Five Loves on Friday // Mother's Day Bliss, Fashionable Mail, & Kate Spade Sale!

Happy Friday, friends!  I hope y'all enjoyed a fantastic week!  I'm giddy over the goodness I have to share with you today!  Mother's Day weekend was hands down the best weekend so far this year!  Let's go ahead and get to that goodness, shall we?

One  //  Sweetest of Saturdays

Jason spoils me so!  He made Mother's Day a weekend long celebration!  We kicked it off with my choice of brunch at the lake!

This, my friends, is seriously the best breakfast sandwich I think I've ever eaten!  The next time you hit Panera during breakfast hours I highly recommend their Asiago Bacon, Egg, and Cheese! YUM!

As soon as we finished our brunchiliciousness we drove over to the farmer's market.  I just love the setting and atmosphere!  It makes it so much fun to browse around at the goodies there!

Exploring New-to-Me Passageways

Friends of ours own a photography business with a prime downtown location.  We decided to pop by their studio while in the area.  Unfortunately it was closed, but I was still pretty excited as it lead us to and through this stunning passageway! 

How gorgeous is this space for shopping and dining? 

Afterward we enjoyed a sweet Saturday stroll ...

... and made a new fine feathered friend along the way!

This is no ugly duckling!  Such a cutie!

That afternoon we visited my parents in early celebration of Mother's Day and exchanged a few gifts.  It was so nice to enjoy a chat out in the sunshine and get sappy about how much we love and appreciate each other!

A few more spins of the clock later we headed to the park for some kite flying fun and a nice lit'l walk & talk...

Little One flying the ducky kite she chose as a souvenir from a San Francisco toy shop.

As you can tell, my girls and I have a good ol' time together!

Two  //  Mother's Day 2017 

Any day that starts with chocolate in bed is bound to be a fantastic one!

Mother's Day was absolutely beautiful!  My wish for the afternoon was family time at the park and it couldn't have been any more perfect!  We spread out a picnic blanket and enjoyed such a lovely time!  Princess and I played a few games of checkers while Jason and Little One flew kites. (His stunt kite is so much fun to watch to watch!)  The girls sketched while I lounged against a tree with a magazine.  We finished it off with a family game of Disney UNO.  It was pure, relaxing bliss!  I could use more afternoons like that in my life!

For linner (lunch/dinner) I chose NY style pizza.  We had to park quite a ways away from the pizzeria as it's in a popular area downtown, but that worked out to be super fun as our parking spot was right smack dab in front of a huge candy store we'd never been to!  Jason smiled, handed me some cash and told Little One and I to have fun shopping while he and Princess walked to pick up the pizza ...and fun we had!

We left with a bunch of salt water taffy, a pretty pink package of Almond Roca, and a couple red velvet Oreo pops!

Cheesy NY style deliciousness! Mmm!

Three  //  Thoughtful Gifty Goodness

Look at what Princess made me for Mother's Day!  I couldn't have possibly received a more beautiful gift featuring a scene from my Disney animated favorite, Aladdin!

I'm the proud mom of a talented artist!

I don't know that it's traditional for mothers to give their daughters Mother's Day gifts, but mine does!  Look at all this cuteness my parents gave me! ...

Also, there may be a Disney Store package on its way to me from my family (but chosen by me - ha)!  You know I'll be sharing that soon!

Four  //  Fashionable Snail Mail Ahead

I have this thing for beautiful stamps to put on cute snail mail!  When I saw this prettiness I had to order them immediately!  *You can find them from USPS here.

Five  //  Kate Spade Surprise Sale

I would wait to share this as a favorite when it arrives (as it's sure to be a favorite), but I thought some of you may not know about the sale.  You know I love to share a good sale and Kate Spade is hosting one!  It's a Surprise 75% off sale!  I was having an "add everything pretty to the cart" kinda day yesterday, but I managed to narrow it down to the one bit of loveliness I simply couldn't resist!

I mean, it's a bow and it's pink & gold!  Plus, 75% off!  Couldn't pass on that!

Fun and fancy!  I can hardly wait to wear it!

You can find this and much more at http://surprise.katespade.com I believe it ends tonight, so shop fast! ;)

*BONUS LOVE*

Encouragement

I'd just like to take a "keeping it real" opportunity here and remind you, sweet readers and cherished friends, that this is a Friday favorites post.  It highlights all the highlights of my week.  I don't ever want to paint the picture that my life is ALL sunshine and strolls in the park.  Each of us face stressful situations and troubles in life.  I am absolutely no exception to that.  

Last night my husband shared an article with me that we both found incredibly encouraging.  As Christians it's invaluable to know/remember that God works all things together for His purposes and ultimately for His glory.  For fellow believers who may be facing a trial right now (or inevitably will down the road, we all do), I'd like to pass this on to you today as well.  I pray it'll help you face trials with a biblical perspective, which makes all the difference!

Direct Article Link:  Would This Be Worth It? // Wretched Radio

Thanks for popping by the blog today!  Wishing you a beautiful upcoming weekend!

Five Loves on Friday

Happy 1st Friday of April, friends!  How exciting is that?!  Getting closer to those spectacular spring flowers, and summer sunshine isn't far behind!  *happy sigh*  Ok, on to what you popped by for today, five lovely loves coming right up! . . .

One  //   A Special Evening with Little One

Saturday night Princess went to stay with her Great Aunt Ednah to help with some things around her house.  Despite having another very fun invitation that night, Little One said, "It's not every night I get my parents all to myself!"  I was tickled pink that even when given the freedom to decide how she'd like to spend that evening, she picked to enjoy the time alone with her daddy and I!  She chose dinner from Raising Cane's Chicken and a movie from Redbox.  We stopped halfway through to whip up mid-movie milkshakes, and followed the flick with cookie baking and eating!  The evening concluded with her and Jason side by side, each with xbox controllers in hand, gaming to their heart's content!  (Like father, like daughter.)  The next morning she requested an early wake-up time so she could soak up every bit of our time together.  What a treat to lavish all our attention on her!  

Two //  Lake Trip Booked!

Many of you have heard me talk about our annual summer trips to Lake Okoboji.  I grew up going there with my family every summer.  When Jason and I started a family of our own we kept up those visits, taking Princess for her very first vacation there.  Our memories made at Iowa's Great Lakes are some of my favorites!  

Last year while looking into booking a stay at the #1 rated resort in the area, we noticed that Jason's birthday falls under their "off season" rates!  After scoring a half price reservation and thoroughly enjoying oodles of complimentary amenities there, we quickly decided that a birthday trip would be our new family tradition!  Last night we booked our upcoming stay.  Let the countdown to sandy toes and sunny lake cruisin' begin!

Three  //  Kate Spade Goodies

I've been wanting to get back to more (pen to paper) writing and this pretty pink leatherette notepad folio was calling my name...

Kate Spade New York (She Wrote The Book On It)  // Kate Spade Gel Pen ...because I couldn't resist this pretty pen either!  The clicking between colors reminds me of favored pens of my youth!

I scored this loveliness at 25% off with free shipping during Kate Spade's Nearest & Dearest Sale, making it a beautiful bargain that will be enjoyed for many years to come! 

Four  //  Adding to my Snail Mail Stash 

Kate Spade New York Telephone & Address Book  // Kate Spade Gel Pen  //  Botanical Art Stamps  //  Lily & Val Greeting Cards

Oh, how I love snail mail!

After following Valerie McKeehan and her hand-drawn loveliness at Lily & Val on Instagram for quite a while now, I placed my first order from her shop last week.  There was a mix up and they sent me the wrong cards.  When I emailed customer service I was so pleased with the care they responded with.  They got back to me super quickly, apologized, told me they'd send me the correct cards and instructed me to keep and enjoy the ones I received by mistake.  A few days later the correct cards arrived with a sticky note of apology from the gal who'd put together my first order.  I completely understand that mistakes can happen and the way companies handle them makes a huge difference to me!  I couldn't have been more pleased with their small business's customer service or their product!  

Five  //  Amazon Prime Music

This week YouTube recommended a vid about benefits that Amazon Prime members may not be using.  I was super curious, and now I'm so glad I clicked play!  Like many people, we signed up for a free 30-day trial of Prime at Christmastime solely for the free 2-day shipping.  However, come January we decided that between the speedy free shipping and Amazon exclusive tv series we were already hooked on, we couldn't cancel. Was there more to enjoy?  Sure enough there was something I knew nothing about and was super interested in, free Prime Music!  I immediately downloaded the app on my phone and have been using it since!  The albums offered may be a bit more limited than say Spotify, but I've found several of my favorites.  Unlimited skips, any song, any time, ad free.  Yes, please & thank you!  
If you're a Prime member, you're going to want to download this app asap!  If you're not, they offer free trials so you can try out their streaming movies and tv episodes, music, free shipping (& more) for a month without spending a dime.  ...and if you do so clicking through my Amazon affiliate link pic above it's a total win/win for both of us! ;)

*Full disclosure:  While sharing my favorites I include Amazon affiliate links to items you can buy through their site.  If you click through to buy and enjoy goodies through such links a small portion will go to supporting Chatting Over Chocolate at no additional cost to you.  Thank you!

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  It's a joy to have you here!  Wishing you the loveliest of weekends ahead!

Five Loves on Friday

Hello, friends!  3/4 of my family (myself included) have been sick this week, but...

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 ...let's do this!

1.  Thoughtfulness of Loved Ones

Sunday morning I stayed home to care for Little One who was up half the night sick.  Poor sweetheart!  After church Jason stopped by the store to grab her medicine, then swung by and picked up my favorite chinese takeout for our lunch.  He is such a thoughtful daddy and husband.  I am so very grateful!

That evening I got sick with round two of this stomach bug myself.  Yes, I was the first of the four of us to have this, just a few weeks back!  This time around was rougher than the first, which made me feel even more sad for my girls who'd taken turns fighting it over the past couple weeks.  Jason followed after his three favorite ladies, waking ill on Monday morning.  

We're all on the mend now and will hopefully leave this yuckiness behind us completely soon.  However, the thoughtfulness and love shown to us during this time will be long remembered!  My parents are always eager to help in any way possible.  This week it came in the form of edible gifts.  They fully stocked us with groceries!  What a helpful surprise that truly was when both Jason and I were sick at the same time!  Those grocery sacks included things like soups, crackers, sparkling water, and Sierra Mist for Jason and I while down, as well as an abundance of yummy snacks and easy to prep meals for our girlies.  It was so helpful, incredibly thoughtful, and appreciated beyond what I can even articulate!  Thanks again, mom & dad!

If you know someone who's under the weather, preparing a meal or a picking up a sack of groceries to leave on their doorstep would surely bless them too!

Next Up:  Kate Spade Goodies!
Preface to #2 & 3

As many of you know, online bargain hunting is my favorite sport!  Sometimes it actually pays in the form of cash back from sites/apps like Ebates.  I decided to take my "Big Fat (Ebates) Check" to the Kate Spade Friends & Family Sale last weekend.  I found two fabulous items to spend my bargain "earnings" on!  With the help of a 25% off code and free shipping, I spent less than my Ebates return.  Not even a dime came out of our personal budget! HOORAY for fabulous (basically) free goodies!

There's just something about opening a box with its contents neatly tucked inside gorgeous tissue paper that can make any day feel like a birthday!

Here's a closer look at the pretties...

2.  Take Note Little Gold Book

This was my first Kate Spade stationary item and I am in love!  I adore everything from its gold exterior and pink tipped pages, to its inside covers lined in shiny gold polka dots and the sweet silk ribbon for marking a page in style!  There's also a lit'l secret compartment in the form of a pouch hiding out in the back of the book.  I've always been a huge fan of a fresh new notebook, but this one truly takes the cake!  *happy sigh*

3.  Raise a Glass Water Bottle

Cheers to being more motivated than ever to stay hydrated with my new glass water bottle!  Ever since I was a little girl I've always loved pink and red together.  I adore this color combo in my new beverage buddy!

4.  Best Excuse for Chocolate EVER!

I've been tracking my daily eats with the LoseIt! app as I work towards a new weight loss goal.  It notices your daily eating habits and offers helpful tips accordingly.  My jaw nearly hit the floor when I read this one! ...

That's the best news I've heard all week! ;)  

I'm guessing this is true for me because chocolate is my sweet spot.  It doesn't take much to satisfy that craving, yet curbs my temptation for other junk food.  In any case, I'm happy to hear that a chocolate a day keeps extra calories away! 

5.  Full House Reboot // Fuller House!

They're coming back!!! Well, at least some of them are!

Here's what I've gathered from reading up on this exciting news:

Fuller House will start as a one-hour reunion special, continuing on as a spin off.  This 13-episode revival series is set to hit Netflix in 2016.  The show will revolve around recently widowed D.J. (now "D.J. Tanner-Fuller"), who grew up to be a mother and veterinarian.  She's mom to two boys, with another little one on the way.  Her sons are described as a rebellious 12 year old named J.D., and neurotic 7 year old, Max.  After the loss of her spouse, a relative and old friend move in to help out.  Hmm... that scenario sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it? ;)  Who's coming to give her that support?  Her old BFF, Kimmy, along with her "feisty" teenage daughter Ramona will be there.  That pair is bound to bring a lit'l quirkiness back into the mix!  Rounding out the adult trio will be the middle Tanner child, aspiring musician, Stephanie.  Still no word if the Olsen twins will return for this spin off.  If so, who do you think will play Michelle?  Perhaps they'd tag team it like the good ol' days?

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Wanna take a trip down a San Francisco Memory Lane?

*If you are reading this blog post via an email subscription you can view this video here.

That mashup of 8 seasons in one intro filled my eyes with happy, nostalgic tears!  It seems like yesterday I was growing up right alongside that sweet Tanner family. ;)  

Are you tickled pink about this news for a spin off?  What other television show would you love to see a revival of?

Thanks so much for visiting today!  Have a lovely weekend, sweet friends!