You all know Charlie right? Cutest Beagle in all the land?

His cute furriness kills me. Everyday.

We adopted him from the shelter almost 4 years ago. And they called him Roscoe. Pffft.

I thank God that I didn't come upon him and his other little puppy brothers and sisters because I would have crumbled under the cuteness and become a crazy beagle dog lady and brought them all home. Whew!

He is a total mama's boy and we are nothing short of ridiculous when it comes to our dogs.

Those big fuzzy ears are heart melters. 

He is totally, 100% spoiled to the core.

He is our first "child".

He sleeps with us.

And drinks the rest of our coffee that he thinks we leave for him in our mugs every morning.

Basically, he's addicted.

But this is a blog post about Eugene. Our second child.

Hi Eugene!

He is happy all the time.

Always wagging his tail.

Always ready to eat.

Loves to play outside.

Content with chewing on a bone for hours (if it lasts that long!)

He is the perfect sidekick for Charlie.

His story with us, starts with Teddy.

You know, that farm boy I married?

Hi Teddy!

{Gosh he's cute.}

Ok, back to Eugene.

Sometime early last Spring, Teddy was reading the newspaper and saw that there was a "mess of hound dogs" at the shelter.

Darn those newspapers featuring cute puppies and what not.

So he decided that he needed a dog. Possibly a huntin' dog. 

A dog that would ride in the truck with him and go on adventures. 

Really a sidekick for Teddy.

(Charlie gets car sick and prefers to nap on the couch with a good bunky, i.e.. blank)

And we had long decided that Charlie really did need a friend because he was doing weird things. Like barking at the broom for no reason.

Or shredding up napkins and papers when he normally did not.

We thought he was lonely while we were at work and needed a pal.

Turns out we were right. (Thank God!)

We prayed and prayed about it.

I assure you, praying over your silly pets, is not silly at all.

God loves them too.

And yes, all dogs ARE going to heaven and don't try to tell me otherwise. I mean it.

Ok, where were we?

Right.

Eugene.

We were on our way to the shelter to pick out a hound dog.

But on our way we passed the local farm store and wouldn't you know that on this particularly sunny Saturday morning there was someone in an old farm truck giving away puppies.

Of course!

So we stopped.

And Teddy instantly fell in love with him.

Ol' Eugene.

When he was tiny he looked this.

He was so little, and fragile and too young for them to be giving him away from his mama.

He's a lab mix of sorts.

And he would fall asleep anywhere.

He would be playing, playing, playing and then zonk out!

Just like that!

He started capturing out hearts immediately. 

Although the puppy phase is not for the faint of heart.

We really, really lucked out with him.

Hardly any accidents in the house.

Nothing major eaten up.

He and Charlie got to adventuring right away……..in my ferns on the front porch!

Ha!

Eugene got cuter and cuter everyday.

And bigger.

It was like we watering and feeding one of those things that expand in the bathtub the longer it soaks.

Wow.

Here's a funny fact:

When we want our boys to come inside from the backyard, we stick our heads out the back door and whistle "Flava Flav". Do you know that sound? The old rap guy who always wears a huge clock around his neck?

Yeah, I know it's weird.

BUT, the dogs come running!

It's wonderful.

For awhile I secretly thought Eugene might only speak Spanish, but luckily we broke thru that language barrier. 

See? Bigger.

He loves to sniff my ears and kiss them.

I'm not sure what this means about me.

You cannot imagine how hard it is to get a picture with him not moving.

He is constantly on the move.

Here they are, tag teaming, slurping up coffee from Teddy's mug.

Busted!

And so that is the story of our Eugene.

And I'm holing true to the part about me sharing too many pics of our dogs.

Happy Monday!

Back Roads Are For Driving

Every once in awhile my man will have an errand and need to go for a little drive down a dirt road somewhere.

And every once in awhile, we just drive down a dirt road because we can :)

I never knew the significance or joy that could be had while driving down a dirt road with your hubby in his old pick up truck.

We sometimes grab a Sonic drink, hold hands and daydream about our life on the farm someday.

There truly is something so wonderful about it.

And don't let me misguide you, our Subaru Outback has made many a trip  down dirt roads too.

A couple of weeks ago after some snow we took such a ride.

I like to really soak in the environment and the scenery.

I never grow tired of seeing the barns and cows in the field. Something I didn't grow up seeing and can appreciate so much more now that I'm not so "citified". :)

Even on a gloomy day our countryside is beautiful.

 

Sometimes a person just needs to get out of their regular environment and into nature.

Something that doesn't always come natural to me, but a much needed break.

 

 

I recently read in my "Jesus Calling" devotional by Sarah Young this excerpt that is so perfect:

" You are feeling weighed down by a plethora or problems, both big and small. They seem to require more and more of your attention, but you must not give in to those demands. When the difficulties in your life feel as if they are closing in on you, break free by spending quality time with Me. you need to remember who I AM in all My Power and Glory. Then, humbly bring Me your paryer and petitions. Your problems will pale when you view them in the Light of My Presence. You can learn to be joyful in Me, your Savior, even in the midst of adverse circumstances. Rely on Me, your Strenth; I make your feet like the feet of a deer, enabling you to on the heights."

 

Habakkuk 3:17-19

" Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strengthy; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights."

 

In all of our circumstances, BIG and small, we MUST celebrate Him.

If you are spending only a small part of your day with Him, you will only get a small part of Him.

If you are devoting a BIG part of your day with Him, you will get a BIG part of Him.

 

Take time today to enjoy the small things, because each thing is a blessing, sometimes in disguise.

 

We recently got back from a trip to Texas that literally changed us.

We were so blessed to attend a conference called C3 in Dallas at Fellowship Church.

I will be blogging about that soon!

 

It's cold and icy here in our little corner of Arkansas today.

I hope you are warm and cozy wherever you are.

 

Have a great day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Friday to you!

Yesterday the hubby and I had a chance to sneak in a little Date Night! Woohoo!

We are trying to make our marriage a priority over everything else and really implementing things we learned on a marriage retreat weekend back in September called Romance Uncensored.

If you would like to read those posts again or for the first time, you can find them HERE , HERE and HERE  . 

We had such a good time just being together.

We ate at Long Horn Steak House. 

Now the hubby can grill us a mean steak, but we do like to eat out at places where they at least offer things we wouldn't usually make at home.

And shrimp doesn't usually make the grocery list at home because something about frozen shrimp from China, really doesn't set well with me.

However that beauty you see on the left side of the plate?

Let me introduce you to Steakhouse Mac-N-Cheese.

This ooey, gooey, smoked bacon, chives and cheesy goodness should be ILLEGAL ya'll!

I mean it was DELICIOUS!

And because we stuffed our pretty faces with spinach dip before our meal even came, I took some home for leftovers and enjoyed them at lunch today. 

Don't worry honey, I saved some for you too:)

Then we took a quick trip to Target, which is actually a HUGE treat because we don't live near one and I browsed the $1 isle for goodies I have seen you girls snag on IG. Yeah, they weren't in this $1 section. But it's all good. I still made it out with some cute things.

And then we came home to our little snickle fritz who has captured our hearts big time.

Snuggled up in hubby's recliner like he owns the place.

Thankful for unexpected date nights, enjoying this time with my hubby and ever so thankful for a God who loves us, no matter what.

Happy Friday and hoping you have a great weekend!

Great News @ The Jeter House

Hey everyone!

I have some Great, Big, Awesome news............

No, I'm not pregnant. (Sadly)

BUT- I do want to share with you that this Thursday, my hubby is coming home.

I know, you're thinking "ummmmmm, he comes home every Thursday?"

Of course you are right!

But this Thursday will be better than most Thursdays because he is coming home FOR GOOD!

This awesome, goofy, makes me laugh everyday, hard working, talented guy will be home with me from now on. 

In case you are just tuning in, the hubby has worked for the State of Arkansas as a surveyor for the highway department. This kept him on the road during the week, staying in hotels, eating out for every meal, driving hours and hours and missing us terribly!

This schedule is all we have ever known. It didn't make it any easier, just tolerable.

In case you haven't experienced it, being home alone during the week is for the birds. It's not for me anyways.

He and I have been praying long and hard  and really listening to God's direction on this matter.

And finally the time came for him to put in his two weeks notice.

We are taking a HUGE leap of faith here.

He will have work to do, maybe not a lot at first, but we have some savings and are believing in God to provide.

Let's be honest here, at times, if I let myself, it scares me to death that he is leaving this regular great paying job with awesome benefits and health insurance.

But when I come to my senses and know that God hasn't left us hanging EVER, I know that we will be just fine.

There will probably be a lot of oatmeal, beans and rice in our future (hopefully not all in the same meal- eww). 

But to have my best friend home with me every night, really living life together will be the JAM!

Because really, we don't know what that's like.

And so now he can share some of the household chores with me like cleaning the dust bunnies from the ceiling fan because he's taller and also getting the hair out of the bath tub drain

( because it makes me gag!).

Ps. He really does do chores with me, already. :)

Ahh, the joys of marriage:)

I really, really, REALLY can't tell you how excited I am that he will be coming home to me.

And if you think about us, will you pray?

Pray that we continue to pursue a life on fire for God.

Pray that we will have patience with each other when life gets tough.

Pray that we will make the right decisions about our future.

And this has really been weighing on my mind, but pray that we will be blessed with children someday. Whether thru adoption or biologically.

I really just want to thank you all for reading my blog and commenting, it means so much to me!

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Phillipians 4:19

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

Matthew 6:31-32

Romance Uncensored Part 3 and Some Random Good Stuff

Glory Hallelujah, it's Friday! Woooooo!

I could not be happier. I love the weekends. Like really love them.

It might have something to do with the fact that my awesome, amazing hubby is home with me on the weekends. Yeah, that's probably it:)

Anywho, this weekend is going to be great because I'm going to the Beth Moore live simulcast. I look forward to this every September.

Ever heard Beth Moore speak before? [ Please say yes!]

She is inspiring, her words and material are creative and she flat out rocks.

Google her, You Tube her, Facebook her- do whatever it takes to become familiar with her.

And clearly, she is in love with dogs. 

{Not all are hers by the way.} 

We're also having some friends over for dinner at some point and I'm going to crock pot it up. Either chili or a traditional Sunday Baptist Roast. You know, rump roast, potatoes, carrots- all in the same pot?

This was something we had more Sunday's than not growing up. And my mouth waters for that dish still to this day. My grandma made a mean pot roast in her day, let me tell you.

I think I'm going to mash my potatoes this go around, include a green bean casserole and the last of the corn on the cob. There might even be an apple pie thrown in-with homemade crust! Oh yeah!:)Makes me want to shout God Bless America!

I'm talking way too much about food and getting patriotic for no good reason and so we must move on to the next topic. 

I know you are dying to hear more about the Romance Uncensored subject. 

If you are just tuning in, you can find the last two posts here and here.

I have just a few more things to share.

The pastor brought up the importance of pleasing your spouse in many different areas. 

But one of the ways has really stuck with me and that was our appearance.

We dress up for work, get pretty for a coffee date with friends, pull out our best Sunday clothes for church- but how do we get ready and dress for our spouse?

I'm totally guilty of dressing comfy around the house. Yoga pants (which have never seen yoga by the way), hair pulled back, no make up and just a general laid back-ness.

Why do we do this?

We didn't do that while we were dating.

In fact if I remember correctly, my hair was always done, my clothes were always put together, I even painted my nails and threw on some lip gloss.

What happened?

Date your mate. Keep things fresh and alive.

I don't know about the guys, but for us girls a new shirt or blush or manicure can liven things up real quick.

And maybe there are some of you out there feeling like this talk doesn't apply to you?

I'm not saying you have to be someone you're not, or that you have to put on make up and dress nicely for your husband to love you.

He already loves you. But it's important to keep him in love with you.

Are you hearing me?

Your spouse is the most important earthly person you have a relationship with. Make them a priority.

Be your best you for him and most importantly for Him.

On a totally different page, some people see their marriage as something less than great. And some may see the marriage bed as something of fear or regret or hurt.

There are situations out there that are tearing apart marriages and it's going to take some time to work it out. Thru prayer and time, healing will come.

But just know that you are both worth it.

Saying I do until death do us part is no joke in the eyes of God. He takes that very seriously and so should you.

There are also marriages out there where one spouse is living for God and the other isn't.

The Bible tells us:

" Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives." 

1 Peter 1-2

"In other words, your natural instinct is to nag and coerce you husband into church or doing the right thing, to try and manipulate him towards God. It won't work ladies. Only God can change your husband heart, your words are more likely to hurt than help. Rather than trying to persuade your hubby, choose to live your life loving God which in turn will spill over to your husband and be shown thru love and respect for him. Your actions will communicate louder than your words ever could."

[ Abbreviated commentary from the True Identity Women's Bible- page 1731}

God brought you two together. And it takes work to maintain. How much more important are our marriages than the mundane things we spend countless hours on everyday? 

Your spouse is worth it.

And so are you. :)

I think that's all I have to share from our AWESOME experience at Romance Uncensored. 

If there is any leftover info, I will be sure to share.

And now for something totally random but I must share.

Chicken Enchiladas.

We love you!

Found this recipe over at the Red Barn Candle Company. You can find here it is Declicious x 100!

Happy Friday ya'll!

Romance Uncensored Part 2

I was super tempted to write something real eye catching for my Post Title today, like something, dare I say "naughty"? So that everyone would click on my blog link and read what God has to say about living out a Red Hot Marriage.

But I clearly chickened out and it's just us.

So let's get started ok?

On Monday I wrote about our awesome God filled weekend with our church's marriage retreat that was held in Branson, MO.

{I'm pasting the link, but apparently my laptop hasn't had enough coffee yet so you will have to paste the link into your own browser- sorry.}

http://faithfulcitymouse.blogspot.com/2012/09/hello-monday-part-1-of-romance.html

Most of these are just notes that I jotted down while our pastor was talking and not everything is verbatim. 

He talked about the importance of having sex with your spouse.

Keep in mind this was a MARRIAGE retreat. Not a I-live-with-my-boyfriend-girlfriend-retreat.

So even though saying SEX on my blog makes me a little "whoa", I'm trying to be a big girl and remember that God created Sex. {See, I said it again!}

And because it's of God, it's wonderful.

In fact they came up with one of those annomalies or accronyms (somebody correct me, I'm too lazy to google)

It goes like this:

SEX

Supernatural- God

Enjoyment- Having oneness with your spouse and therefore God.

X not X-rated, it's God created.

{I'm feeling better already! }

Other important factors are:

Reading the Bible together.

Praying together.

Talking together.

Noticing a trend yet?

When you invest in your marriage and your spouse you are creating the ticket for others to see God thru your marriage and therefore a way to the gospel.

Your friends are watching.

Your family is watching.

And you can bet your kids are watching.

How many of us act and talk and respond the way our parents did?

See what I mean?

It says in the Bible that there are only two times a man and woman should separate intimately.

When they are fasting, or when they are in times of prayer.

Don't deny each other the satisfaction or being together, even if you don't want to.

When you tell your spouse no/I have a headache/I don't feel like it/the dog just barfed/hit me up in the morning, it wounds their spirit.

And pretty soon all those no's turn into urges of self satisfaction or into the arms of another person.

It happens, we see it everywhere.

How do you make sure this doesn't happen?

Decide NOT to slide.

Keep reading God's word e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y.

Live by passionate convictions.

If you are intimate with God, you will be intimate with your spouse.

The pastor also talked about things Men and Women should do.

For the Men:

1. Pastor your home. He said this possibly more than anything else.

Lead and guide your wife and children. Pray with them, read God's word with them. Let them know they are safe and protected under your guiding hands and decisions.

Something like 80% of children will continue to go to church and live God fearing lives if they see both parents going to church. But if you take out the father, there is only a 20% chance.

2. Prioritize Christ in everything you do.

3. Date your mate. Treat your wife with value and let her know how much you appreciate her.

Criticizing or talking down to her will leave lasting impressions. 8 positives do not cover up 2 negatives. She still remembers 10 years ago when you told her she looks fat in those jeans. (Ouch!)

4.Keep God center.

5. Dare each other to try new stuff. Spice up date night, join a book club, take a cooking class, rent scooters and cruise around town, take a picnic to the lake, etc. And remember, a fun date night doesn't have to be expensive.

Now, 

For the Women:

1. Create a welcome home environment for your hubby. Let him know that you appreciate all he does to support the family.

2.Remember your role. You are a help meet. And keep in mind, it's easier to be the helper than it is the leader.

3.Respond to your hubby in a loving supportive way. Be his cheerleader, he needs that from you!

4.Respect him. Period.

5. Wives, submit to your husbands. Even if you don't feel like it. Even if you think his idea is whack, go along with it.

Long, long ago, when we were all wee littles, our mothers/teachers told us to treat others like we would want to be treated.

Are you doing that for your spouse?

Now this part is for parents.

Our pastor was mentioning that kids = sex killer.

They will cause serious barriers.

Don't let them sleep with you, they have their own bed!

Put your kids to bed when YOU are ready. Not them.

And tell your teenagers that if they aren't in bed by 9pm, they are going to see some FUNKY STUFF!

{ The conference room erupted in laughter when he said this. I'm still laughing!]

There was also a guest couple there named Ed and Lisa Young from Florida,who have written a book called Sexperiment. It's about connecting and uniting with your spouse for 7 days straight. 

[Google that too, my links are acting up.]

So we've covered a LOT of bases here.

I'm still marinating everything that was said during this conference and can't wait for next year.

Oh yes, we've already signed up! King size bed with a lakeside view:)[That's hotel wordage FYI.]

If you want to check out Brand New Church, here is the link. Again, copy and paste. 

http://brandnewchurch.com/ 

You can watch past messages and tune in live every Sunday to hear Pastor Shannon Odell bring the word.

Have any feedback?

What did you think of Romance Uncensored?

Is your church doing anything like this?

Hello Monday- Part 1 of Romance Uncensored

Good Morning Monday!

I'm ready to start this week and whatever it may bring!

I can just feel it in my bones that it's going to be a good one!

The hubby and I went away with our church to a marriage enrichment conference.

It was called Romance Uncensored and Sextember.

Yes, you read that right.

You might be thinking "say what now"?

Let me remind you it was with our church.

And they are Baptist based. :)

There was nothing X-Rated, it wasn't about tips or techniques, it was about the beauty of marriage and enjoying quality time with your spouse.

But let me also tell you this, not a lot of churches are talking about having a Red Hot marriage these days.

In fact if you are like me, I grew up in a home where stuff like that wasn't talked about. Like, at all.

If you are slightly blushing or a little embarassed, yeah, we were too at first.

In fact we were in a large conference room with almost 500 people.

But you want to know one of the most awesome parts about the weekend?

God showed up in a BIG way.

I mean He's always around, but He was REALLY there this weekend.

It's amazing what can happen when you open up to God's favor in your life and your marriage.

And as I bet you can imagine, we learned a LOT.

And I'm definitely going to share some of the notes I took over the weekend later this week.

It was life changing for our marriage.

And just in case you are wondering if our marriage is in trouble- it's not, at all.

Do we argue and get into fuzzy's (my hubby's made up word for "fights"), of course we do! We are strong willed, stubborn, human beings! 

A marriage doesn't have to be in trouble in order for you to go to a marriage conference.

It's so important to invest and maintain your marriage just like you would a vehicle- but it's actually about a gazillion times MORE important.

The reality is that you can't afford NOT to invest in your marriage. For real!

When your marriage is Bible based and both pairs of eyes are focused on God, you can truly become one and do powerful things for your family.

And I don't know about you, but I want people to see God in my marriage.

Right before the first session began, we were enjoying coffee on the deck near the pool and we could watch the big storm roll in over the mountains.

This was the view from our hotel room balcony the next morning. What an awesome, in your face reminder of God's awesome beauty.

Ok, so I'm not going to get too heavy on this post today, but I

 will be back later in the week to share more.

It's going to be good stuff!

And I can't wait to share it with you!:)