siblings are my favorite.

{mexican wedding balls}


{christmas cookies and oreo truffles}

I am the middle of five kids. I am so blessed to have four siblings, each with a very different personality and temperament, but each so dear to me.

This Christmas, my two older brothers, both married, are spending the holidays with their respective spouses. While I love that they married into families who celebrate and view the holidays as family time, I miss their presence in ours.

So that leaves me and the younger two home for the holidays. Our town is pretty small, and most of my friends have moved on from this area, so Christmastime at home becomes all about the siblings, and holiday baking.

My sister and I have spent the past few days creating some of our all-time favorites. Christmas is a time of celebration, and so much of that is done with good food. Here is a preview of what we will be feasting on today.


{oreo truffles}


{home-made caramel corn}

gingerbreading.

{a gingerbread cottage}

This semester of grad school has been overflowing. The amount of work and time has been daunting, but the end is nearing increasingly fast. I feel myself longing for the end, yet not wanting to wish the season away.

This past weekend, I had a 20page research paper due on the significance of the water-to-wine story in the gospel of John. Approaching the paper, I felt intimidated; having finished the paper I feel accomplished. It is quite a task to enter into a gospel, and attempt to knowledgeably and articulately explain the significance of a miracle to a professor who is considered an expert in the field. I found myself feeling insecure in my own ability to articulate thought as I approached the paper. I finished at 2am Saturday morning.

Sunday afternoon was one of lingering over lunch and remixing Christmas hymns with the djembe at a friend's apartment. It was lovely. And in sitting there, belting out gospel-versions of "O Holy Night" I was reminded of the purpose of writing my John paper. The purpose, of obtaining any form of knowledge, is to pull us deeper into the source of love. The purpose, of understanding the historical significance of a miracle in a gospel, is so that I can better know he who performed the miracle. The purpose, is to enter deeper into that source, abundant and outpouring source of love.

On Friday, as a fun preface to all of the weekends' work, a group of us spent the evening making gingerbread houses. Tis the season. Of fun, of joy, and most of all LOVE.


{candy overload}