a wonderful Christmas for Roy the cat

 

Roy had a good Christmas as well. I wrapped a few little goodies (some catnip and crunchy treats) and put it in his stocking that I made last year. The hilarious thing was that he actually opened the loosely wrapped catnip. I think he smelled the awesomeness of the herb and had to have some. He really liked it. He even let us dress him in this Santa hat for our Christmas card.
He is the best.

our first Christmas married

Our first Christmas married was precious. We slept in, sipped Christmas blend coffee while munching on sugar cookies, and read our church devotional. We read the Christmas story, spent some time talking about the miracle of the birth of Jesus, even sang a few carols together. 

After our time reflecting we exchanged gifts. Jordan spoiled me this year with brand new perfume! I was so surprised; he is the best.

The rest of the weekend was non-stop traveling and kinda overwhelming. We visited every side of the family for the first time this year, (that's 5 Christmas')! I caught a small cold Christmas Eve from working crazy early morning hours. But was well enough to spend time with family all over central Indiana. I was able to kick the cold while I was in Wisconsin visiting my Dad's parents.

Through all the craziness of this Christmas I was reminded that I have been blessed with a wonderful family and a loving Savior who came ino the world. 

our Christmas card 2011

I am so proud of this Christmas card. It's my first Christmas married and one tradition I wanted to start was making greeting cards for friends and family. This year's card made me really happy. First, because Jordan was a real sport in posing for a picture and second, Roy did well considering he is wearing a Santa skirt meant for a goose (I got it at a white elephant party). 

p.s. Here are some of my favorite Christmas traditions:

listening to Phar-mor (a Christmas album from 1994) while decorating my Mom's tree
the annual watching of my favorite Christmas movies (It's a Wonderful Life, While you were Sleeping, The Family Stone, Holiday Inn, White Christmas)
having a tree-decorating party complete with Christmas tree cakes
reflecting on the meaning of Advent
going to the Christmas Eve service at my church
making and decorating Christmas cookies
singing Christmas carols at my church
wrapping presents
Christmas blend coffee from Starbucks

Hope you have a Merry Christmas!

the meaning of Christmas

Today Jordan and I will be going to Lafayette to have Christmas with my Mom's family. This past week I have been scrambling to get everything done in time for Christmas; like, sending Christmas cards, making cookies, finishing shopping, hand making some gifts, and wrapping presents. Along with a few holiday movies thrown in there. It's been a a busy week and I can't believe Christmas is only two days away. 

Every year I always tell myself I will have everything holiday related completed before the week of Christmas. It has never happened because of some set back, (this year it was being without a car for 10 days).
But, I am so thankful for my church. This year they provided the congregation with Christmas devotionals for the whole month of December. It has been a great time of reflection for Jordan and I this season. I will be making it a Christmas tradition for years to come.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known." John 1:14,16-18

That is the meaning of Christmas: God becoming human.

my own Christmas decorations

  

I am very proud of my festive home. This year I wanted to make  my own Christmas decorations. With a quick trip to the store and the help of some bloggers I was able to make this whimsical table center piece , these tasty cake pops, and this genius glitter Christmas banner.

In addition to making my own Christmas decorations, I decided to make most of my gifts this year as well. I am very proud of myself for assembling all the necessary pieces in order to accomplish such a task. I just know the end result will be worth it!

Only 10 days until Christmas!
xo

songs for the season

Listened to the talented Trace Bundy while we decorated our tree. It was so soothing and peaceful. You can listen to his acoustic Christmas album here.

Enjoy!

xo

Let your heart be light

Today was a beautiful day spent with my sweet husband getting into the Christmas spirit. My heart was so peaceful as Jordan and I decorated our little apartment for our first Christmas married.

I downloaded this Christmas banner if you wanted to give it a try.

Good night!

xo

my favorite Christmas song

It's not even December and I have heard more Christmas music in the last two weeks than any previous Christmas season. Don't get me wrong, I have always loved Christmas music at this time of year.

 But because I work in retail I get the pleasure of listening to non-stop Christmas music for 4 hours every morning. At first I was like,

"Great! Now I can listen to new versions of my favorites!"

 Wrong, so wrong.

 I now constantly have a Christmas soundtrack running through my head with random lyrics like, "Santa Baby", "Last Christmas I gave you my heart", "Baby, it's cold outside", "Do the Jingle Bell polka" (what?), and "Thumpety, Thump, Thump."

Jordan hates it.

 I will randomly break out in song because the words won't stop playing in my head and I need to release them somehow.

I love all traditional Christmas music, (traditional meaning hymns, carols, recounting the birth of Christ; nothing with Santa)

Although, I do have a soft spot for Winter Wonderland. It doesn't mention reindeer or bells or Santa or snowmen. (Ok, it does have a snowman reference but it's not Frosty).

So this arrangement of Winter Wonderland is my favorite modern Christmas song, (probably the only exception for my traditional rule.) I just love the words and her originality.

 This song is, in my opinion, the best version of Winter Wonderland I have heard; and I have heard 4 versions while working. It's sung by the talented Alison Sudol from A Fine Frenzy. I adore her voice and her music. Her Christmas album is outstanding, Jordan gave this to me last year. I love it!

Enjoy! 

xo

a beautiful Thanksgiving

1:: Getting ready for the feast.

2:: Thanksgiving dinner (with Chardonnay of course).

3:: My amazing annual pumpkin pie ( which turned exponentially better than last year's).

4:: Every year Jordan insists on getting these Little Debbie Christmas Tree cakes (they really are delicious). So this year my Dad got us some, he is so sweet.

5:: After our meal Jordan and I took a walk outside. I am so thankful for creation.

6:: Jordan, my best friend in the whole world.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

xo

be thankful part II

After a fantastic Thanksgiving I wanted to include another short list of all the wonderful blessings in my life that I am thankful for.

I am thankful to be married to my sweet husband who understands me and forgives me daily. I am so grateful for his love and for all the wonderful ways we are better together than apart.

I am thankful for my amazing family. I adore this time of year mainly because I have so many precious memories of family traditions. I look forward to creating new ones.

I am thankful for my church, my pastors, and the people of God. We have been blessed to be part of such a beautiful body of believers. Our passion to follow Jesus is only ignited brighter when we participate and commune with the family of God. 

I am thankful for this season of my life. I would have planned this season of my life a little differently, by God is in control and I am thankful for the things that I have learned and continue to will learn as a result of where He has me. 

I am thankful for this time of year to reflect on all the incredible ways God is at work in my life.

Blessings!

xo

last year around this time...

...I got engaged.

On November 21st 2010 the love of my life asked me to be his wife. It was one of the most perfect moments of my life. We were so excited to tell our friends and family that we found it most convenient that Thanksgiving was only 4 days away. Every year we rotate who will host Thanksgiving in our family, and last year it came to my Mom's parents in Lafayette IN. After a fantastic meal Jordan made the announcement. And although there was no celebratory cheering from my relatives, they did seem genuinely happy. 

This is Jordan and I, with my older brother Justin, and my wonderful Mommy.

Every Thanksgiving I always make a pumpkin pie. I started this tradition in 2009, the first year Jordan and I started dating. Ever since I have continued to perfect my recipe. I don't have any pictures of my first homemade pumpkin pie because my phone is lame and deleted months of saved photos right after Christmas 2009. And it really is a shame because making the pumpkin pie for that year was a huge fiasco. 

The trouble began when we started at 11PM the night before. Then things went crazy when I didn't cream the condensed milk before adding the eggs. I was going to try again when I realized I was out of eggs; so we had to make a grocery run at 1AM. In the end it looked fantastic and tasted delicious. However, I didn't leave it in the fridge long enough to harden so it was a little mushy and not firm like your traditional pumpkin pie. 

(The recipe is called Pumpkin Chiffon Pie and I found it by watching The Oprah Show. Maybe the "chiffon" in the title is the reason for all the "folding" I had to do as opposed to blending. Personally I think the folding contributed to it's mushiness.)

This is last year's (2010) pumpkin pie made with the same chiffon recipe as the one prior. I made sure to leave it in the fridge to harden for the full amount of time. While it was an improvement from last year's fiasco I am still looking for ways to improve. I may try a different recipe that doesn't have "chiffon" in the title.

Jordan and I will be doing double duty for Thanksgiving this year. First we are going to my Dad's in Indianapolis IN for an early holiday lunch. Then after spending some time with family and friends (and watching the Packer game) we will be going to Jordan's parents in Sheridan IN to have Thanksgiving dinner with his Mom and Dad and Great Grandparents. I am not quiet sure how we will manage to eat  two giant meals so close together. I think the key lies in eating slowly and choosing only what I want to eat. And NO snacking! I think we will be fine.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
xo

be thankful part I

 Thanksgiving is only a few days away so I thought I would include
 a list of a few random things I am thankful for today.

my sweet husband
kisses and hugs
"baby cakes"
my apartment
black sheets
caramel flavored coffee
hand lotion
rain drops
heaters
socks
notepad
photos
lists
friends
cellphones
Mr. Roy sleeping in my lap
late night snacks
creativity
books
hot sake
health
the Holidays
my church
the power of prayer
the Bible
a good nights sleep

What are some random things that you are thankful for?

the simple moments

This week the husband and I spent some much needed quality time together. After being away from each other for so many days in a row for 3 weeks it's incredibly refreashing to relax in our own apartment just the two of us, and Mr. Roy.
We also celebrated 6 months of being married by sharing a steak burger and enjoying an amazing white chocolate shake! It was perfect.

(pictures taken with the instagram app. for the iphone)

Happy Monday!
xo

change of scenery

This week Jordan and I have been house sitting for some church friends. It's been interesting living in a different house for 10 days with a crazy Labrador.

Have a great weekend!

xo

my weekend...

...since I returned from South Carolina.

Wednesday night: [12:30AM] Arrive home from Hilton Head to lonely husband.

Thursday morning: [1AM-3:30AM] Talk to sweet husband about my trip.

Thursday morning/afternoon: [10AM-1:30PM] Help husband pack for church retreat then drive him to drop off spot.

Thursday afternoon: [1:35PM] Say bittersweet good byes to husband.

Thursday night: [5:30] Gather already packed bags from vacation and orange cat to go house-sit for church friends.

Thursday afternoon-Saturday night: Miss husband, sleep, run errands, hang out with my mom, house-sit, feed church friends Labrador, Big Bang Theory, pet orange cat, miss husband.

Sunday morning-Sunday afternoon: Sing in church choir, go to moms for lunch with little brother and his girlfriend.

Sunday afternoon: [2PM] Sweet husband returns with lots of hugs and kisses.

Rest of the week: Long conversations with sweet husband about everything, laugh, husband's tickles, Dexter, house sit, feed Labrador, pet orange cat, fall more in love with sweet husband.

My husband missed me when I was gone

So the morning after I came back from Hilton Head I decided to surprise my hubby by picking up some donuts for breakfast. I also grabbed some corn beef hash which I have not had since I was like twelve.

As I am making the corn beef hash, along with some eggs, my husband wonders sleepy-eyed into the kitchen and says, "What ever you are making smells amazing." 

It was just about the most perfect breakfast together; simple, spontaneous, yummy, and on the living room floor. I adore mornings with my husband. It's good to be back home with him where I belong. 

Hilton Head Part 2

A few more snapshots of my time at Hilton Head with the beautiful Emily and her sweet son Jackson. We spent most of our time by the pool, walking along the beach , and lounging around the condo the last few days. The night before we left we all went to a Mexican restaurant where I had fried ice cream for the  first time. I had mine with honey; it was simply the sweetest, richest desert I have ever had. 

We definitely made better time on the ride home (only 12 hours) with fewer stops but just as good of conversations. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to escape the routine of normal life, breathe the ocean air, and wonder at God's beautiful creation. All of this done in the company of an awesome friend. 

Hilton Head Part 1

 

Last week I was able to take an unexpected vacation to Hilton Head South Carolina with a good friend. Emily's parents own a time share on the island for a week out of the year and since her husband could not make it she asked if I wanted to come. Free vacation on an island resort for three days? I was trilled to have had the opportunity to go on such short notice. 

After sleeping in most of the morning on the first day (we didn't get in until 5 am) we went for a bike ride on the beach with Emily's Grandma and friend who was also staying at the condo. For the rest of the afternoon we read magazines, I painted my nails, and we all watched re runs on cable.

 I can't tell you how relaxing it was to not feel the need to accomplish anything. Just three days dedicated to rest and relaxation. 

That evening we went to a seafood restaurant called The Salty Dog, which is a popular attraction because of the legend of the Salty Dog. On our way out we stopped by the gift shop and I picked up a deck of cards for my card collection as a souvenir.

The rest of the first evening was spent sitting on the balcony overlooking the ocean. With drinks in hand, we talked while listening to the waves. It was glorious.