bethabee

Direct Sales Love {Say What?}

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:36:00 +0000

Although I don't love direct-sales companies {even though I participate in one!}, I found myself making three purchases recently from sales parties. Strange how that happens!

First I bought four travel-sized Norwex Enviro Cloths when my friend Janell had a Norwex party. If you've never heard of Norwex, it's a company that aims to "improve the quality of life by radically reducing the use of chemicals in personal care and cleaning." Right up my alley! A year or so ago I purchased a regular-sized Enviro Cloth & a special window-cleaning cloth after reading a glowing review about them. It was a pricey purchase, but I really loved the results I got. I never buy products like Windex or Endust anymore -- all I need is water and these magic little cloths. The travel-sized ones are great! I've been using them constantly since I purchased them.

Then I bought a Scentsy bar when my friend Lauren had a party. I've heard a lot about Scentsy, but have never purchased anything or been to any parties. There were a ton of scents to choose from, but I landed on Sugar Cookie. If you know me at all, that is not surprising. :) To be totally honest, I found all of the warmers to be really hideous, so I couldn't bring myself to purchase one {especially not for $30!}. Then a friend told me that she uses a really generic warmer from Walgreens that heats via a tealight candle. Interestingly enough, I found a warmer like that in closet at work, so I ~~stole~~ borrowed it, and it works like a charm! It's ugly and blue and has a flower where the light from the candle shines through... it's awful. But it works for now, and it was free! I'll spare you a picture of it {trust me}. A funny thing about it, though, is that one of Scentsy's selling points is that their warmers are much safer than candles. Oh well! The bigger selling point to me is that one $5 bar produces 60+ hours of scent. Not too shabby for $5, right?

And finally, I bought Pampered Chef's one-cup prep bowl set. I have been wanting these prep bowls for a while, and a friend of mine sells PC, so I purchased them from her when she was submitting orders for a party. I love them. They're especially great for trying to eat healthier -- it seems that I'm always measuring out a cup of soup, a cup of strawberries, a cup of whatever -- and since these bowls are exactly one cup, I can just put a lid on them and not dirty my measuring cup! Plus, I like the look of the glass & clean white lid. I wish I would've bought them a long time ago.

Photo Source

Actually, if I were ever to host a direct-sales party {note: this is not likely to happen!}, it would be Pampered Chef. I like their products, but they're expensive! Hosting a party is obviously the best way to get discounted products. But because I hate guilt-based buying, I will probably never do it. It also bothers me to know that products are overpriced and that, as a hostess, you can get them at a discount by having others buy them at full price... I'm really not cut out for direct sales; can you tell?? Maybe I would feel differently if I was in a stage of life when everyone I know isn't on such a strict budget. That's probably a big part of it.

Anyway. I'm quite pleased with all three of my purchases. Do you have a favorite DSC or product? Or do you share in my discomfort about sales parties? Do tell. Oh -- and if you ever want to buy anything from Mary Kay, let me know. ;)

Lonely

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:28:00 +0000

This is "in between" stage we're in as we wait for Wes's PhD applications to process... this holding pattern of going to work, going to the gym, cooking dinner, doing dishes, and just generally leading our lives, all the while waiting to find out what's going to happen next... it's hard. At least for me, anyway.

Don't get me wrong -- there's a lot to love about life right now. Wes isn't in class anymore, so we have more time to spend together. He can focus on cooking & good mobster books {his favorite these days} and still have time to keep up on language study and prepare for PhD work. I enjoy him enjoying the extra time he has when he's not taking 12 hours of class. I love my job, and I find a lot of purpose in doing it, so there are no problems there. I've gotten into a great exercise routine, I'm finding time to clean my little apartment, and I'm thoroughly engrossed in Ally McBeal, a show most people watched ten years ago. Calista Flockhart makes me smile. But you know what? In the midst of it all, I'm kind of lonely.

Photo credit

It's not that I don't have friends -- I do. But a lot of them have moved away. I try to keep up with them via facebook and blogs and phone dates, but it's not the same. Most of my sweet friends in Louisville keep much busier schedules than I do. If I don't think to schedule time with them in advance, I find myself with no plans at all over the weekends -- which, don't get me wrong, is usually just the way I like it. But there's rarely anyone to enjoy the down time with these days... no one to hop in my car to run to Target, no one to watch a redbox with, no one to make Costco trips fun {miss you, Kelly!}.

There's a chance we could stay in Louisville if Wes ends up at Asbury. And if that's what happens, that's fine. I can start over, so to speak, and begin to invest in new friendships. But I don't really want to do that if we're moving in six months, you know?

I'll get through this stage. Like I said, there's much to be thankful for. And tonight? Well. Tonight I'm going to a movie with my dear friend Kari & some other girls, so I'm really looking forward to that. We're going to see The Vow. I have no idea what it's about, and I never go to movie theaters, so it seems like an adventure {I know -- I need to get out more}. I am sneaking in a bottle of diet pepsi, some swedish fish & a giant Kit Kat bar... 20 weight-watchers points worth of sugary delight! I eat well during the weeks so I can splurge over the weekend, and I just can't wait. :)

Let me end this slightly depressing post by saying this: if you're reading this, chances are you're a dear friend who makes my life rich & less lonely just by being in it. I'm grateful!

Subtle Differences

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:26:00 +0000

Remember when I mentioned that I'd talk more about this pillow?

So here's the deal. I won a giveaway over at Domestikated Life back in November. I never win giveaways; it was so exciting. A custom pillow of my very own! For free!

Normally, in these situations, I have a hard time deciding what to choose. I'm terrible at making "minor life decisions," as I sometimes say. But this time I had kind of a feeling about what I'd pick:

I went to the Inmod website and played around for a while {there are so many options!}, but ultimately, this is what my dream pillow looked like:

But my dream pillow didn't exactly show up in the mail. See what I mean?

It's way different than I thought it would be. Mostly, I expected the rocker itself to be a lot more subtle against the background. Subtle it is not.

Now, let me say this: I am certainly not complaining about a free pillow. Inmod was awesome to sponsor a giveaway through Kate's blog, and I'm grateful to have won & benefited from the giveaway. But you may have noticed the price tag on the pillow I won: $50. If I had paid $50 for the pillow, having a subtle effect in mind, I may have been slightly upset or disappointed. I looked for a disclaimer about color on Inmod's website, and this is what I found:

Please Note: While the colors displayed accurate, they may vary slightly on different monitors.

But that's a pretty big variance, don't you think?

Anyway... I'm not quite sure what my point is. It's not really to complain, since I received the product for free. It's not to discourage anyone from ordering through Inmod, because they were extremely helpful & the pillow is well made. I think it's just to share my experience. Especially when ordering online, things are not always as they seem.

I've wondered if I should mention my feedback to Inmod just so they know about my experience... but I've decided not to. It almost surely would come off as ridiculous, despite my best intentions. But if they happen to come across this review, which I highly doubt will ever happen -- that's okay.

Honestly, this is a good example of why I rarely order clothing, shoes, or textiles online -- I much prefer to see the product in person before I buy. Are you the same way? Do you have similar "that didn't turn out how I thought it would" stories? Or do things usually arrive the way you expected? I'm curious!

Mr. Thyme

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:44:00 +0000

We have a new friend in our house!

A little Thyme plant. I got him at Trader Joe's -- I LOVE TRADER JOE'S -- for less than $3. At first he lived in our kitchen window, but he wasn't getting much sunlight. So he moved to the picture window in our living room, and he loves it there! He's been contributing a lot to the cooking that goes on in our house. More than me, that's for sure. :)

Wes & I used to fight quite a bit about meal planning, grocery shopping, and food in general. I felt pressure in this Seminary culture {real or imagined -- I don't know}, and as a newlywed in general, to be a wife who cooks for her husband. But truthfully? I just don't like to cook. And I especially don't like to cook after getting home from working 8-10 hours a day. It took me a long time to be okay with that, even though Wes was against that stereotype from day one. And after a while, he developed a love for cooking, which is soamazingIcan'teventellyou. He cooks, I do the dishes, we collaborate on the laundry... we're a team.*

Anyway, I love this little Thyme plant so much, it makes me think that I can't wait to have a little garden someday. Fresh, cheap, organic produce at my disposal -- it sounds so amazing! But then again, it also sounds like a lot of work. Hmm. Maybe I'll just have a few potted herbs instead. :)

*If you haven't read this post about marriage, you should. I love it. You make me laugh, and you make me think hard and new ... this is what we do, we make each other better at being ourselves....

Good Read {DOG}

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:12:00 +0000

There are several reasons why I'm so so happy that Anna linked to Daniel's blog {Manhattan Nest} fairly recently. His latest post about his new dog pretty much sums all of those reasons up.

I love dogs and dogs love me and I don’t trust people who don’t like dogs because dogs are the best. Dogs dogs dogs dogs.

We named her Mekko, as in Marimekko, as in the Finnish textile company, as in we really are that gay. I think it’s cute and suits her nicely and for some reason she actually responds to it.

He's funny. And he has a really cute dog. And -- click through his archives -- great style.

Disclaimer: text & photo ~~stolen~~ nicely borrowed from Daniel's blog. Click here to read the rest of his post. And then go ahead and add him to your google reader. You won't be disappointed.

PS: I really want a dog!

PPS: Like you need another blog to read, right? I know, me too. But it's worth it!

Say Yes To Carrots

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:30:00 +0000

On Thursday I made a little comment on facebook about my morning snack:

On Friday, my neighbor greeted me with these:

Too funny! {They're actually good!}

Speaking of food: I'm gearing up for six more weeks of weight watchers, starting tomorrow. I lost six pounds the last time I committed to six weeks, and I've kept it off. I'm ready to do that again! I know it's going to be rough to get back on the diet train, but once the scale starts dropping again, I'm sure I'll be motivated. The scale has stayed pretty much the same for the past month or so, and I know the numbers aren't going to magically get lower on their own. {If only!}

I've been attending Zumba & weight-training classes pretty faithfully, but I haven't been running. It's too cold, and I just don't like the track. {At the Seminary, twelve laps = a mile. Twelve. It's terrible.} I can't wait for warmer weather so I can hit the pavement at least once a week in between classes. It's been too long!

Did you make exercise an official 2012 resolution? I suppose I did -- I didn't really create set-in-stone resolutions, but I did have some goals in mind, and that was on the list. Here's to hoping I {we?} keep it up!

PS: My post title comes from a product line I saw at Target today. Have you tried anything from it? It looks fun!

Six Months & Done!

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:38:00 +0000

Over the weekend I finally finished a project I started... oh, I don't know... a few months ago. I posted about my little gallery project in August & gave a sneak peak in September. Soo... six months ago. Wow, that's embarrassing! I'm s l o w.

So yes, I'm terrible about taking before pictures, but here's what one of my living room walls now looks like:

I'm so pleased with how it turned out! {Oh, and pay attention to that pillow with the Eames chair on it. More on that in a later post.}

I made a little change to the other side of the room, too... can you tell?

The frames are just a little closer together. Three inches closer, if you're dying to know. I liked the wide spacing before, but with the closely-spaced gallery on the opposite wall, it looked strange. Oh, and if you're one of those people who is good at the "Can you spot the difference?" pictures, you probably noticed that I forgot to put the remotes in their little box for the "after" picture. Oops!

And there's one more difference, but it's very hard to see in the above pictures -- I got a new print from my dear MIL for Christmas!

The one on the left is one I wished for and received from a kind {anonymous} friend three years ago. [It still bothers me that I don't know who was so thoughtful!] The one on the right I wished for & received from my dear MIL for Christmas this year. It's from the same company & is the same quote, just with a fresh new look. I love them both, but I am especially loving the pink & the cursive of the new print. One day I hope to hang them side by side, but for now, I just have room for one.

Funny story {you know, because this post isn't long enough}: my MIL ordered the print & had it shipped to my FIL's office, but apparently she forgot to tell him it was coming. It didn't arrive in time for Christmas, so I was told she would be bringing a belated Christmas present with her when they came to Louisville for Wes's birthday. The night they came, Brad {FIL} was standing in the living room looking at our frames when his face lit up. And this is the conversation that ensued:

FIL: Oh! I have something I think you'd love! I forgot it at the office. It looks like something you'd like, though.

Me: Really? What is it?

FIL: It's art, I think. It has words on it. A quote.

MIL: WHAT?

FIL: Yeah. I have no idea where it came from. I almost threw it away. And then I thought about giving it to my secretary. But I think Beth would really like it.

MIL: WHAT? {Frantically looking for her computer, pulling up the print on a website} Is this it???

FIL: Yeah! That's it. What is it?

MIL: DID YOU BRING IT?

FIL: No... what is it?

MIL: It's her Christmas present!

Haha! I love that story. It's so fantastic. So now I think of my dear MIL and FIL when I look at it... and I think about my kind anonymous friend, too... and I smile. :)

So yeah. Just a few little changes around here... nothing too crazy. I wish I had finished all of this like five months ago! But now that it's done I can plan another project, right? The only question is: will I finish it before we {if we} move?!

Memories

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:17:00 +0000

Perhaps He Smiles

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:35:00 +0000

I was driving down the road this afternoon, on my way back to my office after a marketing training, and two things happened.

1. I saw the most beautiful sky. It was juxtaposed against images swirling in my mind of sound and fury, as a tornado had just passed through the area. And I thought, there's something more. More than you, more than me. I may lack the ability to precisely define what that means, but I can't deny it. It's beautiful.

{That's not the sky I saw, it's just a beautiful photo I found on flickr. You can click through for the source.}

2. I was listening to klove as I drove, and a song came on with these lyrics:

But you love me anyway

It's like nothing in life that I've ever known

Yes, you love me anyway

The song was talking about the love that God has for people even though they're broken and flawed. But in my heart, at that moment? It resonated as the love of my precious Grammy. She loved me anyway. Despite my failures, despite my many flaws, despite the times that I didn't deserve to be loved. I don't know how to explain the feeling of being loved that way by another human. It's truly unreal: not real, not explainable, definable, understandable.

I say that I miss her; I say that I love her. I do. But the void that's left in my soul by her absence is so much more real than I can evoke. Most of the time I'm okay. Sometimes I think I'll never be okay. Yet the void is there because the real thing once was, and is, and how incredible is that? To be loved that way... I cry at the thought of it. I don't understand.

Does it sound sacrilegious to make a song about the love of God about the love of a human? If so, I suppose that's okay. It's real to me. Her love makes the idea of unconditional love real to me. And I think God knows that.

And perhaps he smiles.

{West Elm} Bed & Bath Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

I stumbled upon West Elm's site tonight and immediately found two super-cute things in their bed/bath sale... I had to share.

Chevron Bath Mat - only $19. Pricey for a bath mat, I agree, but super cute! And we all know how I feel about chevrons {looove them}.

Stripe Shower Curtain - $31. I love it in gray and yellow!

If we move, I will get to redecorate. That's a plus, right? {Well, a minus, actually, if you think about our checkbook ledger...!}

Also of note: my affinity for sales. I just love it when things are on sale. In fact, when we were dating, Wesley used to walk into a room & proclaim, "Kisses on clearance!" Worked every time. True story. :)

Wednesday Five

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:19:00 +0000

Five things for you on a Wednesday:

1. Hubs made this for dinner tonight, and it is so good! He said it was easy to make, too. Even better.

{Photo credit: Gina at Skinnytaste, one of my favorite recipe blogs!}

2. The outlaws are coming to the 'ville this weekend for hubs's birthday. It's hard to believe it's been a year since they've been to Louisville to visit! We are looking forward to it. I may gain five pounds while they're here {gotta take them to all the good spots!}, but it should be worth it! Speaking of good spots, we're planning to go to Le Gallo Rosso for Wes's birthday dinner -- a cute little Italian restaurant on Bardstown Road. We stumbled upon it by purchasing a random LivingSocial deal several months ago & really enjoyed it!

3. I really do love Zumba. And no, we don't use shake weights. {My friend Stephen loves Crossfit, so he shared that video on my facebook wall recently. I have to admit, it's pretty funny.} I love that it's FUN, and I love the diversity of the people who attend my studio. I wish I would've found Charizya sooner!

4. Hopefully by the end of this week I will finally be able to show you pictures of my new little gallery wall in our living room. And by little I mean, you know, like six picture frames. That's ok; it's super cute. And yes, it's the same area I blogged about four months ago. I've struggled with motivation, clearly!

5. Speaking of motivation -- I'm just in that weird stage of life where I don't know what's going to happen next. There are things I want to do {read: things I want to reorganize/redecorate}, but I just don't know if they're worth doing if we're moving in six months... you know? But at the same time, isn't that a terrible way to live? Not doing things because you can't predict tomorrow {who can!}? Sigh. The uncertainty just may be the death of me.

Ok, ok. That's not true. But it kind of feels that way sometimes!

What will my life be like in six months? Where will we be living? Who will our friends be? Where will I be working? Does a PhD have to spell financial ruin? Will I still be able to afford pedicures?! Will I have a puppy? Will we be happy? Where will we end up next?

{Wordy!} Health & Fitness Update

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:32:00 +0000

Okay, so I think I'm done with weight watchers -- officially, that is. I did it hard core for six weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. I lost five pounds. Somehow, even in the midst of abandoning it and eating horribly over the holidays, I've kept those five pounds off. I still want to lose more {five to ten more} but I think I may have lost the motivation to precisely measure every bite I take. Sad, but true.

That said, I think I'm going to purchase a WW points calculator on eBay instead of continuing to pay $18/month for a service I'm not dedicated to using. I'm going to continue to weigh myself every Wednesday & chart it in excel -- and also chart in excel most of what I'm eating. I know that I get 26 points per day, and most meals I'll be able to track without a problem. I'll still {have Wes} make WW recipes [there are so many great WW recipe blogs out there!] and snack frequently on healthy things. And if all else fails, I can always admit defeat and rejoin, right?

I really am trying to get back in the habit of eating healthier now that the holidays are over, and so far, it's going pretty well. But for fun {and to show you that I completely fail some days}, would you like to know what I had to eat on Saturday? Oh dear. I started off okay at breakfast, but then? FAIL. FAIL. FAIL. All day long.

Breakfast:

-Banana

-1/2 a protein bar

{starting off well...}

Lunch:

-1/2 of my chicken parmigana leftovers from our dinner out on Friday night

{fried chicken, cheese, and pasta in alfredo sauce}

-The rest of my peanut-butter-ice-cream pie

{um, yes -- self explanatory, really}

Snack:

-Auntie Anne's pretzel bites

{these are soaked in butter}

-Small McDonald's french fries

{again with the self explanatory...}

Dinner:

-The other 1/2 of my chicken parmigana leftovers

{right}

-Another banana

{heyy! something mildly healthy!}

Snack:

-Low-fat microwavable kettle corn

{could be worse, I suppose}

Not doing so hot, huh?! Oh well. We all have days like this, right? The good news is that I felt pretty crappy -- way too many carbs & way too much butter/grease. Yuck. {I say "good news," because hopefully feeling that way will keep me from having days like that too often!}

As far as exercise goes, I'm proud of myself for maintaining a 3x/week exercise schedule, even during the holidays! I was primarily running for quite a while, but recently I've started going to a Zumba studio near my house: Charizya Fitness. I bought a "punch card" for twenty classes in December for only $70 -- $3.50 per class. Such a great deal, yes? Jessica, one of the leaders, is my favorite. She has so much energy! She makes me laugh the entire time. There's a decent amount of diversity in the people who attend, too, which makes it even more fun. The classes are 45 minutes & they fly by.

Tentatively, I think I'm going to do Zumba on Wednesdays and Saturdays and their Total Body Blast class on Mondays and Saturdays. I'm still going to run on Fridays. I ran this past Friday at Seneca park when it was a very random 60+ degrees in Louisville, and it was so great. But really -- that just makes me think there's something very wrong with the world -- sixty in January in Kentucky?! Still, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't loving the warmer weather. I hate running on a track/treadmill, so I can't wait for spring!

So yes, four days/week for exercise is my goal. Fingers crossed that I keep it up!

I bought a size six jeans from Target a few months ago as a goal {I wear a size eight, typically}. I tried them on tonight -- they fit, but they're a good bit tighter than I typically wear jeans. However, my eights are pretty baggy. I think after five more pounds the sixes should fit great! Motivation....

I never, ever thought I'd be one to be even slightly focused on health/fitness. It's kind of crazy that this is happening to me. But I enjoy how I feel after I exercise, and I know I'm doing something good for my body besides just losing weight. And never fear -- I still totally enjoy being lazy & eating terrible foods, so I haven't changed that much. :) Now I just don't have to feel quite as guilty when I have those days!

Ok, before I quit talking {wow, wordy post!}, I'll share a funny story from Zumba on Saturday. My friend Maggie came with me, and before class Jessica was talking with us & chatting about the Zumba moves, etc. This conversation ensued:

Jessica: You know, it's basically a lot of moves you use in the club all the time anyway.

Maggie: Um, I actually don't make it out to the club all that often.

Maybe you had to be there... but it was pretty awesome.

Happy Keyboard

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 01:59:00 +0000

And Wes thinks it's bad that I want to organize our bookshelves by color.

He really has no idea how much worse it could be. The possibilities! ;)

Seen here. Found here.

{Ok, so I'd never really do it, but how fun!}

Living Life

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:40:00 +0000

I have friends in so many places. Friends in California, friends in Arizona. Friends in Michigan, in Colorado, in Texas, in West Virginia. I even have friends in Africa {two, currently!}, and friends in Afghanistan. It's been sad to watch these friends go, but I'm especially grateful for far-away friends with blogs {and for those who send regular email updates}. It makes me feel like they're not so far away.

I soak in their updates, eager to know what's going on in their lives. It occurred to me today that maybe people do the same thing with me. I don't always post a lot about our day-to-day lives, because really, they're not all that exciting. Go to work, go to school, come home. Work out, make/eat dinner, do laundry, clean all the things, go to bed. Do it all over again. Who wants to read about that?

But then I realize -- it's mundane for me because I see it day in and day out. But for those of you who are far away from us... maybe you'd like to know what's going on in our lives. More than the occasional recipe or beautiful house renovation I love.

So here's to random, boring?, life-living updates. Five things you should know about us these days:

1. I love the Butterfly Garden Café. It's one of my favorite restaurants in Louisville. I bought myself a cookbook as a late Christmas present... I can't wait to try it out! And by that, I mean that I can't wait for Wes to make some of the recipes for me! ;)

2. Beside a few of our cookbooks {in the picture above} is a baggie of plastic bottle caps from coca-cola products. I am a member of my coke rewards. If you don't want your codes (from 12-packs or bottle caps), I would love them. :) Thanks to my momma for this baggie full at Christmas!

3. Hubs has officially submitted all of his applications for PhD programs. The four schools are: University of Texas, Asbury Seminary, Fuller Seminary, Brandeis University. Now we wait. I vacillate between dread & wonder as I think about where this next stage of our lives will take us.

4. Settlers of Catan is one of the only board games I enjoy. We played it with our neighbors to pass the time on new year's eve. It was fun, but there was an intense theological discussion going on at the same time, which distracted everyone -- thus making the game drag on for 2802822839 hours. I tell ya, we know how to have a party!

5. We have to start taking Christmas decorations down at work tomorrow, and I really don't want to. Not because I want to extend the Christmas cheer... but because it's getting cold outside & we have tons of outdoor decorations. :(

I wonder what my excuse is for not taking things down in our apartment yet? Let's be honest: I'm just lazy.

Ok. We're having our dear friends Meg & CT over for dinner tonight, and I'm a hot mess. House is a wreck, I haven't showered, etc. This four-day weekend has been amazing; I'm not ready for it to end! Hope you enjoyed this random update. Over & out.

Progressive Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

On Friday night we had a progressive dinner with our hallway... and by that I mean the neighbors in our hallway. We had a great time! Appetizers at John & Jessica's {a yummy salad & a cheese/cracker tray}, dinner at Joshua & Meredith's {chicken divan} and dessert at our place.

For the occasion we made Anthony Bourdain's chocolate mousse, garnished with mint, and layered apple "pies" from Dashing Dish. Yum!

Everything was delightful -- both food and company. We love our neighbors! {But we miss you, Fred & Ethel!}

If we move, we're really going to miss this place. The Village Manor community is so fantastic. There's really nothing like it. And as the property manager it's humbling to know that I have no control over it -- I just sit back & watch it happen: people serving people, life-long friendships being formed... it's so great. I'm thankful!

Mini Deep-Dish Pizzas

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:57:00 +0000

If you're looking for something quick, tasty, and light (!) for dinner -- make these. I promise you won't be disappointed. Yum!

Photo by Katie at Dashing Dish

{A fair warning: you should be careful in visiting Katie's blog -- before you know it, your whole evening will disappear. What a great resource!}

We Wish You a Glowy Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 01:27:00 +0000

I confess that I haven't been very diligent about learning how to use my {not that}new{anymore}camera. But when I saw this tutorial on how to take a glowing picture of a Christmas tree, I knew I wanted to try it.

I tweaked it just a bit on Picnik, like adding the border, for instance, but this picture is mostly SOOC. Not bad, right? If you click on the tutorial link above, you'll see that my picture isn't as glowy as Beth's -- maybe because my ISO only goes up to 1200? Not sure. Also, I don't think the light in the window helped my cause {my MIL has those Christmasy electric candles in all of her windows}.

Anyway. Just a little Christmas happy for you since my last two posts have been somewhat sad. We've had a wonderful holiday with family & friends, and I hope you have, too! Merry Christmas!

Together Again

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 00:27:00 +0000

I'm imagining Grammy & Grampy, together again for Christmas.

I miss them.

Missing Alice

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:58:00 +0000

Well, my new advent calendar received 21 ornaments, and then it came time to travel. We drove to Charleston yesterday afternoon and are now in Morgantown. Thursday & Friday here, Saturday & Sunday in Charleston, and back to Louisville on Monday. A quick Christmas trip {especially compared to the two weeks we were able to be home last year!}, but I'm grateful all the same.

Last year was a Christmas I'll never forget. We took Grammy up to Wes's Nana's home & we {his family, my mom, and Grammy} had dinner together. We sang Christmas carols and opened presents and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. Grammy actually took a nap in Nana's bed when she became tired. She didn't want to leave when the night was over, and I didn't want to make her! Nana would've loved the celebration. It was amazing.

Now Grammy and Nana are both gone, and I'm in Morgantown for the first time since June when Grammy died. It is surreal. I almost used to dread coming here, in a way, because it was always so busy. We tried to spend tons of time with Grammy, to make time for college friends, to spend time with my mom, etc. Now my mom {and my dad} are really all that's left for us here -- well, at least during the holidays when a lot of people are out of town. In some ways I'm glad. It's kind of nice to not have every moment consumed.

But truthfully? I'd give anything to be racing back and forth between here and Sundale... to see my precious Grammy again and spend one more Christmas together. I miss you, beautiful Alice. I love you more than I can say.

Twelve Days of Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:20:00 +0000

Hubs is kind of hard to buy for. But this year I was prepared.*

He's getting 12 gifts for the 12 days leading up to -- and including -- Christmas. Some are small, some are bigger, but they correspond with the number of the day. For the first day {Wednesday the 14th}, he got one jar of coconut oil.

Do you use coconut oil? Do you know someone who does? We've never tried it, but I'm excited to embark on a coconut-oil journey with my hubs. You can substitute it for oil & butter when you're cooking. You can use it as a moisturizer. You can use it as a makeup remover. Have you heard of oil pulling? Go ahead and google that. Interesting, right? There are so many uses for this healthy oil. I'm looking forward to learning more about it.

Anyway. I'm pretty sure I'm more excited about these twelve days than hubs is. Today he got a bottle of "two-buck chuck" -- also from Trader Joe's. I like that place. TWO buck chuck -- get it? Day two? This is just so fun.

Two-buck chuck, if you don't know, is a type of wine sold by Trader Joe's. It was introduced in California at the bargain price of $1.99 per bottle, earning it its infamous name. It's now $2.99, so maybe it's three-buck chuck? No... definitely two. At least for my gifting purposes!

Insofar as these days of Christmas go -- they are busy days, all of them. We literally have something planned every day/evening from now until the 25th. My body is not made for this much activity. I am exhausted to the core. I will be fine, yes. And I'm trying to enjoy the fun. But wow -- the holidays are simply exhausting.

I hope you're enjoying the Christmas season, busy as it may be!

*Actually, I totally pulled this together at this last minute... but don't tell hubs. And I'll be back after Christmas to share the full list of gifts. No spoilers!

Advent Calendar! {Three Easy Steps}

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:46:00 +0000

Step One: Find an advent calendar you just love & want to replicate. Then find a blog post explaining how to do just that.

Step Two: Admire it, mention it... and wait a couple of years.

Step Three: DIY!

{Step Four: Wait until advent is almost over to share with your friends. Oops.}

My dear friend Kelly gifted me the linen & let me borrow her spray adhesive. I purchased the bulletin board, tags, and ornaments. I had a few ornaments to use, but not enough for the whole calendar.

My only disappoint lies in the fact that, unlike the amazing Katie B., I spent more than $6 on mine. I think everything came in at around $25. Respectable, but not incredible. Oh well! Not everything can be thrifty, right?

I'm so glad I finally did it -- and finally shared it! I really love it. I hope you do, too. :)

BEST Pole Dance Ever {Yes, I'm Serious}

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:20:00 +0000

A fairly conservative friend of mine posted this on facebook, so I decided to watch it. And you guys, it is AMAZING. You'll thank me for advising you to watch this pole-dancing video; I promise. It starts off slow, and it's kind of long, but you really need to watch the whole thing. I can't imagine having that much control over my body.

Seriously... my mouth hangs open almost every time. Incredible!

And on an unrelated note {I mean, what is really related to pole dancing in my world?}: I am for real going to take pictures of my advent calendar soon. If I say that enough, I'll actually take the pictures & share them, right? I really mean it. This week. :) I know I care about it more than you do. But it's so pretty! I think you'll love it.

Sunday Fun[ny] Day

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 01:04:00 +0000

Today has been a funny day. Let's review.

Wait. First, let me say this: I'm blaming it on the nap I took on Saturday afternoon. Naps and I do not mix. Because of the nap, I wasn't tired at night & didn't go to bed until like 1 a.m. {note: this is extremely late for me!}. I woke up this morning at 8 a.m. when Wes left for church. Not enough sleep for this girl.

I went to the later service at church {Wes was training our friend on PPT & had to be there for both} and then we went out to lunch with said friend and his wife. We went to a local pizza/pasta shop not far from our apartment. We told them that we had gift cards {given by a gracious tenant -- how sweet!} and that we would pay for their meal. We ordered a LOT of food. When we got the bill & provided the gift cards, we discovered they were for a different restaurant with a somewhat similar name. No affiliation. Whoops! That was an expensive lunch.

Later, Meg and I ventured out into the pouring rain to go to Hobby Lobby. On Sunday. Yep, they're closed on Sundays. Yep, I knew that.

Finally, at Target, I purchased several things I don't need immediately so I could get a free $5 gift card with a $50 purchase. At the register I discovered that coupon expired yesterday. Right.

Basically, I failed at today. I hope tomorrow is better. :)

PS: My advent calendar is done & I can't wait to share it with you. Hopefully, you know, before advent is over. I just need to take pictures!

Me {Bethabee Edition}

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 22:06:00 +0000

My girl Katy did this on her blog last week, and I thought, what the heck. I'm completely out of blog material, and I'm putting off packing to head back to Louisville tomorrow. Why not?

I'm weird because:

::I constantly play with my hair. I look stupid doing it, and it makes my hair frizzy... but I can't stop. Melvin, my maintenance supervisor, always yells at me about it and tells me I'm too stressed. I tell him it's because he makes my job stressful. :) But you know, some people shoot people when they're stressed -- I just play with my hair. It really could be a lot worse.

::I try my best to properly punctuate & capitalize in text messages. Don't even get me started on people who substitute "u" for "you" and other ridiculous abbrevs.

::I never take baths. Never ever. Only showers for this girl. Am I the only one?

::I try to keep the inside of my car really clean, but I could care less about the outside. I probably wash it once or twice a year. I figure -- it's just going to get messed up again. FAST. And it rains kind of frequently, so that washes the outside a bit, right? But the inside -- I hate when the inside is dirty. It just makes me sad.

I'm a bad friend because:

::I'm a homebody, and it prevents me from hanging out sometimes. [Stole that from you, Katy, but that's me to a T!]

::I never seem to get birthday cards/packages to their destination on time. They're always a few days late, minimum. Usually more. And speaking of birthdays, I just can't remember anyone's. Seriously, it's a miracle I remember Wes's. At the beginning of every year I write everyone's down on my large desk calendar at work. If I forget to write someone's on there, there's no chance I'll remember. And people with birthdays near the first of the month -- it's bad. I don't flip my calendar until the first, and then I realize I should've put a card in the mail three days ago... you get the picture. Maybe I need to put end-of-the-month "warnings" on my calendar this year. Okay, this is turning into a whole thing; sorry. Moving on.

::I'm always five minutes late if I'm meeting someone, picking them up, etc. This should be a new year's resolution of mine. I once heard someone say that being late is like saying you value your own time more than someone else's. Like you don't want to be there early and wait on them, so you'd rather them wait on you when you're not there when you said you'd be. I don't think that's what goes through my mind -- I think I just plan poorly -- but still. I want to get better about this.

::Well, apparently I'm a bad person, because I'm having a hard time coming up with four things that make me a bad friend! I'm sure there are tons more, though. Just don't leave comments telling me what they are, because then I'll be sad. But I kind of want to know... so go ahead. :)

I'm a good friend because:

::I try to be there in practical ways for people. Like helping friends clean/organize, by making meals when people are sick, by letting friends borrow my car, etc.

::I'm pretty dependable, I think. If I say I'll do something for you, I will.

::I try to be a generous friend... with time, money, belongings, etc. I want to be known for generosity & for holding personal belongings loosely -- the girl who would give you the shirt off her back, if you will. {Actually, I'd rather just give you money to buy a new one.}

::Well, maybe I'm not that terrible, because I can't think of a fourth point for this one, either.

I'm sad because:

::I don't want to go back to Louisville tomorrow. I know I have a ton of work waiting for me & a really crazy month ahead. I've loved our Thanksgiving vacation. It's been restful & fun.

::I don't want to start Weight Watchers again after this four-day break. Watching the scale go down is fun, but so is eating whatever I want!

::I miss my Grammy, and I've been thinking about all of the fun we had with her last Christmas. It's hard to believe she won't be around for this one.

::Speaking of Christmas, this is probably our last one in Louisville. I don't want to move! And I wish everyone around me would stop moving, too. That makes me sad as well.

I'm happy because:

::If we move, I will {hopefully} be able to get a puppy. I mean, really -- I have waited long enough!

::I do love the Christmas season, and I especially love my company at this time of year. It's crazy and busy, but it's so fun. And I'm soaking it all in as I think about the fact that this might be my last Christmas with these people!

::Wes is almost done with his SBTS career, which means he can stop censoring me, and I can say whatever I want! ;) {I'm just kidding. Well, I'm really not, actually.}

::I'm finally done with this post! :)

Thanksgiving 5k!

noreply@blogger.com (Beth) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:32:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Guess what? I ran my first 5k today. I ran slow, and I didn't even run the whole time, but overall, I really enjoyed the experience... and I learned a few lessons along the way.

Lesson One: Learn to dress.

Ok, I'm new at this whole running thing. I started this summer. I have no idea how to dress for running when it's cold outside. It was around 39 degrees when I left the house at 8:15 a.m. [the race started at 9]. All I had were cotton capri pants, but I did have shirts to layer, and layer I did. I wore a t-shirt, a long-sleeved cotton shirt, and a zip-up fleece. I had thin gloves & my friend Kim loaned me an ear warmer/headband. So my legs were cold, but overall I was fine.

Kim and I ran the first 1.5 miles straight, and then I asked to stop & walk two blocks. It wasn't long after we started running again that I was feeling overheated. I had to stop again so I could take off my fleece. It sounds simpler than it was, because I had stupidly pinned my race number over the zipper on my fleece. So it took a while to unpin, take off the fleece, tie it around my waist, repin the number to my long-sleeved shirt, etc. The gloves & the ear band quickly came off, too. So the whole clothing thing was annoying.

Lesson learned: Layer, but be prepared to shed said layers.

Lesson Two: Prepare your music {and iPod} ahead of time.

I typically run with my iPhone and Pandora's work-out station. The race started, but I couldn't get my iPhone to work. Pandora kept breaking up, which made me think I didn't have good 3G reception. So I tried to switch to my iTunes, but it kept breaking up, too. I discovered in the last leg of the race that my headphones weren't fitting tightly into the earphone jack because of my new phone case. And I was fighting with my gloves all the while, mind you, because I couldn't control my iPhone while they were on. AND, yes, I was running at the same time. Annoying! For the last 1/2 mile of the race {after I shed my fleece}, I put the headphones around my neck and just played Pandora out loud. So no, it wasn't a tragedy, but it was frustrating to fight with that stuff almost the whole time.

Lesson learned: Figure out your music {and headphones} ahead of time. And maybe buy an iPod shuffle, because the iPhone is kind of bulky to run with.

Lesson Three: Learn perspective {somehow}.

The third time I walked was toward the end when I was feeling discouraged & tired. I slowed to a walk, rounded a turn, and saw the finish line in the distance. Well, SHOOT! Had I known I was that close, I wouldn't have stopped to walk. I think that's the thing I disliked the most about the race -- and the reason I prefer to run on a track instead of just randomly through neighborhoods, etc. I like to know how far I've gone and how far I have to go. I wish the race would've had a marker at each mile or half mile. That would've helped.

Lesson learned: Well, I don't really know how to fix this one. Find a race that's marked? {Runners: do those exist?}

Overall, I'm so glad I did it... and I want to do another one soon. I can't believe I'm saying that! And if you know me, you can't believe it either. :) Now I'm off to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family.* I hope you're doing the same with yours!

*My family minus my sweet Grammy. It's my first holiday without her. I like to think she's proud of me for running my 5k. And I'm going to try to enjoy all of the food like she would -- grateful for each taste. I miss her like crazy. I love you, Grammy!