Love Me Challenge #28

February 28, 2017February 28, 2017 / The WheatandTares

What have I learned in these 28 days of this Love Me Challenge?

1. Challenges can be fun.

2. Challenges can be challenging.

3. Sharing your heart in factual questions/answers about yourself can be both fun and challenging.

4. Sharing your heart by answering questions from someone else’s creation can draw out things you haven’t thought of in years, or even, never really put a lot of thought into until that moment.

5. Lots of people read these kinds of posts but not so many join in with you…But that’s ok! 😉💕 … and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all the “join ins,” as well as, the encouraging words. You guys are simply the BEST! 💗

Tuesday’s Treats #57

February 28, 2017February 28, 2017 / The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

McGuire’s Irish Pub

Location: Destin and Pensacola, FL

If you’re in the Destin or Pensacola areas, McGuire’s is definitely a bucket list adventure for lunch or dinner. The atmosphere is great, and the food is delicious. Until last December, we had always read about this on Trip Advisor, but we had yet to try it. Now, we can’t believe we never did! The staff is friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is very “Irish-esk,” and the food just as much. There are $1 bills posted all over the walls and ceilings, which I kind of think takes away from the deep wood appeal, but in true Irish flair, the $1 bills are said to bring you “good luck;” so, that’s their thing. 😉

TA reviews had mentioned the wonderful nachos, and they did not lie! Oh my goodness!! As you can see from the pic, these are piled high; however, you will have to order them to see that they really are piled high! These were shared amongst 5 adults, 2 teens and 2 younger kids, and we still had some left over. This was served with a side of sour cream, salsa, and they also brought out the most yummy warm, brown, honey bread as an appetizer. Oh. My! I could have filled up on these two items alone. They, also, have a “Senate Bean Soup” you can order for 18 cents, but beware, if you order it alone (without an entree), you’ll have to pay $18.00. Read the menu for more information. 😉

Our oldest loves root beer, and McGuire’s makes their own in-house brew. It is not like your average store bought brand. This was yummy, topped with its own “green cherry bomb.” Among our party of nine, we ordered the fish and chips, burgers, popcorn shrimp, steaks, and salads. Everything was great, but by far, the absolute best thing was the steak and baked potato. Oh my goodness, the steak was so tender, you could cut it with a dinner knife (not steak knife)! It was soooo delicious! My husband got this as his meal, and I had wished I’d gotten that instead of my burger. The baked potato with which it was served was cooked perfectly, just as if it had been timed exactly right to sit over a campfire till it arrived at perfection. I was really glad my husband was so full from the nachos, bean soup and bread; so, I could enjoy a few bites.

My burger, complete with bacon, smoked gouda cheese and lettuce, was huge and very tasty…too much to finish but very good. The fries were not too thin, not too thick and yummy. The sweet tea was perfectly Southern style, and the coffee was hot, but maybe not my first choice. Since, the Irish are well known for their “drink and be merry” moto for life, if you’re into ales and such, they’ve got plenty of those from which to choose, and they even have some homemade brews. I’m sorry, I’m not into All that; so, I could fill you in on that part. 😉 They’ve, also, got “The Grand Burger” which they serve with champagne, and a “Garbage Burger” with all that you could think of on top, not really either of my choices in burgers, but hey, to each his own, I suppose.

Because we were all absolutely stuffed, we didn’t even think about dessert, but they do have a few. However, I can’t rightly remember what those might be. They’ve also got an Irish gift shop right next door, complete with all kinds of Irish gift items, as well as, a pizza shop and other Irish adorned shops along the little strip (*This is all at the Destin location).

Finally, it might seem very strange to include the “bathroom signs” on a restaurant review; however, I thought it important to warn you that when you are at McGuire’s, you need to be sure to read these signs very carefully. Otherwise, you might get quite a surprise…LOL! 😉 When I’m on the Gulf Coast, it is hard for me to bypass the great seafood for a different cuisine; however, McGuire’s is worth the trip, and we will definitely be going back! To check out their website for locations and menu items, click here.

Oh, and one last note, if you’re wondering about the tint of color on each of these pics, I did not have trouble with a camera filter, nor did my processing go wrong, this is the lighting within McGuire’s. So, be prepared when you walk inside, the lighting will seem a little “off,” but after a few minutes, your eyes will acclimate just fine. 😊

Love Me Challenge #27

February 28, 2017 / The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Oops! So sorry, I thought I had posted this.

What have I accepted about me through this LoveMe Challenge? I have definitely accepted that I’m unique. I’m quiet. I’m scarred. I’m doing some things right. I’m flawed. I have a past, and I have a future. I am loved, and I am an overcomer!

This has been fun! I hope you have enjoyed it, too. 😊

He Knows Your Name

February 27, 2017February 25, 2017 / The WheatandTares / 3 Comments

Some people struggle with remembering names and faces of people whom they meet. Some people never forget a face, while others never forget a name. Personally, I work hard to remember both.

You see, I work extra hard to remember a person’s name, not because I’ve got some “great gift,” but rather, because I know what it means to my heart when someone remembers mine. I have a very difficult name to remember, especially my full name, and so, often, people might mispronounce it or just ignore it all together. In school, so many made fun of my name that, when I entered college, I just decided to go by a nickname. Those scars of being made fun of, eventually healed, but they caused me to realize how precious a name can be to someone.
I have not mastered this goal of remembering names, but I can say, I work hard on it. When someone asked me the other day if I remembered their name, my mind went absolutely blank! My eyes went to the “deer in the headlights” mode, I broke out in a cold sweat, and I couldn’t have remembered the person’s name to save my life!

I could remember the last name. I could remember the spouse’s name. I could even see the spouse’s FB page in my head, but that first name just wasn’t going to break through the mental blank my mind had created! Ugh! What a terrible moment! I wanted to cry…yes, literally, I wanted to crawl away and cry. Remembering someone’s name means that much to me.

Later on, this moment caused me come to a wonderful revelation. One that I know very well; however, in those hard moments of life, sometimes, my heart will try to deceive me to believe I don’t know this truth: Jesus knows my name!

He not only knows my name, but He knows every intricate little part of me. He knows the number of hairs on my head. He knows my likes, my dislikes, my hopes, my fears, my doubts and my dreams. He knows every time I’ve cried, every time I’ve laughed. He knows every sin I’ve committed and every aspiration I hope to have. He knows my name, and He loves me!!

You know else, He knows yours, too! He knew you before you were even born. He knew what you were going to look like and where you’d be right now. He knew what your life would be like, and He knew what your name would be even before you received it. He loves you so much, and He longs for you to know Him. I encourage you today, give Him a chance. I promise you, He will not disappoint.

Love Me Challenge #26

February 26, 2017 / The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

I have a bottle of J’Adore, given to me by my sweet love, and because it is costly, I don’t wear it very often. Yet, every time I do, I feel beautiful.

I have to say, it makes me feel beautiful not because of the particular smell and not because it costs so much. It makes me feel beautiful, because my husband and I had previously had a conversation about fragrances and how I’d like to know the kind he liked on me. So, that holiday season, he went off to the mall (keep in mind, he does not like to shop!!), wandered around the fragrance counters of a particular store, smelling all the different colognes and perfumes, and he finally came across this one.

He said it made him think of me. He had it wrapped and gave it to me at Christmas. Call me a sap, but it made me cry.❤ This is one of the many reasons I love him…he makes me feel beautiful every day!

Love Me Challenge #25

February 25, 2017February 21, 2017 / The WheatandTares

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Our boys make me laugh all the time. They are so fun and funny. They really keep my on my toes! 😊

Comedians make me laugh sometimes, too, but it definitely depends on their humor and the condition of their words. Honestly, if they’re gonna cuss every other word or be crude and perverted, I just don’t see the humor in that. However, Tim Hawkins, Jeff Foxworthy or Jeff Allen can crack me up anytime! 😂 I even like some vintage humor like The Carol Burnett Show with Tim Conway and I Love Lucy!

Hope you get a good laugh from these!
**Note: I do not own or possess any of these linked sites/videos. Simple google and link search to YouTube videos. If this has violated any copyrights or trademarks, please let me know, and I will gladly remove.**

Love Me Challenge #24

February 24, 2017February 19, 2017 / The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

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This might seem like a little of a repeat from #19, but there’s really no way I can answer differently. My God, my husband and our boys make me happier than anything in this world! My God has become my Refuge, my Strength, my Peace, my Friend and so, so much more! My husband has become my best friend, my love, my confidante, and the list could go on and on. Our boys just bring so much joy, adventure and laughter in to our lives, I couldn’t imagine life without them!! …any of them!!

I will have to say, another thing that makes me happy is great friends, especially lifelong or what I like to call “covenant” friends, because lifelong/covenant friends are hard to find. Covenant friendships don’t come into your life by chance nor are they birthed only from easy, fun-filled times together. Covenant friendships are birthed by choice and, often, through moments when you join arms and hearts and walk through the fires of life together. Life long friendships withstand the frivolous, the petty and even the physical miles that may grow over time. When you find one of these, hold onto them, cherish them and never let them go. Over the years, no matter the distance between you, you will be glad you did! 😉

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Man walking down road at sunset

Friday’s Friends #4

February 24, 2017May 26, 2017 / The WheatandTares

Today is Friday, and that means I have something special to share: A New Friday’s Friend! I do hope you are enjoying these each week, and I hope you are finding some new “friends” here within the blogosphere. 🙂

I’d like to share with you a blogger who has touched my heart with the story she shares. BeautyBeyondBones has an incredible testimony of how she has lived in the depths of despair and came out shining on the other side with hope. Her story inspires me and encourages me to look beyond the smile that someone has and really look into their eyes to see if their soul is truly full of hope.

I do hope you will go and visit her, and I hope you will find her story as encouraging as I have. I love that her latest decision has been to completely live by faith, to live it radically and for a greater cause than herself…this is truly beautiful!

Love Me Challenge #23

February 23, 2017February 19, 2017 / The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

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Some might say my best feature is my smile. My friends might say it’s my eyes. I’ve heard others say it might be my hair or my tall physique. My husband would say…well, he just left the room when I asked him; so, I guess, I won’t be getting his answer for this post. If you ask me, my first response would be, “I don’t know.” This is really a difficult one for me, because I don’t like looking at myself and trying to figure out these kinds of answers. I’d rather talk about you and brag on your best feature(s). That is much more fun!

Yet, if I could say what I’d like my best feature to be is not something you will see at first glance, and it might not even be something you’ll notice at our first meeting of one another. However, once you get to know me, you’ll see I have a quiet, gentle way about me, and I have a knack for noticing small details. Sometimes, this trait will make me excruciatingly slow and meticulous, but when I’m “on it,” it allows me to see things others might miss. It causes me to see a pain in someone’s eyes when all the room sees their smile. It creates within me an ability to connect with the quiet, the lonely and the fearful. It allows me to see past the facade and smokescreen that someone may be giving in order to see the inner need to just belong and be loved.

I may not always see those little details, and I may very well “miss it” from time to time; however, when I’m listening closely to His voice and being in tune with His direction, this small ability becomes a great big asset in the Father’s hands, to be used for His glory, not because I’m ‘all that’ but because HE is.

Breathe Again

February 23, 2017February 20, 2017 / The WheatandTares / 5 Comments

Life can feel like a heavy blanket resting on your chest, soaking up the rain, getting heavier and heavier. You can choose to get lost under the weight, dwindling down to nothing, expelling all the air from your lungs. You can close your eyes and simply allow the pain to wash you away in the storm.

Heartache and grief is bound to come to each one. If it hasn’t visited you, just hold on, your hour will come when reality slams through the door like a hurricane, and you wonder if the sun will ever shine again. Those days, the air can become so suffocating, as if your house is on fire, and you’re caught within the fumes and the smoke, grasping for one more chance to breathe again.

In that moment, in that lapse of time, you have to choose to breathe again, even when it is a struggle. Those are the minutes you will have to fight to survive. If it takes clawing your way out of that pit, then claw you must, but never give up.

Never lie down and give up the fight so easily. Never roll out the red carpet for death to seize your mind and your soul. Never let the reaper consume you with hopelessness and despair. He will try, and he will scream horrors upon horrors to make you see him. Don’t let him win.

There is Hope. There is a better way. Hope will bring light into the darkest night. Hope will return the song to the wind. Hope will chase away the clouds in due time, and Hope will help you to breathe again.

Just take one tiny breath. Take one tiny step forward, and whisper His name, “Jesus.” He will answer. He will give you breath to breathe…