Favorite Things Friday - cocoa and jeans

Once again I couldn't decide which to post, so you get a double whammy. I was inspired to share the first one because the weather here has been getting cold and damp. In fact one day it was just pouring outside, I turned to my husband and said, "hey, it must be fall." For those who don't live in Washington, it seems like fall means rain, winter means rain and spring means rain. So when everyone gets home we are feeling a little chilled.

Cocoa Latte by Back to Basics

This fun little machine makes wonderful hot chocolate. We got ours 2 years ago and I think my kids made hot chocolate every day all winter long. You just add all ingredients in the container and then turn it on. It warms everything up and whips it at the same time. It will also keep it warm until you are ready to drink it. I tried to find another one last year but they were all sold out. So if you are thinking of purchasing one, better to do it sooner or later. I know they sell at Bed Bath and Beyond where you can use those coupons that come in the mail. Or Amazon.com but you have to pay shipping. I also remember Costco selling these one year. You will get a small recipe book with your machine, but we noticed there was no recipe for white hot chocolate. My clever 11 (at the time) year old daughter created a recipe we still use today which I will share with you.

White Hot Chocolate
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon coffee creamer
1/4 cup of finely chopped white chocolate (you can adjust this amount to preferenc)

Put all ingredients in your Cocoa Latte machine and start it. Once it is done, pour yourself a cup of cocoa. Yum! This is also great in the mornings. Your kids will have a lot of fun using this.


The Buckle

Jeans are one of those things most of us dislike shopping for because finding the right size seems nearly impossible. I wanted one really nice pair of jeans that I could pull out and know I looked decent in. That pair that looks good paired with heels, flip flops or sneakers. When on this quest, I heard of a store in Park City, Utah that was mentioned on "Good Things Utah" (a very popular show) as the place to buy jeans. They could fit anyone in the perfect jeans. So my mom and sisters drove all the way to Chloe Lane (we were in Utah already). It was a fun store, and they did have a lot of different name brand jeans. But I wasn't being to successful. One because I was one size bigger than I wanted to be (at least) AND the jeans started at about $150 and went up. Spending over $100 on a pair of jeans just wasn't an option at that point so we went home empty handed. That is when my sister-in-law Kari told me about "The Buckle". I went to the closest mall where this store was located and sure enough, they also carried a lot of jeans. So far I have been to 3 different stores and at each the staff has been pretty knowledgeable about what kind of jeans to pull for me. Once you tell them what rise you want, what leg fit and your wash, they will pull a big stack for you to try on. They are not overbearing and bothersome but will check back to see if you need anything. They also carry different lengths for taller and shorter people. Most of their jeans run anywhere from $50-$100 with most falling in the $60-$80 area. These jeans are not what I would call dressy conservative, but they are nice and I would hedge a bet you will find at least one pair you will like.

I just want to add that these are my favorite things. There is no guarantee that they will become yours but hopefully one of these Friday's you might find something that peaks your interest and ends up being something you really like.