The First Loaves

I am a PERFECTIONIST. That has ups and downs. The ups are that when I do something, I try to do it perfectly. The downs are that I often times stray from doing something unless I do it perfectly.
Today, I decided that it's time for me to make my own Wheat Bread. My mom makes the MOST amazing wheat bread and I have helped her enough that I felt it was time for me to try it on my own. I had the recipe and paid scrupulous attention to every step. I was also stressed at every step thinking - if I do something wrong, this will have be a lost 4 hours of my life. Ironically enough, I'm the one who used to teach my missionaries - it's only failure if you don't learn from it. Yes, Becky, how about applying that advice to yourself.
Anyway, I made the dough and thought it may still be a little too sticky, but I had done and already added more flour than the recipe called for so I gave it over to the RISING stage. After stage 1 of rising, I thought, umm...I don't think it raised enough. Concerned but too late to change it, I prepared it for stage 2 and put it in my new bread pans. Near the end of the second hour of raising, I still didn't think it raised enough and was convinced I'd have one solid block of cooked dough - something more like a brick than the deliciousness I was hoping to eat with my fresh strawberry jam.
I put it in the oven to bake, a little pessimistic, but this is what I saw about 20 minutes through...
They looked to be rising and browning perfectly. My hope was renewed. I anxiously checked them though the oven window every 5 minutes and at the end, this is what I got
2 beautiful loaves of bread and some strawberry jam. I have sampled a little bit of the bread and I'm pleased. I give myself a Blue Ribbon for my first attempt at bread. We'll see if the BF approves - if so, I'll call it a victory. Little perfectionist Becky can now continue on peacefully with Saturday - not feeling like a failure.

Newly Enrolled

I LOVE learning! I do, maybe I'm addicted. I want to learn everything and I frequently get frustrated by what I don't know. I should probably not be too harsh on myself after all I'm only ALMOST-26. But alas, I think of all of the things that I want to understand. It's amazing how much you learn in college only to realize when you graduate that you have only covered .000001 percent of things to learn.
I can't financially justify grad school right now so I've taken it upon myself to be my own professor. I have been checking out textbooks online and my heart pitterpats at the mere thought of my own textbooks full of knowledge. They will even be filled with thought questions, applications, and test preps :) My first course by Professor Becky will be American Government and Politics - all 700 pages of it.
I've come to realize at work - where a common topic of conversation is politics, congressmen, and how they will affect our funding - that I don't really know much about the political atmosphere in the United States and while I don't want to turn into a person who debates politics all day every day, I feel the need to be more aware. Luckily my text book will cover everything from the creation of the Constitution up to the recent issues that we face. I'm pretty excited!
Hopefully I get an A.
After that I think I'll pursue a Nutritional Course, maybe a History of Modern Music Course, and then ... okay the list really never ends. So, if anyone has any ideas of good books on nutrition or music, let me know! (Cheri, just sell me your text book when you're done.)
Alright, now that I'm all motivated to learn and know everything, I must go remind myself that "all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he hath strength. And, again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order."
For those of you like me who have a serious lack of patience with themselves, keep that in mind. Keep the goal to learn and know and do everything, just remember to enjoy doing it one day at a time.