o christmas tree

i think Landon and i are going to get a christmas tree tonight!  this will actually be our first christmas tree as a married couple since we didn't get one last year.  i'm pretty excited!

it was a bit tough getting back into the work week yesterday after having time off, but it's good to be back on a schedule.  i'm trying to be productive today.

we are getting so excited for our jamaica trip...we're leaving this saturday and i cannot wait!  i want to pack now because somehow i feel like that would make saturday come more quickly.

i'm floating blissfully today because i might have a possible dream job opportunity to start next spring.  Landon and i are still thinking over it, but it just came out of the blue and seems like it would be perfect timing.  i'm constantly amazed at how God seems to give us what we need at the perfect moment...not to soon and not too late.

well it's cloudy outside, but our home is warm and we are content.  i'm so thankful for today and the chance to catch up on projects.

have a wonderful day!

leah

holiday love

highlights of thanksgiving =

*landon's whole family + my parents
*amazing food
*lots of hot tea, hot chocolate, and hot cider
*making music with the family and with daniel's crazy collection of instruments
*settlers of catan!
*football
*pumpkin pie
*zooreka
*family pictures
*my momma's birthday celebration
*christmas tree hunting and cutting
*fixing a ton of christmas lights
*watching landon and benjamin attempt (and succeed) at christmas light surgery
*snuggling with landon
*warm fire
*amazing moon at night
*being in the country again where i belong
*relaxing with some of the coolest people i know

i love our families and how much we have been blessed.  it was a wonderful thanksgiving weekend.

xo

Thanks!

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I hope you all have a special Thanksgiving day celebrating with family and friends.  I'm so looking forward spending time with Landon's family and my parents these next few days.
Take time to think about what is truly meaningful in your life as you celebrate!

Love,

Leah

i'm so happy

can i just say how lucky and happy i am to be married to this guy.  he is the best husband anyone could ask for.

this week off of work has been productive so far.  i can't believe all the stuff that accumulates around this tiny apartment like papers, dust, laundry, dishes, my clothes in rumpled piles, the trash.  it's a constant upkeep, but i read somewhere that doing a little bit of cleaning and picking up each day makes it easier than one huge overhaul.  ok, i'll try that.

i started making some Christmas presents and i'm pretty excited!  we're going low key this year, with our vacation as our gift to one another, but i still wanted to make some things for family members.  i wish i could give you a sneak peek, but they might read this. shhh.

i got our Christmas cards done, now to address and send them.

i am making two pumpkin pies tomorrow for our Thanksgiving feast and i am going to really try hard not to eat any on the drive home...but i can't be responsible for a missing slice.

our small group got cancelled for tonight, so i'm spending this evening with my boy when he gets off of work...he has been working a lot of overtime and i am dying to see him!

have a super awesome evening friends.

leah

holiday table decor

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I'm getting so excited to spend Thanksgiving at home with our dear family.  These beautiful table decor ideas are so inspiring and gets me even more in the mood.
I bought my ingredients today and I can't wait to start baking!
My second love is the kitchen for sure.

xo

ten speed love

Oh how I wish we could live in a place where I could literally ride a bike everywhere....to work, to the coffeehouse, to the grocery.  How amazing would that be?  I could get an old ten speed on sale and refurbish it, then fit it with this amazing bicycle pannier from Etsy.

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I once took a quiz to see what European city I belonged in, and my result said Amsterdam.  Now I'm not one for believing online quizzes, but my bike plan would work out perfectly in that city.  I've never been to Amsterdam, but I'd love to go someday.

This weekend has been full of fun and friends...so nice.  My dear friend Ballard stayed with us from Thursday to Saturday and we took in a comedy club, the Flying Cupcake, Monon Coffee Co., and relaxing movie and needlework time.  Then we met up with my sister and her husband and two other college friends and spent yesterday having gourmet pizza, half-priced Starbucks, and shopping at the great malls around here.  I bought a bikini for our trip that was tagged at $6.99 for each piece, but rang up for $0.99 each at the register!!  I got it for $2.  I'm extremely pleased. Can't wait to go swimming in the warm ocean with it!

Hope you all have a lovely Sunday afternoon and spend it seeing or talking to someone you love.

Leah

beautiful

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good morning friends!
today is beautiful, i got to wake up next to my best friend who i love so much.
i get time off of work to be productive (that is my goal) and make our home neat and inviting.
later, i get to make a cup of steaming and delicious hot tea and savor the flavor.
there is time set aside today that i can read and study my bible which i need to do more of each day.
the overcast sky makes me feel cozy when i am inside and gives me a chance to wear a scarf when i'm out.
later tonight, my dear friend who i like to think of as my little sister is coming to visit for the weekend.
we'll get to have really good talks and be real with one another....something i treasure in my close friends.

what a beautiful day!

i hope you all have a wonderful day as well...slow down and have something hot to drink and read your favorite book for awhile.

love,
leah

Vacation!

I am SO excited for this holiday season to start!  Spending time with family is so wonderful.  I get all of next week off of work, so I'll have plenty of time to bake!  We'll be bringing pumpkin pie and maybe green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving next week.  Yum, yum.

Then, the weekend after Thanksgiving weekend, we are headed off to Jamaica!!  Ahh, it's going to be such an awesome vacation!  My sister Hannah, and her husband Jon are coming with us and we're staying at an all-inclusive resort for a week.  They offer a ton of extra activities like scuba diving, boat tours, and day trips at no extra cost, so we are planning to take in as much as we can.  Plus, we get to spend it with our best friends!  Hannah and Jon are so cool and we can't wait to spend quality time having a blast!

So, awesome thanksgiving, awesome vacation, then back for an awesome Christmas!

 For our honeymoon, Landon and I went to an all-inclusive resort in Antigua and had the time of our lives.
Here are a few pictures from the best trip ever.

Here's to holidays filled with family and friends.
xo

Natural Face Wash

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So I've continually struggled with finding a face cleansing regimen that truly has worked....soft skin, clear skin, moisturized skin, clear pores, and no tightness or dry spots.  I ran through multiple brands, tried different methods, and spent lots of money on products that, inevitably, didn't work.  It's like my skin would be great after the first few uses, then slowly stop responding to the cleanser.  So frustrating.

Well, I'm so happy because I have found something that really does work!  I stumbled across this article on natural face cleansing and instantly got excited.  This oil cleansing method uses two natural ingredients: castor oil, and extra virgin olive oil.  That's it!

To make your cleanser, just add the two oils together in a container (I did a 1 part castor oil to 2 parts olive oil).

Then, apply a quarter-size amount to your dry face, rubbing it in for about 1 minute.

Take a washcloth and wet it under very hot water.  Squeeze it out a bit, then lay over your face and let it cool down, about 1 minute.  I repeat this, then I just wipe off my face making sure to rub around my nose and chin where my pores seem to build up the most.  If my skin feels a tad dry, I just add a teeny amount of olive oil and rub it in.  I was amazed at how bright smooth my skin was, and how it didn't feel greasy at all.  Landon has even noticed!

I still use my make up removing cream before washing my face, otherwise my eye lashes seem a bit greasy and my mascara will smear.  But other than that, I just wash my face once a night and rinse my face in the morning.  This method is cheap in the long run, and natural to beat.  I bought the oils from Whole Foods for about $5 each, and they will probably last me over a year, maybe longer.

Take time to read the article since it will explain this in a lot more detail.  Have fun!

xo

goodbye soy cappuccino

i finally finished my little owl the other day.  i took a couple days break, then started on another creature...a whale this time.  i love learning embroidery.  i'm getting a good amount of projects done for my etsy shop.  my goal is to get one up and running by the end of this year.  i think it can happen and it makes me so happy.

we had fun spending the afternoon and evening with Landon's family yesterday here at our apartment.  we watched football, had good conversation, and ate some tasty food.  Landon and his dad are both die hard Cowboys fans, yes even this season, so it was awesome to watch the Cowboys win a great game and see Landon get so excited.  there's nothing like good football...i seriously love watching it, been watching ever since i was a little girl.  and since i understand the rules and the play of the game, it makes it even more enjoyable.

my plate is getting full of graphics projects, home projects, and christmas projects lately, but i am having so much fun.  if this is what i could do every day for a real job and stay at home making and creating, i'd be set.

today, Landon and i are going to sign up for a gym membership.  we've been talking about it, and went to look at one the other day.  it was a really great looking gym and they even offer free yoga classes which i really want to try.  we decided that we are going to stop going to Starbucks on coffee dates, and that will basically pay for our membership.  so goodbye my delicious drinks, hello healthy body.  it's really bittersweet for me. :)  but Landon said we can go out for Starbucks once a month, so really it's going to be fine.  we have been working on making healthier changes in our lifestyle, and this is just the next step.

have a great monday!

Love,
Leah

afternoontime

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this is what i'd like to do today.

i think i'm going to find a great soup recipe from one of my cookbooks.  it's raining here today, so soup sounds perfect and cozy.

we may go out for a little coffee date later...those are the best times for us to talk meaningfully.

ok, so i don't have the book Organized Simplicity yet, but it's definitely on my Christmas/birthday list.

i'm in the process of sewing a Christmas bunting, and I just need to finish it up...i can't wait to hang it up in our little apartment for the holidays.

i hope you all have a wonderful Saturday afternoon.

Love,
Leah

Illustration

Here's another couple illustration of my friends Lucy and Kyle...the ones I posted engagement pictures of earlier.

Lucy and Kyle are down to earth, fun, laid back, relaxed, and so perfect for one another.
Lucy is one of my good friends from college, and I met Kyle for the first time at our wedding last year.  He is a great guy, and it's been neat getting to know him better as we've hung out with them.
I'm so excited for Lucy and Kyle to get married this coming spring.  It's going to be an epic wedding!

Hope you're all having a good day...it's absolutely gorgeous outside!

Leah

thoughts

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it has been "one of those days" these past couple of days.
i don't know why i've been easily saddened and quick tempered,
or why i have been feeling blue.

but the amazing thing has been those around me.
why is my husband so forgiving and so loving when i'm being difficult?
why was our small group discussion so meaningful and a perfect fit for this week?
why has more than one friend affirmed me with their words these past few days?
why was i blessed by three complete strangers the other day
at the grocery, at panera bread, and at firestone?

all i know is my heavenly father cares about me.
he cares, and loves, and doesn't judge.
it's ok to be sad, to cry, to be upset sometimes.
it's ok to voice my feelings.

but i must, i need, to recognize the blessings in my life,
and to be thankful for them, and not to remain down.
because there is always something good in life no matter how tough it seems.

and i am so happy and thankful for that.

illustrated couples

here are a couple of graphic illustrations i've been working on....getting geared up for opening my etsy shop.

i would love to get some more practice in with some real couples, so if any of you would like me to do an illustration of you and your special someone, or just yourself, i'll e-mail you a copy for free.
shoot me an e-mail if you're interested.

have a splendid day!
leah

Kyle & Lucy ~ 2

breakfast thoughts

good morning!  this time change has helped me so i don't sleep in as late....bad, bad habit.  i'm getting to be more of a breakfast person, and this is one of my favorites.

today i shall be editing photos, listening to some great tunes, getting the car in for a tune up, having a soy cappuccino, and enjoying the 69 degree weather! later tonight we have small group and i can't wait to go.

landon and i have decided to not watch our t.v. shows for awhile....it just has wasted a lot of our time in the evenings.  we are already getting a ton of stuff done and just having quality time together.  when we were little, both of our families stopped watching t.v. for awhile.  i think that's why us kids were all so imaginative, creative, and able to entertain ourselves.  i don't think i want our children watching t.v. until they're teenagers. :)

have a happy day!

xo