May 15, 2007
So, yesterday I thought I had better post something for Rachael, since she said I need to post more often, but then I remembered that I couldn’t post anything yet because I was in the middle of something that needed to be done before I posted again. And then when I was done what needed to be done before I posted again, I would need to write a post to tell people about the changes. So now, is this a post for Rachael or a post for you? Well, you can decide.
I don’t have much new to say yet. (Besides I was able to see Rachael yesterday who I haven’t seen in about a year! That is exciting!!) And I don’t think I’ll be able to post pictures today either. I’ve been busy carving spoons and sanding toys. Sanding, and sanding, and sanding toys. Did you know it takes a long time to sand toys? It is long, and not very interesting. But to make nice toys, it needs to be done, so I continue… And add a bit of carving to mix it up a bit. The Sioux Center Summer Celebration is coming up in a few weeks, and it would be kind of fun if I was done all of this so I could try to sell them, but we will see…
So, in other news, I have finished my project I was working on, and that was to make a page of spoon links for you to enjoy with me :) Because I am sure you all like looking at wooden spoons on the internet like I do, I have made it more convenient for you to find them. :-) As well as to show you my favorite pages of course. So, if this all works as planed, when I upload this post, there should also be another section under this links (on the left) that says “Spoon Links.” That is where you are to go.
Enjoy! and more pictures later, sometime…
In Christ
Rita
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May 05, 2007
So, as you may have seen from our photos, I have made a few spoons to be used as a soup spoon. A few weeks ago we put them to the test when I made some pea soup. Honestly, I was very disappointed. The wood became rough very quickly and wasn’t very pleasant.
I washed them and re-sanded them, twice, then put them on the shelf again. Last week I thought, silly me, why do I let them sit on the shelf, they will not get smooth and tested that way. So, I picked them up one more time and tried mine out with cereal. What a pleasant surprise!!! They were almost perfectly smooth. Yes, they did get a bit rough, but not like the first time. Nothing that won’t get worn down by my taste buds after a time. It was VERY exciting for me!
I told David about it at lunch and he said he will start using his also, and he has. They have become our primary cereal and soup spoons and I am very excited about it! :) It has encouraged me to keep going and make a whole set. It has encouraged me to make smaller ones to eat with ice cream or even smaller ones to eat with yogurt. I want to make them fancy and plain. I am just excited to make them!
I have also finished my first wood mixing spoon. Ready to sell. I have a few more that are close to done also. I also tried my hand at a dealy to use to pull the oven rack out of the oven and push it back it. It may become one of my favorite kitchen tools :)
I will take a few pictures and add them to the carving section of the web page. Enjoy!
Oh, I already have an order for a wood mixing spoon made from dark walnut wood. Feel free to e-mail if you would like to order something too. Hand made and hand sanded. Smooth as a babies bottom ;)
Love you all!
In Christ
Rita
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Can I just start by saying that God is VERY good? Good, than I will, God is VERY good!
I have been fasting for the past three weeks. Sort of a fruits and vegetables fast. Or what many people call the Daniel Fast. I started because a friend of mine talked to me about rediscovering fasting and how praying is so wonderful when a person is fasting. After praying about it and thinking hard on it, I decided that it was time for me to fast too. Diabetes or no diabetes.
My three weeks are almost up. (Just a time I gave myself when I started, no rhyme or reason for that particular time) I can honestly say that I am glad :) And even though it hasn’t been going as I expected, God is so good, and it has been good.
I started fasting for two reasons. The first one being that food has become my idol. I turn to food to satisfy me in all things. When I am tired, when I am sad, when I am hungry. I eat because food tastes good. I eat uncontrollably and with out thinking. I have been gaining weight steadily over the past year because I can not control my eating. So, I wanted to give God my idol of eating and ask him to take back the throne that I have given to food.
Secondly I wanted to fast because I do not live a surrendered life in Christ. I am lazy, and easily forget God in my day. I want to live a God focused life, not a ME focused life.
It’s been an up and down three weeks. The first week went really well. I didn’t complain about the hunger and was pleased with myself. The second week was very hard. I was very busy and complained a lot (possibly also affected by the time of the month). I was frustrated and felt like a failure all the time. I didn’t break the fast, but I felt like I did because I did not have the same attitude as the week before. I also was less hungry because I added a bit of protein to my fast and wasn’t sure if it was good or not because I didn’t feel as hungry. The past week has been more of a repair week. Trying to figure out what it really means to fast. Is it to be like I was in the first week, or how do I change the second week to make it right?
God has been good. I have learned so very much about me and food. A quote from my prayer journal this morning, “I learned that I am weak. I have learned that I will fail. I have learned that food will be a life long struggle for me. I have learned that YOU are better than food. I have learned that it is YOU who give me strength, not food (I may have some learning to do in that area). I have learned that I do not need crackers and peanut butter to solve a sugar low. I have learned I should travel with raisins rather than granola bars. I have learned that it doesn’t take meat and easy carbs to feel full. Daddy, food wise, I have learned a LOT. Daddy I praise you for that! … It was a lesson I very much needed to learn and oh I am so very glad to learn it!” Now that my fast is about done, I want to learn how to continue eating in a self-controlled way, rather than going back to my old ways.
The second thing I learned is that hunger is a good way to be humble before God, and I want/need to do it more. It does bring your to your knees knowing that you can not eat but you can pray. I can’t go into more details because I have more to learn here too, but I can say that it is very much worth it. I was mostly excited about how much I have learned about me and food and God and me and food that I wanted to share. Lord willing, this is the start to a better eating life. Just because food is easy to get here, doesn’t mean we should be eating it all, or eat it all the time :)
God is amazingly good! And I am so very glad to have walked through this with him. Hard days and all. It is worth it. And it is HARD, but it is good. If you think you might like to fast for any reason, John Piper has a sermon series on fasting. It was very very encouraging to me while I was fasting and questioning why I was doing it. In short, a paraphrase of his definition of why we fast, we fast to tell God that we love HIM more than food. And that is exactly what I wanted to tell God.
God bless, I hope you are encouraged by this.
In Christ
rita
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