A Very Merry Christmas

With all the excitement and festivity, we often times forget why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. Presents, Santa, and all the beautiful decorations are great, but they often times are great distractions from the true meaning of Christmas.

As Christians, we should be the Light. The hope in this horribly darkened world. Christmas isn't just another festive holiday. It's representative of our Savior's birth. The gift that God gave to the world in order to reconcile us to Him. For the only way by which we can enter the Throne of God is by the blood of Jesus Christ. May we never forget the true meaning of Christmas.

"An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,  "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke 2: 9-14

May you all have a very Merry Christmas filled with joy and blessings. 

See you in 2013!

A Little Holiday Happiness

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is the all of the Christmas decorating. Whether you like to keep it classy or add a little sparkle to your home, it's always nice to spruce up the house for a few weeks. Around our house, the Christmas season hasn't truly begun until all the Christmas decor is up. It's like the beginning to all of the Christmas festivities. This year, my husband was asking me two weeks before Thanksgiving when we could put the tree up. (Obviously, he gets really pumped for Christmas).

Lee and I have filled our tree with many memorable ornaments. Several of our Christmas ornaments and decorations (tree skirt & train, stockings, etc.) are from Disney World when Lee proposed. It's like reliving the magic of Disney every Christmas. We love it!

Since we don't have a fireplace, I had to makeshift our armoire into our "mantle." 

One stocking on either side.

Also this year, I added a small tree in my entry. For years, I have been collecting Christopher Radko ornaments. (They are my absolute favorite ornaments!) So I decided instead of having them get lost in our large tree, I would give them a tree of their own. I got the idea from a dear friend of mine who did the same thing, but rather in her kitchen. I am in love. Thanks again, Raegan ~ FrillyLittleDetails!

So after a trip to Hobby Lobby and a little creativity... Voilà! My Radko tree came to life.

4 Days tills Christmas!!! (But who's counting?)

The Sandy Hook Tragedy

My heart is overwhelmed with sadness after hearing of what happened on Dec. 14, 2012 in Newton, Connecticut. I was home doing housework that cool December morning. I stayed glued to Fox News for HOURS upon hours. I couldn't seem to wrap my mind around what was happening.

Why?

Why?...

Why?......

No one can ever give enough reasons or justification for someone to slaughter babies. The thought just curls my hair on end. How could someone do such a horrific act?!

I can't even begin to place myself in the shoes of the parents, siblings, and family members of the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School. All I can do is pray... earnestly.

The aftermath of such a tragedy brings so many political issues to the table. As a Political Science Major, my radar is in full force.

My brother has written an article on his blog that places the issues on the table in their rightful positions.  I highly recommend that you read his blog, in it's ENTIRETY. It brings to light so many issues and the statistics that back up his arguments. Here are a few glimpse into his thoughts:

"You are more than 5 times as likely to be killed by a car or drunk driver than by a firearm."

"The CAUSE should be investigated, not the symptom."

"...ignorance of mental issues is a HUGE issue in America. No one wants to discuss mental illness and it is becoming politically incorrect to even use words related to these problems."

"BUT, you want to ban guns to prevent violent crimes like Newtown… OK! Everyone has the right to their own opinions, so let's look at other countries who have attempted to do away with guns and how that has worked: Australia. Australia made it almost impossible to own a firearm in 1996 (only about 5% of Australia owns a gun today). 5 years after Australia enacted this law, violent crimes have actually RISEN and percent of murders with a firearm reached an all-time high for Australia in 2006. Their violent crime rate rose 42.2% in 2006… with a strong ban on firearms! How can this be? The Australia Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research released these stats and knows that the gun ban did nothing for crimes. I'm not saying that owning guns reduces crime, but it is statistically evident that gun control does not do what the people intended for it to do. 
(http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=17847)"

"Furthermore, if someone does not have access to a firearm, but is intent on killing anyone, he WILL do so."

To read the article in it's entirety, visit:

http://kewlwhip.blogspot.com/2012/12/thoughts-on-connecticut-tragedy-and-how.html

Spices Galore

Over the past several months, my mother has been on a mission to better organize her spice cabinet. She searched and searched for the perfect jars and way to label each. After looking, and looking, and looking some more... She finally settled on these beauties.

I must say, I was impressed with how great her spice cabinet has turned out! I love being able to see the spices through the jars, and how it adds so much color and texture. 

I have always been jealous of my mom's spice cabinet because it is so practical! It is located in her island next to her stove top. It rolls in-and-out to allow easy access to your spices while cooking. Genius, if you ask me! 

The jars were purchased from Crate & Barrel. They are glass and specifically made to store spices and herbs.

My mom chose to use a lady off of Etsy to make customized labels for each jar. Mom chose to use Vinyl Decals instead of the typical stickers. Thus, the jars look as if they were created by a professional, not put together at home. It's lovely!

Tara from MustardSeedDream did a fabulous job! I would highly recommend her to anyone. She was easy to work with and customized the labels with the font mom had chosen.

Mom also chose to get labels for her pantry canisters as well. Therefore, everything matches. Ever since she was "blessed" (rather, cursed) with pantry moths last year, she only uses OXO containers in her pantry. She chose these containers because they are air-tight and nothing can get in, or out, of the container once sealed.

Here's an overview of the pantry now: 

I love the Depressed Glass that was my Great Grandmothers that is displayed at the top of mom's pantry. Adds a touch of color and a great deal of sentimental value to the pantry.

I have now found my next project for my house. How fabulous to have everything matching and so easily accessible/recognizable. It's like a dream come true! I truly love what mom has done to her pantry and spice cabinet.

Titus Wayne.

My best friend gave birth to a beautiful little boy this past week. I am so excited for her and her new little family! Such a precious bundle of joy this Christmas Season.

Little Titus Wayne was 6 lbs. 15 oz. and 19.5 inches long. 

 Welcome to the world, Mr. Titus Wayne Hudson! 

Prayers for Austin

I'm writing today with a heavy heart. A friend of mine's brother is in critical condition after falling off a bluff early Saturday morning. It is a miracle that Austin survived the fall, but his medical battle is far from over.

Family and friends are fervently in prayer for Austin. I ask that you would join the body of Christ as we continuously lift Austin before the Throne. Pray that his doctors and nurses will have wisdom, family will have peace, and more importantly that Austin will respond to the treatment and begin to recover from this nightmare.

For more information and further updates, please visit the Facebook page Prayers for Austin Elder as the family is keeping this site up-to-date.

Pumpkin Carving Contest

Tonight my husband and I had a pumpkin carving contest. It was a nice break from football film. I must say, he definitely won the contest; however, we both had a lot of fun in the process. Here's a glimpse at both of our pumpkins...

I'm quite sure you all can figure out which one was mine and which was my husband's. Ha! 

Fall Madness

Although fall may be one of my favorite seasons, it is most definitely the CRAZIEST one around our house. Between trying to keep up with my husband and all of the football events, staying on top of my studies, and continuing all my housewife duties, life gets a little nuts this time of year. Thus, my blog has taken the back burner.

Over the past month we have had several milestones around our house...

First, our sweet dog Ellie Mae turned 2 a few weeks ago. Time has FLOWN by! She is most definitely one of the most spoiled dogs you will ever meet. She has such a personality and will under no circumstances be found jumping into a freezing cold, dirty pond/lake like my husband would like for her to do (She was "his" christmas gift a couple years ago and his intent was for her to be a duck-hunting dog... which she was well on her way to until we got married and I moved into the house. I may have spoiled her and ruined those great intentions. Whoops!) 

Ellie at 5-6 weeks old

Ellie's Family Portrait 

New Family Portrait

Happy Birthday, Ellie Mae!

Secondly, my husband got a new truck! If any of you know Lee very well, you know he will never be driving anything but a truck. So after having a few problems with his old truck, we decided to go on ahead and trade it in for a new one. Thus, the tables have turned around our house-- Lee is no longer stealing my Denali-- it's me stealing his truck!

Yes, I am one of those wife's who had to take a picture of him with his new truck before he drove it off the lot. (He wasn't every happy about this picture btw).

Lee's new Ford Platinum F-150

And finally, Lee's horse, Colonel Socks, has moved to Gore. After getting injured and in need of daily attention, Lee and I have decided to move ole Colonel to Gore with us. A precious friend has allowed us to keep him in their barn where he has his own stall and run. Colonel thinks he is big stuff now. So I can officially add horse maintenance to the list of daily duties. (You should have seen me going out and feeding Colonel in my stiletto's one morning... You can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl. It was quite entertaining to anyone who may have got a glimpse I'm sure).

Colonel and Lee

Smokey and Colonel after a HOT summer ride.

Kisses for Fall

Have you all seen these crazy new Pumpkin Spice “kisses” from Hershey’s at the grocery store? They are beyond fantastic! The trick is not eating them all before you bake with them--my problem. 

I found this recipe on Pinterest and was worried that I wouldn't be able to find the Pumpkin Spice "kisses" at my local grocery store out here in the country; however, to my surprise they had a whole shelf full of them! It was heavenly! So I grabbed a few bags and off I went to begin baking my new favorite fall cookie. 

If you like pumpkin spice and chocolate this cookie is a must! I sent them with my husband to one of his coaches meetings and the tray was apparently empty within a matter of minutes. 

Pumpkin Spice Blossoms

1 Spice Cake Mix 18.25 oz.

14 oz. can Libby’s Pumpkin

½ Cup sanding sugar

1 bag Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Kisses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer beat the cake mix and pumpkin until well combined, about 45 seconds.

With a cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll top half in sanding sugar--dough is sticky. Once the balls have been coated in sanding sugar, then place them onto a parchment or silpat (my favorite!) lined baking sheet. (Side note: I did not have access to sanding sugar when I made this batch of cookies; therefore I simply sprinkled regular sugar over the top of each ball on the baking sheet. It didn't bring quite the pretty presentation, but still allowed for a slight visual difference.) 

Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until cooked through. 

While the cookies are baking, unwrap your "kisses" so they are ready to be pressed into the warm cookies as soon as they are removed from the oven.

Quickly transfer to a cooling rack and immediately press kisses into the center of each cookie. 

I immediately place cooling rack into the fridge for 15 minutes so the kisses don’t melt. (Be careful putting the warm tray directly onto your glass fridge shelf, if the tray is too warm it could crack your glass--hence why the cooling tray is still needed in the fridge). If you do not put the cookies in the fridge, the kisses will melt down and not keep their shape. 

Once your cookies have cooled, they are ready to be served! I am willing to say you won't be able to eat just one. They are scrumptious!!

Enjoy!