Totally Random Thoughts

The holidays always make me think.

As I churn my millionth batch of cookie dough. As I wrap presents. As I write Christmas cards. I just think about stuff. About people. About the world. I'm a reflective person anyway. But around the holidays....around Christmas....I usually end up pondering life more than usual.

I'm also pretty scatterbrained around the holidays-so this post will be random. Here are a few of the things that have been on my mind lately. This may be long. Again, please excuse my scatterbrained-ness.....

Sometimes, when I'm buying Christmas presents....I get this nagging feeling that the money I'm spending on silly gifts for people that already have everything could do a lot of good for people that have nothing. The same goes for Christmas decorations and stuff. I'm not saying that giving gifts and decorating your house is wrong.  I have presents under my tree and lights on my house right now, too. But sometimes....I wonder.

You know how everyone talks about the "terrible twos"? I have discovered that age 3 is much more.....interesting. Yes. Ever since my son turned 3....I have turned over a few gray hairs. 


I miss my family. And I think about them all the time. I've been blessed with some wonderful kin-folk, y'all. All of which live 1200 miles away. They pray for me. They send me cards and notes. They call or text when something is going on in my life. And while I wish that I could spend time with them around the holidays....I'm just thankful I have them at all. They are a special bunch. 

Speaking of special...I have some pretty neat grandmothers. My MawMaw sends me nice cards from time to time. The most recent (that she sent a little while after I gave birth to my daughter) said this: "Dearest Kate, I'm sure you are feeling a little overwhelmed at times....but you gotta know it's perfectly normal and this too shall pass! What a special time in your life - one of your 'making memories moments'- although it can be tough, you are learning so much. Take care of those sweet angels, but also take good care of yourself." She even included a scripture verse. (2 Peter 1:3) And my other grandmother? She prayed with me on the phone the other night. And when MeeMaw prays....she pretty much brings the house down. I had been telling her about a certain issue that has been a weakness of mine for as long as I can remember and right in the middle of it this is what she said: (Please, read in a Texas accent.) "Well Kate....I'm gonna pray about that RIIIIGHT NOW, girl. Father God, I just pray in THE-NAME-OF-JESUS that you take this away from Kate. You don't want her to deal with this anymore. I pray in THE-NAME-OF-JESUS- that you not let it be a problem for her anymore TODAY and that you don't let it be a problem for her anymore TOMORROW...and that you take it. Please remind Kate that you are all powerful and that you have good intentions for her. And I pray that you protect her mind and her thoughts and her words........In the powerful name of JESUS. Amen. And girl, I will pray that for you everyday. I surely will." My MeeMaw is special. She can be crazy as a bat...but she is a gem :) A godly one at that.

 Last night, I delivered a tin of cookies to a sweet couple from my husband's hometown. They go to our church and have just showered us with kindness. As I was getting ready to leave... I happened to mention that I miss my family very much...and do you know what that sweet woman said to me? In the most sincerest voice I've ever heard, she said, " Well we can be your family." I told her that I would let them. It was pretty precious.


I've been thinking here lately how I should really get more involved with what direction our country is heading in. I've been thinking about how I will probably be held accountable for what I did and did not do to help protect the unborn and the oppressed.  I should do something. Maybe even a lot of somethings. I'll be praying about this.



I have a little girl now. Sometimes, I can't even believe it. Oh my goodness. She has been such a sweet little addition to our family. She smiles A LOT. She grabs things now (including my hair) and she puts everything in her mouth. She babbles and 'talks' all day long and she will chat with anything that has a face. For example, we were sitting in church the other day and I had her standing up on my legs - facing the preacher. My baby girl must have thought that he was preaching to her because she started preaching back...loudly. My husband had to take her out - not because she was crying or anything - but because she was trying to have a conversation with the preacher-man in the middle of church. Lord help me.


I could go on and on. My mind is full.


Tomorrow is Christmas, friends! I wish each and every one of you a blessed time - celebrating the birth of our Lord with your loved ones! Consider yourselves hugged....every last one of you :)

Lessons from my Little One

Isn't it amazing how God can use a 3 year old to teach you awesome and lovely things about Himself...and about your walk with him?

It's pretty neat...and very humbling. Indeed, the least among us are the greatest......

Last night, I tucked my boy in bed. I made sure he had his monkey, airplane pillow, footballs, and stuffed OSU mascot, Brutus. I knelt down beside his bed and prayed for him. I prayed that he would stay healthy, that he would sleep well, that he would be safe, that he would have a good week, and so on. Then, as usual, it was his turn. I always sit quietly, grinning, as I listen to my 3 year old talk to God:


"Tank you for Mama and Daddy. Tank you for my baby sister. Tank you for Lala and Papa. Tank you for Grandma and Grandpa. Tank you for my room and the walls. Tank you for my toys. Tank you for my door and the doorknob. Tank you for the corn (that we grew this past summer.) Tank you for Jesus. Amen.

His prayers are always like that. Sometimes he "tanks" God for the floor, his bathtub, and grass. He has even been known to "tank" God for the dirt. Yes, even dirt.

Precious.

But look at the difference between my prayers and his. My prayers consist of mainly requests. My son's prayers consist of mainly thanksgivings.

Ahem.
When my son talks to God.....the gratitude he shows his Maker is beautiful. It's real. There is no fluff. No fancy wording. No frills. Just a young heart that is thankful for what he has been given. And it blesses me. It humbles me. It teaches me.

So this week, as I prepare for Thanksgiving.... I'm making it a point to be thankful for the everyday things and people in my life. And..... I'm filling my prayers with a bit more praise. "Tanks" to my 3 year old :)

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. May you be blessed as you head into the holiday season!

Monday

Oh girls. I have been doing some darn good reading here lately. So good, in fact, that I just can't keep it all to myself!

Enjoy these powerful quotes and have a marvelous Monday, friends....

From More Than A Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa Terkeurst:

So I invite each of us into the possibility of seeing God. Not His actual physical form, but rather evidence of His activity. I want us to be women who lift our eyes up to God everyday and say, "Yes, God, there are some who seek you today! I understand it is possible to experience You; therefore, I want that more than anything else. I will seek to see You, hear You, know You, and follow hard after You in every part of my day." (p.173-174)

From Fearless by Max Lucado:

Become a worry-slapper. Treat frets like mosquitoes. Do you procrastinate when a bloodsucking bug lights on your skin? "I'll take care of it in a moment." Of course you don't! You give the critter the slap it deserves. Be equally decisive with anxiety. The moment a concern surfaces, deal with it. Don't dwell on it......Be a doer, not a stewer. (p.49)

From Grace Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel:

Fear-based parenting is the surest way to create intimidated kids. (p.13)

From Autumn in the Country by Gooseberry Patch:

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year. - Ralph Waldo Emerson (p. 24)

Unwrapped Tuesdays

Today....I'm gritting my teeth and trying my darnedest to celebrate beauty in the midst of all the chaos. I didn't come up with this little proclamation all on my own (If it were up to me,  I might be throwing a hissy fit instead.) I got the idea from Chatting at the Sky. For the first time ever I'm participating in Unwrapped Tuesdays.

An attitude of gratitude doesn't always come easy for me. It should. I've been blessed with awesome kids, a wonderful husband, and a pretty neat life. But somewhere in the messiness of things......the late nights, the early mornings, the runny noses, and botched batch of chocolate chip cookies I made last night - I lose my thankful spirit.

But for today...for a moment.....I'm gonna sit here and "unwrap" some things I CAN celebrate.....

*It's cold outside. I'm originally from Texas and I'm not real fond of frigid air. It is not my friend. But you know what? The sun is shining. There isn't a cloud in the sky. Just lots of blue-ness. The sun just makes me feel alive. And while it is cold out there....I'm gonna choose to celebrate the sun.


*My son woke up with a runny nose today and he has sneezed exactly 10 times already.  I counted. If you know me at all....you know that I'm not real good with illness - not even puny little colds.  But you know what? Every time I get something in the mail from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - my perspective on illness shifts a bit. All of a sudden - colds and viruses are absolutely nothing compared to what other babes are going through. And so today....as I wipe my son's nose a dozen times....I'm gonna choose to praise God for my boy's overall well-being. 

*We bought our current home a little over a year ago. After we moved in - we realized that it needed A LOT of work....much to my dismay. Right now, my kitchen is in the middle of a remodel. One of the walls is cut in half, I'm missing a cabinet, the back splash is gone, the sink leaks, the floors are not finished, and I could go on and on. But ya know what? The oven works. It's old...but it gets the job done. The almost 20 year old frig works..it's ugly but keeps things cold. And what's even better...is that I actually have food in my refrigerator. Compared to millions of people across the globe - that is a luxury.


So right now.....as my son sneezes for the 15th time....and as I bake crescents for tonight's dinner in my crazy kitchen.............the sun IS shining. And I'm thankful for that.

How about you? Any beauty in the midst of your messiness?

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 :)