I love Christmas and one of my favorite parts is wrapping the gifts! 

Mom and I always try to coordinate our gift wrapping so it will look beautiful beneath the tree. 

This Christmas was such a happy Christmas. Last year was a little rough since I had just lost both of my Grandfathers. I know it will never be completely normal again but with this being the second Christmas without them it was better than the first. Here are some of the highlights from this year! :)

Mom and the sweet baby, Sadie Grace! 

This was her first Christmas and she didn't know what to think about it.... 

except for her dislike of Santa of course!! 

One of my most favorite kids... I don't understand why she insists on growing so much! 

Every time I see Joanna she seems more grown up than the last.

Oh Hunter, he is a wild man and he constantly makes me laugh....

clearly. 

My Aunt Teresa (also one of my most committed readers) and her sweater I 

bought for her! Gotta love Old Navy!  

My Dad and Brother fighting over who just got some cologne. 

....it wasn't my brother.

My fun, festive Christmas nails!!! 

Going to redo these babies tonight, something not so......

bold. ha! 

And drum roll of my two favorite gifts...... 

I literally screamed when I opened this!!! 

eeeeeeeek! 

and of course Mom tricked me into thinking I wasn't going to get this awesome book 

because she "didn't know which one I wanted" 

HA, no idea why I still believe her?!?

NOW I am ready for some New Years fun and I can't wait to have a night out with my girls since their men are both busy. I will gladly stand in and receive a kiss on the cheek at midnight! ;)

A new year...

Hello Monday, I mean Tuesday…. Seriously, that’s how I have felt all day. I was so bummed when I realized it was Tuesday for one reason. No Chicken Enchilada Soup!!!! So tragic, you know the stuff is amazingly good when you wish it were Monday.

However, it is Tuesday which means almost half the work week is gone! I love long Holiday weekends!!!

Back in November I started a new morning and evening devotional with an iPhone app and I sincerely love it! If you have an iPhone and want something simple and short to read on a daily basis check it out! The “Holy Bible” app has a ton of daily devotions to pick from.

I’m currently at on day 29 of my 366 day plan and each day seems better than the one before. Last night before I went to sleep I read from Luke 2:20.

“The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!” {The Message Version}

The devotion went along saying that we should copy the shepherds on a daily basis, praising with excitement that God did provide us with His Son for our salvation and how that praise is the sweetest music to Him. Then I read this and I absolutely LOVED it:

“It is not enough to hear about Jesus: mere hearing may tune the harp, but the fingers of living faith must create the music.”

I think that’s so beautiful… that by living my life for Christ it’s as if I am playing music for Him. My prayer for the New Year ahead is for my Lord to hear new songs from me daily. Always growing and not pressing repeat with a song I already know. I want to expand my horizons in every way so I can become closer to Him and His Kingdom.

I’m not sure what that will mean for my life but I have a feeling 2012 will be amazing & I’m so looking forward to it!!!

actually......

via Pinterest

I know I mentioned this last week but I couldn't resist. 

Look for Love and you will find it.....

I'm snuggled up on my couch as I type this about to eat some dinner with my Mom. Pasta with meatballs and a nice glass of wine after a day of shopping definitely sounds perfect to me... especially since I just woke up from a stellar nap! Back to work tomorrow but thankfully it will be Tuesday and NOT Monday which is always nice. I hope you all had a wonderfully perfect weekend filled with a bunch of love! 

Christmas Prayer

via Pinterest

This is my prayer on Christmas Eve. To become more like Mary, 

living by faith and saying YES to what God has called me to do. 

Merry almost Christmas Everyone! 

December in Pictures

Like I mentioned in the first of my WHOPPING 3 posts this month, I’ve been busy. I have seriously been slacking… Here are some fun highlights from the month of December so far!!

My sweet Mom and I at the 4th Annual 

Christmas Ornament Exchange! 

{Even with the tree branch I still love this!}

My favorite ladies in all of the world. 

My mom and her favorite ladies... 

can't help but have a blast with them! 

My DIY Wreath Project! 

Not too "Christmasy" so it can stay up through 

the beginning of the year

And I'm so excited for my soul sister, 

Jocie and her new future hubby, Adam! 

Can't wait for all the fun ahead in 2012!!!

This month has definitely been busy but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way! I love this time of year and I am so thankful for all the love that I am surrounded by.

It’s wonderful to know that my Lord and Savior came to earth as a baby only to be tortured and killed for me. That’s what this season is all about. It’s not about the special deals you can find on the day after Thanksgiving. It’s not about the gifts that you receive. It’s not even about the gifts that you give… It’s about the one gift that changed the entire world forever. The most selfless gift known to man.

So Merry Christmas and I hope you all enjoy a beautiful day with family and friends! I sure will & I’m going to give all the glory and thanks right back to my sweet Jesus!

All ages of love...

These all make my heart melt... especially sweet 7 year old Bobby! I love all of them but when I read his I got goose bumps on my arms. Kids really are so smart. I love the innocence and willingness of their love.  

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” 

- Chrissy, age 6 

“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.” 

- Terri, age 4

“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.”

- Danny, age 7

“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.”

- Emily, age 8

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” 

- Bobby, age 7

“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,” 

- Nikka, age 6

“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day.” 

- Noelle, age 7

“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.” 

- Tommy, age 6

“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.” 

- Cindy, age 8

“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.” 

- Clare, age 6

“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.” 

- Elaine, age 5

“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt.”

 - Chris, age 7

“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.” 

- Mary Ann, age 4

“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.” 

- Lauren, age 4

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” 

- Rebecca, age 8

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” 

- Karen, age 7

“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” 

- Jessica, age 8

yup..... precious! 

Crazy little thing called Love!

Yes, I’m still ALIVE. December is busy… who would have thunk it? One thing I love about December is all the LOVE! I always make a point to watch Love Actually because lets be honest, I could watch it every single day! LOVE that movie any time of the year but it definitely has as special meaning in December and it always makes me realize all the love that I have around me.

It’s in my Mom’s panic to find the perfect gifts every year even when I tell her I don’t need anything. It’s the random phone calls from friends just to say hello.  It’s the memories that I think of when I miss both of my Grandpas. It’s the memories that I am creating with those I still have in my life. It’s the excitement I feel for my 2 best friends as they start a new chapter in their life as a future wife.

Most of all, it’s the thankfulness I feel in my heart when I read Matthew 2:10-11:

“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”

During the past few weeks my church has been teaching about the arrival of Jesus and the different people it affected. Last Sunday the pastor ended the service saying this, “Christmas is about a bunch of rich folks putting their face in the dirt and worshiping a true King” and that’s the truth. We have to LOVE Him enough to put ourselves below Him because it’s not about US. It’s all about Him. He is Love.

Hope you all are having a wonderful December and even with all the hustle and bustle you can stop to enjoy the love around you because it really is all around, we just have to take a second to notice.

CHRISTmas Music! :)

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!