Merry Last Christmas Grandma

This Christmas I had the blessing of knowing it would my grandma's last.

I say this not to be dramatic or even tragic, just honest. 

We hadn't dared to hope we would spend this holiday with her, but God graciously gifted it.

How much differently would we all live if we cherished moments as if they would never occur again? 

Since my parents' divorce my mom and I have had such special Christmases on Christmas Eve with grandma. Michael didn't miss out on many. :)

It is an all day affair.

We wake up and all open our stockings. You are never too old for a stocking, ask Grandma! 

We stay in our new jammies and open presents. 

Mom always has an extravagant gift hidden with secret messages as to its whereabouts.  

We eat a scrumptious meal of ham and sweet potatoes prepared by Grandma and mom. 

We watch Christmas movies and play cards and games. 

And we finish each Christmas eve by watching "It's A Wonderful Life".

It is cozy and warm and home. 

This year it was even sweeter. 

I relished each moment knowing that next year Grandma will not be there when I wake up. 

She will not have a stocking. 

There will not be a gift made by her hands under the tree. 

I don't feel too bad for her though, she will be having Christmas with Jesus. 

But our Christmas will never be the same.  

So, we enjoyed every minute.

I made 106 paper snowflakes.  

Grandma kept saying we had a white christmas inside and out. :)

Grandma made me a scarf.

Boone's a good helper.

She loved her new fuzzy slippers (so did Boone).

I made dinner this year!

Mini banana cream pies.

Messy little things.

Afternoon nap. The puppies wouldn't stray far.

 Grandma had tried to crochet a headband for me but was unable to.

So, she taught me.

Or tried...

God gives the best Christmas gifts.

He started with His son.

Blog Makeover

The amazing Merrell has struck again and made over the blog!
She purchased the flower images from ShhMakerDesign on Etsy and used 2014 Patone colors. 
(Let's be real... I don't know what that means.)
But I love it!

I have always loved to write.  I have a folder full of poems I wrote throughout middle school that are painfully awful. I thought they were amazing. I was sadly mistaken.

As much as I love sharing my terrible poems, crafts, and recipes, what I truly love to share is my life. As an open book. Which is nerve-wracking.
 It causes me to be vulnerable in a way that makes me uncomfortable.
Vulnerable in a way that makes me look at myself and see just how amazing God's grace is. 

This journey began when my heart was burdened and I needed an outlet.
 That turned into four different come to Jesus blurbs:
 Life & Death...& Eternity
Control & Cotton Candy
The Curse of a Planner
(I still have one I haven't posted. :))

I didn't know what they were, only my struggles and convictions strung together into words...
who would want to read that?

But I prayed. 

Then I knew what they were.

Maybe they were words no one else would ever read. 

Maybe I would be judged for my words.

Maybe no one would care.

But maybe someone has the same struggles as me.
Maybe I'm not alone.

Maybe they were words God would use.

And even if it only made a difference to one person...

That's exactly what God had in mind. 

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.

Erma Bombeck

Truly, thank you for reading. 

Meet Boone!

The past 8 weeks Michael has been in Columbia all by his lonesome missing Layla and I...  

...And wanting a puppy. 

After replying countless times, 

"We don't need another dog."

"We don't have the space."

"We aren't home enough."

I realized that now was the perfect time.

 I'll never have another 5 weeks off in my life.

 I'd rather train a puppy in the rental they refused to replace the carpet in than in our first home. 

In March I will be away on clinical for another 8 weeks. 

And Michael needs company. 

So, meet Boone! 

Our  8 week old Weimaraner/doberman!

This is how Michael met him. :)

They are going to be best buds. 

Layla is a little unsure of this monster that wants to play with her. 

Home sweet home. 

DIY: How to Age Wood

While spending 8 weeks on clinical and living at my mom's, I really wanted to make my space mine.  So, I redid my room with a vintage look and I aged a lot of things, including these picture frames. 

Here's how to do it!

Mix vinegar with steel wool and let it sit over night. 

Prepare the wood by running sand paper over it. 

I HATE SANDING. 

Literally all it takes is a quick swipe over each surface to remove any finish. 

Then brew a cup of black tea.

Paint the wood with the black tea.  

It wont change the color, it will only make it look wet.

Once the tea is dry and the vinegar/steel wool mixture has sat for a day you are ready!

Brush the vinegar/steel wool mixture on the frame. (The same paint brush is fine.)

It will just look wet at first.

After drying it will start to appear gray and the grains will darken.

Apply as many coats as you want to achieve the desired look. 

A couple other aged projects:

Photo Wreath DIY: HERE

Recipe: Oreo Brownie Dessert

Our Thanksgiving Feast ended with the dessert that would satisfy the worst chocolate craving. 

This chocolately dessert is melt in your mouth, ooey-gooey deliciousness.

AND EASY.

Oreo Brownie Bars

1 box brownie mix

2 eggs

8 tbsp melted butter

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 package Oreos

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lining 9 x 13 in baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. 

Stir brownie mix, 2 eggs, and melted butter.

Spread in prepared baking dish. 

Crush Oreos in ziploc bag and spread over top of uncooked brownies.

Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over top. 

Bake for 25 minutes.

Thanksgiving Day Feast

This was my first year cooking a complete Thanksgiving dinner. 

One of my flaws is that I am pretty idealistic. At first, I wished the first Thanksgiving meal I cooked would be in our first home. 

Then I realized how meaningful it was to cook what will probably be my grandma's last Thanksgiving. 

And just how grateful I am to be able to do that.  

Here's what was on our menu!

The Turkey

A "Today Show" find, this bird was dressed with a garlic and herb butter mix. It cooked in 3 hours and 20 minutes to juicy perfection.  

Herb Butter Roasted Turkey

The Stuffing 

I made the stuffing from scratch and was slightly nervous when I decided to do so, but it was pretty simple.  I cubed a loaf of bread the night before using kitchen shears and baked it. Then mixed up the dressing the next day and baked it.  I used fresh herbs, they smelled amazing! 

Probably my favorite stuffing!

Onion and Sage Stuffing

The Sweet Potatoes

First things first, bake don't boil! They are so much more flavorful if you bake the sweet potatoes.

Poke them with a fork and place on a foil lined baking sheet. 

Bake for 40-60 min on 400 degrees.

Let cool and peel off skin.

These sweet potatoes should almost be eaten for dessert

Candied Sweet Potatoes

3 cups marshmallows will not do. I used almost 2 packages. :)

Homemade Noodles

I usually make my great grandma's recipe, but I decided to try a different one. 

(What a bad idea!) 

I wasn't as happy with the results.  

Check back for a full guide and recipe for making delicious homemade noodles! 

(Not pictured below, ha.)

The Pie

Another "Today Show" inspired recipe, sweet potato and pumpkin pie combined, the perfect union.  

My first time ever making pie. It didn't turn out pretty, but it was delicious. 

I made the pie crust from scratch using this recipe. 

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie 

The Chocolate Dessert

Pie is great, but chocolate is a must and this is a super easy recipe I adapted.

Check back for it soon! 

It is a melt in your mouth and solve all your problems kind of recipe.

The Drink

The Today Show is responsible for over half of this dinner. :)

This warm cocktail was delicious and hard to stop drinking.  

My stepmom Donna, sister Alicia, and I, joined later by Donna's aunt Connie and cousin Shannon, had such good conversation while enjoying this holiday spiced treat. 

Warm Wishes Cocktail

(The kinds of wine and bourbon I used are pictured above. I wanted mine to be sweeter!)

I hope your Thanksgiving was as special as mine!

Three years. And many more to come.

In honor of the great amount I am missing my husband this weekend…

Here are the rest of our 3rd anniversary pictures. 

I love, love, love them! 

And that's how I really feel about that.

Thank you, A. Merrell Harmon.