Monday, July 27, 2015

Cassie's Hope Chest Series // The Cookbooks (+Q's Answered)

Cassie's Hope Chest Series The Cookbooks
Hello out there! Is my audience still around from my forgotten Hope Chest series? I surely hope so! As well as I hope you'll come out from hiding and join in again! Today is the sharing of my current cookbook collection, but you see, it has been months since my first addition and I will tell you why...

Cassie's Hope Chest Series // Cookbooks
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With great happiness I photographed my chest for my first post and then called Bek up to take these pictures for me you see here (or at least the ones of me in them.) Yes, this post has basically been saved in drafts since! (Now you understand the extra blankets on our beds and my Spring like attire!) Why? Well I'm getting to that...

I received a comment in my first Hope Chest posting by a follower, that was though well founded left me slightly downcast. Each time I went to put the second posting up, the words of the question packed comment hung over my head. I knew I needed to sort them out in the next issue, but I kept them at arms length; so the post sat.

Shall I begin? Here is the comment:

Hi! Reading this - and some other blogs who have also shared their hope chests - gives me quite a lot of questions ... I was wondering if it might be some inspiration for your next Why I post, Bekah?

I have the feeling that hope chests all point towards marriage - children - a husband, right? You then obviously believe you will get married? What if God has some other plan for you - don't you think that creating a hope chest focuses too much on what-might-happen (because not everyone does get married, even if they want to!) even if you don't know whether marrying is God's plan for you? I just don't 'get' the whole hope-chest idea, to be honest! It's like everything in your life is centred
[centered] about finding 'him' and starting a family(?)
I'm seriously not saying y'all are doing it wrong or something - I'm just curious!

~ Miss Molly Gibson



Especially after pouring out my own misgivings about this old tradition in said first post, I decided to just let things lay low. But now I've taken the next step forward, leaving my debacle behind to sort this out! :)

Firstly yes, these would have been a good Why I post indeed, but since Rebekah has mainly been head author of that ongoing series, and has not even started a hope chest as of now, I'll be dealing with them myself and right here. :)

Okay, first question (I have the feeling that hope chests all point towards marriage - children - a husband, right?), while this is indeed a mainly true fact, I don't believe it has to do with it entirely. While getting married one day is a large dream of mine (and starting a family) I strive to be content in all my situations. That does not mean I'm one to always succeed, but rather add merit for trying edges me on to the Father's will for my life. If God does indeed have another thought in mind for me, then so be it! But quite honestly what is to stop me from dreaming a little? The Bible clearly states that when we delight our selves in Him (His ways) He will give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37v4). Without getting into all the technicalities of His will vs our ways and them lining up, lets take it black and white this time and move on.

Don't I think that creating a hope chest focuses too much on what-might-happen.... This is precisely what I'd spoken of in my first post. When I'd first gotten my hope chest, I adored it, but it sat with skeins of yarn and old childhood things in it rather than beginning to get filled with useful items for the future. While yes it may, just like one may stow away for college one day, so I stow away things that I hope to one day put to use in my own future. No matter if we're talking hope chests or college funds, anything could change in a blink of an eye. :)

I'm an old fashioned kind of girl, the ways of the past intrigue me so I take them to heart and some of the ones that have not since proven ill, I use them in my day to day life. So well hope chest-ing may not be for everyone, I enjoy being able to not pass up a deal on a this or that home item that I love, just because. :)

While from the outside I see why one would think that things are focused too much around finding "the him" and having babies, really this is just a sidewalk to the rest of we girls lives who keep a few things stowed away. We simply love when someone gifts us something old, new, borrowed, or blue, ;) but I've not come across a metal hope chest keeper yet! Haha! ;) 

I hope that if you come across this posting Molly that you will understand what I've stated and take to heart my words. I can honestly say that I've thought the same things you do at one point, but I decided I could handle the "frivolous" to embrace a tradition and ambition I hold dear. :)

Cassie's Hope Chest Series // Cookbooks
Cassie's Hope Chest Series // Cookbooks
Phew! With that behind me, do let me gab a bit about my humble cookbooks! :)

Mostly you see your good old traditional keepings, like Better Homes and Gardens, Betty Crocker, the Moosewood Cookbook, and this Dutch family's fave- Et Smakelijk. (All shown below.) While these copies were all specially found and given to me over the last couple years by Mom, I've also grabbed a few such cook book like things and through them in today. The Betty Crocker's Good and Easy mini and Woman's everyday (shown above) and the other small hand books are just things I've found here and there in a bundle of this and a box of that. But oh yes! Mom's also been sure to have me include a Bake it Easy Yeast Book which has proven quite handy in learning the art of baking.

Cassie's Hope Chest Series // Cookbooks
Cassie's Hope Chest Series // Cookbooks

Hopefully as these heavier books are kept away for most of the time now, in the mean time I hope to further my skill at cooking. I'm not horrendous at the task, I just don't enjoy it a whole lot. (Though I truly am beginning to.) Baking is much more my forte in this line of housekeeping. And even that is not my first love. So while Molly may be worried about me being too distressed about not finding a husband yet, I'm just thinking that if "to a man's heart is through his stomach" is true, perhaps I should reconsider the whole thing! Haha! :P

Cassie's Hope Chest Series // Cookbooks

What do you think about keeping a Hope Chest?
Do you have anything to add or say about my answers?
Do we have any of the same cook books in our collections? 

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Psalm 37:4

Shalom,
Cassie 
the elder sister and writer 

12 comments:

  1. I'm going to slaughter the spelling, so I'll just say it this way :) : I have the blue and white Dutch cookbook too! It's from my grandma, and she got it while living in Holland MI. I would really love to try more of the recipes in it, but the ones I have turned out very yummy. :)
    I too have a hope chest, and while I would love to get married, it's filled with things I can use in my own home someday, no matter my marital status. A hope chest is such a neat, old fashioned tradition, and it's fun to see other young ladies who have them too.

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  2. You have a very nice collection of cookbooks! We have a big collection at home, but because we are vegetarians we don't have any vintage ones; being a vegetarian was not really a thing back in the 60/70/80's I guess. Can you read the Dutch one? If you need some help translatig I am more then happy to help :-).
    I did not have a hope chest growing up, i never heard of it before I read about it on the Boyer sisters site; over here in the Netherlands it is not a tradition to have one. But I like the idea! Gr Renate

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    1. Hello dear! Thank you so much for the comment!

      Oh yes, I can see how having cook books like these ones would not be much of practice use to you and your family eating the way you choose to :)

      This copy of Et Smakelijk is actually in English so I can easily read through it. Though we do have a few copies in the family written in Dutch! Too bad though because that could have been so neat! Thanks for the offer dear! :)

      Much blessing,
      Cassie
      the elder writer

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  3. So glad to read the words you wrote in response to that comment Cassie and that you decided to post on this series again:) I totally understand what the commenter was questioning but let me just say your response to the questions were very well thought out and you handled everything so gracefully (truly)! This was a very inspiring post, so thank you for your words!
    -Madison
    www.1minniemuse.blogspot.com

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    1. Madison, thank you so very much! I'm so glad to be bringing this little series back to our Blog's posts! :)

      I'm glad my words were inspiring to you! We all need those posts of encouragement :)

      Love,
      Cassie

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  4. Hope is precious. Hope is NEEDED to have goals, make plans, to live righteously and trust that our Heavenly Father is good. Without hope, there really isn't faith according to scripture... faith is the substance of things HOPED for. All that being said, I feel like Miss Molly's question is deeper than just questioning the necessity of creating a hope chest. I wonder if the idea of hoping is scary to her.... as it can be frightening to all of us, because it IS heartbreaking when hope is deferred. To hope is to be vulnerable and open to pain. Pain is NOT fun. I have been in a place where it hurt too much to hope. I expected to be crushed based on past experiences which led me to believe the lie that I wasn't worth good things happening to me..... My life without hope lead to contemplating suicide. No hope equals no life. So I do understand.... BUT I KNOW.... I KNOW that I am loved and I am pure and I am holy because my FATHER says that I am and I have HOPE for a good future. Jeremiah 29:11 Will my life be a bed of roses from now on? Maybe, but roses have thorns too..... My dear Miss Molly, I do not know the plans our Heavenly Father has for you but I know that they are good. I also know that He does give you the desires of your heart because if He lives in you and you are surrendered to Him, He put those desires there. He GIVES you the desires of your heart. We are loved. That is amazing.... He is amazing.. Hope is amazing and it will breathe life into your soul and shine His light back out. If creating a box with items for a hoped for future isn't your thing, that is ok. I love the journey that you are on Cassie, but it is ok (to those reading who aren't hope chest people) to have a different sort of thing. The important point I would like to make here in my sermonizing is that everyone needs to have a hope and then have the faith to put action to that hope. Our Heavenly Father can use everyone who allows Him.... and those who have hope are usually the most open. So yeah, the story may not play out the way I wanted, the way I had hoped for, but I do not regret hoping..... I will continue to hope and may you have a wonderful hope too. Thank you for listening to my heart. I had actually written a much shorter encouraging post but it disappeared when I went to preview it and had to start over. Ahem.... this is what came from that.

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    1. Hi Shannon! :) Thank you, a thousand times over for your words. I miss hearing them so much!

      I'm glad you wrote directly TO Molly as I was feeling that I kinda overlooked that, but I wanted to make my answers spoken to all the girls struggling with these thoughts, instead of just trying to guess HER motives.

      Your friend,
      Cassie
      P.s. I'm SO sorry your first comment disappeared!! Each time that malfunction has happen to me I have to take a deep breath and realize that if I really care about sharing my thoughts to a person I care about, I'll swallow the pill of lost time and perfectly said sentences to rethink and try again. :) Thanks SO much for doing that FOR ME. :)

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  5. I agree with your response which I thought was very well said. I love being able to store away useful treasures for my own future home, Lord willing! Your cook books look so fun, I love old fashioned cook books. :) We have the Better Homes and Gardens cook book. Looking forward to more of these hope chest posts!

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  6. Oh you have a Moosewood cookbook too? Mom has one and she makes soups from it ALL the time! They have such delicious recipes! And I thought your response and reasons were all very good and well founded. And if we weren't allowed to dream, where would we be? :)

    Blessings,
    Brigid
    the Middle Sister and Singer

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  7. "I have the feeling that hope chests all point towards marriage - children - a husband, right?" -- YES -- and there is absolutely nothing wrong with "hoping" for that!
    Seems like on so many blogs, young ladies these days are afraid to say it outloud "yes, I would like to get married. I would like to have babies." It is okay to want that, as that is what we are designed for and encouraged in scripture. Is there a chance it won't happen? Sure. But that doesn't have to take away the hope. Out there may be some young man "hoping" the same thing.
    The hardest part is helping believing young people find each other in such a corrupt world, when people of like mind are so far apart (geographically).

    Hang on to the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook (red&white) - I use mine constantly! :-)

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  8. I'm very sorry! I didn't mean at ALL to offend or make you downcast! That wasn't my intention at all. Please accept my apologies!

    I'm all for hope and dreams. Shannon, thank you for your insightful comment, but I truly know it - I love Jesus with all my heart, and I'm happy and filled with hope for the future. Without hope there is nothing. I have my own dreams - I'm very romantic - I dream of getting married and starting a family just as well as you. I dream of becoming a famous author. :-) But what I don't do is going towards the future just with that (getting married) in mind. I strongly believe that I can have a happy future without a 'him' or children. I believe in living in the NOW, (with hopes and dreams, yes, but not with only one path before me.)

    I see now that even though you have a hope chest, you don't just have it with marriage in mind. That is what I was asking, actually, if hope chests are made only for purpose of marriage and so so. Thing is, I'm a British girl, and where I live no-one even KNOWS of hope chests. I guess I had to do a lot of question asking to understand. Again, sorry if that offended you.

    ~ Miss Molly Gibson

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  9. We have Better Homes & Gardens cookbooks, Betty Crocker, and Et Smakelijk. The latter is also our favorite!

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