For the beauty of the earth, For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth Over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to thee we raise This our grateful hymn of praise.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013



The ORIGINAL Throwback Survey!

The Basics:
What is your Name? Sara
What is the Name of your blog? Which one? :D This one's For the Beauty of the Earth. My photo blogs are in links on the side and I also have a Homestead blog...I like to compartmentalize my life.
What is your blog’s web address? http://joyouslyredeemed.blogspot.com/

The Survey:
1. What state do you currently reside? California
2. What color is your natural hair? Same color it is now, brown with small wisps of grey (I earned that grey so I don't plan on covering it up).
3. How tall are you? 5'4"
4. What is your favorite food? Seafood
5. What color shirt are you wearing right now? Purple.
6. What are three cosmetic items that you wear every single day? Um, deodorant, um, toothpaste?, um, uh, glasses? :D I'm a tomboy. Never wear makeup except on rare occasions. My boys dance classical ballet so I joke that they own more make-up than I do.
7. What is your denomination? Gee, that's kinda complicated. In fact, it's almost soap opera-esque. Let's just say that I'm a Calvinist taking refuge in a former American Baptist Church...and very, very happy about it.
8. Describe your testimony? That's even more complicated. In short...I was a 42 year old pew warmer who finally "found" a church that proclaimed the gospel every single Sunday and found it hard to remain a false professor in light of the Truth of God's Word.
9. How did you meet your husband? At a church college group.
10. What is your favorite beverage? Coffee
11. How many kids do you have? 5...to quote Bill Cosby, "[We] have five children because we do. not. want. six." :D Took me five kids to finally get that joke.
12. Have you ever experienced an earthquake? Note my current residence.
13. What is your favorite TV show? Scarecrow & Mrs. King. Seriously, I do not watch TV anymore.
14. What was the last movie you saw? Battleship. And the last time I saw it as a movie, as opposed to a DVD, was ON the USS Midway aircraft carrier in San Diego. Yeah, it was pretty awesome.
15. Who is your favorite Bible character? Hmm, another complicated question...or answer, rather. Should I answer in a way that will make people comfortable, or should I tell the painfully honest truth? Leah, wife of Jacob. One day I'll write a book about it. (You can guess for yourself if this is comfortable or truthful.)
16. What color are your eyes? Brown--they were more hazel when I was a kid.
17. Are you a working mother, stay at home wife, or stay at home mom? Well, I'm kind of a SAHM with a volunteer job at a farm, so I feel more like a working mom, but I get paid in carrots and onions and such. :D
18. Do you homeschool? Gosh, why all these complicated questions? :D I sort of homeschool my oldest son, though we are calling it unschooling right now. I did homeschool my middle kids until this last fall. And I part time homeschool my youngest.
19. Did/do you attend University? If so, where. University of Montana
20. If you could change one thing in your life what would it be? That I would be more faithful each day to Christ.
21. Who is your favorite Christian singer or band? Casting Crowns
22. What is your absolute favorite color? Purple.
23. Think about something from the ocean and write it down: (yes, random…I know) Well, since I live in SoCal, when I think of the ocean I think of stinky air and sticky sand that takes three weeks to wash off your body.
24. Where is your favorite place to dine out? Well, in the old days, before we had kids, it was a restaurant at the top of the Bonaventure in Downtown LA. It revolves. It's pretty cool.
25.  Did you attend church camp? Just once. You can bet I'm making sure my kids get to it more than once now that we attend a church that doesn't have a hang-up about such things. 
26. Name a blog friend who’s name starts with the same letter as your name: Sherrey
27. Do you have a Facebook Account for your blog? No. Just personal.
28. Do you have a Twitter Account for your blog? No. Just personal.
29. Name someone you miss right now: My grandparents who raised me.
30. What is your happiest childhood memory? My grandparents raising me. :)
31. Name one thing you can cook better than your husband’s mother: (if you’re not married, then your own mother.) Hmmm, is this safe to post in such a public space? ;)
32. Would you consider yourself stubborn? Yep. And don't even bother to argue with me on this. I will win or die trying. :D
33. Do you feel like you are a good writer? Only when I'm delusional. Then I will post something interesting or write something interesting and all the grammarians will come out of the the woodwork and point out that there should have been a comma there. Is there a question as to whether I am opposed to grammarians? :)
34. Do you pin? If so, list your Pinterest screen name. Yes, homesteadstuff.
35. How many hours do you spend on Pinterest per day? <1
36. Do you use WordPress, Blogger, Drupal, or Typepad? (or another?) WordPress, Blogger, and Tumblr.
37. Where do you stand on wearing socks with sandals? My feet wherever I am. :P If your toes are cold, but you want to wear sandals, knock yourself out. Nobody questions when women where stockings with their sandals. :)
38. Did you design your own blog, or hire a graphic designer? A what? WYSIWYG is my way of designing. (That's point-and-click, if I remember correctly.)
39. What is your favorite widget/gadget? Anything that enables people to see pictures of my kids.
40. If you had to choose only one, would you have a clean bathroom or a clean kitchen? Kitchen. I spend more time in there.
41. Where did you honeymoon? Tahoe
42. Did you elope? No
43. Do you have a favorite sports team? I used to but I don't have time for that anymore. Now my fave sports team is whatever T-Ball team Braniac is playing on this coming spring. :D
44. What is your favorite praise & worship song? Beautiful Things. 
45. Were you raised in church? Yes. What's that old saying, "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than going into a garage makes you a car." Weak analogy, scary truth. 
46. When did you start blogging? A long time ago, in a galaxy...oh, wait, wrong movie.
47. What are your favorite blogs? I'm sort of in flux right now. Traditionally I read a lot of homeschool blogs and while I still read them, I obviously don't get the same thing out of them anymore. I like a few organization blogs like I Heart Organizing and I've been reading mostly homestead blogs lately, like The Walden Effect.
48. Have you ever lived in another country? Nope.
49. Have you done missions? If so, where & when. Short-term. Guatemala. In the previous century.
50. What version of the Bible do you prefer? I'm old. Still like the KJV. Sings better. ;)
51. What’s the story behind your blog name? Hmm, I should write on that one. It's part of my testimony. In short, after giving birth to Babycakes, God began a work in my heart to bring me to Salvation. It started with a new attitude toward Him and others. Basically, I was a happier person. I wasn't nearly as angry. And I was beginning to see the good things God gives to me on a daily basis. The song fit my feelings.
52. Describe the ultimate hands down best date on a $20 budget. I guess Panda Express. We don't date much and that's usually the only place I can get my dh to go to.
53. Will you tell one blogger about this survey? If so, then who? (optional: include their web address) Well, I'll Tweet about it. Does that count?
54. What is your favorite scripture? 2 Cor 3: 16,18 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed...And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

2 comments:

  1. Leah! I'm really intrigued and not put off at all. I always felt sad for her when studying that passage. Can't wait to hear your take on it!

    I feel like I've learned so much about you! Love it! :D And love YOU friend.

    Awesome scripture choice. It's a powerful one, that's for sure...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great stuff. Man, I hadn't thought about the Bonaventure in years. What a place. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete