Advice To A Girl

No one worth possessing
Can be quite possessed;
Lay that on your heart,
My young angry dear;
This truth, this hard and precious stone,
Lay it on your hot cheek.
Let it hide your tear.
Hold it like a crystal
When you are alone
And gaze in the depths of the icy stone.
Long, look long and you will be blessed:
No one worth possessing
Can be quite possessed.

-Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933)

Oh, fudge!

I'm always more than a little surprised when I try out a new recipe and find that it actually works. I'm 'blessed' with such a lot of clumsiness and impatience that it's a miracle that some of my cooking attempts make it out of the kitchen and into people's mouths.

But there is always an exception to the rule and I'm really chuffed that my fudge-making efforts last week passed muster. It felt really nice to be able to give some delicious sugary treats to family and friends at the weekend.

Whoever said food is meant to be shared definitely knew what they were talking about!

Fudge Recipe: Makes A LOT!

410g (1 tin) evaporated milk
170g butter (I used salted, but unsalted will work just as well)
1/4 pint of milk (I used semi-skimmed)
1kg white granulated sugar

1. Melt the butter in a very large saucepan.
2. Add the sugar, milk and evaporated milk.
3. Turn the heat up high and whilst stirring continuously, boil the mixture rapidly until it becomes thick and syrup-ey. This can take up to 30 minutes (or longer if you have a crawling baby to keep an eye on!).
4. Drop half a teaspoon of the syrup into a glass of cold water. If the syrup holds it's shape and looks and feels like chewy toffee, it is ready to be removed from the heat.
5. Once removed from the heat, continue to stir vigourously while the mixture cools for 2-3 minutes.
6. Scrape the mixture into a large greased and lined cake or casserole dish.
7. Leave to cool for 2-3 hours, then cut into chunks, squares or cubes.

Enjoy!

Do Not Worry

One of my all time favourite bible verses is found in Matthew 6:34:

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own".

It's such a comforting message. The reassurance that we all sometimes need that we don't need to try to control every aspect of our lives, that Someone Else ultimately has a plan and all we need do is be faithful and trust that He will provide for us what it is we need.

And yet, I realise that putting aside the gentleness and love of God that this passage conveys, there is a commandment here that we are meant to obey. "do not worry". I note that it doesn't say 'try not to worry', or 'practice some relaxation techniques to avoid worrying'. No, it says, quite simply, 'do not worry'.

Well, at the risk of sounding flippant, I have some work to do on this one!

Worrying is almost a skill of mine. Especially since I became a mother. I must spend a good portion of each day worrying about something. And usually, it is over something I can't ever actually control. Of course I know, rationally, that a good Christian hands over all their problems to God in prayer. And I do, quite happily, list my woes (that might be a rather dramatic term!) when I pray, requesting that He send some much needed help my way. But I rarely leave it there and go about my business, confident in the promise that God has made.

No, I am far more likely to mull over the issues of the day; analysing, dissecting and occasionally agonising over their little details. 'If only I had done it differently, then this wouldn't have happened. If only so-and-so hadn't said what they said, then I would be feeling like this. If only I could live in a bigger house/different area/save some more money etc, then everything would be perfect'!

If only. If only...

And what is evident to me, writing this now, is that this sort of mindset is not only deeply disrespectful to God, but it also does me no good.

To spend even a moment of a day worrying and fretting is to lose a moment that could be dedicated to something worthwhile, something pleasant, or even something just silly and fun.

What a wasted opportunity!

So today, I pledge to quit and go cold turkey. No more worrying, no more fretting.

I will endeavour to place my trust firmly in Him, safe in the assurance that He will never let me down.

"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone".

Psalm 91: 11-12

Baby Baby

Ah, the joys of teething. Martha is going through another gum-related challenging phase and it's definitely causing us all a bit of stress.

Co-sleeping and breastfeeding help alot. After all, no one wants to be getting out of bed to pick up their crying baby at 4am...not to mention again at 5am, 6am and 7am.

But still, a few broken night's sleep can really play havoc with your body, mind and sadly, your patience.

So I'm writing this little post for Martha. As a reminder to myself of all the wonderful things about motherhood and just how much she has enriched and completed my life.

For every angry scream, there is a gurgling grin. For every clenched fist, there is a gentle stroke. For every red face, there is a calm smile.

In the midst of the tiredness, the screaming, the biting and the tears I hope she knows just how much I love her.

I can't wait for the day that I can tell her and she will understand.


"Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven".

Matthew 10:18

The House That Hubby Built

I never was blessed with a knack for practical skills. Fortunately for me though, my husband was.

This 'little' effort as he called it was rustled up this evening in just an hour.

A master DIY-man and a swift worker into the bargain.

Yes indeed. I'm a lucky girl!

:-)

Friday Feeling

Martha is very much an all-singing, all-dancing baby. She loves music. The more up-beat, the better.

This is one of her (and my) favourites.

And the ending to the video is, in my opinion, fabulous!

It definitely gives me that elusive 'Friday feeling'.

Happy Friday!

Thank You

It's not always easy to stand by your principles. It becomes that much more difficult when your principles and beliefs fly in the face of what a lot, ok, most people consider 'normal'.

Don't drink? Enjoy a lifetime of being the designated driver.

Don't smoke weed? Well, you're missing out on a real 'bonding' experience.

Don't want to have sex before you're married? Well, that's just nuts!

Christian children especially are under unique threat in today's world. The media bombard them with over-sexualised, violent and materialistic messages at every turn. It's impossible even to walk into a newsagents without being faced with a barrage of pornographic material, masquerading as magazines and news-print.

So it comes as little surprise that the old-fashioned way of doing things (or NOT doing things) has become just that; old fashioned and redundant. Today's society has moved on from the 'bad old days' of Victorian values and Christian influence and no one in their right mind would possibly consider giving up the luxuries that a relativist, modern society offers. Sex, drink, drugs...you name it, you can do it. And to that I have to say fair enough. Far be it for me to presume to tell anyone else how to live their life. But it seems that the same is not true in reverse. Any young person who does embrace so many of those old fashioned values is, in our world, open to severe criticism. And any teenager defending and championing the cause of abstinence in particular can become the focal point of serious peer pressure and social scrutiny.

However, once those awkward teenage years are finished, most of us expect that we will be able to live our ways as we see fit and that provided we transgress no law, we will be free to make choices that we feel are right, for us, without having to constantly explain and defend our actions

How sad then am I to find that there are many people who live with daily criticism for embracing a traditional Christian life in adulthood and living it to the full. I look back on some of my wasted years, in which I was far from the model of a good Christian woman and I regret not being tough enough to stick by the principles I was raised with.

And so I stand amazed by the courage it must take for many good men and women to repeat time and time again to friends, and sometimes even family members, that they are choosing not to have sex until marriage and that they have no wish to 'test the waters' or work out if they and their fiance are 'compatible'. How belittling for them to have their chaste relationship paraded in front of others as though it warranted a 20 page inquiry document and Discovery channel documentary as a way of 'explanation'.

They are questioned, challenged, ridiculed and sometimes they endure harsh criticism and social ostracism. But they stand fast, hold onto their principles and refuse to let the waves knock them back.

They are true heroes of Christian culture. And to them, I'd like to say a big thank you. For being true to themselves. For being true to their God. And for being so many things that I never was.

Onward Christian Soldiers.