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Ok, I'm going to start off by bragging a little. I am SO ahead of the game right now with my Christmas shopping. As in, I have most of my gifts shopped for AND wrapped (that happened last night with a Sparkling Snow candle burning by my side) and tied up with ribbon. Yay! I have a few gifts to buy yet and then I'm done! 

Due to my not-procrastinating, I decided to be a little crafty and try my hand at personalizing a picture frame. It's a project I've seen spread across Pinterest, and always thought it was cute but never had an occasion or the time to try it.

I had one of those moments where I KNEW my game plan for making this thing. I didn't need to look back at those directions online for help (haha yeah right). So I Mod Podged my frame with cute scrapbooking paper, hacked and slashed with my Exacto knife, struggled to put the darn thing back together (scatterbrained moment, don't ask) and then took a step back to look at my work.

Ehh...It was alright....

But not something I would feel fully proud of giving away as a gift. Yeah, it would have suited me, but the edges were a little rough and cut crooked. It looked more 4th grade classroom project than Pottery Barn treasure. So I decided to try again (and I gave Dan a nice new frame for his room :)).

After more crafting, sighing, throwing a mini tantrum (yes, by this point I was getting very frustrated), I finally finished.

This time around, I embellished my frame with paper flowers and buttons. It still needs a little sanding and tender loving care, but I'm pretty satisfied with the final result. Is it something I'd do again? Maybe, if I have another occasion, the time, and a LOT more patience :)

a little weekend cheer...

I woke up with a case of the Fridays. Or rather, I went to sleep last night with a case of the Fridays. You know, that feeling when all you want is for it to be 4 o'clock (or whenever your weekend truly begins), and that's the only thing standing between you and relaxing!

Plus it's as dreary as can be over here on the East Coast. All I wanted (besides the weekend to be here!) at work was a hot drink to get me through my morning. 

Last night, when I was in that barely-awake-but-not-quite-asleep state of mind I had an idea. I created my own little recipe for a little holiday treat for myself.

This morning I filled my coffee tumbler 3/4 of the way full with coffee. Then I added:

4 creamy peppermints (the smooth kind that dissolve fast)

A teaspoon of hot cocoa mix 

A splash of chocolate milk (replacing plain white milk/creamer)

I mixed it all together with a spoon and gave the peppermints a couple of minutes to dissolve. I must say I was pretty impressed with myself. Chock one up for my pure genius-ness ;)

It's no Starbucks, but hey, it sure brightened my morning! Such a season-appropriate drink too! I should have listened to Christmas music while sipping :)