5 Gracious Gifts

There was something different in the air this Christmas.

I can't put my finger to it,

but I feel like everyone seemed to really think about the gifts they were giving.

I like that.

I always dread making the yearly "Christmas List"

so relatives will know what to get you.

No, this year, I felt extra special.

I don't know if it was the economy

or my attitude

or the egg nog

but this year gifts were a lot more sentimental to me.

Here are 5 of my gracious gifts:

#1: My mom got me a Bee House Dripper to make yummy coffee with! I have been wanting one for a long time.

#2: My lovely roommate gave me the most beautiful orange towel to match our new shower curtain. This may seem strange, but I have been wanting a grown-up alternative to my hot pink towels. I mentioned this to everyone, but I thought they might think I was joking. Connally didn't. :)

#3: My Aunt Sue and cousin Katie wrote me out tons of encouraging notes on brightly colored note cards. My aunt also put them in a box see has had since college to keep special notes in it. I felt so honored to get such a personal treasure from someone.

#4: Travis, my beau, personalized an ornament for me. I almost cried when I opened it. It is just so precious and sweet.

#5: My unfashionable but sweet daddy picked out these tan boots all on his own without any help from mom. I was impressed how close he got to my dream boots. It made it all the more special though because he chose them for me. Dad also started a new tradition: re-gifting. He and mom are starting to give some of their special possessions to me and my sister. This year he gave my The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, his favorite author. I am so excited to read it and keep it in my book collection.

I also got some sweet handmade gifts from the other roommates not pictured here including a coffee candle and a necklace with an espresso cup charm. I love them both!

What was the most sentimental gift you received this year?

And just for fun:

I heart Sam & Kurt!

-Beth

A Christmas Poem

Today is bittersweet.

Christmas is but an hour away.

Family is gathered.

Presents are under the tree.

The Celebration has begun.

However,

Today is also the anniversary

of losing someone I loved,

my beau's grandmother.

One year to this day

my father gave a beautiful eulogy for her.

He used as acrostic 

(as he loves to do):

G.R.A.C.E.

This word truly captivates her

She was lovely,

sweet,

generous,

joyful,

faithful,

artistic,

and

gracious.

It snowed today

and I cannot help but think

she sent it to us as a Christmas present.

She is my angel on my Christmas tree this year.

This evening I read a poem she wrote

in 1999 about Gramp-

about how he loved his wife through Alzheimer's disease.

It was beautiful.

Her words fell off the paper with such 

grace

and

dignity.

My heart melted 

at her poem from a typewriter.

She extended grace to everyone

including me.

She truly made me feel apart of her family.

Her legacy will live on in my heart

and I will always think of her

on the eve of Christmas

as she watches from a better place.

5 Festive Things Grace Did

First of, I want to apologize for posting my 5 Graceful Things a day late. I was hard at work on a craft project (which I will share in a minute).

This Christmas season I have felt extra festive. I've been doing little things here and there that have snowballed into a jolly ole soul.

Here is 5 Festive Things Grace (I) Did:

#1: Made a cute stocking during 4 Christmas movies and 2 seasons of Eureka 

(that's a REALLY long time).

#2: Bought some awesome Christmas gifts for my loved ones and wrapped them all pretty with paper from the clearance aisle last year.

kudos to conally

kudos to conally

#3: Decorated The Fremont House and put up my first full size Christmas tree.

#4: Made a huge Christmas dinner for me and my lovely roommates while wearing this adorable apron. Dinner included my mom's chicken, twice baked potatoes, my special Caesar salad, and yummy rolls. Then we exchanged gifts and watched A Christmas Story. It was a beautiful evening.

#5: Wore ridiculous festive sweaters every day to work (more pictures to come).

My Christmas season is far from over though. Now, I must drive home and celebrate with my friends and family in the City of Roses.

Have a Merry Christmas!

-Beth

5 Graceful Things

This week 5 Graceful Things is dedicated with proper nouns that have "Grace" in their name that I love!

#1: Grace Kelly, I love old time actors and actresses. Sometimes I wish there were more actresses around like Grace Kelly.

#2: "Grace Like Rain": I love Todd Agnew's voice.

#3 "Amazing Grace" the movie: William Wilberforce's story of fighting slavery is so inspiring.

#4 Grace Cafe: My mom's coffee shop that closed in October 2008 and has recently  had someone commit to re-opening a new coffee shop there! (More details to come.)

#5: Grace, my mom: I love my mom, and I am so proud to have her name as my middle name!

-Beth

Let it Snow

Today was the first, real snow of the year,

And my first snow in a house that isn't my parent's

It was magical to walk outside this morning.

Simply, magical.

I take it as God's good luck charm for finals this week.

Snow means Christmas is in the air,

And hot chocolate is a MUST.

My favorite Christmas song of all time is

"Let it Snow" (Jaci Velasquez's version),

so I thought I would share it with you on this first day of snow.


-Beth

5 NOT Graceful Things

So it is the week before finals, which is insanity week for Com majors. I need to just get through to tomorrow, and I can't really imagine graceful things right now. So here are 5 things that are NOT full of grace:

#2: Me spilling things on myself all the time.

#1: Ugly Christmas Sweaters (Watch out Coffee Ethic...Christmas cheer is coming your way!)

#4: My body's Circadian Rhythm during Finals Weeks

#3: An epic, looming paper due tomorrow about GLEE and Rhetoric (Yes, I plan on making GLEE academic!)

 #5: Putting my 5 NOT Graceful Things out of order. ;)

-BETH

Sharing Unexpected Grace

Thanksgiving

Usually takes place at my Grandma's house

Filled with turkey, rolls, and sugar cookies.

This Thanksgiving

My family made some last minute plans

To have dinner in Springfield instead.

Mom

Brought ham, rolls, twice baked potatoes,

And took over The Fremont House kitchen.

My co-worker, Bella,

Joined my family's celebration of grace,

and my mom fixed her special vegan food.

Sometimes

The unexpected plans are the best plans.

Hope you had a great time sharing grace with loved ones!

-Beth

Weheartit

Saying Grace: (Graceful Things Times Two)

"Saying Grace"

So this week, I want to use 5 Graceful Things to "say grace" for what I am thankful for in honor of Thanksgiving. And with a double serving! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

#1: The Fremont House

#2: A lovely neighborhood cat to love on (Pippie)

#3: My wonderful job as a Barista at The Coffee Ethic with awesome co-workers, boss, and customers

#4: The ability and privilege to learn even when I forget sometimes

# 5: My new church community at Emmaus

#6: My lovely roommates (and future roommate)

#7: High School Friendships that last beyond graduation :)

#8: My wonderful family

#9: Spending four years with my best friend

#10: Having Someone who always believes in me

-Beth

A Grace Period

According to Wikipedia (I know terrible source but...),  a "grace period" is a time past the deadline for an obligation during which a late penalty that would have been imposed is waived.

In other words, it is a time you or someone else allows you to mess up without consequences.

I think my grace periods for myself have become longer and for others shorter. I am not a fan of this new tendency of mine.

For example, this semester I have been LATE to everything. I blow it off like it is no big deal and say that I am living in polychronic time so all of the monochronic people need to just deal with it or become more culturally enlightened.

Weheatit

WHAT?!?!

That is not what I believe at my core. I believe we are supposed to love people how they want to be loved and interact within the bounds of the society we are in. 

In other words, I need to give myself less of a grace period and get my butt in gear. Being late does not speak highly of my character in Western society. Perhaps my discontentment of Western society leads me to rebel by pretending I was in a Latin country and being late all the time.

Whereas, I do want to treat people more important than the tasks at hand. I need to realize that I need to take my own advice and operate in a way that my culture (now matter how much I dislike it) values.

So therefore I need to decrease myself, and extend that grace to other people because that is what Christ would do.

-Beth

5 Graceful Things

So I stole this idea from my roomie, she has a delightful tradition of blogging 7 things she adores each Monday. I am going to blog on Wednesdays things that remind me of, are, or mean "grace".

Enjoy!

I think GRACE is...

We Heart It

Riding my New Bike to School Through My Lovely Neighborhood

Kudos to Roomie

Serving Customers with a Joyful Heart

We Heart It

A Gift I don't Deserve

I heart it.

Apologizing for Something When You Don't Have To

I heart it.

A Beautiful Ballerina

What things represent GRACE to you?

-Beth

Fall Leaves

  So when you're not graceful, you FALL.

Autumn is also called, FALL.

So here are some pictures, I took in my front yard with my beau.

Enjoy your FALL!

-BETH

(these pictures all belong to me; aka don't use them)