Amy J. Bennett

Puppy Love

April 15, 2013 by Amy 18 Comments

The following events described in this post were unplanned, unexpected and unexplainable.

Y’all, I’m in absolute puppy love.

Which is weird because I am not the animal lover of the bunch—any bunch.

I mean, I love animals and they’re great but I’m usually more of tolerator than anything.

But the very second I saw this 8 week old Havanese puppy, something cosmic happened. Something like…love at first sight.

I’m sure you can’t blame me.

I brought her home Friday night—Scott and the girls didn’t even go with me. They’d seen her picture and were all for it if that’s what I wanted.

And I did.

I really wanted a dog that would keep me company while I worked at home.

And my goodness, if this keeps up, I’ll just die of cuteness overload.

She’s a feisty little thing when she wants to be.

And is just so darn happy.

She stays at my feet and follows me around like a shadow.

I was a little surprised but her and Tucker are getting along famously.

I admit, I like it a little too much that she annoys him more than he annoys her.

I love when she runs because she hops like a bunny more than runs.

She hasn’t quite mastered the stairs and I hope she never does.

The girls love her too. Emma is an absolute mommy figure to her.

And as the animal lover of our family, Lexi is head over heels.

I admit, I’m becoming one of THOSE dog owners.

We carried her around to all of our errands this weekend and I might have let the girls convince me to buy her a skirt.

And let her nap in a toy cradle.

So with that, I’d like you to meet the newest member of the family—Bella.

For good, bad, smelly or dirty, I just know she’s meant to be a Bennett.

A Video: Is There Someone Who Encourages Your Development?

April 12, 2013 by Amy Leave a Comment

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen last Friday where I posted I was working on a “creative presentation” for work.

Each year, our company takes a Gallup poll which attempts to measure our engagement at work with 12 questions. We have an offsite each year where 12 small groups present one of each of the 12 questions to explain it and make sure everyone understands what the poll is asking.

This year, the groups were tasked with bringing some creativity to the presentation. No PowerPoints allowed.

My group’s question was “Is there someone at work who encourages your development?”

We concentrated on the effects of positive and negative chatter in the workplace. So, inspired by how Emma and Lexi film skits all the time with their Barbies, we wrote a skit and performed it using the girls’ Happy Family figurines.

We had a really, really fun time putting it together.

The bloopers after the credits are my favorite. And you have to know that the bobblehead that makes an appearance at the end is an actual bobblehead of our manager that is passed out for awards yearly. It was icing on the cake. Also, the Town Hall is a big meeting we have twice a year for updates and recognitions (but no cell signal in the room).

What I really wish I had video of is when I played the video for Emma and Lexi and they giggled seeing us perform with their toys.

And yes, Tucker is the one responsible for Greg’s gnawed off hand and foot.

On a serious note, I couldn’t help but walk away thinking about how applicable this is to our families. Your spouse and children will be more engaged when you are feeding them with encouragement and take an interest in their development. Stop the negative chatter and be that positive influence!

Happy Friday, ya’ll!

I Don’t Want to Be Fat

April 11, 2013 by Amy 4 Comments

I was talking with a few friends this week about what I feel God is doing in my life and with my writing right now. As I talked about my growth plan on Tuesday, I really feel like God has me in a growing and learning season right now.

I told my friend Dani last night, though, I was worried I’d become one of those fat Christians—you know, the ones that know everything in their heads but then don’t do anything with it?

They sit on the proverbial couches, stuffed to the gills with the stories and the commandments and the original Greek words, but it doesn’t mean anything because their faith isn’t moved off the couch to action.

This morning, I ran into this tweet first thing:

It confirmed the warning I had felt in my heart—there’s a real chance all this learning never goes anywhere and what’s the point of that?

Shortly after reading that tweet, I had to go to the office today so I left up a tab with this video from Francis Chan posted on Facebook that supposedly played on Fox News last week—at least that’s what Facebook said and you KNOW everything on Facebook is true (KIDDING–but I do think it’s true).

Again, another confirmation of doing not just knowing.

While I do feel it’s a warning, even as I type this I feel the Spirit saying though, that we have to KNOW BEFORE we can DO.

On the opposite spectrum of the “fat Christians” are so many of us that are Scripturally illiterate. We do need these seasons of growing so we know Jesus and his ways. Knowing his ways leads to knowing and doing his will.

If you didn’t catch Stephen Furtick’s sermon “The Only Way to Know God’s Will” on that this week, it’s a must-watch. Will totally revolutionize your outlook on God’s will.

All that to say I’m treading carefully—and I think we all should—in seasons of growing and learning. Don’t just learn for learning’s sake and get fat. Learn it all and then work it out—or off, as it were.

What I Wore Wednesday 4.10.2013

April 10, 2013 by Amy 5 Comments

It’s Wednesday! I share my outfits from the week with The Pleated Poppy’s What I Wore Wednesday.

I pair my outfits with inspirational photos. Read more about that here.

NOTE: Pinterest has updated all of their embed code and I don’t have as much control over how the pins are displayed as I previously did. I wish I could make the pictures bigger and get rid of the footers and buttons on each one but I can’t. Apologies! Hopefully Pinterest will get some feedback soon from bloggers and make some updates!

Email and RSS readers are probably going to need to click over to the site to see it.

I got a little ahead of the weather with this outfit. I got dressed without the leggings, went outside to find it was freezing and then was too lazy to change outfits so I added the leggings.

I’m not a huge fan of it with leggings but I didn’t really go much of anywhere this day so my laziness won out.

Saturday night was double date night with a couple from our church. Scott borrowed our single neighbor’s hot rod orange mustang so we could go out to eat. Holla! Hundred points to anyone that knows I drove a mustang in high school!

I bought the dress at JCPenney the day before Easter when I bought my actual Easter dress. I was going to take it back but realized I could wear it all sorts of ways. So glad I kept it.

Hey, look, it’s my Stitch Fix shirt! It’s the only piece I ended up keeping and I’m really glad I did.

I wore this to church and out for a coffee date with my friend in the evening.

Just so you know, I’ll probably wear this dress every week for the rest of the summer. It’s the most comfortable thing.

It was a work at home day and coffee date with another friend that evening.

Well, can you tell it turned warm in the Carolinas this week? Lots of dresses and skirts and I couldn’t be happier. All the trees and flowers and birds are coming alive and it’s so inspiring!

The Learning Growth Plan

April 9, 2013 by Amy 10 Comments

image credit

Yesterday I mentioned one of the big takeaways from meeting with Holley Gerth was a growth plan.

Crystal at MoneySavingMom.com is a growth plan genius. She is great at setting goals, reaching them and blogging through the process. Have you seen where she’s been getting up at like 3:30 in “the morning?” She’s a beast.

Anne at Modern Mrs. Darcy also sets goals for the year and then writes follow-ups.

I have great intentions and even wrote a fuzzy list at the beginning of the year. However, I never created a plan to carry it out.

Why a Growth Plan

When Holley wrote my brand guide, there was a section called “Growth Plan” at the end. She began by saying:

You are energized by reflection, applying what you learn to your life, and sharing that with others.

After a few action items, she wrote in conclusion:

Overall, just give yourself what you need to grow as much as possible and take every opportunity you have to pursue that in your life—it’s how you connect with God as well as yourself and one of the primary ways you bless and encourage others.

If you read my Strengths Finder, you’ll see it also says I’m energized by lots of information. It’s just how I’m wired.

However, she asked me how I was scheduling these times of learning and I just had to shrug my shoulders and say I’m not.

Enter my written growth plan.

The Growth Plan

I was responsible for coming up with the details of what my growth plan entailed.

Holley had me list all the ways I wanted to grow, whether it was from my ever-growing list of books, podcasts, bible studies, independent studies, or online classes.

Next, I decided how I’d actually get things done. She pushed me to write down a time of day to start, duration of session, frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly), and even where I wanted to be sitting.

First, I created a list of devotional/prayer books I wanted to tackle for 30 minutes each morning.

Morning (AM daily – 15 min)

Devotional (AM daily – 15min)

Next, a list of Biblical topics I wanted to research weekly.

Research (weekly 1-2 hours)

Favor
Parables
Shepherd

I also planned to schedule my week of blog posts during this weekly time of research based on input from the Advisory Board I mentioned yesterday.

I then created a list of the books I wanted to read. While this list is always fluid, I have already marked off several of the ones from my original list.

Books to Read (evenings, 30 min-1hr)

And finally, there were other special learning opportunities that I wanted to tackle during special events, while I worked (listening to podcasts), or online classes on weekends

Learn (special events, weekends, while I work)

Working the Plan

Am I doing all of those things? Not all, but mostly.

However, it’s been fantastic to have a written plan that I can refer back to when I start feeling lost on how I should be spending my time. Usually, I’d think about the very long list of things I wanted to do and then hop on Facebook and waste my time.

I feel so full. I don’t feel like I’m wasting my time and filling myself full of junk. I have a renewed sense of passion and purpose I haven’t had in a long time. Most of my learning is faith-based and the more I learn about God, the hungrier I am.

Something Had to Give

Here’s the kicker though.

In order for all this to happen, I had to let something else go.

And guess what lost in the battle?

TV.

Sure, we’ve been sitting as a family and watching Duck Dynasty like crazy fools (Hey!) but the shows I’d watch on my own? I haven’t watched them in weeks with no plans to catch up.

I know. I know!

I’m not suggesting everyone needs to give up TV. I’m just saying the past few weeks have proven I feel my best when I’m full of all kinds of information and facts and sermons and new things to learn.

Maybe this is just a season for me. And that’s fine. Growing seasons don’t last forever.

But for now, I’m working this new growth plan and I love it!

What is one thing you’d like to learn next?

Welcome to AmyJBennett.com

April 8, 2013 by Amy 24 Comments

Welcome to the launch of my new blog home, AmyJBennett.com! I am so excited to have made this jump and so glad you are here!

First, we have a little housekeeping for our new home. Here are some things you’ll want to know:

Everything that was on Permission to Peruse should be moved over here. All links pointing to amyjbennett.com should automatically forward to this site.
If you subscribe in email, you do not need to resubscribe but you will see a new title and a new look.
If you subscribe in RSS, you WILL need to resubscribe to http://feeds.feedblitz.com/amyjbennett. I need to apologize because I thought it would be seamless for you but it’s not.
Like the new Facebook page. I’m most nervous about this since it means I’m starting from scratch. I’ve added incentive (and celebration) for you to go to the page and like it. There is a new tab on the Facebook page that says Giveaway. You have to like the page to see it. Just click there, enter your email and you’ll be entered to win one of FIVE $5 Starbucks gift cards. Share it with your friends—I’m sure you have a few that would like a free cup of coffee!

OK, housekeeping done!

I spent the last year or more wrestling with blogging. After 10 years, I laid it on the table with God and said here, do you want my time elsewhere now? He’s handed it back to me every time I’ve asked.

Given that, in the last 9 months or so I’ve spent a lot of time with several different mentors of sorts which has all led to this leap.

I now have a clear vision of why I’m blogging.

While I have so much to learn, I finally believe that I am a writer.

I’m excited to continue creating community with you.

I feel like God is doing something new and has great plans.

The name and design change are just an outer reflection of what has happened behind the scenes.

Here are some key inputs that have made a difference:

Blog critique by Christin Slade. Christin did a great job giving feedback on how I could improve my design.
The Allume conference absolutely was key in helping me give myself permission to be who I was.
I joined Jeff Goins’ Tribe Writers group last year and learned so much about writing and building a tribe.
I reached out to Anne as a mentor and her input has been vital.
I completed 4 weeks of e-coaching with Holley Gerth and I can’t even begin to tell you how valuable the brand guide and growth plan we produced has been—actually, I do want to tell you about the growth plan this week. Without doubt, her coaching was a turning point. Her books You are Already Amazing and You’re Made for a God-sized Dream are also fantastic resources and would be great for someone who might not be able to do the e-coaching—God totally provided that opportunity for me.
After meeting with Holley, I formed a small Advisory Board of faithful, long-time readers who could come alongside me and help plan. What a difference this has made.
The many, many cups of coffee with friends, blog posts, podcasts and books I’ve consumed that I can’t even begin to list.

If there is one thing I have learned it’s that you can’t be a blogger on your own. You have to have the courage to ask for help and be willing to learn from others.

My biggest hope is what has always been there but is now reflected in the new tagline—that we can share life together and grow alongside one another. I want you to feel like the two of us are sitting down for coffee every day and whether we laugh or cry or just share silly stories that we’re encouraged by one another as friends.

Thank you for showing up.

I think it’s time I reintroduce myself. I’m Amy J. Bennett and the “J” is for Jo.

Don’t forget to resubscribe and enter the giveaway on the Facebook page and I’d love to hear a hello in the comments today! Please do let me know if you encounter any issues while you settle in.

Five Minute Friday: After

April 5, 2013 by Amy 4 Comments

Eleven years and it’s time to say goodbye. We’re on the cusp of before and after of my blogging life. “Before when I was Permission to Peruse,” I’ll say.

I’ll have fond memories. I remember still being on sabennett.com/wp and writing my first post about hating ice in my cup (which I still do hate). I remember clearly brainstorming names, thinking about how it was my journal but I was letting people in. Permission to…to what, I asked myself. Permission to Read My Journal didn’t really resonate.

I’m an alliteration lover so I looked for something that started with P. I settled with “peruse” because I was–giving people permission to peruse my words, my journal, my life. And for eleven years, I extended that permission, choosing to share my words publicly.

And then something happened in this last year.

I’ll be forever grateful for Permission to Peruse because I’ve realized I wasn’t just giving you permission to peruse but also me. Writing here has helped me grow and change and find myself in a lot of ways. It’s time to be that me that I found–to live in the after as Amy J. Bennett.. Thank you for being the biggest part of that. I’ll be forever grateful.

Linking up with Five Minute Friday

PermissiontoPeruse.com — Changes Coming Soon

April 4, 2013 by Amy 11 Comments

REALLY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT WAY DOWN THERE. DON’T SKIP THIS ONE.

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Lexi does not like change. At all.

She didn’t like it when I got an iPhone 4S that was white instead of like my black iPhone 4.

Three months later she still doesn’t like that we rearranged our living room.

Just this month, she started hoarding food in her room because she said she was going to live in her room the rest of her life if we really tore the wall down in the kitchen. Just a few days later, she was happily eating breakfast on our new bar.

Change is hard for some people. And that’s ok.

People like me, on the other hand, usually get pretty excited about change (except when you try to replace the recliner).

We love redecorating a room and do it often.

We never wear the same outfit twice.

We are constantly downloading apps just because we want to try the newest thing.

We try a new way home just to see if it’s faster.

And that’s ok too.

Neither of us are right. We are who we are and we both need each other.

I’m sure both kinds of people read this blog so you’re going to take some news I have differently.

See, the thing is, changes are around the corner for this blog. Big changes.

If you like change, I want you to celebrate with me! You’re probably excited wondering what is going on and want a list of all the changes to see if you approve or disapprove. You’d be ok if I changed the design and RIGHT NOW because that would be FUN.

If you hate change, like Lexi, you’re probably rolling your eyes and saying you don’t like it already. Why do people have to keep changing their blogs?? It’s ok.

Lexi has given me a new dose of compassion for change-haters. I want to give you a big hug right now and tell you I love you, I’m not doing this torture you and I’m pretty sure you’ll like it once we all settle in. Will you at least give it a try?

Here’s what’s coming:

A new blog name
A matching new URL
A new design
A new me with more focus
Lots of the same posts

And it’s coming fast. Next Monday, April 8th I’ll be unveiling a new site. I am so, so excited about it and ready to tell you all that’s been going on behind the scenes.

In the meantime, I have a little sneak peek over at the brand new AmyJBennett.com.

For you change lovers, you can click on over to see if you like it and you change haters can click if you’d like to start preparing yourself.

In all seriousness, I do love you. You have no idea how much I think about you and ways I can serve you through writing. I feel like this is the next right step for this corner of the Internet and I hope you’ll step with me.

I’ll be posting for Five Minute Friday tomorrow as usual and then the blog will probably be wonky for the weekend while we get things moved over. Lord willing on Monday morning, everyone needs to come (or will be redirected) to the new AmyJBennett.com and I’ll start explaining just how all this happened. Squee!