A new discovery!

I think I'm addicted to food.  Legitimately.

I think I have an addiction and I think it's food.

This is a scary proposition, mostly because no one ever wants to admit that they're controlled by something but also a little bit because I HAVE TO EAT TO LIFE. But I'm reading a book about food cravings and I find myself biting my lip and nodding frequently when I read every page. "That's me she's talking about. Oh my sweets, that's me."

So, I'm not sure what the game plan is yet.  I mean, how do you recover from a food addiction?  Does one go to rehab?  Should I consider a life long liquid diet? I'm half joking.  But.. seriously.  I think I'm going to finis the book.  And.. go.. from... there?

It's kind of appropriate because I've always said that everyone has an addiction.  I just never bothered to really investigate mine.  Or maybe I just didn't want to explore what be controlling my every day habits like a sinister puppet master? ..who knows.

But this just convinces me even more that we've all got that somethin'.  And consciously or not we submit to it. So we best figure out its name.

I get it, but not really.

Today is International "Day of Pink".  You're supposed to wear a pink shirt to ward off all bullying and discriminating spirits.  

Do not think that I am opposed to ending bullying, but realistically, how does the pink shirt actually do anything?  It's a nice thought, no doubt.  It's about as nice of a thought as spreading around a viral web video about the children in Uganda.  We wear pink t-shirts to ease our conscience.  All the while we probably talked about how "that one girl over there in the hallway reeeeally should have worn a couple sizes bigger pink t-shirt."  We ARE bullies.  From the youngest to the oldest of us.  There are exceptions but we as a people can be vicious to one another.  And we don't really want to change that about ourselves because it's a fantastic protection mechanism and no one is interested in getting hurt!  So we slap on a pink t-shirt and silently announce our alliance to kindness and justice while thinking of how many corporate toes we're going to have to step on and sever before we make it to the top.  Honestly.  

So that's what bugs me.  Our population likes to bring a lot of AWARENESS to things and do not so much about it.  We will be a generation most known for our use of technology and the sound of our voices.  We talk, a lot.  Here I am, blogging.  What will I do about it?  I'm a bully myself.  I know that.  There are situations when in order to make myself feel better I am convinced I must make so-and-so feel worse, much worse.  I need to eliminate the desire to ever make a human being feel like less than made in the image of God.  

That means no gossiping, the most sly of all the bullying tactics.  The one that girls are absolute geniuses at.  That has to start with me (and you) so that maybe we'll have some positive effect on the people around us and that all of our hearts would be inclined to spread joy, not malice.  And it doesn't really matter what shirt you have on when you do it.  Just do it. 

Sometimes your Sunday morning starts with a shot of whiskey.

At least mine did.  Last Sunday.  A bad toothache and a raging desire to try every home remedy that might take the edge off the piercing pain pulsing through my gums (Hello there, literary device.  Nice to see you).  After swishing around the whiskaaay in my mouth for a minute I spit it into the sink.  Call me silly but I don't drink very often and I wasn't prepared to show up to church (..LEAD WORSHIP at church) assisted by some liquid courage.  Just wasn't gonna do it..

 Sometimes that same morning continues with an activity to distract you from the pain, otherwise known as making candy sushi.

The possibilities are pretty endless here.  I've got some Peeps, Twizzlers, gummy worms in these.  And then Eat-More, Reese's, Nutella for the chocolate ones.  I'm so happy with the way they turned out.

Not so happy with the way this turned out. Scraps for days. Yes, that's a decapitated Peeps head you see.

And sometimes, when you finally get to see the dentist they tell you that your mouth is actually full of cavities and you need a wisdom tooth pulled and at least two root canals.  Ohh..


That same week I found out that I would be traveling to Colombia (and not the British kind!) for a few days at the end of April.  I'm surprised and excited and grateful!  Of course I watched "BLOW" (starring Johnny Depp, justsoyaknow!) to prepare myself for life in Colombia.  ... I hope I don't encounter anything that I saw in that movie, just so we're clear.  Drug lords, keep your distance!

But perhaps even more surprising than finding out about Colombia was the check I received in the mail from my previous university.  Money for me? Ya, I'll take it.  And keep it coming why don't you!  It's just a reassurance that God provides.  He looks after us and if he holds the world in his hands, then that means everything in it is His.  That concept will change the way you think about money!

And here are some of the other highlights from last week:

 The cutest napkins made by my cousin!  East meets West at the family BBQ.

 There's something so comforting and right-in-the-world about a game (or twelve) of Dutch Blitz.

 Copy-cake.  I suggested the balloons because it makes me think of "Up!" the movie.  Happy Housewarming with 12 pounds of chocolate peanut butter cake.

 Birthday bash with some of the women on my mother's side.  Please note the Toblerone cheesecake that sits on their plates.  And then look at mine.  Still no sugar for this kid.

 Ok, finally!  Easter Feast-er!  Get in my belly, sugar and wheat!  Simple shape cookies that I brought to the family gathering.  We had a huge egg hunt and my grandpa even made a cryptogram with an Easter message for us to solve.  I figured it out!  Unfortunately, not before my brother did.

And here's Saturday night's accomplishments!  My first ever Paska!  In fact, it was my first time ever making  bread.  Believe it or not, this was not my first time making icing.  And yet...

The Wrap Up

Here's the results of my March madness.

1. Continue cooking more for the famjamily.  Yaaaa, I kind of did this.  I tried to be more involved anyway, like telling my mom to add some Zesty Italian marinade to chicken breasts and adding flavours to make rice more interesting. But I haven't been taking over the kitchen.  I did bake a lot though.  I made my mom's friend's birthday cake, Slutty Brownies, mini raspberry cheesecakes, pumpkin torte, and on and on.
2. Record that "baking" song you wrote last month.  Just for the fun of it. I didn't do this BUT my brother and I did work out an agreement where I film some stuff for him and in exchange he records me.  So, it's happening kids.
3. Read my first C.S. Lewis book.  I'm in the process of reading Mere Christianity and it's incredible!!  Clive Staples was definitely under the influence of simple genius when he wrote (or actually said) this.  It's so down to earth, not height-y flight-y theology that you have to read every sentence five times.  He just speaks so logically; I'm loving it.
4. Take a family Easter card photo and actually send it to people. We've got 4 left people! They're hotter than hot cakes.
5. Go to the retirement home at least one Thursday and sing with the elderly. I'm ashamed to say that not only did I not do this, but I forgot entirely about it.  However, our church is going to sing at the retirement home on Easter Sunday.
6. Clean both dressers, bookshelves, and night table.  I kind of did this.  I cleaned out my clothes dresser which was the most important.  Two garbage bags full o' clothes out of my life!
7. |Send flowers to the secretaries at the high school.  This was the most likely one to not get accomplished but it happened.  I tried to avoid doing it multiple times because I was second-guessing whether or not I should do it(funny how we do that hey?), but one day I just made myself park in front of the flower shop and it was all good from there.
8. Do laundry!  I tried to make a habit of folding laundry and putting it away when I noticed that it was dry. I didn't do it every day but I definitely made an effort.  I also tried to do the dishes when I knew my mom was going out of the house so that she could come back to a clean kitchen.

So, it wasn't a perfect month.  We can add it to every other month I've lived, but I'm enjoying the process!