My and Maybe Your Kind of Unrefined Breakfast

Some make elaborate breakfasts with fancy flour, grains, and nuts. I definitely drool over a friend's site unrefinedkitchen.com. I would love to try her recipes, but in the meantime I'm on the run... working and packing for our big move in December.

This oatmeal has become my new favorite breakfast.

- mug
- oatmeal
- salt
- boiling water
- berries, optional

I take a large mug and throw in a handful of oats and half a pinch of salt. Then I pour boiling water on top and walk away to get ready for the day. After a while, I return and throw a few frozen berries in there (sometimes I add these before the water), grab a cup off coffee, and enjoy. Yummmmm.

In the meantime I've added coconut flour to camelcamelcamel.com - a price tracking site for Amazon (my favorite kind of shopping). When it hits a super low price, I'll snatch it and experiment.

Really Bad Eggs

Don't eat the floaters.

Glad I learned this trick before making a mistake.

Learning to wife!

I hate shopping.

Choices are my worst nightmare. I hate shopping but these were a super good deal at Coldwater Creek. I dragged myself there to return something and saw them. I took this picture and sent it to Josh. I ended up with the grey and cream ones. Grateful Josh loves to buy my clothes.

The lady who worked there felt bad for me as she watched me wander, nervously look around, and whisper on my phone.

I felt bad for me, too.

This tasted disgusting.

Learning to wife!

Steak

We had the incredible privilege of joining good friends for a birthday celebration at Manny's. Gals, you're probably like me in asking the the silly question "What's Manny's?" Save yourself the gasps and don't ask your husband. Just check out the website.

It's a big deal.

I learned the value of steak for a man.

I had crab stuffed halibut.

Learning to wife!

Homemade Yogurt

It's so easy. Especially with this maker and this thermometer/timer.

1. Heat 40oz of 2% or Whole milk in a saucepan until it starts to boil (180*F) for a couple minutes.
2. Let it cool to lukewarm (110*F). If you're in a hurry, put the saucepan in cold water, but it doesn't turn out as good.
3. Stir half the milk in a bowl with 3/4 cup of plain yogurt. You'll feel it start to thicken already! Add the other half.
4. Pour into cups. Leave alone for 8 hours (for Whole) or 9 hours (for 2%).
5. Refrigerate and enjoy!
   
   You can add fruit, jam, or other flavorings before filling the jars, but I don't. We like to add our own flavorings afterward. I mostly eat it plain or sprinkle some cinnamon on it. We love to eat it with rice and curry.

Just make sure you start it at a reasonable hour or you'll have to set an alarm. Oh, and don't use Skim milk. Learning to wife!

How do you make/like your yogurt?

Hot or Cold: Can't we all just get along?

Are you task-oriented or relationship-oriented? Do you focus more on doing or being? Do you tend to think objectively or subjectively? No right or wrong answers.

Josh and I are taking Perspectives, an in-depth study on the World Christian Movement. Absolutely phenomenal. It is some of the best training I've received in preparation for missionary service.

Anyway.

I had a learning to wife moment in class last night.

We were looking at the generalized characteristics of the world's two cultural "halves." This refers to the concept that the world can be divided into two cultures: hot and cold. Read this. Westerners tend to be cold-climate cultures and the majority of the rest of the world tend to be hot-climate cultures. We received a handout that described both "cultures." Its purpose was to self-evaluate and understand from where we're coming when entering another culture. Josh and I of course charted our way down the list. As expected he leaned cold, and I leaned hot. What can I say? I'm a TCK (third-culture kid) from Bangladesh. Of course I wasn't across the board hot... but Josh conveniently was hot on areas I'm cold.

Weird.

Examples:

• I multitask and feel time is limitless (hot), and he focuses on one thing at a time and prioritizes efficiency (cold). 
• I am time-oriented (cold), focusing on punctuality and goals. Josh is event-oriented (hot), focusing on completion, quality and solutions.

CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

It was fun getting to know each other a little better, but the instructor brought a valuable point to the discussion. It's not about judging what's the right or wrong way to be. There are no right or wrong "cultures." God has beautifully created the diversity.

I'm reminded that God has made Josh and me very different.  

We see the world from opposite angles in a lot of ways, but we're excited to see the way God is going to use us as we bring our "cultures" together under Christ. After all, isn't that was he's doing with all the nations? All those cultures are going to be represented before the throne one day. I think we'll get along just fine.