Random Christmas Truths

Since we're getting so close to Christmas, I thought I would share some Christmas truths!

• I love ALL Christmas movies - from the cheesy Hallmark ones to the classics. My favorite classics are It's A Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street. My favorite silly movie is Elf. I cry in all three, every.single.time (yes, even Elf - don't pretend you don't feel the magic when the sleigh starts flying on Christmas spirit...)
• I love wrapping gifts. I'm a ribbon and bow girl - I take my time wrapping, and rarely use the stickon bows.
• Everything needs to be color coordinated (it's the control freak in me coming out). For the last few years, I've incorporated red, green, gold, and cream. This means that no random color like blue can show up in my decorations or wrapping paper!
• I love Christmas baking.
• I love Christmas music! I seriously listen to it for the ENTIRE month of December, and occasionally in June!
• I love Christmas traditions, and can't wait to start some once we have babies of our own. My favorite growing up was Christmas morning breakfast. After we opened our gifts, my daddy would make us this awesome breakfast while we played with our toys. Then we would all just hang out all day. Many Monopoly games were played on Christmas day over the years.
• I love "love" gifts - homemade gifts. Homemade gloves, food, crafts, jellies, soaps - things like that. Someone offering their time to make me something is so special!
• I love the cranberry-orange combo and pomegranates! They both remind me of Christmas.

What are some of your Christmas favorites?!

Christmas Card Carousel

We're slowing inching towards Christmas - are you ready?!

Although we've done yearly Christmas cards, this is the first year that I was able to talk my husband into we decided together that we would be doing a photo card. I absolutely love how it turned out, and thought I would share it with you in Faith's Christmas Card Carousel!

Join in on the fun and come share yours, too!

O Christmas Tree!

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!

Thy leaves are so unchanging;

Not only green when summer's here, But also when 'tis cold and drear.

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can'st give me;
How often has the Christmas tree, Afforded me the greatest glee!

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy candles shine so brightly!
From base to summit, gay and bright, There's only splendor for the sight.

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee!
Thou bidst us true and faithful be, And trust in God unchangingly.

Happy Bithday To Me!

Yesterday was my 28th birthday, and I still cannot believe that I'm no longer in my "mid" twenties. Other than that smidge of sadness, it's been a pretty fantastic weekend!

Friday night, Josh and I went to see Wicked. It's the prequel to The Wizard of Oz, but it's about Glenda and the Wicked Witch of the West. It's the story of how each of them came to be. It also explains some of the main characters that you know in TWOO. I've wanted to see it F-O-R-E-V-E-R, and it was, by far, my favorite of the shows that I've seen!! And it changes everything about TWOO!!!! I very highly recommend that you see it if you get the chance.

Wicked was playing in Nashville, so we booked a hotel for the night that was close to TPAC (Tennessee Performing Arts Center). It's called Hotel Indigo, and it is pretty fantastic. It's a modern hotel, and all of the rooms have these giant black and white murals on the wall (look to the left). We'd already plopped down on the bed when I took this - it was more neatly made when we first arrived.

We got there a little early, so after we checked in we walked to Demos for some spaghetti - yummo! After dinner, we went back to the hotel for a pre-show nap (one of the things I appreciate about not having children yet!) and then got all prettied up for the show!

I wish I could have taken some pictures of the performance, but of course there were no cameras allowed. The costumes were just beautiful though!

After the show we went back to the hotel and slept for about ten glorious hours   :-)

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday weekend!

It's Fall Ya'll!

Today when I left work it was 55 degrees. Finally, it feels like fall is here!

Last year I saw a table centerpiece for fall in the Pottery Barn catalog that I fell completely in love with! All of the pieces were ridiculously expensive, so I went to Hobby Lobby to recreate the same look on a budget. I loved it last year, and I love it again this year!!!

I found this plaque of one of my favorite verses, and had to include it. I love seeing it every day!

I also added some pumpkins in the kitchen

Josh surprised me last week with some pumpkin butter, and I've been eating it every chance I get! Seriously, who doesn't love pumpkin butter! I'm pretty much going to spend the next six weeks pumpkin obsessed, so you should prepare yourself for some pumpkin posts in the near future  :-)

Chai Tea Recipe!

Ya'll. YA'LL.

I love chai tea, especially the iced kind! So the other day when I was at home, I got a serious craving for an iced chai, and was really bummed out because we don't have a Starbucks in my town. The closest is half an hour away (THAT, my friends, is tragic)

So I hopped online and scrolled through an insane amount of recipes until I found one that I thought would be good. And it was not only good, it was heaven. You may think that's an exaggeration (whaaaaaaaaaa?! me, exaggerate?! NO!), but I assure you, this is no exaggeration.

Trust me, you need to go to the store immediately, and purchase anything that you don't have so that you can make this! If you like Starbucks Iced Chai Lattes - you'll never buy another! You'll save tons of money making your own equally delish drink, and then you can splurge on Kate Spade (my addiction of choice!)

(I'm not sure if you've noticed all of the parenthesis)

(I *really* love parenthesis)

Ok, onto the recipe! I found it at Big Girls, Small Kitchen.

Iced Chai Tea Latte (1 serving)
6 T Chai Tea Concentrate - recipe follows
1 C milk (I used vanilla almond milk)
Ice

Chai Tea Concentrate
This makes 1.5 cups, enough for 4 lattes

3 T sugar
8 cardamom pods (I only had ground cardamom, so I used about 1/2 t)
1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half
1 slice ginger, peeled
5 whole cloves
4 whole black peppercorns
2 black teabags
1 T honey

Combine all ingredients except the honey in a pot. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower slightly and let simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat  and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove the teabags, squeezing out any liquid from them. Let the spices steep for another 15 minutes. Strain, removing all the spices. Add the honey and stir in. Taste, adding more honey if you like.
Cool completely.

I know that seems like quite a bit of time to devote to tea, but trust me, it's well worth all of the steeping time! After we finished the first batch, I doubled the recipe and made a second, and I've had a glass every day! I'm keeping the concentrate in a mason jar in the fridge.

This is one fantastic recipe!!!

Millie Has A Boyfriend

It appears that our new "kitten" has grown-up and gotten herself a boyfriend. I am sad about this for two reasons:

1) She's obviously no longer a baby
2) She is driving us crazy

A couple of days ago, she was yelling so loudly that Josh got up to see what was going on. That's when we found this:

Meet the boy cat that lives next door:

He has been coming onto the porch every single day, and then meowing until Millie hears him. She races through the house knocking over anything in her path, until she crawls into the blinds and stares lovingly into his eyes for as long as he'll stay. It is nauseating really. When he leaves, she cries like her heart has been completely broken.

Needless to say, after a quick call to the vet, Miss Millie will be getting spayed next Wednesday. No baby kitties for us!