Saturday, Part II: Ode to Danish 'Favorit'-es.



Our delightful Saturday continued with a visit from Kell-Bells, Denise & Matt, who joined us for a potluck and ode to our Danish favorites!

The original impetus for the occasion was to savor two precious bottles of 'Jensens Favorit Sauce', imported from DK earlier this year and due to expire soon.



The flavor of this sauce is difficult to describe and Danes laugh over the fact that we are so very fond of it. But we are. We are so very fond of it. It is served at a Danish steakhouse called, 'Jensens Bofhus' (kind of a Danish Black Angus; hence the reason Danes laugh at us) and is kind of a complex tomato, cream, paprika, curry--je ne sais quoi kind of a sauce. Not piquant or especially seasoned..mellow but complex. And, as of yet, despite our best efforts, Kelly and I have been unable to sleuth the recipe.



We decided to crown the event with a smorgasboard of sumptuous Danish desserts: Denise made amazing crepes with cherry and apple pie fillings, Nutella (nectar of the gods) and bananas---mmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!



As if this wasn't enough, Kelly magically re-created a to-die for version of the Danish pastry, 'Thé Birkes' also known as 'Copenhagen Birkes' by people who live on Jutland. A rich, flaky pastry with a buttery sweet 'almond-ish' paste and crowned with poppy seeds--Kelly's version was AMAZING. Kelly's thé birkes rival any homemade version I ever tasted while living there (only actual Danish bakers have the time, know-how and equipment to actually roll 40 layers of butter into a pastry.) GOOOOOO KELLY! Readers: if you are lucky, perhaps she will out with her recipe. (See these works of art, below.)



And, finally, our contribution to dulce was 'Kransekage' (a baked marzipan-like cookie) and strawberry 'Guf' (a pink, marshmallow-creme like topping for ice cream).



Audrey wanted to play 'Wee' again.

Saturday, Part I: Wee!!!


Ah, it's the weekend! And how we have enjoyed it. Started off the day with a potluck of pancakes & breakfast burritos, together with our friends & neighbors, the Sullivans (minus Wesley!).


As always, Daren (aka 'Drill Sargent' aka 'Sully') entertains the crowd. On this particular day, he had everyone rolling from stories about his poverty-stricken childhood in Mississippi. Among other things, they were so poor that his dad gave him a ball-bearing to play with as a toy. (Which he peeled the paint off and did, indeed, play with.)

Another time, Sully's dad told he and his brother not to park their bikes where he parked his truck in their driveway. One day, the boys were playing inside when they heard Dad honking his horn outside. They ran outside to see their father patiently waiting in his truck, their bikes parked in Dad's spot. Once they appear, he hits the gas and runs his truck staight over their bikes. They were so poor that afterwards, the boys tried to straighten the cycles out and ride them anyway. I guess that taught them a lesson.




Since the Morris family has pathetically few cool toys, the girls 'make do' playing what we now call, "Wee!!" --bowling the old fashioned style, down our entryway. Low-tech, but fun.








Later, Audrey & her daddy brush up on homeowner tax breaks.

Jello & other molds


The Flylady says that you should stay on top of the laundry so that it won't get out of control.
And since the arrival of our baby, we really couldn't agree more.

So each day, I faithfully wash & (most of the time) dry, at least one load.

Most days, however, I seem to be falling down on the whole 'folding' part of the job. Consequently, 3 or 4 loads pile up inside of my laundry basket and lo and behold, the 'Laundry Mold' was invented.

A distant cousin of the infamous Jello Mold, the Laundry Mold is no less important to the success of the American household.

A CLOSE-UP OF THE LAUNDRY MOLD
(Notice how sheets, blankets, underwear and clothes meld together into one harmonious, wrinkly mass. Ebony and ivory...)

Mike's Nana irons her bedsheets and pillow cases--has for 50 years. Denise once demonstrated how she and Martha Stewart fold a fitted sheet.

In this house, we're lucky if the clothes get peeled apart and folded into crumpled piles, before they are called upon again.

P.S. A HOUSEHOLD TIP:
Ever forget about a load in the washer and end up with that 'not so fresh' mildewy smell? For heavens sake, don't dry it in the dryer or the odor will be baked in FOREVER.
Instead, re-wash in cold water, adding vinegar & Oxyclean instead of detergent. If you really want to impress family and friends, add a splash of fabric softener in the spin cycle.

Vanidad

After listening to the Yahoo! debates regarding Health Care in our country and the possibility of change--even the prospect of universal health care, I wrote a long political rant --and then just deleted the entire thing.

Sorry for dragging you down, friends, but it's all hopeless. Our system is every bit as corrupt as Nigeria's; it's just more clean-cut and preppy looking, with its' hair neatly parted on the side.

Our citizens are too busy watching tv and reading gossip mags to sort through the political rhetoric and vote for someone who might actually change things. So most people will vote for the person who looks most like he/she could be on West Wing or who's wife wears the cutest outfits. And change certainly won't come from Insurance or Pharmaceutical companies who have nothing to gain and everything to lose from a well-informed, rational-minded citizenry. Are you kidding? There's lots and lots of money to be made from ignorance. LOTS. WAY more than to be made from mandating universal health care (listen to John Edwards on this issue).

And I'm not even partisan. All about the issues. All about not mixing up the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of Man (must read: 'Myth of a Christian Nation').

Vanidad, vanidad. Todo es vanidad.

Words

My wee sis' Kelly posted this tag list to her blog and I accepted the challenge to create my own version.

Your favorite item: Photos
Yourself: Pondering
Your partner: Beloved
Your hair: Few
Your dream last night: Weird
Your favorite drink: Chardonnay
Your dream car: Jeep
Dream home: Vineyard
The room you are in: Living
Your fear: Deceived
Where you want to be in 10 years: Home
Who you hung out with last night: Hubby
You're not: Phony
One of your wish list items: View
The last thing you did: Coffee
You are wearing: Sweats
Your favorite weather: Autumnal
Your favorite book: Profound
Last thing you ate: Danish
Your life: Full
Your mood: Present
Your best friend: Constant
What are you thinking about right now: Namasté
Your car: Explorer
What are you doing at the moment: Writing
Relationship status: Fulfilled
What is on your t.v: Disks
When is the last time you laughed: Yesterday
When is the last time you cried: Yesterday

Please pray

Today M's cousin, Vicki, lost her boyfriend, Tom, in a helicopter crash. They both work for Powerboat magazine and were together doing a photo shoot in Florida. Tom was one of two men killed. He has two young sons. We cannot even begin to imagine their pain.

Please join us in praying that, somehow, they will sense God's love and peaceful presence with them during this very dark night.

Congratulations


Many congrats and blessings to our friends, Lone and Eric who just celebrated their 6 year wedding anniversary!

P.S. Mike to Eric: 'What happened to the fro?'

Here is Eric in Denmark, May of 2007; Are fro's outlawed in Snohomish? We dug it.

Church: Part 2

Author Donald Miller captures many of my own thoughts and feelings when it comes to finding a church 'home' nowadays. Chapter 12 of 'Blue Like Jazz' is titled, 'Church- How I go without getting angry.' Miller articulates these thoughts more poignantly, humorously, insightfully and concisely than I ever could.

So, Mr. Miller, I hope you don't mind...

Donald Miller: "I suppose we need them. The institutions. The corporations. But mostly I don't like them. I don't have to like them either. It's my right.

I don't like church, either, for the same reason. Or I should say, I didn't like church. I like attending a Catholic service every once in a while, but I think that is because it feels different to me. I grew up Baptist."

B. Morris: I grew up Baptist and like attending Catholic services sometimes too. Probably because there is a sense of simplicity and depth at the same time. A sense of reverence and holiness. No cup holders in the seats or people loudly stirring their ice lattés during the sermon. No one 'producing' the singing or trying to be the next Tommy Walker. Or constantly referencing reality shows and sports stories.

Because it's challenging to get to know Jesus as He really is/was--rather than who a particular denomination fashions Him to be. (Come to find out, He cares about the 'already born' too; the weak, the poor, and the oppressed. Yep, even those in other countries. Shockingly, it turns out He doesn't even have a special preference for Americans.)

Donald Miller: "I like watching religious television every once in a while. It's better than Comedy Central. I want to study psychology so I can sit in front of religious television and figure out these people's problems. For a while I was very fascinated by televangelists. I couldn't afford a television ministry but I had a computer, so I would go into chat rooms and try to heal people. It was funny at first, but then it got boring.


B. Morris: Yeah, I know that all sin is supposed to be equal, but I actually think that God has a special place in hell for 'ministers' who weasle money out of weak-minded spiritual seekers, in Jesus' name. Remember the whole moneychangers in the temple thing? He was pretty darn mad, to put it mildly.

Donald Miller: "Some of my friends have left their churches and gone Greek Orthodox. I think that sounds cool. Greek Orthodox. Unless you are Greek. Then it sounds like where you are supposed to go, as though you are a conformist. If I were Greek, I would never go to a Greek Orthodox church. If I were Greek, I would go to a Baptist church. Everyone there would think I was exotic and cool.

I go to a church now that I love. I never thought that I would say that about a church. I never thought I could love a church....in the churches I used to go to, I felt like I didn't fit in. I always felt like the adopted kid, "as if there were room at the table for me." Do you know what I mean? I was accepted, but not understood. There was room at the table for me, but I wasn't in the family.

It doesn't do any good to bash churches, so I am not making blanket statements against the church as a whole. I have only been involved in a few churches, but I had the same tension with each of them; that's the only reason I bring it up."

B. Morris: I feel like making blanket statements and church bashing, so I think I'll keep quiet. Except to say that Taizé needs to do some church 'planting' here in the States. It would be ABS OLUTELY. SPIRITUALLY. GROUNDBREAKING. And even though the church technically is anywhere two or more are gathered in his name, we too pray that God will lead us somewhere that we can love and feel we belong.

Church: Part 1
In lieu of church bashing, I'll borrow words from others on the subject.

First, what the Bible says about church attendance?

Nothing. When the New Testament was written, there was no such thing as church buildings, pastors, etc. What the Bible does say (among other things), is that those who follow Jesus are a part of His church (Mt. 18.20), and that we should regularly be together with other followers. Being together, loving and sharing in the spirit of Jesus.

Sometimes our church meets at the park on a slide...



or on a blanket eating guacamole and chips...






or reunites at a friends house...





or in pj's and a pink cowboy hat...

Hate the one, love the other


"Hate the one and love the other?" Thems be pretty extreme words.

While in Portland, we visited two very cool churches--one called 'Imago Dei' (= in God's image.) For those of you who might be familiar with the author of 'Blue Like Jazz,' Donald Miller, this is the church he often mentions in his books. (BTW: Blue like Jazz is highly recommended reading. A genre you may have never encountered. Hilarious and deep spiritual insights, written very honestly.)

Anyways, visiting an Imago Dei service was a very unique and inspiring experience for many reasons. One of them was hearing about a ministry they have called, 'Financial Peace University.' One member got up and told about how, several years ago, he and his wife had realized they had a dream of going to work abroad helping children, but how because of "their desire for material things" they would have to raise an unrealistically large amount of support to cover their burden of debt.

He said that he clearly heard God speaking to them through a verse I've heard SO many times and yet when he read it in connection with their story, it sounded completely fresh:

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

Wow. Why didn't I hear it that way before?

He said that they wanted to serve God, but that unfortunately they were not free to do so because of their impulsive material desires. Long story short, he also told about how they were now financially free, thanks to a ministry called 'Financial Peace University'--a course that the church was running on money, debt, spending, etc.

Now, obviously, money itself is not evil; it is a blessing from God in so much as it enables us to meet needs--our own and others.

Every time I sit down to pay bills, my heart fills with overwhelming gratitude that God has, once again, given us the resources to pay the mortgage, electricity, health insurance, etc.

But here's what hit me so hard:

1.) A person cannot serve both God and money.

Mutually exclusive? Apparently so. We're talking about serving here.

2.) A person can actually serve money.

Just think about that. One can offer oneself in servitude to cash-ola, spending, status, prestige, stuff, goods. Servicing these like a lowly slave. Giving up one's freedom.

3.) Money can be a master.

Like as in a cruel bastard who keeps slaves. As in: shackles. A very different master than God. In fact, God won't even let you serve him if you serve money. Impossible.

Holy canoli.

That's pretty extreme. And you'd think, in a society where even Jesus own followers are consumed by passion for material things, that we could give some of the typical topics a rest and hear a few more sermons about this matter that affects pretty much all of us. I know most churches to do a 'money' sermon here and there, but mostly it's about giving more to the church so that they can install cup-holders in the new auditorium or buy bigger woofers and flat-screens for the new $20 million children's center. Meanwhile, millions of God's other children, mostly invisible to us, have curable diarrhea and no food. Hmmm...God and money.

Supper with friends


Last night was another chance to enjoy time together with our good friends--Deb, John & Emma from Montana as well as Lori (Deb's sis) & Brian (who live just 20 minutes away).

SNO-CONES SAVE LIVES

God is good to us in more ways than we can count but one of our greatest blessings is the gift of friends. Denise C. and Deborah W. are two of my oldest & dearest treasures. And how cool is it when your friends find awesome 'significant others' that double the circle of fun?!!


Denise and Matt visited this past Saturday...Audrey LOVES them both. In this pic, a very happy girl is being fed cheese by 'Aunt Niecy'.


Then, on Sunday, we had the pleasure of spending a whole day with Deb, John, and Emma (John's extremely sweet daughter) visiting all the way from Havre, Montana. These three are big NASCAR fans and took us along to a race at the California Speedway. First, we stopped for lunch at Islands (yum!)



"Are you ready to embark upon this redneck adventure?" asked John.

Neither M nor I had ever been to a race before and it was quite the experience. For starters, the heat was diabolical. Seriously, 115 degrees F and humid. (FYI: Audrey stayed home with Grandma.) We were drenched in sweat 15 seconds after leaving the car. (Oh, and did I mention that we have sinus infections?) Armed with Sinutab, sunscreen and tons of water, my feet were already scorching as we crossed the parking lot, but we were curious and glad to be taking the plunge with experts.

And I do mean experts because there's alot more to this racing thing than we knew. Apparently, everyone has a 'driver' that they root for and since we knew nothing about the sport whatsoever, John was kind enough to pick Dale Ernhardt Jr. for me and guided M towards Jeff Burton. He even bought us both t-shirts the day before. Each driver is a celebrity of sorts, with his own personality-profile, driving & team style, etc.



We arrived a couple hours before the race to view the pre-race hubbub and observe the phenomenon of so many rednecks gathered in one place. We all had quite a few laughs--it was quite the sight and I will muster all that is within me not to say more on that subject.

It was a fun time hanging with our friends, the race was thrilling and fun to get the low-down on the sport . WOW do those cars get some serious speed!!!!!!


Emma had the 411 on every driver; she's been learning from her dad since she was little.


Did you know that sno-cones save lives? These XL ones literally did. If they would have cost $20 each, I would have gladly paid it.


M really got into the race--'his' driver did really well.

Signs



Thank you, Deanna. My friend encouraged us to use baby signs as a way of communicating with Audrey, so that she can communicate with us before she is able to verbalize. Instead of getting frustrated, it is SO cool that our tiny little 1 year old can tell us that she is hungry, thirsty, wants to hear music, hears the phone ringing, sees a dog...or any other animal.

The dog thing brings me to an even deeper insight that this recently gave me: Audrey is learning the signs from me. Oh sure, every once in a while she will make up a sign herself, but mostly, she is limited to using the vocabulary I am able to give her.

This reminded me of a serious responsibility that I have to expand, enhance and improve my own life 'vocabulary'. A book I read about parenting explained that children 'read' from their parents what is good and acceptable and are, in many ways, limited to the emotional vocabulary that their mom and dad possess. This makes a ton of sense, explaining why so many of us find ourselves stunted in a particular area and how it never works to stuff baggage under the rug. Now, of course we need to take responsibility for our own growth as empowered adults--which brings me back to my original point: the only animal sign that I have learned thus far is 'dog.' As such, poor little animal-obsessed Audrey has only one pathetic sign to tell us about all the creatures she sees. And she calls them all dogs.

With Gods grace and help, I am reminded of the power and responsibility to give our daughter the healthiest and most comprehensive repertoire possible.

Choosing L'Chayim (Life)


"I am offering you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Since I have often heard God speaking these very words to my own heart, today's daily devotional from Henry Nouwen was a poignant reminder. (I have clipped and pasted it verbatim at the end of this blog posting)

My close friend Marian has a spiritual mentor named 'Sister Regina' who I had the privilege of speaking with on a retreat a few years ago. She said that God's will is not a tightrope; some sort of tricky and precarious wire that we walk, about to fall off at any moment. And that God doesn't sit around sadistically rubbing his hands together waiting for us to discern it. God is sovereign (His ultimate will, will be done)--but he has given us a brain, heart, free will, dreams and desires. And that he wants to partner with us in a creative way to see what we will do with the life that he has given us. That more than anything, His will for us is to choose life because that's where Jesus is ("I am the way, the truth and the life"). The Bible also says it like this: 'walk in the light.'

Sister Regina recommended an exercise that has been very helpful to me: at the end of each day, reflect back on the day, going through it chronologically and noticing what things, people, etc. brought light and life into your heart; and which ones brought darkness--and even a feeling of death. Darkness and death are extreme words, but I'm convinced you understand what I am speaking of. Then pray that God will help us to choose to fill our time with those things which bring light and life into our day and to run away from those which do not. "Go where there is life," she said. And the moment you notice that you are caught in a cloud of darkness quickly call out to God, "Lord, get me out of here!" And he will quickly be at your side to put you back on the path to life.


This is a picture at that same retreat in Denmark Spring of 2005. What a cute baby lamb--too bad God calls us sheep rather than lambs. Lambs are much cuter.

P.S. Mall massages definitely bring light.

Henry Nouwen daily devotional for August 31, 2007:

God says, "I am offering you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

"Choose life." That's God's call for us, and there is not a moment in which we do not have to make that choice. Life and death are always before us. In our imaginations, our thoughts, our words, our gestures, our actions ... even in our nonactions. This choice for life starts in a deep interior place. Underneath very life-affirming behaviour I can still harbour death-thoughts and death-feelings. The most important question is not "Do I kill?" but "Do I carry a blessing in my heart or a curse?" The bullet that kills is only the final instrument of the hatred that began being nurtured in the heart long before the gun was picked up.

Ok, for those of you who are frequent fliers, this site is gonna rock your world: seatguru.com .

On Seat Guru, you can see which seats on any given airline and plane are good or bad-which have extra leg room, obstructed views of movie screens, etc.

So Relax Massage

"What exactly is this?" you ask.


Well, let me answer your question with another one: 'can you afford dinner at Chiles?' If so, then you had better make yourself a sandwich at home instead and head straight to your local mall. Your excuses are all gone. This, my friends, is a picture of a very happy man. You might say he is, 'so relax.' As we were walking through the mall this afternoon, M suggested that I get a massage from one of those places right in the middle of the mall. You know the ones that we all hate to pass so we avert our eyes when they beckon kindly, 'free sample?!'

Ever sore and tired, M and I often discuss how we might just save up a million bucks and go get a massage one day. But alas the day does not come.

On the other hand, who in the heck actually pays money to get a massage while their butt sticks out into the middle of the mall and people are walking by?



We do--now. And holy cow we have been missing out, lemme tell ya. 'Cause for about $12 and no appointment, you can walk away a new man or woman. And unlike overpriced spa massages I've tried before, you really get your money's worth because they know you're only there for 10 minutes (or so) and therefore they really get down to business. No chit chat or cheating you out of 15 minutes. No siree. If you can't afford regular spa massages, go get a mall massage. Trust me, you won't regret it. Our only regret is that we haven't done it before now. Heck, the one of us walked around with the baby while the other got the knots and kinks worked out. A whole year full of sorely-needed massages, down the drain.

Mall massage rocks.