show and tell

i've skipped a few weeks of show and tell monday. it's a crazy time of year, with so much going on i haven't had as much time to blog, but it's one of my favorite link-ups so i'm baaaack ;)

this week we're showing and telling about christmas, which just so happens to be my favorite holiday!

1. Tell us what your favorite thing about Christmas is.

my favorite thing about christmas is definitely spending so much time with family. just enjoying each other's company and making memories that will last a life time. i love how someone always ends up breaking out in song christmas night and we all sit around the fire drinking coffee or hot chocolate.

2. Tell us what your plans are for Christmas this year.

this year we are planning to spend christmas at my parent's house. three of my uncles and their families will be there, so it's gonna be a full house (just how i like it) we're especially excited because it's Owen's very first christmas. the youngest of my cousins is 10, so it's been a long time since there's been a baby at christmas. 

3. Show us a picture of Christmas in the past. Or present.

4. Do you wrap your presents all in one box, or do you like wrap each present separetely?

i love unwrapping gifts! so i almost always choose wrapping paper over gift bags and wrap each gift separately. i also love wrapping gifts and making them pretty with ribbon and bows.

4. Tell us about any special traditions that you or you and your family like to do

this is our first christmas as a family, so we're starting new traditions as well as continuing some that i did with my family as a child. one of the ones we're continuing is secret santa. since we're living in my parent's house this christmas we decided to take part in their secret santa drawing. 

a tradition we're starting for our own family is unwrapping and reading a christmas book every night before bed. O is too young to really appreciate it yet, but i hope it's a tradition that he will come to love!

i thank the good Lord..

for this dear sweet boy.

my heart sings with love for you.

a moment of prayer

i don't really know what to say or how to say it, but at this point i'm sure everyone has heard the heartbreaking news. how anyone could commit such a horrendous crime i will never understand. all i can think to do is pray for that man's soul and pray that a crime like this will never happen again.

the sad reality is this isn't the first (or even the fourth) time something like this has happened in my lifetime, but i find the news weighing a little heavier on my heart this time. you see, this time i am a mother. and it literally causes me to break down sobbing to even imagine that one of those 18 innocent children were my son. the pain it causes me to even think about that is almost unbearable, and so, my heart is breaking to pieces thinking about the poor poor mothers who found out today that their baby was murdered. 

i can't stop crying for them. 

for their tremendous loss.

so tonight i ask you to pause for a moment and say a little prayer.

a prayer for the poor innocent souls of the children taken too soon.

a prayer for mothers and fathers of those children, that they might somehow be able to cope with their loss.

a prayer for all the other victims and their families. 

a prayer for the sick man who caused all this pain, for his mother's soul, and for the family they left behind.

a prayer for our world, that crimes like this will someday cease to exist.

may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

amen.

december birchbox

my birchbox arrived last week and i was so siked to see what was inside! 

$50 credit for rent the runway: this was the greatest thing in the box! if you've never heard of them you HAVE to go check them out. you can rent designer dresses and accessories for a fraction of the price. it's perfect for the holidays or any occasion where you want to wear something amazing but don't want to break the bank. i'm definitely gonna use my credit towards an outfit for our first anniversary in january.

juicy couture: this was the little perfume sample. it was too over powering for my taste. i prefer something subtle. 

mox botanicals pomegranate and fig lib butter: i love this stuff! it smells so good and feels like silk on my lips. the only downside would be that you have to reapply more often than i'd like. 

the balm cosmetics- hot mama: this is great because it doubles as an eye color and a blush. the color is really pretty, not too bold on your cheeks. 

No. 4 clarifying shmapoo: i haven't tried this yet, but i'm really excited about it. i've been dying to try a good clarifying shampoo.

tweezerman filemate: there isn't much i can say about this. it's a nail file... it was a pretty design!

overall i was really pleased with this month's box! it's so much fun to get goodies in the mail :)

if you're interested in signing up click here! there's a waiting list, but i got my first box less than a month after signing up.

homemade candied pecans

with the transition to becoming a single-income family, car problems, and having to buy lots and lots of diapers we don't have much money to spare this christmas. but i didn't want that to mean we couldn't give gifts to our loved ones this year, so i started racking my brain trying to figure out what inexpensive yet still meaningful gift we could give. then it hit me! who doesn't love yummy treats? and one of my favorite holiday treats is candied pecans. so i whipped up a batch which made enough for at least two gifts.

ingredients:

12 oz of shelled pecan halves

1 egg white

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

preheat oven to 300 F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
wisk the egg white in a large bowl until foamy. wisk in cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. when all ingredients are well combined, add pecans and stir until coated. once coated, pour pecans on the parchment lined cookie sheet and spread into a single layer.
place cookie sheet on upper rack of the oven and bake for about 30 min. every 5 min or so rotate pecans to make sure all sides are roasted.
pecans are finished after about 30 min or once the coating is hardened and toasted.

while the pecans are cooling i line a small jar with tissue paper and print a jar label. you can create your own or find lots of free printables on pinterest. tape the label to the jar and add some festive ribbon around the top of the jar. 

once the pecans are completely cooled, fill the jar and screw on the lid and you have a perfect inexpensive christmas gift. 

the total cost for me was just $6.99 for the pecans. i already had all the spices and used an old olive jar and ribbon. 

what are some inexpensive gifts you've made?

wbw- christmas traditions

this weeks topic is:

What is a holiday tradition that you and your husband do or plan to do each year? 

Beau and i have started a couple holiday traditions this year and have some more that we plan on starting once we own our own home. one of our favorites is putting up all the decorations on the day after thanksgiving. we drink hot chocolate and listen to christmas music while putting all the ornaments on the tree. it was so much fun this year to see how Owen looked at the tree when it was all lit up, with so much wonder. it makes me so excited for the years ahead and the christmas traditions we'll have with him.

the day after thanksgiving 2011. this was right before we found out i was pregnant with Owen.

the day after thanksgiving 2012. O is so in awe of the tree!

my instagram faves

i'm so excited about the topic this week:

your 6 favorite instagram photos

i'm just a tiny bit obsessed with instagram. i just love peeking into other peoples lives :)

it was tough to pick 6, but here they are...

this is my favorite one of all. i love watching my guys sleep so peacefully!

i miss the days when O would just hibernate in the sling.

i love this picture, because it's from our first date after O was born.

this one is self explanatory. look how darn cute he is.

i never want to forget these precious details.

any picture with my handsome boys is perfect!

follow me on instagram

@vegters3

i'll follow you back. the more fun pictures to looks at, the better!