Creativity Test

Posted on by

I saw this over at Janet‘s.

My results were:

Left Brain Right Brain
53% 47%

You are more left-brained than right-brained. Your left brain controls the right side of your body. In addition to being known as left-brained, you are also known as a critical thinker who uses logic and sense to collect information. You are able to retain this information through the use of numbers, words, and symbols. You usually only see parts of the “whole” picture, but this is what guides you step-by-step in a logical manner to your conclusion. Concise words, numerical and written formulas and technological systems are often forms of expression for you. Some occupations usually held by a left-brained person include a lab scientist, banker, judge, lawyer, mathematician, librarian, and skating judge.

I knew I’d be more left-brained, but I was surprised and pleased that the two sides were so close in score. Janet‘s scores were similar and she wondered if that meant the two sides would cancel each other out. I told her it meant our brains were ambidextrous. 🙂

It is odd that the results mention numbers, because on any question involving numbers I marked the lowest possible answer. I am not good with numbers. I easily lose my place just in counting, and when adding things up I usually have to do so several times to get the same answer twice.

I can’t see myself in any of those professions except librarian: I worked in a college library for four years while in school. As an adult I wouldn’t have minded a part-time job in a library except that the ones I have checked on required degrees in library science.

But other than that I think this paragraph and the rest of the evaluation are pretty right on.

I liked that the test said, “Being creative or artistic doesn’t mean you know how to draw or play an instrument. Being creative is a way of thinking, a way of viewing the world.”

You can find the test here or by clicking the graphic above. Let me know how you scored!

A new blogging meme!

Posted on by

I made up the following meme to learn a little more about my fellow bloggers. I tried not to duplicate the questions from other blogging memes I’ve seen. This one seems to focus more on the social aspect of blogging, though I hadn’t originally intended it to have that emphasis — but “Why do you blog?” and “How did you get started?” went around often ages ago. But if you have never answered those question, feel free to do so!

How do you feel about being tagged for memes?

I consider it an honor that the person tagging me thought of me. I may or may not participate, depending on how busy I am at the time and whether I can think of anything interesting to answer. I usually do them, though.

Do you participate in any regular weekly memes? Which ones?

I usually do Kelli’s Show and Tell Friday and TN Chick‘s Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt pretty regularly. I love the creativity of both of them. I used to do Wordless Wednesday and Thursday Thirteen and Friday Feasts pretty regularly but eventually ran out of interesting material for them, plus they have both gotten so big! I ran out of ideas fro Shannon‘s Works For Me Wednesday long ago, but I still participate from time to time when I come across a great tip. I’ve done others for a while here and there.

I think of memes as getting out to meet the neighbors. Sometimes new bloggers begin posting all their wonderful things for people to read and then get discouraged when no one comes around. But, unlike real-life neighborhoods, no one knows your blog is there unless you get out and around (even search engines don’t list you much unless you’re beginning to get some traffic, unless you’ve posted something unique). It is true in blogging as it is elsewhere that “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly” (Proverbs 18:24).

Of course, I don’t want to have just a meme blog, either — I strive for the right balance.

Have you found any bloggers that you began to read regularly after participating in a meme with them?

Yes. I always enjoyed Melli‘s entries and comments on Thursday Thirteens and Friday’s Feasts. and then began to read her regularly, and then subscribed to her blog. There may be others I found that way, but I don’t remember now.

Do you know of any readers who found you through a meme and became regular readers?

Jewel told me she found me through a Thursday Thirteen. It’s funny because it was at a time when neither of us was participating in it regularly, but we both happened to on the same day and liked what we read enough to keep coming back. 🙂

Did you find any favorite blogs through comments or blogrolls on others’ blogs?

Yes, especially in the early days, I’d click on the blogrolls of blogs I read to find more interesting reads. After a while you get too many to handle, though, and have to pare down. Every now and then someone’s gracious or funny comment on someone else’s blog will cause me to click over out of curiosity.

Did you find any favorite blogs from someone else’s recommendation?

Yes, I first clicked over to Barb’s blog because I had seen her mentioned several times as a sweet new blogger. There have been others, too, that I clicked on through some other blogger’s mention and liked what I read and kept reading. There have been others I read for a while but then stopped.

If you comment on someone’s blog, do you expect a response? If so, do you prefer that response to come through an e-mail, a comment from them on the same post, or a a comment on your blog?

I don’t expect a response, unless I asked a direct question, but it’s nice. Unless the post I commented on is a “hot” topic or has an ongoing discussion, I don’t usually go back to see if the blogger commented on my comment, so those kinds of responses are usually lost on me. An e-mail response is nice, but probably I prefer a comment on my blog in response. Though we shouldn’t comment on other people’s blogs just to get them to come visit us, it is nice when they do.

I usually try to at least click on the link of people who comment here and visit them and respond, but I know I have failed to do that sometimes.

Do you ever struggle with your blogging “voice”?

Yes. Sometimes I wish I were as funny as this blogger, as poignant as that one, as inspirational or able to convey spiritual truth as another. When I post a lot of memes or “fun” stuff, I feel perhaps I should be more serious and spiritually-minded. When I have had a lot of serious posts, I feel I should lighten up a little.

Sometimes I wonder if I should be more focused, but, really, I have felt from the beginning that this blog would be more of a hodgepodge, reflecting the many things I love and am interested in. I want to be a good testimony and an encouragement to other women spiritually, but I don’t think you have to have a strictly spiritual/devotional blog in order to do that. I am ministered to by others’ whole personality, not just their teaching.

I’ve also thought about splitting off into a separate blog, say, for book related things, but so far I really like keeping all the different aspects of my blogging here.

Are there certain types of blogs that attract you?

Well, as I said above, many of the blogs I read show something of another person’s personality that attracts me. There are some that I read because of the excellent writing: they convey everyday incidents in a funny or beautiful way. I also subscribe to a number of crafting and decorating blogs because they inspire me. There are some I read because of the spiritual truth they aptly convey. But honestly I don’t read many that are strictly instructional and devotional. I get a lot of spiritual teaching through many different avenues, and there is so much available, it would be easy to read those kinds of things every available moment — and not get anything out of them because I am cramming too much into my brain without thinking through any of it. So I read just a few with food for thought and enough time to “digest” them mentally and spiritually.

Are there certain types of blogs that repel you?

I avoid blogs with profanity and obscenity. I have unsubscribed from blogs whose views I agree with when their tone has gotten too harsh or when they constantly seem to have a chip-on-the-shoulder attitude. Blogs that seem to be too commercial or that overdo attempts to drive people back to their blog wear thin after a very short while.

What time of day do you usually blog?

It varies. I usually read blogs in the mornings with breakfast. Sometimes I post then, sometimes I post in the late evenings. A lot depends on my family’s schedule and computer availability.

Do your family and friends know about your blog? Do they read it? Do they mind if you mention them? Do they suggest posts for it?

My immediate family knows about it. I think my husband reads it pretty regularly, my older boys may glance at it occasionally. I have mentioned it to my extended family and friends in a Christmas letter once, but I don’t know if any of them checked it out (say hello if you did!!) I know of only one person from my church who reads it (Hello, Carol!) and one older friend who I think does (Hello, Valorie!) as well as a few people I knew in college. I don’t think my family minds being mentioned as long as it is not embarrassing to them. Just occasionally someone in my immediate family will suggest I blog something. Sometimes I do, sometimes I think, “Hey! Get your own blog!” 😀

I know as soon as I hit the Publish button, I am going to think of some more questions! But I guess I will save those for another time.

I won’t tag anyone, but feel free to take part! If you do, please link back to me as the originator of the meme, if you don’t mind. 🙂

(Photo courtesy of the stock.xchng.)

Two helpful sermon outlines

Posted on by

I mentioned in yesterday’s post a couple of helpful sermon outlines in the flyleaves of an old Bible. I wanted to share them because they are so helpful and practical. Unfortunately I did not date them, but they were from sermons by Dr. Mark Minnick, whose ministry we sat under and were blessed by from about 1979 to 1993 or so. These are just the “bare bones” of the messages. One explains why baptism does not save us, and the other is about confession of sin.

Neither of these is meant to be an exhaustive study of every verse on the topic. If anything doesn’t make sense or sound right, it is most likely due to my faulty note-taking.

Why We Know Baptism Does Not Save

1. Paul makes a distinction between baptism and the gospel:

I Corinthians 1:14-17: “I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”

2. Baptism isn’t included in the definition of the gospel:

I Corinthians 15:3-4: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures…”

3. The condition for baptism is belief: belief comes first:

Acts 8:36: “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

4. I Peter 3: 20 says that baptism is “not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God.” In itself it doesn’t cleanse us: it is usually just the first act of obedience after salvation.

5. Our salvation is by grace, through faith, not through any works of ours.

Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Isaiah 64:6: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

Galatians 2:16: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

Titus 3:5: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

Baptism is immensely important as a symbol of our identification with Christ, but it is symbolic. (For more on this subject, this is an excellent explanation).

Confession of Sin

What is sin?

1. Failure to glorify God

2. Failure to believe God

Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Romans 14:23b: “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

— Making decisions out of a faithless heart.

— Acting apart from faith.

— Letting fears keep us from doing what we ought to do.

3. Failure to do good.

James 4:17: “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

4. Failure to do righteousness.

I John 5:17a: “All unrighteousness is sin.”

5. Acting against conscience.

–Offending the conscience of self or others.

— An act not done on good faith before God.

Romans 14:22-23: “Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

I Corinthians 8:12: “But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.”

6. Offense against the law.

I John 3:4: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

Consequences of sin and failure to confess

1. Broken fellowship.

2. Lost prosperity: Proverbs 28:13: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (See also Psalm 38, I Corinthians 11:23-32, James 5:14-20.) (My aside: this isn’t saying all trouble is a result of sin in the life of the person experiencing the trouble [e.g., Job] but all sin in the life will bring trouble.)

3. Irremedial chastisement: II Chronicles 36:16: “But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.”

Why people do not confess sin

1. They reject God’s definitions.

2. They rationalize away their guilt.

— Psalm 50:21

— They don’t “feel convicted,” they think they’re a special case, they were born with the problem. The point is, what does God’s Word say about it?

— They’ve shut their ears from hearing Him for so long that they don’t hear Him any more.

— Romans 2:1-5: They have experienced His goodness and forbearance and therefore think they are all right instead of realizing He is being gracious.

3. Pride

— Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

— Luke 18:9-14: the publican and the Pharisee. “Every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

4. Fear of consequences

— Leviticus 26:40-42: “If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.”

Remedy

Proverbs 28:13: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

I John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This isn’t in these notes, but I have heard many times over that to confess here means to say the same thing about our sin that God does: not to sugarcoat it, make excuses, downplay it, but to acknowledge that what we did was a sin against God.

Flyleaf favorites

Posted on by

My alarm clock didn’t go off Sunday afternoon, so I woke up from my nap about an hour later than usual, about 20 minutes before church was due to start. Needless to say, I was late. Jim and the boys went on ahead while I finished getting ready. He had my Bible, but I grabbed another, older one because sometimes if I am very late I stay in the lounge in the ladies’ room, where there are some chairs and couches, or on a bench in the lobby so as not to distract from the preaching.

This older Bible was on the verge of falling apart, but it was a treasured friend for several years. I began looking at notes I had jotted on the front and back flyleaf pages — in fact there were several blank pages in the back for just that purpose. It was a blessing to go over some of those quotes and notes I hadn’t thought about for years.

One near the front is Jonathan Goforth’s Seven Rules for Daily Living, which, according to this note, he wrote in the flyleaf of his Bible in 1894.

1. Seek to give much — expect nothing.
2. Put the very best construction on the actions of others.
3. Never let a day pass without at least a quarter of an hour spent in the study of the Bible.
4. Never omit daily morning and evening private prayer and devotion.
5. In all things seek to know God’s Will and when known obey at any cost.
6. Seek to cultivate a quiet prayerful spirit.
7. Seek each day to do or say something to further Christianity among the heathen.

All worth remembering!

Here is something from a beloved former pastor, Jesse Boyd, now with the Lord, for whom our Jesse was named:

Worship without service is a hollow farce.
Service without worship is a hectic fervor.
But worship which issues in service is a holy force.

That says so much so succinctly.

There are places in the back where I put a topic heading and then added pertinent verses as I found them. There are verses to help when afraid, verses that showed the Trinity, verses about the Deity of Christ, and verses that refute hyper-Calvinism. There are sermon notes about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, confession of sin (this one is really enlightening: I might make it a separate post one day), what kind of healing is meant in Isa. 53 when it says, “By His stripes we are healed,” and why baptism does not save. The last one was really helpful to me because there are a couple of verses that almost make it sound like baptism saves. I am debating with myself as to whether to make that a separate post or to include it here. I don’t want it to get lost down here, so I think I will post it separately one day this week.

There are multitudes of little notes and quotes from sermons or from study throughout this Bible, too, but many are squished into teeny spaces and margins with not the best handwriting in the first place. But the ones on the flyleaves have been standout for many years and I have referred to them often. Jesse even told me that when he used this Bible for a while, Jonathan Goforth’s rules spoke to him.

The only note I have on the flyleaf of my current Bible is a list of verses dealing with assurance of salvation from a sermon or a study of I John.

How about you? Any inspirational quotes or sermon notes on your Bible flyleaves?

A Laborious Meme

Posted on by

Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer is hosting a meme for Labor Day about labor — the kind that results in delivering a child.

Moms do like to talk about labor. I think it is kind of like men’s war stories. It’s something we were afraid of, faced, and survived, and each one is unique…at least for most of us. I did have one friend who said that every time when she was dilated 3 cm, this happened, and then when she was dilated 6 cm, that would happen, etc. I thought it must be nice to have such a regular system! Each one of mine was different.

Here are the questions:

How long were your labors?

Kid #1, about 9 hours.
Kid #2, about 6 hours
Kid #3, 2 weeks. 8 1/2 hours, I think.

How did you know you were in labor?

Kid #1, water breaking.
Kid #2, I was expecting my water to break since that had happened with #1, so it took a while for it to dawn on my that I was having contractions. They had to break the water manually later on.
Kid #3, when the drugs kicked in. I had to be induced: I’d had little things going on for a couple of weeks, but labor just wouldn’t start, and he was 13 days overdue.

Where did you deliver?

Kids #1 and 2, in a very small hospital on the campus of my alma mater. Very cozy.
Kid #3, in a women’s hospital due to his size and overdueness.

Drugs?

I had to have Pitocen with each one as my labor would peter out, a little earlier with each one. No epidurals — I know people rave about them, but I knew a couple of people who had had problems with them, and I was kind of afraid of them. Just had a “local” shot with each one just before delivery.

C-section?

No, thankfully.

Who delivered?

Beloved Christian doctors. We were with the same practice in the same town for all three. One doctor delivered #1 and 3 while the other delivered #2.

Just a little funny story in connection with Jesse’s birth: He ended up being 12 lbs. I don’t know how: I did not have gestational diabetes with him as I had with Jason and my weight gain was the most moderate of the three (and all the rest of his life he has been the skinniest of us all!). He was born in a women’s hospital where the only children patients were newborns, so they only had newborn diapers, but those wouldn’t fit him, so someone had to go out and buy the next size. When Jim went to the hospital cafeteria, he overheard one hospital employee saying to the other, “Did you hear we had a 12-pounder today?”

Shannon has set up a Mr. Linky if you’d like to read other labor stories or link up to your own.

The King of Love

Posted on by

One of my favorite hymns:

The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never,
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.

In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
With Thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.

Thou spread’st a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And O what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!

And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever.

~ Henry W. Baker

A beautiful rendition of it is here.

Saturday Funnies: All-Purpose Excuse Form

Posted on by

I found this in my files, but I don’t know the source. It’s hilarious (as a joke, of course, and not a substitute for a genuine apology).

Here is the All Purpose Excuse Form, designed to get you out of the trouble you’ve gotten yourself into. Where there’s a multiple choice, pick the one that works best for your situation and just go with it. You’ll be surprised how effective this form can be if you just let your instincts guide you!

Dear

a) Mom,
b) Dad,
c) love of my life,
d) Assistant Principal,
e) Local Police Chief,

Words cannot begin to express how sorry I am that your

a) car
b) house
c) pet
d) espresso maker
e) left arm

was severely damaged by my

a) infantile
b) puerile
c) inept
d) comically brilliant but nonetheless sadistic
e) woefully under appreciated

prank. How could I have known that the

a) car
b) jet ski
c) large helium balloon
d) rodent driven sledge
e) Zamboni

I was riding in would go so far out of control? And while it is true that I should not have pointed it in the direction of your

a) house,
b) wife,
c) Cub Scout troop,
d) 1/16th sized replica of the Statue of Liberty, complete with light bulb in the torch,
e) priceless collection of Coca-Cola bottles,

you must understand that it was all meant in fun. The subsequent carnage that I caused is beyond my ability to

a) imagine,
b) fathom,
c) comprehend,
d) appreciate,
e) pay for,

and I must therefore humbly ask your forgiveness. I know that you are perfectly within your rights to

a) hate me,
b) sue me,
c) spank me,
d) take my firstborn,
e) gouge out my eyes with spoons and feed them to the fish in your koi pond,

but I ask you to remember all the good times we’ve had, joshing around at

a) school
b) work
c) church
d) the bowling alley
e) the municipal jail

and to remember that I am first and foremost your

a) friend
b) child
c) sibling
d) lease co-signer
e) only possible match should you ever need a bone marrow transplant.

I think that counts for more than one prank, especially one that

a) was so stupid.
b) was so silly.
c) would have been funny if it worked.
d) you would have done, if you had thought of it first.
e) I’m going to use again on someone else.

Sincerely,

Enter name here (or alias): ________________________

Poetry Friday

Posted on by

Seeing Poetry Friday around the Internet has revived my love of poetry. I never really stopped loving it, but I stopped exploring it, content when a gem was found in my path. But now I am going back to old favorites and finding new ones.

One of the poets I most enjoyed learning about while I was in college was John Donne, an Anglican priest converted from Roman Catholicism, who is known as a metaphysical poet. According to this article that simply means he compared “two vastly unlike ideas into a single idea, often using imagery,” as opposed to “the conceits found in other Elizabethan poetry, most notably Petrarchan conceits, which formed clichéd comparisons between more closely related objects (such as a rose and love).” Most of his poems focus on love, death, or religion, the last “a matter of great importance to Donne. Donne argued that it was better carefully to examine one’s religious convictions than blindly to follow any established tradition, for none would be saved at the Final Judgment by claiming ‘a Philip, or a Gregory, A Harry, or a Martin taught [them] this‘” (Greenblatt, Stephen. The Norton anthology of English literature Eighth edition. W. W. Norton and Company, 2006. pp. 600–602.)

I enjoyed reading several of Donne’s poems, but the one I wanted to share today is “A Hymn to God the Father”:

Wilt thou forgive that sin, where I begun,
which is my sin, though it were done before?
Wilt thou forgive those sins through which I run,
and do run still, though still I do deplore?
When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
for I have more.

Wilt thou forgive that sin, by which I won
others to sin, and made my sin their door?
Wilt thou forgive that sin which I did not shun
a year or two, but wallowed in a score?
When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
for I have more.

I have a sin of fear that when I’ve spun
my last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
swear by thyself, that at my death thy Son
shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore.
And having done that, thou hast done,
I fear no more.

According to this source, the multiple use of the word “done” was a play on his own name, which was pronounced the same way. I think many Christians have gone through this process of confessing sin only to realize “I have more,” but thank God “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5: 20b-21.)

Poetry Friday is hosted at Charlotte’s Library today.

By the way, Poetry Friday participants are very careful about copyright restrictions: if I refer to a modern poem and would deprive the author of potential income by copying his poem, I would only quote a few lines and link back to his site. But with older poems like this, they are quoted in multiple places on the Internet and in textbooks, and the copyrights involved, as far as I can tell, apply to the text about the poem rather than the original poem (and if I quote any of their comments I link back to them as well). Someone please correct me if I am wrong on that understanding.

Show and Tell Friday: Music Box

Posted on by

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.

My good friend Carol and I went out to lunch Tuesday for what I thought was a “catch up with each other” time, but she had actually planned it as a belated birthday gift. Of course, we did catch up with each other too, which was the best part, and enjoyed the reopening of one of our favorite restaurants. Carol also gave me a birthday gift then:

Music box

It’s not only a lovely box, but a music box:

Music box

It plays “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” I’m not quite sure where to put it and what to put in it yet, but I love it. 🙂 It fits right in with my decor.

I also wanted to show the updated progress on the cross stitch piece I am working on for those who might be interested. I enjoy seeing works-in-progress of others, so I thought some might like to see how this is coming along.

Cross stitch progress

The pitcher there looks a little similar to the one on the music box, doesn’t it?

You can find other show and tell entries or join in on the fun at Kelli’s. One reason I enjoy this meme is not just to see nice “stuff,” though that’s fun, too, but because it’s a nice way to get to know blogging friends by seeing what is special in their lives.

This and that

Posted on by

Punctuation makes all the difference! One of the last things I do at night is read the evening portion of Daily Light on the Daily Path. I don’t usually take my little cheapie reading glasses up to my bedroom for that: the print is large enough that I can usually make it out. I misread the opening verse in last night’s section as, “What meanest thou, O sleeper arise?” I thought, “Hmm, I don’t remember that one.” A closer look revealed it was actually, “What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise” from Jonah 1:6. The former is what I might say in King James’ time if someone woke me up too early.

Excitement at Grandma’s. We had a tornado warning Tuesday afternoon, sirens going off and everything. I wondered how they handled that at the assisted living place. The next day I found out that they have the residents come out into the hallways: there is a hallway that runs around the building with residents’ rooms on the outside and the library, laundry, salon, etc. in the center. Then yesterday my mil said they all had to go out of the building across into the grassy area because there was “some kind of threat,” though she didn’t know or remember just what it was. I wondered what kind of threat they could have had and asked the med tech when she came around: turns out it was just a fire drill. Some of the residents get upset by a change in routine, but my mil thought it was an interesting change of pace, something to break up the monotony. 🙂

Sometimes she talks about enjoying a “life of luxury” with all the time in the world to enjoy her favorite pastime (reading) without having to think about cooking or cleaning, but other times she admits to getting bored and lonely occasionally. Yet still when they have any kind of activity, even a time yesterday of celebrating all the birthdays for the month with cake and ice cream, she declines to go except for maybe twice now in the past two months. One of the staff members popped in while I was there yesterday to discuss something else, and when she realized that Mom hadn’t gone down to the birthday celebration, she said next time she’d go down and encourage her to go. I think if one of them just pops her head in the door to let Mom know there is something going on, she’ll decline just out of habit: she says she’s “too lazy.” But this lady had the type of personality that seemed like she could cheerfully invite without being overbearing.

Orthodontia, take 3. Jesse had his evaluation yesterday with the same orthodontist his brothers had, Dr. Smiley (a good name to go with that profession. 🙂 ) Oddly enough, he has the exact opposite problem they did. They had overbites; he has an underbite as far as his jaw structure goes, but his bottom teeth don’t protrude because they have turned sidewaysand bent back in some cases. Dr. Smiley said with this particular type of problem, they could straighten the teeth but it could all go back since he is still growing, and it might be best to wait until his later teens when his growth has plateaued. They did all the diagnostic tests yesterday and we’ll go back in a couple of weeks to see what his recommendation is.

Decorating style. I saw a link at Lifenut‘s to this pictorial quiz to determine your decorating style. The pictures are lovely, though a little too small to see the details, so I just went by impression on some of them. My results, though, instead of saying “romantic” or “cottage” style, said “Lady of the Manor”:

When it comes to all household, interior design and decorating decisions, you are in control, you are in charge. Your house is your domain. Everything – and we mean everything – has been lovingly attended to, right down to the finer details. There’s no such thing as too pretty in your book, and probably never too much pink or pomp either.

Well, the parts about pretty, pink, and details are fairly accurate, but I am uncomfortable with the emphasis on “control.” I happen to be the only lady of the manor, and menfolk generally don’t care too much about decorating, so that’s my domain. My husband and I do consult together and shop for big items together. The boys aren’t terribly interested except they don’t like “all the flowers,” so I have made a concerted effort to have the bathrooms and family rooms not quite so feminine-looking. They also give you a little blurb about your style in each room. Here’s what they say about my living room style:

You love to indulge the senses, to pamper and prettify…curvaceous sofas and generously comfortable upholstery, and an eye that misses nothing. There’s no doubt who’s the mistress of the house! The countryside is frequently an inspiration, and country-style accessories work incredibly well. There’s nothing prettier than an earthenware jug or a simple slipware vase filled with fresh flowers. Pastel pinks and yellows give the room a fresh, feminine feel, while floral prints and textiles are pretty and perennially appealing. Curled up on the sofa with a good book, your living room’s the perfect place for some “me-time”.

Pretty accurate, again, except I don’t like yellow. Here’s my actual living room:
Living room, left side

It was a fun exercise, though it didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t know. I was hoping it would identify what my “style” was — I’ve often said I am somewhere between country and Victorian.

Crafty giveaway! One of the craft blogs I read, Skip to My Lou, linked to a giveaway at a new-to-me family fun blog, Vanilla Joy. There is a giveaway for every day this week — a Cricut (today’s the last day for that, and that’s a big one!), and other assorted scrapbooking and craft tools each day.

Hmm…these little jottings have grown into a much longer post than originally intended! I could take all the decorating part out for another separate post later on — but I think I’ll just leave it as is. But I will stop now. Have a good day!