happy birthday tyler.

happy birthday to my little brother who is 17 today. i love you and am proud of the man you have become. :)

i had a fantastic christmas with family and friends. highlights and pictures will be posted soon, probably after the new year. 

five days.

i am loving this week! our savior/bridegroom/best friend's birthday is in five days!

 this year we are spending christmas eve & christmas morning with my side of the family and then driving to kenucky, christmas afternoon, to have christmas dinner with brian's side of the family. we started a tradition last year where we each contribute something to christmas eve dinner, which we eat after our church's christmas eve service. my dad always makes steak, and the rest of the family has to draw between an appetizer, two side items, a salad, and a dessert. we drew tonight and brian and i will be making a side item. we dont know what we'll make yet, but we are thinking! 

since this is brian and i's first christmas as husband and wife, we want to have something special for just the two of us. so on christmas eve, we will wake up, in our own house, and i will make a spectacular breakfast. im thinking of taking a stab at this cinnamon baked french toast, courtesy of the pioneer woman. 

yessss, doesn't that look incredible? after breakfast, we'll exchange gifts and stockings and hang around for a little before we go to my parents. my aunt and cousins from denver will be here to celebrate with my family as well! it is always such a treat to see them. 

i received my first christmas gift a little early...saw yesterday that i got all a's this semester! (one was technically an a- which is weighted differently, but it's still an a in my book!)   

we have been singing christmas songs for worship during church and veritas the past few weeks and i love it. some of the lyrics are powerful. i love this part in o holy night:

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

i love that. jesus, your birth changed everything. 

and here's a sweet little picture from our most recent date night out. awww :)

a few things...

a few things that are making me smile today...

1. LOFT loves teachers.

for all you educators out there, you'll very much enjoy this teacher appreciation deal from ann taylor loft. i recently found out and signed up right away (although i cannot receive the discount until i am officially licensed.). basically, if you are an educator, you can get 15% off all merchandise any time you shop at ann taylor loft (in stores only). all you have to do is sign up, print the coupon they provide, and present your coupon and a valid school i.d. when you shop. in addition to getting a discount, you can collaborate with other educators and share classroom and fashion ideas in their forum. click here to see for yourself! j crew also offers a 15% discount for educators and students, which i love even more!

2. archer farms. one of my favorite grocery brands that can only be found at target. todays breakfast: gingerbread pancakes. todays lunch:  frozen flatbread pizza with tomatoes and goat cheese. yummm.

3. being as lazy as these sweet puppies.

4. tonights christmas get together for staff members at church.

5. christmas music. i wont even try to pick a favorite song because it's impossible.

DONE.

finished my finals today! ready to rest and really take in this christmas season. hallelujah :)

our first christmas decorations.

our first christmas tree. i am excited to start collecting ornaments 

and decorations over the years to come!

christmas decorating tip: hang ornaments from your chandeliers. 

these gold snowflakes work great in my kitchen and i may

 even leave them up all winter.

i laugh at the stupidest things...

don't act like you're not cracking up too...

you make beautiful things.

this song right here is the joy of knowing jesus.

"you make beautiful things

you make beautiful things out of dust.

you make beautiful things

you make beautiful things out of us.

you make me new,

you are making me new."

when you remain in him, you are constantly being renewed. you become more & more beautiful every day. so let your life reflect his beauty.  dress up & twirl; worship the lord with everlasting joy.

mint chocolate

 a wonderful christmas baking idea...mint chip brownies or mint chocolate cookies...yum!

unique christmas gifts for $15 or less.

i absolutely love giving unique & meaningful gifts. i have so much fun with the thought and creativity that goes into it. when christmas comes, i want to go crazy. so, i decided to make a budget friendly list of wonderful gifts that i have given or would like to give at some point. these will look great under the tree, passed out at a christmas party, or stuffed in a stocking. be inspired & enjoy!

for the married couple: 

 

mr. & mrs. monogrammed mugs. -anthropologie

$12 for set of two

for the caffeine lover: 

 

woodland hive engraved spoons $13 for a set

...or engraved spoons from sycamore hill $12.50-$13.50 each

for anyone full of personality, young & old:

little miss & mr. books...there's one for everyone! these make funny gifts and work for kids and adults. i found some at barnes & noble for under $5 each

and remember, you can get creative and make your own gifts:

1. put together a sampler. purchase five to six sample sizes of anything (coffee packets, tea bags, hot chocolate packets, candy, soda, perfume, nail polish...you can literally do anything) and place in an appropriately sized basket. decorate with ribbons and bows. 

2. frame a meaningful photo

3. purchase a holiday plate, like this cute one, and put homemade cookies or candy on top. 

...the list is endless

remember to have fun with the gift wrapping! :)

here in the love of christ i stand.

this song moved me to tears this morning and always, always speaks to me:


What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save...


jesus, make me one who loves you as you love me. make me one who loves others as you love me. make me one who loves until it hurts, and when it hurts, may i press through it until it doesn't hurt anymore. may i give and give and give love until it defeats hurt and pain, and brings victory through healing. thank you for living this agape love. 

cozy

so cozy. 

pretty & whimsical wall decor.

this is my latest wall decor. decorating a house is a slow process, but the slow additions are fun :) i hung this picture up in my kitchen last night. i was in anthropologie recently and they had these cute teapot hand towels on sale and since it conveniently matched the color of my walls, i thought i would make use out of it. 


however, i think it's much too adorable to get dirty over time by actually using it to dry off hands so i made other plans. i had the frame at my house already and thought it would be perfect for displaying this pretty & whimsical towel. the black and white background is simply the wrapping paper i am wrapping gifts with this year! voila. wall decor.