"It's been a long, long time.."

WOW I can't believe it's been since September that I've posted anything on here! It's certainly not for lack of things to talk about...that never seems to be a problem. Apparently there hasn't been enough time to do it. Several people have been asking me when I'd be putting something new up here, so I guess it's time I got back on the wagon. So to speak.

Here are a few of the things I've been doing while I've NOT been posting...
1. Had a grueling week-long assessment at work. That was not for the faint of heart, let me tell you! Fortunately all went well, and it's OVER. With another one coming next spring. Ugh.

2. Went to the Fryeburg Fair! Please do not tell me that you read my blog and don't know what Fryeburg Fair is, have never been there due to lack of interest, or just don't like fairs in general. Spare me that pain. We were there the first weekend, then back up for the last weekend. A true escape from reality, as Momm calls it! It's a Maxfield, and now Huggins and Nichols, family tradition to be at the fair as much as possible. So many memories..so little blogspace.

3. Went to see Beth Moore live, in Durham, NH! She has allowed God to use her so mightily, and she is quick to give Him all the glory for what comes through her ministry. I had the added pleasure of taking the trip with a wonderful friend from church, which made the experience that much more special. I'm currently reading "A Heart Like His", her book-adapted-from-her-Bible-study on the life of Saul/Paul. Fantastic reading!

4. Had a work weekend at my parents' house, getting them ready for winter and an inspected vehicle. It was an extra- special weekend as both sets of my grandparents were there. Those times have become even more special lately.

5. Co-threw (seriously. Is that a word??) with Momm a baby shower for my sister! She, at that time, was expecting baby #2- a boy! She got many nice things, most of them blue, to prepare her for his arrival.

6. Waited for the Nephew's arrival.

7. And waited.

8. And waited.

9. FINALLY, on this past Friday, October 24, Mason Timothy arrived in this world! He is a very healthy and handsome boy, and Mama is doing well also. Momm and I were privileged to be there for his birth. It was the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life. But I'm so glad the mama said we could be in there.

10. Spent lots of time wondering what to do with a baby that's a boy. As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm from a family where overwhelmingly there is more pink than blue. And we're not taking the light fluffy delicate pink- oh no, we're talking screaming electric fuschia pink, baby! We are proud of our womanhood! So I've been wondering how my sister would know what to do with a baby boy. And I'm reading a book right now on how to be an aunt to a boy. Seriously people- I'm at a major loss.

11. Saved myself from serious bewilderment for a few minutes and played pocketbooks with the Niece. "Train up a child in the way SHE should go..." Aunt Laura felt much better after that.

12. The Firefighter and I decided to build a new bathroom in our house! He can do just about anything he sets his mind to, and thankfully has experience in building/remodelling, so starting tonight- yes people, tonight- he begins to demolish a portion of our porch and begins building our new and VASTLY improved bathroom! Thank you, Firefighter, for seeing how important this is, and making it happen. Come Christmas... or as he always says after I say that, "hopefully by the end of the year", I'll be ridiculously happy bathing in a new- and NOT BLUE- bathroom.

13. We bought oil for $3.74 a gallon- thankfully we didn't lock into a price plan this year, like so many others did. We'll be filling the tank shortly, with prices hovering around $3 a gallon- we didn't see that last winter even! So much for the media's cry of "PANIC OVER YOUR OIL!!". Pfffft.



Well, I think that's enough catch-up for now. There were lots of other things that went on, including warm dinners with close friends, near and far, an extending of our arms as we welcomed a fun, new group of people into our home and life, and a few new recipes that I won't be making again.



Let me leave you with a picture of the Nephew. Isn't he handsome?!

Summer Days Part Two

When the Firefighter and I went on our honeymoon, we went to a little mountain cabin on the side of a hill in Northfield, Vermont. We absolutely loved it and have talked about it frequently since then. We decided that our vacation this summer would be spent back in that cabin. So, we took a long Labor Day weekend and headed over. We did all the "must do" Vermont things: Cabot cheese factory (please do not ever tell me you don't like cheese- I'd rather just be blissfully ignorant that there is anyone who could utter such words), Cold Hollow Cider Mill and had cider donuts, went to Quechee Gorge, where I fell in love with Danforth Pewter, watched a glass blowing demonstration, ate more Cabot cheese, and scoured the gigantic antique mall. We went to Northfield's Labor Day weekend blowout event- which ended up being a bust in our minds. We were expecting a great huge event, but it was several little tents set up selling local people's junk (glorified yard sale), several food booths, and a big yard sale at the local fire department. At least the Firefighter got to see their firetrucks, and just about fell over when he found a Gaithers Homecoming board game. I wanted to end the trip at that point- it had been a pretty slow day, and him finding a boardgame about a Southern Gospel singing group was the final straw. He was ecstatic. I was dumbfounded someone spent the time to make something like that.

We then drove up onto a ridge and watched the sunset. It was so beautiful up there.

One of our very favorite...ahem...new adventures that we've decided to do during our lifetime is visit the gravesite of every US President. I was all for the idea as it meant travel throughout the country. On this trip we hit gravesite #2: Calvin Coolidge. It took us a little while to find it; we had to stop and ask directions at the Calvin Coolidge historical village- and there was no parking space to be found! Who knew it'd be such a popular spot! IT really was a pretty little village, frozen in time. Thankfully we got directions to the cemetery and soon marked this site off our list.

So, we had a good weekend away. We were glad to get home on Monday night, but all in all it was a good end of summer trip.

Summer Days

Summer is almost over. The leaves are quietly changing their colors, daylight is giving in to darkness more easily, there's that specific fall chill in the air most mornings now. I have mixed feelings about this time of year. Fall is my absolute favorite season- I love everything about it. Colors, smells, fairs, apples, baking, sweaters, warm pajamas... but it also means the end of summer- no more swimming, shorts, sunburns, beach days, camping, gardens to tend, long summer evenings spent outdoors.

So, as sort of a last hurrah for summer, I'm posting pictures of the recent ventures of the Firefighter and I. We've had a busy last few weeks of August, soaking up all the summer we could.

Our first adventure was camping, just the two of us, in a tent. Mind you, it's our new tent, and we both love it, so I've come to appreciate tent camping as opposed to camper camping. That's still my favorite, but this tent camping thing is OK too.

We went to a campground in Union that has a separate camping area for tenters. We walked over a bridge over a dribbly little stream, full of big boulders, and continued up a path strewn with tree roots, and finally reached our tentsite, which was right on the edge of the lake. This was the view the first morning there:

Not too bad, huh? We slept until we couldn't sleep any more, then got up and started a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and corned beef hash. All cooked by the Firefighter in our little hibatchi grill. Which, he found out, had one problem:

Yes, that's a hole in the bottom of the grill. But, being the Firefighter Extraordinaire that he is, he found a way to make it work, by piling kindling in the stove and putting the charcoal on top of that. IT was great! He then proceeded to make our bacon- YUM

Then, after we ate, and cleaned up, we got ready for our day, then left to go yard saling- and found out it was only 8:45!! Apparently when you tent, you get up earlier than usual. As a result, this was a needed activity that afternoon:

Pretty good, huh? This came after an arduous late morning kayaking trip into what we dubbed the Everglades of Maine. We had beautiful weather and a very restful time.

Next post: Labor Day Weekend in Vermont! Stay tuned!

Rest

As I roamed about my list of blogs I check fairly regularly, I came across this post. I was so moved by it. No, I don't have any children, but I've seen enough of them soothed to sleep that I can understand the beginning of this one. And the rest of the story- well, it speaks of rest. Deep, reassured, foundational rest.
Read about it here.
May you know the abiding rest.

I always used to be drawn to the kitchen when growing up. I loved to bake or cook, or be there while Mom was working her magic over our daily food. I'd kind of gotten away from that love in the past few years, but have recently re-discovered it. I'm not sure what brought it on. Was it having people over for supper and not wanting to make the same old thing? Was it wanting something sweet, but sick and tired of brownie mixes? Just what was it?
And my cooking selections certainly have been made deliberately, after long-thought through planning, since being married, so as to please the Firefighter's most picky palate.
(OK funny tidbit: I wasn't sure how to spell "palate", so looked it up. One of the choices that popped up was "pallette"; so I checked it...and the meaning is "one of the plates at the armpits of a suit of armor". The Firefighter's not that picky about his suit of armor pieces).
Anyhoo.
One of the biggest struggles I have in the summer months is trying to find meals using the abundance of fresh produce available to us, that the Firefighter will actually eat. No easy task, let me tell you! I can't serve zucchini, summer squash (might I say these are NOT the same- they're definitely different in texture and taste), broccoli, beet greens, cauliflower, on and on, and know that he'll eat them.
So, I've decided that I can just make the things that I want to eat that showcase the most delicious summer vegetables, and bring that food with me for my lunch during the workweek. Brilliant if I do say so myself! We'll still eat cucumbers, tomatoes in all forms (including the most awesome fresh salsa recipe I tried this weekend), and string beans, but I'll get to savor my zucchini and broccoli recipes all by myself.
Except for zucchini bread. That, I must share with him. :)

If you're looking for ways to use up some summer produce, check out these recipes:
Impossibly Easy Zucchini Pie (this is great with or without tomatoes)
Fresh Salsa - this is not the recipe I used, but it's awfully close. I just used half a super hot pepper, 2 tomatoes not 3, and lemon juice instead of lime juice. Sooooo good
Zucchini Gratin Just making any Ina Garten recipe makes me feel like a master chef

Happy summer eating!

UPDATE: The Firefigher just emailed me to remind me that yes, indeed, he does get picky about his body armor at times. This is what he said:
"The firefighter can be kind of picky when his wife purchases some ridiculous looking suit of armor at "The Gap" ".
Oh be careful, little mouth, what you say, for the past will soon be haunting you! :)

A survey!

A is for Age. I am 26 ½.

B is for Burger of Choice. Red Robin’s Blue Ribbon Burger: making-me-drool description right from their website: “Juicy burger basted with a tangy steak sauce and topped with crumbled Bleu cheese. Served with onion straws, lettuce, tomatoes and zesty Chipotle mayo on an onion bun.” Oh yes!

C is for what car you drive. My baby is a 1997 Saturn SC2. It just rolled to 270,000 miles; it’s on its second engine; the Firefighter has to repair the head gasket tonight; and it looks so shiny and new still. I love that car!

D is for Dog’s name. We don’t have a dog. The Firefighter had one before we got married…then he had to go because he was wrecking the house. I’d be happy with a dog- maybe- someday- when we’re home more and have a much bigger house. For now I’m very happy with our kitty, Georgie. Who’s a girl. Major identity crisis we gave her, huh?

E is for essential item you use every day. My Maine Bureau of Highway Safety orange water bottle. It’s made in the USA- hurray!

F is for favorite tv show at the moment. We just got rid of our Dish Network, so we’re not watching TV any more. However, we’ve signed up for Netflicks, and have Season 1 of Alf to watch. Hurray for classic TV!

G is for favorite game. I am starting to love games more than ever before, as I’m the “activity coordinator” for the senior high youth group. Our classic is Pictionary, and favorite outdoor game is still Capture the Flag. Classic.

H is for hometown. Norway, Maine, USA

I is for instruments you play. The piano, both at home (though not as often as I should) and as the church pianist.

J is for favorite juice. Cranapple

K is for who you’d like to kiss. My niece!

L is for the last restaurant you ate at. It’s been forever…hmm…does Quiznos count? We ate there several weeks ago.

M is for your favorite Muppet. Miss Piggy rocks.

N is for number of piercings. 5; 2 holes on my right ear, 3 on my left. I’m sooo ready for some new earrings.

O is for overnight hospital stays. None actually.

P is for people you were with today. The Firefighter this morning and as we drove to work together, the people in my office, and tonight will be the senior high youth group.

Q is for what you do with your quiet time. Right now IN my quiet time I’m studying “No Other Gods” by Kelly Minter with my friend Melinda as part of the “summer siesta Bible study” that Beth Moore is hosting on her website, and “I Saw the LORD” by Anne Graham Lotz, which we started as a women’s Sunday School class study. I highly recommend both of those books to anyone. They correlate in so many lessons on many levels! What a challenge they both have been to me.

R is for biggest regret. Not fully comprehending what we were getting into when the Firefighter and I moved into his house; also known as “The Nichols’ Homestead”. We have lots of advice to give almost-newlyweds on what NOT to do when selecting where to live when you get married.

S is for status. Relationally: married. Personally: tired and ready for a break from everything.

T is for time you woke up today. 6:00 AM

U is for what you consider unique. A person who is willing make Jesus their whole life; He becomes their One and Only, and their life is a living example of Him. This should not be a unique person, as all Christians should live this way, but sadly that doesn’t seem to be the case.

V is for vegetable you love. Where to begin! Broccoli and string beans are my favorites. Followed so closely by zucchini, summer squash, and cauliflower. Oh and carrots.

W is for worst habit. Procrastinating!

X is for number of x-rays you’ve had. Zero. Do you know that when I was little I actually WANTED a broken bone?! I guess some kid at school must have had a really cool cast or something, and I thought I wanted one. Crazy, huh?

Y is for yummy food you ate today. So far today I’ve had toast with homemade strawberry jam on it, and a half a peanut butter and apple jelly sandwich. Time for some vegetables.

Z is for the zoo you’ve visited. I’ve been to the Grandby Zoo in Quebec; I remember the great huge elephants that we saw. That’s the only real zoo I’ve been to, I believe. I’ve been to the Gray Animal Farm, the New England Aquarium in Boston…and Sea World in Florida.

Grace

Last Thursday night, the Firefighter and I met my parents in Old Orchard Beach and went to a Sandi Patty concert together. It had been a hot day; I mean, HOTT day. So it it warrants 2 Ts. We're not really used to super hot heat up here in Maine; that day it was in the 90s, and making it even worse was the humidity- it was almost unbearable. The saving grace of that concert was that it was outside at the Salvation Army Old Orchard Beach Pavilion, which is an outside concert hall- and there was a breeze! As the sun went down it cooled off quite nicely, and it was an enjoyable summer evening.
As we made our way to our seats, I began to realize that the Firefighter and I were most definitely in the minority- by far, some of the youngest people there...and the concert hall was barely half full. Where was everyone? Hadn't other people been raised listening to Sandi Patty sing? Weren't they as excited as Mom and I were to hear her LIVE? What an occasion!
After what seemed an inordinately long opening act by the local town manager (who is a Christian- what a testimony for him to be playing in his own town!), the moment of truth finally had arrived. What would she look like? What will she talk about? Will she sing our favorite songs? Probably most importantly, what will she be wearing?
Ms Patty did not disappoint. Out she came, and she was wearing this long, silky, flowing black and white shirt with beautiful big flowers on it. Her hair was very chique, and her shoes. Oh my, her shoes. Let me just say that I was wishing for a camera during the entire concert, so I could photograph those beauties to show my sister. They were at least 4" heels, black and cream colored, and they just SHONE in the stagelights. Be still my heart.
Back to the concert.
Sandi Patty came out, and started right in with several songs, most of which I'd never heard. While I was listening to her, enjoying her beautiful, talented voice, my mind started wandering.
When I was growing up, Sandi Patty seemed like THE female Christian singer of her time. She was right up there with Steve Green. Mom had all her tapes, and we listened to them with the volume cranked. Then, she took a mighty tumble. A mighty public tumble. She had an affair with one of the people involved in her ministry. She fell from the spotlight of praise and appreciation for her oh-so-talented vocal abilities, and soon was in another spotlight- the one of revealed sin and glaring humanity. And judgment, I would dare say. She had fallen to the lowest point in a Christian "personality"'s ministry- one where she became an object of ridicule and disappointment.
I've read her book, Broken on The Back Row, and in it she discusses the personal pain, embarrassment, and shame for what she did. But she doesn't stop there. After several years of floundering, not knowing exactly which of the stones cast at her would be the one to finally crush her, she saw a glimmer of hope. She saw the forgiveness offered by the Savior she had previously so loudly proclaimed. And she listened to her own music. She sought forgiveness from Him, and then began the arduous journey of gaining other's forgiveness and trust again.
I was thinking all this as the background for the big question in my mind: how could she step on that stage that night, knowing full well that most in the audience knew her past? Knew what she'd done? Did she think, every night before going out to perform, about how the crowd would receive her? Were there more stone-throwers in the audience, waiting to attack at the slightest opportunity?
The conclusion I finally came to later, as we discussed it at Tim Horton's after the concert, was this. Yes, Sandi Patty did sin, and it was devestating to the career that had been built. She had been THE women's ministry singer of her time! And she threw it all away for personal pleasure. However, she was repentant of her fall. She has gradually made her way back into the public eye, singing about the grace that she has experienced first hand. She has apparently taken the lessons she learned through her fall and is now sharing them with others.
Now that's a ministry opportunity.
Saturday morning we were home, and as I puttered around the kitchen getting meals ready for the weekend, I had one of her classic CDs blaring from the stereo, and I was singing my little heart out along with her. Now that was a concert to behold! :)

If you're interested in listening to some of Sandi Patty's music, visit her website.