I Love Him, I Love Him Not, I Love Him...

Dave Ramsey...

...he's a new "hottie" I love to hate.

Hottie Hubby and I enrolled in Financial Peace University (FPU) and last night was our second class.  In July of last year, hottie hubby and I adopted the principles of the Dave Ramsey teachings, but registering in FPU was necessary for us to really tackle this "debt free" way of life. 

Our class is large...roughly 30-35 people.  Each class is held on Sunday evenings for two hours at the church we attend, although there are only three to five couple's in the class that actually attend our church. 

The first hour is a video "lesson" taught by Dave Ramsey himself...the guy is in his late fifties (I'm guessing), stylish (for an older man), well spoken, really intelligent, Godly, great sense of humor and all around a total "hottie"...(again, for an older man)...

...I'm totally loving the class, and honestly, I'm loving on Dave too...but, as with most "hotties" there is much to hate too...

...Here is my Love/Hate Dave Ramsey list:

What I HATE about Dave Ramsey is...

• Dave Ramsey totally sabotaged my chances at getting a new dress for the Chamber Gala!
• Because of FPU, I've had to make a promise to not purchase any new pair of shoes for the year 2011...{scream!}
• Dave Ramsey has wedged his way in between my decade long relationship with Target!
• Dinner out has a whole new meaning...Dinner out = "dinner just came 'out' of the oven, come and get it!"
• Trips to the grocery store no longer include chocolate snacks being slipped into the cart, now we have organized, checked off lists...

What I LOVE about Dave Ramsey is...

• He's easy on the eyes!
• He keeps me entertained with his quirky comments and great sense of humor!
• LOVING that hottie hubby and I are on our way to a debt free way of living!
• LOVING how this class and new way of living has really opened up the lines of communication between hottie hubby and me, it's done WONDERS in our marriage!
• Meeting new people within the class has been an added bonus!

...in all honesty, Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University is the best thing that hottie hubby and I have done for ourselves.  We have seen tremendous change already, and we are both looking so forward to a new way of living...like nobody else!  :)

All About Sophia...

There is music attached to the video,

so turn up the volume and enjoy!

Grapes & Cell Phone...

Sophia turned three yesterday!  Such a big girl...

...so I hosted a "Yo Gabba Gabba" birthday party (by the way, if you haven't heard of "Yo Gabba Gabba", you really should check it out...personally, I'm still trying to figure it out).

We invited our cousins, Ella and Grace to participate in the celebration...Ella is five and Grace is three.

Grace and Sophia played very well together, and watching them together was really cute...

...I guess when you are three years old and still learning to talk, the names "Grace" and "Sophia" can be difficult to pronounce....

...and so this is how the conversations were played out throughout the night:

Sophia:  "Bethy (that's Betsy with a lisp), Grapes took my baby doll."

Grace:  (yelling from across the room) "It's not your baby doll, Cell Phone!"

Grapes = Grace
Cell Phone = Sophia

....yeah, I totally get that.

Grapes, Bethy and Cell Phone!

Heavenly Melody...

Dear Cal,

The party is over, the cake has been eaten, presents opened, dirty dishes have been washed.  The "happy birthday" melody whispers through my thoughts as I rest in the recliner.  My heart hurts, it is heavy with a sadness that outweighs any progress I've made in terms of healing.  I rely on God, my faith to lift me back up, out of this guilt....the guilt of celebrating your daughters third birthday.  Guilt of watching her face light up at the beautifully wrapped packages, all for her.  Guilt of joining in on the loud and somewhat off key "happy birthday"...

...and as I watched Sophia blow out her candles, I wished for her..."allow her, dear God, to feel her daddy's love, to know that he is with her and around her at all times."

Cal, she's beautiful.  The spitting image of you.  She's sassy and loves all eyes to be on her...that's the auntie Betsy in her.  ;)  She entertains us with her hand movements and ballerina twirls when she sings...perfectly on pitch, I might add.  She knows every word to every nursery rhyme song and when she tells you a story, she looks you in the face with such serious eyes.  She's tall, and lean...loves to do "gymnastics" and she often pushes her baby brother around, but loving him with such intensity...(ring a bell, little brother?).  I watch Sophia and Henry as if I'm watching old home movies of you and me.  It makes my heart smile.

Tonight at Sophie's party we celebrated in "Yo Gabba Gabba" style...balloons, cake, ice cream and of course a never ending collection of presents galore!  We invited our family and friends and we all laughed hysterically when Sophia talks to cousin Grace...she calls her "Grapes"...as in "Betsy, Grapes took my baby."

I love her so very much Cal.  She brings me so much joy and peace...knowing that all the goodness in you continues within her.

Today your princess is three years old, and I know in my heart that the "happy birthday" melody is being sung by an angel from above to this little angel here below...

Much love from your big sister,

Betsy

Little Miss Diva...

Guess who will be THREE on Saturday??

Sophia Cerease Veronica Fine

She's a diva, so she's having TWO parties!!  :)

(she takes after her auntie)

The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon...

Remember back in June when I reheated pizza in my oven?

...since that accident we have been using a toaster oven to cook....I'm not kidding.

A good crock pot has been our best friend for the past seven months...

...but the crock pot meals were beginning to bore us...

So we did what any sane, normal family would do....

...we gutted our kitchen the week before Christmas!  We ate EVERY (and I mean EVERY) meal out for FOUR weeks.  We gained weight from all the processed restaurant food we ate.  We spent THOUSANDS of dollars on the processed restaurant food we ate...

...but we did it all as a family.

And it was TOTALY worth it....

Presenting our NEW and IMPROVED kitchen...(we still have trim to hang, outlets to install and tiles to grout, but you get the idea)

I know that not all of you can truly appreciate the HUGE change...unfortunately I wasn't organized enough to take "before" pictures, but TRUST me when I say it's a difference between NIGHT and DAY!!! 

WE LOVE IT!!!!

Thanks to Howell's Carpet for installing the floor tile, Lage's Cabinets for the custom made cabinets and installation, Martellaro Marble & Granite for the granite counter tops and Lowe's for the stainless steel appliances and hottie hubby for the AWESOME tile back splash!

Wordless Wednesday...

This is Henry, he's my nephew (my brother's son),

He will be two next month...

Can you tell that he just LOVES the snow...

actually, he did not LOVE the snow,

he kept saying "door!"

(as in, "I wanna go back inside)

2011 Under Construction...

As the new year came upon us, most of us came up with projects for self-improvement, which typically center on health, exercise, relationships, or moral failings that we want to address, having been given yet another fresh beginning...

...I'll admit, I'm the worlds worst at "New Year's Resolutions"...the average success rate for me is about seven days. 

This year I have come to the conclusion that by even stating that I have "New Year's Resolutions", I'm already setting myself up for failure, so....

...I simply made NO "New Year's Resolutions"!

Instead....

I created a list (I completely and totally heart lists, the pure organization aspect thrills me) that I can strike through when each task is accomplished. 

I guess there really isn't a BIG difference between my "list" and the reference to "resolutions"...but in my head there is a HUGE difference!  ;)

My list contains tasks I wish to cross out by the end of 2011

...tasks that will better my heart....

...not just my heart, but my heart for Christ.

In true "Betsy" fashion, I'm bearing it all...I'm recording my list right here, right now, on this world wide diary...

...and I'm counting on you, dear peeps, to keep me in check!  I would love for you to comment or message me and hold me accountable...ask me how it's going!  I figure if you show interest and inquire, I'll have no choice but to really press forward and complete my list!

Are you with me?

2011 Better Heart For Christ List:

1.  Forgiveness ~ Oh!, the ever revolving door of forgiveness.  I've done really well with parts of it, yet I have a whole new sin of unforgiving that has only recently come to. Inside I feel yucky, I feel anger, I feel complete and utter sadness towards people in my brother's life that chose not to "know" him while he was alive, but think they can have the privilege of "knowing" who he was, now.  A big part of me wants to say to these people, "TOO LATE!  You don't get the honor of knowing Cal...you had your chance, you made your choice, now move along!"  It keeps me awake at night, the anger that festers within me...I know it's wrong, I pray for God's peace within me, I ask for His forgiveness...but I know until I can forgive, I am at sin with Christ.  I've thought a lot about this, and I know that the anger and resentment come from knowing how Cal suffered from low self esteem, mainly from people in his life that gave up on him.  I also know that this is another stage in the "grieving" process for me, the anger stage.  This forgiveness business is at the top of  my "better heart" list!

2.  Financial ~ Hottie hubby and I are enrolled in a Dave Ramsey class that will begin at the end of this month.  We started the Dave Ramsey "way of living" a few months ago and have seen TREMEDOUS change and success, but secretly I still suffer from "I want it and I want it now" syndrome.  I'm hoping that this class and 2011 will allow me to better my heart towards being patient and saving up!

3.  Acts of kindness ~ My goal in 2011 is to preform one act of kindness once a week.  It can be towards someone I know, or someone I don't know...just a simple act that allows those in my path to know that I love them, as Christ loves me.

4.  Spiritual growth ~ I've already started reading the Bible from the beginning...but the plan is to read the entire Bible in one year!


That's it...and I don't mean it like, that's it....because truthfully, that's A LOT! 

I've got one thing to say to the year 2011...

BRING IT!

:)

Wordless Wednesday...

This is baby Allison.  Allison is four months old.

Allison was born with a heart defect and Down Syndrome.

Allison is a beautiful baby...

She brings hope, love and inspiration.

Yesterday Allison had open heart surgery...

an eight hour surgery that kept those of us

that love and adore her focused in deep, deep prayer.

Surgery went well...

but the next 24 - 48 hours are crucial for the end result.

Please join me in prayer for this gorgeous gift from God.

Allison's parents are dear friends of ours and we attend church together.

Prayers for Allison!!

Crazy Love...

In the past two weeks I've heard at least a dozen people say they have read this book....

...then yesterday, over at Kelly's Korner, she mentioned the same book....

...and last week, my new friend Chris Duren (we attend church together) titled a note that she wrote "Crazy Loved".....

....so I'm thinking that God must REALLY want me to experience this "Crazy Love..."

So I bought the book....

This is the description on the back:

GOD IS LOVE. crazy, relentless all powerful love...

Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions? God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder at a list of do's and don'ts — it's falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same.


Because when you're wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.
 
 
I'm SO excited...
Stay Tuned!