What You Can Do In a Dress

I went dresses only several years ago. I cannot say how much I love it! I changed for Biblical reasons, but to be honest, it was not that hard--I think dresses are beautiful and uniquely feminine. While there are discussions on the whys and wherefores of "dresses only" regarding the Bible, here I just want to address the practicality of dresses only.

There used to be a wonderful feature on Ladies Against Feminism (one of my favorite sites) called "Through the week in feminine dress". It showed women going about their duties in dresses. I do not think it has been updated recently, so I thought I would share a few pictures of myself in dress showing how you can do pretty much anything in them.

BTW, people think that you have to wear pantyhose and pumps if you put on a dress--nothing could be further from the truth. You can think of a cotton skirt like a pair of capris or jeans, and wear whatever you might wear with those. I wear socks and boots, sandals, wellies, tennis shoes, whatever. I almost NEVER wear hose, though I do often wear long johns or bloomers if I think I might be doing something energetic.


You can.....

Work at the archery shop (the kids got to come with me!!)....


mush dogs....

teach archery lessons...

go fishing....

do yard work.....

go boating.....

ride horses.

I have put up fence at night at 30 below, carry wood, worked sled dog races, lounged on the beach in Florida in summer, hiked, painted the fence, everything. Anything that one could do in jeans, one can do in a skirt, the only consideration is getting the right length and width of skirt (riding horses requires more material than, say, mopping the floor).

Are skirts and dresses comfortable? I will be honest, I find them MUCH more comfortable than jeans, and I am not just saying that. I do not like feeling "bound" in the legs, the seat, or the belly. Skirts allow a greater freedom of movement. Also, skirts are warmer in the winter (because they keep the air that is warmed from your body trapped around your legs in the same manner that a blanket keeps the air warmed by your body trapped around you when you wrap up in one). I wear my skirts at minus 50 degrees F with nothing more than heavy duty silk long johns (from cabelas).

Skirts are also MUCH cooler in the summer than jeans, or even shorts! Your legs stay "in the shade" with a skirt on, as opposed to having the suns rays hit your legs. Plus, because summer skirts tend to be more light and airy, there is more airflow that can pass through and around your legs, so you stay MUCH cooler.

(I must say I have also been so thankful for full skirts when out watching, say, a soccer game, and was able to wrap my young children in the skirt to keep them warm as they sat at my feet!)

So, for practical reasons, there are few, if any, things that you cannot do safely in a skirt. They are just a blessing all over!

Modified Caprese Salad

I thank the Lord for this meal!!

The base of this recipe came from Giada DeLaurentis, but this is slightly different. She did not have lettuce in hers, but I wanted more of a salad


Modified caprese salad

Half a block of FRESH mozzarella (I like polly-o best) cut into half inch cubes
1 Can of diced tomatoes with garlic, oregano and basil (you can substitute fresh tomatoes of course, which is delicious, but then you will need to add basil to the dressing)
Lettuce

Dressing:
About a quarter cup of olive oil (I prefer classico to extra virgin)
Several tablespoons (to taste) of lemon juice
Several dashes of pepper (probably a half tsp)
About a half tsp salt

Toss the dressing in with the other ingredients and serve with garlic toast. This makes a wonderful, light, refreshing supper. I loved the canned tomatoes in there as the juice added greatly to the body of the salad. Nothing to heat up the kitchen except the toaster oven for the garlic toast (which I make with olive oil mixed with a bit of butter, and several shakes of garlic salt).

I have made the original (which is slices of mozz with slices of tomato, dressing, and fresh basil) but honestly it is NOT worth the time or the money to use grocery store tomatoes. Either garden (or farmers market) or canned is the way to go.

A Precious Heart

Beautiful Sisters....

What an evening this has been for me and my daughter....

While unloading dishes, I cut my thumb. Not life threatening but boy it stings! Following in the footsteps of the most stoic person I know, I wrapped my thumb in a paper towel to continue making supper. I kinda wanted sympathy of some sort (in the form of "Oh mom, we will finish unloading the dishes for you!"). However what I got was Precious not even looking away from the TV as she said "Well, don't bleed on the dishes". XSIGHX!!!!!!

However, after a phenomenal meal of a modified caprese salad (instructions above), I went to put up cherries that I had bought last week. They were on sale for either 4 or 6 dollar a lb (I cannot remember which--I either bought 4 lbs at $6 or 6 lbs at $4 a lb). Every day I have been trying to get around to putting up the cherries in the freezer, but as I mentioned previously, this week has been all about painting, celebrations, etc.

So this evening I went to put them up and found them moulded. I was BEYOND irritated, I was crushed. All that money wasted! I wanted to cry but couldn't. Wonder Sweetie tried to console me, but I would have none of it, tbh. I was frustrated at Alaska for the high prices, frustrated at how I want to be more productive in the garden, but have such little time due to our short growing season, frustrated with myself, frustrated with the store, just all over frustrated. The nobler part of me tried to remember that everything happens for a reason (which I do firmly believe) and that the Lord provides (which I know) but I was not having any logic either. I just wanted to be mad, and to have Wonder Sweetie breeze in and say "Oh I forgot to mention, we are moving somewhere in the south....".

I grumbled about the waste of that money out loud. Apparently Precious overheard me mention that the cherries were $20. After I put up the grapes (that were slightly less per lb, but still pricey, BUT did not mould), Precious handed me a homemade envelope "for the cherries". I opened it up...she gave me $20 from her own money!

Now, of course I could not take her money at all**, but I just thought that was so sweet. It also made me think of my irritation, my reaction, and that little pitchers have big ears (grin).

I thank the Lord for the Precious Heart who lives in my house :-).

(**I know that she gave from the heart and I did not want her to think that her offering was being rejected, so I told her that instead of me taking her $20, that maybe she would just allow me not to pay her the $5 I owe her for her secretarial duties last week. She agreed, but I am still thinking of slipping her the $5 later...I do not want to dismiss her charity, and therefore damage her giving spirit, but I also do not want her to suffer for my lack of planning.)

More nighttime in Alaska

Here are a few pictures I took at about 3:20 am a few nights ago. These are a lot better than the other one on the "Life In Alaska" post (partly because it was not raining!). The pictures are still not the best, but I was trying to take pictures left handed while keeping the cat from getting out of the door (smile).

The Unwitting Pharisee

Beautiful Sisters...

We were blessed beyond measure this week! The Wonder Sweetie had the week off, so we borrowed a paint sprayer, and we caught up on much needed house fixing. The weather was perfect for each day (rainy days gave us rest, sunny days gave us space to work). My deck and fence are freshly painted, changing our house look from "rustic" to fresh and "cottage-y".

What on earth does this have to do with pharisees, you might ask? Well, this week was the next step in the path that the Lord is trying to make me walk (again). Remember last week when I said that the Lord was giving me the same verses over again? Well, He continued His work. I am not done, not by a long shot, but at least I know what He is trying to say now!

While this week was a wonderful blessing, I had a lot of time to spend deep in thought. Those of you who know me know that sometimes that is NOT the best idea (smile). I spent hours upon hours literally thinking about myself....to the point that *I* was even tired of me! I talked to God and said "I am TIRED of thinking about myself! I want to think about YOU!", yet again it was almost impossible for me to get out of that rut. I think the Lord arranged it that way, because I kinda had to "hit bottom" in my thoughts to turn around. I spent a great deal of time lamenting my lack of spiritual growth, past hurts that others have inflicted, irritations that I have with other people, irritations that I have with me, my longings and wants, my desires and anxieties.

I also spent several nights with insomnia, something that pretty much never happens to me. I can sleep just about anywhere, just about any time, in almost any condition. But, again, because I had been deep in fretful thoughts all day, I would wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to get back to sleep for hours.

Again, I think the Lord had to give me my head, let me run with the bit in my teeth, then had to break me down with lack of sleep and such, in order to get me to stop THINKING so much, and just LISTEN. A few choice words from a wonderful email (thanks mom!), the perfect song for the moment, and a lot of time brought me to the point of realization of what I had been messing up, which is summed up in this question:

Why is it that sometimes it is so much easier to accept punishment than grace?

I am both the most prideful and the most insecure person I have ever met (smile). I wonder how that can be so, how I can really honestly think I am a stellar person and yet also think that I am a burden. I think the answer is that my flesh and my spirit are warring. My flesh thinks I am stellar. My spirit says "There is no one righteous, not even one...", and then my emotion takes that to the point of condemnation. My flesh leaves no room for grace, while my spirit is trying to listen to the Lord. My flesh never lets the Holy Spirit lead my spirit into the glory that is the Lord's love for a sinner. My flesh is like the little kid who says "Oh yeah? I am going to hold my breath til I turn blue in the face!". My flesh is either overtly prideful or falsely humble (which is, ironically, pride).

Why do we do this? Why do we miss grace?

I think sometimes it seems noble to us. We think that we are being suitably humble by embracing punishment and condemnation. Sometimes I think we do not realize that we have rejected grace. Sometimes we struggle with the idea that we cannot earn salvation (we know it, but we still, deep down, remember society which does weigh our actions against those of others). Sometimes we are afraid that we will fall to sin if we do not keep ourselves in a constant state of condemnation. Sometimes I think it is self centeredness and a LOT of pride.

Maybe there are other reasons as well. This list is what keeps me from understanding grace to its fullest. I admit that, for me, punishment and rules are SO much easier than grace and freedom. I also admit that there is a great deal of self centeredness when I think of times in the past when others have put me down. For me to dwell on those barbs is, ironically, very self affirming because I can feel a little bit like a victim (which, in our society, is pretty much the HEIGHT of carnal nobility and the ultimate excuse for just about anything).

Sometimes I do not even realize that I reject grace!! I do not even realize that I am living "in my head" instead of at the feet of Christ. I find myself talking AT God, instead of talking TO Him.

And sometimes I am so terribly afraid that I will not be able to handle a lack of condemnation in my life. I am afraid that I will run off across the field of ruin, if the bit is removed from my mouth, and drown in the river of sin.

Yet the thing is that all of those thoughts are STILL centered on me! They are just a form of false pride. Faith in my strength instead of the Lord's. Pride in my victimhood. Fear of the unknown, and not enough faith to trust that the Lord will not let me run amuck.

Another pitfall of not accepting grace is that I find that I tend to judge others as compared to myself. I do not mean to, and in fact, do not WANT to. However, when you feel that you are barely hanging on by your fingernails to "goodness", you tend to instinctively weigh yourself against others. I have become an unwitting pharisee. Instead of accepting the fact that I am a saved sinner, I try to shine my own grubby crown by pointing out what good I do. I do not even think I am putting on a show for the Lord as much as putting on a show for me. I know the Lord knows the truth. *I* just do not want to know the truth sometimes.


About Rules
Now, let me say that I know that the rules that the Lord set up in His Word are valid and golden. I am NOT saying that, when we are under grace then we are not bound by rules! We still ARE bound by the New Testament. Yes we are to dress modestly. Yes we are to headcover if we are praying or prophesying in public. Yes we women are to be in submission to our husbands, and not to be teachers of God over men. We are to love our husbands and children, to be busy at home, not to gossip, not to overindulge.

However, there is a difference between observing those rules from grace versus from fear and works. A heart that is full of grace observes rules in joy, in peace, in righteousness that comes FROM THE LORD. When we are in grace, we observe the rules, and the burden is LIGHT. We obey because we have a heart for the Lord and for others who might be led astray by our actions, even if our actions would not lead us astray. We do have to be careful not to allow our freedom to be a stumbling block. Freedom in the Lord does not mean freedom from the Lord's rules. :-)

A heart that is full of fear and works observes rules in condemnation and anxiety, in trying to earn its own righteousness. We obey not out of love, but out of trying to earn points. We are relying on ourselves, and when we do that, we WILL compare ourselves to ourselves (in self guilt) or to others.

I believe that this is what the Lord is trying to teach me, the verse that I mentioned in my last blog entry fits perfectly in this message. It is hard for us to chip away the years of fear and constant condemnation. It is easy to listen to the voice of the enemy as he tries to accuse us constantly.

But it is not just for us that grace is given. I do not understand grace fully, but I do know this: when I have touched grace, when I have felt the relief of having been made "perfect forever" even while I am still "being made holy", then my focus is on God and others. I am not trying desperately to save myself (not just spiritually, but mentally and emotionally day to day). That allows me to focus on the needs of others.

Sometimes I think that blessings are hard for us because we think that we are the only ones who reap the reward. However, when we are staring at our belly button in condemnation, fear, anxiety, resentment, anger, or any other emotion, then we are not staring at Him. When we are trying to save ourselves, we are not saving others. When we are spending our time in our heads, we are not spending time at His feet. When we are spending hours "venting", then we are not spending hours in praise. Every good think that He gives us, we need to FULLY EMBRACE, so that we can go from being weak, broken, and self centered, to being strong in Him, bathed in His amazing grace, fully of help for others and praise for Him. He is praised when we accept His blessings, NOT when we are living lives of anxiety or condemnation.


Now.....I sure know the talk......I need to start walking the walk (smile)!

When the Lord is talking, but you are not sure what He is saying....

Beautiful Sisters,

Do you ever see that the Lord is trying to tell you something, but you are not sure what it is? You know, when the same Bible verse keeps coming up or there are incidences that are far beyond coincidence?

It can be frustrating when you want to obey, but are just not sure what exactly He is telling you to do. I have spent a LOT of my time frantically trying to figure out what He might be telling me, plunging my hand into this idea or that. I was terrified of missing His speaking, but also terrified of misunderstanding His speaking. What if I NEVER learn what He is trying to say?? What if I do the exact OPPOSITE of what He wants, thinking that is what He wants?

Those fears plague me a lot, I will admit. This time I am going to try to do my best NOT to allow those doubts and fears into my mind.

There are two situations, that may or may not be related, in my life where they MIGHT be something the Lord is trying to tell me. In the first situation, I keep coming across the SAME Bible verse. For the past few days, the same verse, which is Gal 6:11-15. At least once every day, and sometimes twice a day.

The second situation has to do with clothing matters. This one might be just coincidence (unless it has to do with the above verse somehow?). I am not dismissing it as "Oh clothing is unimportant to the Lord, He is only concerned with biggies" because I know that is not true. He knows the hairs of my head, He also knows the clothes in my closet (smile).

But I also know that we have to be careful with linking things that are not linked, or seeing things that are just not there. Confusion reigns when we allow ourselves to be buffeted hither and yon by every little idea (ask me how I know!).

I also know that we have to be wary about trying to "feel" our way through our faith. Our feelings, especially in us women, are tempermental things, which can be swayed by everything from hormones to blood sugar levels to time of day. I have found that, for me, relying more on the Word and peace and prayer does much better than seeing if something "feels right". My feelings, even if they start out properly, will soon run amuck if I am not careful to couple them with the reason, wisdom and sound mind that the Lord provided for all of us. It is kinda like using only your right limbs and not your left...eventually your left limbs will atrophy and the right limbs will be disproportionally strong. Then even if you need your left limbs for something, you cannot use them.

I think it is the same way with women and reason andlogic vs emotion and instinct. We were made with emotion and instinct for good reason, we need our emotions and "intuition" to tend to the heart and needs of others. However, if we rely only on emotion and instinct, they can become uncontrollably strong, and we get "hormonal", emotional, weepy, and succumb to "paralysis by analysis"....we overthink. (thank the Lord when we have good, noble men who generally err on the side of "logic" to balance us out when we get "wrapped around the axel".)

Anyway, so I would appreciate any prayers or thoughts. I wish I was better at seeing the will of the Lord, but if it is not printed in black and white in the Word, I get a lot of confusion (if it is printed in the Word, I still might fail at doing it, but at least I know what to pray forgiveness for! lol). In the meantime, I will just try to wait (patiently if I can hee hee!) for the Lord to make clear what He is trying to tell me.

God bless you all!

Life in Alaska

Sometimes people want to know what life is like in Alaska. I thought I would post some interesting things when they come up...

1. Three of the waitstaff at Chili's seemed to be native Russians....at least that was their first language. There are a lot of people of Russian descent here, which is very interesting to me!

2. The Wonder Sweetie and I went to an extremely nice jewelry store for our anniversary present, and heard the very mild mannered manager fellow and a saleslady discussing with a customer what caliber of bullet is best for bear attacks. Yes, that is actually something to consider. We had a griz sow and two cubs a couple of doors down from us several years ago.

3. Fireworks (even the really good ones!) are legal in Alaska, at least in most places. However, there is ENTIRELY too much light to enjoy them much this time of year. I think we are just going to get the ones that release little paper parachutes for the kids to catch, and save the really great fireworks for the New Years (the other time they are allowed to sell fireworks).

4. How light is it this time of year? Well at the darkest point of night, it is just like an overcast daytime where you live--it has been impossible to see stars for at least a month or two. We are losing a great deal of light every day, though we will not notice it for several weeks yet. At this time of year the sun rises at 3 something am and sets the following morning after midnight (that cracks me up that the sun does not SET until the following day!). The picture above is at 2:30 am during a rain....it would be lighter if it was not raining so hard! It is hard to tell, but it is light enough to read. If i can get a better picture, I will.)

5. We do not have a lottery, we have the Nenana Ice Classic, where you bet when the Tanana river ice will break up.

This is the first installment of "Life in Alaska". If you have any questions, please let me know! I love talking about Alaska.