and this Christmas...

...will be, a very-merry Christmas.

And that it was. I love Christmas. A lot. And didn't mind one bit that we had four of them this year. We spend Christmas Eve making memories with my husband's wonderful family. Christmas Day it was my family's turn, and we hosted! Matt and I both really love hosting, and realized after the day was over that we are going to need a larger dwelling place in order to continue doing so comfortably. Especially with Baby on the way :)

We all know that with Christmas, comes gifts. Giving and receiving. And I know everyone loves to do both. But I really LOVE giving. The spending time searching for just the right thing, or making just the right thing, is so fun for me every year. I also LOVE wrapping gifts... but that's a whole other blog post.

 
This year my mom wanted to do something special with her gift giving. My parents divorced this past year, and she wanted to make sure we got a few of the things that made our house a home for the many years we were all under the same roof. The gifts brought back memories for all of us, and some tears as we realized this meant the house would never be the same. But it really made for a good Christmas.

 My hubby also got me some really awesome things... Seriously. The pictures probably don't do justice, but know this. I was so blessed this year by his thoughtfulness. And hope everyone had those feelings while precious time was spent with loved ones.

Here's to a million more!

love & fur,
e.

ponders and presents

It's quiet around here right now. Granted, I don't have kids or a noisy dog, and the hubster is out. But I feel like it's not only quiet in my house- the physical. It's quiet in my heart. In the heavens. I have been so heavily burdened by the news of such small lives being taken today. And feel those "motherly" tugs every time something more comes on the news.

Let us not forget these and their families in our thoughts and prayers.

On a bit of a brighter note, promised.joy is still partnering with E & co. for the remainder of this Holiday Season! And we (both Emily and myself) have been loving all the traffic in my shop and hers! It is so refreshing to see people going beyond themselves this Christmas :)

I've got some joyous goodies like this in the shop:

(link)

(link)

(link)

and here are a few beauties you can find on the E & co. website:

My personal fav- Sunny Day Rudraksha (link)

Cinnamon Spice (link)

Christmas Eve (link)

Stop by {both} and check out what we've got! Remember- 10% of each sale from my shop is going straight to E & co. And I know you want to see them receive a large sum. You can't even lie about it...

love & I believe in Santa,
e.

a mouth-watering recipe

Right before Thanksgiving I was browsing Pinterest (you can follow me here) and happened upon this pin: 30 best pie recipes.

If you remember, last New Year's I made a resolution of sorts to become a pie maker. I've always loved pie- and probably loved the thought of being really good at making them even more. But until this year, I had literally never even helped make one.

I got my mom's ama-zing pie crust recipe and went to town. Ok, kind of. I've only made 7 this whole year. But that's more than ever before!

Anyway, back to the 30 best pie recipes. I decided I was going to choose one of those recipes and make it for Thanksgiving, along with your traditional pumpkin. And boy let me tell you... THIS recipe {Easy Blackberry Pie} was SO delicious I think I could have eaten the whole pie myself! The original recipe came from a blog: Remodelaholic. And I followed it exactly.

I made this at request of my father. His boss loves blackberry pie. Hehe

Blackberry Pie 

Makes one 9″

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare your pie crust, line one 9″ pie pan, and roll out enough dough for a top. (or purchase a 2 pie crust package freezer package)

In a bowl combine:

3/4 – 1 cup sugar

3 T flour

dash salt

1 – 1lb bag frozen blackberries (or blue…)

1-2 tsp lemon juice

Fold together, gently.  The flour and sugar won’t necessarily melt, it doesn’t matter.  Pour into the prepared pie shell.

Cut 2 Tbsp of butter into small squares and distribute over the top of the berries.  Cover with a top crust, either a solid piece with a few slits or lattice, which ever you prefer.  And  bake for 40-45 minutes.

Serve hot or cold!  Both are great!

Honestly. You need to make this. Even if you don't think you like blackberries. Just do it. Cuz I said so.

love & watering mouth,
e.