Holiday Fun and Love

I truly enjoyed this holiday season! Hubby started off our HollyDay season with an early Christmas gift! Meet Holly Tacos Addis.....yes, her name is Holly Tacos. I picked her first name for obvious reasons and hubby was given the freedom to pick her middle name and he picked.....Tacos. Oddly, the name fits her! 

I then kicked off Thanksgiving with my Devoted Women Life Group with our annual Friendsgiving dinner! We had a black dress and pearls girl's night and had SO MUCH FUN!!! I adore these gals so much! 

Before heading to El Paso for Thanksgiving, I enjoyed some quality time at Holiday Happenings with my best friend from Junior High, Margo! We did some talking, taste testing and SHOPPING!!!!!!

The hubby and I then headed on to El Paso to spend it with family! That was SO much fun! We spent time with my sweet mother-in-law and really enjoyed spending our first holiday with hubby's side of the family and sweet Holly got to meet her cousin Copper!

Upon returning from El Paso, some of my lovely friends volunteered with me at the Scholastic Warehouse to collect books for my Christmas Library Reading at Mahon Library! We earned $200 dollars.....AND we had a blast doing it! 

The next weekend, I read to children at Mahon Library! We had so much fun and each child got to take a book home! My sweet friend Crystal led us in Christmas carols and the kids LOVED it so much! It was truly a fun morning!!!

I can't forget to tell you about the night before my reading.... pajama movie night with the girls!!!!!

December 14th, I said my "see ya laters" to co-workers and volunteers as the 14th was my last day working on staff at Trinity Church! It was a bitter sweet day as I have a HUGE passion for Life Groups and ministry BUT, God is moving my husband and I into a new season and it is time for me to focus on home, marriage and most importantly God. The busyness was taking me away from Him and even though I was working in ministry, sometimes I felt so disconnected and far away from Him. This next season will be a season of healing and restoration! I can't wait to see what He has in store for Darin and I! He will never ask us to let something we love go unless He has something even more amazing in store! 

The next day, I took hubby on a SURPRISE date!!!!! A surprise viewing of Star Wars Rogue!!!!! He LOVED IT! Wife points were earned! 

Our next stop was an Ugly Christmas Sweater on Friday night at our neighbor's place! Talk about FUN!!!! Hubby got SUPER festive with his!

That following Sunday I was blessed to be a part of Her Legacy's Mommy and Me Tea Party! I was asked to play Snow White and I'm so glad I said "yes"! Talk about a blessing! We got to love on kiddos and make them feel like princesses!!!!! It was SO MUCH FUN! Not to mention I got to do this with two of my best friends, Dilyn and Darcy AKA Sleeping Beauty and Pocahontas!

The next Tuesday, we celebrated Margo's birthday with dinner and drinks and really enjoyed the girl time and enjoyed celebrating this sweet girl!!!

The next day, I had my last Christmas Library Reading. I was a little sad to be reading my last Christmas story but I made sure to enjoy the moment!!! 

The next night we helped pack a Uhaul up for one of our Devoted Women who moved to Dallas the next morning. A bitter sweet moment....it was sad to say "see ya later" but I KNOW God has amazing things ahead for her!!!

Then finally, CHRISTMAS!!!!!! It was my first Christmas to not have to work since being married so I really enjoyed the weekend with hubby! We have spent so much time together this holiday season that my heart is just fluttering with so much happiness and joy!!!!! We haven't spent this much time together in our whole marriage! God knew what He was doing when He asked me to let go of my job! Being a wife is SO much fun!!! I feel like I'm JUST now being able to really enjoy it! Thank You Jesus!!!!

As you can tell, we had a VERY BUSY Holiday season but it was SO MUCH FUN!!!!! So many memories were made with amazing family and friends.... and so many exciting things in store for us!!! I can't wait for a NEW YEAR!!!!! 

ShoeDazzle - Rogers Pass Fuzzy Boots

These Rogers Pass Shoe Dazzle boots are the CUTEST boots to run around town in doing last minute Christmas shopping and drinking your favorite hot chocolate or coffee from your favorite coffee shop! My favorite coffee shop happens to be one of my friend's shop, The Coffee Shop in downtown Lubbock, TX!

I love these boots! They are warm, comfy and super cute!!!! To get your own, visit Shoe Dazzle here!

ShoeDazzle - Lizdee Ankle Boots

OH MY GOODNESS! I cannot explain to you guys how much I LOVE these Lizdee boots!!! I've never been a short boot gal until I wore these, now I can't seem to wear any other shoes!!!!

If you haven't tried out Shoe Dazzle, you gotta check it out here!

Nudu Natural Beauty Skin Care

If you are looking for a new Skin Care regimen that offers natural and safe ingredients, then Nudu Natural Beauty Skin Care is for you! As most of you know, I'm pretty particular about what I put on my skin. I tend to lean more towards natural ingredients so when I was sent this skin care line to try out, I was super excited about it. I've been using it for a little over a week now and I love it! I added it to my regimen with my homemade natural makeup remover wipes and my skin feels and looks amazing! I had been looking for a regimen that offered a safe and more natural ingredient list and looks like I found it!

I was sent the cream cleanser, reviving toner, gentle moisturizer, eye cream and a cute exfoliating sponge.

I LOVE how this product makes my skin feel and look!

DIY All-Natural Makeup Remover Wipes

Sleeping in your makeup can clog pores and cause unhealthy skin but if your skin is anything like mine, some makeup removers are too harsh on the skin. That's why I did some research and decided to make my own homemade all-natural wipes. I have been using these for about a month and I LOVE them! I wanted to test them out for a few weeks to make sure they worked properly before I shared my recipe. I have to say that I am SO happy with the results! My skin feels healthier and I have been told by several people that I'm "glowing" more these days!

Things You Will Need:

1/2 cup hot water

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons witch hazel

1 pinch of lavender buds

Measuring Spoon

Measuring Cup

Whisk

Bowl to Mix

Round Cotton Pads

Container With Tight-Fitting Lid

Step 1

You will need 1/2 of warm water and two tablespoons of coconut oil and a pinch of lavender buds. Coconut oil helps break down makeup, which makes it easer to remove from your face. Lavender helps treat acne, can detoxify the skin and helps firm your skin as it boosts circulation.

Step 2 

Add 2 tablespoons of which hazel and whisk to combine. Witch hazel fights bacteria and reduces inflammation which can help with those morning puffy eyes.

Step 3

Stuff your cotton rounds into your container. Try to fit in as many wipes as possible. 

Step 4

Pour the mixture slowly into your container, giving the cotton rounds time to absorb the mixture without overflowing your container. 

Step 5

Let the cotton rounds set for several hours. Once you are ready to use, scrape off the top portion of the top round as there will be access on it. Now you are ready to use your All-Natural Makeup Remover Wipes!!!! 

Scrape that off 

Disclaimer: This is my own personal recipe and I am not responsible for any skin issues, should you wish to try this. 

Cryssie's Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

It's that time of year again.......hot soup, fire place and movies! Here is an awesome and easy recipe for crockpot chicken noodle soup! 

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
6 cups chicken broth 
1 cup water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon salt & 1/4 teaspoon pepper)
2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles (recommend brand is No Yoke, see note below)
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. In a 6 quart crockpot place whole chicken breasts on the bottom and top with , carrots, onion, celery, garlic, olive oil, thyme and bay leaf.

 2. Next add in chicken broth, water, and season with salt and pepper to taste. I used 1/2 teaspoon salt & 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook on low heat 6 – 7 hours.

3. Remove cooked chicken breasts and cut into bite sized pieces. Place chicken back in to the crockpot. Now add in egg noodles and parsley.

4.Cover and cook just until noodles are tender, 5-10 minutes.

Darin loves when I make this! It's quick, easy, healthy and OH SO YUMMY!!!!

Enjoy!!! 

Sweet Puppy

 

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