Craftiness Abounds!

So my friend, Jami posted some cute, crafty Christmas ideas on her blog a few weeks ago. Me, being in need of some cheap, but thoughtful gifts, accepted the challenge and made one of them. The gigantic mess you see above was me preparing for batch #2 of my Martha Stewart Organic Bath Salts. I happened to add too much water to batch #1 and it continued to foam and foam until it tuned into the State Puft Marshmallow Man. Making bath salts is no easy task, people. Martha makes it look easy, but she has special powers and never sleeps. I'm sure she can also make these without covering her entire kitchen with baking soda and pink foam, but as you can see, that was not the case for me.

Anyway, they actually turned out to be pretty cool, if I do say so myself...

I also stole Jami's family recipe for "Martha Washingtons". Well, she actually refused to give it to me, even after I begged. So I had to Google it. These are delicious, gooey, coconut, nutty bon bons. They are also a project that creates a gigantic mess. Think: white, billowing clouds, of powdered sugar. They are well worth it, though.

What are your favorite things to make during the holidays? Do share! (Then I can steal your ideas, too!)

Girls Weekend!

Last weekend, I took a day off school and flew to KC for a girls' weekend. I was able to spend lots of quality time with good friends and catch up. I also got to visit Pawnee Elementary and see all of my friends and students there. I have so much love for the teachers and families at that school! It was a great day...and I got tons of much needed 1st grader hugs.

My friend Andrea is about to have her first baby (a girl!) in January so I was able to come to town for her shower. Jamie, Andrea, Emily & Leigh are 4 of my dearest friends from my hometown, Parsons, KS (or as we fondly call it..."PK"). Andrea and I have been friends since 1st grade! The rest of us have been pretty much inseparable since middle school. I'm so lucky to have these girls in my life! It's so cool to have friends who have such a long history of great memories together. Thanks for a great weekend, girls!

Friends are Friends Forever...

Billy and I often talk about how blessed we are to have such great friends in our lives.

Exhibit A: Mark and Jami Nato.

The Nato's are parents of 2. But, still delightfully immature...just like us. For example...seeing how many ways we can model a seashell belt. Yes, Jami did get scabies from putting it on her face, but don't worry. She's been treated and is fine now. We have shared many, many laughs with these two and lots of tears as well. We have seen each other through some really tough times. That's what community is all about. Now if we could just convince them to move to Nashville...

HOT-lanta!

Atlanta is only 4 hours from Nashville. I know this because I Google Mapped it before I moved to Nashville to see how far away the closest IKEA was. Billy and I decided that we really needed a fun getaway so we decided to take a little romantic rendezvous there. (Atlanta...Not IKEA!)

One of my second favorite things next to IKEA is Priceline. The Nazarene in me always feels a little guilty about using Priceline because it's pretty much gambling. OK...not really. But I do feel like I'm living dangerously and putting $40 on the line and never knowing what I'm going to end up with. It's an awesome way to stay in a 3 or 4 star hotel for super cheap.

I had never been to Atlanta...but can I tell you? It is one of my favorite cities now. I completely fell in love with it. Or at least move the IKEA to Nashville and that would suffice.

We felt very pampered in the Downtown Hyatt along with lots of suckers who probably paid full price. (Hee...hee...) We explored local flea markets, pizza joints, shopping, Historic Decatur, and the famous Varsity Drive-In. I highly recommend all of the above.

Visitors!

Sorry about the lack of bloggage! I have some catching up to do...

Our first KC visitors were Micah and Leslie Smith! We had an awesome time showing them the sites. They also surprised us with tickets to see our fave comedian Jim Gaffigan at the Ryman. (Hot Pocket!) We totally had a blast.

My mom and little sis, Heather, also came to Nashville for their first official visit. And of course the little muffin you see above, my nephew, Remy. I dare you to find a cuter baby.

I went from August to November without seeing them. That's like a decade in Donna-years. I, also, felt like it had been an eternity. We've probably gone that long without visiting in the past, but we always knew we were just 3 hours away. It's different now with a few more states in between us. It was great to have some girl time and relax around the two people who probably know me best.

By the way, thanks for all of you who were praying for my grandma. She is doing great! In the words of my grandpa, "She's back to her old self!" and we love that. She is still undergoing radiation therapy as a precaution, but her most recent scan showed no sign of a tumor left. Praise God!