Sewing

Posted on January 9, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Now that the recipient has received this, I can talk about it without spoiling any surprises. 🙂

A few months ago I had asked my youngest sister for Christmas gift ideas for my step-father. He’s always hard to buy for because he works so much that he doesn’t really have any time for hobbies or outside interests, and since I’m not right there I’m not aware of personal or household things he might need. She mentioned that a nightshirt I had made for him years ago was about worn out. Perfect, I thought. Not only is that something he could use and would like, but it was also have a more personal touch since I’d be making it (I’d looked for them in the stores before and couldn’t find them; my sister said she had bought some, but he said they weren’t the same — I think maybe because I use flannel and the ones in the store are just a woven, broadcloth type of fabric.)

So I had this great idea and good intentions, but I didn’t get going on it right away, and then our church’s ladies’ group missionary Christmas project came up, then Christmas activities, and I sadly realized I wasn’t going to get it done by Christmas. However, his birthday is a few days after Christmas, so I aimed for that.

When I went shopping I was looking for blues and browns, but all I could find were reds. I wasn’t quite sure if he’d like that, but…it was all I could find.

I have to admit I am not a confidant seamstress. I have to pray over my sewing. I tend to make really dumb mistakes. And there is something about either the way my brain works or the way sewing instructions are written that just does not mesh. Oh, basic side seams, sleeves, even buttonholes are fine. I have never been able to do zippers according to any instructions I have read — I had to figure out my own way (and I usually avoid zippers if what I am sewing can be pulled over my head. Thankfully this project had no zippers.) This nightshirt had neckline instructions that just did not make sense, even with reading them over a number of times (and even with having made this pattern before). So what I have to do in those situations is to take it step by step and do what the instructions say line by line. Sometimes in the middle of it, then I can understand what to do. Sometimes, though, even then it doesn’t really make sense to me, but somehow, praying over it the whole time, it comes out like it’s supposed to.

At some point in this process this time, I thought, you know, the Christian life is a lot like that. Some of God’s instructions don’t make sense until we are in or on the other side of a situation. Sometimes even then we don’t understand quite why or how it all worked, but — we know Him, we know His character, we know He has a reason for what He asks. And we walk by faith.

I guess I could say I sew by faith. 🙂

Well, anyway, it finally all came together — not perfectly, but no major disasters along the way (thank you, Lord!) It was in a plaid fabric, and I tried to match the plaids at crucial places. The side seams were easy to match (I just hate to see plaid garments where the plaid lines along the side seams are “off”), but the neckline was trickier. My sister did e-mail me that my step-father really liked it, even the color. So I am glad. 🙂 Here is the finished product:

Bunny: 1; Snake: 0

Posted on January 8, 2007 by Barbara Harper

My oldest son sent this to me. I don’t know whether to think this bunny is really plucky or whether his mama never taught him about snakes.

Psalm Sundays

Posted on January 7, 2007 by Barbara Harper

I saw over at She Lives that Erica at Butterfly Kisses is hosting Psalms Sunday for whoever would like to participate to study a particular Psalm each week and then post our thoughts on what we studied. That’s a wonderful idea! The Psalms are full of a lot of good instruction and inspiration. Thank you, Erica!

The first one is, appropriately, Psalm 1:

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

I see this as a study in contrasts between the righteous and the ungodly.

The first contrast is what drives them, what they take their cues from, what they meditate on. I don’t think I would have ever noticed this on my own, but I have heard a couple of preachers point out the progression of the ungodly from walking to standing to sitting in verse 1. In my college days, we walked all over campus to classes, to the library, to the dining area, etc. It was one thing to walk along with friends whom I didn’t know very well, but we might have some point of contact — say, we sat near each other in a class, saw each other on the way to eat lunch, and struck up a conversation on the way. But if we stop at some point and talk, that indicates a little more involved communication, If we then sat down to continue our conversation, that indicates a little more attention, a little more involvement and purpose. We have to be careful about the counsel of the ungodly, less we get more and more entranced and entrenched.

The opposite of the “counsel of the ungodly” is the law of the Lord. It is interesting to me that the word “law” is used. Sometimes that refers to the specific laws in the Bible, sometimes to the Pentateuch (the books of Moses, the first five books of the Bible), sometimes it is a synonym for God’s Word in general. When this was written, the primary written word of God was Moses’ books and the earlier history books — the New Testament, of course, wasn’t written for centuries; the major and minor prophets came along mostly after David’s time. Job is said to be the oldest book in the Bible, so it might have been available. Proverbs and Song of Solomon would have been after David’s time. It’s funny that the word of God that they had available then that the psalmist delighted in is the part that most people get bogged down in these days. And I do have to admit that Leviticus, which is where I am now, is pretty heavy in places (so I am also reading a Psalm a day to supplement it. But “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (II Tim. 3:16). God’s law reflects the fact that God is righteous and holy and is interested in fair and just behavior. If “the law” in verse 1 refers to the books of Moses, we have the accounts of creation, early man and the entrance of sin, the promise of a redeemer, the history of God’s dealings with Israel, their exodus from Egypt, the Lord’s miraculous deliverance of them at the Red Sea, the characters of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, God’s leading of them, His patience in their stubbornness and unbelief, His giving of the law, the need of a blood sacrifice when that law is violated — much, much to meditate on and learn about God there! And of course we can extrapolate the blessings of meditation of God’s law to the whole of His Word that we are privileged to have today.

Meditation, by the way, is not the clearing the minds of all thoughts into a kind of nothingness that we hear about these days. It is an active use of our mental faculties, a mulling over of the truth in God’s Word.

The second contrast I see is in their stability. The ungodly have none: they get blown about in the wind (this just brought to mind Eph. 4:14). The righteous, on the other hand, are firmly planted by the river so that their roots are always near the source of the sustenance, and therefore they won’t “dry up” and wither, but rather are fruitful.

By the way, I don’t think whatsoever he doeth shall prosper is fodder for the “prosperity gospel.” This isn’t promising wealth and health. It echoes Joshua 1:8: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

The third contrast is their ending. The ungodly shall not stand; the ungodly shall perish. But thankfully the Lord knows the way of the righteous.

Now — does that mean the righteous have reason to think themselves so much better than the ungodly? No. We’re all ungodly (Romans 3:23). We are not to look down on them as if we are better. In fact, we should have that much more compassion on them, their state, their end, and share with them how they can be made righteous and forgiven by accepting God’s perfect sacrifice for their sins. And then they can meditate on God’s Word, have stability in their lives, and a better end. And they can tell the ungodly that they know.

The Storm and the Rainbow

Posted on January 6, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Yesterday had been grey and drizzly all day. When I was waiting in the car line at my son’s school in the afternoon, a computerized voice on the radio broke into the regular programming to warn of a fast-moving storm which had conditions that could produce a tornado, and a tornado warning was in effect for the next 45 minutes. Right on cue, raindrops began splattering hard and fast against the windshield, and as I drove up to where my son was waiting, he made a mad dash for the car. Just then I saw another mother and friend herding several children into the cafeteria. She saw me, made a swirling motion with her hand, and mouthed, “Tornado.” I nodded to indicate that I had heard the warning, but I felt sure we could make it home all right. We only live a short distance away — 3 minutes if the lights are green, 10 minutes at most.

As I drove towards the main road, though, I saw low, dark, swirling clouds that had not been there when I came to the school. The rain pounded harder and harder, the sudden onslaught almost flooding the roads. My original plans had been to take my son home and then go run an errand for which I knew he would not want to accompany me, but with the conditions, I decided I’d better stay home until this storm blew over. I had almost not taken the tornado warning seriously, but now it looked as though a tornado could materialize out of the sky at any moment, and I was anxious to get home.

Just before we got to the turn into our subdivision, I was aware of a bright light behind us. The sun was shining! As I waited in the turn lane, I thought I saw a bit of color — I had to blink a couple of times, and it seemed like a rainbow appeared almost right before my eyes. It was a perfect arc, seeming to start on one side of a little red brick church and going over our neighborhood, coming down on the other side. It looked like you could reach out and touch it. It made you want to go look for the end of it just to see if it touched the ground.

Then I noticed that, though the rain had slowed, just above the rainbow the sky was still dark grey. The sunlight was coming from behind us. Just below the rainbow, the sky wasn’t daylight blue, but it was definitely lighter and brighter than the stormy sky. It made the whole area under the arc look like a light-filled globe. I wished I had my camera, but probably neither my camera nor I had the skills to capture the beauty of it.

I have always loved the ethereal beauty of rainbows, and I’ve always loved associating them with God’s promise in Gen. 9:11-17. When my older boys were toddlers they would say the rainbow was “God’s pwomise.” Yet this morning, thinking about the rainbow yesterday being the dividing line between the grey skies and the brighter sky, I realized that God’s promises are often the dividing line between hope and despair in the storms of life. Whether a sudden squall of disaster assails us or a slow-brewing storm erupts over us, only the solid, unmoving, unchangeable promises of God keep up anchored. He has promised that He loves His children and always will. He has promised to supply our needs. He has promised sufficient grace. He has promised to work all things together for good to those who love Him. He has promised new mercies every morning and unfailing compassion. There are multitudes of His promises that we can cling to through the storms of life that will make our skies brighter in comparison to the storm clouds above.

For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. Isaiah 25:4.

The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. Nahum 1:3.

Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psalm 107:28-31

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. Psalm 57:1-2.

(Rainbow photo courtesy of the stock.xchng)

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt: Memory

Posted on January 5, 2007 by Barbara Harper

This is my sixth grade school picture. I have very, very, very straight hair, and I had to sleep all night in curlers with my hair drenched in Dippity-Doo to even get this much curl (this was before hot curlers and curling irons). I rarely curled it because of all that, but for some reason just wanted to for this picture. Someone in PE that day commented, “Someone in here smells like Dippity-Doo!” (Isn’t that a silly name for a product?) But this is one of my favorite pictures of myself.

For more about the Photo Hunt, visit here.

2007 New Year Meditations

Posted on January 5, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Laurel Wreath has invited us to share our New Year Meditations, the hopes, dreams, and goals we have for 2007.

This post has been simmering on the back burner for several days. I had some other obligations and deadlines this week, and then when I did sit down to write about this, I couldn’t quite think through what I wanted to say. I’ve been experiencing a bit of brain fog with a cold this week. I think what I’ll do is divide my thoughts into categories.

Spiritual Goals:

The thoughts that come to mind are “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them” (II Timothy 3:14) and “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18a). For instance, years ago the Lord dealt with me about spending regular time in His Word. Once that is settled, however, the temptation some days is to just drag my eyes down the page to get that part of the day done and then go on. I need to keep in the Word, but I also need to stay engaged mentally, to remember I am there to meet with the Lord and have Him speak to me, not just fulfill an obligation. Then through His Word, both read on my own and preached and taught about at church, He continues to develop my relationship with Him, shows me things that need to be dealt with, areas in which I need to grow, etc. We probably never have a virtue or character trait down perfectly in this life: we will always need to nurture and cultivate those traits. And we continually need our “blind spots” to our sin and selfishness revealed. So spiritually I want to stay the course, keep in God’s Word, keep growing, maturing, and to gain ground over my “besetting sins.”

Personal Goals:

Incorporate some form of regular exercise into my life.
Learn and incorporate healthier and more moderate eating.
Get back into sewing. I have fabric and patterns (I used to work in a fabric store) and I can rarely find things I like that fit well and are affordable.
Make a winter reading list. I read all the time, anyway, but I discovered with the Fall Reading Challenge that it only takes a little planning and making a list to include some of those books I’ve “always wanted to read some day.”
I tend to be “task-oriented” and need to be more “people-oriented.”

Family Goals:

There are specific areas I am praying about for each member. I want to continue to treasure the time I have with them. My oldest is likely going to “leave the nest” some time in the next year or so. I am sure that will be a shock to my system.

House goals:

Do some sorting and organizing in the attic and shed.
Make or buy curtains for the family room.

I am sure new things will come to light as the year progresses. But these will keep me busy for a very long while. 🙂

Odds and Ends

Posted on January 4, 2007 by Barbara Harper

One thing. I read one of the neatest posts yesterday at 2nd cup of coffee based on the phrase “one thing” in the Bible. It was not only inspiring but simplifies any resolutions we need to make.

200 calories. My oldest son sent me this interesting link titled “What Does 200 Calories Look Like?” (Shouldn’t that be “do” rather than “does,” though? In my brain fog [see below] it doesn’t look quite right.) Anyway, it has pictures of the 200-calorie equivalent of various foods. In what should be a no-brainer, you can get a lot more celery and broccoli for 200 calories than you can peanut butter and Hershey’s kisses (if only those didn’t taste so good…) Though we know that on one level, it is an eye-opener to see it. I only wish the site had used something other than grams for its measurements, like cups or tablespoons.

Blogging helper. Shannon @ Rocks In My Dryer and Chilihead @ Don’t Try This At Home have launched a new site to help beginning bloggers called Blogging Basics 101. I think it is a great idea. Probably most of us wish something like this had been around when we started.

Bleah. Somehow we all got through the Christmas season without getting sick, except for my husband. He had a horrible cold and still has a pretty bad cough. Tuesday I started having a sore throat and runny nose, progressed to coughing and feeling this morning like my cheeks are about to fall off. I hope it doesn’t spread to the rest of the family just as everyone is getting back to school and work. I’d rather have this, though, than the stomach thing some others have been going through. A lot of people around here have had it as have a number of bloggers’ families. In fact, as I have read about it, I’ve wanted to keep my distance from the screen and disinfect the keyboard lest germs sneak though. 🙂

Thursday Thirteen #19: Life’s Little Pleasures

Posted on January 4, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Life’s Little Pleasures

1. Fresh sheets on the bed.

2. The scent of cookies baking.

3. Good books.

4. Music.

5. Friends.

6. A great church.

7. Days when you don’t have to set the alarm clock.

8. Fast-food breakfasts.

9. Chocolate.

10. Seeing pink and purple in the sky through the trees outside my kitchen window at sunrise.

11. A task completed.

12. My husband’s grilled specialties for dinner.

13. New calendars

Bonus: Baby toes.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Wordless Wednesday

Posted on January 2, 2007 by Barbara Harper

See more Wordless Wednesdays or submit your own at 5 Minutes for Mom and the Wordless Wednesday HQ.

Works-For-Me Wednesday: Keeping on top of kitchen clean-up

Posted on January 2, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Some years ago when I was very sick and out of commission for several weeks, and my poor dear husband had the household duties heaped on top of his work schedule and caring for the kids, he implemented something that I thought was a great idea. Every night following the usual kitchen duties of cleaning up after the meal, loading the dishwasher, wiping off the table and counters, etc., he would do one “extra” kitchen job, like cleaning the hood over the range or cleaning the microwave. That way all those extra little jobs didn’t pile up into the need for a big major overhaul which he didn’t have time for.