Word Web Vocabulary

Along with every other parent or couple or person who celebrates with festivities on Easter Sunday, I found good reason to take pictures of three things...(people) I deem worthy of my time and effort to take said pictures. These three. 

If you have multiple kids, you know what an effort this can be on any normal day, much less when you are trying so very hard to keep them looking "perfect." Trying to get all three to look at the camera, smile for the camera, look presentable at the very least for the camera all at one time. 

It's nearly an impossible task that we take on with rewards of candy or presents or dollar bills if they do a good job. Personally, I give my kids opportunity to "act crazy" for the pictures, so it's a win/win. They get their crazy shots in. I hopefully get my "normal" shots (whatever those are) in.

"Smile for Mommy, look, look, look at Mommy, Leila, at Mommy, look at me, not at the cat. Wesley, put your hand down. Jada stop squinting... Ok, look at Mommy...Smile...Ok, make a crazy face! Stick your tongues out! Thumbs up everyone!" 

Because everyone needs a chance to chill out for a minute and go a little crazy, whatever crazy is to you, so life can resume again "as normal."

Life for me has been in crazy mode. 

I feel overwhelmed with preparations for our new soon coming arrival. I feel extremely exhausted. I wake up each day with swollen hands and feet and the very thought of walking to the basement to change the laundry over or going to the grocery store is uncomfortable to me and I'm on the verge of tears everyday, almost every moment. But life hasn't changed for my kids, so I have to stay in that moment, in their moment all the time, which feels impossible to do. They are still needy. They are still noisy. They still crave my time. They still need food. They still need stories read to them and games played with them and I try so hard with what little energy I have to not get uptight with them, for simply needing their mom.

I will be honest with you. It's been a challenge. I'm definitely not on top of my game. I don't have a lot to say that feels blog worthy or picture worthy these days. As I sit here to try to catch up on my blog, I have one kid coming to me screaming about the other one slapping her in the face. Meanwhile he follows her in and is calling her a "baby and an idiot." And the third one is right behind them both, saying something like"Jada gots a taxi." 

I'm not sure what that means, so I leave it at "I don't know honey." 

Because that's all I can even muster up the energy to say.

What do you say when you have nothing to say? Or when you have too much to say?

What do you say when life doesn't feel picture worthy or blog post worthy, but part of your livelyhood is based on writing and sharing your heart?

What do you say when your heart feels slightly confused or sad or whiney or too emotional...

or some days even too full (if that is possible) and it almost feels like too much is going on in your head to even try to relay it in a mere blog post?

Some days peoples motives confuse me. Some days other bloggers confuse me. Some days life confuses me.

Some days I just don't get it. I don't get what I am supposed to say to everyone. I don't get what I am supposed to do with all these thoughts and ideas, except be still with them.

And some days I feel like I should grab the bull by the horns, hop on and run with them.

But for today, I'm kind of doing neither. 

I'm taking it one day at a time with no real agenda to run with thoughts or ideas, nor to sit still.

I just need a minute to breathe. To let the crazies in my life and in my head do whatever it wants to do. 

Some days I don't bask in the presence of God like I know I need to to get through these kind of seasons. Some days I sit at watch movies on netflix instead.

Saturday night before Easter... you know what I did at about 3am? I watched Dirty Dancing. 

Then I googled Patrick Swayze. Then I googled Jennifer Grey on Dancing with the Stars. And I bawled my eyes out as I read about her tears as she remembered Patrick Swayze.

Yes, friends, that is what I mean. 

I will cry at anything and my mind is everywhere lately.

I can jump from extreme gratitude of the Lord working in my life to crying over Patrick Swayze in just minutes...

And I accept it is what it is right now. It's not picture perfect. It's not blog worthy. It's not inspirational or pretty. But it's real.

And real is where I live right now.

Expectant is where I live.

Exhausted is where I live

Yawn...

And now it's time to get my kids down for bed. I have no idea where my husband is, at church doing something I believe...

And by the way, I did find out what "Jada gots a taxi" meant. Jada poked a hole in the top of her water bottle with a tac and was sipping the water through the hole, so Leila wanted to do the same thing....

Kids. Life. Goodnight.

2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness." So I will boast the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

Hey friends! I've already had several emails coming in this past week,  regarding THIS very post from last year and people requesting the answers to the the game so they can play it at their Christmas parties, so I thought I would share it again with you for Christmas 2013! Enjoy!

I bet you all have some Christmas Parties coming up in the next few weeks!

Yep, me too! The past several years it was my job to come up with some new, fun games for 

 Christmas Party in the youth ministry at my church! 

Last year I made this one up! And we used it again this year!

It's timeless! 

And fun!

And something different than the same ole, same ole!

If you want to grab it to challenge your family & friends with some
Christmas Movie Trivia without doing all the work, then Merry Christmas!
This is my gift to you! ;)

Feel free to download or save it to your computer & convert to dvd or a video file 

or whatever you want to do for your Christmas Party this year!

...Or just play it for yourself! 
Chances are, since you are playing it online, you will have time to 'think' about it,
but when you play it with a group, its not quite as easy to think of the answers so quickly.

1) Number a paper 1-20

2) Watch (listen) to the video and Name that Christmas Movie that each sound bite came from!

3) Then just replay it, this time giving the answers as you go through the game!

I already did all the work for you!

If you would like me to email you the answers so you can challenge your family,

leave me a comment and let me know you love it and I will send the answers your way!
Make sure I can reply back to you somehow!

All sound bites came from various movie clips which do not own any copyright to. 
Background photo file found here . I just put it all together as a game. 

I've been trying to figure out the words to say. I'm not good at talking unless I have something

very specific to say. And lots of times I do and I just talk too much. I go on and on and on.

But lately I've just sorta been like 'who cares?' I mean seriously. Who gives a crap?

Good attitude, huh? 

But I keep thinking, does it really matter if I do or don't write about this?

Is this really going to make a difference to anyone? If I don't write it, someone else will...right?

So, I'm not sure where I am...right here...in this moment...as far as blogging goes.

Who cares what outfit I wore? Who cares how silly my kids are? I mean, I do. And' I'd like to 

think that is why I blog. To keep memories. My own sort of personal online journal. When my heart

needs to be spilled, I spill it here. But does it really need to be public? I'm not sure anymore.

Does anyone else ever feel like that? Like why do I need people to read my blog? Is it for me?

And if it's not for me, then do people really hear me? I'm sure these thoughts are just a part of human nature,

 but seriously...who cares? Do the things I say make any impact on anyone other than me?

I guess I will just keep playing it by ear and see what happens. Maybe tomorrow I will have a novel written 

for you, who knows....

And for now, here are some other reasons why I have been busy.

People always ask me...or us how we take such cute photos...

Go through about an hour of this and that's how you get the perfect family photo.

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter...

 
Here Are The Instructions:

1. Fill out the questions below with your answers
2. Hand over the same set of questions to your spouse and see if they can answer the questions about you. 
3. Write your post and compare both of your answers
4. Link up here on February 14th

HA, I am so excited to read all the fun answers, should be interesting to say the least.

Here are the questions: Feel free to add or take away any questions you want. 
 How long have you been married? Where was your first date? Where was your first kiss?
Who first said, "I love you"? What were your wedding colors? What is her most commonly used phrase? Who is her celebrity crush? If she was ordering drinks for both of you what would you each get? What is the best meal she has ever cooked you? What is the worst meal she has ever cooked you? What is the most-played song on her iPod? What would she say is your most annoying habit? What is the last thing she does before she goes to bed?
If you could throw out one item of her clothing what would it be?
What would you say is your favorite thing about her?
What's her go-to drink at Starbucks? What's her blog's name?!

Linked up at Ma Nouvelle Mode for copycat closet & The Pleated Poppy for WIWW.
Valentines  link up HOST is The Life Of A Not So Ordinary Wife.

I'm in this weird, 'I have no words' place again.

What's up with me? I don't know.

It's odd, I feel so full. Full of passion. Warmth. Joy.

I feel content this year.

And it's not because everything is going just as I would plan out in my head.

But still, this season in this year, 2012, is bringing a new emotion,

state of mind... or maybe a state of heart?

It's not just Christmas, the season of giving and family and love.

But it's Christmas,

a season of redemption,

God's gift to the world.

Man, I feel like we make it into this cliche' thing...

'Jesus is the reason for the season'...

It's what people say.

Or we have even turned it into

 'It's not about the shopping & the gifts, it's about family and spreading joy.'

Another "thing" we say.

Which is good. It's a good thing to steer our focus from the commercialism

of Christmas rather to the warmth and love of the season.

But for me, it's more than that.

This Christmas, I stand...sit...weep in awe of my Savior, his sacrifice to 

become flesh to redeem me from a life I would surely screw up...

and have...

to make me joint heirs with him.

Once you know Him, it's not just a Christmas story..

Instead your heart is moved by a very real love...

One time, I remember mentioning to an old friend during a conversation, 

'the men of the Bible wrote these words."

The reply I got was "I'm glad you said the 'men' of the Bible..."

As if the words written were not inspired of God.

It takes faith to believe in the written word of God.

When you believe, and when you want to believe, God will speak...

He will prove, He will make himself real...

as if He hasn't already.

People would rather rely on quotes from intellectuals,

or structure their lives by the lyric from of a song or poetry of a writer 

who knows nothing of a true relationship with the God they over philosophize,

than rely on the intimate peace and gentle simplicity of the words of God himself.

I don't know...lack of faith... 

or perhaps faith in the temporal is more real to some...

But to me, each day I wake up, no matter what the circumstance is in my life

in the day, that moment, that feeling...

the presence of Jesus is undeniable. His glory is indescribable.

This is the reason for no words I think.

I went for a drive tonight, feeling frustrated that I can't put what is my heart

into words...I prayed, I said "God, what is it? What am I feeling? 

What am I supposed to say??

It's simple. There are no real actual words to describe what you feel in 

your heart of hearts.

It's just something you know... something you feel...

once you have faith that He is with you,

and that His words are truth.

 I was going through pinterest looking at quotes of so many inspiring authors,

men and women of influence, musicians, and listening to lyrics...

thinking about how people thrive on these quotes & sayings... but as inspiring as they may be,

we can not live, truly live , by anything but the very words of God.

The words of God are not just the quotes of an intellectual,

but the word of God is alive and has the ability to change a heart,

and heal and restore lives.

Sometimes words are just words, but there are other words that are Life.

1 John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, 

the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

This is what Christmas means to me this year. 

The very presence & word of God coming to earth and becoming flesh. Redeeming mannkind. 

Sometimes it seems unfathomable, it doesn't make sense.

It takes faith to believe. Strength to trust in his word.

But once you believe, it's not just a belief anymore, it's an assurance...

And my heart is in such a state of worship lately. It's a continual worship

of the glory and majesty of such a loving Savior...

I very honestly try to talk to Him in my very human words...

and thank him for who He is and what He has done,

but it simply doesn't seem like what I can say in my humanity is enough to 

worship his Majesty...

Yet somehow, I think not knowing what to say this Christmas is saying more than thinking 

I have all the right words...

Amazing Giveaway for Christmas Right Here!

A beautiful friend I want you to know...

Firsthand, I know nothing of the sacrifice it takes to let go 

letting go of a husband, a father, a sister, a family...

for the sake of others.

I know nothing of what it means to spend months away 

only hoping and praying

you would one day see your your kids again, 

your husband again, your wife again, your parents again.

I know of patriotism, I know of freedom, I know of love for my country,

but firsthand, I know nothing of sacrifice.

Whether it's sacrifice of a beautiful life 

you so deeply loved and depended on,

or whether it's sacrifice of time,

time lost from that person who means the most to you,

while you were busy giving of your life for me, for us~

I want to say thank you,

to all of you, those who gave your lives

those who gave your husbands, your sons, your daddys,
your mothers, your sisters

those of you who gave up memories

who gave up laughter

who offered up tears

for me, for our country

for our freedom

and the freedom of others

I want to say thank you.

I don't know if I could do it.

I don't know if I could let go of my husband,

or let my kids give up their daddy

for your freedom,

but You have given up so much for mine.

It must take a special grace from God

to do such a task, to even be willing to do such a task.

And I honor all our vets,

all our active duty military
(and anyone else serving our nation for the protection of mankind)

and all the families of those who have sacrificed

the time and lives of their loved ones.

You can know this about me,

I understand that Memorial Day is NOT about sales,

not about barbecues, days off work...

It's about You, 

and I speak for myself, and my husband & my family

we will ALWAYS remember your sacrifice.

Pictured above are four of my mom's brothers.

(She comes from a family of 14 kids)

three of them have passed away.

Thankfully, they lived past their service time,

and went on to have families, kids, grand kids,

but have now made their home in heaven.

This is for my mom, her brothers and sisters, 

my grandparents who are no longer living,

and who had to give up their sons for a time...

 my cousins and aunts who love them., and miss them.

(Danny is still with us.)

I am SO thankful & we Honor all our vets, 

but especially our family members who served us and our country.

This post was a last minute idea, so I didnt have time to gather up military photos 

from my dad's side of the family or my hubby's side.. 

But pictured here are my uncle Bernie (Korean),

My Papa (who just recently passed-WWII) and my Father In Law(Vietnam), 

with Jeff and the kids...

Just moments ago, when I put this together, tears start streaming down my face...

unexpectedly

suddenly I missed my Papa very much..

So many more members of extended family,

close friends, church friends, children of friends, etc...

that have served or are currently serving our great nation...

Thank You to all, who choose freedom for me, 

for my kids, for us...

at times over your own lives.

Thank You to all who serve, who have served...

and who watched & allowed your family member fight for freedom.

My gratitude is more than I can say...

I don't know if I could do it...

Happy Memorial Day & Memories to all...

I leave you with this Kick Butt song,

one of my absolute FAVES of all time..

Thank YOU, Toby Keith!!!

ALSO, The Funny Thing Of It Is was featured HERE this week!
So, if you haven't yet, go check it out!!!