insta-friday after Christmas edition.

we made pioneer woman's cajun chicken pasta on Christmas eve eve. yummm.

there are obviously lots of pictures the best Christmas present. lexi (justin's sister) and her adopted puppy. we finally picked a name: ally.

what a cutie.

fancy Christmas lunch.

chuck e. cheese.

i'm pretty sure justin and i had more fun than any kid there.

i might be sore from the basketball and baseball games.

happy 25th birthday!

tomorrow is justin's 25th birthday.

so happy early birthday husband.

i am so thankful for you. the way you lead and love me.

i respect your heart for the Lord and desire to know Him better every day.

and most kind of important, you are so cute with millie.

plus you've got great taste :)

happy birthday, hope you have a great day celebrating with me and family!

Christmas 2011.

christmas 2011 was such a great holiday with family. justin and i were extra excited because we had some big surprises planned.

Christmas morning with the 10 of us, plus my cousin Luke who came too! oh goodness, these dogs were so fun...but tough to get a good picture of us all.

cooper, my brother's puppy, didn't know what to think of the baby dog.

then breakfast, reading the story of Jesus' birth and presents.

justin wrapped presents all by himself...can you tell?!

mom and dad surprised us with two special presents: one practical and one sentimental. a gas grill and my grandma's (who passed away while i was in college) sewing box.

we immediately hopped in the car for our biggest surprise. justin's mom, stepdad and little sister all thought we were coming on the 26th, but we surprised them with their puppy on Christmas night! they live in virginia, so we had a 9 hour road trip up there...praise God for light traffic and an open waffle house along the way.

but it was so worth it. lexi was totally surprised. she loves her little puppy. now the challenge is trying to pick out the perfect name for her.

2011 in review.

wow, can't believe 2011 is almost over. what a year.

here is a quick recap via blog posts. 

pom pom necklace.

valentine's day wreath.

green apple, bacon and cheddar sandwich.

a major turning point in our year was the tornado on april 27th.

a big project for us this year was our first house!

we made our kitchen table.

justin and i are proud of that one :)

mail organizer.

burlap table runner.

earring holder.

Christmas trees.

2011 was a blessed year.

looking forward to 2012 and what God brings for our family.

Southern Hospitality Blog

great reminder.

{source}

we had a blessed and beautiful Christmas with family.

more of an update to come.

merry day after Christmas!

merry Christmas

may we remember the reason today is an important holiday.

our most important and beautiful gift is the gift of Jesus and His perfect sacrifice.

here is a cute little video a friend posted on my facebook wall.

hope you have a great day with family and friends!

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

(Luke 2:10-12 ESV)

pre Christmas week insta-friday.

precious ear warmers/headbands i ordered from pick your plum. love that site.

meet the new puppy.

we adopted her from the animal shelter.

she is a surprise Christmas present for Justin's little sister.

eeeeek, can't wait for her reaction.

millie has been strange all week. i don't think she likes the baby dog.

she definitely doesn't like her howling cries at night.

neither do i, but i have a fantastic husband who takes care of the pup at night.

can't get over her sweetness.

i bought myself an early Christmas present.

i've wanted a tripod for a couple of months.

i'm already in love.

so, our week has consisted of puppy training and watching, last minute Christmas shopping and preparing for a big road trip.

merry Christmas!

diy wrap bracelets.

i recently made 25 of these bracelets to give out to a few students involved in our ministry.

all together they kinda look like bungee cords, but they look good in person. i promise.

here is the inspiration and more detailed tutorial.

i didn't have the same materials

so i used leather cord, embroidery floss and brass chain finished with a 1/4 inch galvanized hex nut.

{chain found in the ceiling fan department at home depot, hex nut at home depot too, the rest at michael's}

homemade thin mints.

true story: i was a girl scout growing up. i never really looked forward to selling the cookies, but i sure did look forward to eating the boxes my parents bought.

my favorite are the thin mints...especially right out of the freezer.
i have seen a couple different recipes, but i went with this one because it made a lot. we needed enough for us to snack and give to neighbors.

i'm not going to lie, the recipe took quite a while but they turned out so cute. very good gift ideas!

the chocolate wafers could be a little bit sweeter, i might add more sugar next time.

the mint comes in with the coating. found this chocolate at michael's.

finished product.

all wrapped up and ready for delivery to neighbors.

linking up with:

centsational girl's cookie party

it's overflowing

merry Christmas to our neighbors.

justin and i wanted to do something a little special for our neighbors this Christmas.

printable found here.

i mixed up a hot cocoa mix. of course i can't remember where i got the recipe, but it was unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar and a little bit of salt. 

just 2 tablespoons of mix to 1 cup of warm milk.

i made a homemade version of thin mints too.

we got the mugs at wal-mart and filled a bag with some hot chocolate mix and homemade cookies.

less than a week to Christmas! woo-hoo!