Happy Friday, friends! I planned on sharing a post for the Girl Chat link up with some blogging friends yesterday, but the fun of the week kept me away from my keyboard and I am a-okay with that! Our week included one on one parent/daughter dinner dates, celebrating Little One's half birthday, a date with my husband, and more. It's been a marvelously memorable one! All that being said, I had so much fun beginning this Girl Chat post earlier that I've decided to finish it up and share it in place of my typical Five Loves on Friday post. Hope it makes for a fun read!
This month's Girl Chat topic is: Share some guilty pleasures. I'll start with saying that I don't actually feel "guilty" about any of these. Ha! However, this fun list is filled with things that I'm (borderline embarrassingly) giddy and a little (or in some cases, a lot) obsessive about! Some of these will come as no surprise, while others may make you laugh! Let's dive in, shall we?
Happy Mail
There are a few kinds of happy mail that make my heart skip a beat. First, there's mailable sweetness from friends and relatives which never fails to be a highlight of my week when received! Then there is the kind I've shipped to myself after hunting down a bargain. My favorite of this variety are those boxes that when opened make any day feel like a holiday! Oh, how I love pretty packaging!
I can never get enough of Draper James boxes! I also love the special tissue paper and sticker touches from Disney Store, Kate Spade, and some Etsy shops that do a little extra to make receiving your order feel like such a treat!
Using my "Happy Mail Supplies"
This may sound funny but any day that I have a reason to open up my "Happy Mail Supplies" box and put together some love for a friend or family member it makes my heart so happy! I adore my collection of sweet stationary, lovely cards for a variety of occasions, beautiful stamps, and having a reason to pull out my super cute Kate Spade address book to look up a dear one's info and send off some love in an envelope! I was so tempted to lay out all my mailing goodies to share a snapshot with all of you, but I'm resisting that urge as to avoid spoilers for any friends and family who may find one such card or letter on that stationary in their own mailbox.
Travel
I cannot begin to say how much I enjoy travel! Disney Parks are our happy place! Disney is where my family escapes the trappings of every day life. Together away from it all, carefree as can be, we create memories we cherish forever after! We are Disney Vacation Club members and WDW Annual Passholders (both dreams come true)! Visiting our pixie dusted "home" is something I look forward to between each and every trip!
We also love visiting National Parks, oceans, and taking in the beauty of God's awe-inspiring creation!
You can check out full posts from Trip Report Tuesday Series here.
Walt Disney World - Our Happy Place!
Disney Purses
Hello, my name is Brenda and I'm a Disney purse addict. I find the appeal of magical prints nearly irresistible! Sometimes though, I do restrain myself. On one such occasion recently my incredible husband completely surprised me (shocked would be more accurate actually) with my dream bag! See my instagram share below for more details on that...
The leaf on the red Vera Bradley bag in the bottom center fell from Walt's Dreaming Tree in Walt Disney's hometown of Marceline, MO.
The story behind my sweetest gift Christmas 2017...
Celebrating with Scrumptiousness
Holidays provide the perfect excuse to savor the flavor of celebratory favorites!
Also, I puffy heart LOVE food in general!
My favorites include:
CHEESE and Whole Foods' Curried Chicken Salad
DONUTS! Chocolate glazed or extra pretty with cheery sprinkles are my typical picks.
Chicken Pad Thai
Thai Pie (mixing the best of both worlds, Thai + pizza!)
Pizza
Limited Edition Oreos
I have had some sweet blogging friends mention in the past that I'm their go-to for knowing when a new Oreo is released, because I can't resist buying, trying, and sharing any new flavor that comes out! Are you an Oreo fan? I'd love to hear your favorite Limited Edition flavor below if so!
And of course, all things CHOCOLATE! Thus, the name of this blog! I named my nook in the blogosphere Chatting Over Chocolate in hopes that each post would feel as though I was gathering with a friend and chatting over a scrumptious sweet treat!
Frozen Fruity Drinks
Cheers to sweet sips on vacation!
Loungy Lake Time
Unlike my husband who I sometimes call my "water boy" as he has always loved all things water sports related, I enjoy the water even more while dry. I absolutely adore being near or on the water (dry on a boat). I can sit happily near a lake for hours. We have a favorite in our city that we regularly picnic at and a larger one in our state we enjoy annual weekend getaways to. I love the ocean far more yet, but living in the Midwest that's a rarer delight!
That photo collage leads to another...
I am Tervis obsessed.
"Oh Happy Day" - the set that began my obsession!
These are a few of my favorites, but if you open my cupboard you'll find many more. Confession: I actually have an entire self in my cupboard devoted to Tervis tumblers. I see them as a good investment. They are dishwasher safe, good on the go, keep drinks nice and cold, and have a lifetime warranty. Plus, using cute cups (& plates) make me happy. It's the little things!
Hallmark Movies
If you've been here for a bit, this is no surprise. Love me some sweet Hallmark sappiness!
Three of my (many) favorites:
October Kiss, A Very Merry Mix-Up, and The Lost Valentine
My favorite Hallmark Movies & Mysteries series:
Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, Garage Sale Mysteries, and Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Sleep
Sleep, oh how I love you! My husband is such a morning person. He sets an alarm every day of the week, but on some glorious Saturday mornings he'll wake before the alarm, shut it off and quietly sneak out of the room. Those days when I can get a little extra sleep and all is so well in the world. Also, I'm not against a nap the day allows for it.
Lounge Pants
On a cooler day if I'm not leaving the house I will most likely be found wearing my favorite lounge pants. Oh so comfy!
A Slow Solo Stroll for Snapshots
I love taking pictures! I really enjoy taking my time, taking in the beauty of creation or Disney magic when on vacation. I take a lot of them. This can sometimes get old for those I'm with, understandably so honestly! So, one of my favorite things is going it alone for a few hours, taking it slow, and getting as many photos as I'd like. On our most recent trip I spent solo time in each of the four WDW Parks and some of the deluxe resorts we stayed in to allow for an abundance of snapping shots to my heart's content! It was wonderful! (Side note, we were there for a 17-day trip which allowed ample free time to do so. If we had a briefer trip I would absolutely forgo this "pleasure" to soak up every magical moment at my family's side.) I'll be sharing all those shots, soon!
Walmart Grocery Pickup
Walmart Grocery Pickup has been life changing, friends! Using their free service not only saves me a good hour or more each week, it also saves me so much money! You can see exactly what you're spending and intentionally choose exactly what you want. Since I don't typically walk through the store with a calculator and have been known to toss a thing or two that would never be on my shopping list into my cart when shopping in-store, this has been helpful in both time management and keeping under budget! Love it!
Blogging
Spending countless hours over the past five years on a hobby that has allowed me to preserve memories and connect with others I would have otherwise never had the joy of meeting absolutely belongs on this list! I'm so incredibly thankful to have this little bloggy space of my own and am tickled pink to welcome each one of you who take time out of your day to visit! To some it may seem like a frivolous way to spend time, but it means the world to me!
For more on this see my 5th Blogiversary Post:
Folding Laundry in My Personal "Oasis"
Lastly, the one some may find silly. I love folding laundry! Ever since my sweet husband bought me a tv for our bedroom for Christmas a few years back, I have thoroughly enjoyed folding laundry on my bed while catching up on some of my favorite YouTubers' vids or a tv series I watch alone. While "doing laundry" isn't my favorite thing, I find folding it in neat little piles and keeping our drawers well organized so satisfying! Sometimes if the drawers get a bit messy from grabbing clothing in a rush, I'll actually dump the entire drawer of clothing into a laundry basket and refold it all to put it back perfectly. Seriously satisfying (to my OCD mind). If we don't have any other plans I'll actually chose a show and save two or three loads to fold while watching it on a late Friday night in. Now, this one may fall more into an "embarrassing" pleasure than a guilty one, but it's true and I'm owning it here today!
Thanks so much for popping by this post! This was such a fun one to put together! Can you relate to any of these pleasures? I'd love to hear from you in the comments section below!
So much goodness in this sweet post! I’m okay with laundry folding nce a show is on too! Also all that food looks so awesome. And i adore happy snail mail!! And yes to all the chocolate. What a sweet story of your husband and that d&b bag!! True love indeed !
ReplyDeleteI missed out sharing girl chat this month....but I seriously was thinking to myself that I really don't feel guilty anymore indulging in the things I love! haha That dang chocolate chip cookie bar thing has me drooling.
ReplyDeleteTravel, good food and hallmark movies (especially during the holidays) all things I enjoy as well! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston
ReplyDeleteFirst off, my sister lives about 10 minutes from Pismo Beach, CA!!! The central coast of California is the one part of the state that I'm not sure many people know about. It is gorgeous and there are actually a ton of wondeful wineries in that area. Love those tumblers and that Draper James platter, so cute! I hope that you and your family have a wonderful weekend! :-)
ReplyDeleteTravel is such a good one! We love to travel, too! We used to travel a ton before we had kids and now it's slowed a bit. I"m hoping to get back into it now that they're getting a little older. Thanks for linking up with us, Brenda! Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI love this so much! It's always the best when you are having such a good time that blogging just doesn't fit in. Good for you my, friend! I am right there with you on the traveling and all of the good food. Your purse collection is so fun! Boy does that lake look so beautiful and peaceful. I hope you have a great weekend! Sierra~Beautifully Candid
ReplyDeleteBEST Guilty Pleasures ever! I can sense the pure joy all these things bring you, knowing how big your sweet smile is when you’re enjoying all these wonderful things. A whole Tervis shelf, that’s awesome! Those purses.....so cute! I’ll have a frozen fruity concoction with you any day cutie pie! You know we LOVE our favorite lake town and yearly family trip there. And guess what? I too LOVE to fold laundry! So relaxing and I love piling or hanging up their stuff just right. I hope your weekend is as amazing as you are! xo
ReplyDeleteI'm officially craving dessert now! I love following along all your wonderful family travel recaps, you guys truly experience the destinations and the road to get there too <3
ReplyDeleteGreen Fashionista
I always love your posts! I think we would have fun hanging out together, we have a lot in common! ha! Especially a love for chocolate! And, there is that thai pie again! Your husband is so sweet to surprise you with a Disney purse. I had no idea there was such a thing as Disney purses and they do have some fun colors/patterns. So cool! I too love a sweet drink. I hate folding laundry, but lately I will listen to IG Stories while folding and it helps a lot! I love happy mail too and love to surprise people with little packages. I've been wanting to get some happy mail out to a few people before my kids get out of school next month!
ReplyDeleteCarrie
curlycraftymom.com
I love travel and Disney and taking lots of pictures too, but I don't feel guilty about it, lol! I used to want to get a Tervis cup but I never did. They are really cute!
ReplyDelete