~ Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit ~

Psalms

My daughter and a friend of ours went to the Exhibit on Saturday. It's in Ft. Worth at the Southwestern Theological Baptist Seminary. I wish I had photos to share but cameras were not allowed. It was absolutely a marvel ~ so much history and artifacts. There were a few of the actual scrolls, tiny pieces no larger than about 2-3 inches. They were encased in temperature and light controlled form. There were amazing copies of many scrolls ~ digitally created with parchment paper, certain inks and preservatives. The written scriptures, in English, would be displayed and the history of the original copies added.

There were vessels that contained water, grains and other liquids. Small containers that were evidently used for perfumes and medicines. Pottery was used in many forms ~ cups, plates, bowls, etc.  Archaic surgical instruments which really make one extremely grateful for modern medicine!  Small pieces of stone with writing, small copies of burial vaults and crypts.  Most all of them had drawings and writings on the top, sides and back in Aramaic, Greek and Latin.  There were absolutely spectacular photos, some 6-8 ft in length and width, of the caves, Dead Sea, burial tombs, artifacts, Jerusalem and the people. Evidence of the first use of make-up was displayed...very crude utensils, Kohl and minerals that were used to add color.  Nothing like our brushes, pencils, sponges, Q-tips, cotton and all the other paraphernalia we use today. :)

Combs

Sandals...made with leather, twine and sometimes nails.

Just one sample of coins ~ 

Lamp

Cooking Pot

Wooden Bowl

 (All photos from online source)

There was a beautiful mock-up of the area where King Herod's castle was, the surrounding buildings and homes, Mt. Zion, the path that Jesus walked during the Crucifixion and the burial tomb. It was displayed much like an architect displays a new building, home or shopping mall.  We wanted to spend more time there but felt we needed to finally move on.

There were bibles showcased from the first printings in German, English and other languages. They were HUGE and absolutely beautiful!  We walked through a small hallway that was a "cave" and very much like the caves in those days. There were lots of crude pieces of what the people would use as tools. Outside, they built a place to "dig" like Qumran was.  I'm sure this would be a hit with kids!  At the end of the tour, there was a wailing wall and you could write a prayer and slip it in between the stones. Words are difficult to find to express the wonder, the sacredness and the absolute treasure this experience was.

I spoke with a young lady from South Korea for a bit. She was a guide and so kind. She and her husband are here for educational purposes. They are both teachers in their homeland and so looking forward to returning. They want to learn more about U.S. teaching practices, grading, etc.  She said there were so many Christian schools opening in South Korea and they were anxious to be able to teach there again. I asked about their transition in living here and she said it was very difficult. They had to have a car as there is no mass transportation like they have at home. They went to Car Max with cash and could not purchase a car because they did not have Social Security cards!  I would think it would be driver's licenses but no. She said,  "At home, everyone looks like me, speaks Korean and we do not need cars."  Can you imagine being in a foreign country without transportation, being able to speak the language or not having family & friends?  I applaud them!

One thing before I go...we were totally shocked at some people's behavior during the tour. You can take advantage of an escort from the staff or view at your leisure. We elected the latter, however, some people were totally rude and irreverent. Have you seen those people of Walmart photos?  Some were dressed very similar to that, talked loud and laughed, encouraged their kids to cut in line, you name it.  I would think the parents would want to explain the exhibit and its importance....I guess not. We all want to go back ~ there's just sooooo much to see and read ~ but it will be on a weekday next time.

Please be aware that I know this is lengthy and I've really, really tried to provide the Reader's Digest version!
If you're in the DFW area or anywhere in Texas, I think you must take advantage of this once in a lifetime experience. The exhibit is being returned to the donors and sponsors in January and continued work is always going on as they find more documents. Even if you're not in Texas, consider a little trip this way...and you and I could meet!  ;-)

Here is a link with information ~

~ Lamp Shade I Created ~

I'm f-i-n-a-l-l-y  getting something done in my bedroom!  I've vacillated on colors for such a long time and now I think all is well. :)  I will show the other changes soon, however, thought I'd show you the lamp shade I just made.


I started with just an inexpensive, plain white shade from Target.  I gathered the notions from Walmart and Hobby Lobby.  

I'm really not a burlap girl (please, please don't hate!), however, I found this woven ribbon and thought I might use it in some way....at least I have a touch of burlap in my home now. :)  Honestly, I see so many of you do great things with it...just not my thing. :)  I love the trim with the beads on it...a touch of teal, orange, gold, etc.  The animal print ribbon called my name when I entered the door of Hobby Lobby!  I found the flower in the hair accessories area.

I hot glued the bead trim on the underside of the shade. The first layer on the outside is the burlap ribbon.  Now....I finished the shade in stages and totally forgot to take more photos.  I'm just not good in the photo dept.  Would one of you please come and be my assistant?  ;-)

As you can see, I added the burlap trim to the top edge also.  Then I used the animal print ribbon on the bottom edge...just dots of hot glue all the way around.  The ribbon flower trim was added to the top edge...same deal, dots of hot glue all the way around.  The start/stop point was the seam on the back side of the shade.

I already had the gold base and wanted to leave it as is.  I want gold and silver accents so this is a starting point.  See that luscious color on the wall?  It's a deep teal/turquoise ~ more to come on that! 

Full view!  The nightstand is "in the process" of being painted.  More on that to follow ~ 
I know many would never share an unfinished look but hey, just keepin' it real here!  ;-)

Another full view!   Tune in later this week for the finishing touches ~

Joining ~
  Cheri  for Seasonal Sunday parties
 Debbie for her Party With A Twist
 Kristen for her Creations Party
 Yvonne for Tips, Tidbits and Tutorials

~ My Evening with Tony Bennett ~

Yes!   It was absolutely phenomenal.  This incredibly talented man is 85 years of age and he still rocks it!  I had a very busy day yesterday....moving furniture, etc., and was totally exhausted.  I wouldn't have missed it for anything though. During the performance, there were so many standing ovations and my body was killing me!  He was doing fantastic ~ :-)  

He has so many stories he shares and I know there are thousands.  Actually, Bob Hope gave him the name Tony Bennett.  Bob asked when they first met in Greenwich Village,  Tony working with Pearl Bailey,  what his name was.  Tony responded, "Anthony Dominick Benedetto".  Bob said, "We'll call you Tony Bennett" and that's how it happened.  A new Americanized name! 

The musicians were simply superb ~ amazingly talented.  The pianist was spectacular!!  There are not enough adjectives to describe him and his abilities.  I've always, always wanted to play the piano so I was fixated on his playing. 

The photos below were made in March, this year.  Pictured with him in the first one is Antonia, his daughter.  She opened for him last night and they sang one song together.  She has a very nice voice and apparently adores her father!  She said she is accompanying him world wide on his tours and loves the experience.  Yay for both of them!

And obviously, he's doing well in the exercise dept!

The Bass Performance Hall in Ft. Worth is world renowned for it's beauty and acoustics.  It is really spectacular.  These photos are from a Ft. Worth website:

 The angels blowing horns are so unique.

A view of the seating areas ~ we were in the 2nd row on the right, lower level...near the entrance doors you can see in the rear.  Excellent seats!

A close-up of one of the angels.  Really grand, right?

Thanks for taking a look!  I know he has some incredible music out there, however, the Duets II is one of the best!  He made a remark early on that he enjoyed the experience with each person, however, he had the most fun with Lady GaGa. ;-) The song reflects that fun I think.

~ Ramblings ~

~ I am so, so ready for this!  The heat and triple digits have returned to our area and I can't express in PG language how much I hate it.  Really, it's September ~ and I'm ready for cooler temps, fall TV, crisp mornings to walk & really enjoy it, soups, roasted veggies, cookies, breads, you name it. Pumpkins and the scents of autumn just make me so happy!

~ Hope that you had a fun Labor Day weekend!  I was able to meet a long-time internet friend in person. She flew into DFW yesterday and will be in Dallas all week on business. So much fun!

~ The political stuff is wearing on my nerves ~  hate all of the ugly stuff.  Personally, I know who I'm going to vote for and just wish the election was next week...not 2 more months of this stuff.  :/

~ My grandson is playing on the varsity football team at his high school this year and it's a thrill a minute to watch!  He's so fast and intensely loves it.  He won all kinds of awards in track so his running helps in football too.  I have to tell you that he described himself as "African American" on Facebook for a long time with no photos.  We asked him why and he said, "all the great athletes are black".  Kids!  :)

~ Haven't been able to finish the bedroom as the guy has not shown up to paint. :(  Even though I cannot reach the top edge of the walls, I'm about ready to try. I showed you a few things I wanted to add here.

~ Just had allergy testing this morning and now I'll give myself shots twice a week. This Dr is a specialist and is amazing!  I reacted strongly to trees, grasses, mold, cedar, dust, smoke, cats and, of all things, dogs!  He said the reason I had a strong reaction to dogs was that I was around mine...and the granddogs...all the time. I must keep a food diary and avoid certain things.  The latter will not be fun!  Ragweed is sooooo bad right now as well as grasses (some peak in Sept) and mold.

~ My granddaughter has decided to be a golfer!  Of course, I'll let you know when she goes on the PGA tour. :)  Honestly, I hope she enjoys it. The golf team has to be at the local course for their last period each day. She asked her mom if they were going to buy her some "sticks".  LOL  My d-i-l reminded her they were called clubs.

~ So many of you have scheduled blog posts and that's great. It's neat to have them to look forward to. I can't do it...and frankly, I really don't know how you do it.  You have to be extremely organized and energetic in my humble opinion.  Both qualities seem to be lacking in my retirement years ~ 

~ Not sure if I mentioned earlier that I got a new car. I absolutely LOVE it!  It's a black, Nissan Sentra with charcoal interior. I dislike car payments but the repairs I was having to do on the old one were terribly expensive and so frustrating.  I realized I was judging any errand or visit by distance, the heat and where I might be stranded. :/  It's been a month and I'm realizing I can just get out and go anytime ~ heaven!

If you've made it this far, thanks so much for hanging in!  What have you been up to?  I'm trying to be better about reading blogs and responding.  I honestly don't know where the time goes!