DIY- Christmas Ribbon Tree

I found this super easy craft idea on the Michaels website. I was looking for something crafty to work on (after months of wedding projects, it has been weird not to have anything to work on). I also wanted to have a fun centerpiece to add to our Christmas decor.

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies
Materials: Styrofoam cone (8-inch pictured), various Christmas ribbons, straight pins, star topper
Tools: Scissors

I found these tiny tree toppers on sale, but you can also make your own star using cardstock and a tiny wooden dowel (or even a toothpick or pipe cleaner!)

Step 2: Cut Ribbon
Cut varying ribbon into 3-inch strips. I used 5 different red/silver ribbon designs, but choose the ribbon of your choice.

Step 3: Start Pinning!
Fold a strip of ribbon in half and pin to the bottom of the Styrofoam cone, starting at the bottom and alternating the ribbon designs. Once you make your way around the cone, begin pinning another layer to slightly overlap the one underneath, and start working your way up.

Step 4: Attach the Topper
I was able to just pin this star on the top, but you can also insert a wooden dowel with a paper star.

And, voila! Super simple Christmas decoration :)

Thanksgiving, Mike's Birthday, A Party, & Our First Christmas Tree!

I haven't been very good about blogging or taking pictures. I'm a little sad that I don't have any pictures from this weekend :( There's just a lot going on, and quite frankly it's my last thought to reach for my camera....maybe that means I am just enjoying the moment too much?? Haha. Or perhaps I am just that forgetful. Either way, I'm going to try to be better about taking pictures. I know I will want them in the years to come. That being said, here's a (picture-less) recap of the weekend...

A Married Thanksgiving
This was our first married Thanksgiving! And like many people whose parents live in separate cities, we had to make decisions on where we would be this holiday. This year we spent Thanksgiving with Mike's family, and the plan is to head to SA for Christmas. This was tough for me. Either way, I would be with family, but it was strange being away from my parents and brother this year. It felt weird to just call them on the phone to wish them a happy Thanksgiving. I missed our family traditions and being able to spend it the way I have for the past 25 years...but I am so incredibly thankful for the new family the Lord has blessed me with in the McCulloughs. I am so grateful to be a part of this sweet family! To have another brother and now a sister, to have nieces and nephews, and to have additional parents who love me as one of their own.

We headed over to Mike's parents for our Thanksgiving meal. Mike's mom was incredibly sweet and went out of her way to make sure that I felt welcome and loved. She wanted me to feel at home and as sad as possible about being away from my family. The McCulloughs open their home every year to a lot of people- of course family, but then also anyone else who doesn't necessarily have a place to celebrate. It made for quite a party! It was encouraging to see how they love people and open their home to so many. I loved that there were people in every room and around every corner...it was a fun day filled with delicious food and sweet family and friends. While it was difficult to be away from what I've known, I have to say that married Thanksgivings are fun! :)

Mike's Birthday & Our First Christmas Tree!
Mike turned the Big 3-0 this weekend! People keep asking him how he feels about leaving his 20s, and his response is how excited he is for his 30s...that these are going to be his best years yet! :) I have jokingly been calling him Old Man (simply because I can, and he will always be older than me), but I know he's far from it. I'm just excited I get to spend his 30s with him :)

Does this look like an old man to you?? I think not. My husband's a stud.

Mike's not much for grand birthday celebrations (which I don't think I will ever understand because I think birthdays are super fun!), so we kept things pretty low-key with a trip to the Apple store, some Mexican food at Gloria's, and decorating our first Christmas tree together. It was fun to pick out ornaments and decorate it together. I'm looking forward to a lot of fun Christmas traditions together! Like the season's first screening of Elf which I got to enjoy with my boy last night :)

Our First Christmas Tree

A Party with New Friends
Mike has been working hard at Starbucks, even earning the title of Barista of the Month! While he's busy making holiday drinks, he is also starting to make new friends with his co-workers and some of the regulars. This weekend, we invited a few of them over for some fajitas and games. It was fun to spend some more time with the people he talks about and who I have had a chance to meet when I go into the store. We are looking forward to deepening these friendships and hopefully having more fun hangouts with them :)

So that was our crazy whirlwind of a weekend...how was yours? I pray it was blessed, filled with fun memories and the people you love.

Married Life, Day #123

4 MONTHS WITH MY FAVORITE BOY

4 months ago, I married my favorite boy in the whole world. And 4 months later...he is still my favorite boy in the whole world :)

(Go ahead, gag now. And then get used to it, because I'm not going to stop haha).

Contrary to what he might say, I have no modeling gigs, and he's not my driver.

But we. look. AWESOME.  :)

Last night we had the joy of celebrating with some dear friends as they begin their journey toward married life. It was so fun to be a part of celebrating their brand new engagement!

SO excited for our sweet friends Clint and Kelly! :)

Mike and I both said how fun and special it was to think back on our engagement story. The joy and excitement, as well as the incredibly abundant blessings. I remember how incredibly happy I felt (and still do!) Not just an "oh that's nice" or "that's really fun" kind of happy. But a contented, heart-filling kind of happy. The kind that fills your heart and soul. The kind that graciously humbles you to the core. The kind that only comes from the generosity of Christ's love and His faithfulness of answered prayer. My prayer for our marriage is that we seek to honor Christ first in how we love each other and walk this life together. That we never lose the fun and excitement we felt when we got engaged, on our wedding day, and even now as newlyweds.

It's still kind of crazy to think that a year ago at this time, we were still dating. Little did I know what he was already planning... And now a year later, we are already 4 months married! It has definitely been a year of life changes; from getting engaged, planning a wedding, and getting married, to moving to McKinney. But I am so thankful that I have been able to face the changes with my favorite boy and my best friend.  :)

Weekend Update

Parents in Town
We got to spend the weekend with my parents. They were in town for the China Bible Ministry Exhibition, so we got to see them while they were here. It was definitely a fun weekend, full of great meals, bowling, and movies. Of course, we're doing what we can to convince my parents that they just need to move up here...but until then, we are grateful for the times we do get to spend with them.

CIC Designation
This weekend I learned that I passed my last (of 5) Certified Insurance Counselor exams and received my official designation! This is definitely something I am excited about celebrating, as the long hours of studying for those specific letters is over! :) I will continue to work toward my CPCU designation, but another one has been conquered.

Conversion Confession
So I finally said goodbye to my beloved Blackberry and switched to the iPhone. My Blackberry finally died on me, and I had no choice but to replace my phone. With my customer credit, it cost the same for me to get an iPhone as it would have been for me to just replace my Blackberry. So I made the switch and converted to Apple :) So far, I am loving the switch. So the conversion was for the better ;)

Happy Halloween
And I just couldn't go without posting about the sweet note I found in my lunch today...

How can something like that not make your day better? :)

Married Life, Day #100

WHAT I'VE LEARNED IN 100 DAYS:

Living life with the one you love is fun :)
Someone to come home to, to share meals with, to go do things with, to wake up to...just live life together. I am so grateful for the time I had as a single person, and as much as the Lord used that time for His purposes, I love how the Lord has designed the marriage relationship. As Mike often says, it's comforting to know you have someone who is always in your corner. So true.

Marriage is for our good, but for God's glory.
While we do get to enjoy the good things of marriage through relationship and living life together, marriage is first and foremost for the glory of God even more than it is for our benefit or enjoyment. And for us, as sinners, that requires the [sometimes painful] revelation of our own sinful hearts. The Lord is constantly calling us to be conformed to the image of His Son, and marriage is just a sharpening tool to reveal and then deal with sin in our hearts. I love what Dave Harvey says in his book When Sinners Say I Do...

"Your spouse was a strategic choice made by a wise and loving God. Selected by Him, for you, from the beginning of the world, your spouse is an essential part of God's rescue mission for your life...realize that God is behind it all, revealing the familiar sin so that it might be overcome by amazing grace."

What a humbling thought that brings me to my knees in gratitude. To know that Mike is a gift from the Lord to draw us both closer to our Savior. I'm learning that I don't always love how my sinful heart responds. It's not that this doesn't happen in other relationships; I pray to have the kind of relationships in which it does. It's just that it's so intimate and so obvious in marriage. But praise God for His grace and for the beauty of a God-centered marriage that can often be that picture of grace if we allow the Lord to work in us for His glory.

I have SO much to learn.
Every day I am reminded of how little I really know of marriage, how much I have to learn about being a good wife. I want to love Mike well, to honor and support him in the ways he should be. Sometimes it can be overwhelming, and I often wonder why in the world he thought I would be a good choice haha. But I am learning a little each day, by God's grace and with Mike's patience.

Mike is awesome.
He just is. Every day I am reminded of how incredibly blessed I am to call him my husband. How much of a gift it is to have him by my side. He is the picture of patience and grace-filled love. He is constantly encouraging me, supporting me, challenging me. I couldn't have asked for a better man, and I am excited about what the Lord has to teach us both.

Happy 100 days, Babe! I love you SO much, and I'm praying we get to enjoy hundreds more together ;)