"...these are a few of my favorite things..."

I thought it would be fun to share my top 10 favorite things. These are things that I am obsessed with and my life would be quite different if I didn't have these in it. This ought to be fun!!

10. Missions/Asia
A year and a half ago, I got the privilege to go on a mission trip to China and Thailand. That is when I feel in love with Asian culture... especially the children. We got to minister to orphans in Thailand who had fled from Burma because of persecution. I have had an ache to go back to Asia ever since. I also went to Japan in 2009.
9.Caffine
This one is self explanatory... I like/am addicted to Dr. Pepper and/or hazelnut coffee. I don't have a problem ;)...

8. Chocolate Chip Cookies
 I LOVE baking chocolate chip cookies, but I tend to eat them all once I bake them so I have to be careful when I bake them that there are other people to send them home with. Brett doesn't like chocolate that much so I WILL eat an entire batch of cookies if it is just us. I just made my first "from scratch" batch of Nutella & Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. They turned out amazing.

1/2 cup of Nutella

1/2 cup of Jif Peanut Butter

1/2 cup of chocolate chips

1/2 cup of sugar

1 cup of flour

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix and roll dough into balls. Place on pan (make 18 cookies). Bake for 7-8 minutes. Enjoy!

7. Flowers
I have been really interested in flowers for about a year now. I have realized how life giving flower arrangements are for me and I love getting fresh flowers from my husband. I am actually starting floral design classes next week and I am excited to see if I like it. **fun fact- My two favorite flowers are sunflowers and peonies. Below is my bouquet from our wedding. I loved the purple touches they added.

6. Painting/Crafts
As a child, I always said when I grow up I want to be an artist. I didn't realize until about a year after I started painting that I was grown and actually become what I wanted to be. I have been painting murals and art pieces for nearly three years. I have been blessed to have been given great opportunities to expand my talent and portfolio. Here is one of my most recent pieces.

5. Christmas and Traditions
I am a sucker for Christmas... Every year since Brett and I started dating we have gone ice-skating every Christmas. I love the music, the traditions, and the festivities. This Christmas is extra special because its our first one as a married couple. It is not even Thanksgiving yet, and we already have our tree up and gifts wrapped. Here are some pictures of our first tree.

Isn't it pretty?!

4. My Encouragers
These are the girls in my life that I don't get to see nearly enough but when I am with them I always leave encouraged and inspired.

My older sister Brittany

My Breanne at her wedding

and her at mine.

My good friend, Abbey. 

My sister, family friends/sisters, and cousins.

High school friends, Victoria and Ashley.

3. Mi Familia

Where would any of us be without family. Love you Brett, Brittany, Joseph, Dad, and Mom. 

2. My Husband: William Brett-Allen Gilpatrick
We got married on May 28, 2011 and have now been married for nearly 6 months. Though only married for a short time I have known my husband for over six years and he is my earthly best friend. I am thankful for such a sweet, gentle provider for me and our future family. I love getting to spend everyday with this him.

1. Jesus

As a child I decided to give my life to Jesus Christ. As a teen I was called to the ministry. My relationship with Jesus grew through high school and I decided to go to Christ for the Nations Institute to further my education and gain training to be a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I just graduated in May with my associates and became licensed with my husband to be a minster. 

We serve at Stillwater Community Church in the youth ministry. I am so thankful to be given the opportunity to share what Jesus has done in my life and make disciples for the cause of Christ. I am currently the small group leader of our middle school girls. I can't wait to see what Jesus does in their lives.

Hopefully I will have a Thanksgiving post up soon, but until then... Happy Monday!  

The Festival and Future Plans

Goodness... I haven't posted in a while. Within the last month or so we have had challenges as a new family and been more than busy. Brett's grandmother, Thelma, passed away a couple of weeks ago. In this time of loss, I definitely feel like we have grown together as a couple, and have been so blessed by our church family who has supported us in prayer.

Some other changes that have occurred lately include my new job! I am now a sales associate at DSW shoes. I have never worked retail in my life, but I have learning a lot and am having a lot of fun. I am just thankful to get some work experience outside of child care to expand my resume.

I was unemployed for about 7 weeks, and during that time I decided to work on my arts and crafts "business". I paint custom murals and canvases for people, but along with that I decided to start making and selling handmade fabric rosette accessories. Every year in my hometown, Henderson, Texas, we have a Syrup Festival where people can open booths to sell their products. This year, I decided to open a booth to sell my paintings and accessories. The festival was this past weekend, and I would say we have a very successful day. Here are a few things we didn't sell.

 Christmas Ball Canvas ($25)- can custom paint your family's last name and all of the names of the members of your family on the balls.

 ($25) Great for hanging the family stockings if you don't have a fireplace.

 Decorative Country Christmas Canvas ($25)

 Little Girl Jewelry Hanger ($25)

 Jewelry Hanger ($25)

 Proverbs 31 Jewelry Hanger ($25)

  Christmas Ball Canvas ($25)- can custom paint your family's last name and all of the names of the members of your family on the balls.

  Christmas Ball Canvas ($25)- can custom paint your family's last name and all of the names of the members of your family on the balls.

  ($25) Great for hanging the family stockings if you don't have a fireplace.

If you are interested in purchasing one of these or making a custom order you can email me at brandi2009leigh@yahoo.com

The festival was a lot of fun and the crafting was a great way to make a little extra money while I was out of work. Now I am looking forward to my next adventure. I am going to be taking floral design classes at Brookhaven College starting in the next few weeks. Eek!!! I am so excited to see how I like it and where this might take me in the future. I will continue in floral design classes next semester as well and end in May. I can't wait to learn this trade and build a portfolio. I have had so much fun searching pinterest for flower arrangement ideas. I will post pictures of my stuff once I get started.