christmas decor.

 garland with lights and cinnamon scented pine cones. 

 pottery barn santa mug.

 our living room.

santa boot salt and pepper shakers & various christmas candles.

closeup of the tree.

greenery around the chandelier with sparkly snowflake ornaments and a table runner. 

oh, and christmas music playing allll the time! 

ahhh!! it's december!!!

hi lovlies!


wow, i am so sad that i have not been a consistent reader/blogger. the past few months have been a little crazy ("little" being an understatement here). school has been rough and made complete with more mental/emotional breakdowns than i ever think ive had in a semester (omg, i sound like an idiot...im not crazy, i promise). i feel like i have been stretched a lot these past few months with so many things, but i have found that when i am weak, He is strong! i feel like im in a season of learning what it means to be desperate. when i literally feel that i have nothing in me, i am desperate for Jesus to strengthen me and somehow work through me. He always does!!! this has been amazing to experience in all different areas of my life. it is a tough lesson, but He gets all the glory and i stand in awe of what He can do. 


thanksgiving was a blast. boo's brother who lives in nigeria, along with his wife, and their daughter, came home and surprised us for the holidays this year! the last we had seen them was last thanksgiving and they had been telling us that they had no idea when they were going to be down again, "definitely not any time soon," then voila, they show up and surprise us one sunday and are here until january 3! i am head over heels in love with their little girl, peyton, who is two and a half :)


anyways, i am getting so excited for christmas! the decorations are up and the shopping has been started. i am hoping to get some gifts wrapped this weekend. 


here's a little holiday inspiration for you!

are those cinnamon sticks around those candles? love them and the reindeer :)

ahhh dyyyyying, i love this so much. 

huge hanging ornaments :)

my mom actually got me a few of these santa mugs from pottery barn! they're on display around our living room.

"we elves like to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup." okay, guess what movie has been on a lot in our house ;)

all photos via pinterest. 

november weekend goodness.

what a fantastic november weekend it was. not only has the weather been so perfect and autumn-y, but my roommate came to visit. we, along with our boos, caught up over coffee and fantastic local, organic food at wildflower cafe. i had the most amazing seasonal dish... butternut squash ravioli with nuts and goat cheese. it was heaven. and i miss this girl like crazy.

and today, my mom, sister, and two friends from our hometown went to see WICKED! if you've never seen it before, you need to. you'll never look at the wizard of oz the same again.

totally loving november... and there is more goodness to come! hope you all are enjoying this wonderful month as we get ready to transition into the holidays... YAY!

coffee in bed.

staying cozy on this chilly morning with coffee in bed. happy weekend. xoxo

the more you dress up, the more fun you'll have.

happy sweet 16 to my not so little sis.

she is all grown up!! and what an awesome young woman, sister, daughter, friend, basketball player, guitar player, song writer, worshipper, comedian, entertainer, and dreamer she is. she is so godly and i couldn't be more proud :)

oh, just some thoughts, recent happenings, and answered prayers.

truth: i am a tired, stressed out mess. 
truth: i hate social security offices.
truth: i am constantly asking Jesus to not only cover my sin, but to cover my stupid, human errors (he always does)


last night, boo and i went to kings island. they have their halloween events going on through the month of october, so it had a fun fall effect to it (although i HATE the scary houses...we only did two and i just do not like to be afraid...don't make fun of me for being scared of those). we rode some awesome rides and just got to act like little kids. to me, there's something romantic about theme parks and carnivals at nighttime. and i truly have the best husband ever. he is just so wonderful in every way....i really can't get over it. and i will never apologize for being mushy on here... i am his biggest fan!


also, the Lord has answered so many prayers lately and i am so thankful. after i got married and moved away from my college friends, life was busy, but very lonely. many times, with tear-filled eyes, i would just ask for God to give me a girlfriend, or a community of some sort that i could grow in. He was gracious to fulfill my request. a few months later i found out that my best friend from high school had happened to not only be moving back home, but to begin walking with the Lord again. not only this, but my small group from high school has been reunited and we are beginning to meet again...with another girl who had not been walking with God, but now is! we are meeting on tuesday evenings and are going to start reading "how people grow." i am so excited and beyond touched with how my Lord and Savior provides for me and moves to answer my prayers. when i am sluggish, doubtful, and tired in my faith, i remember all the kind things He does for me. 


there is so much i am learning right now, but life is crazy busy and i hardly have the time to post...but i really need to find time to post about what i am learning about what it means to be the bride of Christ, because it's awesome. 


i hope you all are blessed... i know i am, even in the midst of the tiredness, stress, and everything that life  and the enemy throws at us sometimes!