Top 10 Things I Cannot Live Without

The other day I was contemplating of some of the things and people in my life that I cannot live without.  I thought I would share my top 10 list with you so you could get to know more about me and my "must haves".

1) My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ - It is by His stripes I was saved.  Thank you Lord!  I can recall my life before I accepted Jesus into my heart.  I was lost, life was crazy, my relationships were strained, and I was living life according to what I wanted.  I accepted the Lord into my life when I was sixteen.  Since then, I have boundaries and the freedom to live my life according to His ways.  Ah, what a breath of fresh air.
   
2) My wonderful husband - Boy, I hope you are all as blessed to have a wonderful husband, like I do.  Joel has been my rock and pilot of our relationship for the past 7 years.  I truly believe the Lord brought him into my life to be my husband.  Joel is my should to cry on, "Mr Fix It", my hot date on the weekends, daily eye candy, critic for new recipes, and my best friend.

3) My Family - I have the tightest Mexican family, ever.  With two amazing parents, a younger brother and a sister, we are one crazy bunch.  We have great family get togethers and share a love of food and sports.

4) My Friends - I am very bias and feel I have the best group of friends.  I am so blessed to have friends who I can call upon at a moments notice.  We have made many memories from "Girls Night Out" at Panera Bread, shopping trips to Target at 10pm, and watching Jane Austin movies.

5) Bare Escentuals Makeup - I banished liquid makeup 4 1/2 years ago and I will never go back.  I noticed a complete change in my skin after changing to mineral makeup.  I did not have as many breakouts and my combination skin was not as oily.  I buy my Bare Escentuals from Ulta and they always have what I need in stock.  I suggest getting a starter kit if you are a first time user.

6) Trader Joes - My all time favorite grocery store!  I used to go to 2-3 places, per week, to get all of my groceries.  Now, with one stop to Trader Joes and I am able to get all of my organic produce, meats, and canned goods.  Trader Joes lets me get 1-2 weeks worth of groceries and not break the bank.  I think the most I have spent is $80 for two weeks worth of groceries.  That is something I could have never done shopping at Whole Foods.

7) Black, stretchy, exercise pants - I think every girl deserves one good pair of stretchy pants.  They are my best friend on those bloated days or days I want lounge around the house.  They also make good PJs on those cold winter nights.

8) Dark Chocolate - Ah, my guilty pleasure.  I used to not like dark chocolate.  As Joel says, "It's a grown up taste".  Well wouldn't you know, my taste buds suddenly grew up.  Now, I enjoy a good dark chocolate bar while watching a movie or as a late night snack.  My favorite brand is Ghirardelli.

9)  My Cell Phone - Since we do not have home phones, this is my life line to my family and friends.  Also, where would I be without text messaging?  What did we ever do prior to cell phones?

10) Daily Showers - I can't stand to go a day without a hot shower.  The thought of being dirty and having oily hair give me the willies.  I'm not a clean freak but kudos to any of you who are every other day shower takers.

If you find that you have any of my similar "Must Haves" or want to share your own, feel free to leave a comment.

Viva Starbucks Via!

I do not claim to be a coffee aficionado but I do enjoy a good cup of java every now and then.  About two weeks ago I took a trip to Starbucks with my friend Marie.  As I was ordering my Skinny Cinnamon Latte, I saw these small boxes next to the register.  Little did I know what was really in those boxes.  After reading the back of the box, it said it was instant coffee.  Hmmm...How good can this really be?" I thought.  Since I am always willing to try something new, I purchased a sample box that had 3 servings. 

A day or two later, in a caffeine deprived frenzy, I tried to locate my box of Via.  After following the instructions and mixing my single serving of Via with 10 oz of water, I was shocked.  It dissolved right away and smelled amazing.  Well if it smelled good, it had to taste good.  I was nervous that it would have the bland and burnt taste of typical instant coffee.  My taste buds were so happy when they experienced the "fresh from Starbucks flavor".  Needless to say, I was an instant fan.

In a nut shell, if you are a person who does not have time to drive to your local Starbucks for a good cup of coffee or does not want to waste a half used pot of coffee, pick up a box of Via.  For less than a dollar a serving, you can feel like an at home barista.

Love is in the air

Due to popular demand and a little pushing from a friend, I’m back in the blogging mood.

As the title says, “Love is in the air”. Ah, February, a time of to reminisce on that Hallmark holiday, Valentine’s Day. For some, it’s just another day. For the Morse Household, it’s a time to remember our engagement in 2004. What a wonderful day it was when Joel asked for my hand in marriage. We had gone rock climbing at Planet Rock in Pontiac. Things had not worked out as Joel planned. He wanted to propose to me in the lobby but he had forgotten the ring in the car. He ended up proposing in the car. After telling me "I Love You" and reading me a sweet card, he asked if I would marry him. After repeating “Oh my goodness” numerous times, I said "YES!!". As you can see in the picture, I was on cloud nine with my new ring and a huge banana split. We had gone to KaleidoScoops Ice Cream Parlor to celebrate. Little did I know that I was in store for a surprise engagement party at his parents after our ice cream celebration. He was just full of surprises that day.

Now let’s move onto this year’s Valentine’s Day plans. Last year we enjoyed an evening with our friends, Brian & Lisa. We had a lovely time going out to eat and enjoying the ice sculptures in Rochester. In keeping with last year’s plans, we are going out with them, this year. The year we are going to Palazzo Di Bocce in Lake Orion. We will be enjoying a nice dinner and then playing bocce ball. It should be a fun evening since the restaurant and bocce ball arena are at the same location.

The plan for Sunday is that Joel and I will go to church and then have a romantic evening together. We may pickup some takeout, make some chocolate covered strawberries and enjoy a fire in the fireplace. I will make sure to post pictures of all of this weekend Valentine’s Day festivities.

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day and that you get to share it with someone special. God Bless!