Christmas music is a tricky thing…. Let me explain.

Every year it seems the radio stations switch to Christmas music earlier than the last and I always have a problem with it. Before Thanksgiving, heck no! After Thanksgiving, small doses. Christmas week, heck yes!

Yesterday while driving home I was scanning through my radio stations and stopped on one of my favorites, His Radio. I always lean toward that station during the month of December since all the songs are about the TRUE reason for Christmas and I completely fell in love with the song I heard.

I love Brandon Heath in general… he has a great voice and great lyrics but this Christmas song is my new favorite!!! I was seriously driving home with my tear filled eyes, it’s seriously beautiful!

Since this cold weather has officially made my heart a little warmer I thought I’d share this lovely song with you!! 

Lucky you, huh?

Hope everyone is have a great week and hopefully this cold weather is getting you in the Holiday mood as well!! What’s your favorite Christmas song??

Bad to Great!!!

After a four day weekend a rainy Monday morning is exactly what we all want, right???

Ha, not quite. I personally had a ROUGH morning, I’ll fill you in:

·         It started off with some serious lack of interest to get out of bed thanks to the slow drizzle of rain outside.

·         When I finally pulled myself out of bed I realized how hideous my hair looked.

·         Because of the mentioned bad hair day and lack of interest to get dressed I was running late for work.

·         Finally made it to the car, ready to leave only to find out my car won’t start.

·         After the 5^th try and some added rev of the gas, he finally started.

·         I then realized that I only had 2 bars of gas in the car and figured I might as well stop to fill up since I was running late anyways.

·         Pulled into the gas station and after grabbing my wallet I remembered I lost my debit Card on Saturday.

·         So I sat in traffic, crossing my fingers and praying that the 2 bars of gas will make it to work.

And instead of focusing on all that crap above I decided to look for the silver lining!

·         Finally making it to work I decide that I will run out to my car around lunch to make sure my car will start…. It did!!! I also went back to double check around 3... thumbs up again!

·         I go to the bank to get a new debit card and THANK GOD for TD Bank and their instant card machine. No waiting 3 weeks for a card sent in the mail.

·         Joel’s Java (My favorite cheap lunch spot in downtown Greenville) had my favorite soup today. HIGH FIVE! Hot and yummy Chicken Enchilada soup for $3!!!

·         Sweet Instagram friends were praying for me and my stressful morning thanks to the picture I added while I was stuck in traffic this morning.

·         I have almost NO pain in my back which is amazing since I hurt it less than a week ago!

·         And my favorite HAPPY Moment of the day…… receiving this baby! Eeeeek! I’m so excited! 

Erin Condren Life Planner

Can’t wait to start using it in TWO more days! 

So happy they started the planner with December.

Funny random for the day... this is my 200th blog post!!!! WOW! I can't believe I've had this little blog for so long and I have loved every second. It's a perfect journal of my life and I know I will always look back on all these memories. Also a BIG thanks to all you who are reading this!!! Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!!! xoxo

Yes, I am looking at the GOOD in life, not the bad. I’m so incredibly thankful for the Lord and His many blessings in my life. Hope you all had a great weekend and a sunny Monday, even in this rain! I'm secretly crossing my fingers for some snow. ;)

PB Pie {Recipe}

My favorite part of any Holiday is making my favorite pie!! This year I decided to share the deliciousness with you lovely people! This is the only thing I can make without looking at any directions... I absolutely LOVE it! Keep in mind that the ingredients below are for TWO pies so you can cut everything in half if you only need one. Since most people do the "Two Family" thing on Thanksgiving it might be helpful. :) Enjoy!!! 

Take 3 cups of Peanut Butter (I use creamy) and warm in the 

microwave for 1 minute or till soft. 

Add 2 packages of Cream Cheese. 

Mix everything together, it will become clumpy. 

Add 2 large tubs of Cool Whip, I usually do a few spoonfuls at a time.

Make sure you blend everything together and 

clean the sides of the bowl, the blend again. 

If you want add some crumbled Reese Cups. 

This is the first time I've added this, I crumbled up 5 regular size cups. 

Blend once again till everything is smooth. 

Spoon the mixed ingredients into the pie shells. 

{I use the chocolate graham cracker crust.} 

Pack the filling in lightly, not pressing down with the spoon. 

Melt chocolate to pour on top of the pies. You can use chocolate topping or 

Hershey bars. I chose to melt two bars of chocolate in the microwave till smooth. 

Pour the chocolate on top and smooth in. Place the pies in the fridge. 

I usually make the pies the night before 

so they can set and the chocolate can harden. 

Before serving the pies take a table spoon of peanut butter and place it in a 

plastic bag. Microwave for 30-40 seconds so it will be soft. 

Snip a small hole in the corner of the bag

then squeeze the peanut butter out in whatever design you wish. 

I like it a little messy! :)

Slice and ENJOY!!!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Turkey Day!

Thankfulness!

To prepare for Thanksgiving I’ve been enjoying this verse….

“Give Thanks to God- He is GOOD and His love NEVER quits.”1 Chronicles 16:34

Such a lovely verse and full of truth. I love when I come across one like that… simple, to the point but so important for us to understand. Sometimes the simplest verses hit us the most.

This year has been so important to me. I’ve learned that the only thing I must be thankful for is God’s love and knowing His son. While at work today I was listening to some music on shuffle when one of my favorites came on. Everyone knows my obsession over the new Shane & Shane album but I’m still crazy about the oldies too!

During this past year I’ve learned what it’s like to sing this song and truly feel it. To express every word, really meaning every verse….

“Less of me is MORE of Jesus”….. “If I lose my life, I gain everything”….. “For to die is to LIVE”

All of that sweet praise is exactly how I have changed and grown during this year. I feel full of His love now, not my own selfish love and that is why I am so thankful! 

Just because I’m sweet and mainly because everyone should enjoy this song I am going to share some S&S love :)

use me, break me, waste me on You, Lord

ruin me, take me, waste me on You

for to die is to live...

to starve is to feast

and less of me is more of Jesus

Lord, i want it all

Lord, i want it all

if i lose my life

i gain everything

and at the cross

away with all death's sting

Lord, i want it all

Lord, i want it all

there is power in the blood

there is victory in Jesus

come in power, wash me clean

overwhelm me with Your presence

there is power in the blood

there is victory in Jesus

help me glory in the cross

help me find my gain in loss

 I couldn't find a video anywhere? You all should look up the song... it really is beautiful! 

I’m also thankful for my family and my friends… having a loving Mom that’s also my best friend….. my wonderful new job and the sweet people I work with every day…. My new home…. My sweet puppy.... yes, all of that is incredible but I am so glad I have my priorities in line for the first time. Life is good and I am so thankful for that!

Hope you all have pulled out your stretchy pants. I know I have mine ready!!! ;)

A verse... and some randoms. YAY for Friday!

Tonight I am home alone with the pup. Sitting on the couch with my hot peppermint tea by my side and listening to Brooke Fraser Pandora. Those two things make me very happy. Hot peppermint tea makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and the wonderful music blessing my ears makes my heart smile. Nights like tonight are fabulous.

Don’t get me wrong, I really LOVE people and I definitely love my Mom but a girl can always use some alone time. Just some time to relax and regroup. This time of the year is always so hectic and busy so every chance I get to enjoy some peace and quiet I definitely take advantage.

I won’t be lazy and boring all night though… nope, I’m waiting for a call from my dear friend Madison! Then I will run off to Downtown Greenville to have a glass of wine and chat the night away. I’m so blessed to have such sweet women in my life! Last night before bed I was enjoying God’s word and this verse made me happy:

I’m glad to have women that make me a wise woman. Iron sharpens iron, right?

Without my ladies I think I would be pretty dull, just sayin’….  

I’m most definitely blessed!!

So, I thought it would be nice to share two of the random events that made me happy and this beautiful Friday...

1) The new mail guy came by at work and I guess he’s starting to feel more comfortable talking to me now…? He is from Ireland and has a heavy accent. When he walked in to pick up the afternoon mail he asked if I was Irish. I smiled and said, “yes… part Irish.”

He smiled really big and said “reeeaaally?”

I smiled and said “yes, freckles and all.”

He then went on to tell me that red heads are going extinct so he’s always happy to see a red head. Haha!!

Well, of course I couldn’t break his heart and tell him that I’m not a “real” red head, now could I?

So I smiled and said Thank you!

I’ve always said I was meant to be a red head and people that didn’t know “brown headed Cassie” always think its natural… that definitely makes me smile!

2) One of the guys at work came by my desk today and asked what my favorite beer was... I didn't think this was an odd question because it's a common subject among the men. I told him and he was a little surprised.  I guess because it's not a "girly" beer... after a small chat he walked off. A little later he walked in the door and placed a brown paper bag on my desk! I laughed... I'm so thankful for my job and the people I work with. When he sat it on my desk he said "Just a thank you for all you do". He's annoying most of the time so it was a nice change. ;) 

I guess he also found out I don't have cheap taste either....

I hope you all had a wonderful week!!! Enjoy your weekend, I know it's going to be beautiful around here and I plan on soaking in every second!

Better late than never....?

Clearly I'm late on the blog about Katie’s shower... sorry about that, I'm a bum. The shower was so much fun!!! We all had a great time and she got a ton of gifts for her and Cody’s new home! I’m so excited for her and I can’t wait to see all the changes in her future.

Thanks to Pinterest we had so much fun decorating for the shower… here are some of my favorite parts!

Pretty Fall Decorations

Pinterest idea #1

Fake Pumpkins I spray painted white and stuffed in lace stockings! 

Also a black glittery pumpkin I got for $2 at Hobby Lobby!!

By the front door on the porch!

Pinterest idea #2 

Pumpkins covered with mums... love the special P for Katie's future last name. 

Katie's sweet neighbor helped with this! 

Pretty flowers for my bedroom!

Amazingly delicious cake pops!! 

Orange were Vanilla... White were Pumpkin Spice Cake

{sadly, we did not make these but if you want the name of who did let me know, 

she does a GREAT job!}

Flatware wrapped with napkins and secured with raffia.  

I’m so glad the shower was a great turn out! There were almost 30 women in the house to support Katie and I absolutely love that! Definitely makes me happy and thankful for my wonderful friend!! 

Pretty Lady! :) Love her so much!!

YAY for elephants... Katie's favorite! 

Can’t wait for March to get here so we can enjoy her BIG day!!!!

STARTING TO UNDERSTAND

Per Pinterest

I've always loved this quote and I've always tried to make it true in my life but it's not until recently that I really feel like I understand the meaning of it. Sometimes we need to relax. Honestly, a lot of the time we need to relax and for the past several months I feel like I've been relaxing in God's arms. Completely at ease with who He is and who He wants me to become. 

This quote is my happiness today and I am going to try and make it my true happiness every day. Striving to become a woman of God that finds a man that will pursue her by seeking God's intentions, not his own. 

Over the weekend my Mom and I went to Charleston, SC to surprise my Grandmother for her Birthday... it was a great weekend but the unthinkable happened. I left something in the room. I'm not going to lie... its definitely not a first for me. I've left hair ties before... even a pillow once but I've never left something so important. 

Since March I have been writing in a notebook. It started out as just a notebook for church services... then over time I started writing in it at home while I did my nightly reading. Without even noticing it became my nightly routine and a safe place for me to talk to God and document my growth and my relationship with Him.  I even started taking it to work for those times of clarity and I wanted to document God speaking into my life. The notebook really became more than just a notebook of paper... it was my prayer journal, my love letter to God. When I was packing for the quick weekend trip I wasn't sure if I should bring it but I thought, "why not? I might want to do some writing before bed." 

I was exhausted when we got back to the room so I didn't... I honestly don't even remember taking it out of my overnight bag but apparently I did because it's gone. I've called the hotel multiple times but no sign of it. 

I went to church this morning with a couple of sheets of paper, my bible and a pencil. No notebook. And tonight I will go to bed without my nightly writing on one of the last pages in my journal because I was almost finished... almost ready to buy a new one. Guess I will need to buy one a little sooner than I thought. 

What does all of this have to do with the lovely quote above....? 

That book of written pages that I lost was my story. My growth. My walk with God. It shows how I have placed myself hidden in Him. I hope that I get it back, I really do and I'm trying to stay positive... hopefully someone will find it. Maybe whoever finds it needs it far more than I do. Maybe that's what writing down my thoughts and prayers were intended for, to show someone what that undying love can do. How it can give you strength, power, healing... and how you can make new plans and new dreams because His love is all you need. 

Maya Angelou is a smart lady and I'm thankful for this quote but most of all, I am thankful that I am starting to understand it.

PURE SWEETNESS!

This weekend was SOOOO busy but it was PERFECT! Clearly I am not going to make the “Thankful Happy Moment” every day like I hoped. I’m just way too busy to fit that in every day.

Sunday I got to the afternoon with my family and I am so thankful for them. We had a big, yummy lunch and I loved on the babies most of the time, I absolutely loved it!

Sweet, Joanna! 

And adorable, Sadie Grace! 

I am so thankful for my family and I’m so happy we got to celebrate my Grandmother’s Birthday all together in the new house!

It was a busy weekend since we also had Katie’s shower on Saturday.

More on that tomorrow!!!! :)

Showered with Love

My best friend, Katie Ayer is getting married! I can't believe she is going to be a wife... she will be the first of my friends and it's all very exciting!!! We were all super excited when she got engaged so of course I wanted to give her a shower! 

The big day is happening this Saturday and I am so pumped... it will be so great to celebrate with friends, neighbors and family! Katie is one of the sweetest most loving people I've ever known. I'm so lucky to have her as a friend, giving her a shower is the least I could do! 

So one of my happy moments from today was preparing for the shower this weekend because I am so thankful to have this amazing, wonderful person in my life. 

Love You, Katie!!! 

Low Maintenance

Today is Wednesday... we've made it half way through the week!! Very exciting! Congrats everyone. 

Today I am so happy and THANKFUL for my devotional book. It's a funny story because I was unpacking some of the last set of boxes from the move that were full of books... random books that I just threw in a box to sort through later.  Then I saw a really old devotional book I bought years ago.  It's a day by day for a full year and it's for a "Woman on the go" which is very suitable. 

This book is amazing. Every single night this week I have curled up in my bed to read and it has been exactly what I need to hear and I can feel God speaking through every word and that is such a blessing. 

On Monday this was a part of the devotion: 

This is so perfect... and this is what I want to become. 

So for today I am so happy and thankful that I didn't chuck this book a few years ago. I'm also so happy that I am in the right place now to use it and learn from it. God's grace is simply amazing and I am learning more about His love every single day! 

Novemeber!!!

November is by far my favorite month!!! Everything about it is wonderful and I love it. Back in June I did a full well, almost full month of Happy Moments. I absolutely loved it... it really made you think every day about the little things that make you happy. After all, most of the time the little things are the important things anyways.  

I thought it would be fun to do another month of Happy Moments BUT have a little twist for this month. Since it is November I'm going to do a HAPPY moment every day but also express my thankfulness for it. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays so I should embrace it for the entire month!!! 

So, for the 1st day of November... 11/1/11 (which I thought was pretty neat) I am very thankful for my sweet friend, Jocie!! 

I'm thankful for her everyday but today while sitting at my desk working away, trying to make it to 5PM I got a text from Joc asking if I wanted to go to the "WWE Smackdown"? haha, I was a little baffled since watching men wear tight pants and try and kill each other really isn't something I imagined Jocie wanting to do but then I remembered that her brother writes for WWE (which also makes me laugh) and he was in town for the show. Which also meant he had some free tickets. 

So yes... I am thankful for my best friend. Thankful that she would want to watch grown men fight with me. Thankful for the fact that I will have an amazing time tonight simply because I am with her. I love her and I'm so happy she asked me to join her science lab group my senior year. My life would have been so different without her. 

I love you, Jocie and I am VERY thankful for YOU!