Waffles and a Fairy Tale

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Hey all! Hoping your Tuesday has been as awesome as mine has started out! Yesterday I told you all about finding a waffle maker. This morning I put it to good use. I pulled out my ragged old copy of the Betty Crocker Cookbook and found a recipe for waffles. It called for buttermilk, which I actually had in the fridge! I eagerly whipped up a batch, anticipating the chorus of delight from my children once they had forked their first mouthful of waffle in. I was not disappointed! They loved them, and I was one proud Mama. It felt wonderful to provide my kiddos with a filling, wholesome breakfast, made with love and care in my own kitchen. I know it might sound a bit, well, loony to gush on about something as trivial as homemade waffles, but to me it is a big deal.

I guess the best way to explain is by a fairy tale I once heard. Once upon a time, there was a little girl born in the Green Mountains of Vermont. She grew up dreaming of living on a farm. She dreamed of a beautiful white farm house with a large red barn filled with cows and horses. There would be a large garden in the summer, cornstalks and pumpkins in the fall, sap buckets on the maples in the spring and sleigh tracks in the snow during the winter. She would be awakened by the crow of a rooster in the morning and go to sleep by the sweet sound of cows lowing in the barn. (O.k, I know this sounds crazy, but stick with me!)

The girl grew up and married her Prince Charming, moving into their own home shortly after the wedding. She was thrilled to be in her own home, but unfortunately this Princess was long on the daydreams & fantasies, short on ambition and discipline. Her house looked more like the pig sty she once envisioned, minus the pigs. Even after the birth of her first 2 children, she still couldn't get her act together. Homemade didn't happen very often, the house looked more like "Hoarders" than "Country Living", and her P.C. was not interested in livestock. There was a garden, yes, but it was sickly looking and usually full of weeds. The dreams of a truly rural life lay dormant under debris and self-loathing.

One day while pregnant with her third child, the Princess was visited by her Fairy Sister, who was actually a bit like an avenging angel. She sternly (loudly), but lovingly told the Princess to snap out of it, suck it up, and get busy. The Princess pulled herself up by her bootstraps and proceeded to never let her house get that awful again. The house was cleaned (as clean as it can be with 3 kiddos under 4 can be!) and she continued in good stead for a number of years.

Then, the Lord called to her and she answered. She invited Jesus into her heart and committed herself to living in His will. She taught her children about Him, introduced her Prince to Him and joined a loving congregation of fellow believers. Many of these believers were self-sufficient homeowners and owners of livestock and gardens. The Princess' dream of gardens and chickens came alive again, though she never expressed it in prayer. Long story short, the Lord answered the longings in her heart for a homestead and a family. The Princess endeavors to grow everyday to be more like Christ, to be a light to the world and her family, a Proverbs 31 wife and the Mother that her children deserve. Homemade waffles are just a jewel in the crown that she will lay at the foot of her King someday, but right now, that jewel is bright and gleaming with promises kept and yet to be fulfilled.

O.k., so that was long winded and perhaps hard to follow, and rather lame and embarrassingly true. And yes, I am that Princess. I am eternally thankful to my sister for giving me a well deserved dressing down, my mother and my Grammy Horton for teaching me how to cook and bake, my Grampy Horton for all of the wonderful memories of gardens and fresh veggies, my own Prince Charming that has loved and learned by my side. And  my Lord, Saviour, and King, for loving me when I was His enemy, calling me into His camp, and answering unspoken prayers.

Dear readers, it is my prayer that you would grow everyday in your walk with Jesus. If you don't know Him, He knows you, and is waiting for you with open arms.
Blessings,
Kelly