is a place to talk about the one thing that matters most in our lives: RELATIONSHIPS...with
God, family, & friends.
So, Grab your favorite 'cuppa' & sit a spell...read a bit, make a comment, feel free to share...
I'd love to chat!
I am not a morning person, but being on the beach to catch a beautiful Yellow sunrise over the water....that will often get me up early! (Though that will probably have to wait for the the next week when hubby AND I are on vacation with friends!)
I am craving Yellow sunshine & the warmth it brings! In 24 hours I head to FL for my first destination wedding...and I can't wait! For the wedding of course, but the extra days surrounding it, when I can sit in the sand & enjoy the Yellow sunshine...
Yellow sunshine on BOTH Florida coasts is the forecast the next 4 days...and I am hitting them both!
I plan to spend a whole lot of my time just like this...
soaking my toes in the waves, large doses of vitamin D for my body and a bottle of water nearby.
OH and all the fabulous fresh produce I can eat in 4 days. A new family beginning...with the hope of ending with a beautiful Yellow sunset over the Gulf for their special night!
Yellow sunshine is definitely coming my way & I am thrilled!
(just in case you missed it...this week's letter: Y!)
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This is a BLOG HOP!
And the spot is one on the Scrabble board! OR maybe Words With Friends is your word game of choice!
"X" is one of the harder letters to use (thus the reason it is worth 8 points!)
So, I thought I would help us expand our knowledge base a little bit...
There are 1185 legal Scrabble X-words! For the complete list: Click this link for X-words
Most of the 7 letter word list seems to be made up of plurals from the 4, 5 or 6 letter word lists. Best scoring X-word I found: ASPHYXY meaning asphyxiation, typically resulting in death. (25 pt minimum...played right could yield 75 pts!)
There are only 5 two-letter words on the list: ax, ex, ox, xi & xu. Xi: [zahy, sahy; Greek ksee] 1. the 14th letter of the Greek alphabet 2. the group of consonant sounds represented by this letter. (9 pt min.)
Xi written in Greek
Xu: [soo] an aluminum coin and monetary unit of Vietnam, the 100th part of a dong. (9 pts. OR 10 pts min. if you play WWF)
2 Xu-top center with a hole in it. I wonder what a 5 namxu is?
The three-letter word list increases greatly...to a whopping 36 words. Many by simply adding a letter to the two-letter word list options. Turning 'xi' into it's plural xis. Add a letter to 'ex' getting any of the following: dex, hex, kex, lex, rex, sex or vex. Add one to 'ox' and you create: box, cox, fox, gox, lox, oxo, oxy, pox, sox or vox. A letter added to 'ax' makes any of the following: axe, rax, sax, tax, wax OR
The BEST 3 letter word option ever: zax [zaks] a hatchetlike tool for cutting and punching nail holes in roofing slate. (19 pt min-highest possible 3 letter word in the game..placed correctly & oh boy...your score could soar!)
Zax in action
This leads to another great three-letter word: adz: [adz] a noun, an axelike tool, for dressing timbers roughly, with a curved chisellike steel head mounted at a right angle to the wooden handle. (13 pt min.)
Adz...with a homemade handle
Wishing you all well on your next round of Word games! What is your favorite word game?
Let's end with a fun video...about one of our words today. Well...sort of!
Zax...two stubborn characters-so stubborn they ended up with a Zax By-pass built right over top of them.
Can anyone remember the comedy tv show episode...I think it was Seinfeld where they talk about an adz? If so, and you find it could you post it in the comments...maybe it isn't Seinfeld!
I hope you enjoyed today's BLOG HOP and maybe learned a little something new along the way!
This post has been in the works for quite some time....Once I started the blog hop, I put this post on hold once again just waiting for this week to roll around! It is a compilation of many posts that came up on my FB newsfeed; my daily e-mail devotions on February 11, 2013. I share some of my ponderings as well (in blue).
"...only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs..."
That is really hard, but why is learning to filter our words is so important. That lil diddy we learned as kids "sticks & stones..." FALSE...FALSE...FALSE....our words can & do hurt-typically unintentionally too. Their hurts do hidden damage....if someone's words have hurt you, talk to them! They could be completely unaware that something came out unfiltered...or may have been misinterpreted through your filter. Open the door for apology & forgiveness today...
"Careless words can be costly. “A landmark study suggests friendships between women are special. They shape who we are and who we are yet to be. They soothe our troubles, fill the emotional gaps in our marriage, and help us remember who we really are.” So, why would we ever want to trade the beauty of all that friendship offers for just a few careless words?
The Bible says, “Don’t let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Oh how this challenges me to really think about the words I speak. My words should be helpful, considerate, and encouraging. My friendships are special and worthy of my very best words." ~ Lysa TerKeurst
From today's P31 radio show, "Everyday Life with Lysa & Renee" ~ a production of Proverbs 31 Ministries
Hmmmmm....same verse, similar message. I'd say God is speaking! Am I (Are we) listening? My Princess,
Remember, My love, your tongue has the power of life and death. Every day you will be faced with the opportunity to talk about others. I'm asking you to let Me take control of your conversations. When you are tempted to give in to gossip, pray. I'm the only One who can tame your tongue. I know how hard it is to think before you speak, but I will help you.
I want you to be careful who you listen to and what conversations you engage in. Socializing with the wrong people and getting involved with useless conversation or harmful hearsay can cost you friendships and your reputation. I am willing to listen to all that concerns you about others. So talk to Me first, and I will give you words of wisdom in how to build up others and glorify Me.
Love,
Your King who purifies your tongue
"Do Not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." ~Ephesians 4:29, NIV~
From His Princess by Sheri Rose Shepherd
I think all this may just find its way into a blog post soon....going to ponder it all today as I head to work! (and ponder it I did...and I have!)
Watch this video as you too ponder your words...it's heart wrenching when I think of the power MY TONGUE holds to either build people up or tear them down. I personally want to be in the business of building, a responder to those around me...not in demolition work, a reactor.
Speaking Blessings
by Sheri Rose Shepherd
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace. - Numbers 6:24-
There is nothing more beautiful than speaking a blessing over someone's life. We waste too much time looking for what we can get from others instead of what we can give to others. Today, try to speak a blessing over every person God places in your path and see if you yourself are not blessed by the end of this day! His blessings don't always come in the pretty package we think they should...so be aware, eyes open as you choose to speak blessings to others as to how God chooses to show you blessing in return.
God's Letter to You
I believe if The Lord was going to write you a personal letter about battles this life brings it may read like this....
My Beloved Daughter,
I do smile upon you and my graciousness is always with you. I love to give you my favour and bless you with my peace. You are precious in my site and I want the best for my girl.
Don't let anyone cause you to believe that I don't want to be close to you or bless you. I am a good Father and I find great joy when you receive all I want to give to you. I want you to open your heart to me today and I want you to look to receive goodness from me. As you receive, begin to look around you for those who need to know that I am a good God and pass along the blessing that I have given you.
Love, Your Heavenly Daddy
A Prayer for You
Dear God,
I pray that you would give your daughter the beautiful ability to receive all the good things that you want for her and as she receives I pray that you would give her the words to speak blessings over those she loves.
Treasure of Truth
The way that we speak to others reflects the way we see God. Check out this video from Sheri Rose Shepherd about Speaking Blessings. Sorry I couldn't insert the video for you. You have to click HERE
It's said that as a woman we speak upwards of 20K words a day & men up to 16K...How am I using my words each day? Am I using them to be a builder, a reponder? OR am I on a personal demolition crew, reacting? (think nuclear reactor type words vs a first responder to an accident scene type words)
Today...I choose to use my words to bless! I choose to live out James 3:9-12 "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water." Ouch...I am so glad God is not afraid to send me an "ouch" to remind me how much He wants me to truly live a life that loves Him...it starts with my thoughts, which become my words, because they then become an action, those actions become my destiny...my destiny becomes my legacy. I want a legacy that loves the Lord. -------- This is a BLOG HOP!
I'm not sure I am eligible for any blog related awards, but I have been "nominated" by my friend & fellow blogger, Lisa Betz (visit her blog HERE).
I"m very thankful that....
This award nomination is pure fun.
The Versatile Blogger Award simply requires that I share seven facts about myself. The seriousness or significance of said facts was not specified. So I decided to opt for silliness.
But first, the rules:
Show the award on your blog
Thank the person who nominated you.
Share 7 facts about yourself.
Nominate 5 blogs.
Link your nominee’s blogs and let them know.
Thank you Lisa Betz...my fearless writing friend! Your wit is always good for a giggle. It's thanks to you that I have blogged more consistently these past 6 months than I did in the 5 years prior! I do hope you enjoy reading it...here goes nothing!
---------------------------------------------------- 7 fun or fascinating facts about me....oh boy!
1. Right brained or left brained? What would you say I am? Most people are predominantly one or
the other, correct?
Well...in EVERY single test (okay maybe those online quizzes don't really count as tests) I've ever taken, I come out equally right & left brained. YUP...exactly 50%.
For those of you who know me well, you know that this information has set me free to be uniquely me!
I've never understood how I can visualize the big picture yet all the details too! OR make a logical decision while being such an emotional person! OR love the sequential nature of math while being super creative!
2. My maiden name was Suttle (pronounce just like "subtle") and to those of you who don't know me...I tend to be anything but...I am Sicilian afterall, and what red-blooded Italian do you know that is truly subtle by nature? Now...understand that I believe Sicilian's are even more intense than their mainland "cousins" ;)
3. I am destined to be a Princess. I am not only a King by marriage, but I am related to royalty as well. My family on my dad's side are direct descendants to Mary, Queen of Scots (also known as Mary Stuart)...a lineage that Henry VIII cut off from the throne for his illegitimate daughter, Elizabeth! Check out some details on her life HERE. Every see the movie King Ralph? That COULD be me....maybe, one day if the right storm hit! Watch the first 3 minutes to see what happened!
4. I was BatMAN for halloween.
Yes, you read that correctly, I forget what age I was but my mom said I insisted on being Batman. She asked if I meant Batwoman & I said NO! BatMAN! So, I was Batman once...homemade costume from my mom & all!
The old Adam West Batman episodes were some of mine & my brother's favorite moments growing up!
"Same Bat time....same Bat channel...nananananananana...Batman!"
Nothing quite like those old school...biff! pow! wham!
5. I am hooked on Once Upon A Time! I've always loved tv & movies...but have NEVER ever been hooked on a tv show like I am this one. I don't know what it is about the show...if it's the characters, the writers, the actors, the storylines...what I do know is that it is so different from anything I've seen on tv & it's fantastic! The twists & turns in the plots, the new characters...every season ends & I think there is no way they can continue another season. Yet, each season they come back and surprise me. Some surprises are better than others, but they do still surprise and that is hard to do these days on tv. If the trailer below intrigues you too...catch up on Hulu!
6. I am a night owl who does enjoy a good sunrise too! (Another right-brain/left-brain issue perhaps?) Sunrises are so beautiful & I have tried so hard to reprogram my body to prefer mornings over late nights...to no avail. So, I stay up late, work a fairly flexible job that allows me to start work at 10am or later and enjoy the occasional sunrise when I need to be up early! They truly are the best reason to wake up early...though I can't do it with too many late nights! LOL
7. I am a procrastinator. Always have been & probably always will be...but I always make my deadline! Pulled my share of late or all nighters over the years (see #6) I tend to procrastinate most with the mundane, everyday tasks of life...I don't know why, I just do. Sigh...this is not a favored trait of mine. Given the opportunity to give away one of my character traits it would be this one. (As I'm typing this, I SHOULD be finishing up my laundry & running the vacuum cleaner...I guess I better wrap this up quickly, cuz the bills just won't pay themselves!) I wonder if this relates to #5 as well...my love for a show based on fairy tales...maybe I just always believed little elves or fairies would come & magically complete all the things I despise...it hasn't worked yet. Perhaps if I clicked my slippers 3 times & said...my home needs help. my home needs help. Nope! Okay, back to the real world.............
May I just add that the whole point of these blog awards is to give readers a chance to discover new blogs, so please click the links above. And don’t forget other blog hop entries. Share the love
