Caleigh's Random Thoughts

THANK YOU!!! Thank y'all so, so much for allowing me to do this challenge! Today is the very last day, and while I will admit, I am sighing with relief that I no longer have to sit at my computer every night planning my next post, this doesn't mean that I won't miss Blogmas. It's truly been a blessing!! I've been able to connect with readers so much more than I would have if I had not posted every day of December. It's been wonderful! I sincerely hope that you will stick around, because I have exciting things planned for 2021!!  If you aren't already, I ask you to consider clicking the "subscribe" button at the top of the page. This just means that you'll get an email every time I post, so you'll never miss out ;). I also thought I would point out that once you subscribe, you will get a confirmation email asking you to confirm that you want to receive emails every time I post. You'll need to click the confirm button at the bottom of the...

Wow! It's been quite the year! I really don't know where to even begin this post. First of all, thank you all who have read and commented throughout blogmas, it was so, so nice to read your comments and know that y'all were enjoying the posts! I'll be honest, I was skeptical that I would truly be able to post everyday, and I was skeptical that I would have enough ideas to post for the entire month. However, I had plenty of encouragers to get me through, and there were several times when I would text my friends, or ask my family for ideas on what to post the next morning :). However, it was all totally worth it! Thank you, dear readers, for making this all possible! When I threw out the idea back in October, I had no idea people would be so enthusiastic about it!! As far as this past year has gone, it's been a crazy year for people all around the world! I have learned so much this year! Even though this year was tough for everyone, I learned so many lessons, and I ha...

I don't know about you, but there is nothing I love more than a warm, gooey cookie with a glass of cold milk. These cookies will be sure to fulfill your sweet tooth cravings! 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 4 finely chopped Heath Bars 1/2 cup chopped pecans In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, mix together the butter and sugar until light and creamy, about 2 minutes on medium-high. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to incorporate. Turn off the mixer and stir in (by hand) the candy bars and pecans. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the dough is nice and firm. Heat oven to 350℉. Drop each cookie dough scoop about 2 inches apart onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then ...

The last challenge of the month is here!! Even though this is the last one of the month, I do intend on doing more kindness challenges in the future. Was anyone able to write a letter to someone? I hope so :). This week's challenge is about New Year's resolutions. Ahhh yes, we all know the extremely unrealistic resolutions: "I will exercise for 30 minutes everyday" "I will only eat X amount of sugar every week" "I will drink a gallon of water everyday" While all of these are wonderful things, I don't think many people have actually fulfilled them. So, this New Year's resolution is different. It's extremely important in every Christian's life, and what better way to make a commitment than at the beginning of the new year? So, for the final challenge: I challenge you to get in your Bible.  Try to read it everyday. Start a plan on the YouVersion app, or at Bible.com . If you need suggestions on where to start, please contact me! Tell a...

My last personal snippet of the month, although this doesn't mean much, considering you'll see many more "personal snippets" from me, although they might not have the official name of personal snippets, lol. This week felt the most like Christmas, most likely because this was the week of Christmas, lol😉. I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas, I know I did! As y'all know, I was in Virginia for Christmas Eve, but only for a day trip. However, Christmas Day I was informed that my grandparents had had a white Christmas!! To think that we were just there the day before! North Carolina got no snow, at least not where I live, but brrrrr was it cold!! It did not get above 30°F! I am naturally cold natured, so I stayed bundled up in a sweatshirt and sweats most of the day, lol. However, I had a wonderful Christmas with just my immediate family for the majority of the day. My Nana came over that night, which was fun. Yesterday I spent a few hours at the roller skating...

Wow! (I feel like the majority of my blog posts have started with that word lol) This is our very last guest host! I hope you've enjoyed these, I know I most certainly have! We got another fantastic host: my good friend/penpal Ellie! Hi friends! *waves to you all from a safe distance away* Thanks so much for asking me to guest post, Caleigh! I’m very excited to be here at your corner of the web. And this blogmas challenge has been AWESOME, btw.  Can you believe that by this time next week we’ll have entered the new year?? 2020 will be behind us. For good. That doesn’t necessarily mean masks and COVID will go away (although we can certainly pray for God to work a miracle), but it’s exciting nonetheless. Why? Because God’s not done with us yet. The breath you just took in bears witness to this. May we seek to serve our Lord Jesus always, in every season of life. Paul writes in Romans 8:38-39 that neither “death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, ...

Merry merry Christmas!! I sincerely hope everyone has had a wonderful day so far! I know I have! Today's post will be short, as I want to spend more time with my family, rather than be on the computer all afternoon :). I will note, however, that NC's weather is cooollllddd. I know you northerners will be scoffing when I say it's only 30°F. However, for this Southern gal, that is frigid! Brrr. Anyways, trucking on to today's topic, it's one I'm sure you will all love: a giveaway!! I have done one of these before, and it was a huge hit. Think of this as: one, a Christmas gift from me to you, and two, a huge huge huge thank you to all of you who have kept up with the daily posts for the past 25 days, interacting and commenting below. Blogmas has been a true blessing for me, so now it's my time to give back :). Here is what you'll receive if you win: 🎄 A $10 giftcard to a place of your choice 🎄 A pdf file of  Ellen's book , The Whispers God Gives. I ha...

Wowwww! It's officially the day before Christmas! How is that possible?? This month has flown by like none other! Today is Christmas Eve, and as I am typing this around 7:30 pm on December 23, I am super excited for the next two days. Christmas Eve for me consists of going to my grandparents' house in Virginia. It's about 2 hours away, and we just make a day trip out of it. By the time this post is, well, posted at 9:00 am, the Carter family will either be on the road headed to the rolling hills of VA, or, more likely, rushing around, making last minute preparations for the upcoming trip. Last night (I will type this as if I am writing this right before I post it, rather than the night before Christmas Eve😉), we made four (yes four) different types of Christmas cookies! Cydney and I both had our favorites that we wanted to make, and so Mom graciously went to the store on Tuesday to make that possible. Mom also made spaghetti casserole (known better to us as "spaghetti...

I mentioned these delicious rolls in a previous post, and they are sooo good! I thought I would share the recipe with you all :). Again, I don't have a picture, but I think we're going to make the Rudolph cookies soon, and when we do, I'll attach a picture of them with the appropriate blog post ;) 2 Packages Pepperidge Farm Party Rolls (20 in a pkg) Ham & Swiss Cheese Cut To Size of Rolls 2 Sticks Butter or Margarine 2 Tablespoons Prepared Mustard 4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar Cut open rolls - place cheese, ham, and cheese again - replace top. Melt butter and add last three ingredients. Heat to a boil. Pour over rolls and let set for 2 hours. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and rolls are crusty. We only have one more recipe scheduled! It's so crazy how fast December has flown by, and it's really crazy that it's the day before Christmas Eve!! What are y'alls holiday plans?

As Christmas draws closer (can you believe it's the 22nd of December?? Where has the time gone?), it's time to start stuffing the stockings, if you haven't already. Here are my top 10 stocking stuffers! Candy. I mean, isn't this one obvious? Who doesn't like to receive candy as a gift? This is a super simple and cheap gift, and it's small enough to fit in a stocking. What's not to love? Socks. Okay, okay, you might laugh at this one, but I love crazy socks. I have like 7 or 8 pairs with random things on them (one pair has cherries, another has burgers and fries, another one has foxes, etc.), and I love them! Christmasy socks are great too. Or the giant fluffy ones that look more like oven mitts than socks -- yeah those are reaaallll cozy😂😂. There are so many options! Just make sure socks aren't the only stocking stuffer, lol. Jewelry. This one is more for girls. Whether a nice pair of earrings, a necklace, a ring, or anything else, jewelry is always ni...

It's hard to believe that this is our second to last challenge! I hope you've enjoyed these! This one is especially simple. Write someone a letter. It could be anyone: your best friend, your penpal, or anyone else you feel led to talk to! I don't know about you, but I sincerely love receiving snail mail :). Christmas time is my favorite for this, as we are constantly receiving Christmas cards from loved ones. I have a penpal (some of you may know the lovely  Ellen ), and she is the best !! We started out as email-pals, but then we quickly started writing letters to one another, and now we do both :). She is the person who inspired me to start this blog, so huge shoutout to her! Writing letters is such fun! All you really need is an envelope, a stamp, some notebook paper, and a pen, but if you want to spruce it up a little bit, washy tape, stickers and little flat items (such as drawings, tea bags, or pressed flowers) are great little "extras" for your letters that...

I did a post  like this  a few months ago, so I figured it was time for another one, but Christmas version! I will be answering these for myself, but feel free to answer these in your blog or in the comments below!! Hot chocolate or apple cider? Hot chocolate. Don't get me wrong, I looovvee apple cider too, but there's something so nostalgic about hot chocolate Real or fake Christmas tree? For me, I've never had a real Christmas tree, but my parents did before I was born. While I've heard that they are quite beautiful (and they smell good), they seem like a lot of work! So, for me the answer is fake, but I could see why people like the real deal! Ice skating or Sledding? I love both, but I especially love sledding. We have a big hill behind our house that is the best for sledding down! Adrenaline rush!! Getting or giving? For me, it's giving. As much as I love receiving presents, I absolutely love going out and buying them for those I love! The only thing holding me...

Hey y'all! Our third guest host is about to take over this post! How exciting! I sincerely hope you've enjoyed the last two guest hosts! I know I have! A good friend of mine, Maddie is always encouraging others in their walk with Jesus! So now, I know y'all don't want to hear me continue to ramble, so please welcome  Maddie !! Remembering the Reason of Christmas Remembering the reason of Christmas is important for all to remember. Christmas has a meaning, this time of year is not just some holiday on December 25th. There is a important reason for this season. That reason is Jesus Christ, the Savior of this world. Jesus was born on Christmas, and years later Jesus would die on the cross for all. I think many people forget the main reason of Christmas, and I understand because it is so easy to get caught up in the holidays with seeing family, and shopping for presents. As Christians and followed of Christ we need to remember what He has done for us and give thanks. Jesus ...

Hey y'all! It's time for another personal snippet! This week has begun to feel much more like Christmas to me. We decorated for Christmas this week (yes, we did decorate 10 days for Christmas, don't judge us😂), and I went out and bought Christmas presents. Wednesday we got freezing rain, which was really pretty to see from inside, but slightly dangerous from the outside (I stepped outside on our porch and came quite close to falling, lol. What can I say, I am quite accident prone). Last night, I started wrapping presents. Funny story: I am not a natural wrapper. Seriously, I stink at it. However, last night I was doing a great job! I didn't cut the wrapping paper too short for once in my life, and the folding was going quite smoothly. As I taped the last piece and sat back to look at my nicely wrapped gift, I realized with horror that I had wrapped it upside down! Oops. Oh well. On Sunday, my church is having their annual Christmas candlelight service with communion. T...

I think one of my favorite things about the holiday season is Christmas traditions. They are so much fun, and I love being able to have my own. Today's post will be a list of a combination of my traditions, plus a few of my friends for fun. Please feel free to adopt these traditions as your own, and comment down below what you're favorite traditions are!! decorating the Christmas tree with a plate of warm Christmas cookies. Ever since Cydney (my younger sister) and I were little, my mom would bake a batch of cookies right before beginning to decorate the Christmas tree, that way they would be warm and gooey while we decorated. Every year, I end up with a stomach ache from eating wayyyy too many cookies😂  Christmas Eve with my grandparents. I'm originally from Virginia, which is where my Dad is from, and where my grandparents live. Every year, we go up on Christmas Eve for the day, open presents, play games, and eat lots of food. This year, I'll see a cousin I haven...

Today I've got a super easy recipe for you that is a family tradition around our house😁. These are called "haystacks" but are crunchy butterscotch treats that are absolutely delicious! 1 pkg. Butterscotch morsels 1 can Chow Mein noodles 1 cup peanuts (optional) Melt morsels in double boiler. Add noodles and peanuts. Spoon out onto wax paper using teaspoon. Let stand until morsels set up. Ready to serve. Yes, they are that easy! They are a great snack around the holidays, and my entire family loves them, but we are divided on whether to add the peanuts or not, so Mom usually ends up doing half with and half without peanuts. I personally love them, but not everyone is a nut fan, so they can easily be excluded. That's all for now!!

Hanging out with friends and family is so much fun around the holidays! Holiday games can be a source of much laughter, and, if your family is on the competitive side, some friendly arguing, lol. Here are some games that my family has played over the years that are so much fun! Naughty or Nice   My family played this game last year, and we had plenty of laughs, especially with our own personal family inside jokes! This game does require a little bit of work in the preparation, but totally worth it!! Saran Wrap Ball   This is a family tradition. My grandma always puts little knick knacky things throughout the ball, and then a giftcard in the very center...this game brings out the competitive side in everyone, lol. 10 Minute to Win It Games   While my family hasn't played all of these, we have played plenty of minute to win it games! We do love ourselves some team games, lol. That's all! Hopefully y'all found this post enjoyable! Tomorrow we will have another recipe, so be ...

Hello all! Before getting into today's post, I would like to announce that Ellie is having a giveaway on her blog! Today is the last day to enter, so you should definitely check it out!! We're back for our third challenge! Hopefully you had a chance to complete the last two challenges, but I do realize that many of you are quarantining at home, so some of these may be hard to complete. Again, these are just for fun, so please do not feel pressured to do them! However, today's challenge is easy to do without leaving your house! For the third challenge, I would like to appreciate the postal workers. The holiday season is an extremely busy time for them! It's so nice to be able to be able to pause for a moment and have a drink and a treat. My family has done this the past several years now, and we love it!  Each year around the holiday season we set out a basket of food with a sign that says that the snacks are for the USPS, UPS, FedEx, and all other postal services. Here...

I think one of the best things about the holiday season is the food. Christmas desserts are amazing, but I believe that the main dishes are underrated! Here are my Top 10 Holiday Foods (in no particular order, because I cannot decide what the best food is)! 1) Ham . This is most everyone's main dish on Christmas, and the glaze on top is  phenomenal.  2)  Mac n' cheese.  My Nana makes the absolute best crockpot mac n' cheese. I really don't think that any holiday can go without mac n' cheese. 3) Ham and cheese rolls. To be honest, I'm not sure what the official name is for these delicious little sandwiches. What I do know, however, is that these little sliders, made with King rolls, ham, cheese, and the signature glaze that is drizzled (more like dumped) on top, are the absolute BOMB. 4) Breakfast casserole. Okay, so maybe this is just me, but every Christmas morning, while my sister and I are opening presents, there is a breakfast casserole in the oven, ready to...

So, this wasn't my original plan for this guest host, but I'm glad it worked out this way :). Several years ago, my family and Mrs. Trish became friends through church. We have stayed friends through the years, even after us leaving our previous church, and her moving out of town. Every year, we receive a Christmas poem from Mrs. Trish. I don't know how long she's sent these original poems out, but I don't remember ever not receiving a poem from Mrs. Trish. It always brings such a light to my Christmas, so I am very pleased to announce that I will be sharing that poem with you today!! Beyond the Manger   The 2020 Original Poem by Trish Minix Beyond the babe-the manger beyond the bed of straw Beyond the angels' praising beyond what shepherds saw Beyond gift-bearing wisemen beyond the parents' awe Beyond the birth of Jesus born without a flaw Beyond our selfish wishes beyond our hearts of pride The cross is where we'll find Him and where we shall abide For...

 Wow! How has it been a week since I last did a personal snippet? It seems like just yesterday! I'm seeing a lot more Christmas lights in the neighborhoods around my house! I love riding around and looking at them all!! Today, I decorated a gingerbread house! It was pre-assembled which was super nice, because I tried to assemble one myself last year and it ended in an epic fail, lol. This year was a toooonnn better. I'm so loving the not-so-traditional pastel colors!!  It's not the best, but it was so much fun to listen to Christmas music while my sister and I worked on our gingerbread houses (she had a separate one for herself) together 😁😁 Have a wonderful weekend and look forward to a different type of guest post tomorrow!

One of my favorite things to do when Christmas season comes around is curl up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate (extra marshmallows of course) and watch Christmas movies! There are plenty of good Christmas movies to choose from! Here are my Top 5 Christmas Movies (in no particular order)!  🎄 Home Alone. This is probably one of the greatest Christmas movies ever! The sad thing is, the first time I watched it was last year 😬. 10/10 recommend putting this one on your Christmas movie watchlist.  🎄 A Charlie Brown Christmas. We watch this extremely short Christmas movie every year (it's only 25 minutes long!!), and it never gets old. I love all things related to Charlie Brown, so we watch a Charlie Brown movie for pretty much every holiday, lol.  🎄 The Polar Express. Unfortunately, I haven't watched this movie in several years, which makes me really sad. However, it's such a nostalgic movie, I don't think I could ever not like this movie.  🎄 The Grinch. S...