These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
Here are a few of my favorite items from this year. Not everything was purchased in 2018, but everything on this list was used frequently and adored this year. There is no particular order to this list. I’m sorry there are only twelve items. I was going to do eighteen, but I have commitment issues.
I’ve tried to link the company sites whenever possible. If a product is no longer available, such as the Fitbit Charge 2, I’ll link it on Amazon. I have not linked to the lowest price available online. If you’re interested in an item, please search for it wherever you prefer to shop.
Once again, there are no affiliate links.
1. Cuisinart PerfecTemp® Cordless Electric Kettle – I use this kettle every day for teas and coffee. When we first purchased this kettle, we tested boiling water for green tea and using the green tea setting (175°F). There is quite a difference.
2. Coffee mate natural bliss®, Sweet Cream – I usually drink my coffee with whole milk, but a few months ago I decided to try a non-dairy creamer, since lactose and I are no longer friends. I don’t remember what brand it was, but I didn’t like it. Then I tried another, and another, and another. It turns out non-dairy creamers and I are even less BFFy than lactose, because if we’re being honest, non-dairy dairy-like products are kind of disgusting (except almond milk on cereal). On a whim, because the bottle was simple, I grabbed this. Hands down this is the best creamer I’ve ever used, and I’ve used like five, so you can absolutely go by what I have to say on the matter.
3. Fitbit Charge 2 – I’ve used this to track my workouts, water consumption, periods (too much?), as well as my usual activities. I’m not saying I will sometimes switch the vacuum to my left hand in order to gain some extra steps, but I am typing it.
4. Full Circle Bubble Up Dish Brush & Ceramic Dish – You put a little soap on the springy platform and add a little water. When you need more suds, you push your little brush down onto the platform and get fresh soap. It saves a lot of soap, and it’s cute.
5. Alaffia Coconut & Neem Face Wash – I have very sensitive skin and I wash my face two to three times a day, so I needed something that didn’t dry my skin out or cause breakouts. This stuff is amazing. I don’t wear makeup, so I have no idea if it removes that or not, but it leaves my skin feeling clean and not tight and itchy immediately after rinsing it off. One thing to note: I do use a lot of products following this (toner, essence, lotion, cream – in that order), so I can’t promise it doesn’t dry out skin that’s left naked.
6. simplehuman foam sensor pump – We have these in both bathrooms as well as the kitchen. They’re fantastic if you’re working with something gross, and you’d rather not contaminate anything with your dirty hands. They’re rechargeable, and the battery lasts a while, even with above-average use. You will want to purchase the refillable container for your own soap though. Right now I’m using Tis the Season body wash, filled about 1/3″, finished with warm water, stirred until combined.
7. Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute – I had been using a tiny brush-less vacuum that looked like a handheld with a pole attached to it, to clean our hard surface floors, but I wanted something that could also do our area rugs and maybe quick vacuums between the big vacuuming days. So, we purchased a V7 on sale. It was amazing. It’s light, it does a fantastic job for all I wanted it to do. However, because it was such a pleasure to use, I found myself using it every day, multiple times a day, and wishing it had a little more power and a little longer battery life. We decided to upgrade our upgrade and we purchased the V10. Had I purchased the Absolute version of the V7 (Absolute just means it comes with all the normal attachments, like the fluffy head.), I probably wouldn’t have upgraded, but I desperately wanted the fluffy head attachment and the additional battery life/power to make vacuuming our whole place every day a little more effective. If you’re looking for a replacement for your normal vacuum, please don’t buy a cordless, but if you’re looking for a little cleaning between cleanings, this’ll do. Actually, any of the models will likely do, but if you have hard surface floors, you’re going to want the fluffy head.
8. YuYo Roobios Restore tea – Absolutely delicious. I have it with a touch of the creamer mentioned above. It tastes like rice pudding to me? Brian describes it as marshmallows. We are not food critics. This is why.
9. Better Life All-Purpose Cleaner, Clary Sage & Citrus – Very lightly scented and it doesn’t leave any film behind, though I don’t use it on glass. It’s one of the only cleaners I can use on my desk and not have my skin peel off from contact.
10. Hobby Lobby Wood & Galvanized Metal Letter, B – Almost everything in our home is useful or sentimental, there isn’t much in the way of decorations (minus the current Christmas overload). However, when I saw the B in this galvanized metal and wood combination, I mentioned it just about 11,284 times every day until Brian finally grabbed one for me on his way home from work.
11. Schroeder & Tremayne The Original™ Microfiber Cleaning Towels, 10-pack – We also have the Schroeder & Tremayne The Original™ Microfiber, 10-pack in Neon. I use them for everything from general cleaning to wiping the water off the shower walls. They’re a little fuzzy (the grey/ivory more so than the neon) and tend to leave lint, but that could also be my fault for insisting on fabric softener, which I hear is a no-no for microfiber.
12. method Fabric Softener, Ginger Mango – Speaking of fabric softener… This isn’t our main fabric softener, but I adore this stuff. It doesn’t have as strong of a scent as I like, especially for fresh bedding, but it makes everything fluffy and soft, which is probably why it’s called fabric softener and not fabric perfume.
Title From:
My Favorite Things
by Julie Andrews
