Tiffany Harper

Overheard At A Thai Restaurant

So Dan and I grabbed a bit to eat at my favorite Thai food place.  He is not really into Thai food, but he went to hang out with me.

You can all say it.  Awwwww.

Anyway, I was telling him how I was feeling a little irritated with a certain individual.  This is what he said to me:

D: Honey, you need a "Dead to me" button

T: A what?

D:  "dead to me".  You know whenever someone starts bugging you, all you have to do is push this button and say "You're Dead To Me."

Bahahahahahahahahahaha! Now I realize that isn't very nice.  I don't have a lot of patience sometimes with people and I truly am working on it. 

But I have to be honest and say it kind of made me laugh.  Okay, I cackled.

What do you do when you feel irritated by someone or something?

Tiff~

Hate The Game Reminder

Hi Everyone! Just a reminder that this Sunday at Illuminate, we are kicking off our brand new series.  Hate the Game.  How to date and not screw up your life.

I love that!

In all honesty, I think many of us are sick of the games that are played in relationships.  Those of us who are followers of Christ want to honor God with the relationships he has given us. Whether you are single, dating, engaged, married or just "friends"....you will hear from God's word on what He wants out of our relationships and how we can be obedient and glorify Him with those we love.

Dinner at 5:30. Service kicks of at 6pm.  Come!!!!

Tiff~

Do You See This Guy?

He has my whole heart.  I am so thankful that I get to wake up next to him every single morning. That I get to serve alongside him at Illuminate. To hear his dreams, his frustrations. To witness his accomplishments. To be his biggest cheerleader.  To be the one who gets to hold him when life gets tough and the critics become far too loud. 

He is the daddy to our beautiful children.  They adore him.

I adore him.

 

Is there someone in your life that you could gush about all day? 
 

Tiff

P.S. I read this on SarahMae's blog this morning: "He was not made for me, I was made for him." Powerful.

Defying Gravity

Photo by Pam Booher

My daughter Madi is a free spirit.  I used to be that way.

Seeing photos of Madi just as she is reminds me of myself as a young girl.  The world was my stage, my theater and music led the way.  My heart was moved by the music within me.

And I constantly danced to the rhythm.

I feel as if my heart is on a little journey. The free spirit within me is trying to escape. But what holds her back?

One of my favorite songs is Defying Gravity from the Broadway musical Wicked.  I listened to it all day today and halfway through.....I found tears.

It was these words that moved my heart:

I'm through accepting limits

'Cuz someone says they're so

Some things I cannot change

But till I try, I'll never know!

Too long I've been afraid of

Losing love I guess I've lost

Well, if that's love

It comes at much too high a cost

I'd sooner buy

Defying gravity

Kiss me goodbye

I'm defying gravity

And you can't pull me down

I am, deep down, that little girl in the photo above.  I want to recapture the magic and messiness of life that I used to find so much joy in daily.  To be able to laugh off my imperfections, instead of  falling onto the floor in tears because I failed again.  I don't want to live up to  YOUR (the world) expectations.  I want to live up to God's.  I want to be more like Jesus anyway.

I am ready to take that leap.  

To defy gravity.

Tiff~

Etsy Tuesday

Hi All! It is Etsy Tuesday.  I don't have a ton today as I was sick this weekend and couldn't stalk as many shops as I wanted to.  hehe.

I am loving homey items lately. Anything that gets me in the mood for the holiday season and inspires me to create a home has been on the top of my list.  Here are a few:

JillyBean Things : Cute pillos to adorn your bed and chairs.  Love this one.

Sewn Natural: Natural and organic bedding and accessories for your wee one.

Teton Cocoa Company : Yummy cocoa.  Shipped right to your door.  Perfect for those chilly nights at home.

bstudio: More lovely pillows and even some scented sachets for your drawers.  

Enjoy!

Tiff~

Halloween

I apologize for just now blogging about Halloween. Both Sean and I caught the yucky cold going around (we fought as long as we could!) and so needless to say we have both been under the weather.  Sean is doing far better than I am, although he does have a yucky cough that makes me kind of nervous.  If I can't stand it one minute longer I will call the doctor and force her to take him in. 

Our Halloween was probably the best ever.  Madi was an adorable Tinkerbell and her cousin Jared was Superman

 

Sean was a pumpkin

 

And he absolutely did not like a whole bunch of cameras in his face!

 

And the  baby next to him is his 6 month old cousin Collin.  Bat Baby. ADORABLE! And this photo cracks me up EVERYTIME I look at it.  Right as Sean started crying...poor Collin started crying.  Is it bad that both mom's started laughing?  No?  Okay..I feel better.

After all of this we headed out to Uncle Dave's house to go trick or treating with Madi's cousin Reagan.

 

Reagan is Pluto....and she totally got mobbed by a ton of kids.  It was hilarious. 

Earlier in the day we stopped by a pumpkin patch just for fun and Madi struck this pose:

 

I clearly have my hands full ;)

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Tiff~

Happy Halloween!

May you all have a wonderful and safe Halloween. 

tiff~

Thought this was cute.

I saw this quiz on a favorite blog of mine the other day and I thought it was cute.  Had to try it out for myself. 

Your Home Says That You Feel Settled and Calm

You come across as somewhat intellectual. You can be quite insightful at times. Your hygiene is passable, but you may be hiding some dirty secrets. You are a very domestic person. You enjoy decorating, cooking, and making things homey. You are not a very nurturing person. You have enough trouble taking care of yourself. You feel settled in your life. You have enough time to focus on little details. You are a somewhat self sufficient person. You can do fine on your own if you have to. Your friends see you as honest, humble, and responsible.

What Does Your Home Say About You?

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!

And since today is Saturday I really should get to cleaning before we take Madi Trick or Treating. Happy Halloween!!!

Tiff~

P.S. The part about being settled...I got a good chuckle....okay fine I totally cackled!

Praise The Lord It's Friday!

 

Madi in 2007

First, thank you to those who commented on Wednesday's post. Your encouragment and understanding of what I was feeling (even if it did sound rambled) was uplifting and I was able to see things a little more clearly.  And also feel okay with the decision to just not do everything....because I can't. 

After all, I have a husband and two beautiful children that God expects me to love and care for.  Far more important than any "responsibilities" that may be expected of me elsewhere.  So thank you!

And second, it's friday ya'll!  I am so excited for this weekend. To take my little tinkerbell and pumpkin out with family and do some trick or treating.  This will be Madi's first time.  She is all about the candy. And so am I! =)

Children share the candy with their parents right?

Please enjoy your weekend. Whether you go trick or treating or participate in another activity on that night...be safe and God bless! Will see you Monday.

Tiff~

Missions Anyone?

I told Dan at dinner one night that I wanted to go on a missions trip with him. 

I also said I wanted to go on one by myself.  He looked a bit shocked.  hehe.

But my reasoning for this was not because I want to be away from him or that I dislike serving beside him.  I love it.  And right now is not the time for me to go on any trip by myself.  We have a lot of work to do at Illuminate.  The time will come.  And I am okay with the answer of No (both from God and from Daniel....just want you to be clear).  Sometimes you just have to wait. =)

I want to go on one by myself for myself.   I have a heart for children and I eventually want to participate in organizations that deal specifically with children who are in need of love, care, food and hugs.  Those who have lost their parents to diseases, war and natural disasters.  I want to hold their hands and kiss their cheeks.  To let them know that someone does care about them.  To share Jesus with them. 

A woman I greatly admire is Kay Warren, wife to Pastor Rick Warren.  Her eyes were opened dramatically when she read an article about the AIDS epidemic in Africa.  She will readily admit she was clueless.  And she didn't even think once about it until that article. But God radically changed her perspective and her life.  She was ruined....for GOOD.  Her book Dangerous Surrender is one of my favorite books of all time.  I encourage you to read it if you get the chance. 

I want to be apart of changing the world for good.  Even if I am just one person.  I may not be able to do a whole lot, but a little goes a long way. And I have a mighty big God walking with me.  My answer may be no right now.....but I will be waiting patiently for God to say YES.

Thoughts?

Tiff~

P.S. When I say missions...I don't just mean overseas. Look around your community.  There are so many people who are hurting and in need of love and grace.  How can you help and love the people around you?