Random Acts of Blogging - Questions About Writing

I found these questions somewhere online. I'm sorry I don't remember where, nor do I remember if I added any of my own. :-)

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Do you write better at a specific time of day?

That's hard to say. I'm not sure there's a time I write better, but I do have the unfortunate tendency to start writing too late in the afternoon or evening and then end up writing too late. This isn't good for my health. Sigh.

What is something about yourself that you hope will change, but probably never will?

I struggle with self-doubt about my writing skills quite a bit. I also get discouraged about whether I'm doing anything useful.

How much time do you spend writing?

This year, not as much as I should. I have been gradually getting back to feeling like writing just lately, but I had a rather long spell of not feeling motivated to write much. I realize now that this was probably largely due to the stress we were going through dealing with my mom's dementia and failing health.

What is your favorite type of writing?

At present I have been enjoying the epistolary form of writing - the new category at the web page: "Letters to My Friend".

When did you know you were a writer?

Strange to say, I didn't really know it for a long time. I was at least in my late twenties or thirties, I think, before I thought of myself as a writer. This despite the fact that I loved writing before I even knew how to read! 

How did you first get into writing?

One of my earliest memories is one of my mom writing a letter at our picnic table in Ethiopia with 3 or 4 year-old me sitting next to her making marks on a piece of paper. I was "writing a letter" to Gramma Hoover. I never lost the love or fascination for writing. For years it was focused on letter writing and school work, then the occasional poem, diaries and Bible study journals. Later it moved into writing articles for the web page.

Who was the first person to take note of your writing skill?

My fourth grade teacher, Woody Fridae.

How did you get into writing/editing an online journal?

My dad had started a web page for the purpose of ministry and he suggested that I start a section for women. This is the reason we chose the name "The Home Maker's Corer". It was originally a "corner" of his much larger web site. When I married my husband, Peter, he wanted it to be a separate web page of its own, so we separated it and got my own URL and compiling program.

How did you get into blogging?

After we got married in 2008 my husband suggested a blog as something to along side the web page. Coming up with a name was a bit difficult at the time, but we settled on "The Cotton Apron" because I wore cotton aprons a lot. Still do some. I believe I started it in February of 2009.

What writing skills would you like to add to your skill set?

I would like to write edifying fiction.

What is the most challenging aspect of writing for you?

Starting. Once I really get started, I can usually keep writing. It's the starting that hinders me the most.

What aspect of writing do you enjoy the most?

I think that would be the sense of satisfaction that I was able to get into words something that was on my heart that I wanted to convey to help people, and then to know that it did help someone in the Lord. That is sweet and such a blessing to me personally. 

What motivates you to keep writing?

The desire to help lift others' loads and to teach. To help my sisters in Christ look to God's word for their answers to life's questions. To pass on some of the things that God had taught me. 2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. I have been given so much, and I know the Lord doesn't mean for me to keep it all to myself. Plus, I just have to write. Even if it never makes it into print, I write and have conversations in my head constantly - c-o-n-s-t-a-n-t-l-y!

How has writing made a difference in your life?

It has expanded my view of the world and life. It has forced me to work on my own spiritual needs and life struggles. It has perhaps given me a different view of  scripture sometimes as I read it. It has made me more aware of may issues that women are dealing with in the world and church today.

When you are in ministry to others often times the Lord will let you experience a lot of things so that you can help others, or perhaps you just become more aware of how your life experiences can help others. This can give you a sense of the importance of not letting things go to waste, so to speak. Sometimes it is an attainable goal, and sometimes it is not. Some things are too hard to write about yet, but when you have a desire to help others, you will often times find that at some point the Lord will require you to write about things you never wanted to write about. This is hard. It strips away a lot of pretense. It can be quite painful at times, but it can also be cathartic. 

Another, though less interesting, difference that writing makes in my life is that when I get to writing sometimes chores that needed to be done get delayed or missed. Sigh. Tonight the dishwasher did not get run as it should have.

Do you have any professional help with writing?

No. I have watched some YouTube videos by writers and editors that have been helpful to me, but so far I haven't sought out professional help. My husband proofreads for me often, but we both miss things, as you may notice. 

Have you taken any courses on writing?

I took a creative writing course at the college level right after high school (maybe I did secretly know I was a writer? but I didn't have a real goal in that other than wanting to). It was really more basic English, in my opinion. I wasn't overly impressed, but I did learn stuff from it. 

Is writing your profession or hobby or...?

For me it is an unpaid ministry at present. It is one of the main ways that I serve the Lord outside my home (and yet at home at the same time). Unfortunately, writing does not seem to be very much looked for as a ministry within the body of Christ on the local church level any more. I'm not sure how that could be changed.

Did You Meme That? #8 - Love IS Hard Sometimes

Quote reads: "Fall in love with someone who doesn't make you think love is hard."

We could start out talking about the problem with that phrase "fall in love" because it has its own set of issues. But, maybe that would be quibbling over something unimportant.

So first of all, I want to state right up front and center that there are people in this world who make love hard because they are not worthy of your romantic love. Yes, you can love them with the love of Christ, but after all, Jesus told us to love our enemies, and obviously you shouldn't be "falling in love" with or marrying your enemy.

Matthew 5:43-44 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 

What we're talking about here is romantic love, marriage love, love between a man and a woman.

Mark 10:6-8 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.

Furthermore, this post is NOT about abusive relationships. Abusive relationships are hard - no question about that. In some situations the wife should leave if her husband is abusing her, and likewise the husband leave the wife if she is abusing him (less common, but it does happen). This isn't about those situations either.

This is about the love that grows between two people when they are on their way towards a marriage relationship.

So here it is: You aren't going to find someone who never makes you think love is hard. Yup. True story. Welcome to planet earth.

Before you or your friend or child heads down the primrose path to "love and marriage" it's good to remember this. If you're already married it's good to remember this. There isn't anyone who makes love seem easy all of the time - not that guy at school or college; not the wonderful guy you met at church; not the man who has the six digit income and a nice house and car; not the leader at church who is still unattached, not the handsome and dashing hero in that romantic movie or book (Oh, snap!). Not you and not me, dear friend. Not one person on this earth.

Why would I be sayin' such inflammatory stuffs? Well...

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. 

Sin does make love seem hard sometimes.

That man, guy, husband of yours is a sinner and he will do and say things that will provoke you and cause anger. He isn't going to do something you expected him to, and he is going to do something that hurts you or that is inappropriate. He's going to be there with too little too late when you needed him to be there with a lot and on time. He's going to fail you when you were hoping for something better. The best of men are still sinners, and there will always be something at some point in your relationship that will cause disappointment, frustration, or even anger.

But then, you're going to treat him to the same exact difficulties. You are going to make love hard sometimes too. Oh yes. Let's own up, ladies. We certainly have our bad days and there are times when we are less than lovable. If we're honest with ourselves and the loves of our respective lives, we make love seem hard sometimes too!

Things will happen even when you're both trying to walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh, because we are not perfect yet. We strive against sin (hopefully), but we are not like Jesus yet because we haven't seen Him yet.

Paul summed it up for us in Romans 7:14-25,  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. 

1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

There are other aspects of life that make love seem like hard work sometimes too.

Some kinds of health problems can be very challenging to deal with and may cause the well spouse to feel like staying "in love" is hard. Sometimes the one who suffers the health problems has a hard time feeling "in love" because the challenges of just living are so immense. Yes, there will be good times when you both appreciate each other immensely, but there will be difficult times when something is just wrong and there doesn't seem to be a way to make it right again.

Sometimes other trials of life can cause similar challenges - sick children, rebellious and troublesome children, death in the family, severe financial strains, natural disasters, the necessity of being apart for some reason for a prolonged period, etc. You get the picture. Many aspects of life can challenge our ability to love one another as we should.

I don't appreciate the teaching that is popular in some circles that love is a choice and not a feeling. While it is certain that love is not just a feeling, I personally believe the Bible teaches it is both a feeling and a choice. Read Song of Solomon (and set aside the overworked idea that it's about Christ and the church, which the Bible never says it is, by they way). There are plenty of feelings of love there. It isn't just about a choice. But, by the same token, the Bible also commands us to love our spouses. If it were not a choice, as the world often enough implies, we couldn't be commanded to do it, now could we?

Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

Titus 2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

Love is hard sometimes. Let's not fool ourselves with some unrealistic imagination of how the world too often presents it. Let's dig in and do the hard thing. Because that is what we are commanded to do in scripture - not just Christian love for our enemies, but romantic love each one for our respective spouses.

And for those who are not married, as well as the married, let's not measure the quality of that "special someone" by his failure to make our experience "in love" perfect. When you stop and think about it, that idea is ultimately selfish, isn't it? It says, "If you make me think love is hard, you are failing me and are therefore not a worthy person." The fact is that each of us will inevitably make love feel hard for the other also, and therefore qualify for the same harsh judgment.

James 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. 

Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. 

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For more in this series: Did You Meme That?

Random Questions - Relationships with Others

Here is a short list of questions from my collection.

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Do you prefer that people shoot straight with you or temper their words?

I think that something in between is the most useful. In Ephesians 4:14-15 we read,  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Some people will speak the truth without love. This is destructive and can cause serious damage. Some people try to speak in love, but they don't pay enough attention to truth. This is unhelpful and can be destructive in a different way. A combination of both is necessary for true usefulness and this is what I like to find in others. It is what I want to do myself.

What are three qualities that draw you to someone new?

This is hard to answer. At the Lord's prompting, I have been trying over the last few years to broaden my friendships and include people who might not have been too high on my list of "perfect friends" in the past. So, I actually try not to allow myself to be overly influenced by my personal preferences. Obviously, I want to be drawn to people who are born again and have a sincere love for the Lord. I also want to appreciate the things God has placed in His children for the help of other Christians, including me.

I do find myself not enjoying interactions with people who are overbearing or always pushing for answers or trying to make you a more spiritual person. Asking hard questions is a useful thing when it is done appropriately, but it is exhausting when someone does it almost constantly. It makes it hard to relax in that person's presence. The first thing that attracted me to my husband was that I realized I was comfortable talking with him and didn't feel tense around him. I don't do well with high tension. :-)

When do you immediately click with someone you just met?

I occasionally find a connection with someone because they "speak my language." This means to me that I don't have to stop and explain every other idea (or comment) that I bring out and I can see that they are grasping my thoughts with understanding even as I speak them. This doesn't apparently have to do with background or geographic location as one might think. I have experienced this with ladies from very different places and also upbringings. It doesn't happen very often, though.

Are you close with anyone now that you really disliked at first?

I would say yes, but "really disliked" is too strongly put. I do have a few what I would call close friends whom I didn't appreciate much at all when I first got to know them. However, for one reason or another we've grown in our friendships, either from necessity or for other reasons, and we've been able to be of mutual service to each other in the Lord.

There are also people whom I thought I liked when I first got to know them, some even contributed some truly useful things to my life, but then later I found them to be problematic or even really unbiblical in their attitudes or behavior. I suppose this is more common than the other in some ways.

How difficult is it for you to forgive someone who refuses to apologize?

It depends on the offense, doesn't it? Some things are much harder to let go of than others. But, I have learned that forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation, and in that there is a certain amount of freedom. This was a realization that transformed my thinking.

We can forgive someone, but if the offense is so great or such an affront to righteousness that an apology is necessary for any relationship to exist, then we cannot reconcile with them until they see their offense for what it really is. This is true of those whom Jesus asked the Father to forgive when He was on the cross. Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. God might forgive them that particular sin, but He could not have a relationship with them until they wanted reconciliation and were repentant (saying the saying the same thing about their sin that God says).

Who is the person who has been the most supportive in your life?

My husband.

There have been many others over the years too, both family and friends. I am very thankful for the supportive people God has placed in my life.

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Painting by Edmund Charles Tarbell

Pray for Your Husband Through the Week

Here is a list of worthwhile prayer requests to pray for you husband. These are divided up into requests to pray on specific days of the week. This list was sent to me years ago, but I've made quite a few changes to it over time. It isn't a required thing, but these are all good suggestions of things that are good to for your husband. Note: It wouldn't hurt to pray some of these things for yourself too. :-)

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SUNDAY:

That he might be holy; a man of prayer, mature
in the Lord and growing in his knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

That he would seek God with his whole heart,
walking in God's word and
growing in his dependence on Christ.

Psalm 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Continue Reading.

FREE Scripture Graphic - Mark 10:7-8 - Marriage

Here is a wedding themed scripture verse for you today because this is our anniversary. :-)

Right click on the graphic below to save it, or click here to go to a higher resolution version and click the download icon in the lower right corner to save it.  The same instructions apply to the blank one below (click here for the higher resolution blank version).

I don't remember where I found this vintage graphic.

Why We Are not Quiverfull - Part 4 - Reasons 4-6

Here is Part 4 of the series on why we are not Quiverfull.   If you have not read the introduction or Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 you may wish to start with those by clicking on the respective links.

This part includes three new reasons covering the subjects of nature, as God created it; how Quiverfull can affect the sexual relationship in marriage; and the problem of poor parenting.

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Excerpt:

Psalms 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

Various animals have a basic, God-given instinct to survive.  Some will abandon their young when there isn't enough food available for them to survive - during a drought perhaps. (I'm not suggesting infanticide, so don't even go there!)  Some animals will have fewer offspring when there is a shortage of food.  I have heard that wolves will not even mate if there is not enough food.  So we see that limiting or reducing population is a basic instinct in wild animals to ensure survival and promote healthy offspring.  They cannot reason as we can and do not even have a free will as we do.  How much more responsible should humans be in such decisions?

I am not talking about the typical humanist idea of reducing the world population.  Generally speaking, that is promoted for self-serving and greedy reasons.  However, since God built this mechanism into at least some of His creatures, it would be folly for us to deny that it has a useful place in creation!  I realize this will probably rub some people the wrong way, but I have come to realize that there are things we take for granted as "good, godly" beliefs which we did not get from the Bible or the reality of how God made this world.

Continue Reading.

Why We Are not Quiverfull – Part 3 – Idolatry and Cultic Tendencies

 

Here is Part 3 in the series on why we are not followers of Quiverfull.  If you have not read the introduction or Part 1 and Part 2, you may wish to start with those by clicking on the respective links.

Part 3 is dealing with the fact that Quiverfull has some factors that lead some people to idolatry in various ways, and because of its nature, it lends itself to some cultic behavior.  Both of these issues are very serious and unacceptable in the body of Christ.

Excerpt:

1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

One of the significant problems with the ideology of Quiverfull is that it easily falls into idolatry. The first point we will discuss is worship of the family.

The assumption that we can take over the world for Christ by having lots of babies is a foundational idea behind the larger movement as we discussed in Part 1.  This need of "raising arrows" can then quickly take the preeminence in people's lives to the point of taking the place of well-rounded Christian living as commanded to the church.  The focus really does end up on the family and it can, and does at times, become an idol.

Ephesians 4:14-15 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

More than one church, ministry, and family has become imbalanced in the Christian life because they focused too much on one subject to the exclusion of all others.  It doesn't matter how good that subject or issue may seem, when it is the "all-important" one it leads to a lopsided view at best, and idolatry at worst.  God intends us to be well balanced, not running to any extremes but teaching and believing the whole counsel of God, not just the parts that relate to our favorite topics.  Acts 20:27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. When anything becomes so important that we will ignore or contradict other doctrine and even deny the truth of scripture to defend it, it has become an idol.  As we already discussed in Part 2 of this series, the free will of mankind has been negated by the teachings of Quiverfull in at least some instances.  I believe there are other things that are idolatrous as well.

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Continue Reading.

Food Memories - Mixed Berry Muffins

My husband is a good baker.  Several years ago he was making whole wheat muffins, and instead of the usual frozen blueberries he substituted mixed frozen berries at my request.  They were really delicious!  We shared them at a family breakfast and they were enjoyed by all. Please do try this at home!  :-)

Danish Butter Cookies

[Originally published Nov. 2010. Edited]

After I’d expressed a desire for homemade cookies several times, one evening my husband suddenly decided that we would make some (despite the lateness of the hour).  Was I ever glad he did!  We chose this recipe (the origin of which I no longer know) since I didn’t have any brown sugar at the time.  It is quite simple, but doesn’t make a lot of cookies.  One warning – once you’ve eaten these homemade Danish butter cookies you’ll probably never really like the store bought variety again!

Also, you might try adding some shredded coconut or dipping half of each cookie in chocolate coating to make them a bit fancier or to offer variety.  I think that you could refrigerate them and put them through a cookie press as well to make prettier shapes.  They taste great without any of this, though, so it may not be worth messing with!  Simpler is often better in my opinion. :-)

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1 C. butter
1 egg
1 C. sugar
1 tsp. almond extract  (or vanilla)
2 C. flour (or 1 C. white whole wheat and 1 C. white flour)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and almond extract and mix. Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add a little at a time to the butter mixture until it is all mixed in.

Roll into walnut size balls, place on an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten with a fork or spoon.  Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.  Bake at 350F for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Allow to cool slightly on the sheet before moving to a rack.  Completely cool before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.

Note: These cookies freeze well.

Random Thoughts On An Autumn Afternoon

 

Photo taken in Roane County Park, Tennessee, circa 2005.

I didn’t plan a particular post today, so I’m just going to ramble.  There is nothing quite so nice and chummy as a nice ramble through the Fall woods with a good friend talking and looking and breathing in the loveliness of the day and the smell of burning leaves. 

Since I can’t do that, I’ll do this instead –

This was taken two years ago shortly after we arrived in Australia, hence my somewhat disheveled look.

If I could be anywhere on earth this afternoon, I’d like to pop in at my brother and sister-in-law’s house in Australia for tea and a chat.  (I know all about the time difference, but this is just “what if”, so…)  It would be so much fun to see the things my niece and nephew are working on and talk to them about what they are learning.  It would be nice to sit down and talk with my brother and his wife about the things that are on my mind and about family news, to ask them how they are doing and what they are thinking about these days.

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I have thought more than once that I’m glad my husband isn’t particular about the house décor.  He never knows what he will find “decorating” this house when he comes home from work.  Maybe it will be a handful of bean pods laid in a fancy glass bowl to dry.  Maybe it will be a selection of fossils collected from the yard and put in a beautiful glass candy dish for display. There are dried leaves and other bits in several places, and it’s not uncommon to find paper towels with seeds spread on them to dry.  Today it will be a chicken skull that was picked up in the yard and added to the candy bowl till it can be passed on to some kids who will find it interesting.  I admit it’s kind of strange, but I’m glad my husband is OK with it. :-)

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Due to the lack of rain over the summer months, many areas here in Texas have had a very dry Fall and there have been wildfires.  They were asking people to remove dry plant material from around their houses to reduce the fire risk, so I have done a lot of raking and a little pruning.  We have quite a few trees that drop leaves around our house.  I think I’ve raked at least 14 piles of leaves so far.  My husband and I, with the help of my dad, removed 10+ of those piles on Saturday and put them in the garden where my dad can use them for mulch.  I was more out of shape than I thought, so I’ve been really tired between the exercise the the heat (which is, thankfully, reducing now).  I’m trying to keep on doing some yard work almost every day so that I will build back up instead of just aching! :-)  There is a good chance of rain this week, so I’m praying for rain here and in the worst hit areas.

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I read this today:

Jeremiah 39:15-18  Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee. But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.

I think sometimes we tend to get the idea that if our country is judged by God, or if the people around us are judged by God for some reason, that we will be judged too.  But, notice that in spite of the fact that he was afraid of the Babylonians, the Lord intended to deliver Ebedmelech because he trusted in Him.  Certainly Ebedmelech suffered due to the judgment that the others received and bad things may happen to us because of other people’s choices or persecution or judgment, but let’s not jump to the conclusion that if God’s judgment falls on a nation around us, that it will automatically destroy us also.  It is certainly food for thought.  How many other examples can you think of where God protected some while His judgment was falling on others around them?  Abraham said in Genesis 18:25,  That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

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A short poem to end this ramble:

To live above
With those we love,
Oh, that will be glory;
To live below
With those we know,
Well, that’s another story.

- Author unknown

Our Guest Room Do-Over, Part 3: The (almost) Finished Room!

 

This Part 3 of how we fixed up our guest room.  See Part 1 and Part 2.

Ecclesiastes 7:8  Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof…

We got it done in time for my in-laws visit!  Well, almost done. :-)  I still have things that I want to make or change.  Also, since the paint was barely dry, I didn’t hang much on the walls.  I think the lady at the store told me it would take about a month for it to dry good and hard, especially since we were painting on paneling.

My husband and I picked up the mattress and box spring at Costco on a Friday and stored them in our dining room till we were ready for them.  My neighbor sister-in-law helped me on the following Tuesday with setting it up and arranging the furniture.  We had it set up like this (below) at first because we thought it shouldn’t be on the board covering the weak spot in the floor on the opposite side (mentioned in the last post).  But, I didn’t like the head of the bed against the windows, and it wouldn’t fit with the all the furniture against the other windows.

You can see here that the blinds and valances were not all up yet as well.

My mom came over to look and mentioned that they had had their bed on the opposite wall where the board was.  This made me think, so I measured the bookcase and decided that it would all fit if we flipped the lay out.  My husband confirmed that it was perfectly safe to put the bed on the plywood board, so he and I rearranged it that evening.  He also got the fixtures up for the window treatments.

The next day, the day my in-laws were to arrive, I did the finishing touches.  Here are the results.

I really like the pale aqua paint!  It’s such a soft color that it doesn’t photograph really well, but you can see it in the pictures where I used a flash.  It is a lovely cool color for this Texas climate, I think!

The bed, the “quilt”, and bed skirt were purchased.  We already had pillows and sheets.  Two of the blinds were really shabby, but we had practically new ones in the garage which we were able to install after buying some new brackets.

The “Welcome” picture (see top photo) was created from one of my own photos.  I Photo Shopped it to match the salmon pink in the room and make it look a bit more artsy.

The bookcase was a long-term loan from my sister-in-law who was storing it in our garage. :-) 

I love the way the evening sun shines into this room.

Most of the décor on the bookcase was “shopped from our own stuff”.  The ‘50s items came from my dad – an aluminum cup (perfect shade of pink) made into a vase with a bit of tulle, the pink pottery dish and the three oval serving dishes.  The oval serving dishes were the perfect colors for the room, so I stacked all three.  I put some packages of snacks in them in case my in-laws felt snack-ish at night or early in the morning.

Since my in-laws will be using this room the most and since they and my own parents were all missionaries in Africa, I put in some African touches as well.  The painting and wood carving on the top are from East Africa. [Painting: Lake Nakuru]  I had wanted to line the back of the top two sections with fabric for more color interest, but the painting was so large I decided it was enough.

The framed Bible verses were made in Photo Shop with vintage graphics I found free online.  We did buy the picture frames.  The candle holder and feathers came from other areas of our house. (The candle is artificial – LED, so no worries about fire or damage to the bookshelves.)  I still need to select and add more books from my dad’s overflow collection in our garage. :-)  The trash can was also donated by my sis-in-law.

From the three storage tubs that were in here originally, I picked out the one that best complimented the décor.  I hope to make a cushion to put on top for more comfortable seating.  The painting is another African scene from my parents.  [Painting: Tana River]

The “bed side table” is actually an old T.V. console my parents gave us.  Hopefully at some point it will be replaced with something that takes up less space.  It’s a bit too wide in that spot.  I didn’t put anything on it yet other than a coaster because I thought that might be the best spot for a suitcase at this point.

The smaller nightstand by the door was another donation from my sis-in-law.  The light was discarded by my parents.

As you can see there is no headboard at this point.  As mentioned before, my husband said he might be able to fix up a metal footboard we have, but that may take some time.  We’ll see.  It isn’t necessary.

I’m not sure yet what I’m going to put on this wall.  I’m still thinking I might install a “quilting wall”, but just try to make what’s on it attractive when we have guests.  It would need to be a more finished and nice looking one, if I do that.  The old tablecloth method probably wouldn’t look so great in this room now. ;-)

The valances were made with a combination of fabrics.  The solid and floral came from my stash.  The solid was a “mistake” order – wrong color.  The floral stripe was a strip from a “jellyroll”.  The Swiss dot was purchased for this room.  I had to really pay attention when I was putting them together to make sure that the polka dot sections were on the outside of each set. :-)

Well, that’s it for now.  I may try to do an update later if/when I get some more things done in the room.  I still have ideas of things I’d like to add, change or do.  My in-laws really liked it, but the best part was probably that they slept really well on that bed!  That made us all happy. :-)

Biscuit Cinnamon Sticky Buns

 

Some time ago my husband made these cinnamon sticky rolls at my request.  He used his usual biscuit recipe, made them into cinnamon rolls and we put them in a pan that had melted butter, brown sugar and pecans in the bottom to bake.  (We used a 9X9 pan, but a 9X13 would have worked much better.  More below on that.)  We used them for a brunch, but they would be great for breakfast, tea or coffee time.

First he rolled the biscuit dough out in a rectangle.  (I suppose you could do this with canned biscuits too.)

He buttered the top surface, sprinkled it with cinnamon and sugar, rolled it up and cut it into enough biscuits to fit into the pan. 

We put them in a pan which had melted butter, brown sugar and nuts sprinkled in the bottom (which becomes the topping when you take them out of the pan).  You could do some variations on this.  Add some dried fruits of your choice.  Add coconut or use it instead of the nuts.  It might even be possible to use some apple pie filling mixed into the topping!  Yum.

NOTE:  We had them too thick because we used a 9X9 pan.  He should have cut them thinner and we should have put them in a 9X13 pan because the outsides got done before the insides, so we couldn’t get them fully done.

I don’t know how long we baked them as we were having a little trouble getting them done.  When you remove them from the oven invert the pan onto a heat proof plate or platter.

They were delicious!  Sometime we need to try them again in a larger pan. :-)

Ten Ways A Wife May Be A Crown to Her Husband

 

Painting by Carl Larrson

Proverbs 12:4 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband:
but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

• Ask your husband, "What are your goals for the week and how can I help you to accomplish them? Is there anything I can do that would make it easier for you?"
  
• Be organized as much as possible with cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, and cooking.  Try to anticipate his needs and your family's needs so that you can be prepared or have what is needed ready.

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