Top 2: Ornaments

You should know that I LOVE Christmas ornaments. (So I linked up with The Undomestic Momma to share!) Our tree is covered in ornaments--probably 20 dozen, and I secretly wanted to use more. When I married, Husby came with about 14 dozen beautiful glass ornaments. (He wasn't using these; they were stored by his mom for his future wife. Score!)

We really don't have a specific theme for our Christmas tree unless "Super Cute" can be a theme. I love any ornament with red on it. Polka dots, glitter and ribbon are also big drawing points for ornaments. But I'm not picky...We have cute little angels and giraffes and homemade felt ornaments and dainty ornaments from Prague made out of blown-out egg shells. Please don't sense that the theme is "Tacky." I promise; it isn't. Somehow, it all works. Perhaps it's that the enormity of the ornaments.

I scored this ornament as a gift exchange last night. Being uber-competitive, I hated that I was the last to choose. But since I was new to the group, I quitely sat, waiting my turn. I was so excited when I opened this cute give. It's meets the criteria for the cutest of the cute: big, red and green, with ribbons. And since I was last in the gift exchange, no one could steal it from me. Yea!

I bought this ornament last year and thought it very fitting to adorn our first Christmas tree. Again, it meets the cute criteria: big, colorful, and a green ribbon.



What about you? Do you have favorites? Are all your ornaments part of a theme? I'd love to know (and steal ideas!). You can see a few other of our ornaments here.

Christmas-y

Hi, friends! I can't believe it's December. And Christmas-y. And cold. Mostly, I can't believe that this semester is almost over. (For the record, my brain has always worked in semester/summer increments. Even when I had a non-school job.) If my calculations are correct--and I'm pretty sure they are--45 of my sweet students have completed about 225 college applications, and we only have about 12 more to submit. Whew! That's a feat!

Last week I spent three days on a trip with my juniors. We toured five different schools. It was a great trip, but exhausting. I think there's also an age where chartered buses are no longer comfortable. In fact, most modes of transportation have lost any comfort I once thought they had. And for some reason, this girl who could sleep ANYWHERE just a few years ago, cannot sleep in a car/bus/plane any longer. I blame it on my turning 30. It's been a good year, but things sure do change.

Oh, another change is my eyesight! Evidently, I'm not supposed to drive at night without glasses. I didn't think it was super important that I get a pair of spectacles, but Husby had an eye exam two days after mine, and our doctor/family friend asked if I'd driven at night without glasses and shared that I'm not "legal" to drive at night without glasses. Now, Husby is a little concerned and won't let me drive at night until the prescription is filled. And did you know that glasses are EXPENSIVE?! After 30 minutes of trying on an average of six frames per minute, I found a pair. But I had to have her hold them for me because this frugal lady doesn't rake over a wad of cash that easily. I'm trying to decide if I need the cutest/more expensive pair since they're primarily for night driving. I mean, I will be wearing them at work when my eyes get tired, too. And I don't want to look like a MawMaw.

Anyway...

I'm sitting in our oh-so-cute-Christmas-y living room. I just love our Christmas tree. It's a flocked tree with that pre-lit with both colored and white lights. I love it! I just wish I could take a decent picture of it. Does anyone else have trouble getting a good picture of their tree? I think it must be a lighting issue. Our stockings are stuffed for each other. Although I have a feeling that they'll get a little more full in the days before Christmas.

I had an urge of creativity tonight. I started by making Chocolate-Butterscotch Haystacks, which are easy-peasy. I got the recipe from friend, and former roommate, Sarah. They're great for a Christmas party.

Chocolate Butterscotch Haystacks
from the kitchen of Sarah

Ingredients
2 C chocolate chips
2 C butterscotch chips
10 oz (2 cans) chow mein noodles

Directions
Melt butterscotch and chocolate chips. Stir in noodles. Drop onto waxed paper and chill until firm.

And when I was still in a creative mood, I made a little something to frame in honor of Elf:

If you'd like to print it, but it doesn't print well, leave a comment with your email, and I'll send it your way.

I hope you have a great week. Nine days left until Christmas vacation. Hallelu!

Prayers, please...

Hello, all. I'm enjoying Thanksgiving break this week. It's such a great perk of working in the education system. Actually enjoying might not be the proper word; I'm getting caught up on doctor's visits (wisdom teeth problems, still). But to have a week off to do these things is just glorious. I'm actually blogging tonight, tired after putting up our Christmas tree with 23 dozen ornaments (not really an exaggeration). But my heart is heavy, and I'd love for you to join me in praying for a friend.

Lindsey and I served together during our single days, planning events for our singles group. I hope you've visited her blog, Pleasant Drive. (Here's the link--or you can access it easily anytime from the menu on the right side of my blog.) Lindsey is a woman of God whose faith and love for Him is just amazing. As an young woman, she's a two-time survivor of breast cancer (diagnosed at 25 and 26). If there's one thing that I learned as I prayed with her through her second diagnosis last year, it is to be bold with your prayers as you petition our Lord. Here's a verse that I'd heard, but never fully comprehended until that time:

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence,

so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:15-16

Today, Lindsey was diagnosed with a brain tumor on her frontal lobe. On Wednesday, she will have brain surgery to remove the tumor. Let's intercede on behalf of Lindsey, her husband, Brian, and their families. Jehovah Rapha (the Lord who heals) healed Lindsey's body twice from cancer. I believe that he has a plan for Lindsey's life. I believe the life of faith she's lived is a testimony like none other. Let's pray hard. Let's pray confidently.

Pray for healing.

Pray for wisdom for the doctor's.

Pray for steady hands during the procedure.

Pray for complete removal of the tumor without any ill effects.

Pray as Lindsey, Brian, and her doctor's create a treatment plan.

Pray that Lindsey and Brian will feel an overwhelming peace from our God.

Pray that their families will be comforted during this time.

Pray that Lindsey and Brian's young marriage will only grow stronger through this.

Pray that Lindsey and Brian will seek Christ during this time.

Brian & Lindsey (a great picture totally stolen from her facebook page!)

Thanks for interceding, friends. Have a great holiday week!

A Must See

Because it's Wednesday.

Because it's been the longest week ever.

Because I scream-laughed when I watched this.

And because I think you should, too.

Please watch "You Forgot Blueberries."

You're welcome.

That is all.

**A special thanks to Brooke for finding this video. :)

Faves: Stocking Stuffer Ideas

I'm so proud of myself. Already, I've bought over half of the Christmas presents we'll give. Woo hoo! I've done lots of online shopping, which has been super nice, especially when free shipping is an offer. Here are a few of my favorite things, and things that would be great stocking stuffers.

Did you know that Texas is a producer of olive oil? It's pretty new, but I was able to taste some at Mistletoe & Magic--a holiday market with specialty boutiques. Oh. my. goodness. Texas Olive Ranch makes amazing olive oil. I was a little hesitant to try it, since they pride themselves on their oils being so good that no bread is needed for tasting. I wasn't keen on the idea of drinking olive oil. But once I did, I could have kept going. We had some great "cocktails"--oils mixed with balsamic vinegars. Oh, come on! Though we only had sips of each cocktail, I could have downed it!

One of my favorites was orange Rio Orange Olive Oil mixed with Orange & White Orange Infused White Balsamic Vinegar. I came home with the Arbequina Variety EVOO and Figalicious Fig Infused Dark Balsamic Vinegar. I can't wait to use it on a salad. Each bottle is $10. You can order online at Texas Olive Ranch, or in select stores (a list is found on their website).

Next up: Coconut Body Butter from The Body Shop. 

This stuff is fabulous. I bought a tub last year while honeymooning in San Francisco. Our hotel was next to excellent shopping. Unfortunately, Husby isn't the shopping type, so I only visited this one store. I hadn't been to The Body Shop previously, but the smell wafting from the store intigued us both. This cream is excellent. It's made from coconut oil, which is a solid, so it's super thick. I love it! They have tons of different scents: lemon, olive, grapefruit, almond. They're on sale now for $14 per tub, regulary $20. At either price, it's worth it.

Last year, Husby got Origins Skin Diver Active Charcoal Body Wash in his stocking. And then I started using it and discovered how fabulous it is!

It's a natural body wash that smells like rosemary and spearmint. I love it. Although $19.50 and pricier than drugstore body wash, it lasts for a long, long time. And it just smells so good!

Fingers crossed, I'll have my Christmas shopping done next week when I'm off for Thanksgiving. Then, I'll be able to wrap and be-ribbon the gifts to go under the tree.

Recipe: Banana Crumb Muffins

I love muffins. As we ate these yesterday, I declared that muffins are the perfect breakfast food:  filling, but not heavy; tasty, but not sugar-y sweet. This recipe was found in desperation as I hoped to use over-ripe bananas instead of throwing them out. It was a Saturday morning, and I often make some actual breakfast food on Saturdays, rather than the usual cereal or oatmeal. This recipe is not difficult, and the results are wonderful. The muffins are lighter in texture than banana bread, but taste very similar.

Banana Crumb Muffins

From allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

2.In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

3.In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

4.Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

5. Enjoy!

Weekend Update

Today has been a day of rest at our home. Other than brewing coffee and making muffins, we've done almost nothing. Which is nice considering our busy day yesterday. Husby and I went Christmas shopping--and eating--with his family. A day of Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Banana Republic, and World Market, sprinkled with meals at Grand Lux Cafe and Maggiano's, sounds perfect to me. However, Husby does not enjoy a day spent at stores. Luckily, he did enjoy Angry Birds and Cut the Rope on my iPhone, when The Container Store just didn't do it for him. We're quite different in that respect. I could spend hours in The Container Store, dreaming of my next organization project.

As I type this, our bellies are full from yummy Banana Crumb Muffins. Although I've claimed not to bake in my Things I Don't Do list, I am a pretty decent muffin maker. I was quite happy with this mornings result: 

I'll share the recipe later this week.

This morning, I finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It is such a fabulous read! This book has been on my book list for about a year. I finally snagged it at a local used bookstore. It's written in letters, and I couldn't wait to finish one letter so that I could move to the next. Guernsey is a Channel Island (English Channel) that was occupied by the Germans during World War II. The book is set just after World War II ends; each character tells stories about the Occupation, but more importantly, their relationships with each other during this time. Now, I badly want to visit Guernsey. I want to smell the sea air and walk along the beach. I fear that I might be disappointed when the reality of the characters as part of fiction sets in. I'd love to walk along the beach with Juliet and Kit, or share tea and raspberry pie with Amelia. Although a quick trip to Guernsey isn't an option, I do think that a re-read is imminent. Here are a couple of quotes that made me fall in love with the book even more:

"I wonder how the book got to Guernsey?

Perhaps there is some secret sort of

homing instinct in books that brings

them to their perfect reader.

~Juliet

"Reading good books ruins you

for enjoying bad ones.

~Isola



Next up on the docket? A game of domino's with Husby. Then I plan to be somewhat productive. My goal to purge our home of 100 items by Thanksgiving requires some action on my part. (Read about that here.) I need to gather 10 items per day to make it a little less overwhelming. I have my eye on a few things that will make an exit.