Love Bomb...

I am so excited to be a part of an organization called itstartswith.us that helps people in so many ways. One thing that I will start adding to my thursday blogging is a Love Bomb! Basically, the idea is that someone who is hurting, or in need of encouragement is suggested by someone on the love bomb team and then from there, people go comment on their blog some words of encouragement! You can say anything you'd like!!! Here is this week's mission...

"Hey Love Bomb family!

We are dropping today’s Love Bomb on a 17 year old girl named Rachel.

She lost her dad and ever since has dealt with eating disorders, and is struggling through life without him. Her mom avoids serious conversations with her and she is afraid to get help. She’s in counseling, which is wonderful -  but we all know how irreplaceable personal words of encouragement are. 

In one of her recent posts, she bullet-pointed a list of things she had to show for nearly being 18: 

- I drink too much
- I have social anxiety
- I’m failing school
- I’m ugly
- I’m fat
- I can’t even get the courage to meet my own sister
- I lack the energy to even fake happiness
- I have recurring thoughts of self-harm
- I keep relapsing into “disordered eating behaviours”

In her last post, the one we’ll be commenting on, she ends with, 

“What I need is some inspiration. I need someone I admire to tell me every thing’s going to be alright. That they believe in me. That I’m not the fat failure I think I am. - unfortunately I can’t see that happening any time before it’s too late, if it’s not already too late.”

Alright guys. You know what to do. We ARE Rachel’s inspiration, encouragement, love, and support.  It’s time to tell her how beautiful and valuable she is. I want to blow her away. 

To comment on her blog, go here: http://whatyouneverknewaboutme.blogspot.com/2010/08/get-motivated.html

Time to drop a Love Bomb, friends!"

Isn't this such a wonderful idea? I love that it takes five minutes to brighten someone's day! I can't wait to start blogging love bombs on thursdays now! Bombs away!!!

-Much Love-

Bethany

Monday Combinations...

This Monday Combination may be a little bit different than what I normally choose to write about; however, this story needs to be told. August 23. Today. First day of my sophomore year of college. Lots of things happened. The day was good except for a few setbacks. My bike was stolen (for the second time... my fault both times), I spilled chocolate ice cream (delicious) all down my white shirt, almost got in a wreck... the list goes on. BUT. I don't want to write in detail about any of that... I want to write about God's faithfulness. I am safe and alive... and so is my car (long story). Also, the chocolate stain came out with the help of Mary's handy dandy stain remover, and also.... drum roll please.... this morning, when I prayed for God to help me find my bike, or send another one my way I knew it was selfish. Whoever took my bike probably needed it more than I did. I don't really need a bike. It is a luxury. But I do love a good bike ride, and my God does love to romance me. My friend Emily just so happened to have an extra bike laying around her house that she is going to give me! God works in such crazy and amazing ways. I will buy a bike lock BEFORE I pick up the beautiful bicycle this time. And also, I will praise my God and give Him all of the glory. Wow. Therefore, this Monday combination deals with "answered prayer" and a "bicycle".

-Much Love-
Bethany

Cutesie Wootsie...

I just love searching for cute things at flea markets, wholesale shops, etc. This last week, I got the chance to go on a bargain hunt with the amazing Mary Roy. We found the cutest little shop on the corner downtown. They also help out a local hospice so that's pretty awesome! I spent a total of $7. Take a look at the goodies I got!

An antique teapot. A yellow throw pillow for my yellow and grey bedroom. Some wooden hearts that I plan on making something adorable with. And some fabulous grey pillow shams that I will use to practice up on some sewing! Gotta love those deals!

Also.... listen to this song by JJ Heller! So precious...

-Much Love-

Bethany

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Please go read this article... I first found bits and pieces of it here. What an amazing, amazing interview. Don't waste anymore time! Go read it! And if my extremely intense plea isn't enough for you... here's a small excerpt. 


"...Anyhow, material possessions are just one way we can be chained to this world. Even if we were to give up all our stuff, what good will it do us if we then judge others who haven't done so? Giving away everything we own is right, but we can get rid of our belongings but hold onto lust, jealousy, pride, arrogance, ambition. My advice is to ask forgiveness for trusting in what is useless and to pray for God to give you the love for others that would move you to sell all you have to give your money to the poor, not with reluctance or motivated by guilt, but with joy. Pray for that, and if it doesn't come pray for it again and again, and whatever good does come don't make a big show of it but keep your goodness a secret for God, and tell someone you trust the things you do that are the most wrong and shameful. Keep praying for mercy and forgive everyone, and show gratitude to the One who made you..."


-Much Love-
Bethany

The Lunch Box...

Last night, my room mate Mary and I were talking about saving money and what-not... One thing that I want to do this school year is bring my lunch to campus. It's so much less expensive and healthier, too! Although this post is simple and, yes, silly... You've been warned that simple is the tone of this blog. So what does "bringing your lunch" require?

First, a cute lunch box... I found this one here.

Secondly, a grocery list of yummy things to pack. What is in my brown paper sack (soon to be cute lunch pale) today you might ask?

Thirdly, determination....

What will you pack in your cute little lunch pail?

-Much Love-

Bethany

If There's One (or ten) Things I've learned...

Oh college. You've gotta love the college life. With school starting back up just one week from today, there is so much to look forward to. God has blessed my life so many ways in my college experience so far. I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be here at OSU. One of the many ways he has blessed me is by sending wonderful, beautiful room mates my way. I love the girls that I live with. Our apartment is just so lovely and cozy. Here's a few things that I've learned in the mere three days I've lived here...

1:: My Iron and Wine pandora station has been playing nonstop.
2:: We all love coffee. There hasn't been a day/night that coffee hasn't been involved.
3:: Pineapple Orchid is my new favorite smell.
4:: Thank goodness for different colors of Summit Co. Camelbaks. End of story.
5:: Yellow and grey go splendidly together in a bedroom.
6:: There have already been cooking parties. We enjoy eating well.
7:: We all have "blog envy". Thank you for getting me hooked on so many different blogs.
8:: Bubble baths are not just for five year olds. Bubbles and books go perfectly together. So relaxing.
9:: There will be crafts. Lots of crafts.
10:: Jesus will be praised.

Check out their blogs as well!

Mary

Chelsea

-Much Love-

Bethany

4 Simple Goals...

One of my favorite blogs to read is A Beautiful Mess by Elsie Flannigan. Her style is splendidly vintage and she is just such an inspiration to the artsy-craftsy world. One of her more recent posts urges readers to make a list of four simple goals for the rest of the year. Not long term results, just simple goals. I could name way more than four goals that I have for myself the rest of this year, but we'll start with four right now.

1) Have a quiet time with my God every single day. 

2) Begin an art journal.

3) Study harder than ever before, and truly learn the material.

4) Have a coffee date at least once a week getting to know someone better.

I think those four goals are just beautiful. They are exactly what I need. Falling in love with God more and more every day, expressing myself through art and creativity, truly learning information that will help me to be a better doctor someday, and also searching for the true heart of a person.

-Much Love-

Bethany

Monday Combinations... Or Tuesday... Again.

So, even though I realize that this is technically Tuesday (12:08 am) I'm still awake, yet again. Maybe I should start calling this series "Tuesday Combinations"? Sitting here with my cup of coffee and a quiet apartment, all is good with the world. A new combination for you is Summit Co. and money. You may laugh now, but there is not a time that I can go into that store without wanting to spend money. Summit is a wonderful little store that was started right here in Stillwater. I love going through all of the rock climbing gear, "outdoors-ie" wear, and camping stuff. I've always loved to be outside. Summit basically just clothes you and prepares you for the outdoors. Love it!

Stillwater Summit

-Much Love-
Bethany

Eat, Pray, Love

Tonight, my amazing boyfriend took me to see the movie Eat, Pray, Love for our "year and a half anniversary". Normally, we don't celebrate the monthly ones (like I've said before) but, we figured this one was special. I love my boyfriend... and the movie! So while I was with an amazing person, I would like to share how amazingly crazy I am about traveling! You could say I am a little bit intrigued by culture and different countries and languages. A couple of years ago, my mom and I had the opportunity to spend three weeks in Italy. Best three weeks of vacation ever (who am I kidding... it's the only three week vacation I've ever had, but if there were more, I bet this would still top it). Although it's hard to choose a favorite place we visited, I would most likely choose Cefalu. It's a small little town in Sicily. You're definitely in the deep Italian roots here. It's not so much of a tourist town. This equals no english speaking, beautiful scenery, and terrible driving. However, this is the town where my great(x2) grandfather lived. There's something incredibly inviting about a town where you have family roots of a sort. Ever since that trip, I have been so hungry to see more of the world. Top places on the list right now? Stonehenge, England. Santorini, Greece. Cefalu, Sicily (yes, again). Gold Coast, Australia. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Anywhere, Hawaii.


Also, on a random note: I've been craving homemade lemonade a whole bunch lately. Maybe I'll bite the bullet and make some soon!

-Much Love-

Bethany

Wedding Crazy...

A little random fact about myself... I love weddings. All of them. I don't care if it is my style or not, weddings are my favorite. Although my own wedding may be just something to dream about now, I still love looking at everything and planning how I want my special day to be. I mostly picture a really fun day full of laughter and happiness. None of that uptight, formal black and white stuff... Don't get me wrong, formal is beautiful, but I want my day to be more about the people than the event. It just melts my heart to think about the "I do's". I have about 234809283 weddings planned out in my head, but the one I'm ooooh-ing and aaahhhh-ing over right now is filled with sunflowers. Lots of sunflowers. The cutest idea for a cake is baking the chocolate cake, covering it with chocolate icing and chocolate chips (for the seeds of course) and then putting twinkies all around it! Isn't that so stinkin' adorable? Nothing fancy, just a good time.

-Much Love-
Bethany

Monday Combinations... Or Tuesday...

I am so sorry that I forgot to do Monday Combinations yesterday! I got the chance to go home and see my family this weekend and I took it! I loved getting to see everyone again because I forget sometimes how amazing my family really is. So, this week we will have "Tuesday Combinations". It's like Monday Combinations with a twist.... Running at the lake is one of my favorite ways to exercise. If you know anything about me, I am a big baby when it comes to getting that heart rate up! I hate feeling like I'm dying because I can't breathe, but somehow, the lake helps take my mind off of how much I'm hurting. The last time I went for a jog around the lake, the sun was just setting and the sky was a brilliant pink color. The clouds were amazing and before I knew it, I had made it to my mark! It's so encouraging to be running with an actual purpose and mark rather than on a treadmill. Hopefully, I'll start running a lot more this school year. Someone has been begging me to go with him more (Ostin....) but I'm not mentioning any names (Ostin....).


-Much Love-
Bethany

Inspiration...

I love shopping. Sometimes, I think I love to shop too much. Actually, that is most of the time. It's not so much the girly shopping that gets me though... No. I do things the hard way. I love to look for those vintage pieces in thrift stores, the bargains in the "not so thrifty" stores, and most importantly, the right accessories. I've been inspired to try and make hunting for these finds a challenge. I absolutely love making jewelry... I have only become interested in this hobby this summer, but it is a quickly growing passion of mine. Why spend money on something when you can make it right? However, the right inspiration is a MUST. Creativity should be original, but it definitely helps to see what talent someone else has put out there and putting my own spin on it. Take a look at this wonderful jewelry line that is a huge inspiration to my own jewelry...

LOVE! Waxing Poetic is a beautiful vintage inspired line that has captured my interest. I love all of their pieces. The way that they combine the charms and chains to go perfectly together is just brilliant. Check out their website!

Waxing Poetic

-Much Love-

Bethany

New Obsession...

Sometimes, I feel like a go a little bit overboard on the arts and crafts. I can never have too much creativity in my life! I love making new things, what can I say? I may not even be finished with one project and I'm already excited about starting the next! My new obsession... chalkboard paint. I haven't done anything yet, but it's coming. There are so many cool things you can do with it! You could make awesome gifts for people, paint some cute house decorations, or just give yourself a little reminder board... I'm so stinkin' excited to start painting away!

:: Reminder Board ::

:: Chalkboard Door... LOVE IT ::

:: Chalk-labelled Cabinets ::

:: Chalkboard Wall Art ::

I am in love. I need to do a little bit more researching, but it looks easy enough! And the outcome is soooo cute! Can't wait.

-Much Love-

Bethany

It's God Time...

This day, I have been so inspired to be beautiful for Christ. Girls, come on... We all know how it feels to wake up and not ever want to see a mirror. My hair looks awful, my face looks like death, etc. No matter how false we know these statements are, somehow we choose to believe them every once in a while. Well, today, I have been looking at passages dealing with beauty. Here we go...

"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'"

Romans 10:14

"Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God. And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it."

II Timothy 2:8-10

"... but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious..."

I Peter 3:4

"Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary."

Psalm 96:6

It is when we are in the presence of God that we are beautiful. I love the verse, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" What a pedicure!!! I want to be so beautiful for him.

-Much Love-

Bethany

Gettin' Antsy...

The summer has been so great! I needed a break from school, don't get me wrong, but I'm so excited for this next year! So many reasons!!! Allow me to blog twice in one day and rant about the many causes for my excitement.

:: 1. Decorating some wall in my new apartment like this (bedroom, living room, doesn't matter...) ::

:: 2. Dressing for fall/winter. I love scarves and coats and hats and gloves (zooey deschanel is my hero) ::        

:: 3. Finding the time in my hectic schedule to make these adorable ID holders... ::

:: 4. COWBOY FOOTBALL (need I say more?) ::

:: 5. Cutting my hair like this. I'm still trying to decide, but it's more than likely happening... ::

The same tattoo also possibly? No. That was a joke. A big joke. But isn't the haircut adorable? There are so many more things I'm ready for... Organic chemistry, here I come... 

-Much Love-

Bethany

Monday Combinations...

What a better combination than cooking and loud music? Although it can be a recipe for disaster, it can also be very relaxing. Whether you want to jam out to the smooth tones of John Mayer, or something a little bit crazier, tunes always add to the cooking experience. Just make sure not to let anything burn! Cooking is sort of a new adventure for me. I love it, but I need a lot of practice. As my boyfriend says, my best dish is pretty much my only dish. This summer, one of my closest friends taught me how to make a very simple dish that tastes delicious! All you do is...

Sauté bell peppers, squash, zucchini, and mushrooms in a frying pan with zesty italian dressing. In another pan, you cook chicken breast (marinated in italian dressing, of course) until it is golden brown. Combine it all together and you have a delicious meal. I cooked this for my brother when he was here and he loved it! What a little cutie :)

Next week's spoiler: Time to get in shape!

-Much Love-

Bethany

It's God Time...

What a beautiful Sunday morning it was! My brother has stayed with me the last couple of days and I was thrilled for him to get to come to my church in Stillwater this morning! Back at home, I love my church. Everything just seems perfectly how God wanted it to work out. I was so thankful when I moved off to college and found a church that God was moving in as well. Thank goodness He can be more than one place at a time! 


This morning, we talked about faithfulness. Faithfulness is not the key to salvation, but the key to ministry. Salvation is a free gift from God. You don't earn the possession of eternal life. It is given to you. Ministry, however, is what you do with the gift God has given you. In this case, faithfulness and commitment are two extremely important qualities. Right now, we are going through II Timothy. Paul writes to Timothy from jail (a hole in the ground). JB (my pastor who puts a smile on my face every time I see him) taught that in those days, at that type of imprisonment, you were not given food unless someone brought it to you. So Paul was extremely thankful for his faithful friend. He writes in chapter one...

"15 You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, 17 but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— 18 may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus."

The "Day" that Paul writes of is the day of judgement. My eyes were opened to a new way of thinking this morning. I've always thought that the judgement would be just who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. No big deal. I know where I am on that note. But JB taught that really, it is a judgement of how faithful you were. Like I said before, faithfulness isn't the key to your salvation. You still go to heaven if you are unfaithful to God; however, you miss out on rewards in heaven, and opportunities to grow on earth if you fall away from Him. It makes me think. How well do I serve God? How much do I talk with Him and spend time in His word? How often do I serve and love others? How often do I share what God has done for all of mankind? 

When I thought about it that way, it was a huge eye opener. It isn't so much what I "don't do" but what I "do" that counts. Serving God and people to the best of my ability. The very best. Not that it's for the rewards, but I would love to work right along side my God in heaven rather than scrub the golden toilets (joke). 

-Much Love-

Bethany