Saturday, November 30, 2013

No Red Lips For This Girl.

Boys, yall keep scrolling 'cause I assure you, this post won't interest you. Purely girl talk ;) 

I've been on a hunt for red dye free blush and lipstick...I never wear either, because: 
A) 98% of the drugstore blushes & lipsticks have red dye in them, and sister is allergic to red dye. 
and B) I find that many girls & women who use blush and lipstick look too done up- I prefer a natural look.  

I've never had a desire to wear either blush or lipstick before, either. The little desire I once had was quickly squashed by the reality of a price tag- I just wasn't willing to spend truckloads of money on expensive brands that are red dye free- I'd rather spend it on books or mascara or say, rent. I am just find with my current makeup routine, thankyouverymuch.  

BUT. This year I'm singing in First Denton's Christmas Celebration instead of working behind the scenes, and we're required to have rosy lips and cheeks.  

So after eliminating pinterest suggestions, like DIY berry blush, etc- sister ain't sure that she could whip up her own stuff- I've been researching brands that don't use red dye, but also won't break my bank. I have been pleasantly surprised that red dye free makeup is a more common sought after product that I realized. I came across this article, by makeup artist Samantha Klein. WELL HELLO HELPFUL. 

I started moving through the list of brands she had provided, eliminating the blushes and lipsticks that did have red dye or were too expensive. I was getting a little discouraged when I came across Tarte- their blush doesn't have red dye and it wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg. BUT WAIT! (No this isn't an infomercial...) A few months ago, my sister had bought a sample TARTE blush & bronzer set. So I texted her to ask if she still had it... if you know my sister, you know that she is notorious for losing things, so my hopes weren't set too high. Get this- she still has it. SCORE!! 

Now for a lipstick. Wish me luck. 

with love, beth

Monday, November 25, 2013

Sharing My Library - Volume 3

"Your mercy is falling is falling is falling.
Mercy, it falls like a sweet spring rain.
Mercy is falling is falling all over me.

Hey-yo, I receive Your mercy. 
Hey-yo, I receive Your grace.
Hey-yo, I will dance forevermore."
-Mercy Is Falling

Last Sunday, my sweet pregnant friend Lauren sang Darlene Zschech's "Victor's Crown" in big church.  I've had it on repeat ever since. Ugh. Just love. (sidenote: Let it be known that Lauren can SING. Whew baby. Sometimes I get to sit next to her in choir and man, I wanna be just like her when I grow up)

Speaking of music, it's Christmas musical time of year, which means organized chaos is ensuing. Lots of glitter, lots of running to & fro, lots of papers everywhere, and lots of people asking questions every time we turn around. Serving Jesus is never dull- and I love it. I want to strangle people sometimes, but I love it. 

YALL. We got a cold front Thursday night...it was 75 degrees on Thursday and we woke up to 32 degrees and freezing rain on Friday. BRRRRRR. Thankful for kiddos to snuggle with and coffee pots that start themselves! 

Plus, all three kids were sick this week, so Kristen instigated a quarantine. All of us adults are still healthy so far... Knock on wood, I know. We've been doubling up on the Vitamin C and wheatgrass (cough cough my friend tblank's turning me into a wierdo). 

With the kiddos sick this week, that meant no nannying for me, which means Christmas present making, cleaning, writing, and watching movies. I saw A Cinderella Man (with Russell Crowe, Renee Zellwegger, and Paul Giamatti) for the first time this week. That movie went on the "Need To Buy" list. I will definitely watch it again. It's the story of boxer James Braddock, with romance and action, plus it's set in the 1920-1930s period, which yall know I love. (Sidenote: wives/girlfriends of boxers, I do not know how you do it- I can endure watching lots of things but seeing a man get hurt is something I doubt I'll ever be able to stomach without shuddering)

With more time to myself this last week, I found myself over an hour into my Jesus time the other day because of SheReadsTruth, just soaking in His Word and spending precious time with Him. If you're looking for a change in your quiet time, head to SheReadsTruth! I absolutely love this site. So many plans to chose from, and it doesn't just give you a passage- it "forces" you to open your Bible. 

And! Jesus was so grateful in His provision this week. He provided a check to be more than expected, as if to say, "See? I WILL keep the provision coming." He is GOOD yall, all day, everyday. 

xo, beth

Friday, November 22, 2013

ABC's of Thankfulness

Hello friends! 

Because my birthday is in November, it has always been (and always will be) followed by Thanksgiving. Two completely separate concepts- birthdays are spent celebrating one person's existence, while Thanksgiving is spent counting our blessings. 

Because the two fall in the same month for me, over the last few years I've tried to be intentional about not just being thankful at Thanksgiving. I try to be thankful all year round, frequently listing out the blessings that surround me. Sometimes I do that because I am just so overwhelmed at His awesomeness that I have to document it; other times I do it because I'm in a hard season and can't always see the awesomeness surrounding me. I write out my blessings to remind myself that He is still blessing me, He is still good, and my life is full of awesomeness.  

It was hard to learn to be thankful. I am still learning every day. It is not my first nature to be thankful; to have gratitude; to be grateful. But over time I am making it become my first nature. 

Thankful in the good. Thankful in the bad. Thankful in the messy. Thankful in provision. Thankful in tears. Thankful in laughter. Thankful in hurt- yeouch that one's hard. To be thankful in every little thing is not always easy.  

The common thing on Facebook right now is to post every day leading up to Thanksgiving, stating something you're grateful for. I am not on Facebook every single day, nor do I feel the urge to share something I'm thankful for with every Facebook friend I have. 

Awhile ago, I tweaked a thing my mom does. When she has to endure lengthy medical tests, she prays through the alphabet- she starts with a person who's name starts with an "A" and works her way down the line (I don't think she's ever met anyone with an "X" name). If she reaches "Z" and her tests aren't done, she starts at "A" again, different people this time. 

Instead of praying through the alphabet, I try to think of at least one thing I'm thankful for for each letter, from the simple, the silly, the material, the serious, the practical, the heartfelt. I've been trying to do this every month, but I've been slacking the last few, so why not start it up again in the month of thankfulness? 

Air conditioning. C'mon I live in Texas yall it gets hawt. 

B
Best friends~ Books~ Blankets

C
Coke & Coffee. Actually, caffeine. Two thumbs up. 

D
Dogs (the definition of unconditional love)

E
Education- the opportunity to continue learning, all our days

F
Fresh flowers~ Fellow believers~ Friendship

G
Giggling~ Gas for the car~ Groceries

H
Hugs~ Hope

I
Intentional living

J
Journals

K
Kindred spirits~ Kiddos 

L
Laughter~ Lamplight 

M
More Jesus, less me~ Music

N
Necklaces

O
One Tree Hill~ Oreos

P
Peanut Butter~ Passion~ Provision

Q
Quotes~ Quirks (b/c they make everyone unique)~ Quiet time

R
Role Models~ Raised hands, praising Jesus~ Rent paid for 

S
Sisters~ Salvation~ Sunshine 

T
Testimonies~ TexMex

U
Unexpected opportunities

V
Voicemails~ Verses

W
Worship music~ Writing~ White Choc Chip Pancakes

X
... Well I can tell you something I'm NOT thankful for- Xylophones. Marley would bang on hers all day if we'd let her. Oy. 

Y
Yarn (I'm a knitter. Grandma status over here)

Z
Zest


There's my ABC's of Thankfulness for the month of November! I challenged my 6th grade girls to do this, as well. What would you include in your ABC's of Thankfulness??

~Bethany 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The Year I'm Twenty



Hello lovely readers, 



I mentioned recently that after I made my List Of Nineteen, I made a list for The Year I'm Twenty. So far, I have thirteen items written down. 



I like giving myself goals. I like challenging myself, to an extent. We all know that my best will make me be more adventurous in life than I desire, but its always for my own good! Or so she says.. ;) BUT, this girl ain't bungee jumping, like SOME people. 



I have some fun goals on the list that I'll share with you as I do them, and maybe you'll be inspired to join in! 



The first one I'm conquering is #7- Send 20 cards/letters a month. I like words, and encouraging others with them is a gift of mine, so I want to put it to better use. I try to send a few cards a month anyways, so with this one I'll just have to be a little more disciplined. 



It's not like I don't have enough cute stationary.... Like yall, I pick up cheap stationary whenever I see it. It's a problem for my wallet. Or I diy it. Two thumbs up. 



~bethany


Monday, November 18, 2013

Sharing My Library - Volume 2



Hello lovelies! Did yall enjoy your weekend? I did! 

 




Today, sitting on my coffee table is Dee Henderson's newest book, Unspoken. I got it for $10 instead of $17. JACKPOT. Note to self: I've got to quit reading murder/kidnapping/etc stories before bed... 



We play a lot of country at the bakery I work at, so I've had several songs get stuck in my head. I find myself playing them on repeat... 

Mine Would Be You~Blake Shelton 


And have yall seen 42?! Jackie Robinson. Epic movie, based on history, with a love story and a hard-work-pays-off theme. 


xo, beth

Friday, November 15, 2013

november continues

Good morning friends! Here's a few more pictures from this month. 
Sidenote- I promise my bumped bangs look fine in person, but they don't look so good in pictures. We'll work on that. 


Janice (Left), myself, and Jordan (Right) at Eli Young Band House Party! We had a good time. We were jammin' to country music; how could you not have a good time?! 

Arrived home, where my best friend had let herself in. Like I said before, she was in town because her previous roomate/our gorgeous friend, Taylor, was singing on praise team for the first time! 




In honor of football season, First Denton had a staff vs. life group leader game & a picnic! Two of my 6th grade girls joined Rachel & I for the picnic. 


Yeah, that beauty on the left is the sweet thing I babysat for five years...and now she's in middle school. Why doesn't time have a tail so we can slow it down?
~bethany

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Super Woman VS. Abiding Woman


This wanna-be super woman needs to work on being an abiding woman. You know one of the things I love about Jesus? He is never through working on us and in us. We are a continual work in progress, which is why we are likened to clay in a potter's hands. 



Yall, we are not called to be perfect. Far from it. We are called to walk like Jesus- to do life to the best of our human ability like Jesus did. And that is something worth striving for. 




~beth

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Nineteen - Irreplaceable


Last week, I turned twenty right? Right. So I decided to write out a list of nineteen things that had made November 6th, 2012- November 5th, 2013 worth remembering. A list of nineteen things from the year I was nineteen.  

Jesus uses lists to blow my mind. 

I'm not going to share my full list on here, but I'd like to show you some recurring themes from the list. 

God Fulfills What He Promises You. He has never gone back on His word. What He says is TRUTH. He will get you where He wants you, where you need to be, when you are willing to trust Him to do so. 

God Answers Prayers. Even when He doesn't answer exactly how you wanted. AND THAT'S FOR YOUR OWN STINKIN' GOOD! 

God Is Faithful, in ALL Things. The big, the little; the mediocre  everyday; the out-of-the-ordinary; He is faithful in EVERY thing. 

A Few Close Friends Are Better Than Hundreds Of Superficial Relationships. 

When God Provides Opportunities - TAKE THEM! Sometimes what is unexpected to you has been in God's plan all along. It ends up being the best thing EVER! For instance, I was asked to co-teach 6th grade girls- out of the blue, but such blessings have come from that. 

After I finished my List of Nineteen, the Lord laid it upon my heart to write a list for The Year I'm Twenty...

until next time, bethany

Monday, November 11, 2013

Sharing My Library





Happy Monday, yall! 

Unlike a lot of people I know, I actually like Mondays. I look forward to flipping the page in my calendar and starting a fresh, new week. Do yall need something to look forward to on Mondays? Well, look no further. 

A while back, I did a few posts called "Music & Movie Monday" and I'd like to start those up again, with a twist. Instead of just an occasional Music & Movie Monday, I'll try to make >Sharing My Library< weekly. I'll give you a taste of what I'm listening to, reading, and watching each week. Basically, what's on my coffee table, DVR, Itunes, and such. 

Listening to "Last Dance" by Camera Can't Lie. 
Reading You're Made For A God-Sized Dream by Holley Gerth 
Watching The CW's ARROW. 

Enjoy your day! 
~bethany

Sunday, November 10, 2013

She Carries Memories Around Like Souvenirs


For First Baptist Denton's Carnival 31, my sweet friend Abby & I did trunk-r-treat! Our theme was Charlotte's Web. Abby was Fern and I was Charlotte.




The only clown I allow near me & the best rocker ever. 


Some of my 6th grade girls stopped by!

The Lone Ranger made an appearance. 

As did the Green Lantern. 

My favorite picture of the night was a candid. 


__________________________________________________
My birthday was the following Tuesday, but my best friend was in town Oct 31/Nov 1, so we celebrated on Friday. 







__________________________________________________
And Jordan and Abby surprised me after Overflow Tuesday, with a cookie cake and girls time! 





__________________________________________________
I finally updated my phone (I held out on IOS7 as long as possible). 
My sweet friend Meatha treated me to breakfast & estate sales (hooray!) on Friday. 
Jordan, Janice, & I went to Eli Young Band House Party at the Ranger's Ballpark last night, with Easton Corbin, Thompson Square, and Josh Abbott. 
And best was here again this weekend! 
Best was her because our gorgeous friend Taylor sang on praise team for the first time today. 

Oh, and I've got a cold. 
happy weekend to you! 
~bethany

Thursday, November 7, 2013

The Post Birthday Post




To all the people who stopped and took a moment out of their day Tuesday to wish me a happy birthday, thank you so very much. The sheer amount of people who reached out blew me away. I so appreciate all of your sweet words! 

To my girls who celebrated with me on Friday & Tuesday- thank you for not letting me have my way. 

To my family who celebrated with me on Saturday, thank you. 

I am so blessed to be surrounded by SO many sweet people who love me. Thank you all so much for the roles you play in my life. I most definitely felt loved and cherished. 

with love, bethany