Hi Friends! I’m Natalie Mason. I live in Charleston, SC and I am mom to Sterling 12 , Frances Moon 8 and our mini golden doodle Dolly.

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Gratitude

Dec 9, 2013

Gratitude. Something I have thought about alot lately. I am not going to lie these first two weeks with two kids has been hard.  Harder than I ever thought it would be. It is hard as crap juggling two kids who need you around the clock.  There is zero time for mom these days and I relish some “me’ time.  I am beyond exhausted and an emotional mess.  I called my mom the other day to vent and tell her everything I was worrying about, because isn’t that what we do as Mothers, worry?  

As soon as we give birth we start to worry about anything and everything.  I worry that Sterling is not getting enough attention, I worry because Frances failed her hearing test in the hospital, I worry that she is not eating enough, I worry that I am not being a good enough mother and wife,  etc it never ends.  After our conversation my mom reminded to use my Gratitude beads.  She brought me these before I had Frances and honestly I had forgotten about them with all the hustle and bustle of this time of year and then having a baby on top of that.  The beads sat unused beside my bed.  I decided mom was right, it was time to change my outlook and put those beads to use.

I love the idea of the gratitude beads and since talking with my mom I have been using them everyday.  I always let Sterling help me,  each day we make a point to sit and say what we are thankful for and pull a bead (or several) aside.  It is a nice reminder especially during this time of the year to be thankful.  As overwhelmed as I feel, I am so lucky, I really do have such a blessed life.  There are so many people fighting way bigger battles out there.  I can’t help that I am a worrier by nature (although my dad claims I can change this) but I can change my outlook on things and choose to look at the positive side and be grateful.  I read a great verse in my Jesus Calling the other day about starting your day thanking God, such a good reminder.  Often we pray for help and things we want but sometimes it nice to just stop and Thank God for what we have.

A few things I am grateful these days.

These two kids bring me more joy than I ever thought possible.  Grateful.

Even though these last two weeks Matt and I have been at each others throats (I blame the lack of sleep) I am grateful for him.  We have been together for 12 years and he is my best friend.  We had our first night out this weekend post baby and it was lovely. Grateful.

I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends in my life here in Charleston. Can you believe when I moved here I knew one person?  Thankful for one of my best friends,  Caycee– we celebrated her birthday Friday night.  She is the kind of friend you want in your life trust me.  Grateful.

My sweet baby has started smiling and it is the best thing ever.  Grateful.


 Friends and Family that have brought us meals.  Such a nice treat post baby.  This weekend my sister in law brought us food from Mex One, along with a huge bag of diapers.  Grateful.

In case you are curious what Sterling is grateful for his list is:  Santa, Mermaids, Princesses, and toys. Go figure.

One of my mom’s dear friends makes and sells these prayer/gratitude beads.  They are such a wonderful gift for someone.  A new mom, a teacher, someone going thru a rough time, a fab stocking stuffer.   Anyone can benefit from these gratitude beads.   She will hand make them in any color you want.  They came in a cute bag with a card describing the beads and how they work.  I love the idea of gifting these to friends and family.  I am thinking of doing these as end of the year gifts for Sterling’s teachers.  I love the idea too of bringing these to new moms post baby.   Such a wonderful idea for anyone to be thankful.

I have the copper beads and adore them.

 

You can email Kathy below to see her catalog of beads and place an order.  She really is so talented the beads are gorgeous.  Prices range from $18.50- $125 depending on the materials used.  The copper beads like I have are $18.50.  There are so many different possibilities.  I plan to stock up and have a few on hand for Birthdays and gifts.


Happy Monday!  Lets all have a little gratitude today.

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Gratitude

Nov 26, 2010


We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We hosted Matt’s family at our house this year. Everything went well except we really didn’t account for how small our oven was. We could only fit the turkey in it, so we had to cook it and then take it out and cook all our sides. Needless to say we didn’t eat until almost 9:00 but everything was delicious. I tried my hand at Paula Deen’s oyster dressing and it was amazing.
Since Thanksgiving is a time to count your blessings, I wanted to take a minute to reflect on all the many things I am thankful for:

-My Baby Boy. He has changed my life, enriched it, and made me a better person. His smiles and laughs are the highlight of my day. I can’t imgaine my life without him!
-My Husband. He tirelessly works to provide for Sterling and I and he always makes me laugh! He has a huge heart and is honestly one of the nicest people I know. 9 years after meeting him, he is still my best friend and love of my life.
-My Family. I love them to pieces and I really wish we lived in the same city! Thank god for phones I talk to my mom and sister at least 10 times a day!
-Our Health. We are so fortunate to all be healthy, something we sometimes forgot about and take for granted.
-Wine. After 9 (really 10) long months of no alcohol it is so nice to be able to indulge in a few glasses after a long day with a fussy baby.
-My Purses. Sad but true, I love my purses. Just looking at them in my closet makes me happy. They were an investment but worth every penny because I will love them for years to come.
-Starbucks. The perfect treat for this time of the year. I love the pumpkin spice latte, peppermint mocha, carmel macchiato and the green tea latte is my newest obsession. Yes, gourmet coffee does bring me a bit of happiness!
-Fashion and Home Decor Magazines (and lets not forget US WEEKLY). It makes my day anytime I get one of my many magazines that I subscribe to in the mail. They provide me with alot of inspiration and ideas for my life.
-TJMAXX, Marshalls and HomeGoods. I love these stores, you can find the best deals and I love a bargain! While I was home my mom found some gorgeous Calvin Klein wine glasses that retailed for $30 and were at HomeGoods for $2.99. You can’t beat that!
-Good Food. I love cooking and trying new recipes. I also love dining out but those days are few and far between with our baby boy. A good meal home cooked or from a restaurant makes me very happy.
-Cheese. Had to give this its own category. Love cheese and nothing goes better with a glass of wine than cheese. My newest favorite is manchego. I strongly feel that cheese makes everything taste better.
-Cookbooks. I have quite the collection of cookbooks. I will never get around to making all the recipes but I love browsing through them getting ideas for meals.
-Our Dog Nelson. She is the sweetest dog I could ask for. She is wonderful with Sterling . And even though this baby has come into her life and taken her parents attention away from her, she still just wants to love us.
-Good Jeans. I am beyond obsessed with my 7 for All Mankind “The Skinny” Jeans. They suck you in all the right places are so flattering. They are a little bit higher waisted than other jeans, preventing the dreaded muffintop. I wear them almost everyday.
-My House. I love our house and where we live.

What are you thankful for this year? My life is filled with so many blessings I thank God everyday (although I could stand to make it to church more often:)
Here are a few pictures from our Thanksgiving. You gotta love that everyone but Matt dressed up. He was rocking what I like to call his Bon Jovi jeans and Mountain Man top, but he looks handsome:0



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  1. litzenbure1 says:

    My family is thankful for you and your FAB sweet potato rounds!! See you soon!

  2. What a precious family and baby! I love his cute Thanksgiving outfit (the baby's- ha!). Your gratitude list looks a lot like mine! I found a perfect pair of jeans recently too- sooo comfortable and flattering. I think they are Citizens of Humanity- I'll have to check what type. My current starbuck's obsession is the white mocha- love the red cups:)

  3. You have such an adorable family. I've always wanted to try making oyster dressing…will have to look up Paula's. Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! xo

  4. I love the pics and I would love to see that Paula Deen recipe! I haven't tried that one yet! Oh, hey- have you checked out Annie's Eats? THE BEST for food junkies like us!!

  5. Natalie says:

    What a cute family! Love your cutie's smocked outfit!

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