I survived…

Posted on May 24, 2008 by Barbara Harper

…my public speaking experience, that is. And I have concluded that this is definitely not what I want to make a career out of. 🙂 Thank you for praying — the Lord helped abundantly.

The theme of the tea was “Fill My Cup, Lord,” with the theme verses being those about the woman at the well in John 4 and Isaiah 12:3: “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” Of course, the song “Fill My Cup, Lord” was sung. I figured with that theme and my friend JoAnne’s love of tea pots, there would probably be tea things used in the decorations, and there were. 🙂 The centerpieces were various teapots filled with flowers, and the favors were cups and saucers with tea (I chose one with pink roses, of course).

As per Jewel‘s request, I’ll post what I shared. The time window I was given was about 20 minutes. When I ran through it at home a couple of times, it took 19 and then 18 minutes. I am not sure how long it ended up being today.

When we ask the Lord to fill our cups, what do we need? What do we want Him to fill them with?

I. The cup of salvation

The woman at well did not know her need until Jesus mentioned living water. I have heard that by the time you feel thirsty, it’s past time to get hydrated: you can be in need of water without even realizing it. So, too, can people have spiritual needs without realizing it. In Revelation 3:14-22, the Lord tells the Laodocean church, the lukewarm church, in vv 17-18, “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” They thought they were fine; they thought they needed nothing, but in truth they were in dire need of the very things they thought they were ok in. We know people need the Lord even if they don’t realize it.

The woman at the well still thought Jesus was talking about physical water. By the way, don’t get discouraged if you are trying to talk to someone about the Lord and they don’t understand right away. That is not uncommon. In the parable of the sower, Jesus compared people to a field and the seed to the Word of God. Sometimes when you share the Word, first you have to pull out a few weeds, and you have to give it water and sunshine before it grows. Paul said in I Cor. 3:6, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.”

This lady was ready to find the kind of water and the source of water that would cause her never to thirst and never to have to come down to the well to get water any more. But Jesus told her she needed living water. Notice also He brought out her sin, but He didn’t beat her over the head with it right when He first began talking to her. There has been a movement afoot over the years to deemphasize our sin and concentrate on God’s love. But our sin is the very reason we need to hear of God’s love and our need for His salvation.

She perceived that Jesus was a prophet, but then she got distracted with where to worship. That’s often the first response when people realize they have a spiritual need: they wonder what they should do, where they should go. But Jesus told her the important thing was Who she worshipped and how she worshipped. In vv 23-24: “true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

She had heard of the Messiah, and Jesus told her that He was the Messiah. In john 6:35 Jesus said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” Not only did she believe on Him: she went and told others about Him and they came and believed, too.

Our first need is salvation. Isaiah 12:3: Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

II. Then the Bible also speaks of several things the Christian can be filled with or full of. I did a quick word study with an online Bible concordance looking up the words “filled” and “full.” This is not an exhaustive list, but here are several things:

– Wisdom. Several of the workmen who helped with the different parts of the OT tabernacle and temple were said to be filled with wisdom for the tasks, things like making the brass instruments (Ex. 31:1-5), making the furniture (Ex. 31: 6-11), making the garments (Ex. 28:2-4). Did you know you can ask for wisdom for even “secular” tasks?
– Filled with the glory of the Lord (tabernacle: Ex. 40:34-35; the whole earth: Numbers 14:11, Psalm 72:19; temple, I Kings 8:10-11, II Chron. 5:13-14; 7:1-2; Ez. 10:4, 43:5; 44:4
– God’s praise: Psalm 71:8: Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.
– Good: Psalm 104:27-28: These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
– For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14
– The Holy Spirit: Acts 2:2-4; 4:8, 31: 9:17; 13:9, 52 (with joy); (Eph 5:18) Luke 4:1 (Jesus), Acts 6:3 (Deacons full of Holy Ghost and wisdom), Acts 6:5 (Stephen, full of faith and Holy Ghost), Acts 7:55 (Stephen), Acts 11:24 (Barnabus)
– Goodness, knowledge: Romans 15:14
– Comfort II Cor. 7:4
– The Fullness of God (And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Eph. 3:19)
– Fruits of righteousness Phil. 1:11
– The knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding Col. 1:9
– Joy II Tim. 1:4
– Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD Deut. 33:23
– Compassion, Ps. 112:4
– His praise, Hab 3:3
– Light, Mat 6:22, Luke 11:34, 36
– Joy, Acts 2:28
– Faith and power, Acts 6:8
– Good works and alsmdeeds, Acts 9:36 (Dorcas)
– Goodness and knowledge, Romans 15:14
– Mercy and good fruits, James 3:17
– Glory, I Peter 1:8

Eph 5:18 says, ” And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” Really, a lot of these others things are encompassed in being filled with the Spirit. If you read the following chapters in Ephesians, the instructions about family relationships follow this command to be filled with the Spirit.

What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? Let me say first that if you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit within you. Romans 8:9 says, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” But though the Holy Spirit is in you, you may not be yielding full control to Him. And it doesn’t mean speaking in tongues. That is a topic that is bigger than the time we have today, but at the end of I Corinthians 12, Paul asks, “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?” The obvious answer is no. One point of that passage and others that talk about spiritual gifts is that people have different ones, yet some people today try to assert that an evidence of being filled with the Spirit is that one gift, speaking in tongues. I believe, as do many others, that the “sign gifts” ceased after the first century or so, when the Bible was completed.

Eph 5:18 says, ” And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” If someone is drunk, they are being controlled by the alcohol. If we’re filled with the Spirit, we’re yielding to His control.

How is one filled with the Spirit? First confess any known sin. Ask God to search you and show you any that you might be missing. Then just ask in faith to be filled with His Spirit, just like you asked in faith to be saved. Erwin Lutzer says in his book How To Say No to a Stubborn Habit (p.75):

How were you saved? By depending on the death of Christ. How do you receive Christ? By depending on the ascension of Christ. Both come by faith. That’s why Paul wrote, “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Col. 2:6).

You receive the Spirit’s filling by faith, not by having a particular feeling. Some Christians wrongly believe that the filling of the Spirit is a sensation. They expect waves of love, or an overwhelming sense of peace, or speaking in strange languages. Theirs is a fleshly desire to walk by sight, not by faith. We find it difficult to take God at His Word…and we ask for a sign that we might believe.

God, however, delights when you believe in Him without demanding emotional crutches. Just as a new believer needs to receive God’s promises — apart from feelings — so you daily need to receive the power of the Holy Spirit — apart from feelings

I used to think of being filled with the Spirit as something I needed before big task – like speaking in public! – and I would come and be filled, go do the task and be emptied, and need filling again before the next big task. But we need the Spirit to live our everyday lives. Just as those following passages in Ephesians talk about wives being submissive to husbands, husbands loving wives, children obeying parents, parents raising children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, all follow the command to be filled with the Holy Spirit, I need the Holy Spirit just to be the wife and mother I need to be at home, just to be kind to others and to battle my natural selfishness. So lately I have come to think of being filled with the Spirit like a fountain. Have you ever seen those garden or tabletop fountains that have water continually going out and coming in, yet the water level always remains the same? That’s how I want to be: continually depending on the Spirit every step of the day while He continually fills me and enables me to do His will.

There is something that can hinder our being filled with these things God mentions, and that is if we are already filled with other things. I read a list of good things the Bible mentions people being filled with. Here is a list of bad things:

Filled with violence: Gen. 6:11-13, Ezekiel 8:17
Uncleanness: Ezra 9:11
Contempt and scorning: Psalm 123:3-4
Own way, own devices: Proverbs 1:30-31:
Mischief: Proverbs 12:21
Sin: Jeremiah 51:5
Drunkenness and sorrow: Ex. 23:32-33.
Wrath: Luke 4:28, Esther 3:5, Acts 19: 28
Fear: Luke 5:26
Madness: Luke 6:11
Satan filled Ananias heart to lie: Acts 5:3
Indignation :Acts 5:17, Esther 5:9
Envy: Acts 13:45
Confusion: Acts 19:29, Job 10:15
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; Romans 1:28
Beware of being full and forgetting God Deut. 8:10-20
Bribes: Ps. 26:10
Troubles: Ps. 88:3
Evil: Ecc. 9:3
Blood: Isa. 1:15
Idols: Isa. 2:8
Deceit: Jer. 5:27
Violence: Micah 6:12
Lies: Nahum 3:1
Darkness: Matt. 6:23, Luke 11:34
Extortion and excess: Matt. 23:25
Hypocrisy and iniquity Matt. 23:28
Ravening and wickedness: Luke 11:39
Wine: Acts 2:13
Subtilty and mischief: Acts 13:10

To me the two most telling verses are Proverbs 1:30-31: “They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.” Proverbs 14:14: “The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.” That is the essence of sin: Wanting my own way instead of God’s. Some of the things on this list are what people are filled with who don’t have God; some of them are what we can be filled with when we start wanting our own way instead of His. And sometimes we can be filled with something that’s not necessarily bad in itself, but it is taking up our time and attention that we need to give the Lord. Prov. 27:7: “The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.”

Several years ago some folks from PA moved to TX and attended the church where I was then. One time they sang this song at church: they are the only ones I have ever heard sing it. It is by Martha Snell Nicholson, and it is called “Treasures.”

One by one He took them from me,
All the things I valued most,
Until I was empty-handed:
Every glittering toy was lost.
And I walked earth’s highways grieving
In my rags and poverty
Til I heard His voice inviting,
“Lift your empty hands to Me!”

So I held my hands toward Heaven
And He filled them with a store
Of His own transcendent riches
Til they could contain no more.
And at last I comprehended
With my stupid mind and dull
That God could not pour His riches
Into hands already full.

Whatever your need today, God promises, “”For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring” (Isa 44:3). Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Jesus said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37-38.

Book Review: Dawn’s Light

Posted on May 23, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Dawn’s Light is the fourth and, I believe, final installment of the Restoration series by Terri Blackstock which focuses on the effects of a global blackout on one community and particularly one family.

The subject matter of this series normally would not have drawn me to it, because I am afraid I like my creature comforts all too well, and I know how I am after even a few hours of no electricity. But, this is Terri Blackstock. And I love Terri Blackstock. I think I have read every novel she has written. So I knew it would be good, suspenseful, and convicting. And it was.

I am not going to say much about the plot beyond what you would find on the first few pages so as not to spoil it, but I can’t say the same for the comments. If you’ve read the book, let me know what you think — I’d love to discuss it.

In the previous books we’ve seen the struggle and growth of various members of the Branning family. Thirteen year old Beth has witnessed a lot of trauma which has caused her to be fearful of “The Next Big Thing.” So when she begins to exhibit even more fearful behavior, her family thinks she is just having further trouble handling everything that has happened emotionally. She won’t open up to them or to a counselor. What no one knows is that she has witnessed a double murder: she got away from the scene, but the killer saw her and threatened her and her family.

Meanwhile the pulses from a dying star which caused the blackout have finally stopped, and the massive effort to get electricity flowing again begins. Terri did a lot of research into the technology behind what this would mean and does a good job giving enough information to make it plausible yet not so much that the book gets bogged down.

Oldest daughter Deni had left her high-powered Washington career and fiance behind and fallen in love with a friend she had known for years, but her fiance comes back into town, not only to help with the electrical situation but to win Deni back.

One of the things I love best about Terri is that her characters are so real, so genuine, you feel like they are your personal friends, and they struggle with exactly the same issues I would in their place. When a family tragedy occurs, they wrestle with all the questions and issues almost any Christian would in the face of seemingly unanswered prayer.

A blurb on the front page says, “Terri Blackstock weaves a masterful what-if series in which global catastrophe reveals the darkness in human hearts — and lights the way to restoration for a self-centered world.” I am embarrassed to say that it wasn’t until I read that sentence that I “got” the symbolism of the darkness and the restoration — not just of electricity, but more importantly, in hearts. Though perhaps much of what I have said about it focuses on the “darkness,” the series ends with restoration and hope.

Booking Through Thursday: Books vs. movies

Posted on May 22, 2008 by Barbara Harper

The Booking Through Thursday question for today is:

Books and films both tell stories, but what we want from a book can be different from what we want from a movie. Is this true for you? If so, what’s the difference between a book and a movie?

I think the biggest difference is that you can get more depth from a book. You don’t expect to finish it in 2-3 hours, so there is more time to explore backgrounds, connections, implications, meanings. And because it lasts longer there is more time to enjoy it. As a general rule, reading a book is a much richer experience than watching a movie.

Another difference is that reading a book is usually a solitary experience. You can discuss it with others after (or during) reading it, and to me that increases the enjoyment and learning from it, but the actual reading of it is something you pretty much have to do alone. That’s not a bad thing in itself, but sometimes you want the shared experience of watching a movie together.

A movie also has visual impact. Though my imagination is at work when I am reading, stunning scenic visuals or subtle empressions can greatly enhance what is going on in a movie — and conversely, if the scenes are too dark or obscure or the characters are lacking in expression, the visual impact lessens the enjoyment.

Though this question is more about comparing the two types of media and not about books translated into movies as we previously discussed in the Celluloid edition, if I see a movie based on a book I have read, I am often disappointed at the changes made or the scenes left out. If I am watching it with someone who is not familiar with the story, I feel I need to supplement what we’re watching with what I remember from the book because they’re just not getting the whole picture, the full impact, the subtleties. Sometimes that is welcome; sometimes it’s not. 🙂 But if I am watching a movie based on a book I have not read, if I enjoyed it, quite often I will seek out the book later on to get more of the story.

I don’t envy preachers

Posted on May 21, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had been given two opportunities that were out of my comfort zone. One was giving the devotional at a baby shower I mentioned earlier: the other is speaking at a ladies’ luncheon at another church this Saturday.

When I told a friend I had received both of these offers the same day, she said, “Maybe the Lord is trying to tell you something.” I sure hope not!! As I said in regards to the baby shower, I am much more comfortable writing, where I can ponder, think, rewrite, delete, etc. — and no one is looking right at me. 🙂

Yet somehow, though one part of me dreaded this opportunity, anther part is excited about it.

I have to say I don’t envy preachers. Oh, I think it would be wonderful to have one’s primary job studying the Word of God in order to share it! Sadly, I think for too many preachers that time often gets crowded out with other duties. But in combing over a passage and a topic trying to discern what to say — that’s the hard part (well…besides standing in front of people to speak). A former pastor, Dr. Mark Minnick, used to say that when he first started preaching, he studied a passage with the question, “What can I say about this passage?” He began to realize that that was the wrong question: the right one is, “What does this passage say?” There is all the difference in the world between those two questions. One is imposing my own thoughts on the passage; the other is bringing out what the passage itself says.

Then, the more I study and think about it, the more there is to say, but I have to keep this down to about 20 minutes! I can understand how easily pastors can preach overtime or start a message and have it end up a series.

Then I have to fight against the temptation to want it all to be well-worded and well-crafted. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I think that can enhance the message, but my carnal heart would want that as it’s goal rather than its tool. The goal should not be for people to think well of my little talk or to think I did a good job, but to come away with the truth of the passage on their hearts.

Once again I’d like to ask those of you who pray, if you think of it, to pray that I’ll say just what the Lord wants me to and that all the little physical issues I wrestle with that flare up when I get nervous would not flare up. I would be most thankful!

Time Travel Tuesday: High School Graduation

Posted on May 20, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Annie created and hosts Time Travel Tuesday each week with a question about our past. It’s a lot of fun! Click on the button to join in.

The topic today is high school graduation:

It’s that time of year… graduation! Which made this week’s time travel theme very easy to decide. So, what do you remember about graduating from high school? Was there anything special about the actual ceremony you remember? What did you do after graduation?

I don’t remember many of the details. I graduated in 1975 — over 30 years ago! 😮 There were 8 in our class. I was the valedictorian, so I had to give a speech (scary!) which I think was probably very dull to the poor listeners, to judge by their reactions. Bud Bierman spoke, for those who know him. He had been in my pastor’s former youth group many years before. They did tape everything but something didn’t work right, so we didn’t get copies.

I can’t remember specifically what we did afterward. but the usual thing after graduations was to all go out to a restaurant. People didn’t really have receptions then, at least among people I knew.

Of the graduation presents I remember, my mom gave me several things I would need for college (towels, etc.) and my boyfriend at the time gave me luggage to take stuff to college in. I think several people gave money, which was probably saved for college. 🙂

I wore a long red and white checked dress (must have been before I decided I didn’t like red) that had lace short sleeves and a lace inset at the bodice with lace around a square neckline (which I tried to iron one time — just a little bit of lace sticking up — while it was on. Dumb move!!! 😳 Thankfully it wasn’t this night.)

Here is a picture of my dad and I after the ceremony:

And here are a couple of my senior portraits:

I don’t really like my expressions there, but I had gone to the studio our school was using alone and felt very stiff and uncomfortable. I should have gone with one of the other girls — it would have been a lot more fun! Senior portraits have come a long way since these days, though!

I do remember being very excited at reaching that milestone!

How about you?

ABCs of me

Posted on May 19, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I saw this at Dawn‘s and thought it looked like fun!

Accent: I don’t think I have one though I lived in Texas for 22 years and South Carolina for 28. In college people were surprised to find out I was from TX because they were expecting the over-drawn drawls you hear on TV.

Breakfast or no breakfast: Yes, breakfast is a must. I have low blood sugar and get a headache and then other unpleasantness if I don’t eat.

Chore I don’t care for: A toss between cleaning bathrooms (icky) and dusting (to do it right you have to pick up everything on the shelf, table, etc.). I like the results but not the process.

Dog or Cat: A dog, Suzie, half collie, half German Shepherd.

Essential Electronics: My cell phone and computer.

Favorite Cologne: I don’t wear any now — a lot of scents give me headaches — but I used to wear Emeraude or Wind Song.

Gold or Silver: Depends on what it is; I have some of each. But I probably prefer silver.

Handbag I carry most often: Just a basic black one with lots of pockets.

Insomnia: No.

Job Title: Homemaker.

Kids: Three boys, ages 23, 20, and 14.

Living Arrangements: I live in a medium-sized town with my DH of 28 years in house we’ve been in for 10 years — the longest we’ve lived in one house.

Most Admirable Trait: Dependability.

Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: Portraying heavily embellished stories as truth.

Overnight hospital stays: Seven. Three babies delivered, three surgeries (tonsils, gallbladder, thyroid), and onset of transverse myelitis.

Phobias: My family would day I probably have a phobia about unclean hands. 🙂

Quote: Oh, I love many, but one of my favorites is “God does not waste suffering, nor does He discipline out of caprice. If He plough, it is because He purposes a crop.” — J. Oswald Sanders

Reason to smile: God is in control!

Siblings: One brother, four sisters, all younger.

Time I wake up: 5 a.m. most days.

Unusual Talent or Skill: Hmmm…. I’m stuck on this one…

Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: Turnip greens (shudder!)

Worst Habit: Eating too much/wrong things.

X-rays: Yes.

Yummy Stuff: Chocolate, Mexican food, pizza.

Zoo Animal I Like Most: Monkeys

Let me know if you play along!

Book Review: The Listener

Posted on May 17, 2008 by Barbara Harper

The Listener is an older book by Terri Blackstock, and I had picked it up somewhere along the way, but somehow hadn’t read it yet. Terri is one of my favorite authors, and I have read almost everything she’s written, so I was glad to add this one to the collection.

The premise is that a somewhat indifferent Christian man named Sam, who is more interested in getting out of church early to get to a restaurant, suddenly is gifted with the ability to hear the needs of souls around him. At first it is maddening and disturbing. He goes to his pastor, who at first thinks he needs to see a counselor, until Sam remarks on what the pastor’s heart cry is. His pastor tells him he needs to use this gift to point people to the Lord, but Sam is filled with fear and has all the standard excuses most of us do: I can just be a witness for the Lord by my life; I don’t know how to bring it up; what if someone asks me a question I can’t answer? Sam’s reaction and development of his gift and the reactions of those he talks with as well as his family and friends comprise most of the rest of the book.

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot — it is a very short book, so if I disclose much more I’ll be giving the story away. But I will say I much appreciated the conclusion that we don’t need such a gift, nice as it would be, because we already know what people most need, and we have the Word of God and guidance of the Holy Spirit. But through the use of this gift as a plot device, Terri does an expert job at bringing out the problems and joys of our need to share our faith.

By the way, Semicolon hosts a weekly review of books on Saturdays: bloggers can link to book reviews on their site and/or read book reviews from others.

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt: Candy

Posted on May 17, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Theme: Candy | Become a Photo Hunter

My latest candy acquisition is one I showed recently since my middle son’s girlfriend gave it to me for Mother’s Day, but it fits and it’s cute, so I am showing it again. 🙂

She found it at Wal-Mart.

This is a 5 lb. bag of M&Ms.

It doesn’t look like 5 lbs., does it?

We used them to put into favors at our Ladies’ Luncheon last year. We also had some printed in words from the Bible that matched our theme (”The Heart of the Matter”) and coordinated with our theme colors (pink and chocolate brown):

You can see more interpretations of this week’s theme at TN Chick’s.

Show and Tell: Handmade edition

Posted on May 16, 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.

Last week Kelli suggested that this week we “show and tell” about things we have made. I was going to show this when I was done, but I thought I would go ahead and show you my latest work in progress.

This is the first cross stitch I have done in at least…15 years or more, I think. Many of you know that I have been having to keep my foot elevated off and on since January due to cellulitis, so I decided to do something productive with that time (though sometimes I sleep, watch TV, or read during that time). There are multitudes of mistakes in this, mainly due to miscounting, but I don’t think they’re noticeable unless you were comparing it with the pattern. The ol’ eyes aren’t what they used to be!! But I am enjoying it immensely and kicking myself for letting so much time pass without getting back into this.

The title of this pattern is “Take Tine To Be Holy” — a good reminder!

I think I’ve already shown most other things I have on hand that I have made, but here is a quick “rerun.”

Someone asked how I made this button wreath. I told more about it here, but basically I just cut the shape out of cardboard and glued the button on with a hot glue gun, using the flat, plain buttons as a base and then the decorative buttons on top.

This was made some 23 years ago when my first baby was expected or maybe after he was born. It’s put away now since all my babies are taller than I am. 😦 But it was one of my favorite pieces.

I made the lampshade here, not the cross stitch — that was a gift from a niece. Someone asked in the comments how I made it. I wrote more about it here, but it was in a class. At the time there were patterns for how to cut out the shade plus a pattern for the decorative part available at craft stores, then an Exacto knife was used around the edges of the leaves and they were bent in a little so the light would shine through. Then the shade was glued to the top and bottom rings. I saw lampshade-making paraphernalia at Michaels’ a while back, but it was more designed for gluing fabric onto it. I googled “pierced lampshade” just now to see if patterns were still sold and got mainly places where you could buy already-made ones, but then I Googled “pattern for pierced lampshade” and found a few sources, so they’re still out there. This particular pattern was from an instruction booklet titled “Shades of Yesteryear” by Marion Pond, and I did find a copy of it just now on eBay.

And lastly:

Well, God made them…I just carried them 😀

(This post was updated to answer questions from the comments section.)

Creepy things meme

Posted on May 15, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I saw at Elle‘s this meme to name five things that creep you out. I’ve been pondering this for a few days, but since I normally try not to think of things that creep me out, it has taken me a while to come up with a list.

1. Silverfish. Yuck. Ugh! We used to find them in our attic occasionally, but thankfully I haven’t seen one in a long time.

2. Vomit. This was a fun one when my kids were little. It was all I could do not to add to the mess when they were sick. If my husband was home, he would take the child to the tub and I would take the bedding to the washer. If he wasn’t home, I’d have to clean things up in stages, taking frequent breaks to stick my head out the door and breathe. Really! If it happened on something other than bedding or a wood floor, I would feel like I could smell it for days. I would make myself miserable when I was pregnant trying to avoid vomiting, and I finally learned it was better just to get it over with.

3. Rodents of any kind.

4. When people I don’t know well invade my personal space.

5. People who don’t wash their hands after using the restrooms, especially in restaurants and grocery stores. I feel like the whole building and everything in it is contaminated.

Now I feel like I need to go do something extremely pleasant to get all this creepy stuff out of my mind again! If you’d like to share what creeps you out, let me know in the comments, and I’ll come look when my stomach’s feeling stronger. 🙂