Domestication

So i'm no super chef. I'm not gonna lie to anyone. And I don't normally enjoy cooking all too much. Generally Jord and I split it, and if anyone tends to take control of the kitchen scene, it's normally Jord. The man is a genius.

But I HAVE CREATED..... FIRE!!!!

hehe. Okay not really, but I did feel a bit like Tom Hanks creating fire in Castaway when I made this:


It's okay, you can be impressed! I sure was. In fact I was so impressed that even though I made this like a month ago, I decided to put it on my blog and brag about it. :) buon appetit!

Faith

Well, I've been thinking a lot about the principle of faith lately. Isn't it neat how when you seem to have a "theme" of study and pondering, that you see it all around you? I just came across this photo and story today, and thought it was such a great summation of what I have been concluding. There's a gentleman who recently finished a photo series on Jesus' parables, with a modern twist. You can see more if his art here. One of his pictures really appealed to me, in huge part because of the story he told to explain it. Here it is:

Faith & Trust

"A traveler, hiking through the wilderness, comes to the edge of a canyon. Seeking a way to the other side, he discovers a big rope stretched over the canyon. As his eyes follow the rope toward the other side, he is surprised to see a man coming toward him, confidently pushing a wheelbarrow. Arriving on his side of the canyon, the traveler exclaims, “That was truly amazing!”

The man with the wheelbarrow asks, “Do you believe that I can do it again?”

“Oh, of course,” the traveler replies. “You walked across with such confidence.”

“Do you really believe I can do it again?” asks the man with the wheelbarrow.

“Definitely,” replies the traveler.

“Very good, then,” says the man with the wheelbarrow. “Hop in and I will take you across.”

Many of us look at God the same way we look at the man with the wheelbarrow. We say we have faith that God can do anything. Yet, when it comes time to get in the wheelbarrow, our faith begins to dwindle. Haven’t we seen enough of His promises to trust Him to carry us across? "

I loved this! I know that we can have more healing, more forgiveness, and more love in our lives than we ever thought possible, if only we truly embrace the promises of the Savior. He told us so many times to "Knock, and ye shall receive," and yet so many of us feel timid rather than confident in seeking after and asking for the righteous desires of our hearts. We had a lesson on faith this last Sunday, and one thing that really struck me was a quote from Elder Bruce R. McConkie that basically said that if you want more faith, you need to be more obedient. I've seen that that is the case in my life. Because I have made a bigger effort to keep my promises (particularly covenants), read my scriptures, and look for opportunities to serve those around me, I have been more confident in asking the Lord for the things I need. And I can truly say that he has not failed me yet. One example is the "miracle of TMJ." :) I call it that because we recently discovered that I have TMJ, an issue with my jaw that causes a great deal of pain. We looked into the costs of addressing it and they were, suffice it to say, way out of the budget. And I thought, why not exercise my faith? I'm studying the New Testament right now, I've been reading about the Savior's miracles. Surely, he can heal my jaw. So my husband and I fasted and prayed that my jaw could be healed, he gave me a priesthood blessing, and within about a week, the pain in my jaw subsided and my problem was healed!

This is just one miracle in my life that I have been blessed with, and I know that the Lord wants to bless me with more. He wants to bless all our lives, but so frequently his blessing are contingent on our faith in Him. Surely more miraculous than the healing of my jaw is the fact that when I'm distressed, troubled to tears and full of anxiety over my studies of the tragedies in the world, he heals my heart. And everything is okay because I know that in the end, He will make it all right. And even more miraculous than that is that at the end of every day, when I seek forgiveness for the mistakes I've made, He heals me from the ugliness of my trespasses, and I'm clean again. I know that he can heal all our sicknesses, all our pains, and all our trespasses. The capacity of his atonement is greater than we can imagine, and covers all our faults and pains. I'm so grateful for His blessings, and for the little glimpses of faith that I can see in art, in literature, in the scriptures, and in the lives around me.

fun fun

I did all the ones in bold! :)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Have been published
81. Visited the Redwoods
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

All in a day's work-- for a mom!

Well, I have another school-inspired post for you. I just wish everyone in the world could take this class I'm in right now, it really is just mind-boggling. Part of our discussion today consisted of analyzing the work that is done by women, and the value that is assigned to it. By value I mean not only the perceived importance of it, but also its monetary place in our worldwide economy. I'll start by telling you a couple little diddys (spelling, anyone?) our professor shared with us:

1) If a woman decided to go work for another family and did all the housework and raising of the children, and then the mother of that family decided to go and clean and care for the household of the first lady, they would both be considered "productive" in the GDP. However if both those ladies decided to stay home and cook and clean and care for their own respective families, it's the same as if they had done nothing (economically, they produced nothing of value, made no income, etc.).

2) One of our classmates had a baby last week. Her OBGYN, who delivered the baby, was considered "productive" and assigned a value by our GDP. However the new mother, who carried the baby for 9 months, labored to deliver the baby for 26 hours, and brought a new little life into the world, did nothing!

Some pretty crazy thoughts, eh? Makes you consider how we value things in the world, even in America. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's necessary for something to have a monetary value stamped on it for it to actually have value, but unfortunately the world seems to look at it that way doesn't it? That leaves stay-at-home mothers and nurturers in a rough, defensive little spot. What do they do all day, anyway? (sarcasm ;)

Well here's a refreshing conclusion. Recent studies have concluded that the average cost of buying the services of a wife and mother, per year, would be about $109,000. WOW!!! That's some big dollars right there. So although "reproductive" work may not yet be considered "productive," by economic standards, you Mommas out there can sit back and know that your net worth is at least a pretty 6 figures. And that's without even talking about how valuable your work really is :). As for that, I think this just about sums it up:

"In 1935 the First Presidency stated, "The true spirit of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gives to woman the highest place of honor in human life.'"

and

“Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels.”
(The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)

If you want more on that "mom salary," it's all at: http://mom.salary.com.

And for more fun/interesting reading, there's this: NYT "The Economic Unit Called Supermom"

Thanks Moms :).

Feminism

Well, I'm taking a really fabulous course this fall entitled "The International Political Economy of Women." Definitely my kind of class. I've been twice now, and not only have I been deeply moved (nigh unto tears, though if you know me I suppose that's not such a big deal), but I have been truly impressed with the instruction as well as one of the texts for the class, "Women in Eternity, Women of Zion." If you have ever had any questions about the LDS perspective of the female role, the concept of "patriarchy," the confusing concept of polygamy, or anything related to women's role in the church (or had a daughter with questions, for that matter), I highly recommend this book! I read almost the entire thing in one day, not because it's short, but because it was so absolutely insightful and incredible. Fabulous explanations that are almost all backed by scripture etc. There were just a few insights that I thought I might disagree with, but on the whole I thought it was really incredibly relevant and and enlightened.

I've got to go work on my grundles of homework or I'd keep writing, but you can expect to hear more about this class, I'm sure!

Quote of the day:
Michelle Stott quoting Rebecca West: "I'm not sure what a feminist is, but I am called one every time I venture an opinion that distinguishes me from a doormat."

har har. and yet so true.

p.s. My professor gave a profound section of her first lecture on the varieties of feminism, and how although the LDS faith is certainly at complete odds with some of them (i.e. feminism to the extent that you must totally disconnect yourself from males and embrace only the virtues of femininity etc.), it is in perfect harmony and in fact one of the greatest supporters of true feminism, the kind that seeks after the equal treatment and respect of men and women. I certainly can agree with full confidence that this is the case :).