Chocolate + Sea Salt = Pure Brilliance!

Ok so I think this is pretty well known at this point, but I'm gonna say it again in case you missed the memo...I LOVE CHOCOLATE! No really...to a fault! I used to be a milk chocolate fan but one day I discovered Chocolove and my affection for chocolate has never been the same. Now Chocolove (made right down the road in Boulder woot! woot!) has many flavors but the best by far is the Almonds and Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate. I know, sea salt and chocolate sounds weird, but somehow the combination makes the chocolate more sweet and just purely amazing!! I recently discovered another chocolate and sea salt combination at none other than Starbucks. Its a new addition to the menu called Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate. This is what their website says about it..."Hot chocolate with mocha sauce and toffee nut syrup, topped with sweetened whipped cream, a caramel drizzle and sprinkled with our sea salt and Hawaiian Turbinado sugar topping" The answer to that (is it as good as it sounds) question in your head is YES! It is SO good! Especially if you're not a huge coffee drinker but still want something warm, yet different from the usual hot chocolate options...this drink is for you! So next time you need a chocolate fix, try the chocolate and sea salt combination but be forewarned...you might become addicted! I am not kidding when I say I have seen people purchasing entire boxes of Chocolove Almonds and Sea Salt at Whole Foods...it's just that good!

Give Thanks!

Wow I cannot believe it's almost Thanksgiving day! I know I will say the same thing in a few short weeks when Christmas rolls around. I think what it really comes down to is the fact that as you get older, time seems to move faster. I remember being a kid and everything seemed to take so long to happen. Now I get lost in the busyness of the everyday stuff I have to do and when I look back I can't believe how fast the time has passed. I hope this year y'all will take some time out of the craziness that usually ensues on Thanksgiving to think about all the things for which you are thankful. I am thankful for my beautiful friends, my loving family (especially the newest, baby Bear), and His grace that new every day. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

Sweet baby Bear! He is now awake long enough to be the subject of many photo shoots. I can't get over how much he looks like Noah boy when he was a baby.

Operation Christmas Child

It's that time of year again...time to pack a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child! Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of the organization Samaritan's Purse, that provides Christmas gifts (whatever you can fit in a shoe box) to children in need around the world. Their specific mission is, "To demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ." I love this program for so many reasons. In our culture of consumerism, that glorifies our desire for things and feeds the need for instant gratification, I think it is easy for us to take for granted the simple things in life. For a few dollars, you can pack a shoe box for a child in need, and in turn make a huge impact in their life. The Samaritan's Purse website has logistical information including suggestions of items to pack in your box, and a place to search by zip code to find a drop-off location near. You can choose to pack one for either a boy or girl, and in the age ranges of 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. Also, include a $7.00 donation that will be used to ship the box to designated areas across the world. National collection week is November 15th-22nd, so you still have a couple of weeks to get a box together. The best part of all is that these children and their families will have an opportunity to hear the Gospel in their native language...how awesome is that?!

L'Occitane Lavender Harvest Hand Cream

First I would like to start off by saying that I LOVE FALL! It is perhaps my favorite time of year (don't hold me to that though, I have a hard time pinning down my "favorites"), but really, fall is awesome! The weather starts to cool off, college football season revs up, snow is on the mountains, leaves are crunchy, and there is lots of sweet time with family...the list could go on for a really long time. Anyway, where I'm going with this is that here in Colorado, with fall in full swing and winter quickly approaching, the air gets even more dry than before. Most of the time I don't notice until my hair is staticky as all get out and I'm practically electrocuted every time I get out of the car and go to close the door (or does that ever happen to y'all when walkin in the grocery store and you keep getting shocked when you touch the metal on the cart? Happened to me like 20 times today...what the heck? Or, even worse, while running on a treadmill?! What is that about?!) Anyway, the air is getting dry and I work with preschoolers who carry millions of germs to school with them on a daily basis, so I am constantly washing my hands. With that comes dry, cracked skin that is only made worse by the cold dry air. So this past weekend I went on a hunt for some truly "bomb" (as my roommate would say) hand cream. This hunt led me toSephora which is always an adventure in and of itself. I debated between the Bliss High Intensity Hand Cream and the L'Occitane Lavender Harvest Hand Cream and decided to go with the L'Occitane, and let me just tell you, I'm definitely lovin the stuff! It works wonders for repeated hand washers and the scent is not overpowering which is nice. If you're fighting the same battle, go try the tester...you'll probably love it too! And...if you know of any other truly amazing hand creams, share your secret!

A Paris Street Market

A few weeks ago my roommate and I headed down to Denver for the day to hit up A Paris Street Market. A Paris Street Market is "an outdoor, open-air market in the true Parisian flea market style." You'll find tons of exhibitors offering everything from clothing to antiques to food and jewelry. This was my first trip to A Paris Street Market and I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. The thought of a flea market reminds me of the flea markets of the South, which typically don't have anything I'm interested in. The actual Paris Street Market however was super cool and well worth it! There were seriously so many different vendors set up, with a ton of sweet stuff. I love blue vintage mason jars, and it took everything in me to not purchase a set of 18, stored in a vintage egg carrier. The practical side of me reminded myself that I had no use for 18 blue vintage mason jars so I walked by longingly and looked for something I actually needed. I was almost to the last row of vendors when I came across the deal of the day...a sweet seafoam green side table for my bedroom. The price marked was $28.00, which I would have gladly paid plus tax, but my roommate being the wheeler and dealer that she is talked the lady down to $26.00. No, I'm not kidding you! I walked away with a new bedside table that I knew would fit perfectly in my room. Holla! Now this market only happens in the warmer months of the year so it won't be back again for a while now that it's getting cold, but if you're ever down in Littleton on the first Saturday of the month, be sure to swing by the Aspen Grove Shopping Center because you're bound to find something awesome! Now for a few pics...

Baby Bear

Ok, seriously...I can't get enough of this little guy! I held him for a half hour while he slept yesterday, and couldn't stop looking at his sweet little face and watching all of the hilarious expressions he made while he was asleep. I am definitely putty in his tiny little hands. Check out this super cute picture of baby Bear in a nest!

*Photo by the talented Christa Tippmann

Sweet Baby Barrett Cameron

Oh man, I am so excited...I have another nephew!! The little guy arrived October 7th, safe and healthy weighing in at 7lbs 7oz! His name is Barrett Cameron and he is the sweetest thing EVER! This is how the whole thing happened...I was almost asleep Wednesday night when my phone rang at precisely 10:51pm. It was my brother Brian asking if I could come over. I was "on call" for when it happened, so I could watch their two other kids, Noah and Holley. Luckily they were sleeping at this point because her labor was progressing so quickly that they had to leave the house about 5 minutes before I arrived. Two hours after labor began, Barrett was born! One of the best parts about it was waking the other little ones up the next morning and telling them their mom had the baby. Both of them had pretty different reactions when they found out it was a boy. Noah emphatically said "YES!" and did a little fist pump. Holley just said "Oh", followed by, "Now there are three boys." I think she was feeling a little out-numbered until about an hour later when Brian came home and reminder her that means that she's still the princess of the family. Later that day I ventured to the hospital to meet baby Bear. He is so perfect! Right now he's just a little bundle that sleeps and eats...I can't wait to watch him grow up! Here are a few pictures from his birthday...

Every good and perfect gift is from above...James 1:17