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This is the Tell Me Thursday story behind THIS PHOTO that I posted yesterday.

The photo is a picture of my girls and a friend at our friend’s farm. My girls have always loved history and particularly historical clothing so one of the things they’ve both asked for for many years is a hoop with a period dress to wear over it. I actually found the hoops fairly inexpensively and thanks to an auntie (hubby’s sister) who has been sewing since birth, the girls have two gorgeous dresses to wear too.

Some families from our church put on an event every March called “Liberty Day” remembering the Liberty of our country and more specifically the speech that Patrick Henry made during the 2nd Virginia Convention which ended in “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”. Every year the Liberty Day event ends in dancing old fashioned style including dances like the Virginia Reel and the Patty Cake Polka, etc. All the ladies (and some of the men) dress in their period costumes and you can imagine how full a room gets with all those big hoops dancing around but it’s a blast and we love it.

Anyway, since that event is only once a year the girls are constantly looking for other reasons to don their dresses and stroll around like Scarlett O’Hara. So our visit to the friend’s farm was a perfect opportunity. The problem was, the girls’ friend didn’t have a hoop! So my girls pooled their money and purchased one for her (she had an old dress from her grandmother I believe) and brought it with to the farm for our visit. Needless to say she was THRILLED and they spend the afternoon strolling around, sipping tea, doing a little dancing and swinging on the tree swing.

Now you can see by the picture that the girls aren’t little anymore…they’re teenagers but they STILL love to “dress up” and be feminine. In fact my oldest would wear this dress every day if she could (kind of hard to clean a toilet in that hoop) because it’s so fun.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the picture and the story. Check out TellMeThursday.com later today to see other fun stories behind the photos!

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A few times in the past month we’ve sung the hymn “And Can it Be” during our church services. It’s one of those that I’ve sung pretty much all my life and sort of just ignored the words until a few years ago.

One of the things I love about our church is that we sing ALL the verses of hymns instead of just one or two. If you think about it, it makes sense - they’re just poems set to music after all so to sing just one verse or two leaves one hanging — IF you’re really listening to the words!

So here are the words to this great hymn by Charles Wesley and below it is a YouTube video that someone put together with it being sung. Put away your old notions of “choir music is boring” and really listen to the words as they’re sung… it’s truly beautiful! Enjoy!

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Still the small inward voice I hear,
That whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near,
That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

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Well, here’s the Tell Me Thursday for yesterday’s Wordless Wednesday picture.

I wish I knew more to the story actually. This is an old picture of my dad and his friends a looooong time ago - 60 or so years! Wow!

Poor kids - you can see by the face of my dad’s best friend that they’re not exactly having the times of their lives.

But it’s a great picture - my dad and his best friend are STILL best friends. They live in different countries but have kept in touch religiously for almost 70 years now. They started out silly with each other and still are - and I think it helps to keep them on their toes.

Some day I’ll tell you more about dad’s best friend. He’s an amazing guy… like my dad. I’m blessed.

Happy Thursday! Go dress up your kids in silly outfits and take a picture today!

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Don’t forget to come back tomorrow to read my Tell Me Thursday!

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Well, I took a picture of my MESSY desk last week just at the perfect time because of Cara’s contest!

But when I went over this morning to vote the embarrassment kicked in and I got busy. So here’s the “after” shot. We’ll see how long that lasts, huh?

Anyone got any ideas for all those WIRES?  That just drives me bananas!!!

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