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