Hope you had a great weekend!
Monday, August 19, 2013
Wet Wonderful Weekend
We had a GREAT weekend! Friday night started the weekend off with a bang - we had a Duck Dynasty premiere party with our Sunday School class. Everyone brought wild game dishes, except for us (I took something I would eat! :)). We watched the season premier of Duck Dynasty that came on Wednesday. Our kids went too and they played together in the gym. It was such a great night. I seriously love hanging out with the people in my Sunday School class and I always feel so blessed to have such a great Sunday School class.
The weather Saturday and Sunday was unlike anything we've seen in the South in mid-August! Saturday it was in the upper 70s and it sprinkled occasionally, but never rained hard. We decided to head to the zoo for $5 Fun Days. Nana went with us and we had such a great time. It honestly was the best zoo visit I've ever had. The weather was so good, I could have stayed there all day. We got to feed an elephant apples and got to watch the lions eat some meat.
Our zoo has a dinosaur exhibit going on right now and we knew Brayden would love it! It did not disappoint! The dinosaurs moved and even roared and made noises. A couple of dinosaurs at the end of the exhibit even spit on us!
On Sunday, we spent the day with Mom remembering my grandmother. We went to the cemetery and then went down memory lane and visited the houses my grandparents lived in while I was alive. We also stopped by Bruster's because when my grandmother lived in Chateau Vestavia, we stopped by Bruster's every week to take her some ice cream. It was a rainy day, but it was wonderful spending the afternoon remembering her.
Hope you had a great weekend!
Hope you had a great weekend!
Sunday, August 18, 2013
1 Year Later . . .
It has been exactly one year since my grandmother passed away. I miss her so much. She is the 3rd grandparent I've had pass away, but the only one I've missed like crazy. She & I had a bond that was different than my relationship with my other grandparents.
My grandmother was my most favorite person in the world. I knew that from a pretty early age and I was always so concerned that it hurt my mom's feelings when I would tell her Grandmommy was #1 on my favorite people list and she was #2 (& now that I'm a mom, I realize it probably did) (& who keeps a favorite people list?! What can I say - I was born a list maker). Sorry Mom! When I was younger, I didn't really put much thought into why I loved her so much - it probably had nothing to do with the fact that she made milkshakes (homemade!) every night when I spent the night. Or that she let me stay up and watch Nick at Night. Or that she took me shopping or to the movies every time I visited. I just knew I loved her so much and loved being around her.
Now that I'm older and am a mom myself, I realize all the reasons I loved her so much back then and still do now. I've realized there are very few people like her in this world today. The most striking thing to me is that I never heard her say anything bad or negative about anyone or even complain about anything. I mean, think about that. I was 27 when she passed away. In 27 years, 9,855 days, I never heard her complain one single time. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure I complain and/or talk bad about someone every single day. Wow, that is definitely something I need to work on! It's just pretty rare these days to meet someone like that. Granted, I didn't know her when she was in the trenches of motherhood with 4 kids, being a pastor/evangelist's wife, sacrificing everything for her husband and family. But the way my mom and aunt and uncles feel about her give me reason to believe she was just as great of a mother as she was a grandmother.
She was also the most patient person ever. As many times as she was around us, she never raised her voice or lost her patience. She always had a clean house and a delicious dinner on the table and was put together. She worked full time for Social Security and still managed to do everything she did without complaining. That is such a big thing to me. I work full time - my house is usually not very clean, I do manage to cook and do the dishes every night, but if I cook and then have to do the dishes, you better believe I'm bad mouthing my husband under my breath because I work full-time too, you know, and we should split these chores!
She was one of the most caring people I've ever known. I don't think she did anything without thinking of someone else first. She never said anything hurtful or inconsiderate. She was always thinking of others.
I will never forget the day she passed away and would give anything to have a do-over on that day. I had the opportunity to see her that day, but I was too worried about being inconvienced by my mom asking me to run medicine to the hospital, I wouldn't even get out of the car - I made my mom come out to get it. You see, I was running errands with Tyler and Brayden and I didn't want to make 2 extra stops. She went to the hospital with chest pains, they did some tests and released her, and she passed away when she got back to her apartment. Even though she wasn't in the best health, I was in shock. I honestly thought my dad was kidding when he called (not that he would ever kid about something like that). What does give me comfort, though, is when I saw her the week before, the last thing she said to me was I love you too Bethany.
I still miss her like I did one year ago. I still get choked up and get a frog in my throat when something reminds me of her. I still have actual chest pains when I think about the fact that I can't run over and see her anymore. I still have trouble with the Lord's Supper at church because I always think of how she used to drink the juice and eat the cracker as soon as she got it instead of waiting until everyone did it together when the pastor prompted us to (this was in her later years when she started coming to church with us, of course). I still can't see a pack of Certs (which fortunately is not often) without thinking of how she always had a pack in her purse and used to pass them down the aisle at the movies so everyone could get one. This list could go on and on.
Sometimes my heart hurts so bad, I can't imagine waiting a day longer to see her again. Oh how I can't wait to see her again. It's comforting to know she is so much happier now and she's with my grandfather, her most favorite person in the world.
Every day I strive to be like her. I try not to talk bad about people, I try not to complain when I'm cleaning house or doing something I don't want to, I try to be patient with my 3 year old, but it's hard. Really hard. And at those particular moments when I think of how hard it is, I realize what an unbelievable, incredible, unique person she was and I realize how unbelievably lucky I am to have had her as my grandmother. I know everyone loves their grandmother and thinks she's great, but I'm convinced I had the best one.
My grandmother was my most favorite person in the world. I knew that from a pretty early age and I was always so concerned that it hurt my mom's feelings when I would tell her Grandmommy was #1 on my favorite people list and she was #2 (& now that I'm a mom, I realize it probably did) (& who keeps a favorite people list?! What can I say - I was born a list maker). Sorry Mom! When I was younger, I didn't really put much thought into why I loved her so much - it probably had nothing to do with the fact that she made milkshakes (homemade!) every night when I spent the night. Or that she let me stay up and watch Nick at Night. Or that she took me shopping or to the movies every time I visited. I just knew I loved her so much and loved being around her.
Now that I'm older and am a mom myself, I realize all the reasons I loved her so much back then and still do now. I've realized there are very few people like her in this world today. The most striking thing to me is that I never heard her say anything bad or negative about anyone or even complain about anything. I mean, think about that. I was 27 when she passed away. In 27 years, 9,855 days, I never heard her complain one single time. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure I complain and/or talk bad about someone every single day. Wow, that is definitely something I need to work on! It's just pretty rare these days to meet someone like that. Granted, I didn't know her when she was in the trenches of motherhood with 4 kids, being a pastor/evangelist's wife, sacrificing everything for her husband and family. But the way my mom and aunt and uncles feel about her give me reason to believe she was just as great of a mother as she was a grandmother.
She was also the most patient person ever. As many times as she was around us, she never raised her voice or lost her patience. She always had a clean house and a delicious dinner on the table and was put together. She worked full time for Social Security and still managed to do everything she did without complaining. That is such a big thing to me. I work full time - my house is usually not very clean, I do manage to cook and do the dishes every night, but if I cook and then have to do the dishes, you better believe I'm bad mouthing my husband under my breath because I work full-time too, you know, and we should split these chores!
She was one of the most caring people I've ever known. I don't think she did anything without thinking of someone else first. She never said anything hurtful or inconsiderate. She was always thinking of others.
I will never forget the day she passed away and would give anything to have a do-over on that day. I had the opportunity to see her that day, but I was too worried about being inconvienced by my mom asking me to run medicine to the hospital, I wouldn't even get out of the car - I made my mom come out to get it. You see, I was running errands with Tyler and Brayden and I didn't want to make 2 extra stops. She went to the hospital with chest pains, they did some tests and released her, and she passed away when she got back to her apartment. Even though she wasn't in the best health, I was in shock. I honestly thought my dad was kidding when he called (not that he would ever kid about something like that). What does give me comfort, though, is when I saw her the week before, the last thing she said to me was I love you too Bethany.
I still miss her like I did one year ago. I still get choked up and get a frog in my throat when something reminds me of her. I still have actual chest pains when I think about the fact that I can't run over and see her anymore. I still have trouble with the Lord's Supper at church because I always think of how she used to drink the juice and eat the cracker as soon as she got it instead of waiting until everyone did it together when the pastor prompted us to (this was in her later years when she started coming to church with us, of course). I still can't see a pack of Certs (which fortunately is not often) without thinking of how she always had a pack in her purse and used to pass them down the aisle at the movies so everyone could get one. This list could go on and on.
Sometimes my heart hurts so bad, I can't imagine waiting a day longer to see her again. Oh how I can't wait to see her again. It's comforting to know she is so much happier now and she's with my grandfather, her most favorite person in the world.
Every day I strive to be like her. I try not to talk bad about people, I try not to complain when I'm cleaning house or doing something I don't want to, I try to be patient with my 3 year old, but it's hard. Really hard. And at those particular moments when I think of how hard it is, I realize what an unbelievable, incredible, unique person she was and I realize how unbelievably lucky I am to have had her as my grandmother. I know everyone loves their grandmother and thinks she's great, but I'm convinced I had the best one.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Fitness Friday
I'm linking up with Krystal at My Life of Travel & Adventures for Fitness Friday Saturday. :) Make sure to click on the picture and read all the other link ups.
I'm still doing pretty well on my lifestyle change and Insanity workout. I'm telling you, I have a new respect for these people in the Insanity video. They make it look so easy and it is seriously the hardest thing ever! I take several 5 second breaks and some exercises I can only do like 2 or 3 times, i.e. anything related to pushups. But I'm trucking along doing it 6 nights a week, sweating like a pig, looking like I'm about to have a heart attack because my face is so red.
Tyler and I measured Monday and I wasn't very pleased with my results. I'm still about the same after 2 weeks of doing the program. Oh well, I'll just keep doing it. I won't let it get me down!
I cheated a couple of times last weekend, but I didn't cheat every meal so that's an improvement. My monthly visitor is here this week and she's made herself known. Wednesday was the worst. I was so tired, wanted chocolate so bad, and had no energy to do my workout. And you know what? I got some chocolate and I took Wednesday as my off day for my workout. You know what else? That's ok. Life gets in the way sometimes and as long as you get back in the saddle the next day, it's ok. I don't beat myself up about small things like that as I long as I keep going and don't let it knock me out for good. It's really hard to eat healthy when you live in the South but I feel so much better when I do!
I'm looking into a 5K in the next month or 2. I won't be trained for it, but I can walk/run it. I feel like my endurance has definitely gone up while I'm doing Insanity and I feel like running is sure to be easier than doing Insanity. My friends Jackie (Losing It One Day At A Time) and Bruce (Bruce's Blog) have motivated me to do one even if I have to power walk most of the time. I'll let you know which one I sign up for!
Thanks for reading and keeping me accountable! :)
Tyler and I measured Monday and I wasn't very pleased with my results. I'm still about the same after 2 weeks of doing the program. Oh well, I'll just keep doing it. I won't let it get me down!
I cheated a couple of times last weekend, but I didn't cheat every meal so that's an improvement. My monthly visitor is here this week and she's made herself known. Wednesday was the worst. I was so tired, wanted chocolate so bad, and had no energy to do my workout. And you know what? I got some chocolate and I took Wednesday as my off day for my workout. You know what else? That's ok. Life gets in the way sometimes and as long as you get back in the saddle the next day, it's ok. I don't beat myself up about small things like that as I long as I keep going and don't let it knock me out for good. It's really hard to eat healthy when you live in the South but I feel so much better when I do!
I'm looking into a 5K in the next month or 2. I won't be trained for it, but I can walk/run it. I feel like my endurance has definitely gone up while I'm doing Insanity and I feel like running is sure to be easier than doing Insanity. My friends Jackie (Losing It One Day At A Time) and Bruce (Bruce's Blog) have motivated me to do one even if I have to power walk most of the time. I'll let you know which one I sign up for!
Thanks for reading and keeping me accountable! :)
Friday, August 16, 2013
To My 16 Year Old Self
The other day I heard "If I Could Write A Letter To Me" by Brad Paisley and I started thinking about what I would say if I could write a letter to me at 16. Here's what I'd say:
Dear 16-Year-Old Bethany,
YOU ARE NOT FAT! I know you are not as "thin" as all the other girls, but you are in no way, shape, or form considered fat. Now, check back in about 12 years, and yes, you will be fat. It would be great if you could just keep the weight off so 28-year-old Bethany wouldn't be having to work her butt off to lose what she's gained the past 12 years. I digress. You are letting your weight stop you from doing so many fun things. DON'T! You are not fat!
Have more self confidence and less fear of rejection. Try out for stuff. Who cares if you don't make the team?! You will look back one day and wish you had been more involved in high school. Believe it or not, you will actually miss high school one day and want to go back. If you want to be on the colorguard, try out for it! If you want to be on the danceline, go for it! Actually, don't, because you can't dance. Also, don't be too snooty for band. Be on the drumline - it seems like it would be really cool! Stop missing out on life because you are too scared to do anything and because you think you're fat.
Don't settle. (Sidenote here: I am in no way saying I settled for my husband. I am confident I ended up with the right person and that God was in control the entire time.) You are pretty, funny, and smart and you deserve the best in life. Don't date the first guy who comes along that's interested in you just because you don't think anyone else will. It will not be the end of the world that you don't have a boyfriend when all of your friends do.
Sure, things may seem hard now, but you will love your life! You end up having the cutest little boy you've ever seen and loving him with a love you've never experienced. You will settle down with that boy you've just started dating. Warning - the two of you will have some rough times. You'll both get laid off over the years, money will be tight, your house won't be the house you dream of. But you'll keep loving each other and will love each other more because of it. You'll have that sweet little boy to make the days better. You will see God work some absolute miracles along the way. Be nice to your parents because they'll help you out in more ways than you can imagine.
Here is my best piece of advice: stop looking ahead and enjoy life NOW. Yes, you will go to college; yes, you will graduate from college; yes, you will get married, yes; you will have a baby; yes, you will have a job you love. But stop looking forward to those things and love the life you're living now. You will only be 16 right now and you will never get these days back. Soak up every single minute and stop worrying about the future.
Sincerely,
28-Year-Old Bethany
Dear 16-Year-Old Bethany,
YOU ARE NOT FAT! I know you are not as "thin" as all the other girls, but you are in no way, shape, or form considered fat. Now, check back in about 12 years, and yes, you will be fat. It would be great if you could just keep the weight off so 28-year-old Bethany wouldn't be having to work her butt off to lose what she's gained the past 12 years. I digress. You are letting your weight stop you from doing so many fun things. DON'T! You are not fat!
 |
| Hailey & Tracey did not give permission to be pictured on my blog - hopefully they won't care :) |
Have more self confidence and less fear of rejection. Try out for stuff. Who cares if you don't make the team?! You will look back one day and wish you had been more involved in high school. Believe it or not, you will actually miss high school one day and want to go back. If you want to be on the colorguard, try out for it! If you want to be on the danceline, go for it! Actually, don't, because you can't dance. Also, don't be too snooty for band. Be on the drumline - it seems like it would be really cool! Stop missing out on life because you are too scared to do anything and because you think you're fat.
Don't settle. (Sidenote here: I am in no way saying I settled for my husband. I am confident I ended up with the right person and that God was in control the entire time.) You are pretty, funny, and smart and you deserve the best in life. Don't date the first guy who comes along that's interested in you just because you don't think anyone else will. It will not be the end of the world that you don't have a boyfriend when all of your friends do.
Sure, things may seem hard now, but you will love your life! You end up having the cutest little boy you've ever seen and loving him with a love you've never experienced. You will settle down with that boy you've just started dating. Warning - the two of you will have some rough times. You'll both get laid off over the years, money will be tight, your house won't be the house you dream of. But you'll keep loving each other and will love each other more because of it. You'll have that sweet little boy to make the days better. You will see God work some absolute miracles along the way. Be nice to your parents because they'll help you out in more ways than you can imagine.
Here is my best piece of advice: stop looking ahead and enjoy life NOW. Yes, you will go to college; yes, you will graduate from college; yes, you will get married, yes; you will have a baby; yes, you will have a job you love. But stop looking forward to those things and love the life you're living now. You will only be 16 right now and you will never get these days back. Soak up every single minute and stop worrying about the future.
Sincerely,
28-Year-Old Bethany
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Mid-Week Randoms
I'm linking up again with Megan at In This Wonderful Life again for some Mid-Week Randoms.
1. I've created a facebook page for my blog so I can update it when I do new posts. Go like it!
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Hutton-Family-Blog/371656889628826
2. Today is my first work day this week so it feels like Monday. Score for only having 2 more days until the weekend! :)
Monday I took Brayden to our local mall because they had taken the carousel down and sent it off to be worked on several months ago and it was put back in this weekend so we went to break it in. He really wanted to ride on it by himself, but that made me so nervous so I talked him in to letting me ride with him. We ate pizza (yes I cheated), rode the carousel, went to 2nd & Charles and picked out a book, and got ice cream (yes I cheated again) (I don't get many Mondays with my boy so it called for celebration).
Tuesday we just stayed at home and Brayden played in his pool again and helped me cut grass. I wouldn't recommend cutting grass in flip flops, though, because it will totally stain your feet!
I had so much fun being home with him those 2 days. I've always wished I had the option to be a stay at home mom, but after these 2 days, I think I'm cut out to be more of a working girl.
3. We also stopped at Bath & Body Works while we were at the mall and picked up some new hand soap. They were having a great deal - 5 for $15. We got some new fall ones & I can't wait until it's time to put them out! Fall is seriously my favorite season!
4. Brayden is completely potty trained and goes to the bathroom on his own whenever he needs to go. The problem is lately I've noticed a distinct urine smell in my bathroom every time I walk in. I'm concerned that he's gotten a little too comfortable while using the bathroom and gets distracted and misses the toilet bowl occasionally. Any ideas on how I can prevent that?
5. I'm starting to think about what planner I want to get for 2014. I prefer the planners with only the months in them. I'm not really busy enough to need a daily planner. I really love the Erin Condren notebooks with the months added in, but they are just so expensive. I've also tried Maybooks, but they're too small. I lucked out this year with a Lilly Pulitzer planner. It's pretty cheap and exactly what I'm looking for in the way it's laid out. I'm just wondering if there are better ones out there I don't know about. Be sure to fill me in if you have one you love!
That's it for my randomness. Have a great rest of the week!
1. I've created a facebook page for my blog so I can update it when I do new posts. Go like it!
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Hutton-Family-Blog/371656889628826
2. Today is my first work day this week so it feels like Monday. Score for only having 2 more days until the weekend! :)
Monday I took Brayden to our local mall because they had taken the carousel down and sent it off to be worked on several months ago and it was put back in this weekend so we went to break it in. He really wanted to ride on it by himself, but that made me so nervous so I talked him in to letting me ride with him. We ate pizza (yes I cheated), rode the carousel, went to 2nd & Charles and picked out a book, and got ice cream (yes I cheated again) (I don't get many Mondays with my boy so it called for celebration).
Tuesday we just stayed at home and Brayden played in his pool again and helped me cut grass. I wouldn't recommend cutting grass in flip flops, though, because it will totally stain your feet!
I had so much fun being home with him those 2 days. I've always wished I had the option to be a stay at home mom, but after these 2 days, I think I'm cut out to be more of a working girl.
3. We also stopped at Bath & Body Works while we were at the mall and picked up some new hand soap. They were having a great deal - 5 for $15. We got some new fall ones & I can't wait until it's time to put them out! Fall is seriously my favorite season!
4. Brayden is completely potty trained and goes to the bathroom on his own whenever he needs to go. The problem is lately I've noticed a distinct urine smell in my bathroom every time I walk in. I'm concerned that he's gotten a little too comfortable while using the bathroom and gets distracted and misses the toilet bowl occasionally. Any ideas on how I can prevent that?
5. I'm starting to think about what planner I want to get for 2014. I prefer the planners with only the months in them. I'm not really busy enough to need a daily planner. I really love the Erin Condren notebooks with the months added in, but they are just so expensive. I've also tried Maybooks, but they're too small. I lucked out this year with a Lilly Pulitzer planner. It's pretty cheap and exactly what I'm looking for in the way it's laid out. I'm just wondering if there are better ones out there I don't know about. Be sure to fill me in if you have one you love!
That's it for my randomness. Have a great rest of the week!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
My Woodworking Husband
So, I realized not long after I married my husband that he can do pretty much anything. I'm seriously in awe of him. I'm not just trying to brag, there are very few things he cannot do. It really comes in handy to be married to someone like that. The only down side is, in the beginning, I was convinced I was right and he was wrong a lot. I've finally realized he's rarely wrong when it comes to common sense related stuff and I should just listen to him.
A good lesson for a wife to learn, don't you think?
Anyway, one of his major passions/hobbies/talents is woodworking. He works at a wood shop so he gets to bring home a lot of scrap wood. He's started making various projects and they have all turned out beautiful!
This is a stool he made for his wood shop. He carved that face in the stool!
He made this hammering toy for Brayden. You know, one of those things where he hammers the pegs down.
He made a shelf to go by the door so I can hang my purse and Brayden's backpack and stuff. I love it!
He made a DVD holder for all of Brayden's DVDs to go in (& shaped like a rocket too!).
Last but not least, he made this awesome shelf for Brayden's room. This has been my absolute favorite of everything he's made.
I can send anyone who is interested directions on how to make this. Just leave a comment.
I am just amazed that he makes these things without instructions or anything! He sure is nice to have around. :)
A good lesson for a wife to learn, don't you think?
Anyway, one of his major passions/hobbies/talents is woodworking. He works at a wood shop so he gets to bring home a lot of scrap wood. He's started making various projects and they have all turned out beautiful!
This is a stool he made for his wood shop. He carved that face in the stool!
I am just amazed that he makes these things without instructions or anything! He sure is nice to have around. :)
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
The Many Faces of Brayden
We got rid of our satellite tv several months ago. Now all we have is Netflix and DVDs. It was something that I was very nervous to do because I was worried that we'd be miserable without it. But I realized we were only watching tv in the evenings because none of us are home during the day and we were paying all of this money for something we hardly used. Not to mention what I watched was not the greatest (Teen Mom, 16 & Pregnant, KUWTK, Sister Wives, yeah all junk). The amazing thing is we have not missed it one time! We're perfectly content to watch Netflix or all 10 seasons of Friends that we have the box set of.
Brayden loves Netflix. There are so many shows for him to watch on there. The problem is, before Netflix, he wasn't allowed to play with my phone. Now, we have a cord that he can plug my phone up to the tv and watch Netflix on the tv. Which means he's become quite familiar with my phone and how it works. It also means he has some unsupervised time with my phone while I'm cooking or doing dishes or what not. He's been known to call Nana, unbeknownst to me. He even left her a voicemail practically hollering at her if she could hear him. "NANA YOU CAN HEAR ME?!" Guess I need to teach him about voicemail.
He also knows how to get to the camera and he takes literally like 30 pictures in a 2 minute time frame. After he's gone to bed, I will find my camera roll full of pictures. Most of them are of the house. His room, the living room, etc. But sometimes he figures out how to turn the camera around and take some pictures of himself. I laugh out loud when I see these.
Oh, kids & technology these days!
I have finally made a facebook page for my blog. Go check it out here and like it!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hutton-Family-Blog/371656889628826
Brayden loves Netflix. There are so many shows for him to watch on there. The problem is, before Netflix, he wasn't allowed to play with my phone. Now, we have a cord that he can plug my phone up to the tv and watch Netflix on the tv. Which means he's become quite familiar with my phone and how it works. It also means he has some unsupervised time with my phone while I'm cooking or doing dishes or what not. He's been known to call Nana, unbeknownst to me. He even left her a voicemail practically hollering at her if she could hear him. "NANA YOU CAN HEAR ME?!" Guess I need to teach him about voicemail.
He also knows how to get to the camera and he takes literally like 30 pictures in a 2 minute time frame. After he's gone to bed, I will find my camera roll full of pictures. Most of them are of the house. His room, the living room, etc. But sometimes he figures out how to turn the camera around and take some pictures of himself. I laugh out loud when I see these.
I have finally made a facebook page for my blog. Go check it out here and like it!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hutton-Family-Blog/371656889628826
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)