Thankful Thursday

I hope you and your family have enjoyed this Christmas week.  As we come to the last days of 2018, what are you thankful for?


Here is my thankful list for this week...
~ my husband being home.  He is actually unable to go to work because of the government shutdown.  He went and closed his office on Wednesday morning.  We enjoy having him home.

~ my big boy

~ my little guy's love of everything about Christmas and his excitement and appreciation for his gifts.  He loves the lights and had fun opening his gifts and playing with them.

~ lunch with my "forever friend."  We had a nice visit today for lunch, it was nice to catch up in person.

~ a beautiful Christmas holiday and time with family.  We still have more family we will see this weekend and next.

~ and finally I am thankful for my dear sweet "Mrs. Eleanore."  She was my pen pal for many years (I don't know for sure when I started to write to her.)  She went to her Heavenly home on Dec. 22.  I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to meet her when we were on our vacation this past summer. It was an honor to meet her in person and get to hug her.  She will be missed.  I'm thankful for the blessing of knowing her.

I am linking up this week here for Thankful Thursday.

Have a day of blessings!

 Bethany

Children's book: The Gift That I Can Give for Little Ones

About the book:

God, will You show me The gift that I can give As I grow and love And learn how to live?

Help your children discover that they don’t have to wait until they are grownups to make the world a better place! The Gift That I Can Give for Little Ones by Kathie Lee Gifford helps children find unique ways to make a difference today in the lives of those around them. The beautiful board book is durable and will hold up in the most active homes.

The Gift That I Can Give for Little Ones is a heartwarming story from Kathie Lee Gifford of how children have something they can do today to make a difference. Whether it is being kind, giving a family member an extra-big squeeze, visiting someone who is sick, or cheering on a friend, this story will inspire children, leading them to want to read it again and again.

Kathie Lee Gifford is a trusted voice who feels like a friend for countless people. With her strong faith, enthusiasm, and playful writings, she appeals to young hearts and empowers them with the message that no one is too young or too small to share their gift with others.

Kathie Lee Gifford has enjoyed a diverse and successful four-decade career as a television host, actress, singer, playwright, songwriter, and author. She is best known for her 15 years on Regis and Kathie Lee (11 Emmy nominations), and she’s currently acting as the three-time Emmy-winning cohost of the fourth hour of the Today show with Hoda Kotb. Gifford has authored three New York Times bestselling books.

My thoughts:
I like the overall message of this book that we all have been given a gift to share with others.  Even a child has a gift to share.  As parents we need to help our children learn that they are special with their own unique gifts and talents. 

The illustrations are colorful and well done. My son said he liked the pictures. 

This book did not appeal much to my 3 year old boy the first time we read it.  I liked that it rhymed but then the end did not rhyme which bothered me as I was reading aloud. 

This book would provide an opportunity to talk about our gifts with our children and what they think their gifts may be.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> 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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


Have a day of blessings!
    Bethany

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday before Christmas!  Can you believe Christmas is next week?  I cannot!  I wrapped a few gifts several weeks ago and did more tonight. Titus was sitting in my lap last night and told me “Maybe we could go to Gramma’s for Christmas, she has some presents at her house.”  We had one gift under our tree. I thought it was cute.

Today I am thankful for...
~ my husband having a safe trip for his meeting and that he was only gone one night.

~ my big boy being here and done with school for the semester. He didn’t have to take his finals (due to his grades and no absences he was exempt!) so just had to go check in at 9 on Tuesday and Wednesday. We’ve been busy and had fun. He’s kept me laughing too. He’s been doing power lifting practice too.

~ my little guy speaking up during the children’s time at the candlelight service. It was seeet. The minister was asking questions.  He’d asked what people were there and what animals did they think were there. Titus raised his hand and answered baby Jesus.

~ attending the candlelight service. It was beautiful. A family sat beside us with one of Titus’ friends and then antother came up and sat by them.  It was so sweet to see them looking at their candles.

~ Christmas cards and pictures in the mail!!  I love checking the mail and finding such fun mail!

~ hearing “Merry Christmas” so many times. It really makes me smile to hear so many people say it this year.

Thanks for visiting. Merry Christmas to you and your family!


Have a day of blessings!

  Bethany

Artsy Olive print + GIVEAWAY!

Look what I got in the mail this week:

I had the opportunity to review a site called Artsy Olive.  Are you familiar with it?  I had never heard of it but enjoyed exploring all of the many options available.

There are so many categories to start browsing including children, hobbies/sports, travel, home/family, and friendship.  I was pleased to find they also have a category called bereavement with prints that make nice remembrances for those who have lost a loved one.

Here is an example from the "occupation" category:

Here is the print I chose.  It is called "Hatched Geo Flexible Template SA."  For this one (and several others) you can choose your own text to add. 

I chose a Bible verse, I Corinthians 16:13, 14.  I am going to give this to Caleb as a Christmas gift for his bathroom.  I think this verse is a good reminder of how to live.  I have wanted to get a print of it for a while now.  This was perfect for that.    

Artsy Olive was a very user friendly site. They have categories to make it easy to find what you are looking for.  They have several size options available and you can choose framed or unframed.  The frame choices are black, oak, and white. 

Another positive I realized after I got my print was that it is easy to change the prints out for seasons or holidays.  So you can get several, store them in the frame, and change them out as you want!

I was impressed with the ease of ordering as well as the speedy delivery.

And guess what.....there is a giveaway!

Click on this LINK to enter the giveaway for a free print.

I encourage you to check out this site Artsy Olive and look at all they have to offer.  Use coupon code "blog15"  for 15% off prints through December 30.

I received a free print as part of the FrontGate Reviewers program for my honest review.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
    Bethany

Children's book: Jesus Calling The Story of Christmas

About the book:

Jesus Calling^®: The Story of Christmas uniquely teaches the Christmas story to your children by starting at creation and sharing that Jesus has always been present and that God has always had a plan for Christmas. Bible verses and Jesus Calling devotions are on every spread of this beautifully illustrated book with foil and glitter on the cover.

Teach your children the story of Christmas . . . starting from creation! In Jesus Calling^®: The Story of Christmas, children will discover that God always had a plan for Christmas.

Christ was chosen before the world was made.

—1 Peter 1:20

The Christmas story began long, long ago. Before the angel Gabriel told Mary she would have God's 

Son. Before the shepherds saw the angels and before the wise men saw the star.

Even before the sun and the moon shone for the first time, before the first cows ever moooed and the first monkeys ever climbed! Before Adam and Even took their first walk in the Garden of Eden, God had a plan for Christmas.

From the beginning of time, God had a plan to save his children. That plan was Jesus!

Jesus Calling^®: The Story of Christmas is a beautifully embellished jacketed hardcover with foil and glitter. Curl up with your little ones around the Christmas tree with Jesus Calling^®: The Story of Christmas.

My thoughts:

This is a wonderful book to share the Christmas story with your children.  I just LOVE the cover which includes glitter in the sky.  Each part of the Christmas story is discussed in this book.  I like that the beginning page is that God had a plan from the beginning to send His son.  It is written in the style similar to the Jesus Calling devotional books with a verse and thought.

Because of the amount of text and verses on each page, I believe this is appropriate for a middle elementary aged child. 

This is definitely a nice book to add to your Christmas collection to be enjoyed for many years.  

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!  Click here.

I received a copy of this book from FrontGate blogger review program in exchange for my honest review.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Thankful Thursday

We've had an interesting week.  Weather wise it was snowing on Saturday!  We did not get too much here.  Then it warmed up for a few days. Now today it got cold again, I think I saw some snow flurries as I was picking up Caleb after his work out.

This week I am thankful for...
~ my husband being able to be seen by our doctor. He has been feeling so bad and was glad to get in to see the doctor yesterday morning.  He had laryngitis and respiratory and sinus infection and the start of ear infection.

~ my big boy doing so well in his powerlifting.  He is really enjoying it and getting stronger.  They practice after school.  I like hearing about how much he can lift now.

~ taking my little guy to story time at our local library. It was a Christmas story and craft. I enjoy our activities together. He's been a big help to me too this week.

~ God's protecting hand on two friends.  I think it was Saturday I saw two posts back to back from friends of how God had protected them.  One was hit in their vehicle by a drunk driver. The other was in an ATV accident where the ATV flipped.  Both ladies were protected and just had minor injuries.  I joined them in praising God for protecting them in these situations.

~ the beauty of the Christmas season.  I love the decorations and all the lights we see as we are out at night.

~ answer to prayer for a cousin.  A tumor was found recently, and they did a biopsy and found out it was benign.


I'm linking with others participating in Thankful Thursday today. Click here to join.

Have a day of blessings! 
   Bethany

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for...
~ time away with my husband.  Dec. 2 is our 1/2  year anniversary, and it worked out for us to go out of town together since I had a dr. appointment on Monday (out of town). We enjoyed our time (until my husband got sick in the night! It took him a while to be normal, but he is feeling better now.

~ my big boy has chickens now that he is showing for FFA.  They have already grown quite a bit!

~ the songs of my little boy.  I grinned at him today as he was singing and watching himself in the glass of the oven.  He was dancing around and making silly faces to see his reflection.

~ watching the coverage of President George H.W. Bush's funeral and reading more about him.  I appreciated the words shared by his son.  He was a President of my childhood.

~ going to Sam's with my neighbor.  She also switched up her membership and added us to have a membership as well which was so nice of her.  I enjoyed looking around and comparing prices for items I normally buy. And found a few things to buy. 

~ receiving lots of packages lately!  I've been ordering quite a few gifts online and I've received some new books to review.  Titus likes helping me open them.

Have a day of blessings! 
Bethany

Children's book: How Do You Say Good Night? + GIVEAWAY

About the book:
Families will follow Zoey the zebra on her quest to find the best way to say good night. She witnesses the bedtime routine of other animals, all of which seem fun! When she returns home to her family, Zoey finds that the way they say good night feels just right. Teaching little ones to celebrate differences and appreciate the blessing of their own unique family, How Do You Say Good Night? will be a great way to introduce the concept of diversity in an embracing and respectful way and will show the importance of thanking God for everything He provides.
Zoey walked up to a sounder of warthogs. "How do you say good night?" "We find a puddle to lie down and cuddle. We wiggle our snouts. We squeal and we shout. And we thank God above for His sweet, gentle love. Then we grunt, 'Good night!'" She liked how warthogs end the day but still continued on her way. With fun rhymes and silly artwork, this die-cut board book will be a great gift way for parents to end the day with their little ones. 

My thoughts:My son and I enjoyed reading this book.  Zoey the zebra learns how other animal families say good night.

There were several things I found favorable about this book.  One is it is a good length for preschoolers to enjoy as a bedtime story.  Second, I liked how the variety of animals are introduced including warthogs, monkeys, and ostriches.  Some of these are not your typical animals seen in books for preschoolers.    Third, I liked the illustrations.  The zebra is really cute and the other animals are fun as well.


You can click here for the giveaway for this book.

I received a copy of this book from the Frontgate blogger review program for my honest review.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
  Bethany