delighted4ever's Xanga

Another wedding

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:57:13 GMT

Keith and I just got back from another beautiful wedding on the North Carolina coast. Keith performed this wedding for his cousin Russell, the same cousin that Keith skipped his college graduation for in order to see him play in the football championship (Russell played for App State). Here are a few pics from the weekend.

The guys

The gals

Emily, the lovely bride

Keith and cousin Caleb

Gotta love it

We picked up Keith's younger brother Levi when we were down there and he is going to be staying with us for the next 3 weeks. Catherine and Kevin are coming up to visit tomorrow (until Tuesday). We can't wait to see them!!! The following weekend Carl and Louise (from Potsdam) are coming and after that Keith's parents will be here. I love having a full house. :o)

When coffee doesn't work

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:05:57 GMT

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths.

Guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long."

Psalm 25: 4-5

This morning is one of those mornings when coffee doesn't even work. I still feel like I just woke up and it is already five minutes to noon. My to-do list is endless, the phone doesn't stop ringing, and my company list for the evening is growing rapidly. Don't get me wrong, I love all my dear friends and the cry of my heart is to serve and be used for the Lord. I am just weary today.

The verses above have been filling my mind this morning, as my already busy day is growing more complicated. Will I do all I have to do today, with the love of Christ and joy? Will I offer hospitality with out grumbling as commanded in Scripture? Will I serve my neighbors this afternoon, who need God's touch and a miracle in their lives? Will I still take time to be on my knees and pray for those I will see today and for my own attitude and discernment in ministering, when I really just want a 30 minute nap?

My hope is in God all day long and by His strength I can say yes to all those questions. I praise God for His Word and for the strength He gives when we turn to Him in prayer.

What we do all day :o)

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:17:34 GMT

Here are some photos I've taken over the last month!

Playing around - one of the things we do best!

Kissing is another favorite. :o)

A good old fashioned egg-toss with Keith's fam... and, yes, I got egg in the face in the end.

Keith de-limbing trees at work

Burying the dog in the sand... she is mighty patient with the boys

Keith's first wedding

The bride.... in her cowboy boots :o)

The wedding was for Keith cousin Caleb (far left). The other three guys are all Keith's cousins.

Keith has been riding the horses in our backyard. Thankfully, the gal in the picture is training another one so I can start riding with him!

A shower cake I made for my neighbor's wedding shower

Another neighbor down the road just adoped a little boy from Ethiopia...what a cutie!

I have a few videos coming too... another day.

Really Good Excuses

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:58:29 GMT

I am really not so good at this whole blog thing. It's been another month and no updates. I do have a wonderful number of excuses however.

1) I spent 5 days down in North Carolina with Keith's family. Keith performed his first wedding in an old barn. :o) He did a great job and we had fun catching up with friends and family. And yes, Lisa, I got to have BBQ twice!! Yummy!!!

2) The weather has finally turned warm and I am living outside. Every door and window is open and we've already had several dinner picnics with our neighbors.

3) I bought new running shoes - it was about time!! I've tried to up my walking/running routine to 5.5 miles a day. Plus I add pilates in 3-4 times a week. It is definitely helping my energy levels increase to start the day with a good dose of fresh air.

4) I decided that it was time to learn to garden. I've never really tried my hand at it, but I've been helping the neighbors and planted my own little herb garden on the porch. I'll probably plant a few tomatoes and lettuce myself soon too.

5) I also decided I needed to redecorate my apartment, so I picked up a few things at a garage sale (30 cents worth of fabric, wall art, etc) and made new curtains, framed pictures and added some plants. It looks MUCH better than it did before.

6) I am also reading a good little book right now called "The Hospitality Commands" that I picked up at CFC years ago. I've been convicted about the importance of opening up my home to every kind of persons just as Jesus says in Luke 14:12-14. I'm trying to practice this as God leads people our way. I do NOT consider myself a great cook or hostess, but I'm learning through trial and error. :o)

Anyway....that's just a few of the things that are filling my days. This summer is looking even busier, but I like it that way. And I will try to add some more pictures soon!

Maple syrup

Sun, 04 May 2008 14:23:43 GMT

Yesterday morning while I was out with Beth and Christina finding treasures at the local garage sales, Keith helped our neighbors take down the buckets after another spring of tapping trees.

This spring was the first time I've ever seen the whole maple syrup process - from tree to bottle. Several evenings over the last few weeks, Keith and I would go walk down to the sugar shack and shoot the breeze while the men stirred the boiling sap. Here are a few pics of what we did.

The sugar shack sits a little ways off the road. Hundreds of maple trees surround the shack and each one is loaded with at least one bucket. When the days are warm and the nights are still below freezing the sap begins to run. The wind has to come from the east and the buds can't begin to form on the trees or else there won't be a good flow.

The sap gets poured into a huge tub in the back of the shack, then after it is filtered it runs into the tubs on the top of the wood burning stove. As the density level in the sap rises the sap pushes its way through the maze until it reaches the last bend. When it reaches the right temperature it is drained into a bucket and poured into another filter.

Now the syrup is ready to be poured into the plastic bottles for sale. Up on a shelf in the back I noticed the old metal tins from years ago....this family has been carrying on the heritage for over a hundred years.

Keith and I have enjoyed sharing this time with the neighbors and after we saw all the work that went into it, we know why pure maple syrup costs $30-$50 a gallon. Believe me, that's cheap!

However, there is nothing like a good meal of french toast with a little cinnamon and maple syrup! Bring it on.

Cool friends...

Fri, 02 May 2008 13:28:32 GMT

Nothing new on my part today.

I thought you gals might enjoy Drew and Rachel's sight. Rachel is an AWESOME girl I went to college with. She and her hubby are preparing to serve the Lord in China (for life). If you are looking for some new people to get to know (and maybe support), a couple for your kids to pray for, or just some fun reading on China "stuff", I'd highly recommend them. :O)

For a little glimps of their personality, watch this YouTube video.

Their lives are sold out for Christ and the small amount of time I spent with them was a blessing I'll never forget!

My future kitchen...

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:46:06 GMT

So I am an interior decorator at heart. And yes, I love HGTV. Not all of it, but the decorating shows definitely attract my attention.

Mind you, we don't even get one channel at our house, but once in a great while at the gym or the neighbors I'll get a chance to glean a little more decorating wisdom off their screen. :o)

Sunday night's show was a little more fascinating than usual. It featured the largest kitchen and bath show in the country.

Did you know that you can now install oven fans that expand over your cooking space and then fold up when you don't want them? Or how about a shower that you simply set the temperature you want (for each of the 6+ shower heads). Wouldn't that be nice when Keith wants to jump in with me. I think I generally scald him with my water. Or what about the fridge that emails you when it has a problem like a door left open, high humidity levels, etc. And then there is the new stove that with some kind of infrared sensor will cook your food for you (what fun is that?). But if healthy is your goal, the new steam oven cooks most food super healthy in under 30 min.

Keith's favorite was the new Kenmore freezers that not only give cubed and crushed ice, they now also have a shaved ice option. Talk about easy fruit smoothies and Italian ice.

So maybe I'll never have a kitchen with all of this, but won't it be weird when our kids can't remember the days before wireless refrigerators?

What I do when I'm waiting for Keith to get off the phone...

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:13:13 GMT

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) - Timmy Focus

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)- Coffee Double Chocolate

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)- A Wil

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) - Green Panda

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) - Wil Am

6. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) - The White Crystal Light

7. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) - Don Richard

8. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) - Rhonda Raleigh

9. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, favorite flower)- Autumn Foxglove

10. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) - Banana Shorty

11. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)- Frosted Birch

yes, I stole this from Courtney... and now Keith is off the phone so I can go to bed.

Hitting the slopes

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:32:25 GMT

So my husband is hooked on skiing now.

Our neighbor is a ski instructor up at Gore and offered to take us two for the day - it would only cost $10 for rentals. Not bad for a day of fun. I skied a little in high school due to the CFA deal (thanks again to those that worked that out!), but Keith had barely ever heard of the sport. :o)

However, there are benefits to marrying an athletic man. Within 45 minutes, he was ready to head up the gondola to the top. We ended up having a blast together.

But even better, on Saturday we spent the day in Glen Falls and found a ski shop with incredible deals on skis...and got some for next year. I am ready for winter again. :o)

Husbands mean more housework

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:18:09 GMT

I don't usually read the headlines while I'm signing into my yahoo account, but today one of the featured video's caught my eye.

"Husbands mean more housework"

Duh, I thought. Anyone married knows that, and the point?

Supposedly, when a women is married, her housework increases by 7 hours a week and the guys goes down 1 hour. I'll believe that too. Keith quit doing his own laundry...I think that was at least 2-3 hours.

The video estimated that 30 years ago women did 26 hours of housework for every 6 by the men. Now it is 17 to 13. Go men.

But (as you can guess) the short video is out to condemn men who don't do their "fair share" of the load. In fact the gender studies specialist stated that when a man gets married he'll go up in status "to a man who has servants" and a woman's is lowered to that of a servant. One gets, the other becomes.

Interesting-doesn't Christ ask us to all become servants of one another? Isn't that the GREATEST position we can possibly have! And what about all those guys who are out earning the money so that we can be at home (the video appeared to be talking about stay-at-home-moms). Yeh, I admit that it is wonderful when I've had a busy day and Keith offers to do the dishes (which he often does!) or he sweeps or wipes the counters without me ever making a comment.

Maybe it's all perspective. Homemaking used to be an art...something many women found great pleasure it. I think of many of the older women in my church. Their homes are spectacular. Each room is spotless, beautifully decorated (regardless of their income), and the food they serve ought to be photographed for "Gourmet." They carry themselves with grace and are so attentive to the needs of each of their guests. Sometimes I just watch them in awe.

Judy Mihm made a comment to me once years ago that I'll NEVER forget. She said that she has a hard time sitting around when Joe is at work. She's always felt that when he is out working for her, she should be busy around the house making it a better place for him.

I love that and try to keep that same attitude. I know Keith doesn't care if I curl up and read a book in the afternoon, but if I am doing it at the expense of cleaning a sad looking toilet or putting away all the clean clothes on the bed I think twice. He's working hard for me, the least I can do is provide a happy haven for him to come home to.

The conclusion of that news clip was...."men need to know we are valuable."

Leave it to women...the point really isn't work at all...but how we feel our husbands feel about us..?...

I don't know about you, but when Keith walks through the door to a clean home, finds clean clothes to change into, eats off clean dishes, and slips into clean sheets at night, I have one happy husband. That's enough motivation for me!

Oh, one last thought.

Military.com says "A new research analysis completed by Salary.com reveals that today's 5.4 million stay-at-home moms would earn $131,471 in annual salary, including overtime pay, if paid in cash in addition to the steady flow of rewarding hugs and kisses from their children."

And that's if you only have two kids.

So, Lisa, I'm thinking you should be a millionaire by now.