Merry Christmas Y'all!

I hope you are all enjoying sweet time with family and friends as you celebrate the Christmas season! Noah has been sick the last couple of days and went to bed early on Christmas Eve (if you know this kid, him going to be early is rare, so it's a bummer that he was sick) but luckily he has a little sister who still believes in the magic of Christmas, and I absolutely loved helping her prepare for Santa last night. We mixed oats and glitter and put it on the back porch as food for the reindeer, wrote Santa a note, and set out milk and cookies. This is what a three year old writes in a note to Santa:

"Dear Santa, I love your reindeers and I like how your reindeers eat food. Santa, there are cookies for you. There is milk also. You're the sweetest. Love, Holley."

Isn't that adorable?! I just love her sweet little heart! Watching the kids open presents and seeing the excitement on their faces as the took it all in made for a wonderful morning! I've been meaning to post these for a while, so here are a few pics from a Christmas party my roommate and I hosted a couple weeks ago followed by a silly pic of my sweet niece and nephew. I'll try to get some good pictures of Christmas morning up soon!

The drink bar

Hot chocolate bar

My favorite cookies: chocolate with mint on top. My grandma used to send a huge package full of cookies to our house every year at Christmas time, and I always loved these the most!

Peanut butter blossoms

Gingerbread cupcakes with fluffy cream cheese filling

Love this tree!

Favors for the guests: chocolate covered pretzel rods rolled in ghiradelli peppermint bark!

For to us a child is born, a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. -Isaiah 9:6

Where Butch Meets Buttercream

Speaking of cupcakes, I was reading the other day about some creative entrepreneurs and one of them happened to be a new concept in cupcakes. It's called Butch Bakery and they specialize in cupcakes for men. Sounds a little crazy right? Crazy maybe, but also very cool. The motto at Butch Bakery is this: "We're men. Men who like cupcakes. Not the frilly pink-frosted sprinkles-and-unicorns kind of cupcakes. We make manly cupcakes. For manly men." Located in New York City, Butch Bakery offers 12 varieties of cupcakes I guarantee you haven't seen anywhere else. Take for example, the B-52: Kahlua-soaked madagascar vanilla cake with Bailey's bavarian filling, topped with a camouflage printed chocolate disk; or the Home Run: A peanut butter cake with banana baviarian cream and crumbled bacon. Cupcakes from Butch Bakery are currently only available for delivery in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens but they are working on making them available for delivery across the US. When that happens, what a cool gift with which to surprise your favorite guy...he definitely won't be embarrassed to serve these up after steaks in his man cave while watching the big game with his bros.

Gingerbread Cupcakes

So far my break has consisted of a lot of running errands and a little bit of down time. Today I got to hang out with some super cool girls, and we decided to forgo the usual frozen yogurt treat for a trip to a little place called Butter Cream Cupcakery. Cupcakes are definitely all the rage right now and are not just for kids birthday parties anymore. If you're looking for a cupcake recipe that is a little unconventional, I have just the site for you. It's called "Ming Makes Cupcakes" and it is a website with tons of amazing cupcake recipes, that go beyond your typical chocolate frosting on yellow cake mix combo. I recently whipped up "Cupcake 28" aka Gingerbread Cupcakes with Fluffy Cream Cheese Filling for a little holiday gathering. Although I'm not a huge gingerbread fan, my roommate insists that they were "really good". So if you're tired of baking cookies but still want a "Christmasy" treat, these cupcakes might be just your thing. I'm dying to try "Cupcake 12" next (Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting)...I'll let you know how that goes!

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Fluffly Cream Cheese Filling

Recipe from Ming Makes Cupcakes

Toppers from Hobby Lobby

Gift Guide: Guys

Oh my goodness, I just realized that it has been almost a month since I've posted anything on here, but the good news is that I now have two weeks (YES!! two whole weeks!) off from work, so...I'm gonna get with it and get writing again! Christmas is just around the corner, and it is a VERY busy time of year. This year Christmas came quicker than ever, and for me that means when it comes to Christmas shopping, I am more than a bit behind. So if you're in that boat this year and need some ideas, I have a little gift guide that might help. This is specifically geared toward hooking up the guys in your life with "gifts that don't suck". It's from a super cool blog called Uncrate.com, and it has ideas for every possible type of guy from the Weekend Warrior to the Grill Master to the Bacon Enthusiast. Check it out...you're sure to find something for every guy on your list!

Below: The Outdoorsman Gift Guide, The Minimalist Gift Guide, and The Gadget Guru Gift Guide

Uncrate gift guide

Chocolate + Sea Salt = Pure Brilliance!

Ok so I think this is pretty well known at this point, but I'm gonna say it again in case you missed the memo...I LOVE CHOCOLATE! No really...to a fault! I used to be a milk chocolate fan but one day I discovered Chocolove and my affection for chocolate has never been the same. Now Chocolove (made right down the road in Boulder woot! woot!) has many flavors but the best by far is the Almonds and Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate. I know, sea salt and chocolate sounds weird, but somehow the combination makes the chocolate more sweet and just purely amazing!! I recently discovered another chocolate and sea salt combination at none other than Starbucks. Its a new addition to the menu called Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate. This is what their website says about it..."Hot chocolate with mocha sauce and toffee nut syrup, topped with sweetened whipped cream, a caramel drizzle and sprinkled with our sea salt and Hawaiian Turbinado sugar topping" The answer to that (is it as good as it sounds) question in your head is YES! It is SO good! Especially if you're not a huge coffee drinker but still want something warm, yet different from the usual hot chocolate options...this drink is for you! So next time you need a chocolate fix, try the chocolate and sea salt combination but be forewarned...you might become addicted! I am not kidding when I say I have seen people purchasing entire boxes of Chocolove Almonds and Sea Salt at Whole Foods...it's just that good!

Give Thanks!

Wow I cannot believe it's almost Thanksgiving day! I know I will say the same thing in a few short weeks when Christmas rolls around. I think what it really comes down to is the fact that as you get older, time seems to move faster. I remember being a kid and everything seemed to take so long to happen. Now I get lost in the busyness of the everyday stuff I have to do and when I look back I can't believe how fast the time has passed. I hope this year y'all will take some time out of the craziness that usually ensues on Thanksgiving to think about all the things for which you are thankful. I am thankful for my beautiful friends, my loving family (especially the newest, baby Bear), and His grace that new every day. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

Sweet baby Bear! He is now awake long enough to be the subject of many photo shoots. I can't get over how much he looks like Noah boy when he was a baby.

Operation Christmas Child

It's that time of year again...time to pack a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child! Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of the organization Samaritan's Purse, that provides Christmas gifts (whatever you can fit in a shoe box) to children in need around the world. Their specific mission is, "To demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ." I love this program for so many reasons. In our culture of consumerism, that glorifies our desire for things and feeds the need for instant gratification, I think it is easy for us to take for granted the simple things in life. For a few dollars, you can pack a shoe box for a child in need, and in turn make a huge impact in their life. The Samaritan's Purse website has logistical information including suggestions of items to pack in your box, and a place to search by zip code to find a drop-off location near. You can choose to pack one for either a boy or girl, and in the age ranges of 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. Also, include a $7.00 donation that will be used to ship the box to designated areas across the world. National collection week is November 15th-22nd, so you still have a couple of weeks to get a box together. The best part of all is that these children and their families will have an opportunity to hear the Gospel in their native language...how awesome is that?!

L'Occitane Lavender Harvest Hand Cream

First I would like to start off by saying that I LOVE FALL! It is perhaps my favorite time of year (don't hold me to that though, I have a hard time pinning down my "favorites"), but really, fall is awesome! The weather starts to cool off, college football season revs up, snow is on the mountains, leaves are crunchy, and there is lots of sweet time with family...the list could go on for a really long time. Anyway, where I'm going with this is that here in Colorado, with fall in full swing and winter quickly approaching, the air gets even more dry than before. Most of the time I don't notice until my hair is staticky as all get out and I'm practically electrocuted every time I get out of the car and go to close the door (or does that ever happen to y'all when walkin in the grocery store and you keep getting shocked when you touch the metal on the cart? Happened to me like 20 times today...what the heck? Or, even worse, while running on a treadmill?! What is that about?!) Anyway, the air is getting dry and I work with preschoolers who carry millions of germs to school with them on a daily basis, so I am constantly washing my hands. With that comes dry, cracked skin that is only made worse by the cold dry air. So this past weekend I went on a hunt for some truly "bomb" (as my roommate would say) hand cream. This hunt led me toSephora which is always an adventure in and of itself. I debated between the Bliss High Intensity Hand Cream and the L'Occitane Lavender Harvest Hand Cream and decided to go with the L'Occitane, and let me just tell you, I'm definitely lovin the stuff! It works wonders for repeated hand washers and the scent is not overpowering which is nice. If you're fighting the same battle, go try the tester...you'll probably love it too! And...if you know of any other truly amazing hand creams, share your secret!

A Paris Street Market

A few weeks ago my roommate and I headed down to Denver for the day to hit up A Paris Street Market. A Paris Street Market is "an outdoor, open-air market in the true Parisian flea market style." You'll find tons of exhibitors offering everything from clothing to antiques to food and jewelry. This was my first trip to A Paris Street Market and I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. The thought of a flea market reminds me of the flea markets of the South, which typically don't have anything I'm interested in. The actual Paris Street Market however was super cool and well worth it! There were seriously so many different vendors set up, with a ton of sweet stuff. I love blue vintage mason jars, and it took everything in me to not purchase a set of 18, stored in a vintage egg carrier. The practical side of me reminded myself that I had no use for 18 blue vintage mason jars so I walked by longingly and looked for something I actually needed. I was almost to the last row of vendors when I came across the deal of the day...a sweet seafoam green side table for my bedroom. The price marked was $28.00, which I would have gladly paid plus tax, but my roommate being the wheeler and dealer that she is talked the lady down to $26.00. No, I'm not kidding you! I walked away with a new bedside table that I knew would fit perfectly in my room. Holla! Now this market only happens in the warmer months of the year so it won't be back again for a while now that it's getting cold, but if you're ever down in Littleton on the first Saturday of the month, be sure to swing by the Aspen Grove Shopping Center because you're bound to find something awesome! Now for a few pics...

Baby Bear

Ok, seriously...I can't get enough of this little guy! I held him for a half hour while he slept yesterday, and couldn't stop looking at his sweet little face and watching all of the hilarious expressions he made while he was asleep. I am definitely putty in his tiny little hands. Check out this super cute picture of baby Bear in a nest!

*Photo by the talented Christa Tippmann

Sweet Baby Barrett Cameron

Oh man, I am so excited...I have another nephew!! The little guy arrived October 7th, safe and healthy weighing in at 7lbs 7oz! His name is Barrett Cameron and he is the sweetest thing EVER! This is how the whole thing happened...I was almost asleep Wednesday night when my phone rang at precisely 10:51pm. It was my brother Brian asking if I could come over. I was "on call" for when it happened, so I could watch their two other kids, Noah and Holley. Luckily they were sleeping at this point because her labor was progressing so quickly that they had to leave the house about 5 minutes before I arrived. Two hours after labor began, Barrett was born! One of the best parts about it was waking the other little ones up the next morning and telling them their mom had the baby. Both of them had pretty different reactions when they found out it was a boy. Noah emphatically said "YES!" and did a little fist pump. Holley just said "Oh", followed by, "Now there are three boys." I think she was feeling a little out-numbered until about an hour later when Brian came home and reminder her that means that she's still the princess of the family. Later that day I ventured to the hospital to meet baby Bear. He is so perfect! Right now he's just a little bundle that sleeps and eats...I can't wait to watch him grow up! Here are a few pictures from his birthday...

Every good and perfect gift is from above...James 1:17

Latte Bowls

Chances are you've seen these bowls at Anthro at least a time or two, and if you've said "Hmm, those are cute" but then walked right past, let me urge you to reconsider these super awesome bowls. They are the perfect size for anything you want to put in a bowl, from things like soup and chili to cereal and ice cream. The colors are so fun that just seeing them in the cupboard can make you smile. I'm not kidding, I have opened my cupboard many a time to see these colorful bowls and smiled simply because they are just so cute! In addition to being incredibly versatile and offered in wonderful colors, they are inexpensive and microwave/dishwasher safe. They make a great bridal shower or housewarming gift and they even come in a miniature size which is great for times when you just want a little tiny portion. So next time you're in Anthro or perusing Anthropologie.com, get these bowls...you'll never search for the perfect bowl again!

Latte Bowls, Set of 6: $30.00, Anthropologie.com

Mini Latte Bowls, Set of 8: $20.00, Anthropologie.com

Top 3 Vera Bags

I've said this before, but if you know me even a little bit then you know that most places I go, I carry many bags. Some might call it "over packing" but I like to call it, being prepared! My bags of choice: Vera Bradley of course! I love so much about Vera bags...the colorful patterns, durability, and most of all, the versatility. There are three Vera bags that are especially great. Meet...the Ditty Bag, the Tote, and the Large Duffel. The Ditty Bag is a lined drawstring bag that is perfect for carrying all of your essential toiletries, including full size shampoo and conditioner bottles. Next, the Tote is the perfect size for 3-ring binders and a couple books or a change of clothes for an afternoon workout. Finally, the Large Duffel is just a great all-around bag. It's pretty much a standard go-to for weekend trips to the beach or mountains. It also works as a great airplane carry on bag. Most Vera bags are machine washable, but make sure to remove the cardboard base in the Tote before washing. Check out the Vera Bradley website for sales on patterns that are being retired, and for special offers like free shipping!

The Lady and Sons' Peach Cobbler

Ok y'all, first of all I'm so sorry I haven't written for a while. I recently started a new job and it has proven to be very time consuming. That being said, I will try to do better! So here I have for you another recipe from The Lady & Sons Just Desserts by Miss Paula H. Deen. I've been dying to make this recipe for a while now and since September is peach season in Colorado, I decided now was the perfect time! The recipe calls for a can of peaches however I def recommend using frozen instead of canned and making your own syrup, as directed below. This is such an easy recipe and these pictures certainly don't do justice to convey how great it tastes, which is why you'll just have to make it next time you're having guests! Enjoy!!

Paula says: It was an instant hit on the first day we offered this dessert at The Lady & Sons, and remains so today. This delicious cobbler can be found on our dessert trays at both lunch and dinnertime. It's so easy to make you won't believe it!!

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup self-rising flour

3/4 cup milk

1 28-ounce can sliced peaches in heavy syrup, undrained (or use fresh if available)

cinnamon for sprinkling (optional, use only with peach or apple cobbler)

Preheat oven to 350. Place butter in oven in a 2-quart baking dish to melt. Stir sugar and flour together and mix well. Slowly add milk and continue to stir to prevent the batter from lumping. Being careful not to burn yourself, remove hot baking dish containing melted butter from oven; pour batter directly over butter in baking dish (DO NOT STIR). Spoon fruit on top of batter, then gently pour syrup on top (DO NOT STIR). Sprinkle with cinnamon, if using. The most important part of this dish is not stirring the mixture. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Your batter will rise above your fruit, producing the most wonderful of crusts. Sever warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

If they are available by all means use fresh peaches. In a saucepan, mix two cups fresh peach slices with one cup sugar and one cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. An almost equally good product is frozen peach slices. Simply follow the instructions for the fresh peach slices.