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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Gratitude in Action : The Gratitude List

I'm back today with my final installment of the Gratitude in Action series.
 A way I've been expressing my gratitude for almost 7 years now,
is through gratitude lists.

via 

My only rule is I can't list anything I've listed before.
That keeps me searching my life for things to be grateful for.
So even bad days, when I'm on a pity pot,
I have to search for new things to be grateful for.
And that makes my bad days...not so bad

Today is a good day,
so a gratitude list was easy...

  1. I'm grateful my first ever chocolate pie turned out!
  2. The Christmas decorations are out and the house is full of Holiday cheer.(stay tuned for pictures)
  3.  I had an evening of complete TV control last night while my husband was out of the house.
  4. Ivy hasn't had an accident in the house since I posted about it here.
  5. The ability to express myself here on this blog
That's it!
I hope you all have enjoyed this gratitude in action series.
I know it hasn't been the funniest, or coolest, or most interesting of all blog series.
But it did me good to write about it, if nothing else.

 xoxo - Bethany

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Trip Art

I hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving.
Mine was good...food, family, relaxing, online shopping...
A great weekend!

I realized over the weekend I never shared with you 
the art we bought on our trip.

We bough two small pastels.
One in Dubrovnik and one in Venice.

Here's the one from Dubronik.



We bought it without the frame and mat,
and Jason found a frame store going out of business and go it matted and framed for a really great deal.
I like what he picked out.
We have it in the downstairs bath and it really looks good with the shower curtain we already had in there.


I apologize for the poor pictures...there's hardly any natural light to be had - its so gray outside!
And the energy efficient light bulbs we have aren't exactly in place for the beautiful glow they cast.

And here's the Venice piece.





The artist also built and gold leafed the frame.
I'm don't really like the gold frame on the builder beige walls in the powder room,
but the wall color will change down the road.
With the right color, it will really pop.

Here's a close up.


Its of St Mark's Square, which was around the corner from our hotel.
*Sigh* I already want to go back.

Unfortunately, I'm headed off to work this afternoon and not Venice.
I'm pretty nervous because I'm giving a presentation I've never done before tonight.
Wish me luck!

xoxo- Bethany

 

 

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Gratitude in Action: Happy Thanksgiving!





Happy Thanksgiving!
Today, I'm continuing the Gratitude in Action Series 
 by bringing you 5 ways I am putting my gratitude into action today.
Here they are:

  1. We're driving to Arkansas today. Six hours one way, for one meal. We left at 6AM, and are turning around and driving back tomorrow. That's love (gratitude) in action people.
  2. I'm not going to complain the entire trip. This is a personal goal of sorts. When I am in the car for hours at a time, I tend to get cranky. But I am grateful for my husband and family! And I'm determined to show it.
  3. I'm taking a hostess gift. Jason's cousin, Amy and her husband Tommy, host Thanksgiving dinner EVERY year. With my Christmas Dinner looming, I'm more grateful than ever all I have to do is show up and eat!
  4. I'm picking up the phone and giving out the hugs. I plan of making some phone calls to people I am very grateful for, but don't have the pleasure of seeing today. And giving the ones I do, great big hugs! Sounds simple. But its the small things! (My mother in law is going to get an extra big hug, because she offered to let me raid her closets and borrow some of  her entertaining/ serving pieces for the Holidays.)
  5. Prayer. I'm going to use some of that 6 hours in the car to reflect of all I have to be grateful for and thank Him who has supplied it all!
I hope wherever you are and whoever you are with,
you're having a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

xoxo - Bethany

P.S. - I've very grateful for you, dear readers of this blog. Thank you for reading.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

How Ivy Sealed her Fate

 Lately, Ivy has had some...incontinence issues.
At first, she peed on the carpet. 
Her favorite pee spot is, in fact, the doorway to the Master bedroom.
I kind of chalked it up to the fact that it was a new house,
and she was marking her territory.
Don't get me wrong...I didn't like it,
but it wasn't the end of the world.
We just kept all the bedroom doors closed when we weren't home, 
along with a baby gate at the top of the stairs
so she couldn't get to any carpet.
Also, I started taking her outside more frequently.

Then, she peed on one of my couch pillows.
Forgive my pun, but boy, was I pissed!
And the very next day, she peed on the bed.
So I thought, she must be sick.



So we went to the vet.
They did a urine test.
They did blood work.
And after a couple hundred bucks, 
they said Ivy is the healthiest 12 year old dog they've seen.
Nothing wrong with her.

Then we went on our Mediterranean vacation
and we boarded Ivy.
When we got home,
she was getting up in the middle of the night 
and wandering the house.
To make sure she's not peeing on everything in sight,
I've been getting up with her.
Sometimes, it's up to 3 times a night!
Then one night, she peed in the bed again!

So I thought, surely she's sick, this cannot be behavioral.
So we went back vet.
We paid then a couple more hundred dollars and they did x-rays and another urinalysis.
No kidney stones.
No tumors.
Her bladder looks healthy.
Everything looks normal.
Which was like the worst news we could get.
So we just have a temperamental dog that gets mad when we leave?
Yes.

Then, one night we went to dinner a movie and while we were gone,
Ivy peed on our Turkey carpet.
This time, she pushed Jason over the edge.
I had been mad at her for a little while.
But now, he is finally mad!

So she's sealed her fate...

Now, unless we are home Ivy has to stay outside.
But the good news is we have a big fenced backyard and she has a doghouse.
 I still feel kind of bad about it, 
so I made her a no sew blanket.
Here she is, trying it out.

 
I hope she likes it.
For all I care, she can pee on it.
Next dog, we're crate training.

xoxo-Bethany



 
 

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Gratitude in Action: There's No Place Like Home


Today, I'm continuing my Gratitude in Action series
by keeping it simple.
One of the things I'm most grateful for in my life today,
is the ability to work part time, 
and not stay in job where I'm trapped in a cubicle and miserable.


I would much rather be at home a few days a week and
I'm only able to do that because of Jason.
He works twice as hard, so I don't have to.
And I appreciate it immensely.
 How do I put my gratitude into action?
Laundry.
Cooking.
Vacuuming
Dusting.
Mopping.
Cleaning Toilets.
You Get the idea... the housework.


 But most days, when I'm off work and home alone
and no one's watching, I would much rather
sit on the couch, read, drink coffee and be lazy.
Don't get me wrong. I do this...
but after a while, I get up
 and I try to be of service in some way to my husband.

 via

Because I know he is off working hard,
and I know I should be too.

xoxo - Bethany  



 

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Drinking it up!

This year, I  lost my mind and
volunteered to host Christmas dinner for our extended family.
Both Jason's side and mine;
so I'm expecting 12 adults and 5 kiddos.
I'm really getting excited about hosting and working out the anxiety I was feeling.



Along with getting excited, I'm starting to make lists and plan what I need to pull this off.
Luckily for me, my amazing Nana bought me 8 place settings of the Lenox Holiday China.
Along with what I already had, and a couple of additional plates I'm going to get,
I will have enough for the 12 adults.

But, I didn't know what drinkware I was going to use to serve iced tea or water in with dinner.
That is until, the heavens opened up and God smiled upon me at the dollar store last week.
 I was there to buy the Operation Christmas Child gifts,

 For a dollar a piece?! I'll take 12!!
Just like the iconic Reluctant Entertainer,
it really is the small things in life
that make me smile the widest,
like my dollar store drinking glasses.

xoxo - Bethany
 

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Gratitude in Action: Operation Christmas Child

Today, I'm continuing my Gratitude in Action series by blogging about a charity Jason and I have supported the past couple of years, Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child.
Operation Christmas Child gives children in impoverished countries an opportunity to learn about Christ while receiving a box of gifts they desperately need.



We went to the dollar store and bought toiletries, school supplies and small toys
and packed them in a plastic shoe box.
Next week we will drop it off at a local church,
and it will be delivered to a child next month.
You can even track your shoe box online to see where
it is delivered.

At this time of the year, its really easy for me to get caught up in what I want....
The children on the receiving end of these shoe boxes don't have a fraction
 of what your or I have.
When asked what they want, most of them say stuff like socks, soap and writing utensils.
It really puts things in perspective for me.
And reminds me of how much I have to be grateful for. 
That's why I'm giving back.
 
Click here to find more information if you would like to pack a shoe box for a child.
The national collection week is November 12-19th so you still have time!

xoxo - Bethany

Monday, November 5, 2012

God Provides


This weekend, I was in Memphis, staying with my brother and his family, while visiting friends, 
and taking care of business at "the vacation home".
No, not a fun, fancy-pants vacation home.
"Vacation Home" is our attempt at comic relief when talking about our house in
 Memphis we never could sell when we moved to Nashville.
After a deal fell through 2 days before closing, we paid 2 mortgages for 6 months.
Not fun. Or easy.
So we decided to rent it out to stop the financial bleeding.
And everything was all rosey for 12 whole months, 
until that renter moved out last month when the lease was up.
Then fear and panic set in again.
What if it is totally wrecked???
What if we can't find another renter??? 
What if we have to pay 2 mortgages all over again for months???
But, God provides what we need.


 It wasn't completely wrecked.
And we have a signed 12 month lease.
We're actually renting  the house to the lady Jason bought it from.
She never wanted to sell it, but was forced to due to her circumstances,
and has missed it.
Her kids even still refer to our house as home.
Her and her husband at the time, bought it in its original 1950s condition
and renovated it; so she has put alot of love into this house in the past.
She wants to buy it back from us, but is currently finishing her nursing degree.
So hopefully...in a year or two it will happen.
In the meantime, I am glad it is rented.
And I'm glad it is rented to someone who loves it and will take care of it. 
God has provided for our family.
God has provided for her family.


xoxo - Bethany



Thursday, November 1, 2012

Gratitude in Action

Because November is the Thanksgiving month,
I am doing a series on gratitude every Thursday in November.

Gratitude has changed for me over the years.
It used to be, I was grateful for all the"stuff" in my life,
and then as I matured, I became grateful for the people in my life.
Now, I have reached a point where I am grateful for all of the above, life in general,
and most importantly the undeserved  grace that has been given to me.

The way I show this gratitude has changed for me, as well.
It used to be, I simply said, "Thank you."
But now, I believe that gratitude should be shown,
instead of just spoken.
In other words, there should be action behind that gratitude.
A giving back, if you will.

This week, I voted.
Don't worry, I'm not about to get all preachy...
I'm not even going to tell you who I voted for.
That's not the point.
The point is that I took the action.


Because, I am grateful.
Grateful to live a country where I can vote.
Where I can say what I want to say.
And do what I want to do.
Where I am free.
God bless America.

Stay tuned for more gratitude in action posts,
every Thursday in November.

Thanks for reading!

xoxo - Bethany