Today I interrupt the blog to write about a My Favorite Things party. It is always so fun. And who knows, you might find a few things you want to travel with along the read. A Favorite Things Party is where you get together with friends and gift each other your favorite things. You want make sure your guests will "get" the Favorite Things gift idea. At the same time, you don't want this party to be a burden to them at all. It makes it much easier to be very clear on the invitation itself, examples help too! Each person brings 3 of the SAME items with a $10 limit per item. For instance, if you absolutely love candles, you may want to bring 3 of the SAME candle. Don't tell each other what you've brought, it keeps the suspense fun! Also, each guest is asked to bring her favorite finger food. (In hindsight, I wish I had gotten a photo of the food table. I thought about it several times...but then never did. *sigh*) Here is the recipe for one of my favorite finger foods. (I don't know why but) In our family, we only make it at Christmas time.

Christmas Dip

8oz block of cream cheese, softened

3oz chopped corn beef (I use the pre-packed deli meat and chop it)

chop the tips of a scallion bunch

pinch of garlic salt

Mix well, chill overnight

Serve with Club crackers

I'm not a huge game person, but there is one that helps you get to know each other a little better. And since I'm the "new girl in town," I always think it is good to find ways to get to know people better. I compiled a list of favorite things questions and had everyone fill one out. Then we talked about our favorite holiday, scent, movie, book, thing to do in Denver, etc. Next, we drew names and started sharing our favorite things item. Here is a list (with links of where you can find it) of some of the great items! 1. Burt's Bees Hand Salve - In Denver, moisture for your hands is very needed. 2. Trader Joe's Pomegranate Body Butter - This is seasonal so get it while you can. (And this may be cheaper if you go to Trader Joe's.) 3. Trader Joe's Organic Dark Chocolate Truffle - Yum! 4. Pixie by Petra Glow Mist - Even those that don't love to wear make-up enjoy this. (You may want to check Target for this.) 5. Battery Operated Silver String Lights - These are adorable. Great to put in the bottom of vases, wrap around a candle, and more! I HAD to go out and purchase these for my home after I saw them!!!

6. Kind Bars - Great snack to keep in your car when you are on the go. 7. HoMedics Massager - What a treat for those hard to reach spots. And everyone needs to take some time to relax this holiday season. 8. Chocolove Raspberry Dark Chocolate Bar - Real raspberries in the chocolate. Delicious! 9. Whole Foods Three Wishes Cabernet - I can't find a place online to buy it. So hurry to your closes Whole Foods. 10. Andalou Floral Toner - Rose - People were spraying this on each other's face once this gift was revealed. The rose is very refreshing.

11. Tormaresca Red Wine - This is a bargain wine; great flavor. 12. SoundBot Bluetooth Speaker - This speaker gives great sound AND is water resistant. It charges rather than taking batteries. Worth checking out for your music lovers! The person who bought them said they were in the party price range. Amazon's pricing is always changing, so keep checking back to see if it goes lower. 13. Strawberry Stem Gem - Make hulling strawberries easier with the stem gem. 14. Reserve Candle in Fire - One of my favorite candles; I like the scent but it could be the silver lid that wins me over too. You can get it in 5 ounces or 21 ounces. {Slight party fail - didn't get out my camera, so I have no photos of people or a pile of all the goodies. But there are a few photos people have shared with me.} And every party should have a themed cookie to go along with it. As party favors, I did a snowflake cookie wrapped in a brown paper bag tied with string. *cue music*...brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things. I ordered these from a bakery called French for Sugar. I cannot comment enough on how WONDERFUL the company was to work with!!! Aren't the cookies gorgeous and the tags just perfect!!??