A Little Christmas Quiz

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Neither for me, thanks. I'll take coffee with a fun creamer like caramel for the Christmas season.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Growing up the "Santa" gifts were always the unwrapped gifts under the tree that magically appeared Christmas morning.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White lights for sure!!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No - but I think it would be fun!

5. When do you put your decorations up? Sometime after Thanksgiving... any sooner is just too much for me.  This year it was the first weekend in December!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Baked Ham and My Mom's green bean casserole!  She makes the best!!!  I also always look forward to my Granny K's famous cinnamon rolls! {oh boy, I'm gettin' excited now!}

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Singing Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus and blowing out a candle for him!  We did this before opening any gifts!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? In grade school - I heard all the other kids talking.  I remember asking my Mom if it's true.  Her response, "The spirit of giving is the truth in Santa."  {Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE her? cause boy do I!}

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Growing up we always opened our sibling gifts.  This year Dean and I will celebrate our Christmas, Christmas Eve morning and then head to Hutch!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? We bought a real tree from Home Depot and decorated with golds and reds!  See our Christmas Tree HERE

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I love it when it covers the ground but doesn't make it a pain to drive it! ha, I'm picky! 

12. Can you ice skate? YES and Dean and I have gone every year we been together.  We haven't gone yet this year but I'm hoping after the New Year we will make time.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I can't remember a specific gift but the one thing I remember and would say is my favorite gift is the gift of being able to be together as a family.  I love family and it means the most to me.

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Celebrating Jesus's birth.  Plus, spending time with family and friends, for sure. I don't care much about receiving gifts. I just want to see the people that I love most.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? CHEESECAKE!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I have 2.  The first is picking out our REAL Christmas tree together and decorating it together while singing Christmas songs.  Also, singing Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus before opening our gifts! 

17. What tops your tree? For this year, a big red bow.  At my Mom's house - there is an Angel.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving- definitely giving

19. Candy canes: yuck or yummy? I can take or leave regular candy canes but I love Jelly Belly candy canes. Have you tried them? Yummy.

20. Favorite Christmas show? HOME ALONE

21. What is your favorite Christmas song? I have so many.  I love them all!  
 

Can you believe that Christmas is just days away? I'm so excited that I can barely stand it.  It's going to be a good Christmas, I just know it. 

A Barn Wedding

Do you remember my friend Alina?  She got married this last Saturday in Towanda Kansas.  The girls and I from church made it a fun little outing by having all the men ride together and all us ladies ride together in seperate vehicles.  We had so much fun together making this a day trip!  Alina and Jonathan's (Jonny as I call him) wedding was inside a barn!  Soooo cool!  They were blessed with a beautiful day in December - a whopping 50 degrees!  Alina was an absolute stunning bride.  And when you looked at the two of them, Alina and Jonny, you can see L.O.V.E shine through them!  It was a magical day. 

Getting all fixed up!

Showin' some lovin'

Cake table

God Bless America!

The Guderian Family

The Clark Family

I love this picture!

The gals (Amber, myself and Ashley)

Gettin' there dance on!

These pictures are just so precious! 

The guys (Dean, Jordan and Dave)

 

CHEESE!

I love him.

B-E-Autiful Bride!

Us girls with Mrs. Jonathan Jonny Strain

Lord,  Bless the marriage of Alina and Jonathan Strain.  Help them, Lord, to keep firm in the commitments they have just made. Guide them as they become a family, as they each change through the years.  May they be flexible as they are faithful.  Help them to forgive one another's failings and grant them patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing the well-being of one another ahead of self.  And Lord, help us all to be your hands if there be need. Strengthen, tenderly all of our commitments, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Christmas Card

I wish I could have sent everyone a Christmas card - but since I can't, I thought I'd share a little Christmas joy this way!  Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

Proverbs 31 Woman

You probably know that Proverbs 31 is the "ideal wife" chapter.  It envolves wifely dudies as well as her character.  We all need to work on our character, right?!  Women were created to help their husbands and we need to bring good to our husbands.  So how can we do this? We can start by setting aside the poor behaviors that always get in the way of a healthy marriage and put on the character of Christ.  I decided to have a personal study with this chapter in January.  It will be like a new years resolution - but fun!  I'm always up for some personal growth and a challenge.

The Seven Principles of the Proverbs 31 Woman

The Proverbs 31 Woman...

• Pursues an ongoing, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

• Loves, honors, and greatly enriches the life of her husband, encouraging and supporting his leadership within his family and his church.

• Shaping and molding the children who will one day define who we are as a community and as a nation.

• Creates a warm and loving environment for family and friends.

• Is a faithful steward (steward = manager --> thanks Dave Ramsey for explaining that one) of the time and money God has entrusted to her.

• Speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction as she encourages others and develops godly friendships.

• Shares the love of Christ by extending her hands to help the poor and opening her arms to the needy.

I'm excited to get this journey a rollin'

Happy Wednesday!

Christmas-tastic!

It's finally starting to look like CHRISTMAS up in here!  I had forgotten how much I love turning off all the lights and letting just the Christmas lights twinkle.  It's simply Magical!

I picked up most of my Christmas decor at Hobby Lobby last year when it was a whopping 80% off!  I love rockin' bargains like that!  I've always had a heart for the fancy christmas trees with a reds and golds, so that is exactly what I bought.  My favorite part is the variety of poinsettias I stuff in here and there.  They are perfect for adding texture and depth, plus they fill in all the empty spaces you aren't sure what to do with.
I'm warning you now--- there are lots and lots of pictures!

The poinsettia's mentioned above.

The most cost effective decorations are things you already have at home and then adding cut off tree limbs and scented (cinnamon) pine-cones = Christmas!

So, between our Real Christmas Tree, Cinnamon smelling pine cones, and my Coming Home scent for my scentsy pot --- We have the smell of Christmas in the Shackley home!!  And I love it.

My Favorite Holiday decorations:

My puppy dog - Molly with her RED bow in!

 The next 3 glass bulbs were a Christmas present from my Mother!  They were $20 bulbs that she caught on sale after Christmas last year for $1.99 - Nice job Mother dear!

 

This bulb means a lot!  We received this as a gift last year from our good friends Stephanie and Brad King! 

 The Christmas China was a wedding gift from my favorite sister!  I love them and couldn't wait to use them during the holiday season!  Thanks Janessa!

This Christmas apron I got on sale at Hobby Lobby!

Preparing my vegetable beef soup!

Merry Christmas y'all!

Our Christmas Tree Hunt

Friday Afternoon Dean and I went tree shopping.  Now, I grew up ALWAYS getting a real tree - we'd make our way down to Lowe's or Home Dept to find our perfect tree.  Dean on the other hand grew up with an artificial tree.  Neither is bad and I understand some have allergies to the real tree.  But - I HAVE and I mean have to have a real tree for Christmas.  I just can't live without it.  There is nothing like a real tree, there just isn't.  So we agreed on a real tree - and the adventure begins! :)    We started by going to a local tree farm and they all looked diseased and sick.  They had holes in them throughout and they looked like they were dying.  I thought about buying one and getting the "Charlie Brown Tree" but for $50?!?  So, we decided to go to Home Depot and that's where we found THE TREE.  We were so excited to make it part of the Shackley household!

Yes, that's my super strong hubby!

And she's home!!!!

5 Month Anniversary

I found a Groupon a week or two ago for Tannin Wine Bar & Kitchen, it's downtown at the Crossroads Art District.  The Groupon was for a 3 course meal for 2 people, the cost = $24 and the value = $48 (YAY, 50% off and I'm lovin' it!).  This is how we spent our 5 month anniversary!!!  We went last Friday for lunch right before our hunt for a Christmas tree (which I'll post laster in the week).  So I only got one photo from the dinner - it's with my iPhone below.

I was enjoying my peanut butter chocolate cookie.