The Good Wife's Guide

This past week, I found a flyer with a supposed excerpt from Housekeeping Monthly, the May 13, 1955 edition in my mailbox at one of the schools where I teach. I'm not sure whether or not it is legitimate, but it is quite interesting. Although some of the ideas are quite biblical in the section entitled, "The Good Wife's Guide," some of them are also a bit silly sounding, not to mention impossible sounding. Here are just a few out of about 15 that refer to when your husband comes home from work.

*Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so that you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair, and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

*Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

*Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

*Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of arrival is not the time. Let him talk first- remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

*Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

*Don't complain if he's late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

*A good wife always knows her place.

Two are better than one

My Friend Erin

Erin, Megan, Steph
July 2007

Proverbs 27:9
Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

My dear friend Erin was actually friends with my hubby before we were ever introduced! At first, Erin and I were unsure of what to make of each other, but slowly the Lord knit our hearts in a wonderful sisterhood. She is someone that I can continually count on for a straight-up opinion on anything, and shares many of the same wild dreams that I have. She's the kind of friend that tells me when I have a big honkin' piece of spinach in my teeth, and asks the difficult, probing questions in a gentle way that often draws out my motives in a situation. Her advice and listening ear are invaluable, as are her DDR and craft-making abilities. Thanks Erin, for your sweet friendship. Happy belated birthday blog.

BLOG EDIT:
This isn't my favorite picture of myself, but I can't believe how long and blonde my hair was last summer!

Thank you.

wild nephew

He makes some of the most interesting expressions I've ever seen.

Finals game 1

Here's hoping for a good Stanley Cup Finals start! Spectators wonder if the Pens can win big with their first two finals games at Detroit...I throw out an enthusiastic "yes" as the Pens have always won big when they win. In the 1992 cup finals, the pens played in Chicago for the first two games (winning both), and then came back to win two more (winning the series 4-0). There's no doubt our guys can skate in the style of Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Jaromir Jagr, and Tom Barasso.

If you need me after 8:08 tonight, you know where I'll be :)

My Graduate

This is a tribute to my hardworking husband who recently earned is M.A. in TESOL. Though the weekend of his graduation was one of the most hectic times in my whole life, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way than serving him and our family. My husband works hard; he had been diligent to work all day, five days a week, and often gives up at least one full evening and one day of his weekend due to the nature of his job. On top of that, he has been taking two graduate classes per semester for what seems like an eternity, though probably has been only for the past two years, with at least one class each summer session. He pursues his goals with a tenacity that I can only dream of.

More importanly, my husband seeks the Lord with that same tenacity and diligence. Each day, he goes to work about 1/2 hour early so that he can spend time preparing his heart in God's word. He seeks God in all of our decisions, and is quick to pray in tough situations. He is often the first to ask for forgiveness in a conflict, and enjoys bringing a smile to my face. He's faithful to meet with a friend in need, and often puts my needs and desires above his own. Most recently, we have been talking about a big decision and he has saught to consider how the decision would affect me more than how it would affect himself. How blessed I am to have a husband like him!

I could go on about every other way I am enamored with him, but will finish in saying that I hope to be able to serve him well all the years of my life.