flushing the toilet. It's very annoying because I don't like paying for her frivolities. As of now, I just keep the bathroom door closed all the time to keep her out of it. But my bathroom decor (circa 1982) has gotten the best of me and I'm contemplating a mini-makeover in the near future. I don't want to go to all the trouble just to keep the door CLOSED.

I've searched on pet store sites AND kid/baby store sites and can't find any safety device for the flusher handle. I can find things to keep the lids down (so far that isn't an issue) but nothing for flushing. I wondered if the devices you can get for stove knobs might work - but I don't know if they're big enough or how they go about fitting on...so I don't know if that would work.

Anything, no matter how ugly, would work. Any ideas?? Any suggestions??? (No, Chris, shooting the cat is not one of the options.)

Bits for Sunday, July 13, 2008

I’m working on a Bible study. Not as in studying one…as in writing one. I love to write Bible studies…mostly because it gives me a good reason to get completely lost in the research without feeling guilty about what I’m not doing in the realm of housework. One chapter takes me probably an average of eight hours to write from start to finish. I usually do the research (hour or two) in one session and all the writing in another.

Yesterday was writing day. I hunkered down at the computer and completely missed the hunkering of the sun in the sky until I emerged from the office for food and discovered a dark house and a dark sky outside. Woops.

This study that I’m working on is sometimes easy and sometimes intimidating. I’m writing about some of the lesser known women of the Bible…and some are so lesser known that there’s very little to study about them. Yesterday’s woman has a grand total of one verse written about her. One verse. And from one verse, I was determined to pull an entire chapter. (They don’t call me Motor Mouth for nothin’.)

But I wrote something that struck me as profound. Not because I wrote it…but because it was one of those undiscovered (or perhaps underdiscovered…I’m sure someone before me noticed it) treasures of the Bible.

The woman is Damaris.

Who?

Damaris. Try Acts 17:34. You’ll find her.

Side note for just a minute…I was first introduced to Damaris’ presence in the Bible through a novel Janette Oke wrote about seventeen years ago. The book, A Woman Named Damaris was about a teenager who knew nothing of the Bible except that her name had come from it. In time, she was given a copy of the Bible and began to read through, looking for her name as she went. Long (and good!) story short, she was very disappointed to find that Damaris was one of those hidden women. She didn’t do anything spectacular, she didn’t have an amazing story, and she was only mentioned in one verse!

As I researched my one verse in preparation to write, I looked up the meaning of her name. Know what it means? “A heifer.” Good thing the character didn’t find out that tidbit! That would have crushed her last bit of hope! Poor Damaris…a heifer! But back in Bible times, horses and heifers were held in a higher esteem than we hold them today, so it might not be as bad as it sounds. (Trust me, if Damaris were driving down the bypass in front of me, going five under the limit, I might call her a heifer, but I can promise it wouldn’t be a compliment!)

Anyway, back to the point of my story. Damaris the character in Janette’s novel was informed that while Damaris of the Bible may not have done something particularly heroic or story-worthy, she did do the most important thing any woman (or man) could ever do: she believed.

The lone verse about her says, “A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris and a number of others.”

But I noticed this yesterday as I studied the entire chapter that ends with Damaris’ verse:

When Paul preached in Thessalonica, it says “Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women” (V. 4). When Paul preached in Berea, it says, “Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men” (V. 12). But when Paul preached in Athens, and verse 34 declared a similar generality, one particular woman emerged from the “number of women.” Damaris. Out of all the women who believed in those three cities, Damaris is the only one to be mentioned by name.

Why?
What about Damaris’ life made her so special that she would be mentioned by name and no other woman in three cities was given the same honor?

It’s a matter of perspective. Sure, much of her life remains a mystery. Sure, she received very little publicity in comparison to the Mary’s and Sarah’s of the Bible. But she was recognized. When no one else was mentioned, Damaris stood out from the rest.

And I loved uncovering that truth. I would imagine I’m not the only one out there to sometimes wonder why this life or that around me seems more important and successful than mine. But it doesn’t mean that I’m not seen by God. It doesn’t mean that I’m not standing out to Him in ways I perhaps can’t even begin to see from my vantage point.

It’s just one little part of the whole study. But it’s a part that meant a lot to me this weekend, so I wanted to pass it on to you.

Ahhh the Mowing

I had a couple of inquiries about my incident with the mower during the Habitat for Bekah extravaganza. Here's what happened.

Dad was using his heavy duty saws and clippers to trim back my lilac trees/bushes/whatever so I no longer have to do the limbo when mowing in that general vicinity. Mom was picking up said clippings as he worked. And I was mowing the back yard with my not so self-propelled mower. (And sweating, I might add. It was a hot, hot day.)

I reached the end of my mowing row and hoisted the mower around to head the other direction when I was very aware that my left foot was not following the rest of my body. I looked down to find my shoelace had become entangled in the bottom of the chain link fence. As I tried to shake it free, the mower (which annoyingly had just "that much" propel-ment left in it) moved forward to finish its job. So there I was, foot firmly attached to the fence on the left side, mower dragging the right side oh so slowly forward. And I, not being one to restart the mower without just cause, elected to fall over (while keeping the mower bar in place so it would continue to run). I finally got my shoelace free and continued mowing.

And the parents? They missed the whole thing.

Even before Habitat day, I'd told Dad I wanted to get a new mower. It must be self propelled and it must have a bagger. Other than that, I truly did not care anything about it.

So Dad found a refurbished mower that he said would be good for me. He brought it over to the house and taught me to use it. He also demonstrated for me how the self-propelling action on this mower works. Very well. He put it on high and Mom and I laughed at him running through the yard chasing the mower. So he left the mower for me to try at my leisure.

Last night I had a moment of leisure, so I pushed the mower into the yard and tried to start it without priming it. (That had worked when Dad was there...quite easily I might add.) Nothing. So I primed it. Several times. Nothing. Grrrrrrrrrreat. Then I realized....oh!! I forgot to hold in the little safety bar that must be in for it to start. DUH. Took right off.

I set the self-propelled part for the lowest setting and took a trial run. I did okay until the end of the row. As I tried to turn - it was like that thing was a mechanical bull. I was all over the yard, thankful that no one could see, and wondering why in the world I agreed to this mower.

At long last I realized the propelling action should be turned off for the turn itself...and then reactivated for the row.

I bet the birds got a GOOD laugh.

Jeff

This might prove to be too much multi-tasking for me. I'm blogging, baking chocolate chip cookies, and watching Beth Moore all at the same time. So hopefully all this will make sense and I won't start typing ingredients or portions of 2 Chronicles in my post.

I wanted to pass along this link for you to read and pray if you feel led to do so. The blog is about Jeff, who is a friend of mine through work. He was one of my students while he was in college. (He just graduated very recently.) The whole story of what happened to him is told in the first post in more detail than I will explain it here, but here's a basic idea. His home was robbed during the night this past weekend, and while he tried to protect his home and son, the intruders attacked him and he sustained a concussion. A few hours later, Jeff lost the last five years of his memory, and a few hours after that, lost pretty much all his memory.

This afternoon I talked to his sister-in-law (who works with me) and she said the doctors are hopeful that his memory will return, but they don't know when. And there is still the possibility that it won't return and he'll have to relearn everything as he is already in the process of doing.

On her most recent blog post, Angi (the sister-in-law) said it was okay to pass the link on to anyone who wanted to help join in prayer for him and his family, so I'm posting the link here and on the side. Jeff is a great guy and I know God is going to do something amazing through this situation. I don't know what it is, but I believe He's going to do it.

But He Made A Board Game!

After subjecting you all to my American Idol thoughts for the early part of the year, I've tried very hard to keep my Bachelorette comments to myself. I have declared (in water cooler talk) each week this season that this is the best Bachelorette ever. She did a great job.

And then she hit the finale. And my jaw hit the floor.

Last night I went to the fair with my Mom - only after setting two TV's to record the finale - one on one city's channel and one on the other city's channel in case bad weather hit and one of them cut out to cover it. And all the way through the fair, I'd think "She's on her final date now...she's picking the guy now..."

I rushed through my evening chores, fixed a chai (Skyepuppy, the creamer tip DID help - thank you!) and settled in on the love seat (appropriate don't you think?) to watch the 3 hour tour of love - not even caring that it would keep me up far too late on a work night.

While sipping the chai, I shook my head at how perfect Jason was (Jason fan all the way here!). And when he got to the end of the final date, and he pulled out the board game he made her to relive the journey of love....I screamed. I kicked my legs in the air. I put the chai down before I wore it. I scared the cats. I didn't care. He made her a BOARD GAME!!! How stinking creative of him!!!

And she picked Jesse. I was floored. And I just kept saying BUT HE MADE YOU A BOARD GAME!!!!!!

I didn't even watch the third hour. I was so upset that I just went to bed. And I declared to the ladies at work that I was done watching the Bachelorette. Brad's season ended my run of watching the Bachelor. And DeAnna just did it in for the Bachelorette. They tried to convince me that if Jason becomes the next bachelor, I'll change my mind.

Maybe.

But for today, all I can say is, BUT HE MADE A BOARD GAME!!!!!

Christmas Hair

The actual Sunday post is below, but by special request, I'm adding this one.

Chris, I do promise that there are worse hair photos than this one. I'm just not sure I'm emotionally prepared to post them in an open forum. LOL. (Or maybe I just couldn't find them in my big hurry this evening.) And I'm very sorry...no glasses. I was the lucky one in the vision department. But hopefully this will give you something to laugh at for a moment or two.

This is apparently from 1992 (which explains the hair that so lovingly matches a variety of styles I saw on some of you in a 1992 college yearbook this past week....)

I am NOT a morning person and Mom always insisted upon capturing a memory the moment I rolled out of bed. And by rolled, I do mean rolled. I didn't even leave the quilt behind. This must have been the initial Christmas morning photo because my eyes are still squinty and my stocking remains undisturbed.
I'll see what I can do about finding the year with the pink sponge roller curls. THAT was special.

Bits for Sunday, July 6, 2008

Well your chances of getting anything substantial and deep from me today are about as great as your chances of…winning a dream home giveaway on Mars. I’ve had a long weekend (including an interesting mishap involving my shoelace, a chain link fence, and a lawn mower) and I currently have a headache and am aware that my long weekend is rapidly dissolving into a precious memory. So…in lieu of deep, you get random. Everything you didn’t know you wanted to know about me. My top three faves in ten categories.

* My 3 favorite CD’s. I hesitate to admit I have CD favorites because I am probably one of four people left in the world without an MP3 player and a music downloading addiction. My favorite CD is usually my most recent purchase, but I would have to say right now, my top three are: David Phelps’ No More Night…Live in Birmingham, David Phelps’ Legacy of Love…Live, and the Gaither Homecoming Amazing Grace. I work out to all three of them. Yes, I know I am weird.

* My 3 favorite back burner movies. I love a good chick flick. And three of my favorites are ones that don’t get a lot of run-time on TV. But I love them anyway. That Thing You Do (Tom Hanks, Liv Tyler and others I don’t know), which has the catchiest song in it. I used to own this movie, but I lost it in a borrowing adventure somewhere along the way. The American President (Michael Douglas, Anette Bening) which is quite possibly the only politically oriented movie I’ve ever seen. Oh wait. Air Force One. But that’s not on my list. My third fave is Where the Heart Is (Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd) – the story of the Wal-Mart baby.

* My 3 favorite drinks. I don’t drink drink. But I do love a good coffee-house drink. I usually get a caramel frappe, because I want something iced. But on those days when I’m cold (that’s about once a year) and I want something hot to drink, I’m a big fan of a spiced chai. And no matter how hard I work to make them on my own at home, none compare to what I can buy. And as for low-budget coffee drinks – the BK iced mocha is my favorite one so far.

* My 3 favorite dishes to make. I love to cook, and I’ll try almost anything. But although it is the most time consuming (and expensive!) dish I make, I really enjoy making and eating broccoli salad. No one saw that coming! Yes, as is the vegetable broccoli. I also love to make macaroni and cheese – Paula Deen’s recipe is the best one on earth. And my newest favorite is a crock pot recipe I found called “Brownie Bottoms.” Sounds awful, but it will put you in a chocolate coma in about 2 seconds. FABULOUS. (And easy!)

* My 3 favorite fiction authors. Well I grew up on Lori Wick and Janette Oke. And I still love them. I know Christian fiction has taken a number of turns since their writing styles developed, but I still love going back to their simple pioneer romances. And another author that I love is Deborah Raney. My sister gave me a couple of her books for my birthday a few years ago, and I thought she did a fantastic job of putting a story on paper without sticking to any form of predictability. (I have so many more favorites than these three…but I had to make the cut!)

* My 3 favorite books of the Bible. This changes about as often as my CD favorites. Right now I’m studying Song of Solomon…yes that book of the Bible. And I love what I’m learning, so it’s a favorite. Lately I’ve also found myself often in Isaiah, so I’ll put that one on the favorite list. It’s a book that used to intimidate me…but not so much anymore. Ephesians is one of my long-time favorites too.

* My 3 favorite songs. Another revolving door of favoritism. My top favorite right now is the song I Then Shall Live – Gloria Gaither’s lyrics to the tune of Be Still My Soul. In fact, it’s my theme song for my 30’s. I don’t know if it’s right to say that something that isn’t in the Bible is inspired, but if it is, then this is inspired. Great song. I don’t know all the words to this song yet, but one of my newest favorites (from hearing it on the radio) is Point of Grace’s song Heal the Wound, Leave the Scar. I think it has a very powerful message. And you know, not to be stuck on a tune or anything, but another song that has been on my mind a lot lately is Be Still My Soul. Selah’s version of it is my favorite.

* My 3 favorite books to study. Because I don’t write fiction, I also don’t read nearly as much of it as I used to…so my favorite authors now are more in the non-fiction world. I love Elizabeth George’s book A Woman After God’s Own Heart. I love Dee Brestin and Kathy Troccoli’s book Falling in Love with Jesus. Those last two books are ones I loved so much I taught Bible studies on them. And my most recent fave is Bruce Marchiano’s book In the Footsteps of Jesus. He portrayed Jesus in the movie The Gospel of Matthew and wrote about his life changing experiences as he tried to see the world through Jesus’ eyes.

* My 3 favorite HGTV shows. I love watching House Hunters because I love to look at houses. I love trying to guess which house the buyers will pick, but I’m usually wrong. I also love Designed to Sell. Can’t decide if it’s more for Clive Pearse’s accent or if it’s the awe of what they can fix for $2000. And Design Remix is a great one because it’s got the same budget I’ve got – next to nothing!

* My 3 favorite stamp sets. This will probably only be meaningful to Faith, but I figure since I’m such a stamp person, it would be rude to leave the list without listing my top three faves. Sketch an Event – because you can use it for everything! And I do! Scribbles Alphabet – the set I’m using in my birthday book. It’s big and whimsical and you can color it in! And finally Just Journaling – because of COURSE I write a book in my books.

So there you have it – more than you ever wanted to know!!!

Helping the Habitat

** UPDATE on the Habitat. **

I'm POOPED. Apparently this whole manual labor thing was much more...laborious...than I anticipated or remembered from previous years. But I now have clean gutters (FYI, rotten helicopter seed thingies smell like a pig farm when clogged up in a gutter for who knows how long) and minimal weeds and clean siding and a cooler kitchen!

My favorite part of today was when Dad was trying to get the weed eater string spool pulled off the bottom of the weed eater to adjust it. He tugged and yanked and pulled and nothing worked. I (being a girl) said, "Why don't I go get the directions?" I found them (along with the directions to a number of things I no longer own....time to clean out!) and returned to where he continued to fuss with the weed eater. I read the directions aloud and he seemed unimpressed. Finally I said, "Why don't you let me work on this and you can go do something more important?" He said, "Well, more power to ya," and walked away. He'd taken about two steps when the part popped right off in my hand. He turned around and said, "How'd you do that?" I said, "Um....I followed the directions?" Fortunately my Dad is extremely good-natured.

Oh...and as for the hair and makeup...those were gone in the first ten minutes when I was hit with flying rotten helicopter wads.


Happy Fourth!

I can't believe I have a day off work and I'm awake and somewhat on the road to being ready to go at 9 in the morning. There is something DREADFULLY wrong with that.

But my parents will be here soon to help with the annual "Habitat for Bekah" project. There are those little chores (mostly outside ones) that I can't do all by myself or I don't have the tools to do. So every year they come over one time and help me whittle down the list of out of control stuff. And today is our day.

So right after I straighten the hair and put on the makeup (you never know...someone could stop by and a girl has to look presentable!) I will head out to the world of weeds and window washing and shopping for a new mower.

I better have some coffee first.

Poor lil Pig

Last year after the church carnival, Pastor Brian gave me a leftover key chain from the prize table. The key chain is a pig that you can squeeze...and his eyes bug out. There's also some nasty #2 that bugs out the back. (Don't you wish you had this key chain?)

Anyway, I took it to work to keep as a conversation piece. You never know when you will need a good conversation piece. The pig has become pretty popular...kind of an alternative to a stress ball.

I learned what a year of that will do to a poor piggy key chain.

Before:


After:
I won't show you what the backside of the after pig looks like. Trust me - you do not want to know.

But these two pictures can represent so many things. Start of work day....End of work day. Driving into the Wal Mart parking lot....After checking out at the Wal Mart. You get the idea.