Favorite Things, 2021 Edition

Hello friends and welcome to this years version of MY FAVORITE THINGS! I love writing these posts and this year was no exception.

You can see past years by clicking on the links below. 
FAVORITE THINGS 2020 
FAVORITE THINGS 2019
FAVORITE THINGS 2018
FAVORITE THINGS 2017 

I’ve added some things in the list this year that would make a great gift for a loved one, and have also added a couple of my favorite things to watch, listen to and basically enrich life with. We all need a bit of enriching, right? 

Enjoy! My love to all of you, dear readers. 🙂 Let the holiday season begin…

MIX TILES
Oh, how I love these amazing Mix Tiles. You simply upload pictures from your phone and then the company sends them to you framed and ready to place on the wall. The backs have sticky strips on them so you don’t need to hammer any nails into your walls. Amazing! My kids bought a big bunch of them for MyHandsomeHusband and I this year and I absolutely adore them. The picture you see above is actually of my son Mark’s home, aren’t they fun? They’d make a great Christmas gift.

AROMA RICE COOKER, SLOW COOKER
I love this amazing rice cooker! It will cook brown rice, white rice, quinoa and also has a slow cook option as well. I have yet to master cooking rice in an instant pot (dang it! I love my instant pot for everything else, just so you know) and so this handy appliance is a life saver.

DAWN POWER WASH SPRAY
A friend of mine introduced me to this awesome power-wash spray and I’m hooked. It works like a heavy mist that coats the dishes as I wash. I love to use it to wash super dirty pots and pans, especially. It comes in this great three pack at Costco or Sams Club.

PARSNIPS, newest vegetable of wonder 😉
Please don’t laugh or tease me for adding PARSNIPS to my list of favorite things this year. 😉 But, I have to admit…they are a new favorite. I’d never tried them before and gave them a whirl a few months ago. They have a sweetness to them (like carrots) with a bit of a spicy undertone. Yum. (Watch for a fabulous recipe idea coming in the next week!) This is a food blog, after all, my friends.

RIEMOT WATERPROOF HIKING SHOES
These wonderful hiking shoes are fantastic. They are rugged enough to grip nicely on a rocky trail without being super heavy and bulky. I love the waterproof feature as well.

32 DEGREES HEAT WOMENS SIDE POCKET JOGGER
So much to love about these fabulous joggers. They are super soft without being overly bulky. The fabric has a “slicky” type feeling that is super comfortable. They fit nicely and wash up really well. Costco is carrying them currently, and you can find them on AMAZON as well.

WOMENS SWEATER LACE TIGHTS
I have to admit to wearing these fun sweater tights nearly once a week. I love the fun pattern. I’m always so cold during the fall and winter months! I can’t tolerate bare legs with a dress or skirt. They come it a lot of different colors and patterns.

ESSENCE LASH PRINCESS MASCARA
A friend of mine gave me this mascara and man is it fabulous. It really gives you such thick, nice, long lashes. Love it!

GOLD LAYERED INITIAL NECKLACE
My friend Julie gave me a necklace like this one for my birthday. It of course had a J in the center 😉 I’ve loved it so much. It’s a great length, not too heavy and goes with just about everything.

LET GOD PREVAIL BRACELET
For Christmas last year I had these bracelets made for my daughters and I. I ordered them through a great ETSY SHOP, MIGNONANDMIGNON. They came quickly in the mail and we have loved having them this year. Those words…”Let God Prevail” have brought me a lot of peace and comfort over the past many months.

PLATON FITNESS APP
I am a big, big fan of this fabulous fitness app. It’s right around $13 per month and worth every cent. I use it mostly for yoga and love that you can choose the length, difficulty, and focus of the class you choose. It also has some fantastic guided meditation classes, stretching classes as well as HIIT classes. Love it.

RACHEL PORTMAN MUSIC
I’m a huge fan of Rachel Portman and her music. She’s writes film scores (Cider House Rules, Chocolat, The Dutchess, to name a few) and her music is absolutely dreamy. It’s so soothing to me. I’m often found saying “Alexa, play Rachel Portman Music” when things get a little stressful around here…and she delivers every time. 🙂 Hope some of you love her has much as I do.

SHAYDA CAMPBELL, ART TUTORIALS
This is a fun You Tube channel full of fun art tutorials. She does a lot of water color, line drawing, and basic botanical art. It’s really well done and fun to do.

CALL THE MIDWIFE
Oh, how I love this amazing PBS series. Like, seriously….L.O.V.E it. It’s about a group of women in the late 50s and 60s who are midwifes in a poor area of London. The stories! The heroism! The tender care these women take of their delivering mothers is exceptional and touching. I highly recommend it.

THE CHOSEN
Have you heard of this fabulous series about Jesus? I have to admit that it took me an episode or two to get into. It can be a little bit slow at times, but oh…the new, refreshingly wonderful way they portray Jesus is so powerful. He feels like a good friend you can trust. Like someone you want to know and be around and follow for the rest of your days. 🙂 I like that feeling. It’s a great way to spend your time, my friends. I highly recommend it.

Thanks for dropping by today, my friends!