These are a Few of My Favorite Things

Almond Lover's Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Oh my goodness. These are SO, SO good. You all know how much I love marzipan. Well these have almond paste--which is essentially marzipan--in them. I found the recipe at Picky Palate. I can assure you I'll be making these again.

Look at these adorable journals. The pictures are taken from Xenia Taler tiles. Just google her name and look at the fantastic things she's painted. Oh my! I love it all! Veronica and Savannah gave me this little set of four journals for Christmas. They fit perfectly in my purse and I LOVE them! (My love of paper products is a hereditary thing. I have no control over it. And I've passed that gene on to Veronica.)

I like paper chains. In October, the kids and I made a paper chain that had almost 100 links to represent the number of days Bruce has left on his mission. At the time we put the chain in our dining room. It went from one wall, to the back wall, then looped over the light fixture and ended up on the other wall. Today there are eleven links and it's hanging on the door in our family room. Doesn't that just make you smile? It makes me smile!

This was one of my most recent reviews. Thanks Colleen.

5 stars out of 5 stars

Colleen's Thoughts: Such a lovely book in so many ways!  Karey White's ability to describe the cakes, hotels, rooms, or shops, and the beautiful Seattle landscape is exceptionally vivid.  I wished there had been a picture to go along with each of the cakes Abby made.  Each recipe at the beginning of the chapters made me want to rush into the kitchen and try it out.  Delicious!  As in so many romances, both fictional and real, Abby and Dane's relationship is fraught with a heart wrenching lack of communication.  The good news is, I finished the book feeling enriched by the exquisite beauty of not only the descriptive language, but the beauty of the male/female relationship.  The character development is poignant - a gentle reminder that each of us needs to take a hard look at our own lives and realign ourselves with what is most important.

This is Peach Propel. I really like Propel and I really like peaches, so this is a natural fit. I enjoy treating myself to one of these after grocery shopping. It's my reward. If you're thirsty, you should give it a try.

This is Eddie Redmayne. He plays Marius in the new movie, Les Miserables. If you've seen it, you'll remember this emotional and beautiful rendition. If you haven't, maybe this will help you want to see it. I LOVED him as Marius. When he sings this song, it's one of the two or three most emotional points in the movie for me. I cried during this song both times I've seen it. I've never loved Marius before--in any of the versions of the play or anniversary concerts I've seen. That changed with the movie though. I loved Eddie Redmayne's portrayal, I loved his voice, and I was blown away by his emotion. It literally took my breath away.