december goals

december goals:

1. celebrate well

2. run / walk four times per week

3. see six movies

This month, I want to celebrate well. It's so important to me to prepare my heart for Christmas. I began celebrating advent about four years ago. Now, I can't imagine not taking time each day to focus on the coming of Christ. This year, I'm following along with She Reads Truth. Each day, along with scripture, is a devotional and an advent action. I've been reading along and journaling each day. It really is a special time. I feel like these scriptures are new, even though I've read them each at least a dozen times. If you haven't ever observed advent in preparing your heart for Christmas--or if you just haven't started this year, feel free to follow along with She Reads Truth! 

In addition to Christmas, Jeremy celebrates his birthday in December. I make a very concerted effort each year not to let his birthday celebration meld into Christmas. He actually has an exam the day before and the day after his birthday, so much of the celebration will be pushed to the weekend. But we'll have a great dinner and birthday cake on his birthday!

Let's be honest, I'm not always the best with follow through. It's a flaw. I often have the best intentions, but lack motivation after a couple of weeks. BUT I'm really, really going to attempt run-slash-walking [at least] four times per week. This in an attempt to counteract all of the delicious treats during the holiday season. Although I'd like to do this outside, I'm kind of a wimp when it comes to breathing deeply in the cold, so I have two options for going inside.

At the beginning of the year, we made a goal to see twelve movies together. So far we've seen six or seven. We've gotta make six movies this month! Jeremy will be finished with school next Thursday, so we'll for sure see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug next weekend. Also on my list: Catching Fire, Philomena, Frozen, Saving Mr. Banks.

-ing

The past two weeks have been crazy. Of the ten business days, I was in the office for half of them. For the other half, I was on a bus with dozens of students. Two days with freshmen; three days with juniors. We visited seven college campuses and watched several movies. Because what else do you do for hours at a time on a bus? We traveled well over 1000 miles. But now? I'm home. And we're on Thanksgiving Break! Yesterday I desperately wanted to decorate for Christmas, but I forced myself to do nothing. Well, except for a visit to the grocery store, barn sale and salon. So here's what I'm up to:

::ADORING::

I participated in a couple of adoption fundraisers on Instagram (same family, two fundraisers). Each time, I paid $5 to send and receive a gift from someone. Most recently, I received my Christmas Exchange package. And OH MY GOSH. It was wonderful. I received on a day that was just crazy. And I hit the exchange jackpot! My super sweet exchange partner went above and beyond! Katy scoured my IG feed, noticed a few repeated themes and ran with it! I received my first coffee cozy (knitted by Katy) (or maybe crocheted?), the most adorable mini-dachshund hoop, felt donut ornaments (with supplies and instructions for me to create a couple more!) and a frame with several coffee prints to be changed as often as necessary (though that one seems quite perfect). 

::COOKING::

I decided that I should be able to cook lots this week. I planned a few meals and grabbed groceries. First up? Chicken & dumplings.You should know that I make really good chicken & dumplings. But I found a new recipe that I wanted to try.

If you grew up with a grandmother who made chicken & dumplings, then you know there are two teams: Team Fluffy Dumpling and Team Slick Dumpling. Grandmothers make only one version. Mine made slick dumplings. She had no use for fluffy dumplings. And I didn't either. (Because I'd never had them.) But I found a recipe that piqued my interest. The picture from this blog made them look not-too-fluffy. So I decided to give them a go. 

OH MY WORD. Y'all. They fluffed up nicely, but then they started to dissolve. Dissolve! For a pot of dumplings, there were only about a dozen semi-cooked dumplings when I pulled them off of the heat. 

Never again. Never. again. I'm sure my grandmother rolled in her grave when I decided to make a fluffy dumpling. I was left with a pot of dumpling broth, 12 semi-cooked dumplings, a huge mess of a kitchen and takeout from Jason's Deli. I vow to never stray from the recipe I've always used.

::READING::

The Funeral Dress | Susan Gregg Gilmore

I've enjoyed Gilmore's The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove and Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, so I was excited when her next book released. I'm only a few chapters in, but so far, I really like it.

The Lumby Lines | Gail Fraser
The Mitford Series is one of my all-time favorite series. I found the Lumby Series and hope that it is as enjoyable, though it's been a rough start. (I've actually read the first three chapters several times, as I let so much time lag between readings.)

::CREATING::
As part of the adoption fundraiser (mentioned above), I created something Christmas-y to send to my Christmas Exchange friend. Here's the deal, I consider myself to be creative. But I don't create regularly, so it leaves me with a lack of confidence. So I mulled over what I would make. (The gift had to be handmade.) I decided to recreate felt hand-stitched ornaments that I made in college. I also did a very simple calendar and found some cute chalkboard tags. I'm sending it out tomorrow. It's a week late, so I hope she's super gracious. And that she loves her exchange.

november, so far

It's mid-November. Which is a bit unreal. The leaves have changed and are falling from their branches. Caramel and cinnamon and pumpkin have made an annual appearance. Oddly, we've had two nights of frost that claimed my beautiful fall mum. But these frosty mornings make for a beautiful drive to work. The fields are shimmery with white that disappears as the sun makes an appearance.

Never one to wish time away, I'm always excited for November. Days are cooler, which makes for cozy clothes of tights and sweaters and boots. And nights come sooner, which makes for cozy nights with soup and hot chocolate and pajamas.

Over the weekend, I made the decision to decorate my mantle for fall, making the change from Halloween. I debated since I'll decorate for Christmas in just a couple of weeks, and I'll be gone for about five days. I didn't know if the effort would the worth it. But you know what? It was. I did very little, but it's nice to have the change from Halloween. And it makes my pumpkin-scented candle even sweeter.

On Sunday, J and I headed to Dallas for a concert. We thought we bought tickets to a Lord of the Rings concert. You know, they'd play some of the themes from the movie for a couple of hours, and we'd head home. Then I decided to read about it the night before. We actually watched the movie while an orchestra and choir performed the score. SO MUCH BETTER than we ever expected. We both caught things we'd never noticed before. And it was my first time to see LOTR after watching The Hobbit, so even more things made sense. So, so good.

Before the concert, we were able to meet up with our sweet friends, Steven and Christine and their daughter, Luci Belle. We hadn't seen them in months. Let me tell you two things. One: if you live in Dallas, you must check out their farmstore, Urban Acres. They're open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And it's adorable and local and organic and fresh. Two: we had the best lunch that was cooked by Steven, all with ingredients from Urban Acres. Butternut squash soup drizzled with balsamic vinegar and grilled cheese on amazing sourdough bread with a fig jam and two kinds of goat cheese, perfectly grilled with just the right amount of butter. I chose to dip my sandwich in the soup, and it wasn't a bad decision at all. I attempted to recreate this meal last night, but the cheese and fig jam weren't the same. I'll be back in Dallas for Christine's baby shower this weekend, and I intend to purchase exactly what I need at Urban Acres.

This picture is stolen straight from Urban Acres' Instagram. Look for the chicken on the red building. You won't miss it. See the guys on the left side of the building? They're installing a deck. You can grab a sandwich for lunch and eat on the deck, and then follow it with a scoop of Jeni's Ice Cream.

So, that's our November, so far. I feel certain there will be more to share as the month continues.

Tuesday Things

1. This weekend Jeremy and I went to Dallas for a date. We got dressed up-ish and we went to see The Book of Mormon. Oh, y'all. It is so good, but SO bad. It's written by the creators of South Park, if that gives you an idea of what it might be like. The entire theater was in fits of laughter throughout the 3 hours. And there was lots of silent laughter. Because it was just that funny.


2. After the show, we went to dinner at Abacus. It was a treat, and might just be one of my favorite restaurants now. A high school friend is one of the sous chefs. And he can cook! Now, we didn't get one picture of us. But I did take pictures of our food. So typical. I had the best salmon I've ever had. And J loved, loved, loved the duck.

I've decided that I want some copper cups as Moscow Mules are my new favorite cocktail. Isn't that cup just dreamy?

And then, THEN, our sweet chef-friend sent us a treat. It's an ode to Elvis: honey wheat toast, bacon marmalade, caramelized banana, foie gras (!), marion berry jam and peanut butter butter. Oh em gosh. (That's an ode to The Book of Mormon.) It was so very delicious. Even J, who isn't a lover of liver, loved it. Honestly, I hoped he wouldn't like it so I could eat it all, but it was so good he converted. (Which didn't happen after watching BOM. Thank goodness.)

(I really didn't try to do the whole converted thing [see above]. It just happened. And I'm so proud!)

3. I think I finally have a vision for our bedroom. After 2.5 years of living in the land of neutral--which I abhor--I have some inspiration.

I cannot find the original source of this picture. I wish I could. I'm dying to know where the bedspread is from! 

I love the pink with the orange border. Such a fun pop of color!

I love the light colored walls, and since we don't have a whole lot of natural light, I think it will brighten up our room. I might do a blue-tinted white. I have a DIY idea for the bed skirt. And we have a linen bedspread, which I really like, but it's a khaki color. I told J that I'm going to bleach it. Ahh! I hope it works! If not, it's not like I'd use it anyway. I typically don't use curtains since we have plantation shutters, but I might just to add some texture. I plan on taking out the ceiling fan since we have a mini air conditioner in the bedroom. (It's just as great as it sounds; thank you, former owners!) And one day--hopefully soon--we'll have some pretty wood floors in our bedroom. I'm hoping I love it as much as I think I will!

4. Finally, I found the perfect recipe for a quick chocolate cake fix. You should know my favorite dessert in the world is chocolate cake. To be more specific: my mom and mother-in-law both make amazing chocolate cake. Both very different, but both TO DIE FOR. I've actually had chocolate cake from all over the world and none compare. Since I don't bake, but love chocolate cake, from time to time I make mug cakes for dessert, hoping that it will be a fix when I want chocolate cake. Mostly, they're just OK; often they're dry and a bit tasteless, but for some reason, I just keep trying. And I found one that is so incredible! Even J was impressed. You really should try this Nutella Lava Mug Cake.

Nutella Lava Mug Cake | Honest Cooking

the end of summer

Just so you know, I've started two posts lamenting the end of summer. But I never posted them. And now? I'm done. Just like everyone else who lives in a climate that feels like the outer gates of Mordor.

(My husband will be so proud of that reference.)

(Also, remind me to tell you about the time I watched Star Trek Wars.)

I think it's like this every year. Summer starts drawing to a close, and I don't want it to end. I love hot weather and summer foods, time away from home and late nights. I'm not sure if it still plays, but years ago, Country Time Lemonade had commercial about the end of summer. As I remember, the narrator--in his country accent, of course--told us that summer was drawing to a close as the camera overlooked a pond or lake with the sun low in the sky. I never liked that commercial much. That commercial makes my soul ache for summer to never end.

And if I'd posted one of the two original drafts? Well, you'd know that I was aching for this season to stay. This summer was a good time in our marriage because we just aren't busy. But now a new normal is setting in. One where we wake early and gather back at home for dinner, except for the nights when J has class.

(But this is IT. The last semester of those darn CPA classes!)

We're one week into this new normal. Which means one week closer to Christmas break. (And J being finished!) Our calendars are filling up with fall birthday parties, weddings, baby showers and holiday parties (!). So now I'm ready for summer to end. I want these hot, hot days to draw to a close. I want to celebrate with others and spend time with friends while sipping apple cider and making fall crafts. I look forward to this new season that I adore, and all that it brings.

reads for your weekend

This time last week, we were finishing brunch (and dessert) at Max Brenner in New York City. And while Max Brenner (not a person, by the way, but combined names from the two owners) is known for chocolate, we were more than impressed by our meals.

Today, though, we've settled back into routine from a week in a very hectic city. Our time there was spent soaking in almost every possible experience, and it was good, but we love home. So we greeted the weekend in our pajamas, moving from bedroom to living room with big mugs of coffee and bowls of fruit crisp topped with spoonfuls of maple yogurt. And we watched an episode of The Daytripper. This is our Saturday routine.

Today will be a day of errands. Thanks to leftovers from Jeremy's mom and my throwing together a pot of soup from frozen foods and pantry items, we've only had to grab some fresh fruit from the store. No major trips. Yet. I'm working on our meal plan for next week. After a week of some major splurges, we're craving simple, real food.

So here are some things floating around the internet that I thought you might like. (Remember I've been MIA for about a week, so these things may not be super new.) Enjoy!

engagement party | the macs
I love the parties that Jess at The Macs organizes. They're simple, but full of charm. Her tables are always so very cute with signs and mason jars and striped straws. And she always uses bunting. Always. It adds so much to a party, don't you think?

diy leather pillow tutorial | vintage revivals
I have a sewing machine, but I am not a seamstress. Somehow, though, I have a deep desire to recreate this leather pillow. The blogger actually stripped the leather from a couch destined for the dump. And it's so cute! It totally wouldn't matter if the leather is in bad shape. The pillow would look even better! So, if you're local and have a leather couch you want to discard, call me. Or text me. Or facebook me.

maple butter recipe | clinton st. baking co. via martha stewart
I'm planning to do a couple of posts on our trip to NYC. No doubt, at least one will be devoted to restaurants. We had this maple butter at Clinton Street Baking Co., poured over pancakes and again with cornbread. I would have been happy sipping it instead of coffee. If you're planning pancakes or waffles this weekend, you should make it. It's super easy and only two ingredients. Basically: melt butter; stir in maple syrup. And use real maple syrup. It's worth it. (And though I hate WalMart with all my heart, I sometimes hit up Sam's Club for a good deal on maple syrup.)

a 101 update

Last November, I created a 101 in 1001 list. (It's 101 things to accomplish in 1001 days.) You can find it here. It's been a lot of fun to cross things off of the list and work on others that take time. There's such a sense of accomplishment--which is fantastic for this list-maker extraordinaire!

After I hit publish, people in my every day life talked about it. Although mostly forgotten at this point, it was a topic brought up pretty regularly. Most were super supportive of the list. I was shocked, though, by people who were negative about the list, doubting that this list could ever be completed. And maybe it can't, but I've learned a lesson to always be supportive of goals that others have, even if I perceive them as unrealistic.

So here are the things that are completed:

17. Complete a puzzle with the hubs
We did this around the first part of January. We're nerds in many, many ways, including liking puzzles. We just rarely do them. But this year we instituted a no-screen Monday, meaning that we don't watch TV or use computers on Monday nights. Instead we read or play games.

23. Participate in a Turkey Trot
I really wasn't expecting to complete this run so early after forming the list. It's probably best to train for a 5K, or at least have run in the past few months. Or years. But there was no preparation when I received an email from my friend, Stefani, asking if I'd be interested in being the fourth person in a team with two other friends. I agreed, knowing that walking was an option. My only goal was not to be the last person to cross the finish line. And to run across the finish line. Stefani, Lora, Alaina and I were a team for the Turkey Trot. Thankfully, Lora had recently had a baby, so I was able to run slash walk with her. We'd set a point and run, and then walk for a while, and then repeat.

27. Try a new hair color
This one is complete enough for me, even though I'm sure it wasn't super noticeable to others! I mean, really, I don't even have a picture that would show any major difference. In the fall, I decided I go darker. My super stylist put some darker blonde and red in my hair. I liked in the salon and when I got home. But then I saw a picture of myself, and it wasn't me. I was born blonde, and I'll forever be a blonde. (Even though I need a bit of help to be as light as I like.)

34. Wash my face every night for 30 days
Ugh. I did this once. It was painstaking. Here's my confession: I wash my face 4-5 nights a week. The other nights I use a wipe on it, leaving my eye makeup in place. I was hoping to see a huge difference in 30 days, and even continued to about 45 days, but there wasn't one. I'm not convinced it totally necessary. But if you have evidence to the contrary, please feel free to share.

35. Successfully give up something for Lent
Diet Coke. Boom.

38. Order personalized note cards
I designed and ordered these from VistaPrint. They're super cute.

39. Have a blog makeover
I did, and I love it!

42. Develop a budget
We live within our means, but never had a firm budget. Now we do. We don't do an envelope system or determine that only x amount can be spent on groceries/gas/utilities, but we have a maximum amount to spend each month.

43. Stick to budget for 3 months
Done! Yea!

45. Set-up monthly draft for tithe
We support several missionaries, but weren't giving any money to our local church. Supporting both missionaries and the church is important to us. It was something we'd meant to do, but we never remembered at a good time. Now it's done.

46. Insure engagement/wedding ring
Over four years after having a ring put on it, said ring is insured. Finally. I live in a state of anxiety anytime something valuable isn't insured, so this really helps. We certainly can't afford to replace it should something happen. (A diamond did fall out of my wedding band, but my jeweler replaced it at no cost. Hallelu!)

47. Choose an investment
I have a retirement plan that's aggressive. (I really don't know what that means or if I used the correct terminology, but my money is in lots of places: stocks, bonds, other stuff.) Jeremy also has money in various stocks. One wasn't making anything, so we pulled the money and invested it in something of my choosing. I like that we're making a little more money this way!

That's about half of what I've completed. I'll share more next week! Some will take longer to complete, but there's still a steady stream of accomplishment.