Bob's

Sometimes, the leopard-loving, soul-searching, civilization-craving girl inside of me...just wants to scream. But then the crumb-catching, tot-toting, modest mother in me hushes her up.

Usually.

But not last night.

No Mam.

It's safe to say...I lost it a little yesterday. The kids and I have been having lots of "togetherness" lately. Which is wonderful....I LOVE staying home with my children and wouldn't trade it for anything. But after a while......

a Mama needs a moment.

So I had another Bob Evans night.

Whenever I need to get-away....that has to be the restaurant of choice. We live in a tiny town. It's either a bar or Bob's. My husband prefers for me to frequent the latter.

As I walked in...an elderly lady was giving me this strange look. Almost like she was scolding me. "Weird", I thought. But then I realized what it was. You see....my darling daughter is still drinking breast milk. And it had been a while since I pumped. (She wasn't a real enthusiastic breast feeder...so now I pump. I feel like Kate the Cow.) I can leave the house with a normal looking chest....and by the time I'm on my way back home I look like I have implants. It's crazy. So when I put my shirt on before I left - I was revealing nothing. But by the time I made it to Bob Evans.....I was revealing everything. Sorry lady....I'm a milk machine. I think I will put my V-neck shirts away for a while.

Other than that...the evening was blissful. U2 was playing over the speaker. I thought that was a bit peculiar for a Bob Evan's....its more of a bluegrass kinda place....but I was happy about it. I decided that God had them play U2 just for my listening enjoyment.

 I ordered a very healthy meal: grilled chicken, with garden veggies, and a baked potato. And....I ate the baked potato dry. I felt so disciplined. I even ordered water instead of sweet tea. That is almost a sin for a southern girl. But then......

Yeah. I ordered dessert. Apple pie. Not only did I order apple pie...I ordered it with ice cream and caramel sauce. Yes, I did. And after that....I ate the whole thing. And I'm here to tell you....it was worth it :)

After I scarfed down my dessert - I sat there and read for a while. It was so pleasant.

I went home with a rejuvenated brain, a full belly.....and VERY full boobs.

Thank you, Bob Evans. I'm sure it won't be long until you see me again. But next time...I think I might wear a turtle neck :)

Be Encouraged

Oh Friends :)

I have sooooo many things I'd like to blog about! Soooooo many! Things about the kids, book reviews, recipes, recent adventures.... But for tonight - I'm gonna leave you with some neat quotes I've come across lately. Enjoy, Sweet Ones. And have a wonderful week!

"Fear never wrote a symphony or poem, negotiated a peace treaty, or cured a disease. Fear never pulled a family out of poverty or a country out of bigotry. Fear never saved a marriage or a business. Courage did that. Faith did that. People who refused to consult or cower to their timidities did that. But fear itself? Fear herds us into a prison and slams the doors. 

Wouldn't it be great to walk out?" - from Fearless by Max Lucado (p.5)

"God, I want to see You.

 God, I want to hear You

 God, I want to know You.

 So that I can follow hard after You every day." 

- from Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa Terkeurst (p.26)

"No person, possession, profession, or position ever fills the cup of a wounded, empty heart." - from Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa Terkeurst (p.30)

"Sometimes more can be learned from the passages of Scripture we ignore than those we underline." - from Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn (p.9)

I'm There......Finally

And then there's Jesus.

Friends, since January 1st I've been reading through a Chronological Bible. This means that for the past 9 months - yes 9 MONTHS - I have been reading the Old Testament. Yep. I just now hit The New. And honestly, it took a toll on me.

For example, a couple of weeks ago my husband and I were having a conversation about some things that made us kinda sad - things like past sins and such. And these are the words that came out of my mouth:

"I feel like dressing in burlap and throwing ashes over my head." (Burlap and ashes are mentioned more than a few times in the OT.)


My husband looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Babe, have you read anything from the NEW Testament lately?........... Maybe you should."

(LOL. It was way funnier in person.)

Anyhow, I'm there. I've made it. There He is. Praise the Lord - Hallalujuah!!!! I'm in the New Testament...and so is Jesus.

While it was super difficult to read through the whole entire Old Testament writings - and while I didn't understand a lot of it - and while some of it made me mad and confused and bewildered - and while it made me want to dress in burlap and grab some ashes at times - I'm glad I did it. Why? Because it makes Jesus even bigger. It reminds me just how much we need Him. It makes Him even more refreshing. It makes His light even brighter. And it makes the cross just that much more amazing.

One of my favorite passages so far is John 1:51. In this verse, Jesus calls himself "the stairway between heaven and earth." Don't you just love that? After being in the Old Testament for sooooo long - I can't even begin to tell you how empowering it is to read the words of Jesus. I love how it's drawing me in.

So from now until the end of the year - I'll be in the New Testament - where The Savior is. 

Picture it this way : Remember in elementary school...when everyone would sit on the floor "Indian style" at the teacher's feet - as she read a story or taught a lesson? That's me. Over the next few months I'll be sitting at The Teacher's feet - soaking in every word. No burlap or ashes needed :)