Friday, June 22, 2018

Five Loves on Friday // A Wonderful Celebratory Weekend + Sweet Finds!


Happy first official Friday of the summer, friends!  Today I'm sharing some sweetness from last weekend along with fab finds that made my heart skip a beat and added a lot more of my favorite beats to this season for a crazy low price!  Can't wait to share the scoop with you today!


One  //  A Fantastically FREE Weekend

Last weekend there was a heat advisory in our area from Friday all the way through Sunday evening.  This gave us and our extended family who have been sweetly volunteering their free time to help with our home improvement project a nice long refreshing break from the work!  After over a month of Jason devoting nearly all of his free time to this, we were all thrilled to have some much needed quality family time. Saturday was a rare and wonderful "do nothing day" for us!  We relaxed, lounged, watched some shows, played some games, eat well, and soaked up the time together!  It was nothing short of glorious!


Two  //  Father's Day


This man of mine is the best dad I could have ever dreamed of having as the father of my children.  He never ceases to amaze me with his care, love, thoughtfulness, and devotion to raising our daughters up to become the young ladies God created them to be!  So much of who they are is a reflection of his guidance and wisdom.  I am forever grateful to God for blessing me with this incredible husband, father to my girls, and the family He has given us!  "Every good and every perfect gift is from above.."  - James 1:17



Jason chose one of our favorite meals and locations to enjoy the deliciousness at on Father's Day.  We grabbed Qdoba burrito bowls for us, chips and queso for Little One, and swung through the drive thru nearly next door for Princess to get her Panda Express fix (which also her the excuse to eat with chopsticks which she loves).  Then we headed out to our favorite summer hang out, the lake!  We were still under a heat advisory at that point so this called for an in-car picnic complete with air conditioning.  It was a lovely lunch!  Sometimes the simplest favorites are exactly what we enjoy most!


Gifts from the Heart 
It's always so heartwarming to see my children show sincere appreciation and gratitude to my husband for the amazing dad he truly is!  When they were little, as many moms do, I'd have them create crafts to give him.  Now seeing what they do for him all on their own without my prompting fills my heart with joy!  They each used their own individual passions and channeled them into unique and thoughtful gifts.  

Our oldest daughter, "Princess", is a lover of language.  She's currently learning multiple languages purely for fun!  Jason always marvels at that and loved her gift to him showcasing her ever increasing knowledge.  She wrote him a letter in Spanish which included an English translation on the back.  She also wrote him a page in Korean and read it aloud!  I look at those symbols and my jaw drops that she can now write and speak in Korean!  Seeing his eyes light up as she spoke in a language (we'll likely never learn) was so precious!  


Our youngest daughter's passion is animation.  She's been animating for fun for a little over a year now and is doing amazing things!  For Christmas we got her a bit more "equipment" to aid in her process like a good microphone for her voice acting, etc.. She's currently working on the creation of her own animated series and created a behind the scenes video just for her dad!  (I'm not even allowed to see it yet!  That lucky dad of hers loved it! ;))  He came to talk to me after his private viewing of this 12 minute video and absolutely raved!  He said, "That youngest daughter of ours is incredibly talented!" His amazement came through in the tone of his voice and the sweet words he went on with talking about the bright future in animation he (/we) believe she's capable of.   Immediately after our conversation she bounced in with cheers of pure joy!  She said, "Yay!  I was eavesdropping and I'm SO glad you liked it!"  I giggled wondering if she might be around the corner listening to his review (although he had no idea she was nearby).  


I know I'm completely biased, but these girls amaze me!  Watching my daughters grow and excel in ways that continually challenge them, yet bring so much enjoyment as well, makes my mama heart so happy!  Seeing how proud my husband was and how thoroughly he enjoyed each thoughtful gift given was truly priceless!  


Three  //  Disney Parks Treats MagicBand 
This cuteness has my name written all over it!  Pink + Hidden Mickeys + sprinkles + Disney treats = I needed to add it to my MagicBand collection ASAP!  I told my husband I would hold off on purchasing it until I could score free shipping on it.  The next morning (yesterday) Disney Store offered a one day only free shipping code!  How perfect was that timing?!  This sweet MagicBand has officially been ordered and will be on my wrist this fall during our WDW family trip and a few months later when Jason and I return for "just the two of us" fun in celebration of our 20th wedding anniversary!  I can hardly wait!


*For anyone who may not know, MagicBands are bracelets with RFID that has your user information stored on it.  They can be used at Disney World to gain entrance to the parks and your Disney resort room, to redeem fastpasses for park attractions, and can even be used at checkouts there to make purchases to the credit card you have linked to your account.  They are so handy and when they're super cute it makes wearing them even more fun! 


Four  //  Scratch & Sniff Stamps!


Yes, you read that right!  These sweet watercolor frozen treat stamps are scratch & sniff!  Just hearing the words "scratch and sniff" instantly transports me to my childhood!  Anyone else remember finding cute scented stickers on your school papers when you received them back from your teachers?  Ahh, I loved being an 80s kid!  Hooray for instant nostalgia and cute snail mail accessories!


Five  //  Spotify Premium Bargain 


I never pay for premium except when I can score a bargain like this!  Unlimited skips, any song I want, for just over a penny a day this summer?  Yes, please and thank you!  You can snag this offer on their website until June 30, 2018.   No promo code needed.  



Thank you so much for stopping by today!  Wishing you a wonderful first official weekend of summer ahead!






Earlier this week on Chatting Over Chocolate:





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20 comments:

  1. Happy first official day of summer. So much fun going on! Scratch and sniff take me back for sure! And your girls are so talented! Got to check out spotify!!

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    1. Thanks, Sarita! Happy summer to you too, sweet friend! Ahh, scratch and sniff memories! So fun! Thank you so much for your sweet words about my girls! They continually amaze me! Such a joy of motherhood, huh? :) Yes, definitely check out that Spotify deal! Can't beat it for the price!

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  2. That magic band is so cute! My youngest has been watching your YouTube channel!

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    1. I think so too! I'm so excited to wear it on our upcoming trips! I loved hearing that your youngest has been watching our channel! That makes my heart smile! :) I hope those vids are adding to the Disney excitement as your family's trip is quickly approaching! Yay!!

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  3. LOVED scratch and sniff stickers sooo much so I am gaga over these ice cream stamps, LOVE them so much. How cool are those Disney bands, technology is so amazing! Fathers Day sounds lovely. The boys love Panda Express and Qdoba but Mr. Nine and I have never had Qdoba, I know I would love it! Have the sweetest, sun shiny-est weekend beautiful friend!

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    1. Me too, friend! Yes, the tech these days is absolutely amazing! Father's Day was great ... much like the dad we were celebrating here! ;) You should definitely try Qdoba sometime! It's a longtime favorite for my family. So much yumminess to be found there! You are so sweet and I hope your weekend was too! xo!

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  4. I love Spotify, that's a great deal! And how cute is that wristband? So exciting you scored another great deal so quickly:). It looks like you guys had a wonderful fathers day! I hope you have a great weekend-Happy summer!

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    1. Yes, such a bargain! Thanks for sharing in my excitement over scoring that free shipping deal too! I was tickled pink to spot that the day after I fell in love with that super cute magicband! lol. It truly was wonderful day celebrating! Thank you! I hope your week is off to a lovely start, Cassidy!

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  5. I need those stamps! How cute! I loved scratch and sniff everything as a kid :) Have a great weekend!

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    1. If you loved all things scratch and sniff as a kid you should totally get these, Alexis! ;) Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope your weekend was great too!

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  6. Those girls are the sweetest and truly talented! I feel a trip to my local post office is in order! Oh my GOODNESS! Just reading scratch and sniff has taken me back to my Lisa Frank loving days and all those grade school worksheets embellished with stickers that allowed me to stick my nose to smell paper and a faint smell of bubble gum, chocolate, or something "berry good"! LOVE IT!!!! Enjoy your weekend, darling friend!!!

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    1. Aww! Thanks, Nik!! <3 I love that just the thought of scratch and sniff floods our minds with sweet memories! :D So fun!! Thanks so much! Hope you enjoyed every bit of yours too!

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  7. Wow what talented girls you have! Their interests blow me away! No way I could learn animation or Korean!! Beautiful tribute to their dad as well! I hope you have a beautiful weekend! - Shannon @slayitagainshan.com

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    1. Thank you so much, Shannon! Your sweet comment was such a delight to receive!

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  8. That Magic Band is everything I love about Disney! Ha! Sweet yummy treats! I just always love reading about your car picnics... and, my kids always want to eat at different restaurants, too.

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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    1. Me too, Carrie! :D Sounds like you completely understand why it was a must-have for me! ;) lol. You are so sweet! We can relate to each other in many ways and I love that!

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  9. I had no clue scratch and sniff stamps were a thing. I'm definitely going to get some. And I'm currently trying to pick out Magic Bands for our trip, but there are just so many cute options to choose from. Glad your husband had a great Father's Day.

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    1. I believe these are the very first scratch and sniff stamps USPS has released. Hopefully they won't be the last! ;) So fun! You are so right! There is so much cuteness to pick from! Happy MagicBand shopping and Disney trip planning!! :) Thanks for stopping by! Hope this fresh new week is off to a wonderful start for you!

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  10. It's so awesome that your girls are blessed with such a great Daddy, it will benefit them all the days of their lives. Yes, the Disney bands are so neat and if their cute, that's all the better. Have a great week!!!!

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    1. I wholeheartedly agree with every sweet word, dear friend! Thank you so much for stopping by! It's always a day brightener to hear from you, Lea! Hope your week is going beautifully too! xo!

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I would love to hear from you today! I enjoy reading each and every comment I receive. (I do moderate them before they're published. Gotta keep it family friendly! ;)) Let's chat! B.Y.O.C. {Bring Your Own Chocolate!}