Memorial Day

Posted on May 26, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Any nation that does not honor its heroes will not long endure.
~Abraham Lincoln~

A good history of Memorial Day is here, and a great article about ways to observe it is here.

GOING TO THE GONE
A checklist for Memorial Day

by Greg Asimakoupoulos
May 23, 2008

Go look in on your children still asleep
within their bed.
Remind yourself they’re safe and warm
because of some long dead.

Go for a walk through cemeteries
lined with little flags.
Take time to ponder homebound heroes
flown in body bags.

Go stand between those granite stones
engraved with names and dates.
Imagine all who died defending
our United States.

Go on and kneel beside a marker
offering a prayer
with gratitude for those who gave their lives
defeating terror.

Go home and count your blessings
from the hands of those now gone.
Then vow to the Almighty that their
mem’ry will live on.

Also found here.

Hat tip to A Thinking Man’s Thoughts.

(Graphic courtesy of Anne’s Place)

A pleasant Mother’s Day

Posted on May 12, 2008 by Barbara Harper

My family does a lot to make Mother’s Day special for me. I don’t remember when Jim started this, but for the last several years he has made a special Mother’s Day meal, assigning each of the boys a task. Yesterday he grilled Marinated Ham Steak (recipe at the end an overly long post there) and sausage, and set one boy to making Rice-a-Roni, one to making a salad, and one making corn on the cob. Jim shops for the ingredients on Saturday and they all work together to clean up after the meal on Sunday. It’s wonderful. Years ago I heard our then youth pastor say that in his family they took turns washing dishes for his mom on Mother’s Day, and I thought…I am glad I am in the family I am in! (For more reasons than that, of course!). Getting the dishes washed once a year is ok, but I enjoy having the whole day off. And though I enjoy a nice meal out probably more than anyone else in the family, the restaurants here are overly crowded on Sundays anyway — I can just imagine what they’re like on Mother’s Day (in fact, when we got done eating, Jim said, “I bet the folks at Outback are still in line.”) For years we have generally avoided going out to eat on Sundays anyway, but that’s a different post. I enjoy coming home to curl up with a book or putter around on the computer that one Sunday a year.

I do make breakfast as usual. Our Sunday mornings are pretty well scheduled — we just have one shower and have to get ready in shifts, so it seemed prudent to just keep that as it was.

After dinner I opened my family’s gifts. I received several books, a book of vintage-looking scrapbooking paper, a punch tool that makes a lacy edge on paper, a gift card to Michael’s, a plaque with John 13:35 on it, another plaque about Moms (which matches the plaque that son’s girlfriend gave me here about being a second Mom), and a Deluxe Scrabble game (this one happens to have black and silver features and lettering). What I like best about it is that the board is on a turntable so no player has to look at the board upside down. I love word games but can hardly ever get my family to play with me. But four of us played last night, and it was fun. And hopefully they’ll play with me again some time. 🙂

Church yesterday morning didn’t really focus much on Mother’s Day, which was unusual, but at the evening service opportunity was given for every mom who wanted to to request a verse or two of a favorite song. Though that was nice, it went on for a long time! They didn’t want to cut off anyone’s opportunity. Then there were a few testimonies having something to do with mothers, and it was interesting the variety that came up — there was one from a young mom whose baby has had complications since before birth praising God for the way He has manifested Himself through her baby’s life so far, a teen-ager thanking God for his mother’s help and support through a recent diabetes diagnosis, another thankful for his mom’s support through a family trial, a husband thankful for his wife and the good job she did with their daughters while he was often gone with his job, an older man who was thankful for the single lady who led him to the Lord and the opportunity he had in later years to lead his parents to Him. It was a blessing to hear all of those.

The last couple of Mother’s Days have had something of a pang with missing my mom. Usually in the evening after church I would call her and we’d chat – -seldom for less than an hour. There were a few moments of missing her intensely, but it wasn’t quite as hard as the last two years — maybe due to the passage of time, maybe because the time I usually talked to her was the time we were all playing my new game. We did talk to my husband’s mom later in the evening.

I have several tasks on the agenda for this week, so I had better get to them. But I want to thank my family for the lovely day and all the special and thoughtful things you did!

Mother’s Kisses

Posted on May 11, 2008 by Barbara Harper

They’re good for bumps and good for lumps
They’re even good for dumps and grumps,
They’re good for stings of bumblebees
And barks from shinnying cherry trees.
For splinters, sunburns, “skeeter-bites,”
For injured feelings after fights,
And scratches, scratched while Tabby hisses —
Mother’s kisses.

There’s naught so pure, there’s naught so sure,
Indeed, they seem a heavenly cure,
For pounded fingers, and stubbed toes,
And all the long, long list of woes.
Yet did you ever think it queer
That while they’re fine for every fear
They’re just as fine with all the blisses —
Mother’s kisses.

~ Annie Badcomb Wheeler

A few other poems for Mother’s Day are here.

My tribute to my mom, written last year, is here. This is one of those days I most miss her.

Happy Mother’s Day!

(Graphic from Anne’s Place)

Mother’s Day Funnies

Posted on May 10, 2008 by Barbara Harper

WHAT MOMS REALLY WANT FOR MOTHER’S DAY

* To be able to eat a whole candy bar (alone) and drink a soda without any “floaties” (ie, backwash).
* Five pounds of chocolate that won’t add twenty pounds to her figure.
* A shower without a child peeking through the curtain with a “Hi Ya Mom!” just as she puts a razor to her ankle.
* For her teenager to announce, “Hey, Mom! I got a full scholarship and a job all in the same day!”
* A grocery store that doesn’t have candy/gum/cheap toys displayed at the checkout line.
* To have a family meal without a discussion about bodily secretions.
*To occasionally get to sleep late on the weekend.
*To take a hot bath without her toddler suddenly screaming, “Mommy, I have to go potty!” as soon as she hits the water.

Laws of Parenting:

1. The later you stay up, the earlier your child will wake up the next morning.
2. For a child to become clean, something else must become dirty.
3. Toys multiply to fill any space available.
4. The longer it takes you to make a meal, the less your child will like it.
5. If the shoe fits… it’s expensive.
6. The surest way to get something done is to tell a child not to do it.
7. The gooier the food, the more likely it is to end up on the carpet.
8. Backing the car out of the driveway causes your child to have to go to the bathroom.

MURPHY’S LAWS FOR PARENTS

1. The tennis shoes you must replace today will go on sale next week.
2. Leakproof thermoses will.
3. The chances of a piece of bread falling with the grape jelly side down is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet.
4. The garbage truck will be two doors past your house when the argument over whose day it is to take out the trash ends.
5. The shirt your child must wear today will be the only one that needs to be washed or mended.
6. Gym clothes left at school in lockers mildew at a faster rate than other clothing.
7. The item your child lost, and must have for school within the next ten seconds, will be found in the last place you look.
8. Sick children recover miraculously when the pediatrician enters the treatment room.
9. Refrigerated items, used daily, will gravitate toward the back of the refrigerator.
10. Your chances of being seen by someone you know dramatically increase if you drive your child to school in your robe and curlers.

(Authors Unknown)

Alleluia!

Posted on March 22, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer;
Death is strong, but Life is stronger;
Stronger than the dark, the light;
Stronger than the wrong, the right;
Faith and Hope triumphant say
Christ will rise on Easter Day.

– Phillips Brooks, An Easter Carol

The strife is o’er, the battle done;
The victory of life is won;
The song of triumph has begun:
Alleluia!

The powers of death have done their worst;
But Christ their legions hath dispersed;
Let shouts of holy joy outburst:
Alleluia!

The three sad days are quickly sped;
He rises glorious from the dead;
All glory to our risen Head!
Alleluia!

He closed the yawning gates of hell;
The bars from heaven’s high portals fell;
Let hymns of praise His triumphs tell!
Alleluia!

Lord, by the stripes which wounded Thee,
From death’s dread sting Thy servants free,
That we may live, and sing to Thee:
Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

~ Author Unknown

May you have a wonderful joyous, blessed Easter remembering the resurrection of our Lord and Savior!

Easter Reading

Posted on March 22, 2008 by Barbara Harper

People say the cross is a sign of how much man is worth. That’s not true. The cross is a sign of how depraved we really are, that it took the death of God’s own Son. The only thing that could save a people like us was the death of God’s own Son under the wrath of His own Father paying the price, rising again from the dead. Powerful to say, this is the Gospel of Jesus. — Paul Washer

I haven’t posted much about Easter this year because I posted a lot of material last year. I’ll recap some of it:

Thirteen quotes from scholars about the resurrection and thirteen witnesses to the resurrection.

Hope you have a blessed day tomorrow!

(Graphic courtesy of Julia Bettencourt)

(Updated 2/22/22 to repair and eliminate broken links. I had several other links here, but the sites are no longer operational.)

Stricken, smitten, and afflicted

Posted on March 21, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Isaiah 53:4: Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Stricken, smitten, and afflicted,
See Him dying on the tree!
’Tis the Christ by man rejected;
Yes, my soul, ’tis He, ’tis He!
’Tis the long expected prophet,
David’s Son, yet David’s Lord;
Proofs I see sufficient of it:
’Tis a true and faithful Word.

Tell me, ye who hear Him groaning,
Was there ever grief like His?
Friends through fear His cause disowning,
Foes insulting his distress:
Many hands were raised to wound Him,
None would interpose to save;
But the deepest stroke that pierced Him
Was the stroke that Justice gave.

Ye who think of sin but lightly,
Nor suppose the evil great,
Here may view its nature rightly,
Here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the Sacrifice appointed!
See Who bears the awful load!
’Tis the Word, the Lord’s Anointed,
Son of Man, and Son of God.

Here we have a firm foundation,
Here the refuge of the lost.
Christ the Rock of our salvation,
Christ the Name of which we boast.
Lamb of God for sinners wounded!
Sacrifice to cancel guilt!
None shall ever be confounded
Who on Him their hope have built.

~ Thomas Kelly, 1804

Time Travel Tuesday: Easter

Posted on March 4, 2008 by Barbara Harper

My Life as Annie’s weekly Time Travel Tuesday asks this week:

Share your Easter traditions. Did you have egg hunts every year? A new dress? Was it a spiritual event in your family, or just a fun day?

My family was not a Christian one, but my mother did let me go with her father and sister to the Lutheran church. I remember the different cloths on the pulpit and the sash the pastor wore (I forget the exact names of them) being purple at Easter. I am not in a liturgical type of church now, but I did like that obvious change with the seasons and holidays. I do remember getting a new dress, shiny black patent leather shoes, and an Easter basket. I remember dyeing eggs. I don’t remember if we did egg hunts at home: I do remember attending one somewhere.

And that’s about all I remember of my childhood Easters. 🙂

When our own kids came along, at first I was somewhat militant against any part of the holidays that wasn’t specifically Christian: I wanted to keep the emphasis of Easter on Christ’s death and resurrection. But I have softened over the years. I came to see that all of spring, really, is a picture of the resurrection, of new life. And for young children, when they don’t understand all the spiritual significance, doing little things to make the day special in some way is a good thing, I think. So we began having small Easter baskets with candy and just a few little trinkets like decorated pads and pencils, etc. — I still don’t like the idea of a humongous basket with a dozen toys and cashiers asking the kids, “What’s the Easter Bunny bringing you for Easter?” as if it is another Christmas (not to criticize anyone else who does that: we just prefer to keep that side of Easter simple for our family). I did like the idea of a new outfit: that seemed symbolic of walking in newness of life, of a change of appearance after salvation. Plus when the kids were little they needed new clothes every year anyway. But then they kind of grew out of that and didn’t seem interested. I have all boys, and they all went through a phase of only wearing one dress shirt every Sunday no matter how many shirts they had in the closet. So the new outfits for them for Easter kind of fell by the wayside. I often will still get a new dress for myself, but I don’t stress about it and don’t ‘”have” to have one.

We never did do the Easter Bunny, but one year my husband hid money in plastic eggs and hid them around the yard for the boys, and that has become a tradition. We never dyed or decorated eggs, and that makes me a little sad, but no one liked hard-cooked eggs, so there is really no reason to. I like an egg salad sandwich or deviled eggs every now and then, but I don’t want to personally eat everyone’s eggs. 🙂

Another thing that has become a tradition is making Resurrection Rolls, which is basically bread dough wrapped around a marshmallow: the marshmallow melts into the bread, leaving it with a sweet taste and a hollow place which looks sort of like the empty tomb.

The recipe for that and some other Easter treats are here.

Another big part of our Easter is that our church usually has some special things going on, usually a choir cantata Easter Sunday evening.

Valentine treats and a session on how to love our husbands

Posted on February 19, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Our February ladies’ meeting at church was last night, and last month I thought, being close to Valentine’s Day, we might explore the topic of how to love our husbands. Then today I thought I might share that with you as well.

Usually other ladies sign up to bring refreshments, but no one did for this month, and I have lots of heart-shaped treats on file, so I did this one. Along with some small sandwiches and a vegetable tray, I made

Sweetheart Jamwiches from Southern Living magazine. This is one of only a few recipes I kept from the short time I was subscribed to them. Mine aren’t quite as neat as theirs — I was running behind and trying to get finished fast by the time I got to the end — but I still liked the way they turned out, and the ladies seemed to like them, too.

I also made Peanut Butter Kiss cookies, only substituting chocolate hearts instead of Hershey’s kisses.

My original idea for the ladies meeting was to have a panel of 4 to 6 ladies who would answer questions from the others. What I found was that most of the ladies I asked were very reluctant, feeling they needed to still be learning rather than answering other people’s questions. That’s understandable in one way because we’re all sinners and none of us has this down perfectly: along with the rest of our sin nature, we have to wrestle with our basic tendency toward selfishness probably in our marriages more than anything else. But, as I tried to share with them, I’d much rather hear from someone as human as I am than someone who acts as though they have it all down pat.

Still, I only found three ladies who would agree to be on the panel, and one of them called less than two hours before the meeting to say she had a raging headache and couldn’t come. So I put another lady on the spot before the meeting started and asked her, and she graciously agreed.

Usually we have a speaker for our meetings. Twice before we had open discussion types of meetings: the first time was on the topic of personal devotions, and that went very well with a lot of people sharing struggles and solutions; the second time the topic was hospitality, and that didn’t go very well at all. I think that’s an area where many of us feel inadequate. So this time I wanted a panel so I wouldn’t be the only one up there answering questions!

I had told the ladies beforehand that, though they could ask questions from the floor, if they wanted to submit them ahead of time that would give the ladies on the panel a little more time to think about an answer. No one submitted anything ahead of time, so I came up with a list of questions I had heard, read, or had myself over the years to use kind of as a starting-off point, and I told the ladies if we veered from there or other questions came up along the way, that was fine. I also told them that anyone was free to ask questions or make comments and that I wanted this to be a sharing time for all of us.

I was originally going to just jot down various points or principles that were discussed through the night, but I decided I would use the questions that we used as a framework for the different aspects.

I started with Titus 2:3-5:

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

I told them for our purposes that night I wasn’t going to dwell on who was younger, older, or “aged.” 🙂 We’re all older or younger than somebody. In fact, I was a little sad that some of the older older women didn’t come — they probably felt they didn’t “need” any instruction on this topic, but I think they would have benefited all of us with what they have learned over the years.

Anyway — on to the questions, and I will try to jot down as much as I can remember of the answers:

1. Several sources I have read indicate that the word for love in Titus 2 is the word for an affectionate type of love rather than agape love. As Christians we are all to love each other with agape love, which we can only do through His Spirit, but why do you think God wants us to teach each other that affectionate, brotherly kind of love rather than just commanding it as He commands men to love their wives?

Perhaps one reason is that we can so easily fall into “Martha mode” and get so busy serving and doing that we forget to just be affectionate. I know when I am super-busy, that’s the hardest time for me to respond in an affectionate manner, especially if I am interrupted.

I didn’t think of this last night, but earlier today I was thinking that most preaching we hear on a woman’s role in marriage deals with submission and obedience, and those are important aspects and one way we show our love to our husbands, but we can do both without any warmth or affection. Too, in that day of arranged marriages, many wives probably felt they were coming into a serious relationship with a stranger, and it would have been helpful for older women to encourage them in this way.

2. What are some ways that you show your husband that you love him?

This is something that would be different for each individual husband, but many mentioned just little thoughtful niceties that you’d know he’d like or things that he has responded well to in the past. One lady mentioned little notes in lunch boxes and other places. Another mentioned bringing him a glass of iced tea while he’s relaxing in the recliner. Another mentioned calling him at work during the day, not to report a problem, but just to say, “Hi, everything is going well; I just wanted to touch base and see how you were doing and tell you I love you.” One mentioned giving her husband her full attention when he is talking to her rather than being distracted. Another busy mother of 7 mentioned that, when her husband called to her at home, she had gotten into a habit of saying “Just a minute” or even “Is it important?” She got convicted about that and felt it would honor him to come when he called her and see what he wanted. She even confessed that to him, ad at first he just folded his arms like, “I’ll believe it when I see it!” So the next time he called her, she was so tempted to just call back, but she stopped what she was doing and ran to him to see what he wanted, and he just lit up.

Someone brought up the book The Five Love Languages and the idea that people perceive and receive love in different ways. More information about them is here.

3. What do you do if you disagreed with your husband about something? How do you know when to voice it and when to be silent and pray?

Many ladies said that, whatever you do, pray first. That will keep you from just reacting. Then if you do feel led to say something, the Lord will help you do so in a gracious manner.

A few emphasized to choose wisely in what you disagree about. If you’re always disagreeing on every little thing, then when something major comes along, it might not be taken seriously — it will sound like you just disagree out of habit or as a matter or course.

A few also said that they felt their husbands did want to know how they felt: they didn’t just want a marital equivalent of a yes man. But if we do voice disagreements, we need to do so graciously and not in a way that’s belittling. We also need to be careful not to assume or assign motives.

It was also brought up in couple of different ways that we shouldn’t assume they know how we feel. One lady brought up an example about how, when she was first married, her husband had a good friend who was with them all the time. She finally took her husband aside and told him she loved him and was glad to be married to him, but she almost felt she was married to this other guy, too. He just hadn’t realized how it seemed to her, and once she said something, he cut back on the time he spent with his friend.

A few other examples and questions came up on this point, and it was generally agreed that, if you’re going to discuss a serious disagreement, it’s best to choose a good time when there is not an tension or distraction, (one suggested making him a good meal first 🙂 ), and just being as gracious and kind about it as you can.

4. How do you maintain reverence for your husband, especially when he does or says something you don’t respect?

There were several thoughts here:

Remember that it is based on God’s command, not your husband’s performance.

Remember that he is only human: he is not going to be perfect. I read the quote I posted yesterday — I thought it was interesting that I found it in my files just in time for this meeting!

Colosians 3:12-14 was read:

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

This wasn’t read, but a companion passage is Ephesians 4:1-3:

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

One pastor used to say “forbearing” was just “good old-fashioned putting up with each other.” There has to be some of that in marriage: none of us will be perfect.

Another truth to apply is to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (based on Matthew 7:12). When we fall short and fail, how would we want our husbands to handle it? My husband very rarely says anything to me about my faults and failures, and the fact that he “puts up with me” in love is a rebuke to me and a help in my response to him.

One pointed out to focus on his strengths, not his weaknesses. Another reminded that we have to guard against bitterness and resentment in our own hearts.

There was much discussion on this point about praying about the matter and letting the Lord convict him.

5. How would you advise a young Christian wife who says that her husband does not take the lead spiritually in praying together or having devotions together?

Not much was said in this point except that you can’t force it. A couple of people brought out the principle of asking our own husbands spiritual or Scriptural questions rather than seeking them from someone else (I Cor. 14:35a: “And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home.”)

6. How do you carve out time for just the two of you?

Many emphasized that you have to make time for each other. A few mentioned a date night, with either getting a baby-sitter, or if finances are tight, swapping baby-sitting with another couple. One said that they only allow their children to watch videos or play computer games on Friday nights, and so they all look forward to that time and are “plugged in,” leaving the parents with some time for themselves. They had their restriction more for the benefit of their children, but it had the added benefit of creating some alone time for themselves as a couple.

7. What are some good books on the subject that you have read?

Already mentioned was The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. A few others were:

The Ministry of Marriage by Jim Binney
The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian
Ribbing Him Rightly by Beneth Peters Jones
Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Grey
One was also mentioned by Elizabeth George, but the lady couldn’t remember the name: perhaps A Wife After God’s Own Heart?
An audio series called Making It Even Better by Wayne Van Gelderen, Jr.

There were a few other questions that I don’t remember much being discussed in answer, so I left them off here.

I know I didn’t quite capture the spirit of the meeting, but I think it was good over all. I enjoyed it and it brought out many things I had heard before but needed reminding of. Several ladies commented positively afterwards. One even suggested we cover this topic at least once a year. I didn’t record a lot of the specific questions or examples that came up because they weren’t meant for the general public.

I think it’s helpful to realize that no one has a perfect marriage, and even those who have near-perfect ones now had their struggles. One lady whose marriage seems great to me told me afterward that though things are great now, there was a time that, since she didn’t believe in divorce, she prayed that the Lord would just take her husband home, because she just didn’t feel she could continue to live like they were living. You’d never guess it now! Even reading missionary stories, where Elisabeth Elliot, Isobel Kuhn, and Rosalind Goforth shared some of their struggles, was helpful to me in knowing that such godly ladies were “of like passions” as we are.

Though this wasn’t brought out at the meeting, it was demonstrated that one thing we shouldn’t do is engage in husband-bashing to others, and I am happy to say that in all of the discussion I didn’t detect any of that.

Another point that I didn’t think to bring out was that we can only be and do what we ought with the Lord’s help and grace. I remember once during a family conference, our guest speaker, Dr. Wayne Van Gelderen, Sr., pointed out that all of the instructions concerning family relationships in Ephesians came after the command to be filled with the Spirit in Ephesians 5:18.

I know this wasn’t the most lyrically-written post, but I hope it was helpful.

What about you? How would you have answered some of these questions?

(P.S. — By the way, a couple of other interesting things happened at this meeting. Three times in my life I have had an optical migraine — the flashing squiggly zigzag lines in my vision. Only once has it gone on to nausea and a headache. Last night it started happing just at the end of the refreshments and before the actual meeting part. I was so distressed. I took a couple of aspirin and I asked the lady whom I called on to open in prayer to pray for that, and within 15 minutes it was gone — usually it takes about an hour in a quiet, darkened room. So I praise the Lord for that! One of the other ladies on the panel is prone to kidney stones and was having severe pain last night but felt she should come anyway. When I mentioned that another lady who was supposed to be on the panel called with a severe headache, this lady said it seemed like Satan was out to attack this meeting. I’m not one to see Satan behind every problem or obstacle, but I know he doesn’t want marriages [which were created by God] to succeed, so it may be. But I am glad God overcame many of those obstacles!)

Show and Tell Friday: Valentine’s Day decorations and dinner

Posted on February 15, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Kelli at There’s No Place Like Home hosts “Show and Tell Friday” asking “Do you have a something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, an antique find. Your show and tell can be old or new. Use your imagination and dig through those old boxes in your closet if you have to! Feel free to share pictures and if there’s a story behind your special something, that’s even better! If you would like to join in, all you have to do is post your “Show and Tell” on your blog, copy the post link, come over here and add it to Mr. Linky. Guidelines are here.“

With all the hearts and pink roses around my house, you could say it looks like Valentine’s Day all the time. 🙂 But there are a few special things I put out for the day this year.

This is a wreath that I usually have on my door around Valentine’s Day, though I have it up at other times, too.

I didn’t make it. I found it at a good price at Target a few years ago. Seems like it was around $15 or so. I think it has faded a little bit — there used to be more pink in it. But I still like it.

When I mentioned this table in a previous Show and Tell, I mentioned that I wanted to put little seasonal vignettes there.

These two Boyd’s Bear figurines go along with the holiday.

This little tray I found just yesterday at Target. I decided to put some of my heart-shaped buttons, charms, etc. on it.

Most of the things there are leftover from various craft projects. I think I got most of the buttons from Michael’s. The little crocheted hearts and pink dotted hearts and several of the charms I got at Speckled Egg’s shop.

I saw a better example of a doily garland yesterday, and I thought I had bookmarked it, but I can’t find it now. I had a few heart shaped paper doilies on hand and gave it a try.

Some may remember seeing something similar to this last year at our church’s ladies’ luncheon. I saved some of the leftover favors and made a bouquet out of them.

We place each person’s Valentine above their plate and open them before we eat.

This was our main dish for dinner. Those little shapes are supposed to look like hearts.

It’s called Crescent Heart-Topped Lasagna Casserole. I was delighted to find a Valentiney main dish — it’s easy to find desserts, but a little harder to find a Valentine entree. I couldn’t find the mini lasagna noodles called for at the store I was in and didn’t have time this week to check other places, so I just broke up lasagna noodles into small pieces.

And this was our dessert.