thursday's ten or so: the holiday edition

since i'm still kind of in a holiday coma (and more to come since we haven't celebrated with my family yet!) i thought it would be fun to share a few holiday memories from this year. please feel free to respond in the comments or write your own post with these memories and more!

most awkward moment
a toss up between playing a dirty santa game that half the room wasn't into and when we all had to be silent while an aunt read the weather report from...louisville?

most satisfying receipt of a gift (for me)
anthony's reaction when he realized that i had bought him the complete collection of calvin and hobbes. 

most satisfying receipt of a gift (for us)
we made anthony's mom cry. twice in a row :-) first for a cashmere scarf and second for a family photo from our wedding we had printed and framed for his parents

most surprising gift (for me)
anthony got me a new tv!

most surprising gift (for us)
anthony's aunt bought us the sound of music on bluray, which was on our list. only she got us a limited edition collector's set. it's pretty amazing...and TOTALLY above what we would have ever expected!

most gobbled part of the main meal?
we had prime rib and sides...not surprisingly the prime rib was number one on the "like" list (at least at our table). however, the twice baked garlic potatoes were pretty freaking awesome too!


most fun stocking surprise?
for me? pretty sure it was the OPI bondettes mini set anthony stuffed in there. for him? i think it's a toss-up between the ninja-bread cookie cutters and the om-nom (character from cut the rope) plush. he might tell you differently though ;-)

most pleasant surprise?
that instead of everyone ripping into their gifts at once there were several of us who watched for the reactions of everyone else...that made it last slightly longer, but certainly made it more fun.

most fun new tradition?
we added to an old tradition (that of everyone gathering to watch a christmas movie for 3 or 4 nights) but offering to bring dinner one of the nights. tomato basil soup and grilled cheese is now officially "the" meal for the viewing of white christmas :-)

so. how were your festivities?

hey, it's ok (tuesday) 12.27

hey, it's ok


...to get choked up while watching ellen.  or the soldier appreciation episode of rachael ray.
...to see someone giving design/creative ideas on a talk show and thinK "she totally got that off pinterest"
...to toooootally have baby fever after cuddling our friends 11 week old for an evening
...to have paused everything to watch drew brees break the record last night, and to be genuinely happy for him.
...to talk about football (or hockey) in everyday conversation ;-) and your blog
...to have LOVED your Christmas celebrations, been totally overwhelmed by all the generosity given to you, and to just feel completely blessed by the whole season
...to be glad for a quiet day after Christmas to unwind a bit from ALL that family time, as good as it was
...to have been really spoiled over the long weekend by going to bed (too) late and still getting a solid 7-8 hours of sleep
...to still not understand why people want sweet stuff on their meat.  pass the spice and savory; keep your apples away from my roast


visit amber's blog and link up with your own list of what's ok in your world!

what i'm loving wednesday 12.21

i'm loving the changes on the horizon (and already happening) on the job front for both A and i.  we're both transitioning into new roles and figuring out what it all means...amazing to think that 6 months ago neither of us knew these jobs existed.

i'm loving this amazing lotion i found at whole foods body.  i had this inexplicable rash that started a few days before my wedding and is located around my left collarbone.  after being miserable itchy for a few weeks, i bought this $10 natural lotion and it cleared completely in a week's time.  since then, another patch has materialized, but it's disappearing thanks to the lotion as well.  yay for yummy smelling goodness.

i'm loving random texts from friends, impromptu lunch/dinner/coffee dates, or hikes with cell group girls.  so thankful for the quality people God has surrounded me with!


i'm loving the cuteness i get to enjoy on tuesdays and thursdays.  i often say my two jobs afford me the best of both worlds, and i stand by that.  soon enough, this season will end so i am determined to enjoy it for what it is.  :-)

i'm loving that emi loves this time of year :0).  here she is laying on her favorite (tissue paper) in front of the tree (which she loves to nibble on periodically) while we watched hockey (one of my favorites).

i'm loving that gift shopping is DONE (except for the mailed gifts to family and some friend gifts...but those aren't going to be given ON christmas).

i'm loving that the budget was stuck to, and that we went WAY under for nearly everyone.  Woo-hoo!

i'm loving the prospect of a few days off...and that my husband has one of those days off with me.  suh-weet.

i'm loving that this is our first christmas together...such amazing blessings we've been given, not the least of which happen to be each other :-)

i'm just loving this time of year.  as much as i can't wait for christmas, i'm going to be bummed when this precious season is over.

hey, it's ok (tuesday) 12.20

hey, it's ok


...to have both discovered and watched the entire season (so far) of "once upon a time" in 2 days time
...to be very excited about the maggiano's gift card the family i nanny for gave us for christmas.  yaaaay date night and warm italian food in the middle of winter :-)
...to bring my hair straightener to work with me when i nanny so i can at least leave looking more normal/less scary
...to realize when reading everyone's christmas cookie blogs that i still haven't made any peppermint bark this year.  gotta get on that!
...to watch baby g VERY closely when she gets near the christmas tree
...to still have a few gifts left to buy, but only because we stretched them among several paychecks so we could still, you know, eat.  ;-)  all will be done by friday except for the ones we're mailing to some of my family members which will just be late. (and that's ok too).
...to be just as excited about wrapping all the gifts as buying them.  it's one of my absolute favorite parts of this season!
...to have pretty much single-handedly polished off the pasta salad my parents had this weekend.  it's nothing special--it's from a box.  but i.love.it.
...to sometimes put aside your crunchy, organic preferring nature to enjoy some good food from a box.  sometimes.  :-)


visit amber's blog--she's awesome!

it's a great day to celebrate Christmas #1

today we are in indiana
staying with my parents
and celebrating Christmas with them


in a few minutes we'll unwrap gifts
and hang around chatting for awhile


this evening we're headed to evansville
to have dinner and exchange gifts with our friends brian and angie
(these great people)

so happy to be here
enjoying "comfort food"
and our first official overnight trip as a married couple 
:-)


have a great weekend everyone!

about a wreath

i was typing an explanation of our wreath on a reply the other day and realized
i was talking about much more than a wreath.


you see, when we started talking about decorating our door for christmas
i wanted a simple berry wreath
you know, little red berries...nothing hugely fancy but something a little different
definitely non-traditional


it became apparent pretty early on that a berry wreath wasn't going to fly.
anthony only liked evergreen wreaths
"you know, the traditional kind"
uh-oh


i couldn't think of a way to make a traditional wreath look good
(to me)
until


i spotted fresh pine wreaths at trader joes
and not only did it smell amazing, i thought
"i can work with this"


and so
i went and bought my berry wreath at target
and tied the two together
and what happened 
was kind of amazing


both wreaths on their own were perfectly fine 
beautiful, in fact, in different ways
and many people would put them up just as they originally were
nothing wrong with that


but the two together made a wreath that
(to anthony and i at least)
is better than either original wreath
they belong together

it's kind of like us, really
anthony and i were fine on our own
but we're better together


and that's not where the similarity stops
see, we had to replace the original pine wreath
because it browned
because WE failed to water it properly
it needed attention
a bit of misting every day


just like us...we need to give our relationship
a bit of attention each day


when i think of it in terms like these
the simple wreath on our front door
means even more to me.

thursday's ten: our open house

i'm being totally lazy today.

here's 10 things we served at our open house on saturday

:-)

we have several gluten-free friends, a couple of vegan buddies, and at least one person who is both gluten free and dairy free.  since i wanted to have several options for each person attending, i had quite the challenge when it came to the menu.  but i finally found a good balance, i think.  not everything fit special dietary needs, but everyone had a few choices!

1. a veggie tray (in the shape of a Christmas tree.  kind of)

*both gf and vegan.  obviously.

2. deviled eggs
*gf and dairy free

3. my guacamole, salsa (herdez), and mexican spinach dip (his aunt's recipe)
*the guacamole and salsa were gf and vegan
the spinach dip is gf

4. fresh fruit (pineapple that i for real chopped up, blueberries, clementines and strawberries)
*gf and vegan
5. swedish meatballs (gluten free recipe found here)
*gf
6. pinwheels

7. stuffed mushrooms
*gf
8. mexican hot chocolate cookies (recipe soon)
*vegan
9. (vegan) ginger cookies (recipe soon)
*vegan

10. peppermint joe-joe truffles (omgosh, SO good.  will post recipe soon)


add to this holiday punch, hot chocolate and coffee and we were good to go for several hours :-)


and between antiques from my grandmother and new wedding gifts along with a few other pieces i've collected over the years, we had the perfect serving piece for each dish.


the table decoration was a simple runner from ikea with turqoise felt tree ornaments from target interspersed and taper candles throughout.  i didn't want it to be overwhelming amidst the food, but i wanted it to look *pretty*


unfortunately, i didn't get any pictures once the party started of our guest, or of the dessert bar or beverage station.  oh well.  there will be a next time.


we LOVE sharing and opening up our home to people, so there will be MANY next times :-)


have you had a party this season?  are you planning one?  what's your menu look like?

hey, it's ok (tuesday) 12.13

hey, it's ok


...to eat a meal that resembles a 2 year olds for lunch. because, hello, i'm eating with a not-even-2 year old
...to have absolutely no idea what to get your father for Christmas...every.single.year.
...to not think it's cute when every status/tweet a 'friend' posts is negative and sarcastic and cuts others down.  not attractive for a 35 year old, sorry to tell you. (off to hit the "unfollow" button directly after posting this...)
...to be oh-so-honored that people took time out of their busy holiday schedules to come to our open house last saturday.  it's something i've done every year (except last year...but you all know that story) -- opened up my home on a saturday afternoon and enjoyed everyone's company.  we cooked and cleaned for the latter part of last week, but it was SO.WORTH.IT.  so grateful that God has placed us in this place...with these people...to share His story
...to forget that my new phone has the option to close apps...and so to have approximately 3000 running until i start wondering why the battery is going down so quickly!
...to never know quite what to say when a friend suffers a loss or is going through a hard time :-(
...to love the charlie brown tree my employers got this year.  i'm looking at it right now and it's precious.


visit amber's blog and link up with your own list!

what i'm loving wednesday (11.30)

i'm loving that emi has similar tastes to mine :-)

(spinach and sour cream dip from trader joe's)

i'm loving this sweet puppy who lived with us for about a week and a half while her family was visiting texas -- she's so much fun!
(emi was not so much loving her though...)

belle :-)

helping us decorate

i'm loving the holiday season, as i do every year.

one of our trees (red and turquoise)

i'm loving the new traditions we're creating while we combine good things from both our families and things we want to do on our own :-)

the wreath on our front door: pine for him, berries for me = perfection

i'm loving the boots i mentioned yesterday

i'm loving my cell group girls...such amazing Godly women...so important in my life

photo by our AMAZING wedding photographer

i'm loving friends i can simultaneously cook and be silly with :-)

i'm loving this, which i'll be explaining a bit more about on a monday soon!

i'm loving going to sporting events with my husband

football (go titans!)

hockey (go PREDS!)

i'm loving that he's my HUSBAND! :-)


i'm loving the sacredness that surrounds this time of year...or at least i'm loving the reminders that all of life is sacred

our advent wreath next to the nativity

hey, it's ok (tuesday) 11.22

hey, it's ok


...to lick the spatula when making brownies
...to be ready to black friday shop.  i don't do it like anyone else i know...much more relaxed approach, and i still get good deals.  without killing anyone or getting up ridiculously early. (amazon's online deals help a lot, but i actually DO get out and go!)
...to skip meal planning this week, as far as the blog goes.  we have a "plan" but i'm not going to get stressed if we don't stick to it.  hello holiday week!
...to, however, be planning out our open house menu.  i'm including some gluten free, dairy free, and vegan options this year as well as the normal fare, so i want it to be balanced. (if you have favorite holiday finger foods i'd love to hear about it!)
...to love rachael ray, but to be really tired of the "smellavision" comment she makes all.the.time.
...to spend the entirety of baby g's naptime catching up on shows on demand so that i can delete them off the dvr when i get home :-)
...to have way too many photos stored on my computer.  currently in the process of backing them ALL up to disk.
...to be ridiculously geeking out and excited that there's now a container store in my city.  i'm planning on hitting it up on friday, actually!
...to be quite excited to put up our Christmas decor here in a few days.  this will be our first year decorating together, and we have 3 trees planned as well as other fun stuff :-)  we do need stockings though.  nice ones.  any suggestions?
...to be nearly ready to post the giveaway that' i've had for a little over a month and am just now prepared for.  in fairness, it came RIGHT before the wedding.  i've been a little busy.
...to have placed a clue about the giveaway in this list of things that are ok.  extra entry if you correctly guess the right one BEFORE i post about the giveaway :-) (seriously)


visit amber's blog. mostly because she's awesome, but also because she hosts this weekly fun!  join us!

thursday's ten: the oops, i forgot editio

well, the time change happened, much to my dismay.

i have been a little off-kilter since sunday. we will blame it on the time change at least ;-)

so at approximately 8.29 am, i realized that i forgot to write today's thursdays ten.

oops.

so today is easy :-) please join me and catch me up on your lives! today is ten things that are going on for you right now, ten things you've done this week, or ten upcoming things that you're excited about :-)

i am choosing the first topic: ten things about my life at this moment. in complete and total randomness!



(1) we have been married over a month! in some ways that doesn't seem possible...but in other ways i think i feel more "right" than i ever have in my life. :-)
(2) we are finishing up this week cleaning out grandpas house (where i lived the months between foreclosure and marriage). there's really not that much left to do, which is why we've been putting it off. ha!
(3) i got back from the honeymoon to find out that the office i had been working 10 hours/week in was asking me to work more hours. this was a huge blessing and gift from God...fulfilling my hearts desire. i now have 24 in-office hours and 5 at home hours per week. yep, my hours tripled!
(4) if i haven't mentioned what i actually DO there, the basic rundown is that it's a non-profit online university that literally gives away (to international students and prisoners in the US) a religious studies degree to those who wouldnt ordinarily be able to afford it. i work in student services/registrar most of those hours, but i also get the privilege of grading prisoners work.
(much more about that in another post!)
(5) i hate colder weather, but i do so love dressing in layers and wearing cute scarves and boots. i guess that keeps me sane this time of year?
(6) if i never have to hear the handy manny toolbox toy that baby g plays with again i will be so happy.
(7) next weeks list will be ten things from pinterest i have actually completed! i would LOVE to see lists from those of you who are similarly addicted... :-)
(8) i love children's books and definitely want to get a couple for the kids i nanny for as part of their christmas. do you have any recommendations? (they are 3 and 1)
(9) we have found a church that we LOVE. it's nearly an hour from our house. i have lots of time to apply my makeup and clip each weeks coupons though...
(10) about a month ago, i told A that i was taking him on an "adventure" this saturday--a one day trip out of state. he finally decided this past sunday night that he wanted to know what it was. so we played a (very long) guessing game until he got it. he's really excited about it, and i can't wait to share with you what it is! it's small...but it's one of those little things i can do for him that'll make him happy :-)

(look for a post on it saturday...and i will post pictures next week)

that's not all that's going on, but it covers some serious ground! what about you??

hey, it's ok (tuesday) .7

(visit amber for the original)
hey, it's ok

... to have a big.huge.box of those fla・vor・ice popsicles in your freezer just for yourself

... to never have ANY desire ever to watch shows like jersey shore or the bachelor or any "real housewives of blahblah". HOW is that remotely appealing?!

... to get excited about date nights :-)

... to think that sweet tea is quite possibly the best.beverage.ever.  (except water, of course)

... to dislike the musical guests of 90% of the shows you watch.  

... to stay in your pj's on a day off (at least until you go out!)

... to dread taking down the Christmas tree (yes, it's still up.  and that's ok too.  ;)

a year in review, 2010

little did i know when i did a similar post last year what would happen in 2010. it's been a CRAZY year!

january
i perfected a bloody mary recipe, i ran a wild 5k and subsequently injured myself the next day and it finally snowed in nashville! (and i took pictures)

february
we had an amazing and sweet valentines day with amazing flowers, and then...well, life kind of started exploding...and not in a great way.  it was mid-february that anthony's granddaddy entered the hospital with some sort of unknown (at the time) pain

march
anthony's granddaddy passed away only a few days after discovering that he had stage 4 cancer. i celebrated my birthday (anthony gave me a wii!) and found out that the mortgage company had made a huge error...

april
God remained ever faithful -- that seemed to be the theme of this month.  i got the official word that i had lost my house, and i had 10 days to move out.  and that's when the CRAZY God-stuff began happening. anthony's sister got baptized at church on the last day we were moving me out.  i was the featured WOW blogger one day. i had a massive asthma...event...among other things...and ended up in the ER and staying in the hospital overnight. i was thankful to see the calendar change from april to may until...

may
the first weekend in may, nashville flooded.
one of my best friends in indiana got married and i was in the wedding, anthony had his first published article, i spent a fantastic weekend in the gatlinburg area with my suitemates from college.

june
i spent a long weekend in delaware with laura and izzy, started a new summer nanny gig with two precious kids, i wrote a little about provision and other deeper subjects

july
God signed me up for a fantastic retreat weekend (no, really), anthony's grandma passed away, about 20 minutes after her graveside service my car was totaled when it was parked on the street -- hit and run, i headed to the beach for a whirlwind trip with some girlfriends
 
august
i began working for my friends as a nanny to their sweet little boy, we traveled to kansas city and loved our time with family there, i replaced my car

september
this was the month of CRAZY weekends!  we went to st louis with friends, had a retreat with the youth group,  we went to holiday world, i went to arkansas with natasha.

october
i attended an awesome prophetic conference where i actually was on a team that GAVE prophetic words...amazing, i got pretty real on the blog

november
i took the time to finally write out how God has orchestrated my every move for the last 2.5 years, we continued our tradition of visiting the christmas village, we found out a favorite nashville store was closing

december
we got not one but TWO white christmases!  we visited my family in indiana for our first christmas in mid-december...and it snowed.  and it snowed here christmas eve and christmas day which was a lovely thing.  it hadn't snowed here on christmas since anthony's childhood!  i joined a wonderful cell group of Spirit-filled and amazing girls.  december was pretty much a blur and i didn't blog very much of it...but that just means i was out living it :)

so 2010.  it was a very interesting year.  what a range we've been through!  heartache, loss, love, provision, abundance, and just crazy things!  i think i'll look back on 2010 as one of the best years of my life, as strange as that sounds.  yes, i lost so much in the material sense.  but what i gained in return -- what God has blessed me with -- is so much better than anything i had before. 

i can't WAIT to see what He has for me -- for us -- in 2011.  if this year was this crazy and amazing...just wait.  buckle up, guys.  i have a feeling it's going to be one awesome ride!

hey, it's ok (tuesday) .5

please visit amber for the original!

... to totally invite yourself to a new year's celebration. 
... to want to take pictures in the christmas snow, since it only happens in nashville every 20 years or so.  so, maybe when our future children are teenagers we can take more christmas snow pictures.
... to wish they had somehow figured out a way to get MORE caffeine into coffee.
... to be surprised by things you find on facebook.  for example, the guy from college who continually creeps you out suddenly being in a relationship.
... to not understand the appeal of silly bandz, but to buy them for the kids in your life anyway.
... to be so glad that it snowed in nashville more than once this year...and to be completely ready for spring to come.
... to possibly be plotting a trip to starbucks while taking kids to a fun outing.  hey, that makes it more fun for ME too!
... to have snuck the laptop into the bathroom to take a shower and listen to some awesome worship music while the kids have breakfast
(it's the only time the little one is contained enough for me to shower!)

can you tell i'm babysitting today?  i have two boys -- 3 years and 18 months -- monday through wednesday this week.  we're having a blast and i'm LOVING how early they go to bed.  not so much the wakeup call, but it's still later than i normally have to be at work, so hey.

much love, all!

Christmas, 2010

when it all comes down to it

it doesn't matter if we wrapped our gifts perfectly
with creased paper and curled ribbons

it doesn't matter if the presents contained in the beautiful wrappings
are perfect for each recipient

it doesn't matter if we gather with a small family unit
or a large ball of chaos

or if the food is perfect
or if the table settings match

it doesn't matter if we've pleasantly wished holiday greetings
or militantly insisted that only CHRISTmas be used

it matters that in the most unlikely place
to the most unlikely people
and in the most unlikely way
a tiny Child was born

and He would save the world

merry Christmas, all
and much love

hey, it's ok (tuesday) .5

hey, it's ok

... to have equally wanted all 4 groups left to win the sing-off.  mostly.  but to have been quite excited about the top two, and to have been proud of the US for choosing in the right order :-)
... to love fruit snacks, even though you know there's little "fruit" in them
... to sometimes leave the christmas tree lights on all.night.long
... to get just as excited as the 3 year old co-chef about making sugar cookies together.  and to indulge in a heavily decorated by said 3 year old's sugar cookie.
... to buy 99 cent mint water from trader joe's on occasion just because it's yummy.
... to be overwhelmed with laughter at times when you think about God's provision in your life
... to ignore the healthy options at home and head straight through a drive-thru after a rather stressful last-minute shopping trip.  salads can be had tomorrow.  :D

:-)

Monday's Memory: the one with the white elephant exchange

once upon a time, in that wonderful small group i was in

(before things came to light that eventually caused our necessary disbanding)

we gathered for a Christmas party, complete with a white elephant gift exchange

all of us aimed for goofy gifts.

and they were all fantastically silly

but i will never forget that when i opened the gift i had selected from the pile

(right before the laughter broke out)

my friend michael (his son is the one i now nanny for)

said calmly and dryly

"well, you can be assured that no one will want to steal THAT one."

(here's about the point where he said it, actually.  i had no idea i had photos of that moment!)

 yeah...if you can't tell, i'm holding two identical plastic bags

both of which contained a fish

the look on my face kind of says it all.

(i told the group that if they stayed at my house they would be named "cat" and "food".  thankfully i taught across the hall from a teacher who had a fish tank in her classroom...so they became extra Christmas gifts for her!)

what's the funniest gift YOU have ever received?

Thursday's Ten: Christmas traditions

today's list: your favorite personal or family traditions for this time of year :0)



1. opening one (just one!) gift on Christmas Eve
my parents always let me, and i loved it.  i think i'll continue the tradition with my kids with Christmas pajamas :)
2. Christmas Eve Mass
i'm not catholic, but i love the service
3. sleeping just one night per season underneath the Christmas tree
that wouldn't be hard for me this year...considering the tree is just across the room from where i sleep anyway...
4. black Friday Christmas shopping -- online and in person
i know some think it's crazy but i love it!
5. wrapping presents. it may not be a tradition, really, but i have a rule at Christmas that there will be NO bags involved unless it's just a particularly hard gift to wrap.
i love wrapping gifts.  is that weird?
6. movies -- A's family watches the same movies every year, starting with Elf on thanksgiving night and including White Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life...and a few others ;-)
and anthony and i watched Love Actually tonight...and i think we'll do Four Christmases before Christmas day
7. the Advent wreath. this year I put it up late, and didn't prepare by finding any books to do during the season...so unprepared, but hopefully this is the only year that will be a problem.
there's something so peaceful and lovely about lighting a candle and whispering simple words
8. my open house party...that's another thing that just isn't happening this year :( 
but there are plenty to attend, and i hope that next year's will more than make up for this year's lack
9.  caroling.  i haven't done it for YEARS, but maybe i should change that.  my cell group (small group) talked last night about the possibility of caroling sometime before Christmas, so who knows? :-)
we actually snuck to a friends house to sing a song for them last night...which is what brought the conversation up 
10.  playing Christmas music...constantly
normally i have only holiday music playing after thanksgiving.  this year has been a little strange in all regards.  i'm missing directing a choir, i'm missing decorating a space that's truly mine, and i've discovered pandora to play in the car...but i suppose i could choose a pandora Christmas station...

i'm sure as the years go by and i have children things will get even crazier.  but those are the simple traditions i've kept for the last 5 years or so.  what about you?