Our lives are often times very hectic and chaotic. We don’t always stop and appreciate the small things happening all around us. In this day and age, it is important to make a conscious effort to recognize the small things or moments that fill us with joy and wonder or make us insanely happy. Our plan is to start sharing our fun finds or special moments with you once a week from here on out. We’d love to hear about yours as well!
Chrissy’s Favorite Things:
1. My Friends. I received an email from one of our best girlfriends wanting to plan a Girl’s Night In soon. I love getting together with girlfriends. It is the absolute best, most relaxing and therapeutic feeling ever! (The only bummer is Alicia and our other out of town friends don’t live close enough to come as well.)
2. My Mail Delivery. Yesterday, when I opened my mailbox I was delighted to find the Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer had arrived. My friend, Shannon, calls this newsletter Food Porn and I couldn’t agree more. 
I can’t read it without getting totally hungry!
3. A New Dessert. I decided to try a recipe for Black Bean Brownies which I found on Pinterest. (If you are interested in the recipe you can check it out here.) I was initially thrown off because they didn’t have a lick of flour in them and, of course, beans in brownies doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Be that as it may I was intrigued enough to give it a try. Boy, was I delighted and shockingly surprised when they turned out to be really quite good.
4. A New Movie. I happend to see a new 5 minute trailer for the movie Snow White and the Huntsman. I can’t tell you how excited I am to see this movie. I’ve always enjoyed the Snow White story and love that this movie tells it in such a dark, dramatic way. Charlize Theron plays the Evil Queen and although I never would have pictured Kristen Stewart as Snow White, she seems to pull it off well.
Alicia’s Favorite Things:
Well I am on vacation this week! We have visited New Orleans, Louisiana & Destin, Florida! It has been a much needed family vacation and we are having a blast! The only bummer is that it has to end. Be that as it may, I still have several favorite things that I used this week while on my vacation!
1. My family. I have to put them first this week since I am on vacation with them! We don’t get long, quiet breaks (just the 4 of us) all that often. So having this family time is just unbelievable! I love my husband and children so much and I’m enjoying this time to reconnect and relax with them. 
2. My Kindle. My brother gave me my Kindle a few years ago as a Christmas present and it is probably one of the best presents he has ever given me! My Kindle is totally rock awesome. I love that when I finish a book, I can “shop” on my Kindle while driving through the back highways of Louisiana and get a new book, instantly! Scott and I also love playing the New York Times Crossword Puzzle on it. It was interesting to figure out how to play this game while he drove the van, but we managed. It helps pass those long hours of driving to your vacation spot!
3. My Kindle Book for the trip: “Nearly Departed in Deadwood” by Ann Charles. This book has me hooked, line & sinker! It reminds me of the Stephanie Plum series that I read a while back and I just love the mystery, comedy & a little bit of romance all mixed together! I also have to admit that Chrissy has turned me into a “series” junky and I love that this is the 1st book in the series, so I know I’ll have more to read. I hate saying goodbye to those characters that you grow to love in books, so a series is great! I highly recommend it!
4. My go-to jewelery piece for this vacation has been my Metal Works necklace that I bought last summer from Premier Designs. I love, love, love this piece as it can be casual with a T-Shirt or go with a nice blouse and work for a great dinner out. 
It is 38″ long, but I tend to double it up quite a bit and wear it layered, which looks fabulous. Or go longer and it is super fancy! (The catalog insert here shows the necklace as item F)
5. Another favorite item of mine this week is my beach bag filled with all of the necessities for lounging on the white sands in Florida. I have all of the beach towels for the family, sunblock, my Kindle, our camera, a bag for sea shell collecting and of course some water! A good, big beach bag is a must have when on a vacation like this!
So there you have it! A few of our favorite things! We hope you liked them and maybe even discovered something new in the process! Have a fabulous day!
~Chrissy & Alicia
