Thankful Thursday

Here is my thankful list for this week...
~ laughing with my husband.  He makes me smile!

~ my big boy bringing home a great report card for the 5th six weeks.  One more six weeks grading period of his freshman year!  He worked really hard to bring up a couple grades.  Also he brought home the packet of information about ordering his letterman jacket!

~ my sweet 4 year old.  We went to zoo class this morning.  He isn’t feeling too great this afternoon.  I am not sure what is wrong.  He’s had fun this week playing with all his new toys from his birthday.

~  going to a fun dinner and winning tickets for it. Also we were given tickets by a man from church. It was a nice evening!

~ my irises in bloom!  I have light and dark purple.

~ having a nice time at our church family retreat. Saturday was cold and rainy but we were inside mostly. It was a fun time for everyone, we love and appreciate our church family.



Happy Easter! Have a great weekend.

Have a day of blessings!
Bethany

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday! 

We are having a nice week.  The spring weather has been beautiful.  The AC came on though because it got so warm up in the 90s yesterday! Today it is back to being cooler.

This week I am thankful for...

~ my husband being three weeks out from his surgery and doing well.  He drove himself to work at his office this week and also to his PT today.

~ my big boy was inducted into National BETA this week.  We are proud of his hard work his first semester of high school.

~ my 3 year old! Today is the last day I can say that!  We had a fun party for him last Saturday with his friends and family.  Tomorrow is his "real birthday."  He is such a joy and we are so thankful for him.  I'm remembering this day 4 years ago and how just before I laid down for bed I felt a very hard kick.  Later my water broke and we went to the hospital. It wasn't how we had planned it, but it worked out great.

~ taking a walk in our neighborhood.  It was a little chilly for us in shorts today after the warm temperatures yesterday.

~ seeing our family who came in for Titus' birthday party. We ate lunch with them first and then went to get the party set up.  I sure appreciated the help with getting everything decorated before the other friends came.

~ having lunch with a friend I haven't seen in a while last Thursday. 


Have a day of blessings! 
   Bethany

Book: 14 Keys to Lasting Love

About the book:
In 14 Keys to Lasting Love, Dr. Kim Kimberling shows couples that marriage isn't just meant to make you happy but to make you holy. He knows what you struggle with and what areas of marriage scare you. By looking at 14 major areas of marriage, he shows you and your spouse how to stay on the right track.

Through chapters on empathy, personal health, conflict behavior, talking, intimacy, sex, and more, you'll learn how to have the happy, connected marriage you've dreamed of. Each chapter concludes with a list of items to think about and a "Going Deeper" section.

 
My thoughts:
This has been an enjoyable book to read. There are so many marriage books out there.  I appreciate the insights offered in this one.  I was not familiar with this author, he was easy to read and follow though.  I appreciated the examples of situations he shared from his experiences with counseling couples.  When I read it is helpful to read "real life" examples, and this helped me relate to the "keys" to love he was presenting. 

This book would be a great gift for yourself for your own marriage or to give to an engaged couple. It is very practical and will be helpful to any couple.

I received a copy of this book from Hachette book group for my honest review.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
Bethany

Thankful Thursday

Happy April!  What are you thankful for today on this beautiful first Thursday of the new month?

Today I am thankful for...
~ my husband being able to work from home in our office as he is healing.  We live about 20-25 minutes from his office and he isn't driving much yet so this has been helpful.  Titus asks me "How long does Daddy have to work?"

~ my big boy helping with extra chores this week that his Dad can't do now and also with party prep.  Last Friday we went after school and set him up with a checking account.  He's had a savings account for years, and we thought it would be good to have some practice with a checking account.  He's growing up so fast.  One more six weeks of his freshman year!

~ my sweet boy and how he makes us laugh. I'm going to record this story here to remember in the future. :)  One day we were in town and I was talking and Titus said "hallelujah."  He randomly says this some times, and it's pretty funny.  I laughed at him.  Then at night we were on the couch talking, and he said "hallelujah, praise God!"  I said, "do you think God likes it when you say Praise God?" It sounded like he started to say hallelujah, but it didn't come out and so it sounded like "He** yeah."  I looked at my husband and other son and their eyes were big, they'd heard it too.  He didn't know what he'd said but it was funny to us and hard not to laugh about it.

~ hearing a song I needed to hear on the radio right when I turned it on today.  The timing of it was perfect.  Thank you, God.

~ planting some gladiolas with my boy and watering them together.  We will see if they grow! 

~ starting to teach a class at church on Wednesdays again. I did this last spring. Last night was my first night.  It is kindergarten and was fun to teach.

Have a day of blessings!
  Bethany

Book: Put on Your PJs, Piggies!

About the book:

It's pj time at Bedtime Barn, but the piggies want to keep playing! Get your little ones ready for bed with Put on Your PJs, Piggies!, a giggle-inducing story that will convince even the most stubborn bedtime resisters to cuddle up for sleepy time. Children will love the sweet artwork, silly characters, and sparkly glitter on the barn-shaped cover.

The playful pigs in Bedtime Barn don't want to go to sleep! Will they ever put on their pjs and settle in?

"I want to play!" squeals the littlest pig."The sun's still shining bright!""Let’s have a chase!" one pig cries out."We'll never say good night!Put on your pjs, Piggies!

If your little ones insist they aren't sleepy, make bedtime more fun by curling up with this playful story. Once the playful pigs hit the hay, your sleepyheads will realize that bedtime isn't so bad after all.

My thoughts:

I found this to be a fun bedtime book to read with my boy.  I tholiked it for several reasons.  First the rhyming text makes it to read AND listen to.  Another reason was the use of piggies, this isn't an animal I have seen much in bedtime books.  Third, I appreciate the cute illustrations.  The piggies are cute. Finally I liked the family aspect of this book.  The piggies were all getting ready for bed together with their parents.

This is a sweet board book that will be enjoyed by young children toddlers through preschool age.  It would make a nice gift for a baby shower or addition to your little one's Easter basket.


 Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Thankful Thursday

I have some book reviews to share with you. That’s on my "to do list."  The last two weeks we’ve been busy with some “extras.”

This week I am thankful for...
~ my husband doing well in his recovery and PT.  He's tired often (hard to sleep with the sling on or get comfortable) and has some pain.  

~ my big boy making my favorite peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. It's been a while since he made them.  They were oh so good!  I had to stop myself from eating too many!

~ my little boy having fun at library story time and zoo class with Gramma this week. They got to see a cute little hedgehog!  

~ getting to do a continuing education class.  I started on my next set of 150 hours to keep up my teacher certification.  People always ask if I plan to go back to teaching and right now I don’t know.

~ Our church is focusing on a different goal each month. This month the focus has been on prayer. I am thankful for the many ways we have been encouraged to pray privately, as a family, and as a church body.  Private prayer “stations” were set up to visit sometime throughout the month...these were so meaningful and well-planned.  I'm thankful for this reminder and encouragement to pray more. 

~ reading time!  I've enjoyed reading time in my bath and also an audio book while driving.  I am thankful to be able to read and hear!

What are you thankful for today as we end March?

Have a day of blessings!
  Bethany

Thankful Thursday

Catching up on my Thankful Thursday!  I typed last weeks on the iPad when we didn’t have internet service and forgot to post it till tonight!  

Here is my post for this week! 

I am thankful for...

~ My husband had shoulder surgery on Monday. I’m thankful that went well and that he is doing pretty good.  I’m also thankful for the ones who’ve prayed for and checked on him, for Russell getting Caleb to school, and for my Mom making us some meals. 

~ my big boy being helpful this week.  He bathed Titus one night and has some some extra things to help out while his Dad can’t.  

~ my little guy wanting to help Daddy. One day I went to get Caleb after school and Titus started home with Daddy.  He said Titus kept asking him if he needed anything or he could help him get anything.  He’s been helping Daddy out on his socks too.  

~ the beautiful spring days and gorgeous moon we have seen this week.  It was so beautiful when we went to the surgery early Monday morning. 

~ celebrating my Mom’s birthday this week. She turned 60 this week.  We had supper and angel food cake. 

~ encouragement and love from church friends. 

Have a day of blessings!
 Bethany