Five Loves on Friday // My Birthday Week

Happy Friday, friends!  Wanna peek at my birthday week?  Let's get right to the good stuff!

One  //  Birthdays are the Best 

Monday was my 43rd birthday!  Cue the confetti! ;)  I fully embrace each year added to my life with a grateful heart that God has blessed me with it.  None of us is promised another birthday, or another day for that matter.  I don't take for granted the gift of life, and even more importantly (since I know my life will one day end) I rejoice in knowing that I have eternal hope in Christ beyond my final breath.  Allow me the joy of sharing the lyrics to a song that sums up my life, my hope, what I will cling to now until my dying day.

 

In Christ alone my hope is found, 

He is my light, my strength, my song;

This Cornerstone, this solid Ground, 

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My Comforter, my All in All, 

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! - who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless babe.

This gift of love and righteousness,

Scorned by the ones He came to save:

Till on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied -

For every sin on Him was laid;

Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,

Light of the world by darkness slain:

Then bursting forth in glorious day

Up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,

For I am His and He is mine - 

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,

This is the power of Christ in me;

From life's first cry to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man, 

Can ever pluck me from His hand:

Till He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

That is the song of my heart from now until this life's end.

This birthday was such a sweet one!  My heart is full thinking of all the love, laughter, family fun, and deliciousness that was fit into that one single day.  I don't have too many photos to share, but basically if I were Maria from The Sound of Music all the things of that day would've been included in the song "My Favorite Things". :)  My daughters' laughter, huge heartfelt hugs, my hubby who always fills my days with such love.  Receiving sweet messages from family and friends.  Sunshine, fresh air, fall plaid, and pumpkins.  Donuts on pretty plates, extra cheesy pizza, Pad Thai and egg rolls with sweet sauce for dipping.  Fun family flicks watched under a cozy new blanket.  Puppy snuggles and happy tail wags.  The smell and taste of a treat baked with love.  More on that to come...

Two  //  WDW Dining Reservations

I love this view of the wood-burning pizza ovens at Via Napoli ... and the pizza perfection baked up in them! 

My birthday began in such a magical way.  It was the day we secured all our dining reservations for our upcoming Disney World vacation!  We'll be enjoying meals at Raglan Road, Via Napoli, The Boathouse, 'Ohana, Sanaa, and Boma.  Dining is one of my favorite parts of vacation, so this made for a very exciting start to a Special Day!

Three  //  A Gift Baked with Love

When I requested a chocolate cake for my birthday my sweet hubby and youngest daughter were enthusiastic about granting my birthday wish.  My daughter came up with a cute design combining a few of my favorite things - plenty of chocolate, sprinkles, and heart!  They planned, shopped, and baked together and the end result warmed my heart and delighted my tastebuds!  

They made the heart topper from Hershey's chocolate bars - so creative!  I loved this sweet gift and it tasted every bit as good as it looked!  *Happy sigh*  

Four  //  A Thoughtful Gift That will Make My Hobby of Blogging Much More Enjoyable

The computer chair I've been using for the past four years has seen better days.  It had become very uncomfortable and after a couple hours working on a blog post I'd have a sore bum and lower back.  My awesome hubby took notice and came up with a gift idea that will make my time putting together posts extra comfy...

My heart is so light just thinking about the thoughtfulness and care that went into this gift choice!  What a man I have, he bakes for me and he gives me gifts that keep on giving!  He is one of the greatest gifts I've ever been given!  God is so very kind!

Five  //  Memories Cherished 

 

Something that I've really enjoyed this week is going back through photos of our 20th wedding anniversary.  I'm currently capturing memories from that couple's trip in my Trip Report Tuesday blogging series and the next post will definitely be one of my all-time favorites as it captures such a magical milestone day of celebrating!  I invite you to return and hear all about it on Tuesday!  

Thank you for spending a bit of your day with me today!  It's always joy to have you here!  Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Now I'm linking up with Andrea and Erika for another round of Friday Favorites!  

Earlier This Week on Chatting Over Chocolate:

Direct Link to Post - Trip Report Tuesday: Throwback Edition // 20th Wedding Anniversary WDW Trip Day 5 | Magic Kingdom, Gingerbread Displays, Savanna Views, and an Evening at Epcot

Join me in the adventures to come!

Follow along on Bloglovin for future blog posts and on Instagram for snapshots and stories in between!

Five Loves on Friday // Disney Plans, Puppy Milestones, Fun Hair, and Stunning Scenery!

Happy Friday, friends!  I've got a short 'n' sweet recap of a handful of highlights from this week.  Let's jump right in!

 One  //  WDW Annual Passes

Walt Disney World annual passes went on sale this week for the first time since they've reopened following covid closures.  We scooped ours up in preparation of our upcoming trip and will use it again just before their expiration for next year's family vacation.  While I honestly wasn't thrilled that the prices increased and the value decreased (it no longer includes photopass), not having to pay for park tickets on next year's trip made it a worthwhile investment for us.  I'm looking forward to putting them to use soon, and am even more excited to spend that sweet time with my family away from it all!  The Animal Kingdom Lodge and WDW park atmosphere will be the icing on top!

Two  //  Labor Day Lake Date

One of the highlights of the weekend was a simple and sweet pizza picnic date with my hubby.  A few slices of BLT and bacon cheeseburger pizza, a view of some pretty sailboats, and some "yacht rock" made for a refreshingly carefree afternoon.  I think we could all use more of those right about now. :)

Three  //  Toffee's Puppy Shots Completed

This is the face of a girl who just completed all her puppy shots!  In two weeks we'll be all set to safely take her out in public and we can hardly wait!  

Our girl is growing so quickly!  During the first vet visit we took her for in July she weighed in at 4.2 lbs..  This week she's up to 7.2 pounds!  She is expected to be 15-20 lbs. full grown and 12-13 inches tall.  At last measurement she was just over half a foot tall.  Trying to soak up all these lit'l puppy days as we know they are fleeting!  We're still working on mastering potty training, but other than that she's an easy peasy playful pup!  We could not adore her more!

Can you believe she was this happy within an hour of getting several shots?  She did whimper in discomfort a bit later in the evening, but she slept through that night and woke good as new. :)

Four  //  Little One's Fun Hair

My youngest love has daydreamed of dying her hair a fun shade of her lifelong favorite color for years now.  This week she got it done.  So fun!  You're only young once, may as well enjoy it! :)  I snapped these pics of her as we were heading out to take her to the first night of high school youth group for this school year.  I just thought she looked the cutest!  She received many compliments which makes this mama's heart smile. 

Five  //  Disney Planning with a View

While she was at youth group we headed to a beautiful lake nearby to work on dining plans for our upcoming Disney trip.  We'll hit the window of time when we can begin making reservations this weekend, so it was time well spent.  Also, check out that view we enjoyed while working on our trip plans!  A win/win of a Wednesday evening for sure!

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  It's a joy to have you here.  Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead!

Now I'm linking up with Andrea and Erika for another round of Friday Favorites!  

Earlier This Week on Chatting Over Chocolate:

Direct Link to Post - Holiday Break & A Question for Fellow Disney Fans

Join me in the adventures to come!

Follow along on Bloglovin for future blog posts and on Instagram for snapshots and stories in between!

Five Loves on Friday

Welcome, friends!  Time to link up with Andrea and Erika for another round of Friday Favorites ...   

 

One  //  My Mom Retired This Week

My mom began providing in-home daycare when I started kindergarten.  She initially took on neighborhood kids, mostly to give my little sister playmates with while I was at school.  Over time it grew and blossomed into a sweet and successful business where everyone she worked for was treated as extended family.  She even cared for multiple generations of families, babysitting the children of women that she cared for as little ones themselves decades prior!  After 35+ years of love and labor she is officially beginning a fresh new chapter of life.  I couldn't be happier for her!  

Speaking of babies . . .

Two  //  Baby Olivia

One of the best things I’ve seen this week is a three minute video that left me in complete awe!  I hope you'll take a few minutes to watch and marvel over the beauty of life's beginning too! What an awesome Creator we have!

Direct Link to Video on YouTube: Meet Baby Olivia | A Never Before Seen Look At Human Life In The Womb

Three  //  Fall Bath & Body Works Soaps, Sanitizers, and Cute Accessories for Each

This week my fall B&BW goodies arrived.  Upon opening this beautiful blue checkered box the anticipation for my favorite season grew even greater!  Here's a peek at the seasonal soaps I scooped up during their recent hand soap sale.  

Not pictured are our long time faves, peach bellini and black cherry merlot, that I also restocked our bathroom cabinet with as well.

I have really enjoyed using B&BW Christmastime hand soap holders over the past couple of years, so when I saw this cute glittery Halloween holder and the colorful, golden accented fox (with an owl on its opposite side) I thought they'd be fun to have for the fall in our kitchen and bathroom too.  The candy corn hand sanitizer was practically begging to hang out with my new Disney Loungefly Halloween purse, so of course I obliged and added it to my cart as well. ;)  

Do you buy seasonally scented soaps?  I find that they add a simple joy to our day and I love little things like that.  Looking forward to enjoying a scentsational season ahead!  

Four  //  Girls' Night

This week I enjoyed a great girls' night with both of my darling daughters and our sweet doggy too (after all, she's a girl so she fit right in! ;).  We watched a fun nostalgic show, chowed, chatted, and laughed the night away.  It did my heart such good!  The only pic taken the entire evening was this one that my youngest daughter snapped of Toffee smiling at me from across the room.  Sweet girl!

Five  //  National Dog Day

I'm putting this post together on Thursday which just happens to be National Dog Day, so naturally Toffee gets her very own "love".  

This afternoon while Jason and I sat on the couch watching YouTube live streams covering the heartbreaking news of the day, having Toffee, our warm, loving, and cuddly puppy on my lap brought such sweet comfort.  I didn't even know that I could love a dog the way I do our Toffee girl.  (She's my first dog.)  Our little furbaby has brought joy, laughter, and comfort - all when it's been most needed.  God is the giver of good gifts and I'm thankful for the answered prayer of finding the precious pup who truly is the perfect fit for our family.  

More Toffee sweetness coming right up . . . 

These girls have my heart!

Could she be any cuter?  I know I'm biased, but I think not! :)

She adds smiles to every day!

She's such a good girl.  We love her very much!

Thank you for spending a bit of your day here with me!  I hope this weekend finds you well, spending time with those dearest to you, and that the heaviness of this time we're living in will be lightened by a bit of laughter.  Most importantly, I pray that you'll look to God and His Word (the Bible) for the only true and lasting hope that's available to us in all times, despite the ever changing headlines. 

Earlier This Week on Chatting Over Chocolate:

Direct Link to Post - Trip Report Tuesday: Throwback Edition // 20th Wedding Anniversary WDW Trip Day 3

Five Loves on Friday // Halloween Purchases, Puppy Cuteness, Yumminess Galore, & More!

Happy Friday, friends!  There is so much going on in the world that at times throughout this week (and past year and a half really) my heart has been very heavy.  If you've been feeling that way too, know that you are not alone!  I'm thankful that when I'm world-weary I can find rest in my Savior, Jesus Christ, knowing that He lived the perfect sinless life I couldn't, died the death that I deserved, and rose from the grave defeating death.  Regardless of this life's circumstances, I'm thankful that I can rest assured that when I stand before God I will be welcomed home to heaven forever, not because of my works (they would never be enough), but instead because of the already accepted, finished work of my Savior.  What peace there is in that.  It anchors my soul and brings everlasting hope despite the changing daily headlines that tempt us all to hopelessness and dread.  Whatever is to come, I know that one day there will be no more tears, sorrow, or pain for all those who trust in the Lord.  

Now as it's time to prep this week's Five Loves on Friday post I'm thankful to have a reason to reflect on things that were simple joys of this particular week.  If you aren't a blogger putting together a post of faves on Friday, I hope you'll take some time to reflect on things that you, too, can give thanks with a grateful heart to God, the giver of all good gifts!  Let's get to those loves now, shall we?

 One  //  A Breezy BLT Pizza Lake Date

We enjoyed a nice break from the heat with a cool and breezy day earlier this week.  Jason and I took advantage of it with a lake date.  What we brought out there was as nice as the breeze, BLT pizza from Pizza Ranch!  This is one of our all-time favorite pizzas and was removed from the menu a few years back, but recently made a return!  Don't you love when something you have missed reappears and the menu?  Plus, we had rewards there just waiting to be used and a coupon for a deal too, making this large specialty pizza only $6!  Gotta love delicious deals!  Best of all, a bit of time alone with my favorite man on the planet always does my heart such good. :)

Two  //  Toffee's New Car Seat

Wanting to keep our Toffee safe and sound, we picked up a doggy carseat for her.  If you look really closely in the pic below you may be able to see how it keeps her safely inside.  There's a strap on the back of the cozy seat that has a carabiner attached that hooks to her collar.  As you can see in these snapshots she loves it!  She's such a sweetie!  

I screenshot this photo from my daughter's snapchat, so the paw prints and words were just added to the photo on that app.  It's not actually personalized. :)

Three  //  A Happy Hubby

If you have a gamer in your life you may have heard that the new consoles are really hard to find these days!  Jason was watching the in-store stock at various places and thought he figured something out while watching a certain store's website.  He noticed that it would occasionally list the new X-Box Series X as "On Display" yet "Out of Stock".  He wondered if when it read "On Display" it was actually on the floor even though it continued to state "Out of Stock" even then.  We took his hunch and drove there immediately when we saw that wording reappear and sure enough, an employee was putting about a dozen on the floor.  He was shocked that Jason was there right as they were getting put out.  He explained his theory, which happened to be correct and I'm pretty sure the employee thought he was a smart cookie too! :)

Four  //  Halloween Goodies

If it's too soon for you to see the goodness of fall fun that is Halloweentime, look away now. ;)  For the rest of us, check out the super cute Halloween goodies I received in happy mail packages throughout this week . . . 

Someone kindly shared on Instagram that Chewy.com has Disney Halloween dog toys on their website.  I just happened to have a coupon for $15 off and free shipping, so I put it to very good use with all these fun toys filled with squeakers and crinkly fun for our sweet Toffee girl.  I was going to save it all for fall.  I really was, but when I was showing Jason what I got in the Chewy box Toffee saw this pumpkin toting Pluto and went bananas for him!  So,  I went ahead and let her have just this one toy already.  She is crazy about him!  He's almost as big as she is, but that doesn't stop her from dragging him around and playfully chewing on all the fun squeaky and crinkly parts. 

If you've been around here for a while you likely know I have a weakness for cute Disney purses.  This Loungefly, covered in Disney Halloween goodies, was to perfect to pass up!  I pre-ordered it from Hot Topic's website for only $14.90!  When it arrived on my doorstep this week it was every bit as cute as I thought it would be.  It's the little things, friends. :)

I saw an advertisement for this blanket on Instagram recently and as creepy as it is that they know what I like in order to advertise to me, I instantly headed to Kohl's to check it out!  Ha!  I put some Kohl's cash along with 30% off and free shipping coupon codes to good use and scored quite a deal on this cozy cuteness.

Five  //  More Fun in the Kitchen

I had been craving the curried chicken salad from Whole Foods.  We don't have a Whole Foods nearby, making this an extra special treat that we very rarely get for a date night or a special occasion.  I thought why not try to recreate it at home?  I googled for copycat recipes and came across two blogs, Say Grace Blog and Clean Eating Kitchen , that had very similar recipes.  I went with the ingredients list from Say Grace making a quarter pound more of the recipe than listed at Clean Eating Kitchen, but took the suggested from that blog to refrigerate the curried chicken salad for a half an hour to allow the flavors of the ingredients to meld together before serving.  It was fantastic!  Let me just put it this way, Jason told me that there is no reason to go to Whole Foods for curried chicken salad ever again!  It was such a wonderful copycat recipe tasting super similar to the original!  It likely cost just as much (if not more) to prepare this first batch, but now that I have all the ingredients on hand (with expiration dates of fall 2022 to summer of 2023) I'm set up well to make repeat batches.  The only things I will need to purchase fresh to make more within the next year or so is chicken (I prefer to pick up rotisserie chicken - so handy!) and green onions.  So, if it did cost more to make this first batch I count that as a tasty investment. :)

My husband is a huge fan of pasta making this Tortellini Carbonara from Taste of Home an eye-catching recipe to add to our meal plan for the week.  The sauce is made of heavy cream, bacon, parsley, and grated parmesan making simple refrigerated cheese tortellini as tasty as could be!  

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  It's a joy to have you here!  Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead.  I hope you enjoy something delicious, a good laugh, & that you'll take a moment to count your blessings too, giving thanks to the Lord for each of them!

Now I'm linking up with Andrea and Erika for another round of Friday Favorites!  

Earlier This Week on Chatting Over Chocolate:

Direct Link to Post - Trip Report Tuesday: Throwback Edition // 20th Wedding Anniversary WDW Trip Day 2

Five Loves on Friday

Happy first Friday of August, friends!  I hope the month is getting off to a sweet start for you!  Here are a handful of loves from mine . . . 

One  //  A Saturday Sweetly Spent

Last weekend started with a chat with my hubby about how dissatisfied I was with the current state of our home.  During the first couple weeks with our precious new puppy, Little One and I had spent the bulk of our time, energy, and attention on Toffee's care and training.  This was time well spent, yet my typical cleaning schedule had been somewhat neglected with many things being left for later which in turn had me feeling like our home could some extra attention.  I shared this with Jason saying that I'd like to some time Saturday morning working on the house.  Without any prompting he immediately grabbed our vacuum and carpet shampooer and went to town freshening up our carpets.  This had a huge impact both on our home and my heart.  I know he couldn't care less about our carpets, but he does care deeply for me and it showed in his eagerness to lend a helpful hand on that sweet Saturday morning!  It also felt like a Team Platt moment (which I love), as he covered the carpet care and I was able to work on other tidying and organization throughout our home.  By early afternoon it was once again one of my favorite places to be!  Home sweet home!

We did want to get out for just a bit after being cooped up a good portion of the week with puppy care, so Jason suggested we take a nice drive to pick up one of my all-time favorite meals, Thai Pie with extra peanut sauce!  So good!  Two of Sam & Louie's pizza shops that were nearer to our home have closed making it a bit of a trek for us to pick up a pie, but that makes it even more special when we do enjoy it!  It was our first Thai Pie of 2021 and I savored the flavor during every last bite!

After lunch we enjoyed a wonderfully restful day at home with the family.  Then as evening approached my dear hubby made a final fun suggestion asking if I'd like to go for a ride out to our hometown happy place, the lake.  Naturally I loved the idea and off we went.  Along the way while he was stopped at a red light he passed me his phone.  Then just as he made an unexpected turn I looked down to find what he'd planned before we ever left our driveway.  He had Culver's frozen custard digital dessert menu already pulled up on his phone which was now glowing in my hand with pics depicting delicious dessert options.  He told me I had a moment to pick the treat of my choice.  So fun!  

We both went with custard concretes (their version of a DQ blizzard).  I chose hot fudge and cookie dough mix-ins while he opted for fresh strawberries and bananas.  Yum!

Cheers to an impromptu dessert date at dusk!  The sweetest treat of all was the one on one time with my Love!  His thoughtfulness and care displayed in so many wonderful ways throughout that day made my heart light!

Our girls enjoyed a fun Sister's Day with sweet little Toffee in tow.  Here are some adorable pics they snapped and shared while out picking up some lunch to-go.

It was a super sweet day, thoroughly enjoyed by our entire family!  These memories sure do make my heart smile!

Two  //  Surprise Happy Mail

Our dear friend Chrissy sent such a fun and completely unexpected package our way this week!  Happy mail always makes my day!

She picked up this super cute celebratory tumbler for us when Disneyland reopened following their covid closure and the annual passholder magnet, created to mark Disneyland's 65th anniversary!

I'm so thankful for her thoughtfulness in sending us these special gifts, each marking historic occasions!  As a lover of Disney and Disney history, cute cups and magnets too, these sweet items will both be much enjoyed!

Three  //  Olympic Catch-Up & Love for the U.S.A.!

My oldest daughter and I had really been looking forward to the olympics, but due to the timing of when events aired we had yet to tune in.  This week I decided to subscribe for a month of Peacock Premium to serve as our olympics DVR as all the previously aired events can be streamed via their app.  It was money well spent as we had a ball binging women's gymnastics.  Seeing our stars and stripes rise and hearing our national anthem played brought tears to my eyes and happiness to our mother/daughter evening!  

I am thankful to be an American and my heart fills with joy over the stories of athletes who are proud to represent our great nation.  Here is one such story . . . 

{my image and quote source}

"I surprised myself!  It's by the grace of God I'm able even to move my feet.  I just leave it in his hands. And I pray that all the practice and ... my coaches put me through, pays off.  And every single time it does.  And I get better and better.  And it's so weird that there's no cap to the limit I can do.  And I'm excited to see what I have next," Tamyra Mensah-Stock said.  When asked how it felt to represent her country she responded, "It feels amazing.  I love representing the U.S..  I freaking love living there.  I love it.  And I'm so happy I get to represent USA!"  

What she said she plans to do with her $37,500 gold medal earnings also brought tears to my eyes.  She said, "I wanted to give my mom $30,000 so she can get a food truck.  It's her dream.  My mom's getting her food truck!  She's going to have a little cooking business.  She can cook really, really, really well - barbecue."  How awesome is that?  I'm looking forward to watching more and supporting athletes like her, who are proud to represent this country I call my home sweet home!

Four  //  Puppy Snuggles

Toffee spent much of Thursday afternoon cozy on my lap.  This sweet time with our darling doggy was most certainly a love of this week.  We adore her so and are grateful to have this pretty pooch as part of the Platt family.

Five  //  NEW Trip Reports Coming Next Week!

Something I've really enjoyed working on this week and look forward to finishing up before Tuesday morn, is a fresh new addition to my Trip Report Tuesday series!  Unlike previous TRT posts this one isn't covering a trip we recently returned home from, but instead will be sharing long cherished memories from a vacation I've regretted skipping over capturing here in trip report form.  I'll be spending the next 8 weeks sharing an incredible trip that Jason and I took back in 2018 on the week of our 2oth wedding anniversary!  

Spending free time this week going through photos and recalling the memories of that special celebratory getaway has been so wonderful!  God gives such good gifts - that getaway and the marriage it was celebrating are two that I'm oh so thankful for!  I invite you to return Tuesday to hear all about the start of those delightful Disney adventures!  

Thanks so much for spending a bit of your day with me here today!  Wishing you a wonderful upcoming weekend!