Christmas tag!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all are enjoying lots of hot chocolate, present wrapping, candy canes and laughs&smiles with people you love. 

The lovely Vicki at Sunshine and Shadow tagged me with a Christmas tag! Here goes ;) 

What's your favorite Christmas song? 

hmm...there's so many! I LOVE LOVE Carol of the Bells. I listen to it over and over. 

Who sings it the best?

BarlowGirl and Trans Siberian Orchestra 

Do you change your favorite Christmas song every year?

Nope, I've loved Carol of the Bells forever haha ;) 

What Christmas song do you hear the most?

White Christmas or Its The Most Wonderful Time of the Year 

Does your family mostly agree on what Christmas music to listen to or are you constantly changing the song?

We pretty much agree ;) 

Who's your favorite Christmas movie side character?

that's too hard! Okay, I love Bernard in Santa Claus ;) 

Besides George and Mary Bailey who's your favorite character in It's a Wonderful Life?

 George's brother and the Bailey's cook 

Do you like Santa Claus in Miracle On 34th Street?

I've never seen it! :O 

Vera Ellen or Rosemary Clooney in White Christmas?

Haven't seen that either! 

Bing Crosby or Danny Kaye?

Don't know who Danny Kaye is but I like Bing Crosby's voice 

Besides "White Christmas" what is your favorite song from the movie?

Haven't seen it ;) 

What's your favorite (or one of your favorite) lines from a Christmas movie?

one of my favorite lines: 

Francisco! That's fun to say! Francisco... Frannncisco... Franciscooo... --Buddy the Elf 

Do you own a special ornament?
Yep...several actually :) 

Did you break any ornaments this year?

nope! 

What's the oldest ornament on your tree and where did it come from?
My mom's ornaments from when she was little 

Do you like pretty trees or fun trees better?

pretty

Have you ever had a fake tree?
We've had a fake tree for the past few years because of allergies.

Green tree or a different color?
i like green but also the white ones. 

Who sweeps up the pine needles and waters the tree?
whoever wants to ;) 

Have you made any Christmas crafts this year?
no...I'm terrible at crafting

Does your family read a Christmas story every year?
My dad usually reads Jesus' birth on Christmas morning 

If so, which one?
The one in Luke I think

What do you do on Christmas Eve?
We usually watch The Nativity Story and put the presents under the tree 

How many Christmas's do you usually have?
like with extended family? 2 

Marshmallows or whipped cream in your hot chocolate?
marshmallows

Do you like the flavor cinnamon or peppermint better?
I like them both ;) 

Have you ever had a white Christmas?

yes! 

Ice skating or driving around looking at Christmas lights?
Driving around looking at lights 

Do you like the blow up Christmas decorations people put in their yards?
no not really...takes the simplicity and beauty out of Christmas a bit. 

What is something you are going to do new this year to celebrate?

Well I won't be having the annual cinnamon rolls because of my allergies so I will be having oatmeal with brown sugar/cinnamon and baked apples :) 

Have you ever celebrated Hanukkah?

No, I would like to sometime though! 

How many people are you giving presents to this year?

Family and friends... can't count them! haha not that I have so many gifts but I just can't ;) 

What's your favorite kind of Christmas card to receive?

handmade! 

Do you eat breakfast first or open presents first?

Breakfast and then presents or breakfast during presents ;) 

Stockings first or last?

first 

What present do you REALLY want this year?

I'm actually looking forward to giving my gifts this year more than focusing/asking for things but I do want some new sweats and a few movies..I'm easy to please ;) 

Do you like a star on the top of your tree or an angel?

We have a multicolored lighted star, and I like it!

Do you like the color red or green better?

red

Silver or gold?

Silver.

One word to describe Christmas?

Light

Thanks for tagging me Vicki, it was fun! I tag: anyone who reads this and wants to do it! if you do, leave me a comment letting me know you did and I'll check it out :) 

Merry Christmas beautifuls! 

love,

marissa 

my favorite time of the year.

The most wonderful time of the year, that's my favorite season. Christmas. I love the sights, sounds, decorations, music, drinks, foods, carefully wrapped packages, smiles, family, friends and cold weather. There's nothing like it. I'm thankful that even through my health issues(update coming in my next post), I'm still able to enjoy the season :)

we'e had lots of this-rain. and no.snow. unless you count the few flurries that came down and didn't stick yesterday

cinnamon chex while setting up the Christmas tree 

I'm a bit addicted to taking pictures of Christmas lights. Bokeh to be exact. I'll stand in front of our tree and take like 15 straight. 

I hope you all are having a great Christmas season and that your eyes are being opened daily by Christ's amazing love.

{there are definitely more posts coming, including a health update and award/tag!}

xo,
Marissa

happy things.

i'm still feeling really bad but i'm trying to be positive so here are some things that are making me happy!

blue skies and sunshine

hot drink weather! Last night I made my brother hot chocolate and myself tea and we had to "tap mugs to Christmas" ;)

speaking of Christmas, 'A Very She and Him Christmas' album has been playing for the last week or so. i have no shame.

the fact that The Amazing Spiderman is out on dvd today. I'm getting it asap.

what is making you happy??

happy friday!

marissa

so that was Christmas and this is break. i like it.

just how can it be Decemeber 30th?? it was just Christmas like...5 days ago. And 2012 is literally right around the corner. well, I had a pretty great Christmas and this week has been pretty nice as well{aside from physically feeling crummy most of the time}. A break from babysitting kids(except for 2 days), school and the regular daily routine.
 lets start with Christmas :)
the day consisted of church, breakfast muffins, opening gifts, cinnamon rolls, spending the evening with friends, playing the wii and taking naps. oh and NO SNOW[just fyi]. at the end of the day this is how i summed it up-- (from my twitter)
 today was one of the best days ive had in a while. despite physically feeling bad i was happy :) i'm so blessed by my God, family & friends!

 It was SO fun to watch my family open their gifts especially my siblings. my sister freaked out when she opened her Jamie Grace CD I got her. freaked out i tell ya. ;)

I got some pretty cool things too! here are a few of them.

one of my favorites are...these boots. 

an armband for my ipod & The Dark Knight and RV movies from my dad. :)

yum.

as for this week-- I've been fighting a really bad headache. we're not sure the cause of it {like most of the time} and it will get really painful then will lessen up and so forth. its very frustrating to say the least. so that had taken a toll on my enjoying this break :3 a good thing is that I can rest and not do anything because I feel so bad and not feel guilty about not getting school done! haha ;)
The week has been spent relaxing, playing the Wii, lots of movie watching, ignoring the book that I really should be reading for school and other things like that ;)

Speaking of movies, in the past week and a half my dad and I have watched the first 3 Pirates of the Caribbean movies. It was my first time seeing them and I really like them.  the first and second ones are my favorites. [the 1st one might very well rank as an all time favorite. whoa.]the third one wasn't as good in my opinion compared to the others.

yep.

and the music scores are so awesome. I love 'em. I've had "Singapore" stuck in my head. mmhmm.

on Wednesday my friend and I went on a spontaneous trip to the movies to see We Bought a Zoo.

 

It was really cute and a feel good movie. at times i was like okay where in the world is the plot to this movie and where are we going?? but I didn't think about it too hard ;) it was a good pick me up after a bad morning. :) plus, I love going to the theater. with friends.

now its friday. and i've spent the morning first watching Some little house on the prairie with my sister and then on the computer. I'm gonna go spend more time on the computer and later go do something useful ;)

what have you been up to this past week? :) 

He came like a winter snow

from Pinterest

Could’ve come like a mighty storm
with all the strength of a hurricane
You could’ve come like a forest fire
with the power of heaven in your flame

 

But He didn't. He came as a babe born to a virgin to save the world from their sins and really themselves. God sent his very own son to this earth to live a pure life, die a horrible death and rise again for US. So that we may have a chance at truly living and discovering and serving an amazing God. To see His glory and that its all about Him. The Creator of the Universe and the Son of God and how did he come to earth? As a baby. born in a stable. It was gentle and quiet yet so powerful and life changing. 

 

But you came like a winter snow
quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
to the earth below

 {Winter Snow by Audrey Assad}

 

That is the most amazing event to ever happen. And it is the reason why we celebrate Christmas. To remember just how much we are loved and how that saving grace came to earth. Those who have put our trust in Him have new life and serve an awesome and outstanding God who gives meaning to life!

 

Isaiah 9:6

(NIV)

⁶ For to us a child is born,
   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

from the Nativity Story. awesome and moving film portraying the story and events surrounding Christ' Birth.

 I hope you have a wonderful day! Mine will be spent my family, eating yummy food, opening presents and remembering the most precious, quiet yet powerful gift of all. 

much love♥

Christmas wish list {plus some photos}

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I hope you are enjoying a relaxing day :)

here are some photos that I've taken over the past week or so. they are my first tries at the whole "bokeh" thing.

 

 

 

And when i discovered pinterest and all the wonderful things you can find through it, I created a board just for Christmas and Birthday wishes ;)

1. Starflower Knitted Hat
2. itouch/iphone charger holder
3. Fingerless Gloves 
4. Mr. Darcy Proposal Mug- i love this! ;)
5. The Dark Knight Soundtrack
6.  Clay Matthews Packers Jersey but really any Packers Jersey will do ;)
7. Thor Soundtrack
8. Brown Burnish Buckle Boots. --we actually found some similar to those at Kohls and my dad got them as a Christmas gift for me. Can't wait to open them and wear them! :)
9. Emma- i adore that movie
10. love that movie too
11. no words needed
12. I have 5 and 6 and would really like to have the rest! such a good wholesome series.

So what do you have anything in particular that you would like to have?

:)

Christmas musings.

I hope you all are having a great week! :) I've got a lot I wanna post about but I haven't gotten around to it. Partly because I've had a really bad headache for 3+ weeks and it kept getting worse everyday. On Tuesday I went to the hospital to get an infusion to relieve me of the pain. {remember last year around this time?}I really dislike hospitals. really. the end. But the IV treatment did help, it lowered my pain down to a 1 or 2 which was good because my pain was a 7 or 8. Unfortunately I still have a headache most of the time it is dull and not as painful as a 7 or 8. I'm really doing and trying everything I could be doing to help keep away the headaches. I'm doing medication, natural remedies, getting rest, eating right etc. Right now I'm just taking one day at a time and trying to keep the headache under control. I'm drinking a lot of tea(especially peppermint!) and water, using oils and such. AND I'm also practicing good habits. I'm changing my night time routine, computer use and little things like that. more on that later! Anywho....

I seriously cannot believe its almost Christmas! Like in 3 days almost! Goodness gracious time is flying! And lets not even talk about 2012!! seriously? 2011 was a blurrrr. but it was long at the same time. haha ;)
I don't know about you but I haven't really been feeling the Christmas "spirit" this year as much as past years. i mean I'm enjoying it but I'm not "into" it like I've been before. Maybe its because I've been sick for most of it. OR maybe its because we have NO SNOW. none what so ever. Last year we didn't have any snow for Christmas and then in Jan. we had tons! :3 Snow just puts me in a good mood. If you have any extra snow please send some my way! But as the end of the week draws near and Christmas Eve and Day gets closer I'm getting more excited :)
I have been thinking about the true story and meaning of Christmas. We watched the Nativity Story the other day and I was reminded just how amazing that event was. How amazing Christ is. Christmas is the time when we celebrate that very special gift of salvation and love that was given to us.

Are you enjoying your Christmas break? I am but it doesn't really feel "different" because I wasn't able to do much school anyways with my headache but I am glad that even if i feel well enough to do it I don't have to! hehe ;]

Today I'm babysitting for a bit then my mom and siblings are gonna run some errands. Tomorrow we have a boat load of extra kids (okay 3 but still...) and then weekend! We will go see my dad's family on Christmas Eve and then Sunday we are going to the Christmas service at Church then coming back home, getting in to pjs again, opening presents, and eating yummy food and relaxing. yep sounds nice to me ;) What are your plans for the rest of the week?

much love♥

i think i've been living under a rock.

Michael Buble'. yes, I've heard this name in the past and for some reason thought he was "old school" or {whatever that means} or something and never looked into him. WELL. While on Pandora a week or so ago one of songs off his Christmas album played. and then it was over. I listened to another and another and another. i posted on twitter,
i just discovered Michael Bublé's Christmas album a few days ago on pandora. my word. his voice.!! i've been living under a rock. ;P

that's just it. his voice. is amazing. he can SING. like sing sing. and the music he puts to his voice. its different and unique. i love it. I'm still discovering his music but here are some of my current favorites.
If you haven't heard his Chritsmas album. YOU MUST. you will very much enjoy it.

 this one is the first Michael Buble' song I got :)



 and this one i just found--



now that is some good music.  and i'm glad i got out from under that rock ;)

its the most wonderful time of the year...

source

source

Happy December! and Happy Christmas season! :) 

I can't believe its December. and it will 2012 in no time. holy time flying!
I hope you had a good thursday! This week was my day to babysit away from home yesterday and today so that meant earlier mornings and extra tiredness. But I made it through and its so worth it. love those girls. PLUS the parents of the little girls I watch had gotten some gluten free treats just for me the night before! {some i haven't even had before} that was a good surprise at 7am ;) FYI- I just had a glutten free vanilla glazed doughnut. the best sweet treat ever. yum. Anyway, so I got all of my school done by 2pm! woohoo! So that meant no school when I got home. I was able to do some other things before getting on the treadmill and [mostly] running for 3 miles! burned a lot of calories and now i feel really tired but I'm glad that I did it.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow and the weekend :) 



much love♥

Philippians 2:14-15

 ¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”^[a] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 

 

thanksgiving & Christmas and some friday favorites

hope you all are having a good friday night! it made smile to read the comments on my last post knowing i have some sundtrack loving soul sisters out there ;)

 when did thanksgiving just happen to be less than 1 week away already?! really. and please don't start even start about Christmas quite yet{which is only around 36 days away! but still.} . i LOVE Christmas. love it. and I really want to savor the time and enjoy. after Thanksgiving. It seems like every year thanksgiving keeps getting pushed further and further back on every one's burner. its all about Christmas. yes while it is super special, thanksgving is too. its a day set aside to specifically thank God for the many things He's given us. Let me dwell on that for a little while then after thanksgiving i'll join in all the Christmas cheer and fun ;) anywho, those are my thoughts. What do you think about all this thanksgiving/Christmas jazz?


here are a few favorite things from this week.

from pinterest

from pinterest

loving THIS post on Jessica's blog tonight.

i wanna go here. 

sang this song at church on sunday. powerful.





how are you gonna spend your weekend? Well tonight I'm finishing up chatting with my dear friend while listening to some Lecrae(take a listen.) and now I'm off to go watch some tv. And tomorrow I'm hoping to spend time with my family and getting some things done here and there :)

happy weekend friends! 

♥Samarah

Stylish Award and 4 giveaways!

 I have a few things I want to post about but since I don't want this post to be a novel I'm going to break them up into 2 or 3 different posts ;)

first of all,
Kinsey French awarded me the Stylish award. thanks :)

here are the rules:

one. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
two. Share 7 things about yourself.
three. Award 10 recently discovered great bloggers.

seven things about me:

one.
I love that I can request items on my library website and I can go to the library and they are right there waiting for. seriously. i.love.it.

two. 
 I cannot stand heavy metal music. really any hard rock for that matter. Skillet is as heavy rock as i get.
three.
I've gotten into this show called Larkrise to Candleford.

go ahead and call me old fashioned or a weirdo but I love shows and movies set around that time period(like Cranford, Emma etc.) Most of today's shows are just so messed up and I'd much rather watch something like this.There a 4 seasons and I'm borrowing them from the library. its a perfect show for the winter ;)

four.
I really love photography. I'm saving up my money and I can't wait to get my hands on a camera like this:

I would love to travel, especially to New Zealand, Canada and England and photograph it. 
five. 
 I really hate the abbreviation Xmas. I can hardly type it. I can't it out loud, literally I can't make myself say it. I love the word Christmas. it has so much meaning and specialness. Xmas just doesn't make me feel the same way. So you are warned. please please don't say Xmas on my blog. please do not.
six.
There are some really fabulous giveaways going on! I will tell you more about them in a minute.

seven. 
I honestly and seriously don't like swimming or really getting in water. I'm not afraid or anything. it just doesn't interest me. even during the summer I'd take sitting in the 95 degree and dipping my feet in the pool than actually getting in. I know I'm weird like that.

For the awarding part, as I look through the blogs I follow, most of them have already been awarded. but you haven't yet and you follow my blog, you are officially awarded the Stylist Award by Yours Truly ;) 

Ok about the giveaways!! there are 4 giveaways going on right now (that i know of) and you should enter in all of them! :D

Arianna at There are a few of my favorite things is giving away a blog makeover made by Blizzard Blog Desgins. Go here and enter!! :)

 You could win a 11x14 frame of any style from Organic Bloom! They are beautiful and I would love one!

Go to Hannah's blog, Aspire  and enter! It ends tomorrow (friday) so hurry!

Lucia at From Under my Little Umbrella  is having a huge giveaway over at her blog! There are 25 prizes. yes 25!! Here are some of my favorites ;)

Aren't they gorgeous?! so go over to Lucia's blog and enter here!

Last but definitely not least,
In celebration of having 300 followers, Polka Dot at life is too short not to read shoes is giving away a bunch of cute things! 26 cute necklaces, earrings and rings to be exactly. and 26 different people will win something. the prizes are so darling! take a look:

I mean seriously it doesn't get much cuter than that! Oreo earrings?! that's awesome!! :) so hurry up and enter because you would be one of the 26 winners!!

I hope you have entered into these neat and fun giveaways! 

thank you for reading and following dear blogger friends :) 

with love,

Samarah