meeting with God in my kitchen

I've been in the cooking and baking mood lately. It's been quite fun making things from scratch. And honestly, I've had some really sweet times with the Lord as I've used my relatively inexperienced hands to make some yummy food for my family.

The other day, I woke up with an overwhelming desire to get out my bread maker and bake some fresh bread. Thankfully, I had all the ingredients on hand to make it! (Here's the recipe)

That night, I made yummy chicken with a crunchy topping (made from stuffing mix and melted butter), turnips, and squash (courtesy of my sweet mother-in-law). And we had that whole loaf of warm bread with butter. Delicious! 

I had two peaches left out of the bunch that I got from the farmer's market last week. And I knew two peaches wouldn't last very long with our bunch of seven! So, I got the idea to make a small peach cobbler. I found this really simple recipe online, and I was so pleased with the result! I had just enough peaches for it, and it was so delicious. Everyone loved it! 

I'm really starting to love this little corner in my home. 

It's been helping me to bring my family a lot of joy lately! 

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 Then, yesterday, after breakfast, I got the idea in my head that I wanted to learn how to make fresh pasta. I don't have a pasta making machine, but I knew there must be a way to do it all by hand. So, I looked around on youtube to find a video on how to do it. And I found this one that was just awesome. It inspired me and gave me the courage to try it! (Remember, I do not consider myself to be very skilled in the kitchen.)

Here's the flour, salt, olive oil, and eggs directly on my kitchen counter. 

You mix it on the counter with your hands!

And here's the lovely ball of kneaded dough. 

 I had to knead that dough for 15 minutes straight. I was sweating! :) 

But, I gotta tell y'all - God met me there at my kitchen island as I kneaded that ball of dough. I was worried in the beginning that I had messed up because the dough was so sticky. It was stuck all over my hands, and it was very difficult to knead. But, as I kept on kneading and kneading, gradually, the texture started to change and the dough became more pliable and smoother and easier to work. And all of a sudden, it became this beautiful, smooth round ball of pasta dough. As I began to notice the transformation of the dough while I was kneading, God started speaking straight to me. It was as if He said to my heart,

"Lora, that's what I've been doing with you. I've been kneading you, kneading your heart. I know it's been a hard journey for you lately. You've experienced pain, hurt, sadness, trials, loneliness, hard times, and disappointments. But, as you've been tested and tried, as you've been "kneaded", you've become less "sticky". The cares of this world, the opinions of others, and the harsh words that others have said to you don't stick to you like they used to. They starting to slide right off of you, and into My hands. You are learning whose opinion matters the most - Mine. And You are becoming pliable, moldable - so that I can make you more like Jesus."

 I continued kneading that dough, with tears running down my face.

 I love the Lord. I love how He speaks to me in the everyday, mundane activities. I love how He knows how to get my attention. I love how He can take the hard things in our lives, the parts we'd like to forget, and make them golden. Make them beautiful. 

Benjamin and I rolled the dough out and then cut it into shapes (he chose circles and I made bow-ties) a few hours later. It was a lot of fun!

And here's my delicious dinner of fresh bow-tie pasta with homemade tomato meat sauce with parmesan cheese. It was so good, y'all! So fresh! And I was so so proud of myself!

This is me at 11pm that night. My kitchen was a total disaster, and I did not feel like cleaning at all. But, I put on some worship music and sang along while I washed all the dishes. I was totally exhausted, but it felt good to clean up and I knew that I had blessed my family with a delicious homemade dinner!

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I am constantly amazed at how God reaches down to speak to me, right where I am. He is so accessible. He is totally available. All the time. Anywhere. If only I would call upon Him more and give Him total freedom everyday to let Him rule and reign in my life! I am definitely a work-in-progress. I don't have it all together. I am a sinner saved by grace. And oh, how thankful I am for that grace.

May we all find joy in our journeys. Our journeys toward His heart.