to you & yours

wishing you all the joy of Christmas...

Have a lovely & wonderful day!

***

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel

(which means, God with us).

-- Matthew 1:23

I'll be taking a blog break from the next week or so...

I'll see you next year!

{21 things}

to celebrate my 21st birthday {the 25th},

I'm sharing 21 random things about me...

some you may know, some you may not,

but hopefully you enjoy!

{1} My birthday is on Christmas Day.

{2} I lived in the same city, the same house for 20 years.

{3} I married my favorite guy on October 8th!

{4} I have 4 younger sisters, aged 18, 16, 14 & 7.

{5} My dad is the youth pastor & music leader at our church.

{6} My mom is short. Like 4'11" short.

{7} I started taking piano lessons when I was 9.

{8} I learned sewing basics from my grandmothers.

{9} A sweet older lady from our church taught me to crochet years & years ago.

{10} I started the Couch to 5k program last week!

{11} Coffee is always a must for my morning.

{12} Alexandre Dumas is one of my very favorite authors.

I've read The Three Musketeers like 5 times.

{13} I love old movies & TV shows.

{14} Have you ever watched Monk? That is one of the modern shows I love.

{15} I have some OCD tendencies for sure. ;)

{16} I'm a nail-biter. I've almost broken the habit a few times...

but I can't seem to shake it.

{17} I'm a dog person. Definitely not a cat person.

{18} Coming up with 21 things about oneself is not as easy as it seems.

{19} I love color. Some of my favorites are pink, grey, plum, teal & mint.

{20} I'm thankful for the opportunity to share my creativity

with my shop, Petunia Blooms.

{21} I love Jesus. I am far from perfect, but I try to follow Him in everything I do.

So, tell me a random fact about yourself?

It's fun!

a couple announcements

Just wanted to let you lovelies know that there's an opportunity

for you to win this adorable ruffled clutch,

so hop on over to Lindsay's blog to check it out!

Also, for today & tomorrow only,

I will send a free gift along with any Petunia Blooms purchase.

A little "Merry Christmas" from me to you!

{wrapping it up}

pretty packaging gets me every time...

sheet music + twine

green velvet ribbon + a little ornament

kraft paper + cute tags + washi tape

a simple little wreath

This year I just got wrapping paper at Walmart & printed out some cute tags,

but I think next year I'm going to do kraft paper with pops of festive color. So fun!

linking up with Krystina!

couch to 5k {week one}

I started running last week.

This is a big deal for me.

I am not a runner.

But I want to be fit & healthy,

so I started the Couch to 5k program.

It starts out slow, which is exactly what I need.

I have no endurance, I get worn out really easily...

When I started the first workout, I felt really good.

I got to the halfway mark & felt like I was going to die.

BUT, then I finished the workout & it didn't seem that bad.

I guess I just had to push myself a little harder. :)

So, since I blog about my life, I wanted to share about my

Couch to 5k experience each week.

It's not what I would usually blog about, but it's important to me.

Thanks for reading along!

{merry christmas q&a}

stole this from Libby...so fun!

1. egg nog or hot chocolate? I really dislike eggnog, but hot chocolate stirred with a candy cane is super yummy!

2. does santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? We don't do Santa at all, but presents should always be wrapped.

3. colored lights on tree/house or white? I prefer white; it just coordinates better with everything {to me}.

4. do you hang mistletoe? Never have, but it might be kinda fun. ;)

5. when do you put your decorations up? I like to celebrate one holiday at a time, so definitely after Thanksgiving. It at least has to be December.

6. what is your favorite holiday dish? Hmmm...I'm actually not sure. I really like stuffing with lots of gravy on it.

7. favorite holiday memory as a child? Going to pick out a Christmas tree, then listening to Christmas music while we all decorated it.

8. when and how did you learn the truth about santa? It was never an issue because we never did Santa. I used to get in trouble with other parents for telling their kids that Santa wasn't real {when I was like 5/6}.

9. do you open a gift on christmas eve? Nope.

10. how do you decorate your christmas tree? White lights, red & gold-ish balls, some special ornaments & snowflakes. I used a red tablecloth for a tree skirt, too! ;)

11. snow! love it or dread it? I thought I hated it, but then we spent last Christmas up north with my grandparents and I loooved it! I wouldn't want to live in it, though.

12. can you ice skate? It's been like 10 years since I went ice skating...I really want to go again soon!

13. do you remember your favorite gift? Hmmm, not sure. I've had a lot of favorite gifts over the years!

14. what's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Celebrating the birth of the Savior, spending time with family.

15. what is your favorite holiday dessert? If it includes chocolate, I'm happy!

16. what is your favorite holiday tradition? It's always been special that my dad would read us Luke 2 on Christmas morning before we could open gifts.

17. what tops your tree? Growing up, an angel {from my parent's December wedding}, now a star.

18. which do you prefer: giving or receiving? I really love giving...but I also really enjoy receiving. :) 

19. candy canes: yuck or yum? YUM. I've already eaten too many this season...

20. favorite christmas show? I really love Holiday Inn. Bing Crosby AND Fred Astaire in the same movie!

21. saddest christmas song? The Christmas Shoes. Hate it. Won't listen to it ever. {also, Matthew West's One Last Christmas is terribly sad, too...}

22. what is your favorite christmas song? Um...I love so many Christmas songs! Chris Tomlin's version of Joy to the World, Winter Wonderland, White Christmas, O Holy Night, a bunch of the Christmas hymns, etc, etc.

How about you?

{Christmas at our place}

So, I may have mentioned it,

but I really love Christmas.

And can you believe it's only 11 days away?!

This year has been especially exciting,

since I get to celebrate with my new husband.

We got to go pick out a tree,

string lights, hang the ornaments...

so much fun!

our little dining room

{the lighting is terrible, but the decorations are adorable!}

table runner & snowflakes from Target

mason jars from my collection

candy canes from Walmart

braided yarn garland made by me

& our tree!!

I absolutely love it. :)

some of our special ornaments

we also got a little baby tree...

stockings from Target

nativity from cbd

I love coming downstairs every morning to see our pretty tree.

All the decorations make it seem so festive.

And celebrating our Savior's birth is an amazing thing.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

I'd love to hear about it!

linking up with Krystina & the Nester!

{cold hands, warm hearts}

I was so excited to find out that there would be another

Cold Hands, Warm Hearts swap this year!

This year my swap partner is Nicole

from Sew Much Sunshine.

She sent me a very cute package of pretty things...

Nicole is pretty awesome, because she found out I live in Florida

& sent appropriate accessories for our not-so-cold weather. :)

adorable fingerless gloves {with bows on them!}

a light, pretty neckwarmer in one of my favorite colors

a cute ruffled coffee cozy

yummy-smelling lotion & hand sanitizer

and chapstick, perfect because my lips get so dry!

Thanks so much for the awesome package, Nicole!

So excited to get to know you through the swap. :)

and thanks to Ilene & Sandy for hosting again!

What is your favorite cold weather accessory?

{color love} evergreen

It's been a looong time since I've done a {color love} post!

This color is holiday-inspired, lovely for this season.

{ evergreen }

{1} a fun watch

{2} a fancy place setting

{3} a cozy scarf

{4} a shoe perfect for holiday parties

{5} a pretty dress, too

{6} a great bag

{7} and some lovely greenery

What is your favorite color for

the Christmas season?

{what i love} wishing for...

How is it Wednesday already?! Crazy.

Christmas is coming up, which means gifts for the people you love!

{I won't lie & say that I don't like gifts...}

So I just wanted to share some favorites of mine...

maybe you'll spot a great gift for someone you know!

{1} "bloom" hoop art from BlossomAndVine

{2} Bleak House by Charles Dickens iPhone/iPod charging dock

{3} grey & white chevron pillow cover from moxiemandie

{4} bird in tree stationery set from naomilynn

{5} pocket clutch from sewchatty

{6} chevron necklace from michellesmith

{7} navy polka earrings from Bebecha

linking up with Krystina!

weekend fun!

Since we got married, I've cherished weekends a lot more than I used to.

I love having my man home, sleeping in a little,

having coffee together since he doesn't have to rush off to work.

This weekend was especially special.

My 21st birthday is on Christmas Day, 

so we celebrated early!

Hubby took me shopping, lunch at Chik-Fil-A,

dessert & candles to blow out.

It was a very nice way to celebrate a birthday. :)

other weekend highlights include...

...going tree shopping!

I love Christmas, and getting a tree is always one of my favorite things.

We picked out a really nice one,

and my sweet husband even let me get a little baby tree. ;)

I've been working on getting the decorations up,

and I definitely plan to share pictures soon!

...celebrating another birthday!

My niece turned 4 yesterday,

and Saturday she had a little party.

Love my little nieces & nephews!

...church on Sunday.

I took a break from playing keyboard on

our music team when I got married,

but I played again yesterday & loved it.

I miss having a piano/keyboard in the house.

...birthday celebration with my family.

I had lunch with my family after church,

and they had a little party for me.

Complete with ice cream cake & a gift!

...Christmas shopping with my mom.

Apparently I'm good at shopping for other people,

so I helped my mom pick out gifts for a sister.

...just relaxing.

It's a nice time to unwind before the schedule of a new week.

How was your weekend?

I hope my ramblings didn't bore you...

InstaFriday

It's InstaFriday!

{1} wearing my new plaid top & a favorite Lisa Leonard necklace earlier this week. love.

{2} my man had to work late, but he brought Starbucks home!

{3} going out for dinner, rocking a side braid

{4} one of my favorite Bible verses, Deuteronomy 33:26-27

{5} out with my favorite guy!

{6} my husband cracks me up. he's silly. :)

{7} our version of peppermint mochas - yum!

{8} afternoon manicure/pedicure + Dr. Pepper. perfect.

{9} a birthday gift for my little niece; a Rapunzel braid. so cute.

{10} fancy new running shoes. not that I run much...

{11} this candle smells like Christmas. amazingly so.

{12} crocheting pretty little ornaments.

And, I got my scarfament swap package in the mail from Lindsay!!

She wrapped it up so cute {I totally failed comparatively, sorry girl!},

and I absolutely love my cozy new cowl & sweet ornaments.

Thanks so much, friend!

{also, she's giving away a cowl right now if you want one for yourself...}

Happy Friday, everyone!

dear December,

{from here}

I'm so glad you're finally here!

You are my absolute favorite month of the whole year.

I can now sing Christmas carols with reckless abandon,

deck the halls of our little home,

wrap up lovely presents for the ones I love,

wonder what my hubby's getting for me... {wink!}

celebrate my 21st birthday,

eat lots of yummy Christmas cookies,

enjoy the glow of the season,

and remember that my Savior's birth is the real reason

for this wonderful time of the year!