2011.

romania.belgium.france. graduating college. revelations from God. began my life as a teacher. my best friend getting engaged. my first house. finding a home church. new friends. being filled by the Holy Spirit. mary hannah + daniel getting married.  

no exaggeration at all, 2011 has been the best year yet! who knew that being in an honest relationship with God could change a girls life? i'm so thankful that God moved in my heart 2 years ago and that he has continued to mold and change me throughout this year. his love never fails and he never gives up! i'm really looking forward to 2012...

...new beginnings, traveling, romania, my best friend's wedding, growing in Christ!

have a wonderful and blessed 2012!

scenes from a blessed christmas

1. the braided necklace i made for julie.

2. me, jameson, and little bax.

3. i love my sisters!

4. mary hannah's amazing red velvet cheesecake cookies. oh, they're so good!

5. my pretty sisters.

6. my handsome little brother making a fire. (yes, it was warm enough to sit outside!)

7. utilizing some of my favorite gifts: comfy slippers, heated blanket, moose munch, laptop lights.

so, it turns out that my brother and two older sisters are the only ones in my family who sit still long enough to get their picture taken. i had a wonderful christmas filled with lots of family, friends, and love.

how was your christmas? i'd love to hear...xoxo

joy.

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have a blessed Christmas, dear friends!
just remember this: God brought his little baby son into this world to die for you.
for you.

Oh, how He loves us.

xoxo

pumpkin chai cookies.

these are definitely some of the best little cookies i've ever made. it is a pumpkin cookie with chai tea icing. mmm, perfect. they are pretty easy to make and they won "Best Cookie" at a cookie swap I went to last month. they are super good with a cup of coffee. here is the recipe:

Cookies

• 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup of butter (1 stick), softened
• 1 ½ cups of sugar
• 1 cup of pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Icing

• 2 cups of confectionery sugar
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 chai tea bag

Preheat your oven to 350°. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla until creamy, then mix in dry ingredients until well-combined.

Drop tablespoons of batter onto your baking sheet. Bake cookies for 13-15 minutes, or until they begin to have just a hint of golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and cool complete before frosting.

For the icing: Melt butter in a saucepan and add milk. Steep chai tea bag in the liquid for 5 minutes, then discard. Combine together with sugar, vanilla, and mix until a smooth icing forms. Dip the top of the cookie into the warm icing or drizzle with fork.

happy baking!

xx

speak the truth in love.

so, i don't know about you, but i love me some Jesus time.

 not only do i get to learn more about my Beloved, but i get to snuggle with lucy [she insists on laying on my chest..makes it difficult to do anything], eat some really yummy snacks [today: sun chips], and freely worship-just me and God.

you should totally join me next time. i'll make cookies.

anyways, so i came across an old notecard from my college days and it has a few verses scrawled across it. curious, i decide to look up the first one.

Ephesians 4:15

We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ.

[when paul uses the word "truth", at first i thought he was talking about The Truth, but it is also for being truthful and honest in relationships, friendships, etc.]

mature christians, as described by paul, says that we should only speak the truth in love. without a second though, i would say, "ofcourse i do that. my whole life is about loving God and loving others...so duh." but then I really think. really? i know i love, but do i speak the truth all of the time? hmm....

it sounds really simple, but i think it is more difficult for us, as humans, to actually do. some of us are pretty good at speaking the truth, but we forget to be loving. some of us are good at loving, but we don't have the courage to level with others if the truth is painful. we have to mix the two.

this week, i'm going to live out this verse. i'm going to try extra hard to be truthful and loving all at once. no exceptions!

what about you? what verses have touched/challenged you this week?

happy wednesday!

xoxo

there is so much that is good.

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just some inspiring words for your monday.

hope you have a great week before Christmas!

xoxo

scenes from a perfect week

1. my cute little tree. it looks pretty and it makes my house smell wonderful.

2. lucy dreaming of her wild days as a stray.

3. mmm...banana bread.

4. me with my small group girls at our tacky Christmas party. i love erika's footie pajamas!

5. i loooved decorating my classroom for Christmas! i'm blessed to be working in a Christian school.

6. pretty flowers from someone special. :)

whew! i'm finally on Christmas break. two weeks off from teaching = time to relax! i am so ready for all of the Christmas festivities. my 6th annual cookie swap is coming up this week! i think i'm going to make another batch of these amazing cookies (they won 1st place at another cookie swap i went to last month).

what about you? what are you looking forward to? i'd love to hear...xoxo

style inspiration: polka dots

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polka dots aren't just for seven-year-olds anymore, ladies. when mixed with more "grown up" pieces like a blazer or some hot heels, it is perfection. i'll definitely be adding some dots to my closet asap. :)

what do you think about them? would you wear them?

*by the way, sorry for my absence. life has been a bit on the crazy side lately.