Time Travel Tuesday: Before your time edition

Posted on January 29, 2008 by Barbara Harper

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

For this week’s time travel we will be traveling back really really far! Travel back to the oldEN days… how did your parents meet?

Well, my dad used to ride in rodeos. I don’t know what events for sure, but one day he was riding a bull that threw him: he sailed through the air, and as he came down, the bull’s horn ripped his pants leg. My mom was a teen-ager and thought the bull had ripped into his leg. She dashed into the eating area to tell her parents all about the guy whose leg had been slashed by a bull, when in he walked with nothing worse than a ripped pants leg. That’s all I can remember of the story — I imagine she was embarrassed. I don’t know if they continued to see each other there before he asked her out or if he asked her out right away. He was seven years older than she was.

The plan was for my mom to work two years after graduating from high school, and then they would get married, but my father’s father had cancer and said if they wanted him to be at their wedding they should probably move it up. So they got married in June not long after my mom graduated. I was born two years later; my grandfather did pass away before I was born..

Sadly, they divorced after eighteen years and five children. My mom said if they had waited the two years, they likely would not have gotten married. But then I wouldn’t be here, so I have mixed emotions about that. 🙂 They were not Christians at the time, and I believe they both did come to know the Lord, my dad about six years before he died at the age of 68, and my mom in her later years. Though I wish they had both believed sooner, I am glad I have the hope of seeing them again.

Bloggy Giveaway Carnival

Posted on January 28, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Comments are now closed. I will be drawing a winner in moments.

Shannon of Rocks In My Dryer and Bloggy Giveaway fame is hosting another Bloggy Giveaway Carnival like the Fall Y’all and Dog Days of Summer giveaways she hosted previously. You can read her guidelines here and the list of links of participants for this giveaway is here.

With Valentine’s Day coming up soon, I wanted to give something that would fit in with that holiday. For your inspiration I’m giving away a copy of this book:

The Greatest Love Stories of All Time published by Standard Publishing.

From the Introduction:

“The Greatest Love Stories of All Time was compiled to celebrate God’s gift of romantic love. It contains stories of love won and lost lost, love cherished and love scorned, love that brings new life and love that gives is life for the object of its affection.”

There are 31 excerpts from classics like Jane Eyre, Cyrano de Bergerac, A Man Called Peter, and Through the Shadowlands or poems from Anne Bradstreet and Robert Louis Stevenson.

If you’d like to be entered in the drawing for this book, leave a comment on this post. I will close the comments at noon EST on Saturday, Feb. 2, and choose a name with the help of a random number generator. Please enter just one comment per person. This contest is open to international as well as US participants.

I have another idea of two that I might post for a second giveaway later this week if I can make it come together. In the meantime, enjoy perusing all the great giveaways this week via Bloggy Giveaways!

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt: Old-fashioned

Posted on January 25, 2008 by Barbara Harper

PhotoHunt

Theme: Old-fashioned | Become a Photo Hunter

This theme reminds me of a song on a Mandy Patinkin CD that I have which has the line, “I’m old-fashioned, but I don’t mind it.” 🙂 I tend to be old-fashioned in a lot of my tastes and views. The only things I’m terribly modern about are my appliances and technology.

I thought of using my show and tell post from yesterday about an old raisin rack and a cross-stitched sampler as double duty today since they’re very old-fashioned. But I decided to go with something different, though this picture also did appear on a previous show and tell post.

I love old-fashioned looking jewelry, and these are a few of my favorites. None was very expensive; all but two were gifts. But I just love how they look.

The one on the center bottom row with the pink roses and pearls is from a company called 1928. I love their Vintage Collection.

I also like the old-fashioned look of the Battenburg lace on the dresser scarf above.

Show and Tell Friday: Sampler and raisin rack

Posted on January 25, 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.“

I’ve mentioned before that, though I’ve cross-stitched several things over the years, most were for gifts and I don’t have many in my home. One of the pieces I do have is not one of my favorites. I probably should change that and work on some new ones, huh? 🙂

When I first started cross-stitching, samplers were very popular, as was the whole Early American look. So I made this.

I do still like it ok when I really look at it again, but there are so many more beautiful patterns that have come out since then.

At one time we wanted to build a log cabin, and this would have fit right in. Now, though, I’m leaning more toward almost Victorian decor.

Around the same time I bought this, which I was told was a rack that used to be used for drying raisins. This one was decoupaged.

I don’t know if it is an authentic antique-ish raisin rack, but I liked the idea and liked the picture on it.

I have these hanging together in my family room. I think they complement each other.

Know and Tell Friday

Posted on January 25, 2008 by Barbara Harper

To Know Him hosts Know and Tell Friday and asks this week:

Question 1
What is your favorite fairy tale?

Beauty and the Beast. Not only does it have a happy ending (a lot of fairy tales don’t in their original form), but the symbolism is pretty clear. We first watched the Disney version when my middle son was pretty young, and he got even then that the prince was acting like a beast and that’s why he was portrayed as one.

Question 2
If you could be guaranteed a spot on the reality show “Survivor”, would you go?

Nope! Nada. No way.

Question 3
Meanest thing you ever did to a sibling??? I know…. what kind of question is this 🙂

Ugh! I’m ashamed to say I hit one of my sisters — not when we were toddlers (though I probably did then, too) but when I was a teen-ager and old enough to know better. I don’t recall that I or any of my siblings (one brother, four sisters) ever got physical very often, but for some reason I did then, and I’ve regretted it ever since.

Question 4
Best Fashion Era… 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s or now…

Maybe this is displaying my lack of fashion sense, but I can’t recall specifics of fashion for any era except the 60s, and I wouldn’t call that the best. I have some idea of what the 40s and 50s were, too (I love the 40s styles). One day in a store I overheard a mom and daughter talking about the daughter’s dressing up like a “70s lady,” and I thought, “Huh? What was there distinctive about the 70s styles?” Maybe I’ll be educated by the other answers. 🙂

Question 5
Have you ever skipped to the end of a book before you finished reading the book?

I did when I was younger, but that really does ruin the experience. Now sometimes I even cover the bottom of the page I am on with my hand so I don’t accidentally see an important piece of information too soon.

Bonus Questions (I found these questions through a website, and boy are these challenging…)
Question 6
What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

Saving the souls of family members who at this point are totally uninterested and do not want to discuss it.

Question 7
What is one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?

It’s my conviction that the Enemy will always try to sabotage our efforts to spend time with the Lord. Even when we get into the habit of regular times of devotions, we can breeze through them too quickly just to have them done or we can be unfocused. Of course, that’s not always the devil’s fault — too often it’s our own flesh. As I mentioned in this post recently, I want to spend more time beholding Him.

If you’d like to join in on Know and Tell Fridays, please do! Questions are posted at To Know Him usually on Thursday evenings.

Can you discover why this made me laugh?

Posted on January 24, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Snackalicious Super Dishes

Posted on January 24, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Robin at Pensieve is hosting a Snackalicious Super Dishes round-up. She says:

Any time between now and Friday, January 25, post a recipe for your favorite crowd-pleasin’ dish–it can be a main course, appetizer or dessert, but I’m thinking anything that would make for a tailgating good time–Super Bowl Sunday or at your next pot luck. On January 25th, link your recipe post to the Mr. Linky that will be displayed at Pensieve.

And she’s giving away cookbooks!

The details are here (or click the button above). The other entries for today are here.

I don’t know that I would take this tailgating, but I often take this to potlucks or fellowships, even an occasional shower.

Veggie Pizza Squares

2 8-oz. packages refrigerated crescent rolls
2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 c. mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1 tsp. dill weed
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. minced onion
1 1/2 c. each fresh chopped cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots
1 1/2 c. grated mild cheddar cheese

Roll out crescents rolls onto a 15 x 10 inch baking sheet; seal seams. Bake 15 minutes at 375 or until browned. Cool. Mix cream cheese, mayo or Miracle Whip, dill, garlic powder, onion. Spread over crust; sprinkle with vegetables and cheese and press down slightly. Refrigerate for two hours before serving. Cut into small squares.

The vegetables listed are my favorites to use, but others could be substituted or added, such as sprouts, celery, radishes, peas, etc.

Playing tag

Posted on January 24, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Liz tagged me several days ago for a meme about wish lists. Sorry to be so long getting to it, Liz! This took some thought.

The rules are as follows:

1. Each player starts with 5 gifts that they would want for the New Year.
2. People who are “CARDED” (let’s call it tagged) need to write their own Blog about their 5 things & post these rules.
3. At the end of your Blog, you need to choose 5 people to get “CARDED” and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a COMMENT telling them they’re “CARDED”, and to read your Blog.

Most of the folks I have seen who have done this have also provided a spiritual wish list

My materialistic wish list:

1. Books. 🙂 Reading is my favorite pastimes. I keep a running list of books I want to read. I send most of them on to my mother-in-law, so I don’t feel too guilty about the money spent on them.

2. Scrabble Express. I love to play word games, but my family doesn’t much. This shorter version might be a good compromise.

3. A new bedspread. Ours is falling apart. The thing that makes this hard is that the caret in our room has a floral print, which I love, but I don’t want a solid colored spread, and finding one with a pattern that doesn’t class or make the room look too busy is tricky.

4. This likely isn’t for this year, but we need to replace our living room furniture some time. The fabric is shredding in places. But with tuition for two kids and one needing glasses and braces, I don’t this will be able to happen any time soon. I’m just starting to look at slipcovers as a temporary alternative.

5. This also is not for any time soon, but when one of my sons moves out, I want to convert his room into a sewing/craft/guest room.

Spiritual wish list:

1. Less selfshness.

2. More love.

3. Less lethargy

4. More self-discipline.

5. Wisdom to know which ministries to pursue and which to lay aside.

I’m not going to tag anyone specifically for this, but let me know if you do it and I will stop by to see your lists. Or you can answer in the comments.

The means of change

Posted on January 23, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Recently, as happens so often, I came face to face with an issue involving my own selfishness.

After confessing such incidents to the Lord, I tend to have a couple of responses. One is to just acknowledge it as one of my “besetting sins” and to forget about it until the next time. Yet deep down I know that’s just an excuse.

Another response is to decide I need to make a plan of action. That’s not bad in itself, but it usually fizzles out like New Year’s resolutions.

I may even decide to look up and meditate on various Scripture verses on the subject at hand. That’s a good response as far as it goes. Romans 12:2 tells us we’re transformed by the renewing of our minds, and one way we do that is by changing our thinking, lining it up with what God’s Word says, putting specific Scriptures in our minds that the Holy Spirit can then use to remind us.

But my problem isn’t just isolated individual sins. It’s a nature that is totally and completely self-focused, self-serving, self-promoting, self-loving. Though we receive a new nature when we become Christians, that old one is still there and will be til we get to heaven. How do we resist that constant pull? How can our new nature grow and become more like Christ?

II Corinthians 3:18: But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Beholding His glory….how little we do that. How often do we approach the Scripture just to fulfill our quota of Bible reading for the day, or even just to “get something” to carry us through the day?

We need to — I need to — remember to seek Him in the Scriptures, to behold His glory. Sometimes a study of His attributes would be more helpful than just studying about my particular sin, though both are necessary.

I read a quote once in a missionary biography (I haven’t been able to find it again: I thought it was Rosalind Goforth’s, but I didn’t see it in my last reading) that this particular person was having a hard time being loving. For years she constantly looked at herself and her lack of love and told herself over and over that she needed to be more loving. Yet she didn’t grow in love, only in discouragement. She began to meditate on God’s love for her…and without even realizing it, she began to slowly change to the point where others commented to her husband on the change in her.

We know what it is to gaze on an object of love. We smile indulgently at a young couple’s doe-eyed peering at each other. We understand a mother’s loving, wondering gaze of her new baby. We love to behold and contemplate the beauty of a perfect rose or a masterful painting.

How much more should we behold the One who loves us most, who is more beautiful than anything we can imagine, who is perfect holiness and righteousness.

Exodus 33:18-23; 34: 5-6:

And [Moses] said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth…

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. Psalm 27:4.

May that be our desire as well.

Works-For-Me Wednesday: Wreath storage

Posted on January 23, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I have a few wreaths that I like to change around through the year. The autumn and Christmas ones are stored with other seasonal decorations in the attic, but I didn’t want to have to go up there every time I wanted to change just a wreath. So I began to store them on the inside of a storage closet door in the living room.