Butterfly Kisses

A Guaranteed Smile

Easter 2011

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

Something about guys and little ones makes me melt every time . . . even if it's my brother <3

Cutest cousins ever? I think so :)

Tony, Shannon, and Haley . . . baby will make 4 in about 3 months!!!

apparently my dad is a pretty fun uncle :P

 

Playing "Operation"

Amazing Love

The Power of The Cross

Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev'ry bitter thought,
Ev'ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Amazingly Incredible . . .

God has created a truly wonderful place for us to live! This world is so full of beauty that should make us marvel at the Creator.

This Made Me Laugh . . .

...because it's SO true! The article below is a guys guide to avoiding some fashion mistakes. As I read through it, I found myself shaking my head, because I very often see guys making these basic mistakes.  Now, that being said, I know some great guys, both homeschooled and not, that may do a couple or all of the "avoid at all costs." I will still be your friend despite that, haha, but I think this article is helpful ;) 

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"I am a HUGE fan of homeschooling. Huge fan. I believe I received a better education, my friends were smart, funny, talented and grew up to be world-changers. My parents were (and are) really cool. And it’s been my experience that culturally relevant parents (parents who understand the culture their children live in) generally raise culturally relevant children.

We were raised to understand our culture, so we could reach our culture with the foundational truth of our lives. You’re always worshiping something: success, popularity, pleasure, independence – You name it. But all these things we crave to make us feel satisfied fail to deliver. They cannot save us, they cannot satisfy us, and lead only to depression, despair and death. Jesus came to earth to show us that we were more flawed than we ever could imagine, but more loved than we ever dared hope. He HAD to die for us, but He also CHOSE to die for us.

All that to say, we care about reaching our culture, and feel like dressing with that in mind is appropriate and helpful.

I loved being a Homeschooler, and I love and cherish each one of my brothers. Do I honestly care if they are stylish or not? Nope.

I know I can’t write this without stepping on someone’s toes, but consider this my flawed attempt to serve my brothers with the limited knowledge that I have. If you like the status quo, great- don’t let me get in your way. But if you genuinely want some input but have no idea where to start- Here are some basics. Most guys don’t do ALL of these, but most guys do at least ONE of them. You know who you are. 

Avoid at all costs:

Tucking in T shirts - you should not tuck in a t- shirt when wearing jeans. period.
Do not tuck in your button-up  plaid shirts,  do not tuck in your work shirts, Tucking in casual shirts is a big No-no.

• When to Tuck: Tuck your shirt if you are wearing dress slacks, dress khakis, or 3 piece suit paired with a black dress belt. 

Braided Belts- I don’t know why I stil keep seeing them. Is it because they are a uni-fit? If you have a braided belt,  your dog just found a new chew-toy.

• What you should look for:  Brown leather, for casual wear. Black leather, for dress. No gaudy buckles, no gold buckles.  About 1.5-2″ wide.

Socks with Sandals - Even my Dad has tried to pull this off. Yikes. If you don’t like your feet, don’t wear sandals.

• What you should look for: Go to American Eagle and find a pair of leather flip-flops. Don’t like flip-flops? Try Converse sneakers or a driving moccasin

White Tennis Shoes - Shoes are a bigger deal than most guys think. Way bigger. You should not wear Tennis shoes unless you are playing sports. Even then, avoid all white shoes like the plague.

• What you should look for: Taupe, brown, black or any other non-white tennis shoes. The shoes pictured below are multi-purpose alternatives to tennis-shoes. They can be worn to school, out for dinner, or to hang out with friends- they're comfortable but don't look like something that you're going to wear when you're going for a run.

 

 

Tapered Leg Jeans or High waters - Jeans are guys a best friend. But if you’re wearing the wrong jeans it’s like smoking a cigar backward. It’s painful.

First of all, make sure you’re wearing the right size. It should be slightly relaxed around your waist, not snug. The best cut jeans are BOOTCUT. This means they are relaxed through the hip and thigh and taper out at the bottom. They are stylish without going overboard and generally look great on every guy. The length should almost touch the floor. If you are getting worn marks on the bottom hem of your jeans- that’s perfect.

• What you should look for: Gap, Target, Levi – they all carry this fit. Find it and wear it.

High Waist Pants – (Kudos to Nate for remembering this) Get comfortable with your pants sitting on your hips. Jeans are not meant to double as torso body armor.

“Slacks and dress pants should sit at your natural waist: just above your hipbones and slightly below your navel. Jeans should be worn lower (exact placement depends on the style) – but not so low or loose that putting a penny in your pocket will cause them to fall off.”

Jean shorts - These originated in the 80s. Enough said.

• Twill/khaki/cargo shorts/plaid  are in abundance everywhere. Target & Old Navy will have a wide variety.

Camo gear – If you are 12 or older, the army surplus extras need to stay at home. Parting is such sweet sorrow, but they must go. Camo is great, just wear it at the appropriate times- like paintballing.

White socks w/Black shoes. -Only Michael Jackson can pull this off. You are not Michael Jackson. Black shoes, black socks. Brown Shoes, Blue socks. White shoes, white socks. I sound like Dr. Seuss.

Utility belt/Leatherman/belt clips I love when guys have a knife  or phone on them, but packing a black leatherman on your belt is ok only if your a general contractor. Find another way to carry it.

Glasses – We can’t see without these precious pieces of glass- and since some of us have to wear them every day, they are worth a moment of attention. (girls dig cool glasses- and will probably ask you if she can try yours on)

• What you should look for: square or rectangular frames. Rimmed frames are cool. I mean, what guy doesn’t want to look like Daniel Craig?

Pleat front khakis- You’re young and dashing, you don’t need to look like you’ve gained 30 lbs by wearing pleat- front pants. They have been out of style for 10 years and should be kept that way.

• What to look for: Flat front khakis. Docker, Polo, Gap- they all make a great flat-front khaki

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** the one thing that I think was left out of this article is how to choose and wear a t-shirt. Undershirts should be avoided as a t-shirt, unless you work for a construction company ;) Shirts from your favorite sports teams are great, as long as they're not over-worn. T-shirts from places you've visited have their place...but not often. Avoid t-shirts with much text on the front- a small logo or something is ok, but people should be admiring the color or fit of the shirt, not trying to figure out what it says.  When you want to go casual but also dress it up a bit, try something more like this: 

ap·pre·ci·ate

       "I really appreciate you, Ashley."
        I paused and contemplated the words for a brief moment before responding.  "I appreciate you, too."

       I lay in bed last night thinking about those words. We say we appreciate things, but what do we truly mean by that? Merriam-Webster's dictionary gives us the following definition:

ap·pre·ci·ate verb
\ə-ˈprē-shē-ˌāt, -ˈpri- also -ˈprē-sē-\
a : to grasp the nature, worth, quality, or significance of
b : to value or admire highly
c : to recognize with gratitude

        As I've been pondering the idea today, I've been asking myself, "Do I really appreciate the Lord's blessings in my life? Do I truly grasp the nature, worth, quality, and significance of them? Do I value and admire them? And most of all, am I grateful for them? When I see the blessings that have been bestowed upon me, do I stop and praise the Lord for them, or do I simply blow it off as 'I deserved that for all my hard work'?"

       Much to my sadness, as I examined myself in this light, I found that I certainly do not appreciate the Lord's kindess and graciousness to me the way that I should. And I think that part of the reason for this is that I don't ponder His blessings enough. On the way to school this afternoon I began to list out loud the gifts that He has given me- He has placed me in a wonderful Christian family with parents who have taught me the ways of the Lord, and siblings whom I love very much. He has given me a wonderful church family who are such an encouragement. I have amazing friends who are such a blessing from Him. I live in a warm house, drive a fully-functioning car, and go to a good school.

       But most of all, I've been forgiven. Forgiven. Even if the rest were all to pass away, I've got that to cling to. I can claim the love of Christ and He has been gracious and merciful to me! As I thought of these things, I was filled with gratitude. If only I spent more time pondering this each and every day, I think I would appreciate it more. After all, can a person truly admire or value something that they don't think of? Does a man who has just inherited a great deal of money just lock it up in a bank and forget about it? Does a woman who has just given birth to a precious new child simply hand it over to the babysitter and go on with life as if nothing has happened? Certainly not. These people spend most of the moments of their waking time enjoying the thoughts of their new possessions. So why should I be any different? I've been given the greatest gift known to man! I should be pondering it and rejoicing in it every day!

       I'd encourage you all not take the Lord's mercies for granted. Put a note on your door or write a message on your hand to praise the Lord for His goodness. His gifts are much too precious to forget!!!