It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! How are y’all doing? Are you ready for Christmas yet?
It is finally cold enough in Texas to actually feel like Christmas. This year I made these yummy nuts to share with family and friends, and they were such a hit! I want to share this super easy Crock Pot recipe with you.
Holiday Candied Nuts in Vintage Mason Jars with Christmas Tree Tags
Holiday Candied Nuts (Crock Pot Recipe)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. clove
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. nutmeg (freshly ground)
1 Egg White
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cup pecans
1 1/4 cup almonds
1 1/4 cup walnuts
3 Tablespoons of water
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix together sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon, clove, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.
2. In a separate, bowl whisk together egg white and vanilla until combined.
3. Combine together all ingredients except water, and place in a greased Crockpot on low setting. Stir every 15 minutes for an hour an a half.
4. Add water and continue on low for 20 more minutes.
Enjoy!
Looking for last minute Christmas gifts?
Bibles make great gifts. You can still enter to win. I am giving away this beautiful Journal the Word Bible from Thomas Nelson, which sells for $49.99 and it can be yours!
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“Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.” –Ruth Carter Stapleton
It is the beginning of December, and my house is all decorated for Christmas! I now have time to relax, and open my home to serve loved ones. At a recent gathering in my home, I was encouraged to blog about how I put everything together. So today I would like to share some inspiration and helpful holiday decorating tips.
Each year I like to mix things up, and move things around. We have several Christmas trees because I like a little bit of Christmas in every room! In preparation for this year, I met a lady who told me her grandchildren wanted to know when she was going to put the forest up? Forest? This idea intrigued me, and I decided to do something that I have never done before: a Christmas tree forest!
I grouped a couple of 7 foot trees together, with a slim tree, and two 4 foot trees, and pushed them all together in the corner of my sun room. Voila! Christmas Forest!
The Christmas Forest made the perfect backdrop for my nieces pictured below.
Here are a few tips to make your holiday decorating a breeze!
The first thing I do when the boys bring down all of my Christmas stuff is to organize everything on tables covered with plastic cloths to try and contain the glitter madness. I group things together by color and type.
This allows me to see everything very easily.
Here I decide how I plan to use it and where it will go.
At the end of the season, I pack everything up by organizing like items and colors together. I carefully wrap all of my fragile ornaments and box them together.
Another example of how I organize my Christmas items is to put everything I use on my mantle that year in one box and label it mantle.
Since I like to mix things up. I like to take pictures of each room once it is decorated for Christmas. This is super helpful! It makes it easy for me to see what I have done in past years. I can see what I like and what I want to change for next year.
In my great room I use a combination of mixed metals.
After looking at pictures from last year, I decided to redo my coffee table in my Great room, and the mantle above my fireplace.
I found these beautiful florals and grouped them together on a tray.
In this photo, I used the ribbon on the left on the tree this year and coupled it with this new ribbon I purchased on the right. Last year I used the ribbon on the left in my garland on the stairs, but this year I left the garland with a more natural appearance.
The tree in my Great Room pictured below is similar to last year, with a few little tweaks.
When decorating a large tree, it is helpful to have large ornaments! And a lot of them!
Are you ready for the holiday season? What have you found to be helpful when you are holiday decorating? Do you have any organization ideas or decorating tips that you would like to share? I would love to hear from you!
One final thought. It is my hope that you will be encouraged to invite others into your home and share the joy of this holiday season. Remember, when planning your holiday gatherings this year, hospitality is about creating a warm inviting space to provide respite from the world, and a safe haven for your family and friends. A place where you can reflect on the beauty of the season and celebrate the gift of Jesus Christ.
BEFORE YOU GO! There is still time to enter to win a Journal the Word Bible!
Like and share Journal the Word, with your friends on social media to be eligible to win!
Every year I look forward to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. This is simply my favorite time of the year, but this can also be the most stressful time of the year for me! Holidays can be so full of joy and excitement, and other times they can be hard. Unmet expectations, families problems, the loss of a job or missing a loved one can all cause stress and heartache.
A few years ago, I began dreaming and planning for Christmas in October. I set everything up so that it was ready before Thanksgiving. I am so thankful that I did. We enjoyed a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday, and the following Monday, my dear sweet Mother-in-Law unexpectedly went home to be with the Lord. I am so thankful that my house was ready for Christmas, because I can’t imagine being able to try to get everything together for Christmas in the stressful grief filled days that followed.
I know most people wait until the day after Thanksgiving to begin setting things up. I used to be one of those people, but I found that if I waited until after Thanksgiving, then I started my favorite time of the year stressed, exhausted, and to worn out to enjoy it!
I told y’all about my friend Debi Chapman, who wrote the e-book Holiday Happenings, I love how her books begins. If you missed that post check it out here! Debi begins her book by saying,
“First, we dream.”
“List people whom you want to serve in your home this holiday season.”
I love that!
Who do you want to serve in your home this month?
When I began dreaming of the holidays, I knew I wanted to have a brunch with the ladies in my Bible Study group. So I began planning, and I love that way it turned out. With some planning and creativity you can set a lovely table.
Here I use my china with these gorgeous red placemats, and poinsettia napkin holders. I found these holly glasses at the dollar store several years ago, and use them every year for all of my December gatherings. Setting a beautiful table doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Use what you have, and be on the look out for inexpensive or sale priced items to add to your collection each year.
To the right of the plate is a bookmark with a pen that I purchased for each of the ladies.
For the coffee station I found these fun stir sticks!
The best part of all of this is the connection made, and the fellowship we experienced.
Who are you planning to serve in your home this month?
Start dreaming now of how you can make this a special time. The Holiday season is a perfect time of year to hone your hospitality skills. Once our homes are decorated for Christmas, why not enjoy this excellent time to invite friends into our homes, and share the good news of the gospel.
Today I want to share some of our Thanksgiving preparations! I want to start out by saying thank you to all of my blog readers! I am so encouraged by you all, and I thank God for each of you! I pray that you will enjoy a bountiful feast with your loved ones, and that your heart is filled with praise to Jesus our King!
Our dining room table is set for a thanksgiving lunch celebration with our immediate family, along with one lovely addition. Jacob’s girlfriend Jane will be joining us this year!
While out shopping this year I found these amazing chargers, and cute little leaf shaped bowls to add to our table this year! I paired that with dishes we already own, and vintage classes from Peter’s childhood. I just love the way the place settings turned out. So fun!
This year we are mixing things up a bit, and instead of having TURKEY OR HAM, we are having PHEASANT AND DUCK! Along with a wild rice stuffing, 5 cheese macaroni, whiskey Glazed carrots, a healthy version of green bean casserole, crusty bread with onion jam, along with pumpkin muffins, and buttermilk pie for dessert. Yum! I am so excited.
Peter grated a mound of cheese for me, and I made a Béchamel sauce, and viola. A hearty 5-Cheese Macaroni make ahead side dish, that I topped with Panko bread crumbs, and popped in the refrigerator for the big day!
Peter’s brother and his family will be joining us in the afternoon on Thanksgiving day. We will enjoy a more relaxed setting with the kids. Leaving lots of room for the adults to talk, and the kids to play.
A few years ago I started doing crafts with the kids, and it has become a holiday tradition. This year we are painting wooden Christmas ornaments.
I also picked up these fun coloring, bingo, tic-tac-toe pages to keep the littles busy.
As we prepare our homes, our tables, and our food, let’s not forget to prepare our hearts. We have so much to be thankful for, and in the midst of our busyness, let us keep our eyes fixed on the giver of all good gifts.
Psalm 100 – A Psalm for giving thanks.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Have a Blessed Thanksgiving! Be sure to follow my blog for a chance to win the Listen, Love, Repeat! bundle. Stay tuned for more holiday inspiration and giveaways from now until the end of the year!
How are you preparing for the holidays? What traditions are you planning to incorporate? Are you doing anything new this year? I would love to hear from you! Leave me a comment and let me know what you have planned.
I have exciting news to share with you this week! Recently, I had the opportunity to share my testimony on Casey Tate’s Podcast, Steadfast. Many of you have read parts of my testimony of losing our son Little baby Liam, but there is just something special when you can hear someone’s testimony.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. -Psalm 139:4
If you know anyone struggling with the loss of a child, infertility, miscarriage, or someone who just needs to hear a reminder of God’s faithfulness, please share my testimony of God’s goodness and faithfulness in the midst of suffering the loss of a child on Casey Tate’s Steadfast podcast. The Deep Wounds of Losing a Child
God is so faithful! He is working in the lives of people all over the world. On Steadfast, Casey Tate covers a wide variety of topics on her Podcast from sex trafficking to physical illness, and everything in between. Recording the podcast with Casey was a lot of fun! She does a great job of pointing people to Jesus, and I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of this special ministry. All of her podcasts are available to listen to on iTunes.
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We all have a hard story. Whether or not we chose to tell it or let our shame consume us is a decision that will chart the course of much of our lives. God’s grace, his redemption, can change us from the inside out. Steadfast is a collection of brave women that want to tell you their story so you can know that you aren’t alone in your struggles; there is community among the broken. Join us every week and find the freedom that can only come from the steadfast love of our Almighty Father. – Casey Tate
Be sure to check out my post on Loved Baby: a beautiful devotional book to help you grieve and cherish your child after pregnancy loss.
Today on the blog, I am talking about the importance of the family table, and sharing a few pictures from our Thanksgiving table 2013. Earlier this week, we heard from Michelle S Laurek on practical ways to love our neighbors, and I told you about her new book, An Invitation To The Table: Embracing the Gift of Hospitality. If you missed that post, be sure to check it out here Love Your Neighbor!
I love this description of An Invitation To The Table: Embracing the Gift of Hospitality from Amazon.
Jesus spent a chunk of his ministry eating and drinking with the “”sinners and tax collectors”” of the world. If we strive to be more like Jesus, shouldn’t we do more of what he did?
Hospitality involves more than the domesticated event we have grown accustomed to practicing. It is an embodiment of all the Christian life stands for: a gesture of love, opening up our hearts and lives, and sacrificing luxury and security for the chance to display Gods glory. To receive hospitality from others is an invitation to receive Gods transformative power to work in their lives.
Wow! Have you ever considered your family table a place of ministry? We have a huge farm table that we purchased several years ago to accommodate our growing family. The wooden sun-bleached benches on either side of our 10 foot table are flanked by several mix-and-match black chairs with rush seats. It is reminiscent of farmhouse meets french flair, and it is located in our beautiful sunroom. The sunroom is one of my favorite rooms in our house because it has 12 huge windows that look out into our back yard, and we have a gorgeous view of the sun rise.
The importance of the family table, and the top 3 reasons I love mine! And you should love yours too!
Fist, there is something special about choosing the perfect table linen, arranging your favorite dishes, and adding a seasonal centerpiece. I love to prepare a feast for friends and family. I am going to let you in on a little secret though, I have a dish problem. I love my dishes and love any excuse to use all of the dishes that I have collected over the years.
The table is another great place in our home to spruce up with the changing of the seasons. I love to search Pinterest for new and creative ideas for my tablescapes. I also love repurposing old things and using them in new or unexpected ways.
For the 2013 Thanksgiving table, I used an old wine box, that Peter brought home twenty years ago when he worked at a hotel. I darkened the box up with a little leftover stain that I had from another project. Nestled in the box is a fairytale pumpkin, some pine bundles from our trees, Mason jars with tea lights, surrounded by pinecone candle holders with cream tapers.
Depending on the formality of the holiday or occasion, I may use chargers or place cards. When my children were young, and I wanted to make our holiday tables special, I would include them in helping me make place cards. For the 2013 Thanksgiving table, I purchased these vintage goblets at an antique store for just a few dollars. This was a fun way to serve our beverages, and I didn’t have to worry about them breaking.
Second, conversations at the family table tie heartstrings to our children, family members, and friends. This is an important time of connection and communion. At the table, you can linger, talk about your day, and impart your values to your children. There is time to reflect on issues that arise in our culture, morality, religion, politics, and books. Gathered around the table is also a great place to share stories from the past, or tales of family members that have gone on to be with the Lord. This is something that Peter’s mom Gigi instilled in me early in our marriage. We spent many hours in lively conversation as a family around the table. The Thanksgiving 2013 table pictured is very special to me because this was the last meal we shared together as a family with Gigi. She was an amazing woman, who was an incredible influence on my life. Read more about this at 5 Things Gigi Taught Me.
Holiday tip when entertaining for the holidays and small children are sharing the table with us, I always put a fancy tablecloth on the table, but then cover it with clear plastic. This way the table still looks beautiful, but it is protected from the inevitable spills that are bound to happen.
Third, in this fast-paced microwave society that we live in when families are going in different directions all the time, and we eat at the drive through or on the run. To have time to sit down and eat a home-cooked meal on real plates, not paper ones, and have time to connect at the table, and enjoy a meal is priceless!
Whether you are gathered at the table for a holiday or sharing coffee with a neighbor or friend, know that your table can be a place of ministry. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Congratulations Kimberly Vogel! You are the lucky winner of Jennifer Rothschild’s beautiful new book, 66 Ways God Loves You-Experience God’s Love for You in Every Book of the Bible. I pray that through the pages of this book, that you will know just how much God loves you!
I want to say thank you to everyone who commented on the post God Loves You!
If you haven’t seen the 66Ways God Loves You video, then check it out see how God loves you in every book of the Bible!
Your feedback means the world to me! So stay tuned because I am excited to announce that I will be reviewing two new books, and have some great giveaways before the holidays.
First, I will be giving away an amazing KJV Journal the Word Bible sturdy hardcover Bible from (Thomas Nelson, September 2016).
Then in November, I will be giving away New York Times’ Bestselling author Karen Ehman’s new book, Bible study, and DVD!
Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World (Zondervan, November 15, 2016) is Karen Ehman’s ninth book and has a Bible study with DVD with it. Karen is an encourager to women, and her life work is to help women live their priorities and to love their lives.
Karen is a Proverbs 31 Ministries Speaker and New York Times bestselling author. She is also the Speaker Track Director of the She Speaks Conference and a teaching staff member of Proverb 31’s writer’s training program COMPEL.
Our homes should be a place of refuge and protection from the world, a sanctuary. Home should be a place where we can relax, renew and recharge. “There is no place like home” is an expression for a reason. As women, we have an incredible opportunity to make our homes a refuge from the world for both our family and for our guests.
The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down. – Proverbs 14:1 ESV
A wise woman is careful to build her home. Making our homes a place of beauty that reflects our personal taste is one of the greatest joys as a homemaker.
What are some practical ways that a wise woman can build her home?
This is my favorite time of the year. I cherish the art of hospitality and making my home a sanctuary. Over the course of the next few months, I would like to invite you into my home via the blog and share the beauty of the season with you.
I love to create beautiful flower arrangements, and seasonal decor to spruce things up and to keep it fresh. Pictured below is a floral arrangement in my dining room.
Pictured above is a lovely little vignette for fall on my butler’s pantry.
[ctt template=”2″ link=”EaFXB” via=”yes” ]Creating a beautiful home that refreshes requires engaging all our senses.[/ctt]
We love playing musical instruments and listening to music. In fact, we have a dedicated music room in our home and have been known to pull out all our instruments when having friends over for dinner.
[ctt template=”2″ link=”J2MH0″ via=”yes” ]The type of music that you listen to within your home has a profound effect on the atmosphere of your home.[/ctt]
The kitchen is my happy place, and I love to create beautiful memories through food with family and friends. Making fresh home-cooked healthy meals is a joy for me, but even store-bought food can be presented beautifully with a little imagination and creativity. Pictured below is crusty sourdough bread with brie and an assortment of antipasto.
I love diffusing essential oils, lighting candles, or fresh baking goodies to create a beautiful aroma that is pleasing to our sense of smell. Even a basket filled with potpourri can invigorate our senses.
I would love to know what you are doing to make your home a beautiful refuge from the world!
I love fall, and look forward to it every year! I love when the seasons change from summer to fall, the wind blows cool and I hear the crunch of leaves beneath my feet. It is time for pumpkin spices lattes, and sweaters and fall decor! I so look forward to this season in my life, because I live in Texas. Here, the only thing higher than the temperatures is the amount of humidity in the air. As I look forward to this new season in my life, I want to linger here and enjoy it. I want to savor each moment because it is all too fleeting.
In Ecclesiastes 3 we learn that there are seasons in life. Seasons of good, seasons of bad. We learn that there is a season for everything.
For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die; time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
All of these verses have to do with time. We are given 24 hours each day to spend.
How are you spending your days?
Are you living well?
Ecclesiastes 3:11-13 tells us, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live;”
Maybe we experience the difficult so that we appreciate the easy. Through all of the seasons, God is working out good in our lives, making our lives a beautiful offering unto Him. He has placed eternity in all of our hearts—a God-shaped hole that only He can fill.
My challenge to you today in this season is to be joyful and do good. Understand that there is a time and a season for everything. As you sip your latte and enjoy the cooler weather, seek the Lord while He may be found. Jesus longs to have a relationship with you, and through every season in life, He is there for you.
I grouped a couple of 7 foot trees together, with a slim tree, and two 4 foot trees, and pushed them all together in the corner of my sun room. Voila! Christmas Forest!
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