101 things in 1001 Days: #53 Invent a new fruit salad

I thought our ward's traditional Relief Society summer social would be a fun time to accomplish this goal.  I loved the activity tonight.  It is one of my favorite summer traditions.  We all sit and talk in the beautiful backyard of our Relief Society president.  Tonight we played a game where we had to come up with something that we didn't think anybody knew about us and then if somebody did know, we had to come up with another one.  It was a delightful evening and it was really fun bringing my new fruit salad!

Blueberry muffin fruit salad 

Ingredients 

A mixture of berries of your choice: I used 2 medium cartons of strawberries and one carton of strawberries but you can mix it up.  (It ain't a blueberry muffin fruit salad without the blueberries though!) 

About an 1/4 cup of Tillamook french vanilla yogurt 

2 drops of lemon oil (I used doTERRA) 

1 batch of streusal topping  

Wash berries and pat them dry.  Mix the berries all together.  Add a small amount  of yogurt at a time and stir into the fruit.  You only want to glaze the berries. Slowly add the 2 drops of lemon oil.  You just want a little hint of lemon flavor. Tonight I sprinkled the streusal topping on top of the salad just before serving but I think I like it a little bit better to just have a bowl sitting near the salad and people can sprinkle some streusal topping on their individual salad as they dish it up.  I think this helps the streusal to stay more crispy.  

Streusal topping 

1/2 cup sugar 

1 cup flour 

1/2 tsp kosher salt 

1 vanilla bean split (optional) 

4 tbls cold unsalted butter cut into pieces (if you use salted butter, omit the salt) 

1/2 tsp of cinnamon 

Preheat oven to 350.  Line baking sheet with parchment.  Stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into the bowl.  Stir until distributed evenly.  Blend butter in using a pastry blender until the mix resembles gravel.  Dump mix onto prepared sheet.  Shake pan to spread it around and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and rake through the streusal with a fork.  Bake for another 8-10 minutes and rake again, moving any underdone streusal to the edge and vice versa.  Continue to bake or 5-7 min for until streusal  is nice and even deep gold.  

Hey! Don't judge me by the crumbs in my frosting! Wait, hold on a second, who exactly here is doing the judging?

 It’s pretty amazing the life lesson reminders you can receive while you’re baking! I was making cupcakes—chocolate ones with orange buttercream.  They were for a birthday celebration at my job and I needed to get them done that morning before I left for work.  I had baked the cupcakes the night before and they looked and smelled yummy and chocolatey.  The buttercream smelled divine after adding a little orange oil.  There was one problem, when I went to actually put the two together and frost the cupcakes, the tops of the cupcakes were coming off and there was a lot of crumbs in the frosting.  I put the cupcakes in the freezer for a while and then did a crumb coat which helped some but still I could see the brown crumbs in my beautiful orange frosting.  In the inner critic realm of my mind I could see my co-workers and new friends disapproving looks, and could imagine them thinking “Hmm…guess she doesn’t know how to bake as well as we thought.” Just as I was ready to toss the batch because of all the “judging” happening, that little inner voice I have come to know as the Holy Ghost said very quietly “That’s not them, that’s you.”

               

It was me who was looking at the cupcakes critically and it was me who was projecting that reaction onto my friends.  It seems so simple and yet I have done this so many times! That inner critic is tricky.  From crumbs in the frosting, to the state of cleanliness in our homes, to how we look, the inner critic can trick us into the thinking that our own inner judgmental thoughts are the judgmental thoughts of others.  When in reality, I think people are far less critical than we give them credit for.   Some of the biggest revelations of my life were finding out that people I perceived as being judgmental and critical of me were actually dealing with their own inner critic battles.  I am not saying that there is not a problem in the world with judging people unfairly.  What I am saying is that speaking for my own life, there have been so many times when I have thought people unkind because of the critical thoughts that were going on in my own head.  In that moment, the only one who was making unfair judgments was me, towards myself and towards the strangers, friends, and family who I thought were looking down on me. I don’t say that to put myself down.  I say it because it’s incredibly liberating.  It is incredibly liberating to know that you have a choice.  It is like the old Indian legend told by an Indian warrior to his grandson, that there are two wolves inside all of us, fighting for dominance.  “Which one will win?” asked the grandson.  “Whichever one I feed,” came the wise reply.   The inner critic is powerful but we still always have a choice whether we will feed it. We can choose not to listen.

                

And so I finished my cupcakes.  I learned a few things about how to avoid getting crumbs in your frosting for the next time. I took the cupcakes to work and sang happy birthday to my co-worker and felt glad about this gift of a talent I have in the kitchen and how it can make people happy.  The inner critic still comes, bringing with it fear of what other people are thinking about me.   And yet, each time it gets a little easier to hear that little reminder, “That’s not them, that’s you.” I remember that I have a choice.  I can choose not to listen.  I can remember that we are all just trying to do our best, cupcake crumbs and all. 

101 things in 1001 Days #75 Read the Discourses of President Hinckley

President Gordon B. Hinckley was such a force for good in my life while he was alive and it was wonderful to read so many of his marvelous talks.  He is the voice of optimism in my head and I could still hear his voice even as I read his words cheerfully saying to trust in the Lord and that everything would work out.  It was wonderful to read so many of his addresses to people in foreign countries and to see the love he had for them, particularly for those in Asia.  It was wonderful to read a talk he gave in Africa as he talked about the blessings of the temple and then at the end of the talk, announced that a temple was being built in those members’ land.  I loved the words he had for the youth and the missionaries.  Who can forget his “be-attitiudes” talk? It was wonderful to read the talk in which he says my personal theme for the 2016 year: You can be excellent in every way. You can be first class. There is no need for you to be a scrub. Respect yourself. Do not feel sorry for yourself. Do not dwell on unkind things others may say about you. Polish and refine whatever talents the Lord has given you. Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great and strong purpose in your heart. Love life and look for its opportunities.

I love this great man of God and hope to one day thank him for all the good he did me.  I know he was a prophet of God and that he is doing a great work on the other side! 

101 things in 1001 days #43: Learn my credit score and how to improve it.

Not going to lie, there are many things about the financial world that make me nervous because I don't understand them.  In doing this goal I at least wanted to understand credit a little more.  I learned my credit score when I applied for a car loan this year and I was very surprised to learn I actually had a great credit score.  That was very different than what I had expected.  I thought if you could have a negative credit score then mine would be pretty close.  I did some research into what makes a good credit score and how to keep it good/improve it.  I still don't understand all of it but I understand a great deal more than I did before.  I knew that paying your bills on time affected the score but I also learned that it helps if you keep your account balance 50% or less of the credit limit.

I thought this site was a great reference and made things simple to understand.

https://www.bankofamerica.com/credit-cards/education/how-to-improve-your-credit-score.go

I'm glad I had this experience!

101 things in 1001 days #12 Read Louisa May Alcott's 8 classic books

Here is my report of the last of the Louisa May Alcott books.  It was a wonderful experience!

Rose in Bloom

This is the sequel to “Eight Cousins” and further tells the story of Rose and her friends and family.  It is a great piece of historical fiction because it tells a lot about how life was like during this era, particularly when it comes to dating and courtship.  Again, one of the things I really enjoy about the Rose books is the presence of a really strong father figure in Uncle Alec.  He is one of my favorite Alcott characters.  The book does get a bit slow at times, but overall it is very worth it.  There are beautiful love stories involved and even though one may make you go “Huh?” it again gives us a glimpse of how life was in those days.  I loved this book!

Under the Lilacs

This is one of Alcott’s lesser known works.  It the story of Ben, a run-away from the circus and his dog Sancho.  He finds a surrogate mother/big sister to stay with and begins life as a somewhat normal kid.  There are many fun adventures along the way and many sweet moments.  It does drag at times but there is one particular scene in the book that is so heart-warming, I will bet that it will make you cry.   Of all Alcott’s books, this one is probably the most designed for children and gives the characters a “happily ever after” that is worthy of the fairy-tales.

Jack and Jill

I love this book! Again, it is one of Alcott’s lesser known works.  It is the story of two best friends, Jack and Janey.  Because they are always together, Janey is nicknamed Jill after Jack and Jill from the nursery rhyme.  A tragic sledding accident leaves them bed-ridden for the winter and while Jack gets better quickly, Jill doesn’t fare so well.  It is a delightful coming-of –age story about them and their friends and family.  I love the two mother characters in the story.  Jack’s mother is especially beautifully written.  This was my second time reading it and when I came across this line it made me smile just like the first time.  In talking about one of the characters, it said she “remained a merry spinster all her days, one of the independent, brave, and busy creatures of whom there is such need in the world to help take care of other peoples' wives and children, and do the many useful jobs that the married folk have no time for.” Of course I want to be married but it that is not to be in this life, I hope that I can be like that.

An Old-Fashioned Girl

Hands down, “An Old Fashioned Girl” is my favorite Alcott book outside the Little Women series.  I have read it several times and each time it does me so much good.  I wish Louisa had written several Polly books.  Polly Milton is a girl from the country who goes to stay with a friend’s family who lives in the city.  She is such a beautiful and inspiring character.  In each of Alcott’s books there seems to be one character who an angel on earth of sorts.  As much as I love Beth from Little Women, Polly is much more of relatable character.  She is an inspiration but also loses her temper and has struggles.  Her relationship with the Shaw family is wonderful and I particularly love the surrogate father/daughter relationship that develops between her and Mr. Shaw.  I love the beautiful love story as well.  Each time I close this book at the end I feel a little sad.  Each time I start it, it makes me smile.  It is a lovely story! 

101 things in 1001 days #1 Read the Standard Works

           When I first started making out my 101 things in 1001 days list, I knew this was one of the things I wanted to do.  I found a great chart that helps you read the standard works in a year.   Regular scripture study has not been an easy thing for me.  There have been times when I have felt I was too busy and to be honest, not very interested. I felt there were other things I would have rather spent my time reading.  But I wanted to do better and I believed that being in the scriptures daily would bless my life.  Yesterday, I finished the last chapter of Revelations and read the Articles of Faith, finishing off the Pearl of Great Price.  What an absolute blessing this goal has been! I am so grateful that I did it!

I started reading the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon together.  I loved the familiar stories at the start of the Old Testament, of Abraham, Issac, Jacob and Joseph, and Moses and him setting the children of Israel free. I decided to read two of the designated sections each day because the stories were so interesting, I didn’t want to stop.  As I got further into the “law” section of the Old Testament, I did get bored often but kept plugging along.  I enjoyed the stories of David and Solomon.  I LOVED Psalms and Proverbs.  Isaiah was not as hard as I thought it would be to get through but Jeremiah was the hardest book for me. 

I loved reading the Book of Mormon at the same time and seeing how they all fit together.  For anyone reading this who is unfamiliar with The Book of Mormon, it is a record of the people on the American continent some of whom left the Jerusalem area just before the Babylonian captivity and some who left the area at the time of the tower of Babel, as well as other people.  It also includes Jesus Christ’s visit to that continent after his resurrection.  I loved getting the added perspective and history that came with reading these two books simultaneously. It also gave me added perspective about how they complement each other so well.  In the Old Testament, Jehovah is often portrayed as being angry and ready to destroy.  We need The Book of Mormon in our lives to help us understand better the character and nature of Jehovah and his incredible mercy. 

After I finished the Book of Mormon, I started on the Doctrine and Covenants, which is a book of revelations and commandments received by the prophet Joseph Smith during the time of the restoration of the church.  I loved reading this book and imagining all the extraordinary things that happened during that time.  It helped me gain an added appreciation for temples and helped strengthen my testimony and gratitude for revelation, both on a personal and prophetic level.  Again and again, I saw evidence that the Lord is very much aware of his people. 

I really enjoyed reading the New Testament.  I am very familiar with the four gospels but I loved reading about the life of our Savior again.  I think my favorite part of the entire experience of reading the Standard Works was reading the writings of Paul.  What an inspired and wonderful apostle! His words strengthened me many times and helped me want to be a better person.  Revelations was another book that was tough to get through but was inspiring at the same time.  What an incredible experience John had!

The Pearl of Great Price is indeed a treasure.  There is the book of Moses, part of the Bible translation Joseph Smith did.  There is the book of Abraham, which is the translation of some Egyptian writings that were found in the early days of the church.  There is Joseph Smith: Matthew, which is Matthew 24 and part of the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible.  There is the Joseph Smith history in which the prophet gives an account of his First Vision among other things, and The Articles of Faith, part of a letter stating what we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints believe.  There is so much in this small book of scripture.  We learn so much about who we are and our divine potential.  I absolutely loved reading it.  As I read the account of the First Vision again I felt the Holy Ghost confirming to me again that it is all true.  I wanted to read the last of the Joseph Smith history yesterday because it talks about the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood and yesterday was the anniversary of that great event.  I was a little sad to have it all over when I closed the book on the Bible and the Pearl of Great Price yesterday.  I really have noticed a difference in my life as I’ve read the scriptures every day.  I found that I missed the experience if there was a day I couldn’t do it.  I simply felt better and became better each day because of it.  I’m so glad I chose this goal! Here is the link to the chart I used if you would like to try this.  I can highly recommend it!! 

http://www.cityapplications.com/scripture_schedule_fullpage-4.pdf

To all my fellow "Take-my-Timers"

It all happened about a week ago.  Something needed to be done and very quickly.  Thankfully I had help but a scenario played out that I have seen many times. People hover for a few minutes and then gently suggest that maybe they take over and I go do a simpler task.  Then I watch as they do what I was just doing much more quickly.  I found myself waking up at 4:00 in the morning that next day haunted by two words that I have heard a lot in my life.  I felt bad because I was just “too slow.”

  I have always been one to take my time.  I was the girl in first grade who was let out for lunch a few minutes early because the cafeteria was downstairs and my teacher was worried I would get trampled by the rush of kids running to lunch.  I am the employee who carefully visits and revisits each step of a process to make sure I am doing things correctly.  I have heard the words “slow as a…snail, molasses in January etc.” one too many times.  And inside my inner critic has translated “not quick enough” into “not good enough.” 

Thankfully, God is more powerful than the inner critic and kinder too and has gently been helping me to realize that I need to let that go.  The day after my early morning scolding of myself for being too slow, I was watching a Star Trek movie I have seen a hundred times.  Captain Picard finds himself on a planet where eternal youth has created a much slower existence for its inhabitants.  While enjoying a leisurely evening walk with an enchanting woman, she tells him that many of their younger generation are attracted to stories of a faster pace of life.  “Many of my people who live that faster pace of life, would sell their souls to slow it down,” he replies.  The words struck me.  A slower approach to life could be a blessing and I was making it out to be a curse. The very next day, I was sitting in a Sunday School class and we were discussing what it means to “feast upon the words of Christ,” a scripture phrase from the Book of Mormon.  A friend raised her hand and I know she doesn’t have any idea how much her words affected me.  She said that when we feast on food we slow down, we savor; we take our time. “Slow down”, “savor”, “take our time”, I wrote them in the margins of my scriptures.  I felt like I did when I was a little girl and first heard Mister Rogers sing “I like to take my time for if I should have to do it right, I like to take my time to do it right.”  I remember so clearly as a child feeling relief to hear those words coming from the television.  I felt that same relief hearing the words of my friend and the sweet confirmation of the Holy Ghost.  When it comes to feasting upon the words of Christ, it is not only okay to slow down, savor, and take my time, it was what is needed.

 So, this message is for all those out there who take life at a slower pace; those being constantly told to hurry-up and who feel less because they aren’t as fast as everybody else.  My friends…don’t change.  Yes there may be some times when we need to pick up the pace and go faster but that doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with us.  There is something right.  The world needs all of us, the Speedy McFeelys and the take-my-timers. 

We may be the last ones out the door, or down the stairs for lunch.                                                       

There will always be someone who can do it faster than we can.
There may be many other ways to finish the statement “slow as a…”
And we may wake up at 4:00 am recounting all the ways we could have been faster.

                                                  

But we mustn’t ever give up this gift…

             

 For we know how to slow “it “down and really see sunsets, first snowfalls and lilac buds.                                                                                        
We can help others to stop and smell the roses or the scent of cinnamon toast in the morning. 
We know how to take our time and savor as we feast upon a Thanksgiving dinner, or on the words of Christ…or even just a simple, ordinary day. 

 

There is more to life than increasing its speed,” Mahatma Gandi