JOY to the world! the Lord has come.



For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; 

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

{Isaiah 9:6}

 

And the angel said to her,

Do not be afraid, Mary,

for you have found favor

with God. And behold,

you will conceive in your womb

and bear a son, and

you shall call his name 

Jesus.

{Luke 1:30-31}

 

 

And being found in human form, he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death

on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and

bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that

at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth

{Philippians 2:8-10}

High Five for Friday

Linking up with Lauren from From My Grey Desk today. Everyday this week has felt like Friday. It’s been pretty awesome actually.

 

 

 

We did Secret Santa this week in my office, so throughout the week I was sneaking presents over to the person I had and having things magically appear on my desk when I turned my back. It was so fun! It felt like Christmas came early. The person who had me clearly knows I have a baking obsession – here is my new mini muffin/cupcake pan with reusable silicone liners.

 

This week, like this season is general, revolved around eating. Snacked on these sweet and tangy jalapeno peppers. They are amazing atop a cracker with cream cheese.

 

Wednesday we had our party for the high school small group I lead. 10 teenage girls, cookie dough, Just Dance 3, Quelf (hilarious board game), a jar of onion dip and a bag of potato chips. That pretty much sums up our night.

 

My new rose gold watch from the Red Circle Boutique (aka Target). Wore it yesterday with a fitted plaid button down under a dark grey cashmere sweater. This this may be my Christmas outfit this year.

Lastly, the enormous Christmas tree in the student lobby of my work. It is at least 11 feet tall and just gorgeous.

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Truffles {w/ recipes}

hellos dears. Five more days.... yay!

Today I had the privilege to guest post over at Chelsea's Culinary Indulgence as part of her 12 Days of Christmas Treats. I made these delicious Dark Chocolate Peppermint Truffles.

These were surprisingly easy and so delicious.
Perfect for that special holiday party or to give as gifts!
{A bit better than the 7 Swans-a-swimming you'd normally receive on the 7th day}

So go say hi to Chelsea (she's adorable!)
and let me know what you think about the treat I shared.

Ornament Gift Exchange {w/ gifts}

Last week I received my ornament from the Ornament Exchange over at Henning Love.

  This is the first exchange I’ve participated in and I had so much fun! It was fun to get to know my swapping partner, Stephanie from Big Mario Life, and go shopping for that perfect ornament for her. You can see what I got her over at her blog today. Of course, the other fun part of doing an exchange is actually receiving a gift! Getting my ornament in the mail last week really made it feel like Christmas is here!

silence.

silence. tomorrow.

Like many, the tragedy in Connecticut has been weighing on my heart since the moment I first heard the news. I see the pictures and read the stories and am just physically consumed with pain for these families. The innocent children so senselessly taken from this world and the brave adults whose lives were spent teaching and helping children, also lost them trying protect them. 

Tomorrow, there will be a blogger day of silence. We will post the button below and nothing else.

 

Funds are also being raised to help the families affected by this tragedy. The organization is called The Newtown Family Youth and Family Services. Here is the official description of the support service:

 "Newtown Youth and Family Services, Inc. is a licensed, non-profit, mental health clinic and youth services bureau dedicated to helping children and families achieve their highest potential.  NYFS provides programs, services, activities, counseling, support groups and education throughout the Greater Newtown area.

ANY DONATIONS MADE TO NEWTOWN YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES WILL BE DONATED DIRECTLY TO THOSE EFFECTED BY THE SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING."

Fabulous Friday

Weekly update.

 

So, if you haven't noticed, I've been MIA this week.

 

I have a bad habit of taking on more than I can handle. If you can believe it, a few months ago I thought I would post every day in December. I was going to call it Daily December (creative, I know). But truth is there is just way too much fun stuff going on this month! Too many dinners with friends, too much baking Christmas goodies, hours spent enjoying a cozy fire, gallons of gas used driving around looking at lights, way too much being merry at holiday parties - and hardly any time preparing blog posts.

 

So here are a few mini updates for you....

  

 Next week I am guest posting on Chelsea's Culinary Indulgence. She has a cute series set up, The 12 Days of Christmas Treats. The series started today with Spiced Eggnog Donuts (yum!) and will continue through Christmas day. Be sure to check it out to see all the fun treats that are planned. I will be posting on the 20th with a decadently rich, holiday chocolate treat.

 

Yesterday I got my ornament from the HenningLove Christmas Ornament Swap. I was so excited to get something in the mail I almost ripped it open right away. But then I remembered, I am a blogger. So I must first document with pictures. That post is coming next week, December 19th.
 

 

Also, next week I will be sharing some home-made gift ideas. Perfect for your palate and budget. Expect to see soup mixes in jars and sweet breads in snowflake ceramic baking dishes.  

 

20 more days... {w/ crafts}

hello friends.

Can you believe Christmas is less than 3 weeks away? Positively insane. Today I am guest posting over at Wannabe Green. I'm sharing some fun Christmas ornaments I made, like the ones here: