How to Preserve a Husband

This little beauty was in an old canning book Mrs. Taffy posted about: “Be careful in your selection.  Do not choose too young.  When selected, give your entire thoughts to preparation for domestic use.  Some wives insist upon keeping them in a pickle, others are constantly getting them into hot water.  This may make them sour, hard, and sometimes bitter; even poor varieties may be made sweet, tender, and good, by garnishing them with patience, well sweetened with love and seasoned with kisses.  Wrap them in a mantle of charity.  Keep warm with the steady fire of domestic devotion and serve with peaches and cream.  Thus prepared, they will keep for years.” Wow! There's some wisdom in those words. Have a great weekend! Lisa

How to Have a GREAT "Date Night" (without breaking the bank!)

Still happily married...after twenty-eight years!

During our time out together recently, we spent some time reading a book together, Communication: Key to Your Marriage, by H. Norm Wright.  In it, I saw this tremendous quote:

“Commitment is more than maintaining; it is more than continuing to stick it out with a poor choice of a spouse.  Commitment is investing – working to make the relationship grow.”

Communication: Key to Your Marriage

When we talk about Stewarding Our Marriages, we need to consider the principles of INTENSITY and VARIETY.  Intensity is allowing the romance to flare up on occasions, or even helping it to flare up, and variety is the spice of life!  A regular (or even an irregular) Date Night helps to bring some INTENSITY and VARIETY to the marriage.

Here are some ideas on how to have a great “Date Night:”

1.        PLAN FOR IT!  One of the first and foremost ways to have a great Date Night is to Plan for It!  First, plan on having fun, and second, plan the event!  It takes some extra work, but it is really worth it.

a.       Plan for the right baby sitter.  If you have the right childcare, you can relax and have a good time.  Swap evenings with a friend, or hire a young lady from church whom you trust. 

b.      Plan the right time.   Actually, for us, it’s really hard to have “just the right time,” so we just TAKE the time.  Either way, it is still time invested well.

2.       EAT TOGETHER!   The saying goes that “it is impossible to argue over a very good meal” is very true!  You don’t have to eat expensively, either.  Just a cute picnic dinner at a lake would provide enough variety (not to mention romance!) to make it fun!  Take a bit of time to do some research to find a place to eat together.

3.       PLAN TO KEEP THE CONVERSATION LIGHT!  Try not to bring up any “business,” if possible.  If you really need to talk about finances or baby Johnny’s ear infections, try to keep it brief, then go on to fun stuff.

a.       One of our favorite things to talk about it memories.  When we were younger, we had less of them (of course) but now that we are older, there are many more things to remember. 

b.      Think about pet topics your spouse likes to talk about!  Maybe he enjoys talking about diesel mechanics, or maybe he likes to talk about marine life.  Perhaps he’s into `a game of some sort.  These topics may be boring to you, but listening shows you care.

4.       HAVE FUN!  There are a million things to do that don’t cost a lot of money. 

a.       Take a walk at a park.

My Beloved and I out for a stroll around the church property!

b.      Go window shopping.  This is one of our favorite things to do.  We get to see what’s out there, and we enjoy going away from the store with empty hands, feeling the money still in our pockets.

c.       Go to the airport and watch planes take off and land.

d.      Take a drive!  One of the things we enjoy doing is exploring.  We see something in the distance, or even a building we’d like to see that’s not too far away, and we go look for it.

e.      Geocaching!  I’ve not tried it myself, although I’ve always wanted to.  If you have a GPS, you can look online to find the coordinates of hidden treasures, and then input the coordinates on your GPS, and go on a treasure hunt!  Remember, though, you must always leave another treasure in its place, so the next guy can have fun looking for it.

f.     Unplanned romance!  Remember, there’s nothing wrong with a little romance in the car, since you’re married! ;)

Let’s take a little extra time to plan a memorable excursion with our spouse!  If any of you have any more ideas, please share them; we’d love to hear what other thoughts you may come up with.

What We See - Things That Fly

Air Force 2!!

About a week ago, the Vice President, Joseph Biden, came to Camp Pendleton to  visit the Wounded Warriors, who are just a few hundred yards away.

A Stallion!

The other day, we saw two fighter jets doing maneuvers.  How neat!

This picture was taken while we were still in Yuma.  A few days before that, we were out for a Family Day, and saw the balloon people  inflating their hot-air balloon, and watched a group of people embark and take off!  This is the same balloon, just a different trip.

The Infamous Mr. Heron!

A Cobra!  This is one of the Marine Corps attack copters.  

Blue birds are some of my very most favoritest birds!  We haven't named this one yet,  but he  is a regular around here.

Sharon snapped this wonderful picture of a hummingbird sitting on a wire.  If you look closely, you can see how tiny he is by looking at his size compared to the wire's!  Sharon zoomed in and cropped this picture, so we could see him.

This is an Osprey, the Marine Corps' airplane/helicopter.   It looks really crazy flying through the air, but it does fly!

Mr. Blue Bird again!

Johanna got a kite for Christmas, and on Friday we took it to the beach and got it up in the air.  It was our very first attempt at a double-stringed kite.  Anybody remember the old ones, with only one string??

I hope you all have enjoyed a little foray into our lives here.  We feel so tremendously blessed to be able to minister here on the base.


Lord willing, next time I will post on Stewarding Our Marriages.

An Unbelievable Sight!

The other day, Sharon and I were sitting outside talking and enjoying the beauty of the Southern California winter.  I love to watch the different kinds of birds that migrate here to spend the winter in a warmer climate.  I had my camera with me, ready to take any pictures of beauty that presented itself.

What Sharon and I saw as we sat there was something so unbelievable, so incredible, and unusual, that if I hadn't seen it myself, I would not believe it!

I love herons, but I'm reconsidering.  You'll see why in the next few pictures.

I always thought herons went fishing, but this one went "squirreling!"  Here the ground is INFESTED with ground squirrels, with holes about every foot or so in the field.  They're simply EVERYWHERE!  But Mr. Heron must have decided that getting a meal in the field is easier than getting it in the water!

Here he is, ever so still, and very gracefully taking very...careful...steps.

Slowly, ever so carefully, he puts out a foot and moves closer to his desired "squirreling" spot.

Spying his meal, he stands literally frozen to the spot.

Slowly, carefully, he crouches down, ready to attack.

ZAP!  He got it!  But the question is, what did he get?

I was astounded when I realized that it was a baby squirrel!!

Poor thing.  You can see his legs sticking out of Mr. Heron's beak.

Yikes!  A squirrel-eating bird??!!??

What if he chokes??  Would he turn blue?

There you have it, ladies and gentlemen.  Proof positive that Herons eat rodents.  Like I said, I don't know that I like herons quite as well as I used to.  Now, if they ate rats, that might be a different story.

Meal finished, Mr. Heron goes on to look for more.  

Am I glad I'm not a ground squirrel!

Birds and Boys

I found this little gem in a very old magazine for young people.  Enjoy!

Down in the meadow the little brown thrushes

Build them a nest in the barberry bushes;

And when it is finished all cozy and neat,

Three speckled eggs make their pleasure complete.

“Twit-ter-ee twitter!” they chirp to each other,

“Building a nest is no end of a bother;

But oh, when our deal little birdies we see,

How happy we’ll be!  How happy we’ll be!

Up at the cottage where children are growing,

The young mother patiently sits at her sewing.

It’s something to work for small hobbledehoys,

That will tear their trousers and make such a noise;

“And one must admit,” says the dear little mother,

“That bringing up boys is no end of a bother;

But oh, when they kiss me, and climb on my knee,

It’s sweetness for me, it’s sweetness for me!

Isn't God good to give us such a gift as children?

He is wonderful!

Creating Your Own Exercise Routine

My daughter took some pictures of me during one of our  running times.  Here is the warm-up.

If exercise is a huge part of Stewarding Ourselves, how do we start?  What do we do?

Developing your own exercise routine is not nearly as hard or complicated as you may think.  Some people may want to take the extra time and money to go to a gym with a personal trainer, but I prefer to stay at home with my family and pocket the extra change!  Being somewhat a do-it-yourselfer and a self-starter helps, but anyone can upgrade their lives by moving a little more.

Take about 15 minutes to sketch out your exercise routine.  That’s probably about all it takes to get moving!  Remember the principles of STEADY PRESSURE (work out consistently), INTENSITY (really push yourself sometimes) , and VARIETY (don’t do the same thing every day; change your routine up occasionally) as you plan your program.

1. Choose your days to exercise.  Three (3) times a week is the recommended minimum, but if you can only get one in, that’s still better than none!

2.  Choose your length of time.  I recommend starting with 15 minutes and increasing 1 minute once every week or two, but make sure you tailor your schedule to your own exercise ability.

3.  Choose your Aerobic exercise  – choose your preference: walking, running, cycling, rollerblading...even games with the kids will work as long as you choose something pretty active (soccer, tag, basketball, etc.)  If you have small children, plan on playing games with them once a week.

A Friday Family Fun Run!  We got to go to a park trail in Arizona, and the weather was delicious!

4.  Choose your Strength training exercises  

You can choose bodyweight exercises (that’s exercise using only your body weight, no machines or weights), dumbbells, elastic bands, or even a big machine!  I’m cheap, and I have very little room, so I have a few hand dumbbells which I use only rarely.  I generally stick to body weight exercises.  I figure that more than likely more of what I do in real life will not require me to lift any more than 135 pounds!!

            

    a.  Think of the activities you do every day that use the basic movements: push, pull, squat, bend, etc. Bending over and picking up a toddler, for instance. 

               b.  write down every exercise you can think of that may help you do these movements.  Push – push ups, wall push ups, chair push ups, etc.  Pull – pull-ups, pull downs, bent over rows, etc.

                c.  write down every core exercise you can think of – planks, sit ups, crunches, etc. (if you need some help, here are some great ideas)

                d.  take your list and choose one exercise from each movement to do every day.

                e.  eventually, you can expand your workouts to concentrate on one movement a day, varying movements every day push one day, pull another, legs another, core another

5.  Choose your stretching routine – SLOW is the key!

                a.  Take your arms and legs and carefully stretch them to their capacity, hold that  position for about 10 seconds, and then slowly return to normal.

                b.  If you want to just free-wheel, you could simply lay on the floor and stretch, rolling around and enjoying the feel.

                c.  For a more structured approach, Google “how to stretch," or check out this article for some specific stretches and stretching tips.

6.  Do it!  It sounds ridiculous to say it, but this last point is the very most important!  Just Do It!  There is no bandwagon, only a faithful Stewardship of Ourselves.

Happy Trails to you!

God bless!



Note:  please read our medical disclaimer before following any sort of medical advice from LisaRaub.com

Ministry Update: January 2012

The Lord has blessed in allowing us to have our own campsite for a few weeks!

The Lord has really blessed our ministry efforts this month!  We are so excited to actually be staying on Camp Pendleton!!  An active duty Marine sponsored us onto the base, and we were able to get a thirty-day pass! 

My husband just met today with some commanders on the base, and, Lord Willing, we will be able to start at least one Bible study here.  There is some red tape to go through, but with the prayers of you folks, the gospel will go forth here.

We just arrived in the area on Monday, having spent about three and a half weeks in Yuma, AZ, near the Yuma Proving Grounds and the Marine Corps Air Station.  While we were there, there were a lot of opportunities!  My husband met twice with some with commanders on the base.  At this time, there are no open doors for Bible studies, but the wing chaplain is very interested, and we believe the door is open for other activities as well as a future Bible Study.  Lord willing, we will be able to sponsor several Bible-believing people to work ministries on the base.  Meanwhile, we did some door knocking and canvassing in the housing area near the base, passing out military tracts and military John/Romans.  The military families are very friendly; interestingly, most of the towns they are from are towns we’ve been in as well!  We also drove around on the base and logged the on-base housing for future mail-outs, and participated in a gospel street meeting!  It was a busy time, but a very happy one!

The weather there in Yuma, sunny and dry, seemed to really help my husband’s health.  He improved quite a bit the whole time we were there.  Also, I think we may have pinpointed one problem: he is sensitive to at least one, if not several antibiotics.  We are pretty sure now that it has been the antibiotics that were making him sick.  Now if we can only eliminate the frequent ear and sinus infections that necessitate the use of antibiotics!

Now that we’re at Camp Pendleton, there is so much to do!  Living on the base gives us a unique perspective on the needs of the individuals and families, and also provides a lot of opportunities.  Pray that the Lord will continue to give us opportunities to witness, bless the meetings with the commanders, and help us be a good testimony for the Lord!

Thank you for your prayers!