The Power of Three

Just butter, marshmallows, and Rice Krispies. That's it.

Back in the day. . . back when my son was not taller than me. . . I would make him Rice Krispie Treats. It was an easy way to give him a (sort of) healthy snack without heating up the kitchen. I actually made them so often, I no longer needed a recipe.

It's kinda funny. . . I'm like that with recipes and music. Once I've made a recipe a unspecified number of times, I know it. And, once I play a piece of music -- or sometimes, after just listening to it -- I know it, too.

Now, mind you -- I don't do a lot of baking by this method -- there is an exact chemistry to baking, and if you mess it up, you've got a mess. . .or a brick. So, unless I have committed a cake, bread, or muffin recipe to memory, I pull out a recipe to make it.

And, in the same way, I don't use the "think method" when playing music -- especially in front of people. But, I think you get what I'm saying.

My honey whole wheat bread can almost be made by "feel" as can my "regular" scones. I still check the amount of baking powder on the scones, to be sure. But, when it comes to casseroles, main dishes, and even some desserts -- once I've made them, I've learned them.

Rice Krispie Treats -- no recipe? No problem.

And. . .back in the day, I remember feeling a sense of pride that I could make them without a recipe. I know it's weird. But, I guess because I knew that my making them brought joy to Edison -- and that I'd done it so often, it just happened naturally -- well, that made me feel like "one of those moms," and I took pride in that.

Looking back, that was kinda silly. But this afternoon, as I hastily threw a batch together, while Mark was cooking hamburgers on the grill, I laughed at my ability to throw one stick of butter in the pan, and just add marshmallows & Rice Krispies until I got the right consistency. (I also had a half-bag of marshmallows to use up, and 1/3 of a box of Rice Krispies to use up before opening the new packages) Measuring? Pah! I'm the "Mom Who Makes Rice Krispie Treats by Heart!"

I realize that was a frivolous way to begin a post -- but it was on my mind. . .and you come here to read what's on my mind. So, who's the silly rabbit, eh?

We began a new Beth Moore study at church a couple weeks ago -- and I'm really liking it. It's based on the Fruits of the Spirit, found in Galatians 5:22 & 23. The first two weeks are somewhat foundational -- getting a sense of who the Holy Spirit is--and what role he plays in our lives. But this coming week -- we're hitting the fruits head-on. (It sounded good in my head)

Of course, the first one is love and I'm anxious to read and learn more about it this week. Fruits I'm not looking forward to? Gentleness and Self-Control.

. . .not that I'm opposed to either one. But, I have this notion that those are going to be weeks where I struggle with myself. And trust me, I'm sure the other seven fruits will hit me squarely between the eyes, as well. (Yes, I know. . . that sounded better in my head, too)

One last thing. . . over the next two days, I'm taking a small leap of faith. Or, rather, I'm allowing my children to each take leaps of faith -- and I won't be with them when they do. . .

Tomorrow, the children's ministry of the church is taking an adventure trip on a hike in the Smokies. It's supposedly an easy trail -- something Caroline should be able to manage with limited assistance. Edison, and one of Caroline's favorite babysitters (Caitlin) will be going along -- and their primary responsibility will be Caroline. Now, our children's minister, youth minister, and at least one of their wives will be hiking -- as well as Baby James' mom, Kathy. So, I know Caroline will be cared for -- and I think I scared Edison nearly into not going because I wanted him to understand the (enormous) amount of faith I'm putting in him--taking Caroline on this guided hike. (There will also be a handful of other preschool moms with their kids--so she will be totally safe) But, I needed him to understand how focused he needs to be--and how much kindness and gentleness he needs to demonstrate with Caroline.

I'm sure they'll be fine--and as I learned at Bible Study tonight--I'm praying that God will absolutely STOP her from going, if this is a bad decision. The adults that are going on the trip seem confident that she'll be allright. So, I'm basically giving the Holy Spirit permission to have her puke -- even all over me -- if that's what I need to receive to keep her home tomorrow.

I'd go--but I have a lot of work that I still need to do, in order to take Friday as a day off. It's a holiday--so I'm going to take it. But, I've got a somewhat short to-do list that is going to demand my attention tomorrow.

So. . . I have got to show some faith--and let my baby girl start to grow up, some. (To say nothing of my baby boy who is gaining all sorts of new responsibilities)

Then, on Friday, Edison is "cashing in" on one of his Christmas presents. My cousin's fiance is taking him 4-wheeling.

[Side note: You know. . .when I got my hair cut today, I should have had Susuan (spelled correctly) count the gray hairs, because I am convinced that there'll be more of them by the end of this week than there were today.]

Edison is going 4-wheeling with Tom.
Edison is going 4-wheeling with Tom.
Edison is going 4-wheeling with Tom.

Nope--no matter how many times I type it, it's still tough to swallow!

Tom has asked Edison to be one of the groomsmen at their wedding in October -- and the two of them have some special connections besides Tom becoming part of our family. The two of them share an interest in paintball, 4-wheeling, fireworks, and football.

'POP' another hair just turned gray.

So, although I'm certain Tom will keep my (big) baby safe -- I'm a little nervous. I would send a camera with him/them, but I'm fairly certain it will come back either covered in mud. . .or not at all. So, I'll just have to picture the "fun" in my mind. (Yeah, that's what I'll do!)

So on Friday, while they're out risking their lives--Mark, Caroline, and I are going to pick up a new U.S. flag for the church, and then we're going out to lunch at Puleo's Grille. I've mentioned on here before how much I love this place! We've got a gift card -- which is big enough that we may even get to share a dessert. Yum!!! Then, after lunch, and flag-retrieving, we may stop in at HomeGoods, just to see what amazing deals they've got going on!

Basically, we're going to do whatever we can to keep my mind off of the fact that Edison will be out riding big vehicles in lots of dirt and mud with my cousin's fiance.

So there you have it -- the power of three. Three unrelated topics that surfaced out of my brain. Three ingredients to make a delicious treat. . .or a somewhat lengthy blog post. References to three of my passions: cooking, music, and family.

They say things (good and bad) happen in threes. Graphic artists and interior designers also talk about grouping things in three -- or seeing a page layout in thirds. And then, of course, there's the Trinity. Another set of three that is pretty awesome, to say the least.

Hopefully, you found this post to be as calming and balanced as a professionally designed room; and as delectably pleasing as sweets made with cereal products; and as comforting and awe-inspiring as. . .well, the Father, Son & Holy Spirit.

Amen. . . and amen.