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}

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!

favorite things.

i saw this idea and decided i too wanted to share a couple of my favorite things.

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gotta kick it off with our favorite restaurant, barberitos. hubs surprised me with a little detour there on our way back from orlando before thanksgiving. oh-so-good.

my favorite movie: love actually. now that it is winter/holiday season it is appropriate to watch it continuously like i did in college.

{photo from IMDb}

i think i have posted about this book before but my favorite book is "redeeming love" by francine rivers. great picture of the Gospel and our deep deep need for the Lord.

oooh, a new cover. exciting.

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my friend kitty gave us this as a house warming present. love love love it. check out her etsy store with even more precious items!

i randomly picked up this at the drug store. it's aussie's heat protecting shine spray and i'm in love. it even helps cut down on the amount of time it takes to dry my hair. major score. 

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on a similar note, any recommendations on a new hair dryer? hating mine and lusting over a new one...

stealing an idea from the nester herself. i am loving the peppermint mocha creamer, especially at this time in the year. gets me all fired up for Christmas.

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these are a few of my favorite things.

yes, i am singing that in my head like julie andrews does on the sound of music.

customized journal.

have you ever heard of paper coterie?

me neither! but they had a fantastic coupon code [and still do]
so i decided to get justin and i both journals...all i had to do was pay for shipping.

i knew justin wouldn't want a journal with his face on it, so i put a picture of the next best thing.

millie! and they come in this cute box pictured above.

it turned out even more precious that i expected and they are both super great quality. there are lots of other options on the site, go check it out, use your coupon code and get something special!

plus i just head that coterie donated their resources to put together this cookbook that benefits the Red Cross....all proceeds go to help the victims of the earthquake/tsunami in Japan. even better reason to support them :)

sugar scrub.

i found a recipe for a homemade sugar scrub and i knew i had to make it immediately.

i was at the beach with some friends last summer and we pretty much used the entire store's supply. in other words, i'm obsessed.

this would be a really great birthday or mother's day present.

these are the ingredient you need...
white sugar
brown sugar
olive oil
any flavored extract [i used mint and probably used a little too much, so it smells like straight up alcohol, probably try something a little more mild...or just a lot less of it.]

mix together equal parts brown sugar and white sugar. and pour into a glass or plastic jar.

pour in a couple tablespoons of olive oil and let it permeate the sugar.

pour in the extract and combine with a fork

while mine smells a little strong, it feels so amazing to rub on my elbows, feet and hands during my shower.

i highly recommend you throwing a little bit of this together before your shower!