Christmas Date

Open a bottle of wine....good wine.

Put on the Carpenter's Christmas album....loud.

Wrap presents. Perfect evening.

Peanut Butter Balls

My friend Kim has a tradition of making Peanut Butter balls for Christmas every year. We work together and for the past two years she's invited some of the office ladies over to her house for an afternoon of Christmas cheer, martinis, and, inevitably, inappropriate ball jokes. It's always a good time and there's nothing better than going home with a bag of peanut butter balls for the holidays!

PS. You should also know that this was the day I discovered instagram....

I wish I could tell you the Peanut Butter Balls recipe, but I was too busy mixing martinis to pay attention.

#11: Something fun

Fun = Quality time with Chey, bridesmaid and my hair & style guru. Friday I picked up two giant caramel macchiatos and spent a few hours talking travel, hair, and wedding prep with one of my favorite gals.

Day 5: Daily routine

I don't think that this post even needs an explanation. What in the world could be more important to my daily routine than coffee. I rest my case.

Happily Ever After.

My future sister-in-law (64 days!), Natalie, gave me this print for my birthday. I'm in love with it and can't wait to find a way to work it into our wedding day! After the wedding I think I'll try to hang it in our kitchen because real life happens in kitchens and it's the real life that is our happy ending beginning!

Vacation

Vacation starts today! No big deal. I'm very nonchalant about it. Really. I'm just boarding a plane. Eating some peanuts. Reading Bossypants. Basically, I'm in heaven on my way to the beach! I miss you. Kind of. I'll see you when I get back.

Yes, it will be nice!

We're getting married! It's basically the very best news, EVER.

I could not be more thrilled to be Justin's wife, to share our life together, to worship God together, to have a family and cultivate a home.

Browsing...the new window shopping

I rarely actually window shop these days. Driving to the mall. Parking. Bleh. No thank you. But, I do still love the idea of window shopping. I love creating beautiful spaces for life to happen but, let's face it, I don't live on a rock star's salary. So, window shopping it is for me, picturing the life to be lived in that sweater, on that sofa, at that kitchen table or in front of these beautiful prints from Row Boat Press.

Today I found myself browser shopping for some fun art work and here's what I found:

Also, pretty stinking cute (and it works with a dry erase marker so that you can leave sweet little messages to your honey).

I'd like to hang this in the bathroom. Strange, I know. But, I would.

Batteries not included.

I'm in love with my electric blanket. It's a match made in heaven. I'm cold, it's warm. It's a dream. Except for one tiny detail - I must stay close to an outlet. I cannot wrap it around me and wonder around my house. I've tried plugging it in to the most central outlet so that I can freely move, wrapped in warmth, from kitchen to sofa, but all that's gotten me is a bruised knee. I need batteries for this thing or another way to stay toasty.

Solution? SNUGGIE! That's right. I'm about a year behind the times, but I'm now apart of the Snuggie fan club. I mean, not really. Do they have a fan club? Probably. That's kind of weird. Anyway, turns out the Snuggie was a brilliant idea. Now, it's not heated, which is a bummer, but it's still very cozy and portable. I may or may not walk around my house in my Snuggie, worn backwards, like a robe-blanket. I've been tempted to wear it to the office. Don't judge.

2011

I'm a task oriented gal by profession and I enjoy having goals to reach for at the beginning of the New Year. I think it helps keep me focused on what matters and trim the excess from my life. These goals aren't terribly specific, but they do represent some of the things I hope for in the new year.

Write a monthly Psalm I'm setting out on this adventure with some girlfriends. We are going to practice the art of psalm writing together. We already gather for lunch monthly and are hoping that sharing our poems, prayers, psalms with each other will help us to cultivate deeper friendships with each other and share our lives honestly and well.

@EngageScripture 2011 Engage Scripture is a bible reading plan developed by some guys at my church. I made an attempt to follow through last year, but life got busy and I dropped off over the summer. I hope to stick it out this year. If you're interested in joining us you can follow @EngageScripture for daily readings from the plan.

Be adventurous in the kitchen I am excited about this. Paté. Grilled lamb chops. Hosting a fancy dinner party. Cooking creatively on a budget.

Sabbath weekly I'm not sure what this will look like, but I hope to do a better job of sabbathing and establishing better rhythms in my daily, weekly life. Time to rest. Time to play. Time to work. Quality time with a certain gentleman and dear friends. Time away to pray.

Date well Speaking of a certain gentleman. 2010 brought a most welcome addition to my life - a pretty wonderful guy. I hope that we continue to date each other well. To set and follow good boundaries. To discover new things to appreciate about each other. To allow ourselves to be known by each other and our community of friends. To be bold when we need to be bold and patient when we should be patient. To have fun and glorify God in it all.

Take a vacation Yep. I want to go to the beach. That is all. I could find a way to fit Paris into my schedule if the opportunity arose. Just sayin'.

Think and speak I hope to be thoughtful in what I say and what I leave unsaid. To be courageous in who I am and who God has made me to be. To be authentic in my relationships.

God's promises

A gift from my best friend who knows me and my God so well.

I love rainbows. They remind me of God's promise to never forget his covenant. They remind me that he is always faithful. God still comes through on stuff, even when we doubt, even when we are impatient, even when he think he has forgotten us and the cries of our hearts.

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 

(Genesis 9:12-14 ESV)

Christmastime is Here

I have loved Christmastime ever since I was a little girl. It appeals to the little traditionalist in me.

Yes, that's a Flashdance t-shirt.
No, I have no idea why my mother let me wear it to visit Santa.

Yesterday I could hardly wait to pack up my computer and leave the office. My commute home was punctuated with stops at three stores and ended with a car bursting with bags full of the Christmas essentials. Sugar, flour and pounds of butter for baking. Whole chickens and Brussels sprouts for roasting. Little gifts to fill stockings hung with care. Trees and poinsettias for decorating.

Even the bathroom got a poinsettia this year.

After three trips down to the car (living on the second floor can have it's advantages but I never remember what they are after a big trip to the grocery), I had finally unloaded my loot. I put some soup on the stove, settled my favorite gentleman on the couch with a good book, and set about untangling the Christmas lights. No matter how careful I am to roll them up, unknotted, the year before they always manage to work their way into a giant mess over the spring and summer months. Maybe they are just mad at me for leaving them in the scary basement. I wouldn't like it down there either.

Every year growing up my mo.... uh hum... St. Nicholas would leave my brother and I a new ornament. When I left my mom's house for my own home, they were packed up for me to use to decorate my own tree.

These ornaments hung on my Grandma's tree for most of my life. The blonde on the left is Cousin. I'm not sure what happened to her other pig-tail. I'm on the right with my boy-cut brown hair. We jointly inherited the ornaments when Grandma stopped putting up a tree. Now they spend every other year on my tree or hers. We couldn't bear to separate them.

Unpacking the shoe boxes of carefully wrapped treasures is like seeing old friends after a long year. My favorite decoration is the nativity scene. I bought this one on a trip to Burkina Faso, West Africa several years ago. It's hand carved soapstone and the reason I loved it so was not just because it's beautiful, but also because baby Jesus is a separate piece. That way, he won't make his appearance until Christmas morning.

Once the lights were up and the ornaments were hung, Christmas had officially descended on my apartment.

Movies that make me swoon.

"Don't you just love New York in the fall. It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." - Joe Fox; You've Got Mail

Even though I'm in St. Louis, autumn does make me want to buy school supplies (!) and watch You've Got Mail.  Although, now it's more like Christmas shopping (because I want to stay ahead of the chaos) and watching only my favorite scenes (because I'll fall asleep on the couch if I try to stay up past 9).

Elinor: "I do not attempt to deny that I think very highly of him, that I greatly esteem him, . . . that I like him."

Marianne: "Esteem him? Like him? Use those insipid words again and I shall leave the room this instant."  - Sense and Sensibility 

I had to watch this one in three parts (see above comments about the reality of adulthood), but, oh, how I do love it. I hope to be strong and faithful in my love like Elinor and, at the same time, passionate and unashamed like Marianne. And, like both of them, I wish to throw myself in with my whole heart.

Making A List

...and checking it twice.

Is it too early to be making my Christmas List? I feel a little guilty, but really it all began because I started shopping for others. That makes it ok, right? Well, maybe because I need to add $10.47 to my Amazon cart to qualify for Super Saver Shipping so I started browsing...one thing led to another...

Also, I really need new socks. These are pretty, but I'd love these just the same. Oooo....or RocknSocks. I heart RocknSocks. Is it pathetic that I'd really love new socks for Christmas? Talk about a great stocking stuffer.

Doesn't painting your nails make you feel pretty? Wouldn't you love an excessive amount of OPI colors in your polish box? I would.

I've also been dreaming of a French Press ever since I saw my dear friend Beth this summer. Throw in some beans from Topeca or Kuva and I think I could kick off the New Year wide awake.

And...if I were wide awake, I could make a really, really tasty breakfast with a lovely cast iron skillet. I might also make some Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits.

I guess, while I'm asking, I might as well tell you I could use a few of these cookie sheets and I wouldn't mind a beautiful blue Le Creuset Signature Round Dutch Oven. I'm not even sure what I'd make in that yet, but I know I could come up with something good, like this.

Eiffel in love...

...with this super cute mug rug!

Do you not adore this fabric? I do. It combines so many of the things I love - Eiffel towers, pretty flowery patterns, teal, green. Really. I love it. It's just in time for winter, a.k.a. warm drink season and makes my desk feel so cozy.

It's nice to have a super crafty friend who is willing to share the pretty things she makes. Apparently mug rugs are all the rage these days. I had no idea, but now that I'm in the know, I'm jumping right on the band wagon. Check out some other great mug rug ideas here, here and here.

Lunch

I started with more than two... I have a problem.

Liquid Love

In honor of my favorite season, I'm going to tell you about other things I love. On today's docket - drinks!

It's sad, but true. Diet Dr. Pepper is my favorite. I love it. I love it on hot summer days. I love it on cold winter mornings. Anytime, anywhere Diet Dr. Pepper is always a winner. I know what you're saying. It's not good for me. I'll rot my teeth. And, my goodness, the high fructose corn syrup! You're not telling me anything I don't already know. I'm just telling you that I love it in spite of it's imperfections (read: health risks) and nothing is coming in between me and my soda.

It's the best part of waking up. It's coffee. Some brilliant, wonderful person many years ago saw potential in  the little brown bean that now makes our world go round. Of course, it's my position that the French are the masters in the coffee arena. Sidewalk cafés, strong, hot, black expresso. Done deal. Where's my plane ticket? Stateside, I'll have to settle for a French Press and the best beans my budget will allow.

Last, but, oh not at all, least, is the Gin Martini. That's right. Dry Gin Martini extra olives, please. I feel like I should be the heroine in a classic 1950's black and white movie with Cary Grant every time I drink one. In St. Louis, the best can be found at The Royale. Ask for Plymouth Gin and extra kalamata olives or, if you're looking for something a little lighter try The New Deal martini - Amazing!

Audience

Two certain someones just found out about this little corner of cyberspace and, I'll admit, I was a little nervous at first. This is the place where my thoughts are most likely to be uncensored. Yipes. Oh well, they know me and love me anyway.

One of them even stopped by the office today with a surprise bag of 'Get Better' (I have a little bit of a cold). Not only does he know that I love school supplies, but managed to cater to three of my other big loves: soda, cheese and chocolate.

This fancy-shmancy soda from Dry Soda in Juniper Berry flavor was a delight. Light, bubbly, refreshing. Don't get me wrong, my Dr. Pepper isn't going anywhere, but this could become an occasional favorite. The Seattle-based company has set out to "re-imagine what soda can be: better tasting and better for you." They use all natural ingredients and keep the sugar to a minimum. I'm on board with anyone who can get soda into a health food category (or closer to one anyway).

And chocolate. Do I really have to explain to you why I love chocolate? I didn't think so. This chocolate is special because it's from Iceland. I know, right? Who knew? I tell you, they know something about their chocolate over there, though. You can find Noi Sirius chocolate at Whole Foods. Today I'm indulging in the Semi-Sweet variety, but I've also had the dark and it's tasty, too.

Ahhh....school supplies.

What makes something romantic? Show me you know me. Now, don't get me wrong. I heart flowers and candy, but this week school supplies swept me off my feet.

I love new school supplies. In fact, I'm half-convinced that I tried to go back to school a few years ago simply to have a good excuse to buy new pencils and folders. Oh, and day planners. I love day planners!

Yesterday, J showed up in my office with a present. The latest and greatest of school supply technology - Liquid Pencil from Sharpie. It's a pencil. It's a Sharpie. It's the best of both worlds. My to-do list just
became a whole lot more fun.

I'm a lucky, lucky girl.

I heart Google Docs

Praise the Lord for Google! Is that allowed? I hope so. Google makes my life better. It makes my email awesome, managing my calendar easy-peasy and (best-of-all) dealing with a gazillion (yes, that's a number) documents at work not too bad.

Top 5 Reasons why Google Docs gets two thumbs up from me:

• Number 5 Anywhere. Anytime. Since Google Docs is hosted online, I have all my stuff at my fingertips anytime I'm online, from any computer, from anywhere. Love it. Need to look up an address on the go - no problem! My 'address book' is a Google spreadsheet I can pull up on my iPhone.
• Number 4 Oh, folders. They make me so happy. Google Docs lets me organize all my work into folders that I can color-code and share (see #1). 
• Number 3 Colors! I know, it's silly, but this is me. We know I'm a dork who loves color coding. It's true. It's one of my favorite things on the planet. Whenever I can fit anything into categories and put nice, neat, pretty color coded labels on them if feels like all is right with the world. Google Spreadsheets has one of my favorite excel formulas built right in: Change colors with rules. Love it.
• Number 2 Forms. Who knew?!?! Google forms are freaking awesome. Gather the info you need in a snap and have it automatically formatted into a beautiful spreadsheet for your sorting pleasure. See how my friend Kara put Google forms to work for her while planning her wedding here.

And....drum roll please.....

• Number 1 Sharing. We learned about sharing in kindergarten. It's amazing that it's taken the wonderful world of documents this long to catch up, but Google has done it. Sharing makes life happy. No more emailing seventeen different version back and forth all day long with tiny updates. No more loosing the latest version headaches. Sharing. It's tried and true.