Thirty Things on Thursday - 4

Join me for week four of Thirty Things on Thursday! :)

This week:
Question 4.  List 10 things you would tell your 16-year-old self, if you could. 

Sheesh. I don't typically live in the high school past.  I'm going to try and we'll see where this goes:

Senior prom. I'm 17, but couldn't easily
get my hands on a 16 yr old pic.

1- He isn't the love of your life. (I'm not sure who is, but it isn't him.)

2- You are beautiful. BEAUTIFUL. Enjoy that skinny body now because it will not last.

3- You are smart. No really, you are and you shouldn't take it for granted, but instead should dive into new areas to learn even more.

4- I'm proud of you. You aren't trendy, you aren't fashionable, you aren't super cool, but you have a neat personality that makes you unique. I'm glad you realize you don't need all that superficial stuff. Good Job!

A friend and I after a band concert

5- Yes, your parents are strict. I know, I know. But they love you - oh my gracious do they love you - and you'll be better for it in the end.

6- I wish I could help you fear less and take more chances - go for it, girl! You've got mad skills that you'll forget about later in life, so soar with them now!

7- When your dad yells, "Tap It Out, Leroy!" across the field when it's pretty much silent and everyone across three counties can hear him, he's really telling you he loves you and is proud of you.  :)

8- Eat something other than Reese Cups and Dunkin' sticks. That is horribly unhealthy for you and what the heck are you thinking? How about creating some healthy habits for a change?

9- This is simply a warm-up for the life you have ahead. Yes, you are having fun and I'm thankful for that... but girl, you have so much to come that will be wonderful. Enjoy this now, be prepared for so much more!

10- Don't. Just don't. You know what I'm talking about, get your head on straight and listen to me. Don't. ... ... then again, who knows what would change if you didn't, so it's ok. Do. :)

Join the fun here!

Grouchy Bear.

In my old job, where I actually had an office with a door, occasionally I'd tape a sign to my door that had a fiercely growling bear and said, "Bethie is being a bear... you might want to just leave her alone today!" and I'd shut myself behind that closed door. I tried to save others the agony of dealing with me.

Here there is no door. We are all in one open room with no cubby walls, no protection from each others' moods. And let me tell you, I've been in one. GROUCHY. Like a bear with a sore paw. Like the Snow Monster in that old Rudolf movie that needs a tooth pulled by the dentist elf. GROUCHY.

So, I snapped my coworker's head off. Snapped it clean off. And she's the one that's always happy and I just flipped on her. So today, when we were the only two in the office, I had to apologize.  I was out-of-line and I really needed to make things right.

This Sunday the preacher really hit home on loving our neighbors like we'd want to be loved.  And I'm not showcasing that at all these days. So I'm praying - and hopefully will see a change in my grouchy levels soon!

Muffin Monday

This is Muffin, helping me in my scrapbooking room as I made birth announcements for Macy. She was a huge help, picking out paper and finding the end of the string of stickers anytime I needed it. Huge help...

So I decided to help Katie out by creating birth announcements for Macy out of random scrapbook paper I had left from various projects. First I used cards I found at Wal-Mart for a dollar, but then I realized this will require Katie to write a note in every one of them. So ... after thinking on my feet a bit, I remembered left over invitation kits from something, which would also have their own envelopes and TA DA! I have a solution!

Here are a few samples of the announcements:

That sweet baby girl, I just adore her. I, of course, kept one for myself and will frame it soon. ADORABLE. 

AH was also home this weekend, and I got the best picture of her and Macy together in their matching shirts! Thanks to Sister Beth for this really great idea. AH loved looking like her sister. :) 

And so we are diving into a new week - hope yours is WONDERFUL! Midway point in August - heaven help!

Friday's Letters - 6

Dear dear friends Sara, Grace & Donna, it was lovely seeing each of you this week (ok, Sara should have been last week, but anyway). I love having time to catch up, visit, laugh together and share concerns together. Ya'll are each so awesome in your own individual ways. <3

Dear Macy, you continue to grow so fast and it sometimes just makes me so sad to see how quickly you change! I pray for you - that you'll be a joy-filled child of God and will follow His plan for you! :) 

Dear Sister, I am so proud of you! Helping you decorate your classroom yesterday, seeing how much thought you put into everything - the order of the posters so they create a timeline, the bulletin boards with artifacts of the first chapter & shout outs to the outstanding students, the books you have for them to read, - you care so much about these students. You are an amazing teacher and these students are so lucky to have you! 

Dear Gabby, YOU GO GIRL! You rocked the Olympics and held your faith high for all the public to see! You are a great inspiration for so many girls and I'm very happy for all your success!

Dear Olympics, I'm ready for you to end. I feel like so many of our sports and athletes aren't featured at all in our media and attention is only given to particular ones (sorry Gabby!).  So please end and let's get back on schedule. Thank you. 

Dear Blog Universe, Friday's Letters readers, random peeps - THANK YOU! I have found the most amazing people out there to follow, from designers, decorators, cooks, creative people, everyday life people, faith-filled people, I LOVE IT! Thanks for dropping by my slice of the world and inviting me to be part of yours! 

Join the fun!

Thirty Things on Thursday - 3

Following along my Thursday theme:

3.  Describe your relationship with your parents.

I will admit, I have the BEST parents in the world. I'm blessed. No, I'm beyond blessed.  Not only do have them as family, I can truly say they are my closest friends. I am so thankful I can enjoy them as an adult now and not just look at them as a child looks to their parents.

Mom and Dad gave all three of their children a good foundation.  Christian values and beliefs, unconditional love, support in our interests, a firm hand and consistent discipline. And I think all three of us turned out pretty good!

They are still a huge influence in my life.  I value their opinions and advice and appreciate them greatly. I frequently thank God for my family in my Thankful Journal because I do believe they are the most valuable blessing He has given to me. 

So to answer the question - my relationship with my parents is awesome! :)

Join the fun here!

Off the wagon.

I had every intention of being good today. Greek yogurt and wheat English muffin for breakfast. Water. More water. But then lunch came about and I couldn't face another salad. I just couldn't.

So I went to Burger King and splurged on a Whopper Jr. sans cheese combo with Diet Coke. I was pretty excited. Except that once I came back to the office, conversation after conversation after customer etc kept me from eating my splurge while it was warm and yummy. Ice cold splurge = not so tasty. So... that splurge sucked. Goes to show you should stay on the wagon, eh?

Must say hello to my friend, Sara, who had lunch with me on Friday. She should have made it into Friday's Letter, so shame on me for not including that. Bad Bethie! Sara is so totally awesome - an adventure seeker, camper, international traveler, good listener, somewhat shy until you get to know her, super nice, beautiful, kind, - she's got a lot of qualities I wish I had. I live through her travels and adventures across the globe. :) And I envy her tan because she never looks pasty sugar white like I do and that's just not fair. :(


Summer weather is so strange.  Here are three photos from the past week or so.

Foggy morning drive. I love foggy mornings on the road because I usually dip below the fog and then drive back up into it. Kinda neat. 

Do you see the crazy downpour on the right?! One area just got blasted!

My rainy drive into work this morning. Not a fan of rainy days, though we need the rain badly.

Well, tomorrow is a new day and I promise to stick to the plan better.  Tomorrow night is play date with Donna, Sister Beth and Ellie.  They are coming to visit Macy! :) Who can resist her? It's impossible. I'll see you on the couch, watching Olympics tonight! :) 

Muffin Monday!

Muffin is very thrilled to get "Bethie Love" as I call it.  Can't you tell? Hee hee. She's still acting strange, licking the floor and stuff. I'm just hoping she isn't about to kick the bucket. That would make me so incredibly sad. I can't stand the thought of losing her. ... You know the first thing I see in this picture is the big white blob on my tooth. It's one of my unique trademarks. But it sure is blinging in this photo.

This weekend was an interesting one. I had a good bit of Macy time, which was WONDERFUL.  Lovely. Adorable. Love that sweet precious girl. We did a photo shoot with her (Mom and I) and actually got some decent pictures. Not professional quality by any means, but something cute. Thankfully, Snapfish tends to do a little touch-up so they'll be a little better when they print. :) Maybe I should iron that sheet?

I also lost water this weekend, which was slightly stressful. I was afraid I had burned up the hot water heater and killed the well pump, too. Nope, it was ants. Yes, ants got into the somethinganother switch that is by the pump and the electricity current killed them by the dozens. But it also kept the two thingamabobs from connecting, sooooooo... no water for Bethie. Dad came to the rescue and TA DA! I have water again. :) 

Trying to focus on another work week. Hope you all are enjoying the last bits of summer (not that it really makes a difference in the working world, guess it's all a state of mind!)  Have a great week!