Frivolous Friday

Only two more sleeps! Are you ready? I've been basically living in my kitchen this week and now I have one cheesecake to make and then I'm done making desserts. Probably for a month. We're so lucky to live close to family so our Christmas day is nice and relaxing, hitting up three rounds of presents and delicious food within a few miles of our house. It's the best day of the year.

The hour I first believed

Chocolate three ways

The perfect hideaway

Beautiful

According to Pinterest

In case you needed this

How good are you?

Also, thank you everyone for your sweet comments on yesterday's post! It's good to know that there are so many people who care. Hugs to each one of you!

Merry Christmas! I hope you have a happy one!

(Image via The Worship Project)

How to Survive Without a Baby for the Holidays

How to Survive a New Relationship During the Holidays. How to Survive with No Relationship During the Holidays. How to Survive His Mother-in-Law this Christmas. How to Bring Your Boyfriend Home this Christmas. Everybody seems to have all the answers in terms of relationships during the holiday season. But what about women like me? Women who are in a satisfying marriage, just waiting for God to bless it and make it fruitful. No one has an article for that, at least not that I've found.

Yet the holidays can be the most painful time for the woman struggling with infertility. There are Christmas cards and letters from friends and family, featuring their beautiful children. There are images everywhere of rosy cheeked young Mary, holding her sweet smelling newborn baby. There are the daydreams we have of baking cookies, setting up the tree and gathering around the Advent candles with our own wide eyed children. Most likely, we entertained those same dreams last year and yet here we are again. Another Christmas with empty arms. It hurts. A lot. And it's hard to know how to handle that pain when everyone around us is joyfully celebrating the season. Do you force a smile and chug along like nothing is wrong? Do you hole up until New Years with your pajamas and Netflix? I can't really tell you those are wrong because some days, that's exactly what I've done. But most days, here are a few things I've found that help.

1. Let it out. Take the time to cry. There will be that one Christmas letter or that one Facebook photo or that one comment that will make your chest tight and your throat hurt. Find a quiet place and let it out because crying is okay. Many times, it's necessary. And most likely, you'll feel better after you do.

2. Revel in your marriage. Believe it or not, you and your husband are a family! Just the two of you! It has taken me too long to realize this and it was definitely attitude altering. I have a print on my wall that says simply "You and me and the cat" to remind me of this every day. Don't wait for kids to make Christmas cookies. Don't wait for kids to sing the carols in the Advent devotional. Don't wait for kids to start your own traditions and enjoy the season together.

3. Spoil your pet. It seems silly, but my cat is my baby right now. So naturally, he has a stocking and I filled it with presents. Not anything crazy but a little something that will make him happy, which will bring me joy. When your heart has that urge to nurture and love, feel free to spend those urges on your pet!

4. Hope. This is a hard one because hope can be agonizing. Especially when another month goes by and still no little plus sign. After a while, it's easy to pack all those thoughts and hopes and dreams away and just not feel those feelings. To let them blossom in your heart is difficult, but it's necessary. You can't hide those things from God. He knows the scars of disappointment you carry on the inside. He saw the times you sobbed so hard on the bathroom floor that you couldn't breathe. He longs to show you His healing power and let you know that with Him, it is safe to hope.

Don't mistake me. I'm not saying these four things are going to make everything sunshine and roses. In my three years of waiting and hoping and dreaming, it's only gotten harder to do these things. There are still going to be those days and those struggles and those disappointments. But these four things have helped me to focus on what I have this time of year instead of walking around in bitterness and disappointment because of what I don't have. I hope they help you! And if you need someone to have coffee with so you can talk openly about these things you can't write in a Christmas letter, my door is always open.

(Image via The Glossier Nerd)

Gift Guide: Them

Yes, I know that Christmas is in five days, but I can't bear to post a gift guide before Thanksgiving which means this one is cutting it close. Sorry. It's for the little people which means you probably already have a nice big list of things they want! But in case you are still looking for one last thing, here's some really cute things that might give you a good idea for your daughter or nephew or grandchild.

Eight Ornaments

Originally this was an "Ornaments I Like" post... but then I found the Chinese takeout box ornament and it was all over. I decided to try to find my personality in Christmas ornaments. Cause it ought to be easy right? They actually do have basically every Christmas ornament imaginable. I did it in eight and here they are:

Gift Guide: Her

Do  you realize how hard it is to put together a gift guide for girls? There are just so many pretty things! Especially in December when you're scrolling through everyone else's gift guides and you come up with so many new ideas. I think I revamped this one three times before I was happy with it. So without further ado, here's six ideas for the women in your life:

December Playlist

Christmas music is just the best, isn't it? It's so happy and uplifting and fun. I love the day after Thanksgiving when I can fall into it completely. We've been playing it nonstop at our house... and in the car... since then. So obviously, this month's playlist includes a few songs from our favorite Christmas albums. Feel free to play on repeat!

Gift Guide: Him

Full confession, I'm done shopping for Dearest Carl. I planned it all out early and ordered it all when I was ordering gifts for our Watkins Thanksmas. That way he would have no idea by the size of the box what he's getting! It was a brilliant idea. But then I realized that I couldn't use any of those things in this gift guide. So here's a few guy worthy gifts that I may or may not be saving for later.

Inspired By...

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

The Perfect Fourth

There's a few things necessary to make up the perfect Fourth of July. Fireworks are one to be sure, but in my opinion, there ought to be a few others. These to be exact:

String Lights // Pasta Salad // Corn Hole // Shoes // Dress

Okay your turn. What makes a Fourth of July a glorious Fourth for you?

(Top image via @sealy3)

Mother's Day Gifts to Buy and DIY

Mother's Day is such a special holiday. A day to say thank you for not just the meals and clean laundry and chauffeuring, but for the hugs and the listening ear and the sacrifices and the love. We give them cards because sometimes we just can't find the right words. We buy them flowers because they deserve beautiful things always. And if you can throw in a special gift, you probably get brownie points. The best kinds of gifts are the ones that have options to buy and DIY. I've found eight that I'm sure your mom will love.

The Red Dress

Maybe it's just me, but I think almost every girl has that dream of spending Valentine's Day with her lover in a stunning red dress. Just imagine, throwing on something crimson and silky with your favorite pair of heels, walking into a fancy candlelit restaurant on the arm of the man you love. It's a dream date with a dream dress. So while I'm dreaming, I gathered my favorite red dresses that I'm putting in my dream closet to go on all those romantic dates of my daydreams. Wow, that's a lot of dreaming...

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

5 // 6 // 7 // 8

In reality, I don't have a red dress to wear on Valentine's Day. But since blue is Dearest Carl's favorite color anyway, it all works out. :)

(Top image via Vintage Gal)

Gift Guide: Them

Growing up with younger siblings and then being a nanny for multiple years, I've had a first hand experience with the toy box. Often, it is filled with toys that kid's play with for the first week after their birthday... that then float to the bottom of the basket while the favorite toys come out to play. This being the case, it's made me a picky gift-giver for the kids I know. While books are always a hit, I do like finding toys that encourage imaginative play and puzzles that build the brain! So you won't find any Barbies or Hot Wheels in this post. No, this is a one of a kind gift guide for kids.

Dating in December

I loooooove date night. Love it love it love it! We don't have them very often, so when December was rolling into view, I decided to use the opportunity to think up a fun Christmas-y activity for each week of the month. Here's why. One, there's some really fun Christmas activities and when you call it a date, it makes it even more special! Two, the month of December is fraught with parties and events and activities, so having a specific date night planned makes us stop and connect amidst all the merrymaking.

We're smack dab in the middle at the moment and we've had some great fun! So I thought, if you need a little inspiration for some Christmastime dates that don't involve present shopping for your kids, here's how we're dating this month.

Gift Guide: Her

Aren't girls so much fun to buy for? I have issues with it. I could spend a fortune buying gifts for my mother and my sisters and my girlfriends. But when you find that most perfect present, it's hard not to go ahead and purchase it! Just so we're on the same page, if you scroll through this gift guide and find that most perfect present for that girl you know, I give you full permission to purchase it. K?

Our Christmas Movie Classics

Everyone has them. The Christmas movies that you pull out year after year. You can quote them. You can sing along to the soundtrack. But it doesn't matter how many times you've seen them. They're classics and it wouldn't be Christmas without them. Dearest Carl and I have spent the last three years acquiring our Christmas classics and I think we finally have all the necessities. So while we go cozy up and watch another one, you can read about what's on our Christmas classics list!

My 10 Favorite Christmas Cards

Christmas cards are so much fun. There's nothing like getting an envelope in the mail that has your name handwritten across the front. Seriously, we should send cards all year long!

Dearest Carl and I post our Christmas letter on Facebook instead of sending out cards because we know too many people and would need a whole separate piggy bank for the stamps themselves. Plus, we have family and friends on Facebook that we don't have addresses for so by utilizing social media, we can share about our family more widely than a card could do. But I still love looking through Christmas cards!!! Here are my favorites.

Gift Guide: Him

I have a love/hate relationship with gifting for the men in my life. On one hand, I hate how all the gift guides you find online suggest game tickets and etched flasks and expensive watches... because none of them apply to the men in my life. On the other hand, since I can't find inspiration online easily, I love the challenge! So I promise you that you won't find the things in this gift guide that seem to be in everyone else's. And I hope you find some inspiration for you hard to buy for man!

My Christmas Playlist

Christmas music has to be one of my favorite kinds of music. It brings to mind twinkly lights and pine trees and star shaped cookies and shiny wrapping paper. That's why I save it for December, because otherwise I can't handle the fact that Christmas is so far away. Since I'm listening to it all month long, I thought I'd give you a taste of what's playing at our house!

What is on your Christmas playlist?

(Image via Adore Your Place)

Guest Post: Pastor Greg Ruble

Thankfulness has always been a part of my life. My parents taught me at a young age that saying "Thank you" was being polite. And as I've made a childhood religion my own personal relationship, I've discovered how important thankfulness really is in my life as a Christian. But I thought instead of listening to me ramble about it, who better to hear from about thankfulness than my pastor, who is also my dad, the person who taught me about it from the start. :) Here is what he has to say about thankfulness:

It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year! The excitement of the holiday season beginning, the hard work to get 5 days done in 3 and the anticipation of a Thanksgiving feast with family we don’t see very often. Of course the Thanksgiving holiday provides an opportunity to ramp up our thankfulness and that’s always a good thing. You’ve heard of having an attitude of gratitude? While that's something we ought to hang on to all year round, this week puts gratitude in the spotlight, mixes our everyday thankfulness with an energy drink, makes your heart burst with the joy and humility for all that God has done for you. In short, you don’t want to live this week without experiencing gratitude on steroids. How? 

First, make sure you are returning thanks to the proper place. James 1:17 (NLT) says, “Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” If you can spot something good in your life, you know where it came from. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good! (Ps 107:1) 

Second, look further than the obvious blessings and return thanks for them as well. Just today, I was served breakfast by someone who got up early, put a smile on their face and took good care of us while we ate. My house was warm, our car started, the sun is out, I’m mostly healthy, we’re putting up the Christmas tree early, our house will be open to a stream of guests this week and the new Star Wars movie is only a month away! There’s a lot of good that we miss in our lives which means there’s a lot of gratitude too. 

Third, beware of the thanksgiving killer, discontentment. It’s not possible to be thankful and discontent at the same time because gratitude comes from appreciating what has already been given, discontentment comes from focusing on the things you do not have. So count your blessings! Ramp up the gratitude! Squash the ‘wanter’ inside of you and enjoy the moments, the people and the love that are present in your life this week. Return that thanks to the Giver of all good gifts and get ready to celebrate the greatest gift we have ever been given, Jesus. Might I suggest Ps 103 to get that heart pumping with gratitude this week. Blessings!

I hope that you are reminded this week of all the things we have to be thankful for. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

(Image via Margaret Berg Art)

Fourth of July

Fourth of July is Saturday but I feel like it's already started! Our little town had it's patriotic show and fireworks this past weekend and we had some family and friends over for a bonfire to celebrate. So I've had red, white and blue on my mind for a couple weeks. For the actual holiday, we'll be with Dearest Carl's family which means good food, good friends and loads of fireworks. But I just had to put together some of my favorite ideas for you! I hope one or two of them will help you plan for your shindig!