Tiffany Harper

Hey There!

I have an interview up at http://leadingandlovingit.com today. Come by to say hello and learn a little more about my role as a Pastor's Wife and Illuminate! Plus, you will get to meet some other really amazing women. So if you are a PW or a women in ministry, come on over! Tiff~

Time for me

Now that I am a mommy of two, I am starting to realize just how proactive I am going to have to be in carving out time for myself. I have been able to escape for tiny bits of time so that I can read my bible (or heck go to the bathroom) but I know that eventually I will need to take some more time to take care of myself and nurture my spirit creatively, spiritually and physically.

One thing that I really want to start doing again is scrapbooking. I haven't completed any layouts in nearly a year and I really am itching to play with paper and photos again. It was something that made me inexplicably happy and once we settle into our new place I will make sure to create a little space for me to play in.

I also want to get back into shape. My husband and I will be celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary in October and I want to go on a hot date with my man. We both are starting to feel the effects of aging and bearing children and we believe that taking care of ourselves physically will help us with the energy we need to do ministry and take care of our young children. I want to be around for a long time, Lord willing, to see my children grow up and have babies and families of their own.

Ministry is another thing that I really want to involve myself more in. Right now I am slightly limited in how much I can serve within the church due to having a young family. However, I want to participate more alongside Dan and really get down in the trenches with him. I know he really misses my active participation in a lot of the things he does for Illuminate, so I will need to work out a system where someone can watch the babies so that I can be available to serve.

Those are just a couple of goals I have for myself during this time. Life is so busy that I needed to type these out so that I can visually see where I want to go and what I want to achieve.

As mommies what are some ways you refresh? Or what goals have you set up for yourself?

Blessings,

Tiff

Feeling Inspired

Today is just absolutely gorgeous.  I have to admit that I am a little sad that it is supposed to rain tomorrow, but I will just pray that it will end by Thursday so that it doesn't rain for Madi's party on Saturday. 

Today is one of those days where everything is inspiring me and offering bits of encouragement and sunshine into my life.  I seem to have a little skip to my step as I go throughout my day at work.  I was in spired by scripture this morning.  You may think that the Old Testament has nothing worth reading but today, this scripture spoke to my heart about my Heavenly Father....and how He is a nurturing parent to me as well as a righteous judge.  Oh thank you Lord for your tidbits of truth that you offer my heart daily. 

Hosea 11:1-4

"When Israel was a youth I loved him,

And out of Egypt I called my son.

The more they called them,

the more they went from them;

They kept sacrificing to the Baals

and burning incense to idols.

Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk,

I took them in my arms;

But they did not know that I healed them.

I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love,

And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws;

And I bent down and fed them."

Can you just imagine our Father bending down to feed His Children? Opening His mouth wide to teach and coach us to eat and be filled?  Like a Mommy does to her child?  This study was from Beth Moore and she had a quote that I found so interesting and eye opening that I HAVE to share it with all of you!

"We will never be successful as parents to our children until we are successful at being children to our Heavenly Father."

What a reminder that our God is not only our Savior.....but also a nurturing and loving Parent to us. His Children.

What other ways have I been inspired today? 

Creating Keepsakes May Issue had this fantastic idea of "A Day in the Life" by spending an entire day by either hiring a professional photographer or doing it yourself and taking photos of your day.  Of how you interact  as a family, your activities and anything else you can think of.  I love the idea so much!  I think it would be a perfect way to tell a story about the Harper's and how we interact daily.  If you haven't picked up an issue you MUST. There are so many fantastic ideas in there.  It is wonderful.

I received a brand new headband from my new fave Etsy shop. I wanted to save it for my baby shower but it was just too adorable to leave in my drawer today.  So I took it out.

 

Martha Stewart has been blowing my mind lately with ideas of how to dress up plain baby clothes by using old button down shirts. So instead of getting mad that hubby has a billion he doesn't wear anymore and deciding to throw them out....I think I am going to steal a few and see what I can come up with.  I mean seriously isn't that the coolest thing ever?   Check out Monday's video "Green Good things" Blew my mind yesterday. I told Dan about it but I think he is skeptical about me cutting up his old shirts. LOL! If you don't wear them...they are MINE! =)

There are so many things I want to start doing right now. I miss scrapbooking and I want to start sewing and creating things with fabric.  Perhaps I should write down a list of goals to accomplish in the next few years. 

I am curious....what inspires you?

Blessings,

Tiff~

Feeling the Urge to Nest

With the coming of Spring and my rapidly expanding belly, I am starting to feel the urge to clean and purge and prepare for our newest arrival.  I realize I still have some time ahead of me, but I am sure those who are expecting or have been pregnant understand what I mean.  Right now, our small two bedroom apartment does not afford us a ton of space to create a newborn haven for our son.  We are praying and searching for a slightly larger home for our family.  But in the meantime, I am enjoying the process of dreaming and browsing through online sites and magazine photos.  It really helps me to visualize what I like and what I want for the baby's room.

For now, I have decided to just spruce up our home with small touches. For instance, this weekend we headed out to the Local Farmer's Market so that I could pick up some flowers.  I love how just adding flowers to a home can instantly brighten a room.  It is probably one of the most inexpensive ways a person can redecorate or add a personal touch.  For Spring, I was hoping to find some Tulips, but I didn't see any I loved so I grabbed a couple Gerbera Daisies in yellow.  Perfect.

 

Those canisters I received from my MIL after I told her how much I adored them and wished I could find some of my own.  Apparently she has quite a collection and she graciously gave me a couple.  I love how it adds a country touch to my dining table.  LOVE Country! =)

And surprises of all surprises I actually scrapped this weekend.  I only made one card, but it felt wonderful to finally just play with paper.  Since I found out I was pregnant I haven't really had the energy or the mojo to really create anything.  I made a simple card using a stamp from Close To My Heart and the March kit from Studio Calico. 

  

I have decided with our son's room that I am not necessarily going to go with a theme.  I just have not seen anything that has totally blown me away in the bedding department and the bedding I thought I wanted has been discontinued and I really can't find it anywhere.  So I checked out the Land of Nod website and I found a crib sheet that I love and that I can use as inspiration for his room. So I think that is the route I am going to go.  And I spoke with Dan about it and he seems fine with that as long as it isn't "girly". 

That is all I really have for now.  But hopefull tomorrow I will have some more fun stuff to blog about.  Please be in prayer for me and Dan this Sunday as we continue our Pure Sex series and I share a small portion of my testimony. 

Love you all!

Tiff~

When you work full time, life can be a little repetitive

I have found that since Monday through Friday I am sitting behind a computer all day that I don't have that much exitement.  I mean, how much can really happen when you are sitting looking at files all day long.  B.O.R.I.N.G.

But I did have lunch with my friend Kelly today.  I haven't seen in her a really long time, so it was nice to catch up and see how life has been going for her.  We hang out in different circles now and we aren't as close as we used to be, but that is okay.  That is life.  But she did give me the scoop on the new guy she is dating.  He sounds amazing.....so I hope that works out for her. 

Last night, Dan and I wanted to get some exercise in, but we didn't want to walk around the neighborhood.  We decided to head out to the mall because I had some gift cards that needed to be put to good use. 

Once we were inside the Mall, we headed to Forever 21....and I found my outfit for our visit  to the Pantages Theater.  I am going to see Wicked and I totally wanted to look hot.  I mean, you are in LA after all.  They don't mess around over there.  Check out my outfits:

This tunic

These shoes

And this red handbag

All of this is from Forever21.  I am so excited for our date night!  Can't wait to put this on. 

Last night we also stopped at Borders bookstore and I picked up a new Jodi Picoult book (Nineteen Minutes) and Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen.  I have heard excellent things about both of these books so I had to add them to my "to read" list on Goodreads.com.  I love that site.  I am finding a ton of recommendations for books that I have never heard of before.  Goodreads was how I found out about the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.  Right now I am reading Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.  So far, I am really enjoying it.

Well, that is all I have for now.  How about I leave you with a fun picture of Madi.  Love to you all!  Don't forget about Prayer request Friday.   Let me know if you have any prayer requests you would like me to post. 

Blessings.

Weekend update take 3

This is the last time I am going to try and create this specific post.  I will try to keep it to a minimum. Dang Typepad. It has crashed on me twice. Aarrrggh!

This weekend = nice.  LOL.   I got some scrapping done.  I made this album for my little Madi:

I would attempt to show you the entire album, but Typepad apparently has a problem with the amount of pictures I showcase on this darn blog...hence the crashing.  I used a kit from Keep In Touch shoppe and I am so excited I finally got to rip into it.  The colors are definitely up my alley. Very girly.

Sunday night was the beach bonfire for Illuminate.  A couple of pictures from the evening.

Madi and sand = completely in her element! LOL!

Dan and some of the gang.

Some girlies from the college group. 

It was a blast.  Madi and I only stayed for a little bit due to the fact that her bedtime is at 9pm and she would definitely need a bath after playing in that sand.  I mean she was practically rolling in it and eating it. Gross!  I for one do not really like sand.  It drives me nuts and I can't stand the way it feels on my skin.

Oh....and thank you for all of those who prayed for my friend Bre! They had their precious little girl Peyton.  She weighed 8 lbs and 12 ounces.  They call her their little sumo.  Hopefully I will get to meet Peyton soon and with the parents permission will post pics when I can.

That is all for now.  I don't want Typepad to crash on me again. lol! Blessings!

Tiff~

I forgot to add...

I recently purchased a kit fromKeep In Touch. Gorgeous isn't it! go grab one!

Tiff~

Fun new sites!

On of my favorite things to do is search the internet, check blogs and find brand new companies to shop at that I never would have found on my own.  I love that about blogging.  I have found some fabulous finds and I am going to share them with ya'll today.

First up: The talented Heather Bailey.  Oh man she makes me swoon.  I don't even sew. I don't know how!  But I hope to learn with her beautiful fabric and oh so fun projects. Just look at these strawberry pin cushions!

Gorgeous eye candy!   Plus, she has a fresh line of Patterned paper and embellishments for the devoted scrapbooker.  I hope to pick some of her line up real soon. 

Lately, I have been heavily into vintage and shabby chic.   I have browsed through different magazines such as Romantic Country magazines and I found this site and shop through a regular read of mine: Sadie Olive owns an online boutique in Southern California, and her stuff is gorgeous.  You can definitely get in a lot of trouble there, so browse wisely and with caution.  But don't blame me if you end up spending a fortune!  

And if you are looking for a fun purse for the summer....look no further than Etsy.  I recently requested from my husband this purse from the Pink Lemonade Boutique there. Gorgeous no?  I hope to have that purse in my hot little hands soon and in time for my birthday! You can also check out the Funky Bag Lady as well. Great purse shopping there.

Looking for new stamps to try out?  Check out the Unity Stamp Co.  They just released their new sets last night, so I had to check them out and I am very impressed. So I grabbed just a couple. And if you order in the US, you pay just $5.00 for shipping. Not bad at all!  So quick go check them out before they are completely gone.  They are great!

Well that is all they new sites I have for right now.  So whenever you have time stop by! Have a great day!

Tiff~

Weekends go by too fast

This weekend flew!  I feel as if I had so much to do and not enough time to do it all. I guess that is just how it is going to be for awhile.  Our family is still trying to get into routine after coming home from vacation last week.  I did manage to get all the laundry done.  Now I just have to focus on cleaning the house.  Speaking of my house, I absolutely hate my vacuum.  I want to throw that thing over the balcony and spend the $500 or so for a Dyson.  Our current vacuum sucks up nothing!  But enough about that.  How about I update ya'll  on my weekend!

Let's start with Friday.  I originally had plans to go to the movies with my friend Michelle.  However; we had to reschedule due to a couple of the gals not feeling well.  Dan wanted to hang out with his friend that evening but that didn't work out either.  Soooo....Dan and I got a date night! Woo Hoo!!!!! We first went to Chili's for dinner and then we headed over to the movie theater to watch The Love Guru.  And seriously, the Love Guru sucked.  I just didn't think it was that funny.  I just don't understand why you have to go completely dirty in your jokes in order to be funny.  Dan wasn't to thrilled with it either.  We kind of expected it to be that way, but I think we really (naively) hoped it would have been less crude.  Oh well.  We did have a good time together.  Everytime we go to the movies together, we ALWAYS have to buy popcorn, coke and some candy.  It is our thing.  We know it costs an arm and a leg, but we don't care.  We are just giddy we are alone and without an adorable 2 year old on our arm asking us for a billion things at once. LOL!

Can you see the giddiness? LOL!

Then Saturday, we didn't really do a whole lot.  We just hung out at home because quite frankly it was really too hot to be outside.  And Dan had to clear out some of the boxes in our bedroom so that I could start decorating it.  We have lived there for almost a year and it is still isn't finished! Ay!  I have a lot of work to do.  I did however sneak a picture of Madi napping.

She is no longer sleeping in her crib, but I think I might buy her very own toddler bed and some new bedding.  That way she can feel like her bed is her very own and she will enjoy sleeping in it. 

Then on Sunday Madi and I headed to the pool!

Her new crocs that Daddy bought her. She loves them. Personally, those shoes are ugly, but kids seem to love them!

She is a ham!

Later that afternoon while Madi was taking a nap, I thought I would steal Stephanie Howell's idea and make Madi her own hair clips. 

I was pretty proud of myself.  It was a lot of fun!  I had so many flowers and buttons and jewels that I just needed to use them.  They are quite girly and Madi loved them!

I also made a card using the Studio Calico June kit although I am having trouble uploading it on here.  I can't even upload it into photobucket, so the file may be corrupted.  I hate that!

Anyway, that is all for now.  Hope to write later!

Tiff~

This will be a sort of rambling post

So many different things going on in my head and my heart. But first, can I just start off by saying that last night's game with the Lakers and the Celtics had to be the most depressing thing I have ever witnessed in sports history.  Of course if I were a Laker fan, which I am not, I am not even a basketball fan.....I would be really upset for my team.  However, how cool was it for  Kevin Garnett!  I mean I was feeling really emotional for the guy. Finally his dreams of winning a championship have come true.  I am happy for him.  My hubs called me a traitor, but he had to agree that even he felt happy and emotional for the team.

Anyway, so after the game was over and I got Madi down without a fuss for her bedtime and we said our prayers together, I was off scrapping!  This is the first time I have been able to do any layouts since coming home from vacation, so it was a nice treat for me.  Plus Dan was sitting really close by studying for his message on Sunday so it was nice I didn't have to scrap without my buddy next to me. Here is what I managed to get done:

A card using those fabulous Inkadado cupcake  stamps I picked up at Scrapbooking Oasis last week.  Love them!

A birthday card for my sister Sheena, whom I mentioned in yesterday's post.

A quick 8 1/2 x 11 layout (a size I rarely do, but I had lost my mojo for awhile and it helped jump start some creativity.) Just to play with products and put them on paper, even if it doesn't look stellar totally helps me!

Another 8 1/2 x 11 layout of things I love.  Such a fun layout to put together.

This morning, I actually woke up on time and was able to get into work a little after 8am.  It was nice to have a few moments to myself, to sip on some coffee, read my email and pray.  I work at a Christian University, so one of the perks is that often our Dean has us come into the conference room to pray together as a group.  I have been a little overwhelmed to say the least this past week, so I definitely needed a refresh of Him.  And speaking of emotional, our Dean spoke in regards to Luke 10:21-27: the most pivotal part of the passage that we are first to Love the Lord with all of our heart and we are then to love our neighbors as ourselves. 

The passage also talked about how God has revealed his mysteries not to those of status, of wealth and stature....but to those who are pure in heart.  With a humble spirit...who realize that their "holiness" so to speak is nothing but filthy rags.....but by the grace of God we can be pure in His sight.....by accepting the gift of His son Jesus Christ. 

I don't know why, but the image of my daughter popped up when she spoke about those who were humble and pure in heart.  My daughter last night as I got her a cup of milk before bed folded her little hands and began praying for her family.  I could distinctly make out Uncle Ken and Cassie and her cousin Jenna.  Dan and I looked at each other and we smiled.  God has revealed Himself to our daughter, and  we hope we have honored God by showing her to seek Him in everything, even if it is just saying a small prayer before getting a cup of milk.  A little child will lead them as the bible says.  I am learning more about the love of  Christ through my daughter than anywhere else, aside from God's word.

I have been thinking too about my own spiritual journey, especially this year.  I feel as if my faith has been hit hard.  Today in our weekly meeting, the Dean challenged us with this question: "What is in the hidden places of our heart?"

*gulp* I mean, I have to search deep to see what is hidden so deep in there, that sometimes keeps me from seeking God with all of my heart, for wanting to keep Him at a safe distance.  If He gets too close, I fear that I will be unpresentable in His sight and the vision will be ugly.  I do realize He loves me and will continue to pursue me....for I am His daughter....but it can be scary to stop serving yourself, and start serving God.  The bible says you cannot serve two masters.  And I know it has not been God who I have been loyal to.

Well, I think that is enough rambling for now.  Tonight, I hope to really dig deep and answer this question.  I will share the results with all of you as soon as God reveals what He needs to reveal.  May you all have a wonderful evening.

Tiff~