Dec. 3 - Mail Christmas cards to John (my Compassion Child) and Allison (a friend of mine that is in the Middle East). I had to mail these early HOPING they would get to John and Allison on time! I hope they make it!!!!
Dec. 4 - Mail Christmas cards. This was an ordeal for me this year. I think I sent out about 3 different mailings. I had everything ready to go and addressed....but I kept running out of stamps! They finally all got out....just maybe not on the 4th.
Dec. 5 - Decorate the tree. Ken and I had fun decorating the tree. I hate to admit it, but he really did most of the work. Our tree is 7.5 feet tall so it as easier for him to reach...plus, I was a little bit of baby b/c the tree is PRICKLY!!!!!! It hurt and then made me itch!!! He got the lights on and the star...and we both did the ornaments. I guess my BIG contribution was getting the tree skirt on. :)
Dec. 6 - Make and enjoy a recipe from my Christmas book (a wedding present from my mom and dad). My mom made me this incredible book (with the help of my sisters-in-law and Michelle) for a wedding present. She sent out this form to all our friends and family to fill out about their Christmas traditions and recipes. (Sidenote: If you are reading this and didn't get to participate, my mom may not have had your email address...I have the form and plan to send it around again). It is so fun to look through and see recipes and traditions of all our friends and family. I didn't make a recipe out of the book this day...but I did make a recipe for banana bread that I found on Jessica's,
From Marriage To Motherhood, blog. It was really good. I plan on making my entire Christmas Day meal from the Christmas book though! Can't wait!!!!
Dec. 7 - Shop for our Angel Tree child
Dec. 8 - Read a Christmas Book (
A Cosmic Christmas by Max Lucado...Part I)
Dec. 9 - Ornament shop for annual ornaments. The plane and police car are Ken's this year. They pretty much define his two all time favorite careers. He has always wanted to be a police officer and a pilot since he was little. The last 5 are really for both of us, but they're pretty girlie and all about our wedding and our first Christmas together...so I claim them as mine. :) I have pictures in them now and will post them later.
Dec. 10 - Pray for our families' salvation and spiritual growth
Dec. 11 - Make goodies for our neighbors and deliver them
Dec. 12 - Write a note to my husband. Read "A Cosmic Christmas" Part II
Dec. 13 - Read "A Cosmic Christmas" Part III
Dec. 14 - Watch a Christmas movie. We ended up watching "Elf" just because it was on TV. I am really wanting to watch "White Christmas", but I don't want to torture Ken. Maybe on Christmas Day while he's working!!!
Dec. 15 - Dress up and have date night. We went to Tulsa and had dinner at Fish Daddy's. YUM!
Dec. 16 - Make cookies and deliver to church (unfortunately, we ended up having to be out of town and didn't get to do this...maybe I'll do it for the New Year).
Dec. 17 - Pray for Allison (friend in Middle East/North Africa) and
Lacie (a girl from church we are supporting in her ministry)
Dec. 18 - Call our grandmas
Dec. 19 - Bake something and take to a friend
Dec. 20 - Go look at Christmas lights (we still haven't done this yet :( and its my favorite thing to do every Christmas! We'll get to it though).
Dec. 21 - Watch a Christmas movie. Meet some friends for fellowship and coffee.
Dec. 22 - Read the Christmas Story in Luke (Part I)
Dec. 23 - Read the Christmas Story in Luke (Part II)
Dec. 24 - Christmas Eve Service at Church
Dec. 25 - Enjoy FIRST Christmas with Ken!!! Praise and thank the Lord for the blessings of the past year!
For next year, I want to be better prepared for Advent. I think I put all this together on November 30th...but it was something that I really wanted to do. It was fun and unfortunately, just due to life, we didn't get things done on the exact day...and somethings didn't get done at all. I am still on a mission to have them all accomplished by the New Year though!
Other than Advent, the month has been really fun! The first weekend of December, I was fortunate enough to attend the Deeper Still conference with a couple girls! We had so much fun!!! I haven't had a girls WEEKEND in a long time! The conference was amazing!!! I really can't put into words how awesome it really was!! And the MUSIC!!!!! Oh my!!! I was in heaven!!!! Well, as close to it as I can be right now! I can't wait to be in heaven one day and just sing at the top of my lungs, praising my God!!!! I honestly wish I could be at this conference every single weekend! We've celebrated birthdays and marriages! Girls' Night was at our house this month...we had breakfast for dinner!!! Waffles with caramel sauce, hash browns, eggs, bacon, cider and hot chocolate!!! I reconnected with a couple of girls that I haven't seen in so long! We used to meet every month for dinner and between the wedding and summer and their kids' sports and the loss of one of their dads...its been tough! I just have to say it was so refreshing to get back with these ladies and catch up! They are precious to me! And, I can't leave out craft day with Michelle. She really is the most talented person I know! She's amazing!!! She can make ANYTHING!!!! So, I naturally chose her house to finish some craft projects that I was wanting to make for Christmas presents and birthdays this month. We had such a good time ironing and glueing and painting...and we might have had some coffee and a few cookies too!
As I look back over the month, I am just incredibly encouraged by the relationships God has blessed us with. Between the dinners, coffee meets, hanging out at our neighbors house, work Christmas party, girls nights, Ken's friends who help him with ANYTHING, and my craft days and shopping trips with Michelle....God has truly blessed us! We have some amazing friends and family! I am so thankful for the relationships we are building. Most of all I am so thankful for the relationship God has brought Ken and I into. Its absolutely the most amazing thing I've ever been apart of! He's my best friend! I love spending every second I can with him! I love going through life with him! I love experiencing everything with him!
And we experience something new TOGETHER....we bought new furniture!!! My grandmother left me some money and we wanted it to go toward something we could keep and remember her by. Our living room now looks like a GROWN UP room!!!! YAY!!!! Its beautiful!!! We bought a new entertainment center, a couch and a love seat! I'll post pictures soon!!!!
I am looking forward to spending time with my family tomorrow. I am excited to hold on to our traditions even though they don't look exactly the same as they have in the past. We are still doing brunch tomorrow (which we usually do on Christmas Eve) and then a themed late lunch/dinner (which is usually Christmas night) tomorrow too. Everyone should be getting to my parents in the morning and will spend all day. Our theme for dinner is a Cowboy Christmas. We are having macaroni and cheese, cheesy potatoes, biscuits, brisket, fried chicken, cheesecake (I know...not really cowboy, but everyone wanted me to make another after Thanksgiving), cobbler, and a chocolate trifle. We will spend the day opening presents and eating!!! What could be better???
Christmas Eve this year will just be Ken and I. We are going to the Christmas Eve service at our church. I am going to make calzones for dinner and we will open gifts from each other. Christmas Day, I plan to cook ALL day! Mom and Dad are going to come (if the weather isn't too bad) for the afternoon and have dinner with us. I am going to make prime rib, green bean bundles, dump rice, apple cake and molasses cookies. Like I said earlier, ALL of these recipes are from the Christmas book!
As the year ends, we will have a new little addition to the family! My brother and his wife, Mark and Kim, are having their 5th (!!!!!) baby at the end of the month! I can't wait to meet this little guy!!!! They are still deciding on the name, so I will keep the options to myself until its official!
No New Year's plans yet....probably nothing too exciting anyway! BUT, I am excited to see what the next year brings for our little family! Here are a few more pictures and some of our Christmas decorations!
Ruger sleeping next to daddy
I just love Ruger's face in this picture b/c he looks so irritated that we are taking pictures! haha!
My annual display of my nutcrackers! I get one every year. My mom buys me a new one and I try to get a new one every year too. I haven't gotten mine this year. I have an eye on one at Pier One, but want to get it after Christmas. The one my mom gave me is really cute! Its a reindeer! I will post a picture of it later.
This is the stocking for Ruger and Lexis. People keep asking if I bought them Christmas....well, I finally did. They will both get a bone and a new toy. All totalling a whopping $11. They also have a can of special food for Christmas morning!!!
These last two pictures are stockings I bought with some of our Pottery Barn gift cards from the wedding. We got most of our items from our registry there, so I was able to get some fun Christmas things. Ken helped me decide on our stockings and this is what we got!!!
These are some Christmas and birthday presents I made at Michelle's house for Craft Day. We had so much fun working on projects that I think she and I should make it a tradition. And, everyone loved what I had made!
So, I made these hurricanes from a vase and a candle stick. I found the tutorial here and here, at 320 Sycamore. So, I used the tutorial and made them for myself...but I added the monogram. I used a stencil and paint from Hobby Lobby that gives the etched glass look. I made two for me with the "P" and then made two for my mom (which you saw in this post) and one for each of my sisters-in-law with the "F". Both of the girls have birthdays around Christmas and this is what I gave them.
Here is the advent calendar I bought this year. I always find one I want, and then put off buying it b/c I just "can't decide." I've lost a few that I really liked b/c I waited too long and they were sold out. When Ken and I were shopping at Target one night, we saw this and he convinced me to buy. He knew that I had been looking for a long time and we both agreed on this one! Its up this Christmas, but I never filled it. I'm excited to really use it next year!
Here are our "First Christmas" ornaments. I was worried that I wouldn't get pictures in them before Christmas...but I did!!!! It took me forever to pick the pictures, so I printed a few different ones and Ken helped me pick them. I just love them and they look SO cute on our tree!!! 
