40 Days with Jesus Challenge

So, God has really been impressing some strong feelings on my heart about certain things lately that war with doctrines and methods I've been taught...

I don't have words for exactly what I'm about to do, but basically I'm quitting church for 40 days. This sounds silly to some, I'm sure, but I'm a stay at home mom who's main pastor has online sermons, posted sermon notes, Facebook feed updated almost constantly, other Christian friends with Christian podcasts, local friends who are ministers and an email chain letter system that the local church sends countless emails through, so this is no small thing for me. 

I'm probably going to have to completely unplug from Facebook to avoid it, ask the kind lady at the local church to remove me from her email list, etc... 

Why?

To clear my clouded vision and distorted hearing. The goal in all this is to saturate my Intake, my sight and my hearing, with his word, so that I can see clearly His truths and purposes for my life, rather than the confusing jumble of contradictory swarms of opinions and preferences of my teachers. A very personal and powerful revelation is what I'm hoping for. 

I don't expect anyone to "get it" because I've never heard of anyone doing anything like this. Honestly, I expect many of my friends and family to think I'm nuts, but I've decided it's not really their good opinion that matters here; it's the big man's. If he wants 40 days of me ignoring external forces to pay him full attention, who am I to deny him?

I'm actually really excited about this. Initially I thought I'd instead spend all of Sundays cloistered in my room listening to my bible app and following along, but I think God has a bigger plan... 

Now I'm thinking I'll spend every day, during my kiddos nap times, digging into His Word and I'll just follow his lead from there. As most of my family lives a good distance away, I believe I can make better use of my Sundays during this "Leave of Absence" spending that time visiting various friends and family who aren't in church... Call it reaching the lost. Call it putting actions behind the words. Call it whatever you will, but it's about to go down. 

I don't know when exactly all this will start, or what it will truly look like in action, but I feel it's almost the right time. I think I have more prep work to do beforehand, but I'm trusting the lord to work out the details. 

If you want to follow along with my latest crazy adventure, stay tuned! Enter your email to receive my posts as they come out!

-“Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.”

Isaiah 43:19

Christians Un-divide plea.

*rant warning. If you don't want to hear it, don't read it. No whining. My blog. My thoughts. Thanks for the visit. Aaand on we go...

I'm so tired of hearing my friends and family bash other churches/ denominations/ faith practices/ methods of connecting with their creator... Please stop.

Truth is, it doesn't matter what church you go to. It doesn't matter what position you hold in your church. It doesn't even matter if you don't go to a church building because "people at church are mean." What does matter is this: your PERSONAL relationship with Him. 

Have you accepted the truth? Do you talk to him? Do you listen to him? Do you trust him? If you can honestly answer yes to these, you're good. If not: introspect, identify and rectify the problem. 

-the aforementioned *him is threefold; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit of God... In case you're new to the faith, in which case, Welcome brutha from anutha mutha (or sista)! 

Social media woes...

I laugh whenever I hear people say things such as, "people are so fake on social media," and wonder if their lives are what we think or see either.

I know mine isn't. *mic drops 

Ok, so let's get real for a second. I've never met a person with a perfect life, who always makes the correct decisions, who is the epitiome of humanity perfected, Jesus aside, so who are we kidding here?

Personally, I was taught not to air my dirty laundry AKA to keep private things private. Do I always do this as well as I aught? No. Do I strive to? yes. 

Point being, perhaps rather than continually finding something to criticize in our peers, shall we instead seek something to acclaim? 

Love You, so you can Love Others Properly

Something I believe we all tend to forget, but shouldn't is this:

You must first love yourself, to truly love someone else. 

The whole "Love God with all your heart and love people as yourself" thing doesn't work if you can't love people. 

If God loves you, which he does or he wouldn't have sent his son, You should Love You too. Even with your obvious (and not so obvious to others) flaws. 

Then, whenever you've accepted yourself for who and whatever you are, you will have the capacity to love one another "as yourself" 

#truth #godthoughts #loveyourselfbecausehefirstlovedyou

Southern Belle in a Redneck world...

What an image! She's so graceful in the midst of a bunch of modern Cowboys. 

True story:

I laughed out loud one day when a friend told me she referred to and thought of herself as a "redneck woman." She was tall, curvaceous yet thin, dressed classy and always looke immaculate. Not the image I envision as a "redneck woman."

Truly, I hope to see more women decide to be like her... So full of grace and poise. A Modern Southern Belle if there ever was one. 

Good manners, smart dress rolled up with unfailing kindness and generosity: Southern Women got it down. 

-love you CW! You'll always be the most beautiful woman in the room!  

Nurturing with Nature

True story: 

Recently I was out with my kiddos and (per usual) the little one knocked over her cup of Cheerios just to watch them scatter. This is a common occurrence with tiny humans, so I calmly began picking them up to return them to the container, with the assistance of the kind woman seated next to me. She mentioned retrieving some fresh cereal from the other room and I felt compelled to be honest, "Don't trouble yourself! She eats worse than this off of our floor at home!" Truth.

This morning I find myself sipping coffee while the boy runs rampant within the confines of the chain link, and baby girl discovers the texture of fallen leaves and twigs. Both playing outside; sweating in this Texas heat, and listening to the birds sing. 

I've encountered some who balk at my naturalistic parenting methods, yet in my opinion the benefits far outweigh the risks. Yes, my children will have encountered more germs, allergens, etc than their age equivalent peers, but they've also been incredibly healthy through it all. 

Seeing as how the majority of other littles I come across are perpetually ill in one way or another, I figure I'm doing alright by mine. 

Fact of the matter is: it takes all sorts to make the world an interesting place, so if you'd rather sterilize your baby's pacifier than suck it clean of debris, feel free. That's your prerogative. 

Much love, 

A Hippie Chick Momma

"Beginning a new chapter"

... A great phrase to use whenever there is a large shift in your circumstances that inspires hope for the future, but how do you do it? How do you make a change to the Story of Your Life? 

Do something. 

Not everything at once. 

Just. One. Thing. 

Something that actively shifts you closer to your "end game goal." 

I've heard it said, "There is only way to eat an elephant; one bite at a time."

Truly, the change you make doesn't even have to be something you will Continue to do forever; just something simple and small. 

It could be intentionally rinsing your dish whenever you've finished eating; a simple way to make the dishwashing process less time consuming. 

Perhaps it is more difficult, like putting your phone down for an hour to go visit someone in person, rather than on social media; offering the physical contact to yourself and others so necessary to a healthy psyche. 

I can feel something in the wind. I'm making different (hopefully better) decisions and seeing more Positive Results. 

I pray you can too, if need be. 

#physicalfriendships #lifegoals

When The Boogie Man Attacks

We give the devil all this credit for being such a badass when he's already been defeated in God's dimension....

We give place to false beliefs of ourselves and others in response to his cunning ways. 

Sneaky snake!

Dead snake!

My heavenly big brother already stomped that head!

Testimony of the Goodness of God today:

My car wouldn't start. 

Sounds bad right? Turns out, it was a blessing in disguise. One of those strange things what ends up being a good thing even though it seems like it super duper sucks at the time... Yeah, one of those. 

I was pissed. The madder I got the worse the situation seemed... Worked myself up and was all sorts of angry over something I literally could do absolutely nothing about right at that moment. It's a Sunday & my tire shop isn't open... 

As my patient husband proceeded to diagnose and attempt to rectify the problem, I unclipped the baby and headed into the house, but before my feet crossed the threshold I felt a calm. 

Peace. 

I immediately recognized what my pastor is always going on about, that we're so oblivious to, as humans... The power of my emotions and the need to redirect my thinking. 

Whenever I CHANGED MY MIND. When I decided to be THANKFUL instead. That's when things changed. That's the moment the enemy lost his grip on my mind and I began to recover from my tantrum. 

I chose to be thankful my husband could do what he could, so I could take care of the baby. 

I later realized I have more to be grateful for... We have the money to purchase the replacement battery. Not all of my friends could say that if theirs went out...

More good:

My mom, a friend and our kiddos all plan to meet for the day at a water park, something we're all looking forward to, including the kiddos. That was why I was initially so upset. I hate letting people down, and especially my kiddos. 

THANKFULLY the car malfunctioned in my driveway, rather than in the big city, in 100* Texas heat, with my two little ones...

What's your Fix?

Seems like we've all found our addictions these days...

For some it's cocain, others it's chocolate or coffee. 

When exactly did we all become slaves to our wants?

I find myself infuriated when I hear mom's old NA mantra, "Once an addict, always an addict." Could you tell yourself a bigger lie? 

Within you, should you accept it, is all the power of the universe. Accepting and resigning yourself to a life of defeat, of being a victim, of slavery, you're handing all your power over to the adversary.

The greatest tool of the enemy is your mind. 

Master your thoughts and you're on the right track. 

*written while considering “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

2 Timothy 1:7 

Rainbows: a curious thought

I was reading through Genesis this morning and considered a new thought. 

The very first Rainbow was placed in the sky as a Reminder to God of his covenant: not to destroy the people of the earth again by flood. 

With all the media hype over the shared new restroom ruling, Then recent shootings involving two "classifications" of people who seem to have a lot of media coverage lately; I've been seeing rainbows all over my Facebook page. 

Then, I started thinking about the word Gay. The original definition of Gay was this:
1 a : happily excited : merry <in a gaymood>
b : keenly alive and exuberant :having or inducing high spirits <a bird's gay spring song>

Okay, so then I remembered that my favorite color as a kid was rejected by my teacher as "a color" because my favorite color isn't one color, it's a beautiful Rainbow!

And I'm mostly in very high spirits and joyful...

And... And... Well... I guess by this definition I'm Gay too. *drops the mic

-point is this: Symbols are whatever you believe them to be. 

Stories from Rainbow Village

There is this retirement community a couple of blocks away from me. Once or twice a week we go visit the people who live there, but especially one Sweety we call Miss May. She's a gem! 

Today we went to spend a little time with her and our conversation took a very philosophical turn. She was telling me of her childhood; growing up on a 365 acre farm with 11 kiddos, with no hot water or electricity. She spoke of her mother's incredible patience with her and her siblings, of her modest, yet very happy childhood, and the work she did day in and out... 

I was so inspired by her humble background and her genuine contentment with her life! Before I considered it, I asked, "If there were one thing you could tell the world, one message you've learned in life, what would you say?" 

She didn't hesitate! She answered, "To be kind. Especially to those who treat you badly. Answer evil with good." I smiled. What a great answer that was! Then she continued, "but also, when someone brings a fight to you, just set it aside. You don't have to fight back." Wow. Just wow. 

-I hope to learn to live this way. I want to be kind and to have the self control to walk away from a battle that isn't mine to fight... Picking my battles doesn't come naturally. 

Labels...

I shared a video today about labels. It's on my Did You Catch That? page on fb if you'd like to check it out...

It all started this morning when I couldn't get the phrase "I Am That I Am" out of my head... It's from exodus 3:14, where Moses is talking to God and this is how God refers to himself. I loved it! 

I'm having an ongoing revelation as to what it means, but this morning it really spoke of Labels. We Label everyone, including ourselves. 

I'm asked what I do for a living, I reply, "I'm a stay at home mom," which doesn't even begin to cover all I do, but it's the label I've embraced as a big part of who I am... In reality, I'm so much more! 

I love that when God was asked who he was, he answered that he just IS. "I AM," he says. Perhaps I should stop limiting myself and others by trying to fit us all into little labeled boxes, and instead emphasize the beautiful complexity that makes up each and every one of us! 

God cannot be fully understood this side of heaven, and I believe the same goes for us. He sees the You you may never see yourself, until he shows you in the "replay" when you go home for good. 

At some point in your life, someone may have called you a Failure. God says you are an Overcomer! The world may have called you Stupid. God says you are a Unique Genius! People may say you're a Sinner. Jesus says, "No more! I've Redeemed You!" 

-if you must call yourself something, make it something Good! 

Sexual Affiliation and Child Safety

With all the hype going around about the "sexual affiliation" bathroom issue, I just want to say to all my fellow Christians, don't bite the baited hook... You don't have to argue about matters you have no immediate control over. Truly. 

Instead, let us find common ground. I believe we can all safely say we want children to be safe, and that seems to be the main argument I've heard presented, so lets focus on that as a collaborative goal... Instead of bickering about the decisions corporations are making regarding the new law, let us all make a pact, say it with me now: "I will do my utmost to ensure any child I encounter is protected, and remains so." 

There. That's better! Now we can all hug and be friends again right?! Don't let the meddling media stir you up so much you forget who your friends are... I love you guys. Let's try to remember we're on the same team here. (Team Jesus in case you forgot) Just because some of us disagree about things like this or have a different perspective, that's no reason to sever ties. 

We can all agree that children need and should be protected by any means, always have and always will, so let's do that. No matter the law. No matter the circumstances. 

Whew! Glad we found something to agree about! 

-may we remain "one body", alive and functional... 

Thoughts on intelligence

There is a fine line between Genius and mentally handicapped... The determining factor typically being Perspective. 

My greatest joys in life are my babies

In my very biased opinion, children can be the greatest source of joy in life.

Two years ago, we were blessed with a son. I thought then that my heart couldn't be fuller. When we realized baby no. 2 was on the way, I didn't think I'd be able to love her as well as I did my sweet boy. Then our princess came along and again my heart was filled like I've never known! 

As I snuggled my daughter to me and gently rocked her to sleep tonight; watching her eyes flutter as she watched me until she couldn't keep them open anymore. My heart swelled and I had a lump in my throat. 

Those little eyes watch my every move. They see me smile, cry and get angry. They see the movies I watch and the food I eat. Her tiny gaze takes in this alien world around her with me as her guide. That's a lot of responsibility! 

Smelling her sweet baby breath as I kissed her and laid her down, I felt tears in my eyes. Right there, already on my knees, as I laid her down, I prayed a tearful prayer over her tiny body. 

I asked God to teach me to set the right examples for her. Help me make the right choices, and to teach her by example how to be a good girl, a loving wife and a great mother. I asked Him to guide her through life as he has me and to help her to be a light in this world, lit by His love! 

I trust the big guy. He's going to take care of our girl. She's going to change the world! 

-Love is the key 

Project: Sanctify the Temple AKA Get Back in Shape

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;”

1 Corinthians 6:19

Yeah... About that. My body makes a pretty sorry temple right at the moment. Having birthed my second child less than 5 months ago and having seldom broken a sweat for many months prior to that, "Temple de lanie" is in sore need of some tlc. 

I believe the time has come to cut out the junk food and sweets again, limit my portions and reign in my cravings once more. It's time to make this body look and feel like the temple it's supposed to be! 

It must be said here, I firmly believe that weight is only a number. I have a general goal weight in mind, which I would love to reach, but in reality I only wish to feel healthy again and to respect the body I've been graciously blessed with. 

Strangely, after reading this verse again, I've begun to feel like I've graffitied the walls of this holy temple, for lack of a better description. I plan to fast, pray and plan a strategy to reclaim and restore myself. 

In all reality, I'm a bit of a health nut and it's more than a little disappointing to me that I've allowed myself to sink to this point. No mas! Change is in the wind! I can do this! I'm even taking before pictures soon so I'll have a reference when I share the dramatic results! 

-food is fuel

Lessons learned from jumping the gun...

One day, not long ago, I shared a post on my social media while in a sleep deprived and funky state of mind... The results weren't great. 

I joked about a web site supposedly misquoting 1 Timothy 4:12 as saying “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

A kind friend of mine gently probed to verify facts and I quickly deleted the post in shame... Realizing the quote was correct and I had read the next verse by mistake. 

In hindsight, I wish I had shared the lesson I learned then, instead of deleting the post! It's something I believe many of us could benefit from considering. 

We all make mistakes and the irony of this one wasn't lost on me... I wasn't setting the best example and in fact I only succeeded in showing my infancy in biblical experience. 

The cool thing about this is I learned another valuable lesson here: don't post on social media when you've had less than 4 hours to sleep! 

-laughing at myself sure makes life more bearable!

Be Really for Real You.

We do all sorts of things to fit in... 

As women, we tend to wear bras even though they feel like torture devices, we tend to wear make up despite mounting evidence that it causes cancers, clogs pores and sometimes gives one the appearance of a clown...

Men even fall prey to social conformity by tending to be the ones to mow the grass or striving to be the one in a relationship with a higher pay grade...

Whether on purpose or by default setting, we do things that help us blend in, play our part or "fit in" as society or our cultures expect us to. 

Why?

Why should I wear a bra? To make others more comfortable? Why should I wear make up? So I'll look like everyone else?

Maybe we should instead challenge the "norm." Perhaps we instead might do what WE WANT. Whether that means going braless, or it means an internship instead of a college degree... 

Do yourself a favor and quit doing whatever is expected of you, and instead do what is RIGHT for you. 

Sit down in a quiet place and THINK. PRAY. MEDITATE. Do whatever it is you do that helps you process things. Consider what you're good at. Consider what you love. Consider what you hate...

A general rule I follow is this: if it makes you smile, you're doing it right. 

Try it. 

See what happens. 

A full pollen basket

I did a little research one day after I noticed that this one bee had huge red bumps on its legs... apparently this is what happens whenever their "pollen basket" gets full... The day after my initial discovery of this, I decided to chase bees around my backyard for three hours with a 300x zoom lens on my new fancy camera, while I practiced taking pictures in manual mode... I'm happy with the results! After the bees realized I wasn't a threat, they even came surprisingly close to me, so the last couple of shots were taken with the bees practically at my feet. Let's just call this a crash course in photography, shall we? Here is more info, if you're interested yourself...

Finding yourself is a funny thing...

I think my name was Alice once... Upon a dream... 

When I were naught but a little one, I cried every time Alice fell into the rabbit hole. Scared out of my wits! 

As an adult, I empathize with the Tim Burton Alice... I had "lost my muchness" for a while, but I finally Slayed my Jabberwocky... 

Official or Unofficial Experience

Officially, you may not know squat about it. Nothing on your resume indicates prior knowledge. Your credentials are lacking in this department...

Unofficially, you may have done this for years as a hobby or to save a little dough you'd spend paying someone else to do it...

Be it, repairing appliances, fixing leaky pipes or even taking photographs of your kiddos; unofficial experience IS experience, and unofficially it can be your foot in the door to your destiny...

Don't discount yourself too quickly as being lacking in education... You know SOMETHING. You're good at SOMETHING. The world needs your unique skill set and ability and it needs it Today! 

-written after hearing an inspiring story of a man who worked on his own tv and computer for years and it landed him a job he was Technically not qualified for. 

No More Excuses

I'm trying something new... I'm attempting to stop making excuses for everything. 

I either did, or I didn't. 

I am or I'm not. 

I will or I won't. 

I always feel as if I have to explain myself, but why? Am I trying to earn approval? Keep my nods up? 

That, and honestly it can be really annoying to listen to all the reasons one Didn't accomplish a task, or for that matter to hear a justification speech for why they Did...

The Nap Room

I wholeheartedly believe this revolutionary concept should be implemented in every learning facility from Pre K through to Grad School. 

It's simple. It's needed. It's a Nap Room!

No, I'm not joking. 

I grew up in a home where my family was rarely in bed before midnight, or even home for that matter, so the fact that I maintained excellent grades through school is a mystery. 

Some of my friends weren't so fortunate...

Lack of sleep is a serious problem. It can make you drive worse than if you were drunk (myth busters), it can cause your thoughts to jumble, making speech difficult, if not incoherent, and it is not at all uncommon for the sleep deprived to be excessively moody!

Perhaps we should view adolescence the way we view toddlers, in this respect. Whenever my two year old hasn't had his nap or is awoken prematurely, he is a terror! 

Whenever he hits growth spurts, he will at times sleep until 10:00am, then go down for a 3 hour nap by noon!

Are teenagers not hitting one of the biggest grown spurts of their lives? 

What teen do you know who hasn't hit a stage at least once where they could sleep past noon, if not all day?

Why then are we not facilitating proper sleep needs for these growing humans? 

Call me crazy, but I see a simple solution to this dilemma. Create an optional nap time on a daily basis, by providing a safe, quiet, calming environment conducive to a sound rest. 

This can be achieved by simply allowing free access to a gym floor where students may lay a mat of their own or in extravagant cases, where a facility wants to go above and beyond, they might provide a carpeted room that would be muted from startling noises that may make sleep elusive. 

I couldn't count the times I dozed off in the mornings I arrived at school early, over the years. I've slept on benches, on book bags and occasionally on the floor...

Perhaps my ability to sleep anywhere has helped me to balance my home life and school work in a way that works...

Perhaps this concept really isn't all that far fetched...

Perhaps an adaptation of this idea should become a reality...

-I don't know about you, but I'd love to see more kiddos do well in school, and ensuring they have a chance at proper quantities of sleep seems pretty legit to me.

Road to Recovery, or Mountain more like...

Whether it be Methamphetamine, Prescriptions, Marijuana, Alcohol, Caffine or Sugar; Addictions affect the majority of civilization. Personally, I'd have difficulty functioning without my oversized coffees and frequent bars of creamy milk chocolate. I'm sure you can relate in one way or another...

Some habits are relatively harmless. Others, not so much... 

All in all, you Won't quit until (and IF ever) YOU decide it is what you choose to do. No one person has the power to make that decision for another. Much like faith, it's a personal decision. We can pray for those we love, or hope they see the light, but bear in mind, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Newton's third law doesn't strictly apply to physics. You try to FORCE a person to give up their "drug of choice" they'll likely use, do, or drink more... It's proven science. Their equal and Opposite reaction will be the likely result of your forceful tactics.

That being said, Loving someone Despite their faults, Forgiving them the Pain they've caused, and Encouraging anything worth encouragement, goes a long way...

Thoughtfully,

The dear friend and relative of an ex-addict

Super yummy delicious sliders!

My little bro made these the other day and I ate probably ten of them! He used Hawaiian bread though and some seasonings not listed...

-try it out for yourself! I don't believe you'll be disappointed!

Mementos, Time Portals and Love that Never Ends

Memento: something that is kept as a reminder of a person, place, or thing. 

I have this pencil; it's a Pentel, 0.5mm, has a dark green eraser and a name taped under the clip... It was my great grandmother's crossword pencil. 

I have no clue how I ended up with it, and I don't fully understand why it means so much to me...

I do know that this one, seemingly insignificant, piece of office supplies has the ability to take me back, way back, to a time when I was sucking on Werther's Originals butterscotch candies and doodling on a legal pad, lying on the floor, while my maternal great grandmother filled in the boxes of yet another of her word puzzles...

I was very young when she died, so I have very few memories of her, but the ones I carry are sweet and gentle. They always leave me a little warmer inside and encouraged. 

That woman was a tough old bird! She survived 13 heart attacks before the 14th took her... Her chest was marked by a long scar, where her pace maker was sewn in... When I think of strength and endurance, she is foremost in my mind.  

She was more handy than most men, and could make something beautiful out of rubbish. From cooking gut bustingly delicious meals, to firing ceramics in a kiln, there was little this woman took on that she didn't master. 

Gentle in manner and kind in speech, she set the bar high as to what a woman can be, but I find myself aspiring to reach it. 

I have many such things in my house, small and seemingly insignificant things, that are like portals to the past. They remind me of those I've loved, or of times I've lived... Like little memories, tucked away, to be revisited any time I come across them... 

-Cherish the Good Memories, Learn from the Bad. #Goals

The Alien in the room...

I laughed out loud whenever I first heard the expression "Not Of This World." I had a friend who tattooed the Christian Apparel symbol on his neck some years ago and I was quite confused...

"What a strange thing to say," I thought...

Or is it?

After hearing that phrase, it resonated with me and, over time, felt truer than I had previously considered...

I believe it came from John 18:36, where Jesus says, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place."

Then it really hit home... I'm not from here and this is not where I belong. I'm meant to make an impact for the Kingdom in my own unique way, then go back home whenever I'm through... 

http://youtu.be/he32vwlKQPY

Great Music is like Pure Emotion, Bottled to Relive Indefinitely...

Combine melodious instrumental with harmonious vocals and you've got a good sound... Add in some clever, true, inspiring lyrics and you've got a timeless masterpiece... 

How many times have you gotten into your vehicle after a rough day at work, one of your favorite songs comes on and suddenly your mood lifts? 

Do some songs 'take you back,' like a time portal, to the past? A moment in time, forever preserved in a song...

What songs Move you? Why? Is there a story that goes with that?

 

I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!

The Importance of Knowing What Words Really Mean In Context...

True Story.

I was having a heated discussion with a relative once, and in the middle of the argument, I believe I was saying I could get along well with someone he insisted was mean to everyone, I said, "Look, this is what I excel at... I'm a Diplomat." (defined as: a person who is tactful and skillful in managing delicate situations, handling people, etc.)

His response was, "Well I'm a Republican!" (defined as: of or relating to the Republican Party.)

My husband and I looked at each other for a long second and burst into laughter! We all ended up laughing and congenial, but the moment stuck with me...

It was a classic case of Miscommunication.

He "Heard" Democrat. I said Diplomat... The difference is Vast!

In light of this remembrance, I plan to make a lot of words in my future posts link up to their definitions, so that people can click the word if they misunderstand. Also, remember that many words have multiple definitions, and most times those definitions aren't the least bit similar.

So much of the English language goes unused and eventually forgotten. A sad fate for such beautiful and eloquent speech...

-Words are so Cool!!!

P.S.: I moved so much, as a child, I somehow missed the basics in English, so please forgive me for occasional misuse of words or proper grammar! I'm still learning, and it's a slow process. Constructive criticism is welcome here, but please also recognize that I'm a sleep deprived mother of two babies, so I do good to SPEAK full sentences, much less write them...

Your Words are Powerful

Evidence abounds and emphasizes this truth.

Like Yen and Yang, the bible describes both a "shady side" and a "sunny side" to speaking...

Proverbs 18 speaks of words having the power of life and death. James 3 speaks of the tongue being a fire, and paints a picture of great forests being burned by it...

Hope can be found in verses like Proverbs 10, which says that the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life.

I like that!

Then, there is the "Self Fulfilling Prophesy" theory... I can say, from personal experience, that words have effectively shaped the view I carry of myself; thereby shaping who I've become, so I tend to find this theory quite probably true.

All in all, try to remember this: What you say of Yourself, you tend to become, and what you say of Others, they tend to become.

-Speak Life into those around you. Plant Seeds of Self Assurance. Change the World, one word at at time...

That time I went flying with Pan and Tink...

I was maybe four years old and I can vividly remember sneaking into the kitchen, after my parents went to sleep, so I could eat pinches of graham cracker crumbs from a butter dish in the pantry.

Well, one night, I dreamed I was walking into the kitchen to sneak some crumbs and I was intercepted by Tinkerbell and Peter Pan.

Tink was trying to steal my favorite little spoon from the silverware drawer and I caught her in a diamond patterned jelly jar!

Peter told me that I could fly with them if I just let her go, so OF COURSE I did...

She sprinkled me with pixie dust, he said I had to REALLY BELIEVE and I could fly like they did. I jumped off a chair and flew around the kitchen, then off we went! We flew far and fast that night, and we shared many adventures...

I had dreams of flying for years after that!

I recently read that flying in dreams can mean Boldness, Release and Possibility.

I would imagine that this was a very Spirited time in my life, because I can still remember some of those dreams! Some would even pick back up the next night, wherever they left off.

I hope and pray that the positive changes in my life recently, and this new World View I'm developing can help me get back to this... back to truly feeling Bold.

I hope to Fly with Tink and Pan again soon!

Saving bleach stained clothes by using more bleach...

I bought new tank tops and within a week I had bleach stains on two of the cutest ones, so I put some more on them...

By placing a folded paper towel into a lunch baggie, adding a little bleach and water, rolling it up and cutting a tiny hole in the corner, I was able to doodle a pattern onto them.

Close up of the stain

Stained shirt, the stain is in the middle-ish

To this:

Finished Product!

Super easy, cheap and fun! 

Another shirt I decorated with bleach, to save

This is one of those projects you want to wear "paint clothes" for... very messy.

Don't limit yourself to flowers, this would be a fun way to make chevron print or striped shirts too! 

Really, the only limitation is your own imagination!

(Just kidding... there's always Pinterest for that!)

That time I walked out on my job, because of a stalker...

So, this one time, when I was waiting tables in a big city, I quit my job with no warning...

At the time, I used to sit in the local book store/ coffee shop to read and sip coffee or study for my school courses...

I'm a genuinely friendly person who has "never met a stranger" (mom's words, not mine) and tend to make small talk with anyone near me...

Not sure how it happened, but the manager of the book store sat at my table one day and talked for a short (and annoying, to someone who's studying for a test) time...

At some point in the next few months, of which I saw little of him and never thought about it again, he popped up over the top of my book and said they had gotten his coffee wrong, and asked if I wanted the extra. 

Girls, I must aside here, don't take drinks from strangers... Especially men....

My coffee was fine (yes, in my naivety, I accepted it). 

I believe this is where I went wrong. I guess he got the wrong idea. I don't know... 

I do know, I had repeatedly talked of my husband (I think we were only engaged at the time), so I had made it clear I was off the market.

I had never led him on in any way that I knew of, aside from being kind to him as a fellow human. 

So, one day, this dude follows me to work. 

I had NO CLUE. 

I was probably singing to some good tunes & thinking about school. I wasn't paying any attention. 

I got out of my car and turned to walk into work and in front of me, blocking my path, was an expensive car with an older gentleman in the driver seat; the bookstore manager. 

He had his windows rolled down and was telling me he wanted to see me and he would be there tonight. 

I assume he was going to eat in my section at work, but all I could picture was me having to be nice to someone, for an extended length of time, who was giving me the willies... 

I immediately found my managers and informed them I was quitting, got my shift picked up and hauled my butt home, crying all the way...

I don't know that he meant anything by it. True. 

I do know that I was in a parking lot by a noisy highway, blocked in by a man twice my size, in an overcrowded city, where a young girl could easily go missing before anyone were the wiser. 

-Momma always said, "Better safe than sorry."

Little known fact about corporations...

As anyone who's worked at the places I've worked or some of my family members have worked can probably tell you, waste is rewarded, come tax time...

It's the strangest thing. 

It makes no sense. Like, at all. 

Every night, there are THOUSANDS of loaves of perfectly edible bread thrown into bags, then into dumpsters by employees of these companies, nation wide...

In other places, perfectly good plants are thrown into a giant shredder machine... It's called culling. 

You will be fired if you're caught "saving" anything from the shredder or dumpsters...

True story. 

It's a tax write off. Wtf?

Why are we, as a whole, rewarding such deliberate waste??? 

Signed,

one seriously confused ex employee

7 Layer Dip Casserole

Made this baby up tonight. Huge hit! 

I'll update with pictures later...

Seven Layer Dip Casserole

Layers:

1. 1/4 regular sized bag, spicy dorito chips crushed 

2. 2lb ground beef, browned, rinsed & cooked in taco season

3. Knorr 7 minute Spanish rice

4. Can kidney beans cooked with 1 bag Santa Fe Instant, fat free vegetarian refried beans

5. 1can drained black olives, crushed/diced

6. 1/4 Fiesta Ranch packet Mixed in sour cream

7. Enough shredded cheddar to cover the top

You know he loves you when...

Whenever you've been together as long as we have, you learn each other's quarks.

For instance, I think flowers are beautiful, but I prefer to find them on a living plant rather than have their lives cut short (quite literally) to be gifted me in a vase that will smell putrid within weeks...

Don't get me wrong, I love receiving flowers from my honey, but the custom itself has always struck me as a wee bit morbid and strange, so I asked him years back to stop with that and do chocolate instead!

It began with those amazing chocolate covered cherries with that creme sauce inside, which he would bring home by the box any time he needed some brownie points.

After nearly 10 years together, he's a master at this. He's moved past the cherries and graduated to a 6 pack... of Mr. Goodbars!

You da man! Good move babe! Major points for this one!

-Men, take note: If your lady likes flowers, buy the girl some beautiful, yummy smelling flowers, but if not, find out what she really loves and get her that! 

Powderpuff football and my Ignorance of how to be a team player...

In high school we had one of those Powderpuff football games... you know, where girls order cool shirts to match like a team and essentially play touch football?

Yeah, well as it happened, we ordered these really cool shirts for the game, but when they came in, they were creepy. They were not at all what we had agreed on & I had paid for... I mean the girl's eyes were solid white and it was just... ugh.

I have to admit here, I'm one of those people who cannot just leave something alone... If it doesn't work, I want to fix it. If it is Ugly as sin, I want to transform it into something beautiful!

That being said, a little forethought goes a long way.

I got home, the day we got our shirts, and went after mine with a rainbow of permanent markers... By the time I was through, My name was polka dotted alternating pink and green on the back & the girl on the front had gorgeous flecked green eyes and instead of purple hair, it was brown...

Yup, needless to say, my fellow "team" mates did not approve.

Not to say it looked bad, but in hindsight, a little forewarning would have been nice, so they could decorate theirs as well...

I had genuinely not even considered that. I just didn't want to have to wear something so God awful! Honest!

Anyhoo, we kicked ass in that game!

There was a girl nobody could catch & I asked them to put me in...

I got her every time & she got pissed! I'm pretty sure that ended with her getting so mad, she punched me in the face and I beat the snot out of her, resulting in us getting kicked out of the game... So worth it!!!

*Moral of the story: Don't be short sighted like my 16 year old self... Try to think of how your actions are going to affect those around you, or you just might end up with a bunch of ticked off teenaged girls gunning for you too!

-happy trails!

I'm Free to be Me, You're Free to be You...

Let us set the tone...
get your heart right with- Freedom Reigns/ Jesus Culture ft. Kim Walker Smith
kick it old school with- Free/ All Right Now
admire Steven Tyler, in all his uniqueness with- Steven Tyler- Love is your name
now let's get real with- Jake Owen- Real Life

So, I shared this message with my friends on fb this morning:

I expect to lose a number of friends on here in the near future...
I've come to realize, somewhere along the road, I quit being myself & instead followed the masses... No mas.
I understand if the real me is a little too much for you, or a little too different. Lol.
No hard feelings, I wish you well! Just do me a favor & don't try to conform me to your personal standards/ preferences/ mold and we'll get along famously!
I'm so done altering my appearance, practices, language, taste etc. to suit those who have no right to dictate such.
I'm no longer a slave to societies whims! I'm FREE TO BE ME! Thank the Lord for that!

Seth Godin's Blog post this morning was so in line with where I've been headed mentally lately...

I Realized I'm Pretty Neat,

and that if I'm BRAVE enough to just be myself, instead of trying to conform to whatever I happen to see around me at the time, I'll be a much happier person... which is sort of a big deal.

Too many of us spend our lives trying to live up to these UNREALISTIC images our parents/ teachers/ grandparents/ peers etc, want to see us turn into... I don't want to do that to myself.

I want to be like Oh in Home, or like Eep in The Croods... they're my heroes right now. So Brave!

This is sure to be a wild ride, as I REMEMBER WHO I AM, who I truly am on the inside...

-Thanks for joining me on this Struggle Bus! 

The First XXV vs the Second...

I've spent the last 25 years of my life listening to the voices that say I'm not doing it right, sit down, shut up, behave... I'm going to spend the next 25 listening to the voices that say go forward, don't give up, you can do this, you were made for this, conquer the impossible, overcome the unspeakable, break these chains and be the you, you were created to be! 

Want to join this bandwagon? 

Welcome friend! 

My Lesbian in Church Encounter... where apparently I was the supposed lesbian...

Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover...

Once upon a time, I cut my very beautiful and very long hair off...

When I say cut, I mean I essentially scalped myself. My hair was shorter than most men wear it now days, by the time I was through.

It was a very intentional and purposeful cut, for very personal reasons.

I tend to have these moments/ times/ seasons, of my life that I buck society and, well...

This was one of those days. 

THE DAY I WORE A FAUX HAWK TO CHURCH

That day, this nicely dressed older gentleman whom I have never seen in my church before, pulled me aside DURING praise and worship to tell me, "Your sins are forgiven and God loves you right where you are!"

He said more, but I was trying to sing and praise my Lord, so I tried to politely ignore him... He persisted through most of one of my favorite songs. Grrrrr...

I LOVED the message his words conveyed! The love and acceptance they seemed to share was greatness! But...

He made it very clear, by his ACTIONS not his words (his interrupting my prayerful worship), he believed I was a homosexual woman visiting our church... AWKWARD!!!

The WORDS he used were a wonderful message whenever partnered with mirrored actions, however; let me encourage you not to interrupt a person who is In the middle of Talking to the Big Man Himself, to make them feel out of place, uncomfortable and in my case, a little peeved... 

Not cool man.

In his defense, my hair was in fact spiked into a faux hawk and I was wearing jeans, boots and a button down... lol.

Sorry dude, I'm not gay... just a little odd and apparently I don't like to dress like a girl sometimes...

Point being, DON'T GET ALL WEIRD ON PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFERENT THAN YOU...

Click This Link for a story about two lesbians walking into church that really helped shape my worldview and inspired me to share my story.

-Have a blessed and beautiful day!

Fun and Affordable Door or Wall Decoration

We took our Christmas wreath down and our door looked naked. So, we put the wreath back on the door and I set out to make a doo-dad for our door. Success!!!

I'm just going to explain what I did, and you can take it and run with it. I'm sure you can make something WAY cooler!

You'll Need:
-1 square wooden plaque (found this neat board at WallyWorld for $2, I believe)
-2 contrasting colors of paint (little tubes are $1.99 at WM.com)
-1 .5" paint brush (any size works, just this size was easy to control my mess, to paint background)
-1 tapered, thick, penlike paintbrush (I actually cut the bristles on one I had to make the shape I wanted)
-Patience

How To:
1. Remove any tiny pieces of board that stick up 

this is really just so your project will look tidy... I'm a little OCD.

2. Paint alternating boards one of your chosen colors using the .5" brush, then rinse well and paint the bare slats with color #2. Allow to dry.

I went back after this step and lightly brushed some of the opposite colors onto the boards to give it a worn look, but this is entirely optional.

3. Carefully write your chosen words in contrasting colors over your background. Allow to dry.

4. Hang up your masterpiece!!!

Unicorn Hair Soup

(Ella Enchanted reference... movie, not book)

Honestly, It's really just a broth with tiny, heavily cooked celery & carrot bits, with long, skinny cooked onion strings... but the name is fun, huh!

*Disclaimer: eating this soup can, if you're not accustom to it, cause your body to excrete the toxic waste contained in your innards, so do not eat this before a big race, okay! If you'd actually like to clean your system out *raises hand* drink a gallon of water or more through the day while drinking this broth. Good luck!

Unicorn Hair Soup

Serves:
1 day's worth of quality fasting broth (you'd discard the veggies) or 2 large bowls of veggie & chicken broth soup.

Ingredients:
1 small yellow/sweet onion
1 whole carrot
1 stick celery
2 tbs Knorr chicken boullion
3 cups water

Directions:
1. Chop all veggies according to your preference, while the bullion boils in the water. 

I cut the onion stringy and cooked that some first, then the celery tiny and added it to the pot, last the carrot, I cut tiny and added in.

2. Bring all veggies in the broth to a rolling boil, then reduce to simmer for 15-30 minutes, to your desired tenderness.

I don't time mine, just check it occasionally.

3. Stir well and sip broth to ensure desired saltiness. 

I love mine salty, some do not.

4. Whenever desired texture and salt content are achieved, remove from heat, allow 5 minutes to cool, shovel into a bowl and enjoy!


***Side note: I'm no expert at cooking, so you don't have to listen to me. I once literally mixed batter with my hands, because a recipe called for hand mixing... not a joke.

So, Apparently, I'm kind of a Biatch...

Pardon the french...

I've done some serious soul searching lately, in a big way, and I've come to the conclusion that I am 100%, certifiably a big ole B word...

I, once, was so mean to a boy on the phone that my tender hearted momma, who happened to be unfortunate enough to hear my tirade, forced me to accept his (10,000th) request that I accompany him to the (supposedly Sadie Hawkins, aka "girls ask boys...." just saying) Sixth grade school dance. Then, I had the audacity to abandon him the moment we arrived (in his mom's car, like it was a date or something. lol), and hide from him the duration.

Yep. I'm a B.

 And that's just one example I've recently remembered and felt extremely convicted over. I'm sure there are plenty I don't remember... I'm aware that I've repressed a majority of my, at times traumatic, childhood, so it's entirely possible there are thousands of equatable stories as such.

Greeeaaat...

I think I'll gladly spend the rest of my life righting wrongs and attempting to be the best person I can be now, thank you very much.

If I've ever wronged you in some way, I formally apologize and beg forgiveness.

Sincerely,
that mean girl in class

Wisdom vs knowledge

A sure sign of wisdom is acknowledging that you don't know everything, but you're willing to learn.

If you tend to think you know everything about everything, chances are you've a lot to learn...

~thinking out loud

Learn to cook with me!

Trying these 20 min biscuits! hope this goes well!!!

Yup... That was a disaster...

The only nice thing I can say about my success with these is they'd make a great stone or rock if an intruder came in to steal my yummy smelling vittles! Definitely not edible though... 

Maybe you'll have better luck! Let me know how it goes in the comments, or be a dear and leave suggestions for me in the comment section below! 

Best wife ever!

Let's just say, the hubby was happy when he came home to some juicy steak and bakers tonight... I did my best not to drool just taking this picture! 

I ended up letting them sit between two pans on the counter all day, so they'd age some. I seasoned them with TexJoy, Lawrys garlic salt, powdered onion & ground coffee... Amaza-zing!!!

~Hope your mouth watered!

I can see clearly now, my windows are clean

Whilst holding my oversized coffee mug just beneath my face, so the steam from my Earl Grey tea rises and suffuses my senses with its velvety aroma, I realize I've found a calm peace that has illuded me since about two o' clock this morning. 

My sweet little princess started her grunt and wiggle routine, announcing that her diaper was full and her tummy empty, around that time. The next hour or two was a stream of changing diapers, breastfeeding, burping, rocking, and repeat...

Around four-thirty, I noticed she was yawning a lot and had lagged in the feeding routine, so I swaddled her tiny body, popped a paci in her mouth and rocked her to sleep. 

When I went into the room to deposit her into her swing for the rest of the morning, I stepped in a puddle in the carpet. Lo and behold, we had been so tired the night before, Zeus hadn't been taken out. Whoops!!! 

I let him out to poop, and realized how humid the windows looked and decided to take on cleaning windows as my project for the day. 

I managed to bleach, dry, & re-hang 6 window blinds, bleach & clean 9 windows, and had a bunch of other junk done before the little man ate lunch! 

Today is day two of a three day fast for me & I decided to honor God with how I care for all I've been blessed with. 

Life gets so busy, it's hard to keep up with all the mundane chores necessary to a well kept home. I guess whenever we were only renting places, we didn't think of things like washing windows... Well, hello homeownership! 

Now off to watch Aristocats with punkin' head, then off to dreamland! 

~Go with Love!

Sunday drivers who forget it's not Sunday...

This is that face I make whenever I've been stuck behind the same compact car, in a no passing zone, for the last five miles, going 45 in a 75mph stretch, and the baby has been fussy, and I've hit EVERY SINGLE RED LIGHT on the hour long trip it takes to visit family...

notice the slightly crossed eyes, widened as my crazy threatens to break free...

I'm glad to say we made it there without me flipping any birds or loosing any colorful expletives! 

Please, if you insist on driving more than 5 miles BELOW the posted speed limit, do everyone with the misfortune of driving behind you a kindness and MOVE OVER to the shoulder so they can pass you and you can continue at whatever pace your little heart desires!

Happy trails and drive friendly, friends!

My first attempt at yoga, since buying a mat...

My mother (of all people) was the person who encouraged me to look on youtube for free yoga for beginners to help me cope with stress. Apparently, and here is the shocker if you know her at all, she has been doing this for the last few days and said it has her sore, but that it's amazing!

Of course, I wanted to jump on this band wagon, but with two little ones, it seemed an impossible task during the day. I even bravely (or stupidly, really) tried to start a 20 min session while the kiddos were awake... not the brightest bulb in the box.

My little princess (2 months) loved it, because I was all "downward dog" in her face and it felt like a game to her. My tornado (2 years) loved it too... he used the opportunity to turn mommy into a jungle gym and even tried some of the poses whilst yelling/singing very loudly. Did I mention that he tried the poses directly under me? Yeah, not so conducive to a calming yoga exercise, I can tell you.

Anyhoo, here it is if you'd like to give it a go!

20 minutes of Beginner Yoga

Chill out with some tunes, may change that bad mood...

Rum by the Brothers Osborne

I keep finding myself stressed over money lately and I know it will be resolved without my doing anything, so I have no reason to worry, but it's an instinct I have difficulty battling lately...

Franky Ballard/ Sunshine and Whiskey

...then I hear songs like this, look up the video, and they remind me of how my husband and I used to sneak around when we were teenagers. lol. We probably saw each other more those years than we did the whole year before put together... thats what happens when you're 18 and you've been with your future husband since you were 15... lol. BAD THINGS. lol

***Important note- Momma always said, "Kissin' gets you Pregnant!" So, yeah, no kissing until you're married! You hear me?!?

Hope this turned that frown upside down! :P

Remembering a Great Man

Anytime I hear this song on the radio, this is the version I'm singing to. Every time it comes on, I remember a moment in my life I had a hard time and this song helped me lean on God and look to Him for How in the Hell I was supposed to make it through it with any sort of Grace, Decorum or Tact...

My Great Grandpa passed a couple of years ago right before Christmas... Two weeks before my son was born... It hurts terribly to know he never got to see him. 

I think of earlier that month, before he passed. I saw him in the hospital and gave him a hard time about just calling me if he wanted to see me... 

He told me he was, "Going tomorrow to the boats!" (His speak for going gambling), and told me the night before, he had been playing cards with (he listed people I've never known because they passed before my time) his friends and he was in great spirits....

I spent many hours with this man, sitting and talking nonsense and listening to crazy stories. I'm so thankful to have had the time with him before he passed. 

I was very troubled at the time because I was told, "Now, you know your grandpa wasn't a Christian Right?!" Whenever I said he was with my grandma in heaven... 

I feel like I have walked with Jesus long enough to know, YOU DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHO IS WHERE. Because You don't have the final say. God does. Not your church, or your religion, or even your pastor/preacher/whatever... 

A person can choose Jesus with their dying breath, or they could even have secretly believed for a long time, but been too afraid to voice it out of fear of rejection from the church or the "Christians" they know, who are not very Christ like in their judgement of others... (ex. Luke 23:43, where Jesus tells the thief on the cross that he'll see him in heaven.)

The flip side of that coin is that a person can also be a leader in a church, someone looked up to by those of their faith, yet they have no personal relationship with their maker in truth, or don't truly believe themselves what they teach... 

Point being, YOU don't know their Heart. God does. Period. Luke 16:15 says it perfectly:
“He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.” Jesus said this to the Pharisees AKA the religious leaders of his time... 

I CHOOSE to Believe God saw that man's heart, just like I did. Yes, he was flawed. Yes, he made mistakes. Yes, he was hateful at some points in his life. BUT at the end of his life, when it was all said and done and his Alzheimer's and dementia got worse, I caught glimpses of the child inside him. 

We all have one, a child inside. His was sad, scared, repentant, and all I wanted to do was wrap him in a huge hug and tell him I loved him. 

We talked about faith, well it was more like I told him what I believe & he just grimaced like he drank sour milk and kept his mouth shut, Lol, but I saw the hope light his eyes that God really could love him after whatever unspeakable things the military had him do, after the way he mistreated his family because he had no grid for how to handle his life, no good examples to draw from... 

I know this is long, but basically my point is, I believe he finally had that talk with God, right there at the end, the one where there aren't words, because HE Knows your heart.... 

I choose to believe that all of my poking and prodding got through that tough old hide, down to that tender heart beneath. 

God is with you, even when you're ugly on the inside... He loves you and he wants you to team up with him so you can shine again, with his love, like children naturally do... 

“And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:3