Happy New Year y'all!

Wow.

2009 was quite the year for me.

Huge blessings, gigantic disappointments and everything in between. :)


“This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”
Isaiah 43:16, 18-19 NIV

Let us strain forward to the prize and run like one who wins the race.

"I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back...."

...no turning back....

~

Hello all!

The rehearsal and concerts of the Handel's Messiah production which I was so thrilled to be a part of are over! I'm : ( they are over, but so thankful for the experience. This was my first time being a part of Messiah (excluding the Young Messiah when I was 10 or so.)

We had two performances. I didn't get a recording of last week but this week I did. A caught a cold last week, but thank you Lord - it didn't incapacitate me. It's my prayer these songs will be a blessing and encouragement.



I would say Worthy is The Lamb/Amen are my favorites, but they are all my favorites it seems! How could you pick a finger you liked better than the other? They are all so wonderful.



Maybe some more videos to follow...we'll see!

God bless you all and have a great day!

However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"

~

1 Corinthians 2:9 niv

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

~

Proverbs 25:11 niv

International Cooking

So late last month a great chef I know shared an Afghan recipe with me. It sounded tantalizing and fun to try. So...

I started off by printing the recipe and making my own notes, including converting the measurements to things I could understand.



On to browning the onions. I desperately need more practice at this. All the years of cooking with onion powder has taken a toll. Then you add the cute little cubes of meat. We didn't use lamb, but beef. Tasted just fine. I'm sure you can substitute with other meats as well.



The carrots. The beautiful carrots. Tedious to cut up. I think making this on a large scale would require a better method for cutting. I should learn how to wield a knife like the chefs on tv and professional chefs.

:whack whack whack CHOP: Oh look! I only lost my thumb this time!!! lol
(This is fictitious and only an illustration least anyone think I have dismembered my hand at any point while cooking. )



Finished product...there are lots of steps in between, including adding cinnamon, that you can not read about because I lost the link and Mr. Amazing Chef hasn't been around much to ask. I will tell you my raisins didn't 'swell' like they were suppose to. Oh well. :) Life is too short to worry about swollen raisins.




I refrained from sharing the goodness with my siblings from fear of threats that would force on me a visit to remedial cooking school. They probably wouldn't have a piano there, so I don't want to risk it.


---------------

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

~

1 Corinthians 10:31

Ever feel like it's a

?

I was cleaning out the media department here at the house. I found a couple things, including an old record of our family from 2004. That was interesting. :) Also, was a audio recording of Bob Thompson and his time of ministry from Keene, NH. His voice is out of this world of course. He had several favorite songs it seemed, but here was one of them:



Praise God! The trials in life will come. Those 'dead ends' feelings will come. But we can PRAISE GOD through it all. I heartily agree I don't understand the tapestry from the back, but God is weaving those who love Him into a beautiful work.

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

~

Psalm 22:3 KJV

My first post of November is this post. It probably won't be my last. No.

I've been processing some wool fleece. It was desperately trying my patience as it has more straw and VM (veg matter) entangled in it then a bale of hay. LOL Just seems like it. But, I'm trying to decide how to make everything go a little faster. An ounce or two at a time is just ridiculous for the time I'm spending.




The wool prior to entering the mesh bag.



That's my pot all wrapped with a towel and a lid to keep the heat. The lid was amazing. The water temp was about 160 down to 143ish. The key is to keep the water temperate. Drastic drops will cause felting.



The mound of loveliness at the end.

Time consuming? Yes. We need to figure out a better method for washing.


~


We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.


Isaiah 53:6 niv

The LORD said,

"Go out and stand on the mountain
in the presence of the LORD,
for the LORD is about to pass by."

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.

And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

~

1 Kings 19:11&12 niv

~

How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Psalm 119:103 niv

We cut these off the lattice today as they were wilted and dead.
The crisp mornings have taken their toll on the loveliness we enjoyed this summer.




~


My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.

Psalm 27:8 niv

King of KINGS and Lord of LORDS! And, He shall reign...oh hello guys. :D I just got back from rehearsal and glugging down raw cloves of garlic shredded in hot water. I don't suggest visiting me in the near future. By Thursday I might be respectable again... : /

We sang....the trademark song of the Messiah tonight. Yus. Let us say this in unison. 1 2 3...

Hallelujah!

This video below is that very song, with a cute twist.
(Btw, fast forward to 1:37 for the music, i.e. the best part.)



Isn't that hilarious? :D I thought so, too!

Here's a different song with sheet music which comes in handy when I'm cooking and don't have the printed book (doesn't stay open well!) in front of me.

The sun was shining bring and lovely today, unlike the day I took this photo...




"Who among the gods is like you, O LORD ?
Who is like you— majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory, working wonders?

~

Exodus 15:11 niv

Fall, fall, fall! It's such a beautiful time of year!


From the golden yellows....



..... to the rich reds .....



.....to the variegated.....





Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:13 niv

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.

Psalm 5:11 ESV

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified;
do not be discouraged,
for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9 NIV

Sitting in the living room with the stove cranked it's easy to feel sleepy. The day is so gray and rainy out there it feels like a good day to hibernate. ; ) It's my turn to cook so I won't be here for very long. :)

Had a lovely weekend climbing Mt. Monadnock. It was brutally cold at the top. Next time I am so bringing gloves and hat. :)

Me on the top. :) The hair was just whipping...even when I had my hood on it was all in my face.





Showing we MADE IT. :D




The best shot of the day I thought...




The color was pretty cool.



~

So Messiah rehearsal again tonight! I've been studying. Hopefully I won't make any huge mistakes and lead anyone astray. :D I do believe the whole house will know the soprano part before long. ; ) This is the second choir of my adult life I've been in (other than family music of course) and the unfamiliar songs I tend to leave until I go to the first rehearsal, since of course everyone else will know them and I'll follow them. WRONG. I need to get out of the follow mentality in these situations. :D

~

Vincent got a dear, er, I mean DEER today!! (: P Excited and happy for him! I went out with him this morning and got wet cold feet and a few pictures. I'll let him post them in his time. :)

~





Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For,
"All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord stands forever."
1 Peter 1:22-25 NIV

It is always dangerous to blog when I'm tired. I suppose it could become more humorous that way. I shall hopefully not stick my size 8 foot in my size 12 mouth. At least I have room if need be.

If you stalk our schedule page (perfectly acceptable in most cases), or visited my facebook page late this week might have guessed we're home! I wasn't too thrilled we were ONLY gone for 4 1/2 weeks. But, it was kinda my fault. October is a fabulous month to be home and I put my vote to be home this month. : ) Looking forward to getting some of that brilliant fall color captured and breathing the deliciously cool fall air. Mmm!! I suppose I'll have to learn how to be a 'real' photographer and get up when it's still dark and camp out by the swamp and hike tall mountains. (This is wisdom from Vincent, btw.) *yawn* Oh dear. I'm getting more tired just thinking about it.

Changing subjects: I have to smile when I think back to the things I've posted in the past. How we change and shrug off faddish ideas or unthought out opinion which we thought we should air publicly. Or maybe I thought it out but since had a gray matter switch out. For instance, take my post about pink shirts on guys. I think I shocked myself when I came home with a pink dress shirt for Nathan yesterday. Hehe.




Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12 NIV

Goodnight. :)

Hello from dark and cool Colorado! That's only because it's night time now. It was quite warm today. While I have a nice strong wifi spot and I have a little time before I must lay me little head on the cutely colored pink pillow of my cousin's I thought I'd put an update up. :) Here's a macro from this week....



I've limited myself in speaking these days. I took almost a whole day off of talking. [After a couple hours of that Nathan reacted with this statement: "oh so THIS is what heaven is like!" : P ] My voice has really gotten to be quite raw feeling these past few weeks. Before we left it wasn't feeling great and combining that with a lot of talking and laughing and tons of concerts it's just a bad mix. I love typing now. It requires no strain of those precious muscles. Except when I see something funny on-line....LOL doesn't keep me from laughing for real (which can hurt as much if not worse than talking). So if you're reading this and talk to me for the next two weeks please limit conversation to morbid things such as war, famine and pestilence and the use of deadly chemicals against the great tomato horn worm. : P Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. If I bring up anything funny you have permission to beat me with wet noodles.

We're visiting family here in CO which has been great! We had a really full day yesterday with three concerts. One insanely early in the morning. Sorry, if any of you all are reading this from that church but...LOL, who on earth voted to have a service at 8:15am on a regular basis??!! :D

This is the first and last sunset we saw....er, should I say I saw. We were socked in almost the whole time we were here.



Other cool thing I want to share is...um, I figured out it's cooler to sleep with the fan running in this room I'm borrowing. AND, that God is so incredibly good. I'm so so thank for Jesus. "I have found a friend in Jesus...." I love that song. "In trouble He's my strong and mighty tower..." Through all the heartache, pain and struggle God sends peace, refreshment and joy. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!

Hellooooooo all you folks out there. :)

I am needing to blog some amazing pictures of the Badlands but it shall have to wait as I have no photos on the laptop yet.

How's that for a teaser? :D

This whole trip has been a whirlwind. I got to meet Abigail Paul and her lovely family...that was really fun.



I got to milk a goat....



And, the water fight in NY was a blast.



I <3 traveling!!!

:)

This story really fits in well with 'enlightened' thinkers.

And, of course...this is quite the story.

Why didn't I heard about this bill before it passed?

A Bready Blog Post on Vincent's b-day!

Maybe you recall my mentioning I had a bread post coming up...that's ok if you don't. But, I figured while I was on the computer that had the pics and since I could squeeze time in between rehearsal and the other items on the list today I would post them NOW. :D












Ok, now go make your own. :)

* smiles sweetly *

Oh. You mean that doesn't count as blogging?

:furrows brow:

Greetings and salutations! A blessed morning to you all!

I have a large amount of things to do before the next 7 days is over, but I wanted to drop in and leave a post.

Monday was the quarter century mark for me. Tis rather interesting to contemplate you're already half way to 50. *gulp* Remember folks, this life is only the test for the next. That helps keep my mind in perspective anyway. And, I stop worrying about becoming 'old.' Haha. :D



Only 10 candles...does this mean I'm really only 10 years old? :D

The next two days after Monday we spent getting wood moved out of a barn and moved fire wood, nearly non stop (eating and sleeping breaks allowed.) Pretty dirty work...



Me, looking preeeety stiff and dirty.

So Thursday my new lens arrived from Alaska.



It's been quite fun to work with. (More pics here.) A little frustrating not to know how to manipulate the tripod better! I need to work on that. Working on such a small scale every little bit of wind or movement causes blur. Looking forward to working more with the lens though and sharpening my skills.

So, that brings us to Friday...which is today. Laundry, packing, cleaning, fixing, calling - those type of things are on my list today. Hope you all have a great weekened and I'll try to check back in with a farewell and some more pictures before the tour starts up. Looking forward to getting back on the road seeing some of you all again!

Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
Isaiah 64:4 NIV

"The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever."

Isaiah 40:8 niv

Good Saturday morning to you all!

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-8 NIV

I've been thinking about grumbling and complaining lately and what the Bible has to say about it. Part of family devotions in the morning includes a chapter in the Old Testament. God's people sure did a fair amount of grumbling and God certainly didn't like it and punished them for it. Why do we suppose God would like it anymore now?

Zis is zee Ratatouille. Yum yum, eat um up. :)

Good Sunday afternoon to you all! I was really blessed by this video and I think we should all take some time to watch it.



God bless Jesse and all those preaching a call to repent. Churches sure would be different if this was typical Sunday morning fare.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”- James 1:22 NIV

Hi everyone! I really can't believe August is tomorrow. Time is FLYING and fall tour of '09 is coming up quickly!! This past week has been SO busy. Much busier than any week this summer. It's so interesting how the Lord works out schedules so much differently than you thought or expected. :) And, His plans are better than ours. Much.

A friend from PA come up to visit me recently and we had many adventures. I've uploaded some photos from our visit here if you'd like to see what we were up to.

I've got a pile of MFS work to do today, including a new website design and lunch is waiting so I'd better go....




Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.

Psalm 96:1 NIV

July is here already! It's totally amazing how quickly time flies. I thought I'd better get over and blog about the Twinny Tote give-away before it was too late!

http://twintasticcreations.blogspot.com/

Check out Amber and Angela's cuuuute totes while you're over at their site while entering for your chance!

I have a few photos here from our trip over to Hull a week or two ago. Thoroughly bored of the men-folk-talk in the front seat I experimented...



Some foot "art"



More playing with the telephoto





I normally don't do bright colors like this, but it just seems to work. And, it just SCREAMS Esther Zimmerman. :D

And this is my reaction to the discussion about folks who refusing to shoot the over populated flocks of Canadian Geese in our state. If we have too many of these cuties quality of life will go down for them. So...that's a theory anyway.



I almost have a post ready featuring the cinnamon bread from weeks ago.... but it's still in the "oven". : P

Have a good night!

I had things to blog about this past weekend but I feel like I've been running nonstop since Friday. I finally sat down and caught my breath tonight. Home feels good but I'm seriously wanting to get on the road. September can't come fast enough!! Well, actually I can wait. Who really wants to be 25 already? I think I'll save my birthday for next year. :D Anyway, Long Island was this weekend and it was great. However, we did have a fun time keeping off the parkways. Wheee!! I wish there was a place to plug in 'no parkways' or maybe your vehicle height on the GPS.



An Island rose.

More later (....you should be grateful I'm cutting this short tonight as I might tell you in detail an account of the semi-boring finance committee meeting we attended tonight.... :nods:)

Gooooooood night! :)

Lunch is over. The dishes are done. Laundry is on the line (under the porch). It's threatening to rain. We actually had 5 days in a row in which we saw the sun. Praise the LORD. This is major break through. Hallelujah. Dad didn't believe me when I said there was a verse about it being pleasant to see the sun. He reminded me of Psalm 133 instead. You can go look that up. But here's the sun verse:

Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
Ecclesiastes 11:7 niv

Amen and amen.

Anyway, I can't go out and weed and so before I go off to Hazel's today and rush back to make pizza for my hungry masses I'm in charge of here's the reason the police chopper was circling over head Sunday night. Please be in pray for the family of Devin Wright, an 11 year old girl who fell into the river less than a mile from our home. You can find the news story here. Our prayers are with her family during this heartbreaking time. : (



This is another reminder of how fragile life is. No one knows how long they have left. Meet your maker before you have to.


Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4:14 niv

Rain has given way to sunshine, briefly. :)

I RAN out front to get a shot of the rain and sunshine at the same time. Rare-ish and pretty! Flubbing around on the manual settings got me all messed up and I was afraid the light would change so I switched to auto. :)