14 Years of Marvelous Marriage to Mr. M., With Music, Ministry, Mayhem, and Most of All, Marital Merryment

I love being married. I love being married to Mr. M. We enjoy each other . . . every day. We enjoy cleaning and cooking together. As a well-known pastor has observed, marriage is but a momentary blessing. Marriage is not eternal, so why not enjoy it while we have it? It is a blessing to us, an institution created by God for His glory and our pleasure. Mr. M. and I will celebrate at a local theater, a play entitled, "See How They Run." Many women seem to get so caught up in their husbands' needs that they forget to ENJOY them. Please don't get stuck in this thinking. Enjoy the spouse God gave you.

Investing

We are having some drywall repair work done, so I am holed up here with my computer and some good books, and Rufus is just chillaxin' in the back yard. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of a book I ordered called Spiritual Mothering. Women are called in the Bible to teach younger women, so I plan to actively pursue that. I will also actively pursue being taught by women older than I.

For my food fans out there, Mr. M made an amazing roast for us the other night. It was cooked to (his opinion of) perfection. He also made mashed potatoes, and I steamed some carrots. I made some cookies for dessert, too. For second dessert (or a breakfast appetizer if you prefer), Mr. M made vanilla ice cream. Sweet end to a day that started with some nice Guns N' Roses music.

Churchy Thoughts on a Rainy Day.

I was reading today about the unity of the Body of Christ, how we all suffer when one of us suffers. I was also reading Jesus' command to us to let our light shine. We are to be building the church up, edifying one another. That means helping other people to let their light shine. We are to be like a city on a hill sharing our light with all the world; not just a group taking care of our own.

A Word From the Dog

Rufus, the usually loquacious and eloquent dog of mine, is hard at work sleeping the day away. I do not profess to be a prophet or mind-reader, but I do think I know Rufus well enough to say with confidence that I'm sure he is tired of all the rain, and also that he loves that Mr. M and I are now cooking and dropping lots of crumbs. This is a bad combination: eating all the caloric crumbs and not being able to go outside and walk them off.

I had a very fun day at school. The three third grade rooms watched a movie together. About a half an hour into it, all at once, as if on cue, all the kids suddenly went stir crazy and started fidgeting around and wanting to go to the restroom and go get a drink. The teachers, while trying to maintain an air of authority, had secretly been going stir crazy also. We had turned into third graders ourselves, giggling at anything. One of our own tried to address the children, but her teacherly status was somewhat compromised as her knees buckled and her voice wavered from her childish giggling. I blame it on the rain.

On the cooking front, nothing too exciting (unless Mr.M happens to read this and come home with some amazing plans). Barring that, I will make a casserole with mashed potatoes, cheese, tuna, and peas.

LATER THAT NIGHT

In lieu of an exciting dinner, Mr.M and I had exciting conversation around the dinner table. It seems I have a flat tire. I was extensively questioned on this, on the how, why, when, and where. I had no answer. I distinctly remember feeling something and then hearing a big noise afterward, but I truly thought I had run into a wall of water. I was asked if I had run into the curb. This I did not know. Water covered the curb so that I couldn't see it. I was asked if I THOUGHT I had run into the curb. I answered honestly, "No. How could I possibly know that since I don't make a habit of running into curbs?!" Mr. M was quick to remind me that all the lettering on my tires have been rubbed off onto curbs. I was still not convinced that I really even had a flat tire, so I went out and checked. My tire was, and is, flat . . . very and completely flat. I told Mr. M that it was only flat on the bottom, but he still insisted I not drive on it until we have a proper tire installed. On a happier note, Mr. M and I are going to make ice cream, and we'll make fudge sauce.

The Amazing Omelette of Mr. M.

Another relaxing Sunday morning. After I had my good morning cup of mocha, Mr. M. made us a beautiful omelette before church. Mr. M. is focused and determined to make a perfect omelette, so he makes one every chance he gets, and I eat it every chance I get. Today's omelette had a mix of cheddar and monterey jack cheese, and diced tomatoes. Yum!

A Bowlfull of Kitchen Confidence.

My bowl came today. A great, red, plastic mixing bowl with a cover. This will help me tons in the kitchen--mostly moral support. Mr.M is ready to jump right into this new, cooking life lock, stock, and barrel. I am a bit more cautious. I am just as eager to eat at home, but I am easing myself into the water a bit more slowly. I made a homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. That was nice. I like, maybe even need, to have some familiar, confidence-inspiring, things in sight . . . like a big, plastic bowl.

One Month of Solitude

I don't know if I could do that-live a month in solitude. I enjoy the company of others. Tonight, I went to a friend's house for a small dinner party, and I brought HOMEMADE COOKIES. I was very excited to bring a culinary offering to complement the meal. I'm glad I brought something. Everyone contributed, so it would have been a major faux pas had I not participated. M brought a delicious spinach with various fruits salad (sans raspberries due to some financial complexities), J made the pasta entree, and G brought some good after dinner dessert drinks. I made cookies that were essentially Hershey's Kisses rolled in dough with chopped almonds and dusted with confectioner's sugar. They were a hit.
Earlier, I reheated last night's homemade pizza for a friend at lunchtime. That, too, was satisfying.
I'm having a small soiree at my home tomorrow night with the aforementioned spinach salad, and taco casserole for the main course, followed with the same cookies for dessert. I'm looking forward to it. This taco casserole, I tell 'ya, is somethin' else! I once cried after I made the casserole for someone else, and they didn't invite me in to have some after I had spent the day smelling the sumptuous aroma of the dish, and just waiting until I got to take a bite. I learned that day never to make that casserole for anyone else without making a separate portion just for me, and I learned to never make assumptions when it comes to food.

"The strangeness of Mr. Collins' making two offers of marriage within three days . . . "

Our dinner, much to our dismay, was a complete success. I found the special salad dressing I thought I had lost, the entree was all ready at the same time, and the bakery cookies were a hit. Nothing to laugh about.
It was pretty funny, though, to hear that Dave is going to be playing the role of Mr. Collins in his church's upcoming production of Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Collins, I believe, is one of literature's funniest characters. His story is told in chapters 19-22 of the novel. His marriage plans, refusal to believe he is being refused, and his second declaration of love to a second girl just two days later, are the epitome of hilarity.
Tonight I will be making a pizza with fresh diced tomatoes and Italian herbs. I might buy some more of those cookies, too! (Maybe this meal will be a disaster so Laina can get her funny story. We can always hope.)

Our First Non-Family Dinner Guest, A True Story For Laina

I promised my friend Laina a funny story, and I'm not so good at making up stories, but the true stories that make up my life are usually funnier than anything I can make up. So I write this assuming that our well laid plans will end in hilarity of one sort or another.
Our friend Dave is coming for dinner. The plan is to start off with spinach salads, keeping it simple(just spinach.) Our entree will be beef stroganoff, made with filet mignons and homemade pasta, and a steamed broccoli/asparagus side. We'll finish with amazing chocolate-centered shortbread cookies that I've discovered at our local bakery. I also have a homemade (made in my friend's home) mix for hot peppermint cocoa.
I specify that Dave is a non-family guest, because that means he doesn't have to be nice and pretend he likes the food if he doesn't. (Then again, Dave's a pastor, so he really SHOULD be nice.)

The Joy of Food, and Cooking and Gender, and Cooking as a Celebration of Life

"Food, glorious food" is a line from a Charles Dickens book that comes to mind each time something exquisite and scrumptious comes out of the oven. Today for our trendy lunch that we made while listening to jazz, Mr. M. made chicken sandwiches. Chicken sandwich. He had a sandwich, I had a piece of chicken with some reheated potatoes au gratin that he made for a New Year's Eve. party. We also had corn. I remembered the corn, and I boiled a couple of ears for us.
I realize some of my readers are male, and may think this subject to girly. All I have to say to them, is, "Pshaw!" No way! Just look at some of the highest-rated cooking shows on TV . . . guys. Anyway, the way to a girl's heart is actually bringing her breakfast in bed. (I think I may have married the nicest guy EVER!)
These past few months have found me running around like crazy, with no time to sit and eat. Many days consisted of a rushed cup of tea for breakfast, and a cereal bar for lunch, and then coming home deliriously muttering, "I'm. Just. So. HUNGRY!" The time I have to cook and to eat is a precious luxury not to be taken for granted.
Another luxury is a good cup of hot chocolate (or mocha). I can't find a recipe for this anywhere. What I would like is a mixture that I can make ahead of time so that it is always on hand. I'm thinking it would probably involve cocoa powder and sugar. I know some readers here are amazing cooks who would know just what I should do. (And maybe the readers who are amazing cooks have twin sisters who love mocha and could give me a good recipe for that.)