Friday, December 31, 2010

celtics!

 
I'm so excited - this afternoon we're
going to the Celtics game! 

I realized today that this will be my
fifth game in just over a year,
and if you know anything about me,
I'm sure you think that's as funny as I do.
Who would have ever thought?  :)

Hope your have a safe & happy night!


Wednesday, December 29, 2010

yum

Before the handsome man & I
get back on the no-sweets-wagon,
I desperately want to try this recipe 

If you beat me to it, please report
back and let me know how it goes!


that's a lot


I got this sweet card from
the handsome man,
and every time I see it,
I just have to smile.

Plus I know he braved Etsy 
to find it for me, and 
that's a sign of true love 
if I've ever seen one. :)



Tuesday, December 28, 2010

snow day

 
Yesterday was a blissfully relaxed
snow day with the boys.  
 
We watched crazy amounts of
The Unit and stayed cozy inside
the house for most of the blustery 
day.  It was perfect.
 
Although I might be ruined for
work for the rest of the week!


Saturday, December 25, 2010

good tidings of great joy


And it came to pass in those days, 
that there went out a decree from Caesar 
Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 

 (And this taxing was first made when 
Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 

 And all went to be taxed, 
every one into his own city. 

 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, 
out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, 
unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; 
(because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 

 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, 
being great with child. 

 And so it was, that, while they were there, 
the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 

 And she brought forth her firstborn son, 
and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, 
and laid him in a manger; 
because there was no room for them in the inn. 

 And there were in the same country 
shepherds abiding in the field, 
keeping watch over their flock by night. 

 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, 
and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: 
and they were sore afraid. 

 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: 
for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, 
which shall be to all people. 

 For unto you is born this day 
in the city of David a Saviour, 
which is Christ the Lord. 

 And this shall be a sign unto you; 
Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 
lying in a manger. 

 And suddenly there was with the angel 
a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
 Glory to God in the highest, 
and on earth peace, good will toward men. 

 And it came to pass, 
as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, 
the shepherds said one to another, 
Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, 
and see this thing which is come to pass, 
which the Lord hath made known unto us. 

 And they came with haste, 
and found Mary, and Joseph, 
and the babe lying in a manger. 

 And when they had seen it, 
they made known abroad the saying 
which was told them concerning this child. 

 And all they that heard it wondered 
at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 

 But Mary kept all these things, 
and pondered them in her heart. 

 And the shepherds returned, 
glorifying and praising God for all the things 
that they had heard and seen, 
as it was told unto them. 



Friday, December 24, 2010

homeward bound

 
I'm heading home today for a weekend
of Christmas with my family!

I'm so looking forward to enjoying all 
of our dear traditions and having a
wonderful time together, but know 
that I'll be missing my handsome man.

Transitions are just plan weird,
but I'm determined to enjoy
every minute of this Christmas and
just focus on the joy & priviledge 
of loving my sweet family.

I hope that your Christmas is
beautiful & filled with an abundance 
of love - however you celebrate!




Thursday, December 23, 2010

countdown


Just four months.
From today.
But who's counting?




Wednesday, December 22, 2010

visitor

 
This dapper gent arrives today
for a fun Christmas visit, and we 
are very excited to see him!  

 I love hearing all of the crazy stories
these two goobers have from their 
Mexico summer, and am really 
looking forward to getting to know 
him better during this visit. 

Plus, if we're being honest, it will 
give me a chance to learn some more
 fun (and bizarre) Australian lingo.  
Which is never a bad thing :)


Tuesday, December 21, 2010

surprise

 
 Thanks to an unexpected schedule change,
the handsome man & I get a nice quiet
evening to ourselves.  I am so excited to
go home and do normal things like cook a 
yummy dinner, read together, wrap some
presents, and just be quiet and relaxed! 
 

Monday, December 20, 2010

girlfriends

I love this picture, because there's really nothing
like girlfriends.  They always know how to
gush & giggle (or cry) with you, their opinions
on clothing choices are invaluable, and no matter
what season of life we find ourselves in, 
they are always there.  You know who you 
are, and I love you, girls.  



Sunday, December 19, 2010

time waster

Looking for a little inspiration?
Have a little weekend downtime?
it's where I stash all the misc
things that make me happy!



Saturday, December 18, 2010

joel & janna

What is it about music?
Last night the handsome man & I
went to hear Joel & Janna - an amazing
brother-sister duo that we've been 
loving ever since we saw them last year -
and it was really wonderful to see them again.

They were playing in our area for the 
Less is More Tour, and it was a really lovely 
evening of music with a quiet, contemplative 
Christmas spirit.  Their rendition of Away in 
a Manger was so beautiful that I found myself 
flooded with sweet, unexpected memories - 
and had to choke back tears.

It's always a blessing to see someone 
chasing after God's heart & plans, and I am
very much looking forward to seeing what cool 
things God has in store for their ministry in
the years to come!  If you aren't familiar with
them or their music, go look them up now
I'm sure you'll fall for them like we have.



Friday, December 17, 2010

hand me an apron!


Something about this chilly, festive time of year 
makes me want to take over a large,
wonderful kitchen  (only because ours is 
tiny & not quite as beautiful as this!)  
so I can cook / bake up a storm.

Plus I keep finding daily inspiration 
( recipes that make you drool just
imaging how good they must taste!)
from lovely people like these:


equations

 
A new take on math...




Thursday, December 16, 2010

happy prints



Aren't these cheerful and lovely?
I've been eying them on Etsy forever,
but can't seem to justify buying them yet.

 I'm a total sucker for funky little prints, 
and am getting so excited to hang
a whole bunch of them together when
the handsome man and I get married
and get our own place!


brrrr


I saw this picture this morning
and now I want to look exactly
like this every time I step out of 
the house.  But alas, I can't 
pull off those hats!




Wednesday, December 15, 2010

little things

 
I take great pleasure in finding small reasons
to be happy during an average work day.  
I think it's so easy to get into a rut and then 
into a funk about work - so whenever I have 
happy little realizations, I try to treasure them.

For example: this morning I looked down at my desk 
covered in floor plans and realized that I am 
grateful for the promise of work for the new year.  
And then because I'm a silly girl, then I started thinking 
about how much I love my new gold nailpolish and 
how good it looks with my giant sparkly rock
and pretty new pearl bracelet. 
 
So there you have it - a moment to treasure.
Thanks for sharing in my dorky weirdness,
and for putting up with my terrible work photo!
 

ribbons & bows


I love wrapping presents.

I love the fancy papers and ribbons,
and one of my favorite parts of 
Christmas is the day when I get to
go poking through the wrapping aisle
and pick out the colors & textures
I want to use for the season.
(I'm such a dork.)

Thanks to a perfect evening 
with the handsome man and a 
nice quiet morning, I've powered 
through nearly all of the gifts 
we've giving this year, and my
little baby tree is starting to look
pretty lovely.  Yay for Christmas!


Tuesday, December 14, 2010

ruffle love


Like everyone else, I'm totally
crazy for ruffles these days.  

When I noticed this lovely coat,
it felt like a pretty breath of fresh
air on this very busy day!

But writing that makes me 
wonder if that might reflect more 
on my day than the coat...

Either way - hurray for such 
a beautiful coat :)


*via



Monday, December 13, 2010

fluffy


One of my favorite guilty pleasures each
Monday is the Pets On Furniture post 
over at desire to inspire, and this morning I 
thought this little guy was too cute for words.

I can't tell if he's confused, really 
annoyed, or just cute.  But either way, 
I think he's pretty sweet!

Hope you find something happy
on this grey Monday...


Saturday, December 11, 2010

one year


Today is our one year anniversary!

 This past year has been the happiest of
my entire life, and I love looking into
our future together and knowing that it only 
gets better from here!  

I love you, babe.



Friday, December 10, 2010

a happy list!


Things making me smile today:

1 - Beautiful and ridiculously generous
anniversary gifts from the handsome man.
I am so loved and spoiled.

2 - Warm tea and these warm words on
such a cold day.  (Warning - you might 
want a tissue handy if you read this.)

3 - It's finally Friday.  Need I say more?

4 - Loads of fun plans for the weekend:
the parentals & sister are coming,
wedding dress shopping with bridesmaids,
plus a giant Christmas feast with family!

5 - I'm still full from our Inbetweenus feast
last night.  Kudos to our little group who
cooked an entire turkey dinner and kept us
laughing all evening long.



Hope you find some happy things along
the way today too!



Thursday, December 9, 2010

more glitter please


Even though I have no reason to,
I've been longing to find 
something with lots of sparkle and 
glitz for the Christmas season.

Perhaps I should settle for a
pretty wreath like this one instead.  
It might be more practical, and I bet
more people would get to see it
than any fabulous outfit I'll find!




Wednesday, December 8, 2010

as good as ever.


Have you heard the new Coldplay song?

It's for Christmas, which is fun!



I love these guys :)


*via

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...


I'm loving all the Christmas decorations
that are popping up everywhere!

The roomie and I put up our tiny little
tree this past weekend, and now all I want
to do is sit around and wrap presents 
to go underneath it!  

Hope you're enjoying something about
this season too!






Tuesday, December 7, 2010

magic


Isn't this image magical?

had to say about it was 
pretty lovely too, if you like
that sort of thing...




a good definition


I love learning how to love.

It's an everyday thing, it's usually fun, 
sometimes it's really hard work - but for me, 
it always comes back to who I draw my
love from.  The more in love I am with our
creator & savior, the more I can pour 
back out into those that I'm loving.  
 
And one thing is for sure...every single 
day that I practice loving my handsome man,
I love him more.  It's so cliche sounding,
but it's so true.  I think this whole loving each
other forever bit is going to work out.  :)




Saturday, December 4, 2010

frosty


This is what our drive back from
Maine looked like last week.
The frosty, muted colors were so
striking that even in my half awake
state I knew I should snap a 
few pictures.  I'm not always the
biggest fan of the cold and snow,
but I am happy to recognize
just how beautiful it is!


Friday, December 3, 2010

boston fun


We're so spoiled.

This makes our fourth Celitcs game together,
and every one is even more fun than the last!
(especially when you get weird people near 
you...it adds a special something, I think.)

 Life is good! 


*image editing


Thursday, December 2, 2010

it's coming!

 
I'm getting excited for this Christmas
season much earlier than I normally do!
 
I can't quite do a steady diet of
carols yet, but am enjoying the lights
and decorations popping up everywhere.
And while I'm not as good as Mom
(whose gifts were all purchased before
Thanksgiving!!), I'm having fun
making a list and checking things off
for the special people in my life!
How about you?



Wednesday, December 1, 2010

an old favorite

 
I was feeling a little grumpy and out of sorts 
this morning, and decided to try listening

My reasoning - either it could really
make me happy (it's finally December
and we're really getting into the season!)
or it could annoy me to no end and give
me a reason to keep being grumpy.
(sometimes it's just satisfying to find 
reasons to keep being annoyed, right?)

Luckily for everyone I have to see today,
 it had the first effect, and I found myself relaxing 
into the familiar voices and melodies of this
old favorite. My family has listened to  
this Christmas album since it first came out 
on tape, and it's like hearing an old friend 
when I put it on for the first time each year.

Welcome back, Christmas.  
I'm happy to see you!



Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

 
I'm off to see the parentals for
the annual giant family Thanksgiving,
and this year get to take along 
my handsome man!  
 
I'm so excited for a few family 
days and for a mini break!


our god


Water You turned into wine
Open the eyes of the blind
There’s no one like You
None like You

Into the darkness You shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There’s no one like You
None like You

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…  

Into the darkness you shining
Out of the ashes we Rise
There’s no One like You
None like You...

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…

And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
What can stand against?

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God… 




Tuesday, November 23, 2010

countdown


5 months.
From today.

Hurray!




Friday, November 19, 2010

adorable

 
Is this not the cutest little guy
you have ever seen?  Definitely 
good for a smile on this 
Friday morning!  Hope your 
day is great, friends!


*via

Thursday, November 18, 2010

hoarding


I'll admit it, I'm a compulsive
picture hoarder.  That's right.
I said it.  

Tumblr has become such an
easy way to grab and save images,
and although I don't really have 
enough time to keep up, I am
want to waste time with me!


good reminder.


Sometimes I get so busy thinking about
what I "need" or "desperately want"
and think it's so good to remember
these hard truths...don't ever forget that
we are so incredibly blessed! 




Monday, November 15, 2010

prettiness

 
Just something pretty and pink
for a grey Monday...




Saturday, November 13, 2010

yummy in my tummy


It's no secret - I love cooking pretty
much every single recipe from the
Pioneer Woman.  My most recent
conquest is this amazing Pasta all Vodka.  

The first time I made it, I followed the recipe
a little too closely, and it just wasn't as good as
when I played around with it.  If you try it,
cook everything for a little longer than she calls
for, and try cutting back slightly on
the vodka.  I also used a mix of parmesan
and reggiano cheese, which seemed to temper
the strong onion taste nicely.  

However you make it, just be ready for
everyone to want second helpings...
it's definitely that good! 

Friday, November 12, 2010

happy friday!

 
I am so excited that it's Friday!
Not only is this my first full weekend 
in three weeks, my lovely parentals are 
coming down for a visit and we're going 
to do lots of wedding planning and 
shopping - yippie!  Hope your 
weekend is wonderful too!


*another engagement photo
 

 

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

"real" photoshop


A little giggle for anyone who has 
ever used the magic of photoshop...




red coat


I just bought this coat on super sale
last weekend at Old Navy and 
I can't get enough of it.  It's cheerful
and perfect with jeans and flats, 
but looks great with work clothes too.

Now I just need to invent a reason 
to dress up so I can wear it with a fun 
outfit and heels!  Any ideas? 


Tuesday, November 9, 2010

look ma!

The handsome man and I have discovered
that we really enjoy a good project -
especially when we work on it together.
So far we've tackled refinishing a couple
of beautiful old tables (thanks, parentals!)
and now we're learning upholstery.

Kindly oooh and aaah appropriately
at the fruits of our labors - it will make
us feel very good about ourselves :)

tools


I am crazy for this picture. It makes
me think of Daddy and hard work and all 
the jobs we did together as a family.  
 
I also love the dim and dusty feeling of the 
space.  You can almost put yourself at 
that gritty workbench, which I really enjoy.

 It's so interesting to me how our ideas 
of beauty are so shaped by what 
holds memories for us. What images
always reach out and grab you?




Monday, November 8, 2010

a little note


Dear Monday,

Thanks for showing up and being
absolutely crazy.  You always make
me appreciate my weekends when you
arrive with a flurry of activity. 

Today I will be trying to stay calm
and happy by thinking about wonderful
things like sweet wedding kisses. 
So take that.

Love, Amanda




Sunday, November 7, 2010

pretty food


I'm feeling more than a little smitten with 
these gorgeous food shots...


I can't decide if I want to devour
everything pictured, rush to the kitchen
and start cooking up a storm, or go
grab my camera to start photographing
everything in sight! 


*More here from this cookbook.