Christmas Decorating

I couldn't wait to start decorating for Christmas. However this is our first year decorating since we weren't home for it last year. So, thanks to my mom and grandma I was given some fun little decorations and I made a few of my own... so here is a glimpse of our first decorated apartment. 

Poor Kyle, he doesn't realize that each year the decorations will grow, and I will also get decorations for every holiday so we can be perpetually decorated! YAY!

Thanksgiving Pt. 2 Backpacking

Kyle and I went backpacking with some friends over Thanksgiving weekend. It was so pretty and actually felt like fall!

Packing up and prepping for the trip

It was so great to see these friends!

 Stephen generously holding the guns while we put out packs on

Team America!

  The hike was beautiful and filled with fall color

 Our first resting stop by a creek. It was the perfect place to stop for lunch. We got to spend some time with Jonathan and Sarah. What a sweet couple. 

 Liz and Erin kept us laughing, and sweetly served us the whole time!

 Team America... standing in the fresh water... so nice!

 Kyle couldn't resist posing with his gun as the hike continued.

 This was right near our campsite, we brought a pump, so this was also our water hole.

 camp site.

Hiking back out in Poison Oak. I am SO itchy today!

 It was so beautiful!

Thanksgiving, pt. 1

I LOVE the holidays, and I love that they kick off with Thanksgiving. How wonderful to dedicate time to giving thanks. Our church does a Thanksgiving Eve service and Kyle and I have been lucky enough to attend it twice now. It seems crazy that we have lived in Temecula long enough to experience the holidays down here twice already. We love the Thanksgiving service and chance to fellowship in that way with the body of Christ.

Okay, well without further ado, I will tell you all about doing the Thanksgiving meal alone for the first time. 

Our friends let us use their beautiful property for the day so that we could have more space. It was AMAZING. 

I drove down early so that I could prepare all the food while Kyle played his traditional game of football in the morning. 

It was so nice to drive down and really spend the morning to thank the Lord for my MANY blessings. It was a sweet time. 

Then it was time to focus on the turkey.

I cleaned it out and didn't forget the neck cavity. I heard so many stories about first timers forgetting to pull all the insides out. 

 

After I washed it up and patted it dry I spread some butter over the skin and stuck it in the oven

 

It was SO YUMMY! It wasn't too dry, and it was super flavorful. The only thing was that the legs didn't stay tucked in. Oh well, I filled it up with stuffing and I think it looked kinda nice. 

 

 

 While the turkey was cooking I made myself a nice little fire, read, and then took a nap.

 I wanted to take pictures of the rest of the food, however, Kyle and his dad started digging in so quickly I forgot! It was a nice peaceful day with them. We took naps on the comfy oversized chairs on the front porch in perfect weather. 

It was a wonderful day!

Christmas Trees

Okay, okay, I realize that tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'm doing a Christmas post, but the thing is... I don't care. I LOVE Christmas and I am ready to decorate and craft for it so I did. 

My friend and I spend quite awhile yesterday making these trees. We did it for free, but depending on what supplies you have on hand you might have to spend a LITTLE really, just a little. 

So here is what we did. We took some cardboard. I used an old cereal box and some old cake mix boxes and you twist them into a cone. 

I super glued the seam and then cut the bottom so that they were flat. 

Then I started decorating.  I'll save my favorite one for last. 

First is the cupcake tree. It's my smallest. 

It's pretty self explanatory, but I cut up cupcake tin's and started at the bottom and wrapped the tree. 

Next I used some green yarn and again, started at the bottom and twisted my way up, using super glue as needed. 

Next, I used some twine that I had and did it exactly like the yarn tree.

Now my two favorite! I did one out of red ribbon and book pages!!!

I cut strips of paper and then cut the little tags and rolled them before gluing them onto the tree. 

Now I have a mini forest..

This makes me happy!

New Series

Kyle and I love listening to Matt Chandler. Kyle started listening to him about two years ago, I think, and then got me listening to him as well. If you don't know He is the Senior Pastor of The Village Church in Dallas Texas. 

Well, when I got my smart phone, OF COURSE I had to get the Village Church App. I am so glad I did. This morning at work (since the children are gone and it's as quiet as... hmmm, my mind is totally blank of quiet things right now) I started listening to a series on holiness that he did with his church back in July. 

So, here's the deal..... (Oh! as silent as the grave, as quiet as a church mouse, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, sure now I remember after it's too late. I guess I get that from my mom. My dad used to say that he couldn't tell my mom a joke on Friday, because she'd laugh out loud at church on Sunday. Wow, I'm digressing again!) Back to the deal. I started listening to the series on holiness and it is wonderful. I highly recommend it. So if you would like to listen, just click here. The first sermon in the series is called "starting point" which is pretty appropriate if you ask me.

Pheobe Running.... at school

There are finally some students on campus today. I knew I missed the kids, but I didn't realize how much until I had a student run to my desk. 

Out of breath, and with a HUGE smile on her face she says: "I saw the episode of friends last night where Pheobe runs! So I'm gong to run like her today!" and she did. She ran away, arms flying and legs.. well doing something Pheobe-ish. She has made my day and reminded me why I love working with kids. Here is a clip of Pheobe running if you don't know what I'm talking about.

Ok, fine... I'll admit it. I tried running like Pheobe too.

I knit!

My friend taught me how to knit, and I practiced and watched some YouTube tutorials and I actually Knit something! Ok, it's nothing huge, but i knit, so I feel pretty happy about it.