and if you're like me, you need hope, coffee, and melody.

here are some simple his& her mugs i made for boo and me...i saw this idea on pinterest and was enlightened when someone informed me that i could make them. i used plain white mugs and porcelain pens. i made them last night, so this evening i will bake the mugs at 300 for 35 minutes to make them dishwasher safe. 

these mugs (and coffee of course) and fresh cut flowers make the morning a little brighter. 

i ended up displaying them on the coffee table tray i made last week with the flowers, some books and a candle. 

i also heard this song on my pandora the other day. 

it reminds me to say "this is the day the Lord has made, i will rejoice and be glad in it." (psalm 118:24)

happy thursday...it's a new day!

striped paper straw obsession.

i have a thing for parties. especially themed parties. any excuse to plan a party is dangerous for me. but with birthdays and valentines day coming up, multiple celebrations are in order :)


i absolutely adore striped paper straws. they are so charming and vintage like. this shop from etsy has a great selection. ill take one in every color, please :) 

i am also in love with this party shop: sweet lulu's. they are on the more expensive side, but their things (especially their cake stands!) are to die for. 

what it takes to get me up and moving...

will i ever become a morning person again? the answer is no...probably not. but coffee and these peach bellini cupcakes for breakfast sure help summon me out of bed :)

ahhh cupcakes for breakfast :)

family pictures.

okay, so this post is a couple months over due, but i really wanted to post these family pics that my father-in-law (he is quite the photographer!) took of us all the day after thanksgiving. the best part about these is how great they turned out even though they were so last minute. literally... we talked about how it'd be neat to get some family pics, and outside we went about five minutes later. isn't their land beautiful? :)

the munafo kids and their families!

we were trying to get my nephew to smile...

and it worked! 

the original munafos! 

miss personality

typical :)

diy coffee table tray.

so ive been having decorating fever lately and actually made something i saw on pinterest! a coffee table tray out of a picture frame! the original project can be found here... although she seemed to put a little more work into it. 

i have been wanting to add some subtle sparkle to our home, so i first found the background that i wanted to use for the tray and worked around that. i found some gray paper with metallic gold stripes at papyrus...it'a paper, but still much thicker than regular wrapping paper. 

(forgive the not so great camera)

i simply wrapped the back of a 11 x 13 wall frame, just like i would wrap a present:

then i drilled some hardware into the sides of the frame (both the frame and the hardware were 50% off at hobby lobby...cant beat that!)

i put it together and voila! i made some coffee table decor! i love how the metallic stripes in the background and the metallic sheen of the frame add a teensy bit of glamour to our living room.

for now i have a winter piece on it with a candle and candy bowl... but i also want to use it for books, flower vases, and maybe tea kettles and cups! 

it was so easy that i am considering making more... maybe one to display my perfume and a few pieces of jewelry? 

date night: concoctions in the kitchen

so really nothing yesterday went the way i planned. i didn't have school so i was going to go to the grocery store, pick up some crafting supplies, prepare an oh-so-enlightening bible study, and boo and i were going to use our gift card to montgomery inn. well as it turned out, my car had to be worked on, leaving me stuck at home, and our water softener and sink were leaking, so we had people coming in and out of the house all day. to top it off we got lots of snow and ice and the roads were pretty bad. so instead of a fancy evening out, boo and i decided to go to the local mexican restaurant just down the road and experiment with some baking at home. of course, there was lots of goofing off and laughing. it actually turned out to be one of the most fun nights we've had!

let me just say that this first dessert was all boo's idea. he literally wanted everything in this dessert. we layered cookie dough on the bottom and boo placed oreos, reese cups and carmello pieces (yuck) in the middle. 

then, i mixed up some brownie mix and walnuts and poured it on top. we baked it at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (but truthfully i cant remember the exact time) 

the layered concoction was just okay to me...but then we made something else...something heavenly :)

...oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies. 

we used this recipe for the cookies and placed the dough around the oreos. we baked at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

 and oh. my. goodness. they are so yummy. i don't know if my life will ever be the same after eating these. 

so here's to days and nights that don't go as planned, cozy nights in, lots of laughing with the one you love, and delicious desserts that probably cause diabetes and heart failure :)

a bundle of contradictions.

tomorrow is my first day of student teaching. there will be lots of professional growth taking place over the next few months, along with (hopefully) some successful job interviews. i am excited and scared all at the same time. i want to grow up and become established/steady... and i want to run away and hide. i want to be a respectable adult and i want to stay young and carefree forever. i am a bundle of contradictions...  

pinterest 

a little sweetness.

a little sweetness for the head of a little girl...or maybe for the little girl in you :)

happy new year!!

new years reminds me of God's grace...because it is a new start just like His grace. i am reminded of this verse:

Lamentations 3:22-23

English Standard Version (ESV)

 ^22 (A)The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;^{[a]
   (B)}his mercies never come to an end;
²³ they are new ^(C)every morning;
   ^(D)great is your faithfulness.


if his mercies are new every morning, then they are new for you on this new years day. i pray 2012 is a beautiful new start for everyone in so many ways. celebrate His new mercies, grace, and faithfulness to bring to completion the good work He has started in each of us. 

and what better way to celebrate than with sparkly new years nails?!