naptime diaries

part 2 - YOU HAVE INFLUENCE.

2012-01-27T03:00:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging through my breakout session from last week's Chosen conference.

Day One found here.

you know where I learn about influence? watching these two.

So I feel like I had a little bit of influence.

Not by my own might or cuteness or wisdom and it wasn’t for my own glory, but it was there. Here are some things I want to share about influence.

(#1) We all have it.

If you have one husband or two kids or six girlfriends or a small group that you lead or a blog of 10,000 readers or 432 facebook friends – you have influence. He has given you people who care what you think and who you can affect. I think it’s incredibly important before we think about doing anything online or speaking life in any way – to just stop and ask the Lord where He’s given influence. Who listens to you? Who would like to listen to you if you’d give them the time? Who needs to hear your story? If you think the answer is no one, ask Him.

For me, when I really asked the Lord who these women were and who I needed to be writing to, I feel like He gave me a name for them: Mothers of Extraordinary Circumstances. MEC’s is what we call them at our house. Maybe they’re not all moms, but they’re women who are living extraordinarily or who want to be living extraordinary or who wonder if the Lord will ever give them an ordinary life. They’re women with sick kids or husbands in ministry or not enough money or any number of issues. In short, they’re women who see life outside of the ordinary.

And I wanted to write to them. Give them a giggle or an encouragement, or just impart grace to them by telling them a nasty toddler poop story. Great if others read, but these were my women. My MEC's. If you have influence, which we’ve established you do, and you know Jesus –

(#2) then you have a very good gift to give the people who are listening to you.

You have the God of Abraham, Isaac, & Joseph. You have the Jesus of Isaiah 61, who comes to bring good news to the poor. Binds up the brokenhearted. Proclaim liberty to the captives. And who opens the prison to those who are bound.

I am not saying that if you’re a believer, you’re wasting time when you talk about anything other than the Lord. But I am saying that if you’re a believer, and the overwhelming bulk of what you’re sharing isn’t Jesus, I don’t know. It doesn’t make a ton of sense to me.

I don’t think there is ANYTHING wrong with recipes, outfit posts, or tips on how to get your baby to sleep. Just like if I’m hanging out with a friend in real life, we might spend time talking about things of our life – marriage, clothing, budgets, etc. But I can’t imagine if I spent a few hours with a good friend and never asked her about her heart. Never asked her what the Lord was teaching her. Never asked her how I could pray for her.

And like that – when we get to heaven and I get to talk to the Lord about this online life, this interesting influence He’s given me - I do NOT want Him to say, “Hey! Great buckwheat bake recipe, but what about Me? What about the hurting women, the confused women, the women who I gave you influence with? You could have pointed them to Me”.

So you’ve got influence.

And you’ve got the greatest Gift of all to give to the people He’s given you influence with. Don’t compare your influence, don’t lament that it’s not more. Every second you spend doing that, you spend wasting time you could be praying for what He wants you to do with it.

So let’s ask Him:

Who have you given me influence with? What do you want me to share with them?

easy as one, two, three

2012-01-26T03:00:00.000-08:00

This is a sweet, sweet guest post by Jenna, the brains and beauty behind Truthcards.

Read it, be blessed, and show her some love on twitter or her site.

Thank you, Jenna!

...............

I realize that the season that I’m in, having three beautiful, healthy girls that are 1, 2 and 3 is an incredible blessing from the Lord. I also realize that amidst the lovely combination of a husband in ministry (Global Missions, requiring travel at that), striving to raise Godly young women, building a house, having a part time ministry job and running a business from home, stress may abound. These are all gifts from God, so why the stress??

Running is a huge stress relief for me. Just me, my iPod and the road = FREEDOM! Today I signed up for the Cooper River Bridge Run, a 10k run held in Charleston every spring. I’ve done the race several times – the problem is that I’m in the worst shape of my life. With everything we have going on, I typically only have time to run once a week on my Sabbath (yes, running is rest for me!).

Two months is not exactly ideal training time so I decided that I better get my rear in gear. I made lunch for the girls, loaded them into the stroller and started off toward a local family fun park that the girls enjoy. Heading out, I knew that the tires on our stroller were low on air, but couldn’t waste precious time looking for the air pump. My plan was to run to the park, play with the girls for a while and run back. While we were there, a kind park attendant let me use his air compressor to fill my stroller tires. The run back was SO MUCH easier than the way there. I didn’t even realize how much extra weight I had been pushing until the tires were full and the stroller felt light and free.

Just like the stroller, most of us have no idea how much stress we are carrying around. Jesus says, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) There are some basic principles we can find in these verses will hopefully “put some air in your tires” and lighten your load.

1) Go to Jesus.

If possible, first thing in the morning and continually throughout the day.

2) Continually ask Him

if what you are doing lines up with His will (His yoke).

3) Learn from Him. Read His Word.

Ask him to quicken your spirit if you stray from a gentle and humble heart. Don’t ever let pride take over and make you think that you can do more in your own flesh than the Lord wills.

Is having three children as easy as 1-2-3?

No way!

But, with Jesus’ help,

the burden can be light.

introducing....

2012-01-25T05:05:00.000-08:00

Hello internet friends!

I wanted to introduce to new blogs to you for two important reasons.

#1. They're great blogs written by precious women.

#2. They just had their blog design done!

...........................................

It was my joy to work with Brittany from Naturally Estes (and her shop Peas & Carrots) and Brittany from Art by Britt (and her shop, Art by Britt) on their recent blog design and shop rebranding! Now that both of their installs are done, I'm taking on a few more spots for February in my blog design queue and I'm TRYING to get my own blog in order so that you can easily find design info. I'm slowly building my design page with prices lists, design examples, and client reviews. Email me today if you'd like to get on the February list!

Also, another reason to email me today?

If you have a blog/shop/small business and you'd like to sponsor Naptime Diaries in February. Check out my advertising page for more info and feel free to email me with any questions!

I'd love to have you!

chosen, part 1.

2012-01-23T03:00:00.000-08:00

some precious lady friends.

Hey ladies!

So, last week – I had the huge, huge, huge honor of leading a breakout session at the Chosen Conference in Charleston, SC. Chosen was a conference for all women – to point them to Jesus and to celebrate the fact that He calls us to Himself, chooses us for His glory and His pleasure and His purposes. It was such a sweet time and I was really overjoyed to get a section of that time to breakaway with some women and discuss the idea of how our being Chosen relates to how we can speak life. And specifically, how we can speak life to other women online.

is there anything better than a group scripture doodle session ?

Through that little session, I shared my story of how the Lord has walked me through accepting some influence He’s given me, called me to speak life to women, and then how He’s teaching me to be quiet and say something. I am still seriously in the midst of figuring all this out, but I thought it might be good to share with some of ya’ll these pieces of the story – since I really think He wants us all to be walking in newness of life, speaking life as much as possible. Not for our own glory, or so that we’ll be known as women who speak life – but because if we’re in Christ, we know LIFE. And why in the world wouldn’t we want to share it?

just SOME of the hundreds of volunteers who put on Chosen

So here’s where I started sharing my story with the ladies:

I always knew I had a struggle with being dramatic. Drawing attention to myself. Talking too much. Over the years, the Lord has helped me – it’s still a struggle, it’s still very much something that you’ll notice when you meet me, but I’m believing that the Lord is healing, slowly:). Anyhow, it was that issue that kept me from blogging, inititally. I knew I had a problem with attention seeking and talking about myself, and blogging seemed like the fast track to feeding that problem. Until a met a woman who said she wrote a blog with the intention of ministering to other women. It didn’t really matter if my heart agreed, I saw an open window and an open excuse, so I started myself a blog.

your truly doing some VIGOROUS hand talking

I started (my old blog) Babes Having Babes in 2007 and wrote about um, I’m not sure what. My hair, outfits, my cute little baby. Sometimes I actually WROTE. I think about eight people read it and I don’t remember how they found it. And then some things started to happen. I got pregnant again really quickly after having a baby, that precious baby was diagnosed with a fatal genetic disorder and then cleared of having it, we decided to move to Seattle to run a maternity home, we moved cross country, we had that precious second baby, we told hilarious and wild and precious stories of working in the maternity home, we got pregnant with a third baby, the Lord called my husband to church planting, we had that handsome prince of a baby. And all along, more and more people kept reading. Maybe to keep up with the crazy things the Lord was bringing about in our life, or maybe just to see if the train was gonna wreck, or maybe to see if I’d ever lose the baby weight – but they kept reading.

one of the precious rest spaces in the "boutique" at Chosen. So fun!

And in the fall of 2009, I realized that the Lord was giving me some influence with women. I was pretty much landlocked, at home with three babies under three, very little money, and sharing a car with my husband. I was thousands of miles away from my former community, and my real community – the women I was doing life with were just as busy as I was. But here were these women, online, who I could sit down with at naptime and interact with. Pray for, laugh with, be challenged by, and share what the Lord was doing with. I had a voice with them and they were on my heart, and that was a God-given influence that I couldn’t create by any means of personal promotion and that was precious.

But, what in the world did He want me to do with it?

................................

I'll finish up talking about the rest of the breakout over the next week or so.

I do want to say - just as soon as the dates are released, you're going to want to mark your calendars for the Chosen Conference 2013.

I'll be there FOR CERTAIN.

Seacoast Sisterhood, thank you for a wild and precious weekend.

Father, thank you for pouring out your Spirit.

a true story about being hidden.

2012-01-21T07:10:00.000-08:00

Hi Naptime readers, I'm Annabelle and this is a true story from this week.

I have been reading in Colossians the past little bit and this week 3:1-4 hit home, especially this,

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God" and this, "For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

Hidden. Hidden? That stuck out to me. My life is hidden in Christ. I work against this every. day. Every day I want to exist. I want praise. I want to be seen outside of Christ. I get so territorial about my life and my existence. But the only thing waiting for me outside of Christ, is bondage to those things I so crave praise and adoration from. Slavery to having it all together; cooking great meals, encouraging and teaching Oliver, having a great shop, writing great posts, biblically disciplining ...Those things which can be good gifts from the Lord get skewed into being gods and then I'm just "dead in my sins."

Every day, life is to be found in dying to myself. Every. Day. I must die.

And in dying, I can be "raised with Christ!" With Christ, who conquered the grave! Christ who rose to perfect, full, free LIFE! I am raised with Him! Isn't that wonderful?! To know, that every day Christ reigns and in being hidden in Him, sin does not have authority over me.

It's wonderful. But every day I struggle, stubbornly clinging to my ways and habits that fit, so nicely, in this world, giving in to "what if" fears and holding, no clinging to my dear loves.

And so, I am daily trying die and let Christ live. And it is a battle.

a true story: we're moving to Indiana.

2012-01-20T03:00:00.000-08:00

A true story

new Indiana print in our house

part one: great grace

Not everyone knows the whole story. Shoot, it’s a long story. And He’s still writing it. I used to hate this story. I struggled to see Him in it. But the best stories are like that, right? Where all at the end, it makes sense. But praise God, we’re not at the end yet. No where near. God called my husband to plant a church in Boston, named Gospel Community, in 2008. We live in Seattle and I wanted to live in Seattle forever. We kept getting delayed with life, delayed with the condition of our hearts, until in the fall of 2010 it seemed time. We packed up, were sent off by a wonderful community and had the intention of stopping in South Carolina for a few weeks of further fundraising and revitalization. We needed the Lord to move big time, but felt Him pushing us forward. A few weeks in, it became apparent that the Lord was not flinging wide the doors to Boston. There were stress and tears and confusion. So much confusion. There were hard talks about depression and about failure and in the midst of it, we got to experience God’s great grace over and over and over again. The same grace we wanted so badly to share with others, we were desperate for. We came to Columbia, a city we swore we’d never live in again, for a friend’s wedding. And then, the doors flung open. He wanted us here. In a holding place. We stayed.

part two: the best and worst year ever

Columbia was rescue and rest and it was also frustrating anticipation. I needed healing from depression. The Lord healed. So now can we go to Boston? No. Glory has her massive seizures. She might be brain damaged. She’s in the ICU. God straight up heals her. Now can we go to Boston? No. We get pregnant. Pregnant! A fourth baby! We lose the baby. God comforts our hearts in a new way. Can we go to Boston now, Lord? Not yet. We need to really have our faith shaken down, once again – do we really believe that this life is only meant for enjoying Him, knowing Him, and making more disciples? Yes, we do. As best we can. Can we go to Boston? Not yet. One day, in July, Nick and I went on a hiking date. We both felt this urgency to pray together, to ask Him for what was next. We both felt like He’d speak to us on the hike. We ran and walked and held hands and moved in quiet. At the end, we both confirmed. Just wait. He was saying to just wait.

part three: out of nowhere

Throughout the year, Nick had talked on and off with another church planter - a guy in Fort Wayne, Indiana – the pastor of another Gospel Community. From my eyes, I see them getting to know one another and I see my husband smiling more and he says there might be something there. Some sweet connection. We might be the same church? Great! Can we go to Boston now Lord? Not yet. We skype with him & his wife. I love them. They’re wonderful. A few weeks later, we find out that the holding place is getting shaken up. Our sweet little rescue of a house has been sold and we won’t be the renters. Nick’s contract at his job at up. He asks if I’d ever consider moving Fort Wayne. I say absolutely not. And almost as soon as I say that, I feel the Lord convicting me and quickening me. This isn’t something to say no to. We skype again and this time, I bring it up, I think I just blurted out, “can we come there?!”.

And we did.

my favorite new print.

part four: great grace, again.

All five of us pile in a tiny Corolla and drive to Fort Wayne. Before we even reach our sweet new friend’s house, we agree – unless they are serial killers and they don’t want us to come, we’re moving. It feels more right than anything. I think, at best – this is what the Lord wants and it will bring me more joy than I can describe to support my husband. I have no idea how He is about to blow our minds. We love them. Our new precious friends. Our new gospel community. We love the sweet little city. We love the church. We want to be there. To serve with them. To grow with them. To learn from them. And when the time is right, to move on from them and continue growing Gospel Community in Boston.

So, in two weeks, we're going to move to Fort Wayne, Indiana to serve and be a part of Gospel Community Church. And while it’s random and it was no where in our 3 year plan, it is such an incredible blessing and we are more than thankful to our God who has shown us such great grace. By giving Himself, and by graciously guiding us and growing us in these years, and be moving us along – towards a sweet new gospel community. We'd love your prayers as we pack up everything in the South, say goodbye to friends and family, and get settled in our new community in Fort Wayne.

praying you experience His great grace today.

Jess

introducing Stephanie & Peace of Mind Ministries!

2012-01-19T04:23:00.000-08:00

Hey gals! I hope you're doing well! Today I'm honored to introduce you to Stephanie, who runs a super beneficial organization for women - Peace of Mind Ministries.

I hope you're blessed by her words and

I know you'd be blessed by checking out Peace of Mind!

.........................................

Hello! :0) Let me introduce myself. My name is Stephanie Haynes and I am a recovering Wanna-Do-It-All-Perfectly Superwoman.

If you are a type-A personality too we might share a few commonalities, like the need to be in control over all that goes on around us, or the need to plan out everything to the Nth degree (Yes, I actually planned the perfect time to get pregnant so I could have the maximum time off from my teaching job. My husband “loved” our scheduled “meetings”…), but not much else about my neurotic behavior I hope!

Trying to be in control of everything in my life resulted in a stress-induced heart murmur (a common precursor to a heart attack), and a marriage in serious distress. I was 32 and had been married for only 5 years.

Then things really got bad.

Trying to be in control in familiar surroundings was, obviously, tough enough, but just after the birth of our second child (we’re talking 6 months, tops) I found myself leaving my California home and everything I had ever known for the completely unfamiliar town of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. That’s right, South Carolina…Across the entire US of A. I had never even considered living ANYWHERE outside of California and here I was practically in a different country!

My control-freak-self went into hyper drive. I spent that first year trying to figure out how a California girl could flourish in the south and it almost killed me, literally!

Within our first month in South Carolina I rolled our SUV into a ditch with both my kids and my husband in it because I didn’t know not to pass a tractor, on the highway, when the roads were slick. Yes, I know it seems obvious now, but remember, I was a California girl who hadn’t dealt much with tractors on roads! Need I say that it was completely the tractor driver’s fault?

I flew back and forth to California at least once a month with both kids each time (Can I get an AMEN from any one that flying with an infant and a 4 year old across the country and three time zones is one of the hardest thing to do?)

Then, my father died of lung cancer

Add all that to the heart murmur and marriage in distress, AND then throw in an elevated hormone level that sent me into peri-menopause complete with night sweats, weight gain and HUGE mood swings, and you can see the complete disaster that was my control-freaked

life.

Thankfully, however, this is NOT a Shakespearean tragedy.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Jesus touched my heart and my current way of life was no longer comfortable. With His calling came a message:

“Be Still and Know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)

“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-7)

“Let the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7)

These verses became prominent in my daily living, seemingly all on their own. Everywhere I went they either popped up in front of me, or were brought to mind. For a control-freak like me these verses were terrifying.

Today, almost 10 years later, I am a completely different woman, a new creation in Christ.

How? I decided to listen to God. I chose stillness in my mind and body over constant planning and implementing. I chose God’s ways over my own, trusting that He would provide what I needed. I chose to seek out peace in every decision I made.

And Peace of Mind Ministries was born.

It was more than enough to be given the gift of a new, health-issue-free life from Jesus, but to have been given a life-saving message to share with other women too, overwhelms me.

There is a way out of the Type-A, control-freak, Wanna-Do-It-All-Perfectly Superwoman mentality.

Be still. Yes it’s hard, but so worth the struggle!

Trust God to schedule your days. He’s NOT human, and will not act like a Human. He CAN be trusted with every detail of your life.

Seek peace when deciding how to live each day.

In the 5 years since I began sharing this message to hundreds of women, one thing remains constant: We could ALL use more peace in our lives.

If you would like step off the control-freak merry-go-round, and instead begin a journey toward peace with Christ let me know. I would love to help!

I’ll be praying for you!

Stephanie

Stephanie@peaceofmindministries.com

www.peaceofmindministries.com/blog

@stephhaynespomm

the one that kept going.

2012-01-18T05:06:00.000-08:00

That sale I started in my shop a few weeks ago?
The one to help you get new scripture prints all over your home
to start 2012 off right?
That one?
It's still going on.

Use coupon code NEWYEAR at checkout for
30% off your entire order.
On everything.
Because I love the idea of more of us having
more and more scripture in our home in 2012.

And while we're at it,
How about a few new prints to get
with that big ol' discount?

Praying you all are having a wonderful Wednesday!
Visit the shop today for some goodies!

lessons learned in 1400 miles

2012-01-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

Back in December,
we started praying about taking a special little road trip.
The Lord had introduced us (for real, it felt like that) to some precious friends and it felt important to meet them and spend some time with them and so we prayed about it.
And decided, yep!
We need to go.

So we took our precious little blessing of a Corolla to the shop and they ok'd her for the 1400 round trip drive to Indiana. And we packed some toys and a borrowed car DVD player and woke up at the crack of dawn two Wednesdays ago tomorrow and just did it,
just went for it.
Columbia, South Carolina to Fort Wayne, Indiana.

And here are some lessons I learned in those

11 days, 1400 miles, and 30 hours in the car.

- The whole "if we leave at 4am, the kids will sleep the first 4 hours" may not work on our family. But my kids are SUPER cute at 4am. On our first gas station stop (at 5:03am), Glory asked if the gas station bathroom hand dryer was for her nails.
- PS: speaking of sleep. Slumber partying it up with friends for 11 days may mean your kids fast from sleeping (for spiritual reasons of course). It's still worth it.
- Also, road tripping with your kids CAN be super fun if you decide it will be. I think we talked to our kids more than we ever have and REALLY talked to them. It was such a blessing.

- Roadtripping is the perfect excuse to restaurant hop. But, if on the way back, your new friends have woken up at 4am to pack you with a cooler full of food, Diet Coke, and your coffee just the way you like it - just Praise God. The trip was worth it.
- Buying the cheap Walmart gloves without waterproofing will NOT work in Indiana.
- There is such a thing as too much coffee. Between four adults, I think we went thru about 8 pounds of coffee in 9 days. Bahahahaha. And I'd do it all over again.

disclaimer: this pic of Glor is not from our trip, but it was too cute to leave out

- If you think you'll be blessed by some new friends, just wait till your kids meet their kids. My children are now not opposed to the idea of 14-hour-car-trips-just-for-the-sake-of-playdates.
- Doing motherhood in the home of a new friend who is super wise and showing you gobs of hospitality is humbling & encouraging & sharpening.
- I really, really love my husband because the Lord has made him incredibly easy to love. And it would be wise for me to follow him on whatever adventure the Lord calls him to.

- Bob Evans has something called a "Biscuit Bowl". It's a biscuit, shaped like a bowl, filled with bacon, cheese, eggs, and hollandaise sauce. It's not appropriate to eat if you're a healthy eater/semi-vegan lady. Thankfully, I was too tired to remember I was any of those things when i ORDERED IT AND ATE IT IN 3 MINUTES.
- Here's a lesson I really, really learned. Well, I started to see how much I need to learn it:
Grace, true - scandalous, overflowing, undeserved grace --- It doesn't need to be feared by any human standards. And it doesn't lead to more sin. It leads to a deeper desire for righteousness. And that might seem random, but it's a huge lesson He started chipping into me on this trip.

- I realized that if your trip gets extended for a day or two due to snow, you only ACT disappointed when inside you're thrilled since you were sad to leave in the first place.
- I realized that my kids have an instinctual reaction to seeing snow in ANY FORM, which is to immediately stick it in their mouths. Immediately. Gross. (think like Glory: "oh! see that snow over there on that stranger's boot! I should go eat it!")
- I realized if you're attending a church where the pastor's wife can look out the window and see some interns shoveling snow out of her her driveway without anyone asking them to, you can praise God for Gospel Community.

- And the Lord reminded me that we see such a small part of His plan. And that is such a great blessing. Because we'd sure plan some messes out of lives if we could.
- And of course, of course, of course - no matter how great a trip is,
it's always good to go home.

{{ more on our trip later this week. can't wait to share more. }}

my old man.

2012-01-16T03:00:00.000-08:00

Love.
Dude.
Babe.
Love.
Man, I love you.

It's your birthday!
As it stands, as I'm writing this the day before it will post, I have you absolutely zero gifts. I don't even have a box of cake mix standing by or anything. You always make celebrating you so hard because you're so good at sharing. I'm pretty sure you've bought me something for your last sixish birthdays and earlier I heard you tell Elias you'd take him for donuts for your birthday. Though I guess you still get something out of that.
Anyhow. I'm praying over how to celebrate you today, love.

Christ in you. You as our family's pastor. You as our leader.
You, the bathroom cleaner and the car-trip-driver.
You, the friend that I often find myself doubled over laughing with.
You, the one who will grab my hand and pray with me over and over again at a moments notice.
You, who sits quietly - maybe even for years, letting His power and truth stir in you until you speak.

I'm not sure any banner or cake or present could grasp the joy my heart gets from knowing you. And even if I went all out, I know - at the heart of it, you're happier with a cup of coffee and an hour alone with your headphones and bible.

So I'll sit in the tension of that.
Of wanting to give you the moon and a surprise party and a car of balloons when there is probably nothing you'd hate more in the world than a surprise party and some pesky balloons. Even though, to my knowledge, you have nothing against the moon.

My point is:
I love you.
More than words.
More than than moon.
Which is saying something.

Happy Birthday, love.
I pray that this year all the things you've been storing up in your spirit for the last few years spill forth and the Holy One blows us all away.
Like a million balloons spilling out of a tiny car.
Amen.

dependence. some grace imparted by Sarah.

2012-01-15T05:56:00.000-08:00

hey yall...I'm Sarah from Racing Towards Joy!

{Jessi is one of those ladies I constantly draw life from

so I'm honored to share here on her blog today!}

I gave birth 11 days ago,

to my second baby girl, Bethany.

I love having a brand new little one around again.

There's something so fresh and innocent about newborns

that brings life to my days.

But I totally forgot how needed I would be.

How dependent on me SHE would be.

I was totally slammed with the reality of a little person

being totally dependent on me when I had my first daughter 2 years ago.

It rocked my world.

And somehow I forgot it would be like this all over again.

Don't get me wrong.

I LOVE fulfilling her every need,

responding to her every cry, never putting her down,

feeding her at all hours.

(and this girl eats ALL the time. :) )

It's just that I forgot about the utter dependence of a newborn.

But God has shown me something through her need of me.

My mentor growing up called it

"Daily Desperate Dependence".

This need, this complete reliance on God,

that I MUST HAVE to even survive.

Just like my little baby.

I want to learn this lesson from her...

I want to wake from sleep

(literally and spiritually speaking)

CRYING OUT to Him to come and meet me...

and trusting that He will.

I am thankful for the journey of faith that God has had my little family on

for the last 8 years.

It has been one of desperate dependence...

whether we chose it or not.

Circumstances often required it.

Accounts have been negative, health has declined,

life has been taken, life has been given, changes have occurred.

All things that MADE us desperate

for HIS provision and protection.

And He showed up every. single. time.

Like Bethany is right now,

I desire to be so dependent on my Heavenly Father

that I cannot function daily without Him.

I think part of this dependence comes from remembering

all that He has already done for me.

All the needs He has already met, all the desires He has already fulfilled.

...and to be able to trust Him for even more.

I believe He designed it this way,

He made me His daughter.

He desires to meet my every need.

Because He is GOOD,

and I am desperately needing His goodness in my life,

every. single. day.

a true story by Ashley. She's precious.

2012-01-12T06:30:00.000-08:00

((Hi friends! Jessi here. This week my fam & I are finishing up a big road trip and so I've asked some of my precious friends to share with you. I've told them they can talk about ANYTHING - but I'm specifically praying through the idea of blogging a true story, so here is a true story from them. Enjoy. ))

Today, meet Ashley from The Vanilla Tulip.

Hello friends! I've been praying about the true story that I am going to share with you today.

Throughout my story I've placed verses that I had written in my journal during this time.

My prayer is that the Lord's Words would be a blessing to you as they have been to me.

My husband is a football coach in Texas and I am a stay-at-home wife. As a coach's family it's a given that you will move alot.

Usually every three to four years.
We had been in our current town for five years.

In February we felt the Lord calling our family to move away from Dallas.
Away to a very VERY small town to coach at their highschool.

In March I had our third child.

In April we moved our three small children (3, 2 and a newborn) and all our possessions.

Our old home was located in the middle of a suburb of Dallas.
Everything I needed or could possibly want was only a five minute (max) drive from our home.

We had a wonderful church home and great friends there.

Our new home was located in the woods.

So much in the woods that 80% of the time you look out the window you see deer.

We're 10 minutes from a town.
20 minutes from anywhere to buy groceries.

Our home is so surrounded by trees that our cell phones at the time didn't pick up coverage.

We couldn't even get normal television stations.

And we had to search long and hard for an internet provider that could cover us out here.

We settled into our new home.

And then my husband went back to work.

Here I was in the middle of the woods with my three small children.
Very much alone.
And very lonely.

More lonely than I've ever felt in my entire life.

I would go days without talking to an adult except for my husband when he came home.
Not out of choice...but because we had no cell service and no internet.

If the world were ending I would have had no clue...
I was in my little isolation bubble in the woods :)

I cried every day for a long time.
I constantly questioned the Lord as to why He had brought our family here.

I was miserable and lonely.

I laugh now but I told my husband I felt like the Lord had placed me in a prison of trees.
I mean seriously... who says that? :)

It was a miserable time.
But also a time of dependance on the Lord.
I have never craved Him more than in those desperately lonely moments.

I sought Him.
I needed Him.

There was nowhere else to turn.
What a sweet blessing He gave me.
To take me away from "the noise".

Away from the distractions.

And to place me in the middle of His beautiful creation.

And then He waited.
Waited for me to see be satisfied with just HIM.

Isaiah 43:20

"Because I provide water in the desert

and streams in the wasteland."

We went a whole month with no phone service or internet.

A month of just being quiet.
I kicked and fought the Lord the better part of that month.

While I was kicking and fighting I was also seeking.
Seeking out of desperation.

Psalm 63:

vs. 1, "My soul thirsts for You"

"Earnestly I seek You"

vs. 3, "Your steadfast love is better than life."

vs. 8 "my soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me."

Psalm 30:5

"Weeping may tarry for the night,

but JOY comes with the morning."

I found that the Lord has a funny sense of humor.
I would go for runs around our home.
Alot of crying and pleading to the Lord would happen on those runs.
I remember one evening in particular I was running, crying and quoting Scripture.

The particular verse that I was thinking on at the time was,

Psalm 42:1
"As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God."

As I was saying this verse over and over I happened to look to my left.
There was a little herd of deer running along side of me.
It very much felt like a Pocahontas moment :)

But the Lord brought laughter to me in that time of desperation and crying out.

He cares.
He cares about our loneliness and aching hearts.

The morning is finally coming.

Friends are being made.

We have phone and internet service;)

Am I still lonely at times?
Yes.

I'd be lying if I told you that I am no longer lonely anymore.

There are days when I do feel lonely and sad out in the woods :)

But I know that my Lord satisfies that loneliness.

If you too are lonely my prayer is that you would seek the Lord.
The One who satisfies.

Psalm 77:2

"In the day of the my trouble I seek the Lord;

in the night my hand is stretched out."

Psalm 56:9-11

"This I know, that God is for me.

In God, whose word I praise,

in the Lord, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I shall not be afraid."

a true story by Devan (and come on with those cute twins)

2012-01-11T03:00:00.000-08:00

The Beautiful Mess

At the end of October, my husband and I welcomed two sweet girls into this world. Two babies at the same time. Oh. My. Stars. After my heart exploded from joy and my mind wrapped around the fact that they were mine to keep, I started to reflect on the reality of the blessing they were. And I began to feel guilty. GUILTY.

Ever since finding out we were pregnant with twins the most common question we were asked was, 'Are they natural?' {To which I wanted to respond,'No, they're made from play dough.' But I didn't because that would be rude, right?} The short answer is 'no.' The long answer is the work of a few miracles and tremendous blessing. When I was 19 and diagnosed with PCOS, I was told to be ready for the fact that I may not be able to have children. So a few months after my husband and I got married (at the ripe old age of 27) we decided we better get started on trying. We didn't know if it would be a long journey through IVF/adoption or if our family would get started sooner than we thought. Either way, we were ready. My doctor put me on a fertility med called Clomid and, that first month, it worked like a charm. {She later asked if we were mad at her because it was twins. Umm. Heck. No.}

But this is where the guilt part starts. Shortly after the girls were born I had this feeling of doom. I'm not sure if it was due to a tiny hint of the baby blues or the guilt I was feeling at being so blessed or maybe a little of both. I was so happy and so many great things were happening in my life--surely, I felt, I was due for something bad. Because I was so undeserving of these two little girls. In fact, I was the least deserving person I knew. There are amazing women close to me that are trying to have a baby and month after month it doesn't happen. There are some struggling with miscarriages. Two different sets of twin boys born to friends had to spend weeks in the NICU and my girls were home with me after 4 days. {Sidenote: Three sets of twins born to teachers at my school in the last 3 years is kind of impressive. I'm convinced that little elementary school is built on some sort of fertile ground.} So many people ask, 'Why me?' in times of heartache. But I was asking, 'Why me?' in my season of joy. I was almost expecting something horrific to happen to balance it out. I was wearing my own insecurity and distrust of my Lord on my sleeve. And it was starting to tarnish my joy. When I wrote about the girls' birth story I ended it with this verse:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father  of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

The Beautiful Mess

I was focusing on that first part...where these two sweet blessings came from when really I should have focused more on the second part of that verse--WHO did they come from? And what is HIS character like? He is not shady, sneaky, or spiteful. He is trustworthy. And I can trust Him just as much in my joy as I can in my times of heartache. He doesn't change. In fact, He WANTS to bless me. And my joy and thankfulness in that time should overflow to His glory.

The Beautiful Mess

I am happy and JOYFUL and THANKFUL. But that doesn't change the heavy heart I have for my dear friends struggling with infertility, miscarriages, and scary NICU situations. And their heartache doesn't change the joy they have for me. There is room for both.

My life may be "too wonderful" for me to understand right now (but so is the God I serve...just read Genesis 18:14 and Psalm 139:6). Too good to be true. But it is true. And I know that there will be times of heartache as we grow as a family. But, more importantly, I know I can trust the Maker of these sweet babies because He is trustworthy. No matter what.

The Beautiful Mess

a genuine story by Jac.

2012-01-10T04:41:00.000-08:00

paper, but none of the beginnings seem right. It’s hard to jump into this in
the middle so I’ll take you back to a year and two days ago. That’s when
Grayson and I got to take our first ambulance ride and the day that the doctors
were sure would be Gray’s birthday.

Since the moment I had been put on bedrest, we had been
wondering when Gray would arrive. Medicine said he should have a March
birthday, but what was really going to happen?

On January 8^th, I went into labour - hard labour.
I was rushed to the best hospital in Canada for preemie babies, they threw
every doctor at us that we may encounter if Gray were to arrive and they were
sure that he would. They didn’t try and stop my labour. They believed that if
my body was fighting that much there must be a reason so they helped me rest
and hoped that my body would calm down and Gray would stay put.

A year ago today, the doctor who admitted us returned from
his day off walked into our room and exclaimed “You’re still pregnant?!?!” in
complete disbelief. Medicine had no idea how I could still be pregnant after
everything that I had been through. I spent close to 48 hours on a morphine
drip with some strong tranquilizers mixed in to see if that would relax my body
enough to keep G where he was. They administered every medication they could to
make sure he was strong and healthy, as strong and healthy as a baby can be at
29 weeks. But in the end they had no idea how I could still be pregnant and how
we weren’t standing in the NICU watching our preemie fight to survive.

What medicine struggles to understand is that God has
perfect timing. Brian and I have always stood on the belief that God’s perfect
timing will prevail in our lives. We may have plans, but God is the one who has
full control over every aspect of our life.

From the moment we found out we were pregnant we knew it was
God’s timing and not ours. As we started our journey through bedrest we stood
on that; we knew that however uncertain things were, God brought us this far in
our pregnancy and he would deliver Gray to us at the perfect time.

For the 48+ hours we spend in the L&D ICU, we knew God
had set angels around us. If it had been Grayson’s time to be born we knew he
would be strong and healthy and whole, but if not then we would make it
through.

Grayson held on for another 3 weeks. After a week in the
hospital, they let me go home to bed, strict bedrest, not getting up for
anything but the washroom. When I went into labour for a second time 2 weeks
after getting home, we headed to the hospital again. 48 hours later they
thought they had my labour stopped again, but then my water broke and there was
no going back. God had perfect timing and although we had a few hiccups in the
NICU, Grayson was one of the healthiest babies the doctors and nurses had ever
seen for being born 8 weeks early.

There were days on our journey that I wondered; that I let
the darkness get to me. But in those 48 hours I let it all go, and just put my
trust in the Great Physician.

I challenge you to think today; are you trusting in God’s
perfect timing, or are you trying to dictate your own? If it’s the latter, I
hope that you’ll seek him and let go of the human desire for control. He will
bring you all that you need and more in his perfect timing.

Grayson the day he arrived.

a true story by Shannon

2012-01-09T07:43:00.000-08:00

Hello, and happy Monday. My name is Shannon from The Scribble Pad where I blog about life as a wife, mother, and daughter of Christ. Today I hope we can continue the dialogue about blogging being a genuine story. And along those lines, a struggle I have been facing recently.

The confidence check.

I began blogging in 2008 shortly after my husband and I moved to a new city. Like many first time bloggers I was unaware of the community that existed and was beyond clueless about the superblogs. Now a couple years later, most of my family reads my blog on a daily basis to see pictures of my son Behr.

But recently, I have had to give myself a confidence check.

Where does my confidence come from? blog followers, comments, site stats, page views, or "blates" (blogger dates)? Most of these terms were completely foreign to me when I started but sometimes they make my head spin.

I have been reminded recently, again and again, that my confidence will only come from God.

My dear friend, and fellow blogger, Julie sent me these words last week:

Keep writing for you and for your family and to share your heart and talents with whoever (and there are lots) is desiring to read. God is good:) lean on Him and like Jessi wrote the other day "write until He says stop"-- HIM! :) He's the one, girl, who has given you all that is uniquely you.

Love you friend:) chin UP! xo

And then at church, our New Testament reading was 1 John 2.28-3.3, but the first few words rang in my head.

"And now, little children abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence..."

After church, my husband and I recounted two completely different sermons, despite sitting right next to each other.

My blog is a record of the journey of my family. It is my hope and prayer that my story and experiences may help or inspire others. But I want to "write until He says stop." Not for anyone else. Because when I start to focus on comments or stats, the quality of my blog goes down and I begin to filter myself. Focusing on growing my blog decreases its quality and lessons the joy. When I put my confidence in Christ, I write from my heart. I am free to find joy in the journey of my family without concern for traffic or comments. And when I write from my heart, I often receive the best, and most sincere, feedback. It is when true blogger relationships begin to form.

So how about you? Are you able to write freely from your heart? Or do you struggle to remember where your confidence comes from?

psst. you can also find me over here:

blog | twitter | etsy

{{true story}} things I love.

2012-01-06T05:12:00.000-08:00

In keeping with the idea of blogging being a genuine story, I thought I'd do some genuine from-the-bottom-of-my-heart-advertising today and share with you some things I just genuinely love.

The ladies behind these products are all solid gold and I'm a fan of each of them!
They didn't ask me to do this or pay me to do this, I just want to tell you how much I love each of their businesses.

First up:
Every time I get dressed these days I have one VERY hard decision to make.
What infinity scarf/cowl do I wear?!?!?!

(from left to right)
A. This scarlet red cowl is from Whimsical Creations and I LOVE it. It is warm and the color sets off any, and I mean any outfit. n
B. This luxorious cable cowl from MelodyJoy is blowing my mind. Plus, she's the lovely lady who brought us the bird nest ring PLUS she's offering 20% off her shop using coupon code NAPTIME, plus there is talks of us giving away one of these lovely ladies on the blog soon!
C. This floral infinity scarf isn't in my friend Ksenija's shop YET but you can find some lovely baby shoes in there for now!

I should basically write a book called: I have lovely friends

who make things to go around my neck. Agreed?

I've ranted and raved about my friend, April, and how talented she is. Nick and I even bought each other her art for Christmas and we've decided that may be a yearly tradition as long as she's selling it. But now, she also has these amazing handmade journals in her shop that are blowing my mind. Everywhere I carry them, people freak out and want one. I cannot imagine a sweeter gift for a friend starting a new year than a fresh and lovely journal.

A friend told my about Alloit.com, which is a new online shop for natural baby & home products and I love the idea of the whole thing. The owner of the site, Tatiana, is a mom who just wanted some great products after having her baby and wanted to supply other women with the same great stuff. You can look on the website, or like their facebook page to find our special promos. They are SUPER easy to order from and the products are amazing.

Last, but not least, my super beautiful and talented pastor's wife friend, Michelle, wrote two books - one for girls and one for boys that are OUTSTANDING. If you've ever felt like parenting lacked a little bit of luster, these books are for you. They are full of songs, games, stories, poems, crafts, etc etc etc to do with each gender and for me, they've made mothering feel a little magical again - if just while we're reading them:).

You can get them on Amazon for an amazing deal!

Ok, that's my story and it's true.

Happy Friday!

until He says to stop.

2012-01-04T19:40:00.000-08:00

It’s a new year and I like to hit refresh on my purposes for everything. We all have too much on our hands sisters to do anything without purpose. So I might take the first few weeks of this year to share with ya’ll what I’m finding when I look for purpose.

1 Peter 3:4 says – But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.

Adorning is to make beautiful or attractive. But for us, it’s not about the beauty. The braiding of the hair or the house. Or the home tours. Or the cleaning schedules. Or the fashion Fridays. And surely those can’t be all wrong – but it can be wrong if we’re seeing them as the best part.

So what is to make us attractive or beautiful is… Well, wait. Back up again. It has to be all about Him. So why would we want anything to be beautiful? To bring Him glory. So that others see beauty in us and are pointed to Him.

So let the beauty be the hidden person of the heart. And how is it seen if it’s hidden. And is everything that is hidden worthy or worthwhile or beneficial or beautiful? My guess is no. Cause Oh Lord I’ve got some hidden things that are ugly. U gee el why.

So, here comes the WITH.

Let it be that with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.

One thing I know about gentle and quiet spirits is they aren’t born. Well, maybe they are in you. One was not born in this sinful flesh. But slowly. With restraint. With sweat. With tears. With biting my tongue and swallowing pride and crucifying flesh and putting on of the good things. There is one deep in there.

And it feels like my job, well – Christ in me, His job, to slough off and exfoliate this rough and bumpy, loud and entitled spirit.

And use what is left. The hidden pieces. In the quietest and gentlest way.

So here is what’s left:

To keep writing till He says stop.

To be hidden FIRST in my husband. To let my voice always be in submission to him and to Him. To be quiet long enough, that the Lord would loosen his tongue and when he’s said his peace and nodded gently to me – to speak. I have to say, this is freeing and made utterly joyful by the fact that He is good and while he is sinful, I can trust them both. He died for me and I know he daily is trying to.

To be hidden next in my family and my Family. To be inaccessible when a diaper needs changing, a book needs reading, a child needs disciple, a meal needs making, a sister needs prayer, a friend needs help, or a community needs the gospel.

And then to hide in Him. To have no fear of self or failure or confusion or double chins. Because I’m hidden in Him.

And then those pieces that He chooses for me to share, to wrap them in the fallible and fresh (and not yet complete) gentle & quiet skin and to share them. This should be the true story. The genuine story.

And maybe sometimes the story is light and about thrift shopping and maybe sometimes it’s dark and it’s about death, but it stays genuine. It isn’t “the whole truth and nothing but the truth”, it is a true story – filtered through the layers of redemptive hiding and told by gentle & quiet. But when it’s all said & done – I want to ask one question – Is it REALLY true? And by that I mean, does it really tell the gospel even it never uses the words, even though it will quite often.

And to mess up and start all over again, in grace and growing in wisdom.

Until He says to stop.

a genuine story

2012-01-04T03:00:00.000-08:00

the story behind this picture is yesterday at restime, we had a fire going and the kids were all bundled up and I felt like my heart was going to explode with gratefulness & praise.

I've had this idea in my head, as I'm praying about writing and blogging
and blogging and writing and praying.
A genuine story.
That's what I want to tell.
But you know what,
telling a genuine story and
keeping a guarded life have to have a meeting point, right?

the story behind this picture is that my husband looked so handsome in this hat, I asked if I could take his picture

So here is a beginning of a story.
We're leaving today on a road trip.
11.5 hours one way.
3 kids under five.
2 parents.
One big God.
Going to meet some sweet friends
and experience some Gospel Community.

the story behind this picture is I bought this chair for $14 at Goodwill and it brought lots o' joy.

And I'm gonna be praying about that.
A genuine story.

shop my closet, ya'll.

2012-01-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

So, it's 2012.
One of my goals from 2011 was to only buy thrifted clothing.
I'd say I was 98% successful, I'm pretty sure I bought a shirt on Black Friday - but it was 1am and I don't feel like I should be held accountable for that:)

The point was to spend WAY less and to find my style through thrifting.
That was most definitely accomplished! And I had a good time!
But now, it's 2012 and I've got a closet full of thrifted clothes and I'm ready to make room for the new! And by new, I mean old, because I have every intention to keep on thrifting.
And my need to clean is your gain!

Let's do a good old fashion SHOP MY CLOSET SALE.
Here's how it will work:

1. I took kinda ghetto pictures, so hopefully you'll excuse me from the get-go.
2. I'll tell you a few details about each piece, but know I only picked high quality stuff to sell, the rest went to goodwill!
3. I'll add on $5 for shipping for each item and will take all payments through paypal.
4. If you want an item, email me at jessi connolly at gmail and once you've paid your paypal invoice, I'll make the item as gone! I'll take email first come, first serve!
5. All sales are final, much like the goodwill:).

Let's get going!
Shop my closet!

First up! A size eight blue tiered skirt from Anthropologie.

Worn maybe twice, ever. Great condition! $8 SOLD

Embellished Bolero from Anthropologie. Size Medium.

Beautiful detailing. $10 SOLD

A really fun poofy blue cotton skirt from Anthropologie.

Size six. Can be worn high waisted (so cute). $8 SOLD

Super long & luxe blue plaid cotton scarf.

Gap. $4

Blue nautical skirt. Can be worn high waisted. Has cute buttons & pockets.

Talbots, size 10. $6

Super fun tiered forever21 top. Sequins on top, silky tiers on bottom.

Size small. $6 SOLD

Levi stretchy bootcut jeans.

Size 6. $6 SOLD

H&M leopard print dress. Ruched top & flowy bottom.

Size 12 - fits like a medium. $5

Urban Outfitters multi-colored scarf.

Super cute detailing $4. SOLD

Mustard paschmina. Beautiful! SOLD

Vintage Rangoni suede pumps. These are super nice & a GREAT little treasure.

Hunter green. sz 10 (fits like a 9) $6 SOLD

Salmon colored paschmina $4 SOLD

Teal knotted shoes with cork base. Sz 8ish, I think?

Not labeled. $8 SOLD

Walmart Skinny Jeans! Never worn! SOLD

I call these: the best skinny jeans ever invented. I just bought the wrong size and walmart has a janky return policy. I have them one size up and LOVE them.

size 7, dark wash, $5

Ok! That's all of it!

Email as soon as possible!

jessi connolly at gmail dot com

Once you've asked for something and paid via paypal (I'll invoice you),

I'll make it as GONE:).

Happy Shopping friends!

chosen!

2012-01-02T03:00:00.000-08:00

step 1: watch this short vlog, it explains everything

(except why I fidget so much. no one can explain that.)

step 2: read this little interview by my precious mama!

Did you watch that vlog? You were supposed to.
If not, here is the gist:
There is a wonderful women's conference in Charleston, SC in a few weeks.
And I want you to meet me there.
And here is my mama answering some questions about it.

1. Why a 2day Conference? Can't I get the same inspiration and insight from a weekend message or a podcast?
Last year I was blessed to attend 3 women's conferences. Each lasted 2-3 days with a variety of speakers. After each conference, I was amazed at how God had taken me to a new level spiritually (really a 1-2-3 punch) in a conference environment. Having time to approach Him with worship, hear great teachings, have fun with girlfriends and most importantly - time to process/respond to what He was telling me - was truly life changing. After the 3rd conference, we began to pray about how to make this same opportunity available at Seacoast.

2. Where did the name CHOSEN come from?
Well, Jessi, you should know...because you were there! And you were instrumental in bringing that Word to me from the Lord. Our Dream Team had met once and were each praying about a theme for this women's conference. We had literally 30 or so names on the table, but nothing that we felt the Lord had confirmed. You were there at our house one night, working on a new print for naptimediaries and showed it to me on your laptop. It was...

God had already pointed that verse out to me in 2 other ways that day, but suddenly....the version you were crafting had the word "Chosen" leaping off the page at me. I became emotional, and knew it was the Holy Spirit. Because in all of my experiences counseling, doing life groups and ministering to women, the one thing I feel that women need to hear OFTEN and CLEARLY, is how the Father has Chosen them. Almost every time I speak to a woman and tell her how the Father loves her, is pleased with her and has Chosen her, she gets tears in her eyes. We just don't hear it enough.

3. Who are the speakers? What are the details?
You can get all the details - schedule, cost, speakers - on the website at www.chosenwomensconference.com and can purchase your ticket right there. Lisa Bevere is our keynote speaker who is internationally known for her books "Fight Like a Girl" and "Lioness Arising". You can see a sneak preview of her here. Jo Saxton is a Director of 3dm Team and though from the UK originally, has amazing experiences here in the US with missional discipling. Helen Lee is the author of Missional Mom and brings another dimension of real-life missional living as a mother with small children.

(Jessi interjecting: I'm a huge fan of Lisa,

3dm, & Helen Lee. Huge.)

4. Why should I come?
Don’t miss this chance to give yourself a gift. A gift of time: Time just for you, with amazing women of God just like you. A gift of encouragement: Encouragement from scripture, songs and life stories. A gift of renewal and refreshing. Renewal of dreams that have been lost while doing life and a Refreshing of your spirit that comes when reminded that He has CHOSEN you. What better time for this than the beginning of a new year? Come alone, or grab a girlfriend and come together. It will be a time to play, laugh, sing, and be still. You will be reminded that you have been CHOSEN by the One who placed the stars in the galaxy and set the tides in motion.

So, who's in?
Can you meet me there?
Go check out the chosen website &
email me (jessi connolly at gmail) to make some plans:)

11 things from Grayson, by Jac

2011-12-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

Hi guys - so thankful to have a precious guest post from Jacqueline over at BabEblessings today! Enjoy it & her and have a great weekend!

Today Grayson is 11 months old! It’s hard to imagine that almost a year ago I was holding my little man for the very first time. Gray has taught me a lot in the last 11 months, so I thought I would share 11 things that I have learned from being his mom.
It’s okay to laugh at someone’s actions, but only if it’s your baby.

Grayson has decided that there is only one way to get from crawling to sitting. He goes into a downward dog yoga position and then power squats his way to sitting. I wish I had video to show you but the only time I have is when he’s in the bath tub and that’s not something I want on the internet. He also does these crazy penguin arms as we call them. Whenever he gets excited or wants something he flails his arms up and down like a penguin trying to fly. It’s absolutely HILARIOUS! Now I know I shouldn’t laugh at my kid or he’ll get a complex, but seriously how can you not laugh at things like that. And sometimes those moments of laughter make my day, they can turn my mood around.

Laundry can wait; it’s time to play.

Brian and I are both very task focused. There are times when we can get into a groove and want to take on the world, or just the kitchen. Sometimes in those moments, playing with Grayson doesn’t seem productive; then I have to remember that being productive isn’t the most important thing these days. There are times when I need to stop whatever I’m doing and just play with Gray. Blogging, dishes, laundry, making dinner for Brian and I; it can all wait. Enjoying Grayson at 11 months will pass too soon and I don’t want to miss it.

Expecting a different result for the same action is human, and being disappointed that there wasn’t a change is human too.

I love watching Grayson play in his playpen, especially when he’s sitting there playing with his toysteering wheel. He’ll push the same button a million times expecting a different result and then look puzzled when the same thing happens over and over and over and over and over. And over. I realized I do the same thing. I expect a different result in the same situations and it doesn’t happen.

I don’t have control over all situations but I have control over my attitude and reactions.

I was once a control freak, okay I lied, I am still a bit of a control freak. I am a planner and if there isn’t a plan there needs to be one! However when you have a baby it’s a bit hard to be in control. They don’t really listen to reason, or listen at all. They are the neediest creatures EVER. But being a mom has thought be that even though I would prefer not to get up 5 times in the night to comfort my child, I can do it with a good attitude. I would prefer not to have to ever change a dirty diaper, but I can be thankful that I get to change dirty diapers because G’s bowel issues seem to have subsided. I can’t always control what’s going on around me, but I can take a moment and control my attitude and my reactions to things.

Sometimes you just need to hug it out.

There have been moments in the last little bit that G has misjudged his physical surroundings and ended up bonking his head or falling over and not being too happy about it. The only thing you can really do is to give him a big hug and dry his tears. When we were still in the NICU we had a day when we had no control over what was going on. We could just be spectators on the sidelines while the doctors worked and nurses carried out their orders. Those days all Brian and I could do was hug it out. All I really wanted was to bury my head in Brian’s chest and be held. It’s okay to have moments when all you really need is a hug, and it’s okay to just ask for a hug.

The simplest idea is usually the best

I think most parents will agree that a box is possibly the best toy you could give your child. Last week I gave Gray a box to play with along with his other toys. That Oreo box entertained him longer than any other toy he has. The simplest toy we could give him is the one that he loves. I think I need to apply that to my life. Sometimes I need to simplify things. I need to take all the complications and simplify it.

Don’t get so focused on the destination that you forget the journey.

Gray has become quite mobile now. He likes to tour the house, a lot. When he’s at the front door he’ll spot something in the living room and start moving down the hall, but he’ll get stuck in the kitchen or at the stairs and discover something new. For him it’s not about the destination, it’s about what he can discover. I think I’ve been living my life in ‘destination’ mode, and forgetting about the journey. First, it was just getting to the point when G would sleep through the night, and prayed and prayed for that, and I feel like I missed some of the moments those days because I was too focused on just sleeping. Now I’m making sure that I just stop and enjoy the moments.

A nap is an attitude changer.

We have a rule in this house: bad attitude means nap time. When G starts to get cranky or fussy for no reason other than just wanting to be cranky, we head up to bed and have a nap. It’s usually met with some crying in the crib for about 2 minutes, and then a good nap and a very very happy boy when he wakes up. It’s amazing how just a 20 minute nap can result in a totally different child. He’s the happiest baby when I walk in his room, greeting me with big smiles. Even for me lying down in bed for a few minute can make my outlook on the day so different. I need to remember that a nap is sometimes just what I need.

Finding the courage to stand is hard but worth it.

The other week Gray decided to stand up. He was playing on the ground and the next moment we looked over and there he is standing up on the edge of the dishwasher. HUGE deal for us. This is the first time he’s done that on his own, and the first time he’s stood up for more than about 20 seconds straight. Now he’s learning how to walk a bit. Brian’s working with him on trying. I can only imagine what it’s like to stand for the first time. Your whole world is on the ground, crawling and sitting and then you stand up and realize there is a whole new world out there. In the last few months I’ve had to stand up and accept some things. I had to accept that the baby blues weren’t going away, I was suffering from severe postpartum depression, and I had to get some help if I wanted to get better. I had to have courage to ask for help. But it’s worth it! There are starting to be more good days in between bad days.

3 am has a purpose, it’s for snuggles.

The first few weeks of Gray’s life I got to sleep through the night. Since he wasn’t allowed to nurse, and the nurses told me to skip my 3am pump, I was really spoiled. Once he was allowed to start nursing it was only every second or third feed, and they would let me sleep through the night and just nurse during the day. It was only when he was ready to nurse full time that I had to start getting up in the middle of the night, and then we were even more spoiled and the nurses would deliver Gray to our room for him to eat and then just bring him back to his room after. Those times we were both up and Brian would snuggle me while I snuggled G. When we got home we had G sleep in his own room, and the weekend after we got home my parents took us to pick out a rocker for Gray’s room so we could snuggle there. I didn’t love getting up at 3am, or 2am or 4am, anything between 10pm and 8am is a stretch for me, but when Gray would snuggle up to me after he finished nursing and fall asleep it made it all worth it. He’s sleeping through the night most of the time now, but those nights that he does wake up, I trudge out of bed knowing that I’ll get some of the best sleepy snuggles from Gray and that makes getting out of bed worth it.

Love is the most important choice I can make.

I was brought up in the camp that love is a choice. Love is an emotion, a strong one, but it is also a choice we make to honour others above ourselves. As a wife I choose to put Brian’s needs above my own every day, choosing to love him every day. And every day I choose to love Gray and put him above myself, not just because he’s a helpless babE. Choosing love, and choosing Brian and Gray and everyone before myself is the best choice I can make in a day.

I’m excited to see what Grayson will teach me in the next months and years.

(drumrolllllllllll)

2011-12-29T19:24:00.000-08:00

The winner of the Shabby Apple beautiful necklace is:

The wonderful & precious Lauren Schneringer!

Merry Belated Christmas from me & Shabby Apple:)

new prints & His good word.

2011-12-29T05:37:00.000-08:00

Do you ever make an outfit in the morning that feel so right and so good and then all of a sudden at noon, you realize maybe it doesn't fit as well as you thought or it just doesn't match like you thought it does? It's kind of a bummer right?

first corinthians fifteen ten

Sometimes blogging feels like that. It's not a book or a paper that you can edit and be done with. It's not a painting that you can finish. It's an ongoing work of representation. That changes & gets off track and gets ahead of you and blah, blah, blah. I'm not trying to be super existential about blogging :), just saying, sometimes it gets away from you and you have to sort of shake your head and ask the Lord, "what is it we were trying to do again?".

john sixteen twenty two

All that said, I want ya'll to know. It's not just a business benefit that I get to "advertise" about my business on this blog and it's not just a good gimmick that I make scripture prints.
I really love God's word. It is living and active and good and exciting and convicting and worth reading and memorizing and treasuring. Amen?

acts twenty twenty four

And I count it a serious joy to get to make art from it and sell it inexpensively so others can have it too. And every once in a while, I get caught up in a little rapture of making prints and I'm reminded all over again why I love this blog & shop so much. What a blessing to get to participate in this.

john one sixteen

And on that note,
I've added a few new prints to the shop and I'm adding even more today!
And in an attempt to keep the shop fresh, I've marked down TONS of prints to $6.
Once those sell, I won't sell those prints any more, just keep adding new ones!
I've scattered a few of the new ones throughout this post, but here are just a few of the ones that are half off!

AND because I want you guys to have new scripture all over your house as 2012 starts, just like I want to have scripture all over my house -
please, oh please use coupon code NEW YEAR for
30% everything when you check out.

I'm thankful for the blog world and for God's word that is living & active and moving in us today. I hope you guys have an amazing Thursday!

I do not believe in child labor.

2011-12-28T05:16:00.000-08:00

But they're just plain cute.
And I've got a few sponsor spots left for January
& it's sure to be a fun month.
So join us, ok?
email me at jessi connolly at gmail if you're interested!

a vision of color.

2011-12-27T03:00:00.000-08:00

*all the pictures in this post are of my big christmas present from my husband, a commissioned painting by April Knight, an incredibly talented worship artist. I will cherish this painting forever*

I just started to notice that I was thirsty.

I’d stand in worship, or sit in worship, or hear His word corporately somehow and just feel THIRSTY. I’d think, this shouldn’t feel SO refreshing. I mean, being with other believers, sharing in our worship of Him should always feel refreshing and life giving – but it was starting to feel foreignly refreshing. Like something I really needed often, was depriving myself of, and came in contact with suddenly – leaving me relieved and desperate for more.

So I took some inventory. What piece of this faith am I missing on a daily basis? Could I be in prayer more? Should I be in the Word more? With believers more? The answer is always yes, to all questions – but there was something else nagging and tugging at me. So I asked the Lord.

And here’s the picture He gave me. I’m not calling it a vision, that sounds far too official and potentially blasphemous – but just a picture to long for, hope for, pray for, work towards. The picture came again and again and again, always in worship, always when I was thirsty.

painting by this beauty

I’m sitting in the living room of our sweet fishing shack. The nickname that I’ve given to this house we’ve lived in for the last year. This house that is built brick by brick with God’s redemptive love and grace. Sometimes I lay on the couch in that living room and look at the walls and see the bricks and count them. Grace, rescue, mercy, love. Grace, rescue, mercy, love.

Anyhow, in the picture He gave, I’m sitting on my knees in the living room with blanket canvases surrounding me. Propped up against the hand-me-down sofas and the crayon stained walls. Everywhere. And it’s quiet, save for some light worship music. And I’ve got brushes and mounds of paint around me. And I know in an instant why this is a picture/vision/hopeful idea and not reality – because in our real life, there is never a quiet night with nothing to do. No laundry to fold, no design work to be done, no packages to process, no groups to meet with, no preschool crafts to assist in, no projects that need to be completed. So something must be new and refreshing and wonderfully blank, in that I am sitting, on a free night, surrounded by canvases.

let me make it clear. not my painting, this lady's.

But the picture keeps moving and with it, so do I.

As the music thumps and the melody grows, I’m up on my feet. Dancing and splattering paint and worshipping and letting Him create through my hands, in my home, for His glory. Joy and freedom and no fear and no competition and no need to produce. Just colors and beauty and His love making something beautiful. And letting me be a part of it, for no reason other than He LOVES me.

So the picture kept coming back. Until I had no choice but to pretend for a night. I had to absolutely trick my brain into believing there were no emails to answer, no orders to process, no laundry to fold, and no kitchen to deep clean. I went and bought myself some canvases and a few of the basic colors and some precious mint green paint brushes. And we put the kids to bed and made a magical playlist and I went to town.

What came forth wasn’t beautiful or professional – maybe not even nice to look at, but it was so amazing to just create without pressure. To ask the Lord to use my fingers and to lose myself for a few hours in colors and lines and shapes and thoughts about Him.

my fave christmas present. from Nick, via April.

And that picture has carried me on rough days since. Because I see how the Lord meant it for all things in my life. Can I be undignified in my love, worship, and desire for holiness in my marriage? In my mothering? In my pursuit to make disciples? Friendships? Could I have been thirsty for the space to believe in God giving me a colorful life? A life painted by the active and holy hands of His Spirit? Can I apply the picture of me absolutely being caught up in His Spirit and splattering love all over the canvases surrounding me to everything else, despite the life the waits beyond the living room?

I’m sure gonna try.

Because why be thirsty for more

when you know Living Water.

a Shabby Apple giveaway!

2011-12-26T03:00:00.000-08:00

Merry-day-after Christmas!

I hope you’re enjoying family and friends and fires and hearts warmed by Jesus! I wish I could give every Naptime Diaries reader ever a gift, but I’ll do the best I can and just link up with Shabby Apple for a wonderful jewelry giveaway!

I love everything about Shabby Apple. I love how their clothing is tastefully and well made, and it seems to fit the needs of women from their teenage years till they’re having teenagers of their own. And their jewelry is just beautiful and intricate and each piece tells such a sweet story.

And “the year of the ring” post got me thinking.

Us ladies/mamas/daughters/sisters/aunts/students/women can so often benefit from just a little precious trinket. And Shabby Apple agrees. So together we’re giving away this beautiful necklace. Because hopefully your loved ones tucked something under the tree that says “you are LOVED” but just in case, here is one more thing.

Here’s how you enter to win this Light as a Feather necklace!

1. To enter the giveaway, the only thing you MUST do is like Shabby Apple on facebook. Like them on facebook & then tell me the best present you gave/received this year! (Also please include your email address in this comment)

For additional entries, you can do the following.

One entry for each thing.

2. Follow Shabby Apple on twitter.

3. Follow yours truly on twitter.

4. Tweet/facebook about this giveaway saying something like this:

Come on over and enter to win a sweet post-Christmas gift from @shabbyapple and @naptimediaries! http://www.naptimediaries.com

Please leave a separate comment for each entry & leave your email address in at least one comment! The giveaway will run through Thursday at 5pm and I'll announce the winner on Friday!

I hope you all had the merriest of days celebrating Jesus.

I can't wait to talk all about it.

merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T03:00:00.000-08:00

From the Connollys to all of you:
we wish you a very, very, very, very Merry Christmas.
We pray that this day is not a great day because of family, because of gifts or treats, because of snow or the specialness of the season - but only because Jesus Christ is the gift of rescue from our Father that has redeemed this entire life.
He is worth celebrating.
So let's party, amen?
Merry Christmas!

Nick, Jessi, Elias, Glory, & Benjamin.

a letter to arrow

2011-12-23T07:54:00.000-08:00

Hey buddy!
It's crazy and silly here this morning.
There are christmas movies and your siblings are playing with yarn and making a house-wide spider web. I'm doing laundry & your Dad is running errands.

I can't think about Christmas without thinking about you. When we found out about you, your dad and I kept saying how fun Christmas would be. You'd either be here or you'd be about to be here. And how fun would that be.

But you! You're having the better Christmas!
I just know you're there.
I bet Christmas is even more beautiful there, more beautiful than we can imagine.
And truly it makes me smile so much to think of you there, fully there.
Fully there.

I sure miss you buddy. I wish you were here.
I wish I was either rubbing my hand over tight skin holding you or holding you in my arms with these crazies running around you.
I wish Glory was holding you and kissing you and Benja was seeing you.
I think Elias would have been the best friend you'd ever met.
I think he would have held onto you and never let go.
I wish you'd been at our party last night and I wish grandparents could have held you.

Yesterday, for the first time, Elias asked why I had four eggs in my nest ring and I haven't told them about you yet. Not because I don't love you or miss you something fierce, it just hasn't felt like the right time. But for the first time, I thought Christmas might be the best time. What if I could explain where you are and how you really know what a gift Jesus is, and what if the Lord used that to stir Ebugs sweet heart?

What if I really believed that you were this precious gift for a precious season, and in my wishing and in my grief, I could rejoice that you were there and we were here?
Then being able to express that, would be being able to express the whole hope and grace and goodness of Jesus and how He really is the best gift.

So I think I'll talk to Ebug about you this week.
But I hope you're having the best Christmas ever.
And I know you are.
And I miss you buddy!

Love, your mama.

something for everybody.

2011-12-22T04:51:00.000-08:00

Is anyone else buried in a pile of gifts still left to wrap?
Just us?
I have a love & hate relationship with Kraft paper.

Two quick things for you:
If you need a list minute gift card, I'm your girl.
I can either email your gift recipient or you with a printable gift card to wrap on up!
More details here.

And secondly,
I have a few sponsor spots left for January AND I released a new sponsor size plus some month bundle deals.
Here are the new details on that:

Ok, back to the kraft paper.
It's almost Christmas!
Woo-hoo!

meet Tiffany, she's Sassy!

2011-12-21T11:47:00.000-08:00

Well, hello Naptimers (hey I like it, I think it’s catchy!) I have to say I’m really excited and totally freaked out to be blogging today! I’m super excited because I love Jessi, her heart for this blog and everything she does! I’m even more excited because if you would have told me two years ago when we met and she was teaching others how to blog, that I would be writing anything I would have fainted, well thrown up and then promptly fainted, but I think your getting the picture.

Tell us about you & your family!

I’m just Tiffany, which can be a strange thing. Besides the normal stats: married since ‘08, mommy since ’10, pregnant due in march, I’m a stay at home mommy (literally stay at home, the joys of being a one car family), I have a little blog Mommy Sassy Pants, and an Etsy store The Sassy Shop, both of which my hubby basically named, for some reason I’m starting to think he thinks I’m sassy. I’m kind of a big transparent mess, I love to craft and never put things I’m working on away, I hate doing the laundry I mean really hate, I’m so pregnant I pee when I sneeze, My favorite thing to do is sit and watch Bones on Netflix with my hubby, I have a horrible co-dependent attachment to my Keurig, and I’m totally obsessed with my son. All wrapped up in a horrible fear that I’m doing it all wrong!

Our little family has been on a bumpy ride from the get go. Lots of stretching, a ton of faith, and more tears then I can count but I feel we’re finally hitting our stride. Which in our lives it means everything is about to get turned upside down, cause we roll like that. Oh! And I’m scared of turkeys, totally terrified. Maybe a little scattered brained too.

What led you to start a blog and open a shop?

I’ve blogged for years, actually started in high school when you could only change your font, for me it was a way to process things that were going on in life, something that no one ever read or really needed to read! Over the years my blog has changed a lot but one thing I always try to do is be transparent. The verse that has touched me the most is 2 Corinthians 1:4 He comforts us in all out troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are in trouble we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

I feel like when we are transparent with our lives we create real space for God to be seen, in not just the good but in the pain. Pain is actually what leads into why I opened a shop. In April my husband and I had our second miscarriage, yes second. I was devastated and honestly still processing daily, the hardest part was I had a D&E on a Friday and by Monday my husband had to go out of town for a week. There I was, with a year old trying to process why, crumbling at any moment with a sadness that is so hard to explain while still trying to put on a happy face and being Mommy by myself. Night time after the baby was in bed was the hardest; I would sit on the couch almost catatonic. One night I turned on worship music and just started painting, and painting, and painting. Pain would bubble up, pour out, and then joy would just fill up and then the process would just start over. By the end of the week I had so many paintings and an Etsy shop that had never been used so I put them up! From there, I moved into crocheted items after a wonderful friend gave me what I call a “creative smack down” about using the all the gifts I had been given, but we’ll save that for another post one day.

What are you so passionate about it keeps you up at night?

What keeps me up at night? There are two big things, adoption and others pain. The stories of others waiting for a child, a child waiting for a family, thousands of children will never have a mommy or a daddy, that’s what keeps me up. I would take every child, snuggle, make cookies, kiss boo-boos, and tuck in to bed if I could, but I can’t, so others in the process of adoption I want to support in every way that I can. It’s not just a financial process but such an emotional one. Being there for someone in the ups and downs of life is so important to all of us. How else do we build community, show God to each other to the world, if we are only around in the easy times.

What has surprised you most about this life?

How quickly life changes always surprise me. You can be traveling down a path that you think is right and suddenly you go left, you think that something is going to turn out one way and it’s drastically different, you feel a huge amount of stress or pain and God just shows up and it’s all new, all in a blink of an eye. Side note: isn’t if funny how we’re surprised when God shows up and does something? You would think that we wouldn’t be surprised anymore but every time I’m still taken back!

What are you most looking forward to in 2012?

Not being pregnant! Really I’m looking forward to watching my family grow. Not only with the birth of our second boy, but who God brings into our lives and makes our family. That makes me really excited!

......

thank you Tiffany for your precious post!

Also, Tiffany is offering us all 10% off using coupon code MERRYCHRISTMAS00!

Enjoy!

christmas grace for ya.

2011-12-20T03:00:00.000-08:00

Remember that time I was a designer of christmas cards.
Remember that time I custom designed my own card, had it professionally printed, and delivered in bulk to me before December 1st.
Remember that time it was December 20th and I still haven't sent them out.
Yep.

So if by any chance you haven't made a Christmas card,

I'll still design yours:)

the reason for our joy

2011-12-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

It's Monday.
This is a big week.
We have plenty of reasons to doubt, to fear, to be stressed.
I don't mean the general "we", I mean the very specific - WE.
The Connollys.

I was just thinking today - there are so many reasons to fear. to cry. to stress.
Our future is uncertain, we don't know the exact next step the Lord has for us.
We're tired and our kids are at a stage that zap every ounce of energy from our souls & bodies.
We've been dealing with serious family illness and minor family illness.
It's even been a tough month feeling like the "lady who can never get over her miscarriage" to quote my friend who struggles like I do.

But oh, we have a reason for joy.
And I don't mean the specific "we" only, I mean the general.
We all have this intense reason for joy in front of us.

And I hope that if you see me this week, a smile the size of Texas is plastered on my face.
Because Jesus Christ came to SAVE, came to RESCUE, came to COMFORT, came to LOVE us, to show us MERCY, to be our FRIEND, and REDEEMER.
He was born to die for the sins of the world, for us.

So it's time to smile.
And rejoice.
And celebrate.
We have a great reason.

Shannon. She's kind of adorable.

2011-12-18T03:00:00.000-08:00

If this post doesn't make you want to go to Shannon's house and make baklava with her, I don't know what will. She is PRECIOUS. I'm going to settle for reading her blog.

Hi! My name is Shannon from The Scribble Pad. I am thrilled to be here on Naptime Diaries. I am a wife and momma but first and formost, a daughter of Christ. I am so glad to be here sharing with you all, and hope to continue to see you all around blog-land and maybe even real life!

My Grandmothers

My grandmom was a florist and a gardener. As a little girl, I would sit in her shop and watch as she magically arranged flowers. We would wake up early on the weekend and ride to churches to decorate for weddings, me in the back of the van holding the buckets from tipping over. It is with my grandmother that I began to travel. She hosted all of the family parties. From her I gained my taste for all things savory, strong cheeses, the benefits of wine, and my appreciation of fresh seafood.

grandmom holding me, my son makes this very same face!

My Yia-yia taught me our family favorite recipes. To this day, I cannot bake a cake, but I can spend days making Greek pastries and feel her next to me as I pour the butter and roll the phyllo dough. I can make these by heart, feeling for the measurements but still insist on reading her scrawl, half in English, half in Greek, and measured in mug-fulls. As I dance around our apartment with Behr, it is because this is what Yia-yia did with us, we sang, and danced, and laughed.

Yia-yia when we were making baklava for my wedding.

And then another grandmother came into my life. My cousin’s grandmother. She asked me about books, taught me about letter writing, and gave me my first calligraphy pen when I was just in elementary school.

Fast forward 20+ years and here I am, doing calligraphy and coordinating weddings, sending 200+ Christmas cards each year, and opening my etsy shop of hand-stamped note cards, so you too can share the joy of letter writing with those you love. Even up until a few years ago, I never would have imagined how significantly all three of these women would have impacted my life.

As I have plunged into motherhood, I am reminded of my own mother. I cannot even begin to name the ways she has and continues to bless me and teach me. But what I am most grateful for is that she allowed these three strong women, my “grandmothers,” to come along side her and help.

She didn’t always agree with everything they said or did; I know this now. But she guarded me from any animosity. She let these women come into my life and mold and shape me.

It is not always easy to let others impact your children. I wrestle with this daily. But I am reminded by the incredible impact that others can have. And so I pray that our family is surrounded by the blessings that helped raise me.

Thanks so much for reading my story.

If you want to chat about this or other journeys of motherhood,

feel free to contact me

or drop me a question on formspring.

Thanks again for having me Jessi dear!

xo Shannon

introducing Annabelle

2011-12-17T04:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday before Christmas friends!

I hope your day is filled with lots of fun and family and joy about Jesus.

I am also so honored to introduce you to Annabelle.

She has one of my favorite shops on Etsy and a blog that you can't help but love.

Enjoy her!

..........

Hi fellow readers of Jessi's blog, I'm Annabelle and write over at hohumdiddly. Like many of us, I think, it started as a place to show grandparents and friends our little man, his rolls and dimples and various baby to now toddler-boy antics. But sometime last year, it became a place for me to think out and write out what God has been doing in my life and the life of my family. There is still a lot of my sweet boy's face shining about the blog, and I do think he is the best. But the focus has shifted. It has been a little scary giving voice to some years full of groaning and heart-work still going on; but I know that the Lord has pressed on me to share, mostly so I will sit down and do the work of looking at Him and not just busying myself with sweeping the lessons He has for me under that ever-famous rug. (and I like commas and semi-colons, apparently)

Anyway, there are a few things that get mentioned here and there throughout the blog. One of those, is my husband's health. Really, our journey with Epilepsy and Crohn's disease is too convoluted and bogged down with medical jargon to sum up in a blog post, but suffice it to say, God is in control and He is good and gracious to love us in our sadness and anger, confusion and joy.

And so, right now, this very day, I am learning to live. I am learning to be a human alive in Christ; which right now, means I am acutely aware of my sin but empowered to move in Christ. And one of those ways I am able to move is by reading His word. It is something that I neglected and even resented at times, but the Lord has given me a fresh, spring-like love for Him and His word. Yesterday, I was reading Psalm 84 and verse1-2 shot into me and lodged. "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."

And those 2 verses have so much in them! I can't possible unpack it all, but obviously the second verse feels like it was written just for me. Because the past years have been full of yearning and just getting through, but this week has felt like that too. This week, 3 year oldness has been grating on me, our recycling pile has sprouted hair and started talking back to me and the floor is covered in a beautiful array of crunched up goldfish and whatever we have been eating for dinner. And it has been driving me to the point of feeling a little more than just edgy. But I read those words, those life-giving words and at one point I am ashamed and in the next instant, or really in the same one, my heart is full to bursting with praise and thankfulness. Thankful that God, the Lord Almighty, Emmanuel, God with us knows me and understands. And thankful that He is so much bigger and stronger than busyness. Thankful that he gives me eyes to see Him, but also the practical knowledge of simply what to do next. And so, this morning as I sat on the couch and almost got overcome with our day and weekend plans, I remembered. Him. I cry out for the living God and He is here. In our apartment, on the couch, living in me! Halleluiah! Emmanuel!

best of; the wild anchor

2011-12-16T03:00:00.000-08:00

It sort of feels like if I was going to run a "best of" this blog, we should really call it "best of the not that great to begin with". So temper what I'm saying with the fact that I know that full well.

But for the next few weeks, I might occasionally post a "best of" with some of my favorite posts from the past few years. And here's one I've been mulling over.

From July of 2011, right before we set out for Boston, but ended up in South Carolina.

Do the math on that one:)

Enjoy.

............

the wild anchor

diary of a church planter's wife, volume 2.

I was going to write a whole post on how my friend asked me to basically speak to her in code about our upcoming move. Because it's so dependent on fundraising and ticket prices and finishing well here - we found that my baby wipe purchases would be a good indicator. Last week Nick told me, "don't buy baby wipes in bulk - we need to act like the Isrealites and be ready to go when the Lord says go". He was half kidding. This week, we already needed more wipes (because we didn't buy bulk and because Glory steals them and cleans the whole house with them) so we made the executive decision to buy wipes in bulk, because come on - even if we leave before we use them all, it will be good to have some in our luggage.

So, my point is - I could write a whole post about instability and the questions that loom at the very, very, infant stages of a church plant or I could write about the redemptive truth of Christ that is keeping me sane and even excited in the midst of it.

I've been praying that I'd be the anchor. This whole year, I've been asking the Lord to make me like the fruitful forest of Isaiah 32. A place of peace, quietness, righteousness, and trust - forever for my family. I'll tell you what - this afternoon after our hellish Target trip to get more wipes, I felt much more like a psycho forest wildfire. Anyhow, my request - or even, my quest, has been the same with this church planting... that I'd be a place of peace and calm grounding our family together through transition. I've asked the Lord countless times to anchor myself to Him so that I won't waver or freak out or puke or sweat or cry when I think about how much I love stability and logistics and schedules. And not just for this month or two - but for the whole of our lives. I'd like to be so anchored to him, that two years from now when "church planting" becomes real life, I will be ready for whatever comes. Standing strong and steady, holding our family together with prayer and love and homemade cookies - an anchor.

Now here's the flipside.

At church today, we heard a sermon that was so provoking & beautiful for our season, I could've just choked. One of our pastors was preaching on the feeding of the five thousand and how the disciples were failing the test of believing Jesus could do what He said He could. If He could raise the dead, forgive sins, and turn water into wine - couldn't he feed five thousand if need be? Why do we domesticate Him and manage Him and ask Him for only things that we ourselves could do? To partially give Him credit and pat ourselves on the back?

And the Holy Spirit was provoking me. Again, about this issue. You - future/semi-present church planter's wife? Have you domesticated Him and figured Him out with excel spreadsheets and back-up plans and ideas of keeping your home safe from the wild of ministering to His people? Have your squelched your husband's sense of adventure that is gospel-centered for the sake of practicality and have you gone to bed doubting after only a few days of fundraising?

Yes, I have.

As a mother, I've made Him safe. I've tried to figure out discipline and strategies and meal plans and organization. I've fretted over unclean kitchen floors and laundry that goes on for days. I've made my job my idol and I've made the disdain of my job my ultimate need for repentance. Rarely do I let the Lord ravage me with His grace and mercy at 5:30 am. Because there is yoga to do & sippy cups to get ready and a house to manage.

It's a delicate balance, right? To be a wild anchor. To love the call of supporting your husband in ministry (or an office job, or whatever) so much that you're willing to sacrifice your own career or desires to build a home for your family. Sadly, once you start to conquer that selfish monster that promises you could have done it all better - you have a new battle of idolizing your own transformation into Martha Stewart, with your charts and your sweeping and your muffins. But this call is not safe at all. Not for any of us, women. It's not a return to idyllic Americana that I crave or that we're running towards. We want to be shocked by what Jesus has done in our own hearts - in our homes - so much so that it bleeds out into the communities that we're in. We want to pray prayers so LARGE that there is no way we could receive credit. We want to plant churches in places where there are a million good reasons not to go - and one good reason to do it anyway. Him.

The crowds He wants to feed.

I want to go and be a wild anchor amongst His people.

truthcards: what EVERY family needs.

2011-12-15T03:00:00.000-08:00

Having sponsors on my blog is a huge blessing.
Having sponsors on my blog whose product I REALLY believe in is a blessing times a million.
Enter - Truthcards.

Jenna is a super precious friend that I met through my sister.
She loves Jesus, she is a fellow three under three mama, and her and her husband have started an amazing business in Truthcards. Truthcards are essentially really effective, really cute scripture memory cards for kids. Ours are ESSENTIAL in our home. We'd taught our kids some scripture, but being able to use truthcards has taken the idea of our kids hiding God's word in their hearts to a whole other level.
We are so thankful for Truthcards and I think you will be too!

I asked Jenna to answer a few questions, enjoy!

What led you guys to start selling Truthcards?
A little over two years ago, shortly after our second daughter was born, the Lord gave me some divine inspiration during a late night feeding. At the time, we were teaching our first daughter words and the Lord impressed upon me that, instead of just saying the sheep says ‘bahhh,’ we should say ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,’ using every opportunity to speak His Word over her. Then, He began to show me a series of verses that would go well along with pictures. Thus, the vision was born. I handmade a few sets for family a close friends for Christmas. At the time, the oldest child in our extended family was two and a half and he began to memorize verses like crazy. The word got out, people saw (and wanted) their own sets of cards and, after seeking Him for several months, I realized that the Lord wanted me to pursue the venture of creating a printed set of Truthcards.

Can you tell us a cool story of how you've seen Truthcards used?
One of my favorite things is hearing stories of how Truthcards are being used – in homes, hospitals, classrooms, cars, etc. There is just something so sweet about little mouths speaking the word of God! One story in particular comes to mind. A close friend had just found out that her grandmother had been hospitalized for major health issues. Her daughter came downstairs and wondered why her mommy was crying. Then she handed her a phone and said, “Mommy, just call upon the Lord in your distress and He will answer you.” The Word of the Lord spoken through her daughter instantly lifted her spirits.

What is YOUR favorite verse right now?
My favorite verse for encouragement right now is “I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:19) Going into a new year, our church always does a 21 day fast and I am believing that it is going to be a time for strongholds to be broken, people to be healed and life to be restored. For desperate situations, that verse speaks such hope. Even when it seems impossible, the Lord can always make a way.

and now through next Wednesday - you can get an amazing stocking stuffer deal on the Truthcards site! A set of truthcards at 10% off WITH priority shipping so you can get them in time for Christmas. I promise you, all families with kiddos that you know would LOVE this gift.

Thank you so much for the great deal, Jenna!

Enjoy ladies!

the year of the big ring.

2011-12-13T06:12:00.000-08:00

It all started with the big ring. Well, the big ring(s).
For Christmas last year, Nick gave me this honkin' big old red ring.
I loved it. But it felt too BIG for me.

Let me back up, a few years ago, I was a mama to three bebes. BABIES.
I had three in diapers, I had three at my feet, I had three in my arms - at all times.
I lost a lot of who I was or who I thought I was and now, looking back I'm so glad.
Sometimes you gotta burn down something that's rotten to build something new, right?

Anyhow, at best, with my style and looks, I could feel semi-put together.
There was no feeling sassy, feeling cute, feeling stylish.
I just wanted pants that fit (rarely had those) and no spit up on them (yeah right).
I didn't want the most beautiful home, I wanted a clean floor.
I didn't want a decorative tablescape, I wanted a clean high chair.
You get my drift.

And somewhere in all of that, in those span of years, I confessed to Nick that anything more than some simple earrings felt like I was drawing attention to a person that couldn't hold or deserve any attention. If I was having a particularly promising day, I might throw on some cuter flats or some hoops, but mostly my staple pearl earrings and tennis shoes did the job.

But then, the big honkin' red ring.
I knew what my husband was saying.
That I had his attention.
And I was worth his attention.
That Christ had made me a woman worth his attention.
And he liked looking at me.

And two days later, when celebrating with our extended family, I unwrapped a box from my mom and wouldn't you know a big massive gold ring sat perched in tissue paper. Tears burst from my eyes and I asked her over and over again, "this is for me?!" "this ring is for me?!" "you bought me this beautiful big ring?!". She laughed and smiled and teared up too. She said it was a cheap gold ring, but that yes, she'd bought it for me - intended it for me.

The big rings were like a gateway drug.
Next came cigarette pants, more than one pairs of heels in my closet. Cut off shorts with tights underneath them. Thrift shopping like no other. Scarfs used as headbands. Red lipstick. Red lipstick. More red lipstick. Ombre hair.

I don't really have anything to say to wrap this up neatly.
Just to say that a year ago the broken parts of my mind thought if I wore a red ring, I'd be drawing attention to the mess that was myself, my soul, my heart.
And now, I have five big old honkin' rings sitting in my jewelry box.
And I'd wear them all on the same day if I could.
I've tried. I can't hold Benja's hand and wear them all at once.

And I know, the lady who wears them is nothing special.
But the Savior within her is everything.
He's grace and truth and color and love and excitement and
He's everything special.
And He wrote 2011 to be the year of the Big Ring for me.

And for that, I could not be more grateful.

everything you ever needed to know.

2011-12-12T03:00:00.000-08:00

So, it's two weeks till Christmas.
I mean, really, a little LESS than two weeks till Christmas.
And if you're like me, you drink your first cup of coffee so fast you can't remember if you drank it. But really, if you're like me, you finished 83% of your Christmas shopping weeks ago.
And now you're panicking about the 17% percent left.

So I'm here for you.

When I was thinking about what I want in a gift in these last two crazy weeks - here are my requirements:
- something great.
- something wrapped.
- something inexpensive.

So I have a few GREAT things in the shop to show you:

loving this new adoption print. "My Own" available in boy & girl colors.

Get any print in the shop enlarged to an 11x14 or 11x17 poster!

Just a reminder that you can get any print framed for $25.00! You only pay $25, that covers print & frame.

Now, for wrapping.

I'm here for you.

This week only, free super special cute Christmas gift wrapping.

Just specify in the purchase notes if you'd like it gift wrapped & any note you'd like attached!

Now. I went and did. I made one more coupon code.

Now through Sunday night at 5pm EST use coupon code CHRISTMAS for 20% off

EVERYTHING in the shop! ENJOY!

And just a reminder: I'm taking custom orders through Friday at 5pm EST and all guaranteed shipped by Christmas orders through Sunday at 5pm EST! Order Christmas cards any time of day and I'll have them turned around in about 24 hours!

I'm thankful for ya'll.

Hope you knock that 17% out like no other today!

coffee date

2011-12-09T03:26:00.000-08:00

If you were here for coffee or tea this morning, here is something I'd like to talk about:

How do you keep your joy during Christmas?

If you're a mama, or a friend, or a wife.
Or just a responsible human being who realizes Christmas is not the best time of year to wallow in any sinful and selfish feelings of your own, how do you let your heart be joyful during the holidays?

This year, I can't help but think back to last year - when I was seriously struggling with depression over Christmas. I'm so pleased that my kiddos have fond memories (some of their first!) about last Christmas, but I can honestly say - I remember so little about it.
I know the Lord carried us through some dark days.

This year, we have so many hopeful and exciting things in our lives, and STILL it's such a battle to fight through the "it's-thursday-night-and-i'm-exhausted-and-i-really-need-to-do-laundry" to get into the most spectacular Tree decorating party ever. Amen?
Or is that just me?

And then, you add in the fact that our kids are FOUR, THREE, AND TWO and I have to remember that every memory we make in this seasons is going to involve slight whiffs of poop, a temper tantrum or two, and maybe a few tears.

But they're still really beautiful memories.
And they're still worth making. And He is still worth celebrating.

I've been thinking back on my own childhood memories a lot and thinking about my single mom making Christmas work every year. I'm sure there were financial stresses, loneliness, tiredness, and a million other problems - but I don't remember a single one. I truly, truly, truly loved our Christmases growing up.
Thank you Mama for pushing through.

And then there is the Santa conundrum! Whoa Nellie.
We don't even "do" Santa, and we've always felt really non-dramatic about it. Let the kids watch Santa movies and such, sort of ignoring the whole he-comes-down-the-chimney idea. Explaining that God gives us money and with that money, we sit it fit to buy our kids a few gifts to celebrate Jesus being born.
But at our kids school, they heard about Santa & his goodness, which led to a thirty minute conversation last night in which Elias insisted Santa was more exciting than Jesus.
Which was heart-breaking and understanding all at once.
And it took some grace to just move on and some prayer that He'd believe us one day.
That Jesus is a million cadrillion times better than Santa.

And speaking of Jesus, it's all about Him, right?
I feel like the Lord has given me special instructions this year about the joy thing.
Keep my eyes on Him.
Keep my eyes on Him.
Isaiah 45:22 - Look to me and you will be saved.
Keep my eyes on Him.

But let's talk -
what are you doing to fight for the joy?
What special coffee are you drinking at 4pm to get pumped for a night of advent activities?
Do you find yourselves saying, "Well, does Santa die on the cross for our sins?!" :)
I want to hear your heart, lady.
And you can pray that I'll be keeping my eyes on Him.

top five

2011-12-08T03:00:00.000-08:00

I'll cut to the chase.
The short story is - we used to live in Washington State. It was some of the best and hardest years of our lives. I made friends with a group of women so quickly and so wonderful that it felt miraculous and it turns out, it was.
I've missed them terribly for a year and a half.
I went back for a five day trip.
It was a huge blessing.
Now here are my top five things about that trip.
(in random order)

the yellow leaves on the black pavement took my breath away. So did running up this hill.

this is our old house in Bellevue. When I ran by the words "you've made all my desserts into gardens. you've made all my ashes into beauty" were in my ears. Yes, Lord. You have.

1. Running in Bellevue.
Before I even left for Washington, I was super excited about running around in the place I used to live. I love running when I'm out of town, I feel like it gives me such a different feel for a place. Running somewhere you don't currently live, and never ran in is like a double wonderful. I ran by a house we used to live in, down streets I used to push my kids on walks, and over the freeway that we drove up and down all the time. It was beautiful and redemptive and one of the best worship sessions I've had in years. Plus, Bellevue in December is one of the prettiest sites in the world in my opinion.

these babes & just a few of their babes. between all of us, we have thirteen blessed kiddos.

2. BABIES!
I had a few really new babies to meet. Babies of mamas who are like sisters to me. And plenty of babies who are now big kids to play with. I loved holding those babies and snuggling them. Bribing toddler girls to like me with lipstick. Playing cars with the boys and just watching their mamas love the mess out of them. And it was a blessing to my heart to talk to my ladies about our baby, Arrow, that we lost this summer. To talk about how pregnant I'd be or how sweet it was to send them all letters to tell them we were pregnant. They cried with me and smiled with me at our memories of him.

special thanks to Embassy Suites & the Holy Spirit for this night.

3. Mini Women's Retreat
One night of my trip, some of my closest friends and I all shared a hotel room and had a wonderful girl's night. The original plan was to have a night on the town, come back to the hotel and paint our nails and be girly. But wouldn't you know, we ordered thai food take-out, wore sweats, and opened our hearts to one another. And that felt just right. I highly suggest grabbing three or four ladies or eight and hitting up your nearest Embassy Suites for a night full of the gospel and veggie pad thai. And, well - tears. Of course our eyes were all basically swollen shut the next day.

4. Mars Hill.
I love that church something fierce & am so thankful for how God worked in our lives there.

praying for my family and I look out my plane window to see this. Our God is so big.

5. To rest up for my fight.
Through some talks and some prayer and some straight up Holy Spirit messing in my heart, my eyes were opened to some ways I've stopped fighting. Stopped fighting for righteousness, stopped fighting in prayer for my kids. I've grown tired and restless and when things in our life have seemed a little too hard, I've let myself get easily distracted. So this trip felt like the perfect span of time for the Lord to convict me, correct me, and give me the rest needed for the fight.
And I'm ready.
And excited.

Thanks for letting me share my trip faves.

and thank you Lord for such a wonderful trip.

win-ning

2011-12-07T03:00:00.000-08:00

Hi friends, I have so much I can't wait to share.
Stories about our trip, advent stuff we're gearing up for, changes going on in our family.
But tonight - I am DOG tired from that crazy redeye back from Seattle so I'll just say this:

If this was your comment, you're the winner of the November giveaway!
Email me at jessi connolly at gmail and I'll get you hooked up with all your goods!

Otherwise, everyone else: have a precious and wonderful Wednesday.
See ya'll soon!
Jess

coming home

2011-12-05T18:24:00.000-08:00

I'm coming home.
But goodness, it's been great.
Thank you Lord for trips & for coming home.
more soon:)

November giveaway!

2011-12-02T03:00:00.000-08:00

So, even if it is a couple of days into December,

it's never too late for a November GIVEAWAY

A few of my sponsors from last month have some

sweet things to bless one of you with!

Audrey from Courage & Curls is giving a sponsor spot to the winner!

Amanda from Royal Daughter Designs is giving everyone 20% off ALL of her blog design services with the coupon code NAPTIME20. Use it to snag a sweet premade designs, like her new one above called "Happy Day"! So fun!

Jen from Arizona Russums is also giving away a sponsor spot - the winner will receive a large ad space for a whole month!

Margaret from Rainy Day Colors is giving one lucky lady a ten pack of her adorable bunting flag stationary! And for EVERYONE she's giving free shipping on everything in her shop with the coupon code NAPTIMEROCKS. Plus, if you add "I came over from Naptime Diaries" to the notes box, she'll throw in a FREE Christmas gift tag set!

Jac from babEblessings has a sponsor spot to give the winner as well!

How to enter to win all of this goodness:

1. one entry for following Naptime Diaries

2. another entry for commenting below with the biggest blessing you experienced in November

3. one entry each time you tweet, facebook post, or blog about the giveaway

And remember to post a comment for each of the above things that you do :)

rachel's four reasons!

2011-12-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

Rachel's kiddos!

Hey friends! While I'm en route to Seattle, I wanted to take a quick second and tell you about my friend Rachel and her independent business through Norwex. Norwex is an environmentally conscious cleaning supply company and a few months ago Rachel asked me to try their products. I have to say, I'm in love.

The stack of stuff she sent me sat in a corner, and everytime I saw it, I remembered I needed to use it, but quickly forgot again. And then one day, I found myself without any clean cleaning rags and COMPLETELY out of laundry detergent. To my Norwex pile I went and I so AMAZED. The cleaning cloths are designed to be used with water and somehow, your house gets clean. I'm not even kidding. And the laundry detergent is wonderful and got even our coffee-and-poop-stained clothes (that's right, I said it) clean. I'm a huge fan.

I asked Rachel to answer a few questions about Norwex so we'd understand better!

How did you get introduced to Norwex?

they worked it was easy to empty out all those scary chemical from under my sink and never look back! After I started using the products I began researching the company and their vision, To improve quality of life by radically reducing the use of chemicals in personal care and cleaning, I knew this was a company that I could get excited to work for. The more I looked into the harm that chemicals could do to me and my family, the more excited I got

about selling Norwex to my friends and family!

With my husband is seminary full time and four very little children our budget and time is super tight so I had been looking for a stay at home mommy job that would be a good fit for us for a while but had not found anything. Until one day a family friend who professionally cleans houses was over at my home and told me that she had stopped using harsh chemical cleaners in all of her clients homes. She said that she had replaced her chemical cleaners with products from a company called Norwex and that she loved it so much she was thinking about selling the products too. The next time she came over she brought her amazing Norwex microfiber cloths and cleaned my french doors(that are always covered in fingerprints, snot, and slobber) with her cloth and water and it was beautifully clean. At that point I was sold! Once I started cleaning with these products and saw how awesome

What is your favorite product?

Oh, this is a really hard questions because I have been so super pleased with everything I use. The enviro cloth is the backbone of the company, it is what I use the most often, I use it to wipe all my surfaces and children in my home! This has replaced my lysol wipes, surface cleaners and paper towels! The microfiber is the best in the industry and proven to remove up to 99.9% of all germs and bacteria from the surface.

But the one product that has most revolutionized my cleaning has to be the Mop, I have always hated moping and it has literally made we like moping. I have had scary tendril mops, sponge mops, swiffer wet jets, swiffer pads and a steam mop in the past and this is the best clean I have ever gotten plus no chemicals on the floor!

I have to mention one more awesome product from our amazing body line, the body cloths, I use this to wash my face and body in the shower. I no longer us face cleanser or makeup remover. Just the cloth and water and the acne that I have always had on my back is gone!

If ladies are wanting to start out with just an initial product or two, what would you suggest? This is easy go customer specials on my website and get the holiday cleaning pack. This is the most bang for your buck. These three things(enviro cloth, polishing cloth and dusting mitt) can literally clean almost your whole home with only water. For more details on how to use these three products go to my blog and watch the videos. You will not be disappointed!

Thank you Rachel for introducing us to Norwex!
Check out Rachel's blog for more information.
And to see her cute four reasons:)

i'll see ya'll soon.

2011-12-01T05:04:00.000-08:00

I wonder if I’ll always ask this:

What was it about that year? That season that started with a handful of women and ended with a cluster of hearts knit together forever.

Do you always know when the Holy Spirit is moving? Do you always know when a big move is taking place? I’ve spent months and years of my life, hoping, anticipating that maybe just maybe something was on the move – but in this case, I didn’t feel anything special or tingly. Really, I felt the opposite of tingly, I felt dusty and grimy and stretched out like a wet wool sweater.

But when I look back on it, I can’t see that year in anything but the precious, holy glow of the lights strung in Marilee’s backyard. It all looks so holy. Not overly-righteous, but touched and set aside by Him. So covered in His blood. And you know where there is blood covering something, there is sin. There is pain. There are tears and breaking. And now, I’m just overly grateful for the tears and pain of that season.

I came to Seattle a straight up punk of a woman. I thought I knew everything, maybe not everything – but I thought I knew something. I thought I could minister to these pregnant women living in my house and run my tight ship of a family and be a blessing to this great big church that had been given a name by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I was in Washington maybe six days before I saw the mountain in front of us, hundreds of miles higher than the view of Mt. Ranier we could see from our front yard. A mountain made of self-reliance, self-acceptance, and just straight up selfishness.

What I found in Seattle was the gospel. The good news that though I had absolutely nothing together and never would, God – in His great love for me, had sent His son Jesus to die for ME. Not just for the 15 year old me who relented to a relationship with Him, but (maybe more so) the 22 year old me who found that she’d bitten off more than she could chew and was just realizing all the “lies” she was trying to slough off were truer than truer. Worse than true.

And so I spent my time in Washington doing very little ministering to anyone. I changed diapers and I ate turkey burgers, and I tried so hard to press my hands over the massive gaping whole in my heart, until finally I let myself just bleed out all on you ladies. At playdates, at starbucks, on your couches. I’m pretty sure I left few places on the Eastside void of my tears. And ya’ll cried with me and held my face when I was crazy and loved me tough and loved me tender. Most of all, you offered me nothing short of, and nothing more than, Jesus.

And today I’m flying back to you. And my little heart wants to beat out of my chest and I wonder – will it feel like it looked when I looked back on it? Will it feel glittery and pulsing and like when THAT one worship song gets played right when your heart needs it? Or will it feel like it did then? Normal days and normal girls and normal struggles?

Either way. I don’t care.

I’m on my way and I am praising Him for those seasons that look different than they feel and fruit we could never have imagined.

I’ll see you tonight girls.

I love you.

advent update

2011-11-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

It's Tuesday night and I'm late (for me) working and tweeting and planning and packing.
In 48 hours I'll be IN SEATTLE.
I have missed my sweet girl friends something fierce since moving and I am so thankful for this time to go back and visit with them.

But what do you know? That means I'll be away from my kiddos the first few days of advent.
Well. Bummer.
This is it!
Our favorite time of year!
And mama is skipping town for a few days?!

But I'm going to use it to my advantage, (I hope), with lots of Daddy-centric activities that will make the kiddos really excited for Advent and the season that is ahead.
And I thought as we go through the season, I'd share little bits and pieces of what we're up to, in the hopes that ya'll will share too!

- Today I am finally putting up our advent calendar. I put it up for Etsy pics and took it back down the same night. But now it goes up for good.
- Wednesday night before we get started, we'll have a quick family Bible time and refresh the kids on what Advent means. Nick is preparing one or two quick devotion times for us based off this material. Hm..... I smell a guest post.
- Thursday morning we'll kick off Advent with a bang by a Daddy/donut/before school trip! Now one thing we don't do, is we don't tell the kids what the Advent activity is before the actual day (if we can help it) and here is why: if I told Elias & Glory that their Dad was taking them for donuts before school - they'd be up at 3:45am. True story.
- Friday morning, we've bought special cards for the kids since I'll be away from them the whole day, Nick most of the day, and.... because these kids LOVE cards.
- Saturday is bake cookies with Daddy day. (reminder: buy more chocolate chips before I leave)
- Sunday is "take Daddy to Starbucks on the way to church" day.
Advent activities can be practical too, you know.
- Monday is a Christmas movie after dinner.
- and Tuesday, no matter if I'm dog tired from my red-eye, is
CHRISTMAS TREE DAY.
I cannot wait.

I want to share one more thing.
I don't blog about my kids a whole bunch, mostly for their protection, but also - because parenting is one of the biggest challenges in my life.
But this year has been so incredibly precious to see our kiddos wrap their minds around the gospel the best they can. To hear them talk about the concept of having Jesus give them new hearts and even to hear that they know they don't yet have those hearts.
And honestly, it makes the whole idea of Advent that much more special.
Not just to do a bunch of fun things to celebrate Christmas, but to take a few minutes out of each day to say to them again -
This Jesus is worth celebrating.
This Jesus is worth mixing it all up for.
This Jesus came for you. And for me.
And that's good news.

I hope that is shifting something in all of our hearts today.
Happy almost Advent friends!

full.

2011-11-28T03:00:00.000-08:00

I have about three pictures total from this past weekend.
And at least three pounds added to my body.
A million memories.

If I had to write a "favorite thanksgiving ever" essay today, it would be about 2011.
My heart is straight up full and I feel like praise to the Father is going to start leaking out my pores like glitter.

I'm gonna start a list and I'll share it with you.
We gotta lot to be thankful for.
............................

Guess what?

Today is cyber Monday and my Black Friday sale is STILL going on .

That means you get 30% off EVERYTHING in my shop.

Plus as a bonus, everyone who makes an order over $20 today gets entered into a raffle for 15 FREE PRINTS of your choice. Hello, your christmas shopping would be done.

Guess what else?

If you have a blog/shop/small business and would like to sponsor Naptime Diaries, I'm taking sponsors early this month since I'll be away from my computer on the first. Email me TODAY to reserve your spot and I'll put your ad up a few days early!

(jessi connolly at gmail dot com)