This Christmas Season

I've gotten behind on my weekly posts - it's been so busy around here! I don't know about you, but I can't believe today is Christmas Eve - these past few weekends just flew by and were so busy!

No, I didn't get my nose pierced ;) 

This season has been filled with so many blessings, I'll share more on that in a later post. 

This Christmas, I'm glad we get to share it with both Nick and I's families. It's also Ranger's first Christmas which is fun for us. We just have two weeks of Ranger's puppy class left and he's been doing so good! Still some areas to work on ;) but he's made progress for sure. 

On December 14th, I was baptized. I hadn't been baptized before and it had been a long time in the making  (8 years ago, I gave my heart to Christ) and it was so good. In the way only He can make it. The pastor brought Nick up (after this photo) to enjoy it with me, and my parents were there along with some couples in our married's group. It was a weekend filled with love and so much gratitude for all Christ has done. 

 This snuggly boy took advantage of a warm place on the bed right after I got up, he snuggled into my spot on the bed. #meltmyheart

Ranger's first Christmas - I still can't believe how huge my tiny puppy is! 

So many co-workers were so thoughtful giving gifts - I got so many great and thoughtful gifts from them! My secret Santa this year was amazing - I gave her a few shout-outs on my Instagram during the week. 

Funny story about this happy mug - I had pinned it to my Christmas List the week before, and Monday morning, my secret Santa had it on my desk with other goodies. I was sure it had to be someone I was connected to on Pinterest so had a few names in mind all week. I was so wrong and the wild thing is she had no idea I pinned it! We're not connected on Pinterest, she just saw it and thought of me. I so love the people I work with and am always so thankful for them. 

Beauty on a December Texas afternoon 

I got my first red cup of the season on Sunday - after Ranger's class and during our Target run. It gave me the pick-me-up I needed to check things of my list that day.

Family photo by the tree:)

I'm so thankful for these parents of mine. 

Ranger and I, my mom and Ranger's mom (Indy) and my dad and Ranger's dad (Boo). Such a fun photo! 

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

This week's Pinspiration:

Source: this is also a free printable! Click the source link to get it. 

An Iced-In Weekend

We had a freezing rain & ice storm overnight Thursday night. This is what we woke up to on Friday morning.  I assumed this white stuff was snow, but it was sleet! It ended up being about 1/2 inch thick of solid ice. 

North of Dallas, I-35 closed on Friday, leaving a 12 mile (!) backup. Some people were stuck in the stalled traffic for 18 hours, having to conserve their gas by turning off their car, get creative for bathroom breaks, and hopefully got some food. They had to sleep in their cars overnight. Can you imagine? So many were close to their destination, yet so far away. We also had lots of power outages and it's been so cold, I'm just thankful for heat and a warm fireplace. 

Most everything has been closed due to the ice. It did make for some pretty photos though.

 Ice skating, anyone? 

 Ranger wasn't so sure about this stuff. 

We enjoyed an iced-in day Friday and Saturday. I've been able to catch up on some projects here, though it would have been nice to run errands since Christmas is coming up so soon!

We made the best of a slow paced weekend though. I got my fill of puppy kisses too. Ranger is never short on kisses:)

We got our first family photo with Boo, Indy and Ranger (dad, mom and son). It's funny how different Ranger looks compared to them! Ranger is 4 months old now and is 9 pounds. 

 Ranger loves the fireplace. He'll stand in front of it, bring his toys to it so he can hang out in front of the fireplace. He was standing there the other night when we turned off the fireplace and he seemed so disappointed.

I hope you're having a safe and cozy weekend wherever you are!

Today's Pinspiration:

This is on a sticky note at my desk. I like this reminder:)

'Tis the Season

I hope you've all had a great Thanksgiving weekend. I had Friday off work and have loved the long weekend and quality family time. I've started to feel the Christmas gift-giving anxiousness that can creep in during the holidays and had to stop myself to enjoy the true meaning of this season. I've reminded myself I'll be loved by my family whether or not I snag the perfect gift ;). Getting rid of the anxiousness has left excitement and joy in its place. It's a good time just to tell our loved ones how much they mean to us. 

Here are some photos of our weekend. 

 We got up some decorations at my mom's this weekend. Putting up the Christmas decorations is one of my favorite days of the year! So much cheer. I love the joy and warmth of the Christmas season. 

I made Triple Chocolate Cupcakes (recipe here) for our Thanksgiving dessert and added a variety of toppings for fun. I did chopped walnuts, chocolate chips and cut up peppermint patties. This recipe is just so good:)

Homemade buttercream frosting is always beautiful if you ask me. 

This is Ranger and Nick practicing our homework for puppy class - this is "sit". I think Ranger looks adorable every time he sits. 

We watched Elf last night (one of my Christmas favorites!) and Ranger seemed to like it. He and Nick cuddling is always the cutest.

This was today after Ranger's puppy class. He has been learning really well so far! We still have areas to work on, but his sweet times {most days...} overshadow the tantrums and poor choices he makes;). We also gave him a haircut today, after this photo was taken, and he looks so different to me! His hair will grow back fast, but I'm not used to seeing him with shorter facial hair. I'm sure you'll notice in photos I post this week. 

I hope you've had a great weekend. Let's keep joy and gratitude in our hearts to give to others this week. We never know who may need some extra.

Today's Pinspiration:

(Source from Pinterest)