Let's see, what all happened this past year?? A little over a year ago, my in-laws experienced a great loss when their house was engulfed in flames, and they were forced to rebuild memories that were lost. A few months ago, they moved into a beautiful home that they personally designed. Although they lost what they thought was their dream, God has richly blessed them throughout this painful process. I have been wanting to post pictures of their new house, but if I know my Mother-in-love, I need to wait until it is just right. She is having a housewarming party this week, so be expecting pictures soon!
My older brother graduated from medical school and is the first of us to get the sought after Dr. in front of their name. He matched in Psychiatry up in New Hampshire and lets just say the weather is slightly different from Mississippi's. This will be our first year to not all be together at Christmas which makes me sad, but my middle brother is flying up there to spend the holiday with him which makes me happy that they will be together.
Matt's hobby of forging his own knives has really hit off over the past year, and I can't be more proud of him. I am always blown away by how he is not just good at things; he takes it to the next level and becomes the best he can be at it. He is constantly researching new techniques and trying to hone his skills. If you want to check out his site, it is http://www.etsy.com/shop/SouthernSteelForge?ref=search_shop_redirect. He and his forging buddies take in all the money they make on the knives and invest it in furthering their business, so the knives keep getting better and better. Every girl likes bragging on their man, and it is just a bonus when the hobby is as masculine as forging! Ok, here's a teaser pic of my favorite knife he has made:
This past year has provided me with so many new experiences and has really thrown me out of my comfort zone. I am in my last year of dental school and decided to try to get a residency position in pediatric dentistry. Ever since I worked at a pediatric dental office, it has been something that I wanted, but there have been so many things I had to accomplish before I could see if God would open that door for me. I have been traveling all over the southeast to visit programs. I won't find out if I got a spot until the end of January, but I already feel like I have hit the jackpot. Whether I end up getting a residency spot or not, I am so blessed to be able to do what I love, which is to work with and help those around me. This is one reason why I thank God daily that I have my sight, so I can continue in dentistry. Not a day goes by where I don't think about when I lost my vision in one eye, and not a day goes by that I don't thank God for the ability to see.
Now that it is the Christmas season, I have really gotten the urge to decorate. As I was going through our decorations, I realized a few things were missing. We had been storing some of our decorations at Matt's parents house, so I think they are ashes now. All of the decorations that we had left were a few silver and gold balls. Time to go shopping!!!! I didn't want to just buy some ornaments; I wanted to make the tree exactly the way I envisioned it in my mind. With Matt being such an outdoorsman, we have created a more woodsy theme in our house, so I wanted the ornaments to match but add a little glitz. Here are a few ornaments I just whipped up in my spare time :)
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| I had some leftover craft pearls that I hot glued to a gold ball. It near about killed me, so I only have one. It was certainly a labor of love! |
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| Speaking of love, Matt helped me make these simple, elegant ornaments. Just white balls, stamps, and black ink. Once we stamped the balls, we put them in muffin tins and baked them at 200 degrees until the ink was set. |
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| These are some of my favorites! They were the easiest and most sparkly ornaments that I made. Just some clear stones, a little hot glue, and a glass ornament. They look fantastic with the twinkle lights! |
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| These little guys add to the rustic flare. Once again, just glass balls with a medium size twine wrapped around it. The twine is held in place with hot glue. |
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| I had some left over burlap that I twisted and turned into our tree topper. |
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| Here is the final product! Although I am supposed to be studying for my National Boards, I can't help but stare at my tree all day long. I am obsessed with how it turned out. We threw in a few red berries for a pop of color. I hope you like it as much as I do! |
We had the pleasure of having Matt's and my sister over for some Christmas pics and hot chocolate. She brought her sweet boyfriend with her to man the camera. You think when you get older, it would be easier to get a lovely, sweet Christmas picture, but that was not the case. Here are a few of our attempts.
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| We can't forget lil Tipsy, our classy holiday elf! |
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| Anna and Derek: they are not used to being the ones in front of the camera. Smile!! |
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| Peek-a-boo |
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| Someone was a Grinch about getting his picture made, and that someone was not me! |
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| Please don't judge. His fake smile is not the best look for him. |
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| I am not sure why this is, but Matt cannot take pictures without yawning! It's like he stops breathing or something. |
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| Stop pushing!! |
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| Christmas is my favorite! I am so excited!!! |
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| May all your days be happy and bright and may all of your Christmases be bright! "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:14 ~~Merry Christmas from the Millings~~ |
