A Few Links I Love This Week (Feb 15 - Feb 21)

Since I can't possibly share all the many links I enjoyed over the past week (there's just so darn many of them), I'm narrowing them down to a handful of my favorites.

1.  This year is a big year for me, more specifically THE BIG YEAR.  Yep, I will be 40.  *gulp*  A great article keeps popping up on my newsfeed time and time again lately.  I read it every time I see it because it's all about being forty.  Forty is a big transitional period and I find myself oftentimes feeling fairly panicked about it all.  This article helps me breath a bit better about it all.

2.  Are you a fan of personality quizzes? They are fascinating to me so I gobble them up.  Taking this one will inform you which of four tendencies your personality falls within.  The four tendencies are: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers and Rebels.  (FYI - I am an Upholder)

3.  John Hughes is one of my favorite directors.  He made many of my favorite movies...Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club...just to name a few.   Have you ever though about taking the music from all his great movies and making your own John Hughes playlist?  This post will help you do just that!  I don't know how I never thought of doing this before.  It's brilliant! 

~Chrissy

My Friday Five: January 17, 2014

It's Friday and I'm starting a new weekly post called, "My Friday Five".  Every Friday, I'll be sharing  five different things I absolutely have to share with you all or I'll burst. Knowing me, this will likely run the gamut on a whole variety of unrelated, random topics. 

Now that you've been warned, drumroll please, here's my very first Friday Five:

*Ma'mitons Tote bag photo via the Ma'mitons Polyvore page.

1.  Ma'mitons handbags.  I learned about this company that makes "fashionable, handmade and environmentally friendly handbags" after they followed me on Twitter.  As a lover of all things fashionable, I immediately had to investigate their products.   They make beautiful handmade handbags, including the one seen above, which run the range from clutches to large totes.  I have yet to own one of these gorgeous bags but the bag in the picture above is totally calling my name.  (It'll be perfect on my shoulder come Summer time, don'tcha think?)  Besides the amazing handbags, there are a few other things I am very impressed with about the Ma'miton company.  First, they were very personal and friendly, trading tweets back and forth with me on Twitter.  I love that!  Not only are their bags all handmade, but they are made in the USA. (Woot, woot!)  Last but not least, Ma'mitons will donate 1% of your purchase to a charity they support called S.O.S Children's Village and if you sign up to receive their newsletter you'll receive 15% off your first purchase! 

2. Downton Abbey.  So, I am a few Seasons late to the Downton Abbey party but I have been eagerly catching up over the last few weeks.  I love everthing about this show. I love most of the characters, and I hate a select few, as well.  (Can we say, Thomas and O'Brien?....Ugh, they are so nasty!)  The costumes are exquisite.  (I sometimes wish we still wore such lovely gowns in today's day and age.) Since watching the show, I've added visiting the "Downton Abbey" castle, to my Bucket List. (I can stop in after my Jane Austen tour.)  Oh, and guess what?  Last week, I received an email from Department 56 promoting a new house they are featuring which will come out this summer.  Can you guess which house I am referring to???  Yes, the Downton Abbey house.  It's a bit pricey at $240, so I don't know if it will make it into my collection.  I have the perfect spot to display it, if it does though.

3.  Progressive Dinners.  Three of my close friends moved into new homes over the course of this past year, so last weekend we planned a progressive dinner as a fun way to see everyone's new home.  If you don't know what a progressive dinner is, it is where you host a different course at a different house.  So, you can have appetizers at one home, dinner at another and dessert at the last one.  We had lots of fun eating, laughing and making great memories! 

4.  Finding Warmth in Winter. One of my favorite things in Winter is when you jump into a parked car on a freezing cold day only to find that it is already nice and toasty warm from the sun shining down on it.  Ahhhh......it feels so amazing!!! 

5.  A little bit of dog humor.  While I was walking around a local department store, I saw the abbreviation above and got such a good chuckle from it that I whipped out my phone and immediately snapped a photo.  As the Mom to two adorably sweet & crazy doggies, I can totally picture them sitting in front of a computer, chatting with the other doggies on twitter, using this hip lingo!  :) 

Happy Friday!!!
~Chrissy