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? 

A 

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 

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

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... 

Kissed You~Gloriana

Don't Let Me Be Lonely~The Band Perry

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

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

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

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

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