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Hello, everyone and welcome to my annual Favorite Things post. It’s always fun for me to look back over the year and see what products I’ve enjoyed and used most. I’ve also included music that has been meaningful to me, and the best book I’ve read this year. It’s a great list! Hope you enjoy it!
You can see past lists here…
Favorite Things 2021
Favorite Things 2020
Favorite Things 2019
Favorite Things 2018
Favorite Things 2017
My son and daughter in law gave me one of these for Christmas last year and I absolutely LOVE it. It covers your eyes and forehead and gently massages them. What an invention! It’s fabulous for bad headaches or just to relax a bit.
I love a good pair of kitchen scissors and these fabulous shears do not disappoint. They are heavy duty without actually being “heavy” or hard to manage. They cut through chicken, beef, pork, you name it. A must have in my kitchen, truly.
Electric Salt and Pepper Grinder
We love these fabulous salt and pepper grinders. They make adding these freshly ground seasonings a dream, instead of a wrist breaker, truly. 🙂
I’ve been gifted these fabulous shower steamers by two different people over the past year and I LOVE them. They sit in the bottom of the shower and release the most calming wonderful scent. Love. 🙂
7200 Piece Clay Beads and Letter Bead Set
Man, we had a ton of fun with these beads over the summer with our extended family. We spent countless hours assembling them with daughters, nieces, sisters, cousins, etc. It was great to see what word combinations people came up with. I may have made one or two that said “Grammy-Jaim”…my new favorite title. 🙂 Lots of fun with these for all ages.
Nike Sportswear Women’s Futura Cross Body Bag
My daughters introduced me to this amazing little bag and I love it. It’s just the right size to keep keys, wallet, phone and ear buds. It comes in many different colors. I love that it can strap across my shoulder, but also can act as a fanny pack if I tighten the straps and wear it across my waist. This trick works out well when I’m driving my teenage boys around to their activities and find myself with an hour or two to walk or hike while I wait to pick them up. Purse turned fanny pack, in an instant. Love it.
Be Still Ring, by Elevated Faith
I gifted myself and my daughters this ring for Easter last year and love it. I wear it nearly every day and notice that my girls do too. If there is anything I need reminding of, it’s to be still and calm. To allow space to slow down a little bit and be reminded of the beautiful scripture…”For all flesh is in my hand, Be Still and know that I am God.” A reminder I need on constant repeat. 🙂
Burnt Orange Pleated Skirt from Shein
I’m in LOVE with this comfortable skirt. It can be dressed up or down depending on what shoes and shirt you pair it with. It’s soft and durable and wonderful. My girls have introduced me to Shein this past year…which happens to be another of my favorite things…
Shein is an online clothing, jewelry, home decor store based in China. It’s got a GIGANTIC inventory and all of it is super inexpensive. Really cute baby clothes and lots of womens sizes (everything from super tiny up to plus sizes). I may or may not have a slight problem here. Online shopping can suck me in, it’s true. Between you and me, last winter when I had covid and was slightly delirious I may have ordered 10 different items featuring polka dots. This red polka dot dress, a couple jumpsuit, several shirts…you get the idea. 🙂
PS…I kept all of the polka dot attire and have loved every piece.
This fat free/sugar free dressing has become one of my staples. It comes in many flavors, the Honey Dijon and Poppyseed being my two favorites. They do have a Ranch option, which I would suggest staying away from. The flavor is pretty bad on that one, but all the others are great. Guilt free, even. 🙂
Tattoos on the Heart: The power of boundless compassion by Gregory Boyle
This is by far the best book I’ve read this year. I mentioned it in my annual Book Recommendation post a few weeks ago. I add it here, because it truly is one of my favorite things. It’s message has stayed with me for months now and I reflect on it often. It would make a great gift for teenagers and adults alike. A fantastic read! You can read my full review of it HERE.
My sister introduced me to this singer/songwriter and I’m hooked. He’s got a few songs I’ve had on constant replay lately, including Extraordinary Magic. It became my favorite during the weeks I welcomed two new grandbabies to the world, this summer…seemed fitting. I pull out The Best is Yet to Come when I’m feeling blue about my impending empty nest status. 🙂 He’s a fantastic lyricist and has a wide variety of styles I’ve so enjoyed over the past year. You can listen to a few more of my favorites, here, here and here.
FAMILY INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT
I saved the best for last, my friends. Top on the list of my favorite things is my private family Instagram Account. I’ve been wanting to do a virtual nightly journal where I could store a picture or two from the day and then highlight something someone in my family did or said. Not to post for all eyes on social media, but just for my children and husband. I tried a couple of different journaling apps, but it was challenging to get my kids to actually read it. 😉 So, I figured I would show up where they are already at…which is Instagram. I created a private account and try to post nightly before I go to bed. It has been so much fun. I usually make the caption short and most often it’s a line or two of a funny family conversation I overheard, or something endearing someone said or did.
Here’s an example…
These are my cute parents. The day I snapped this picture, Dad was telling me about how he loves to spend time with my Mom still. His very words actually were, “I just want to be with her”.
That’s good stuff there. Journal worthy, I’d say. 🙂
Here’s another…
I write the adorable things I don’t want to forget. 🙂 It’s been a blessing to me! It gives me a little bit of focus during the day as I watch for noteworthy things to write about. It’s been a good fit for the ages of my kids right now, a way to keep us connected.
There’s also the added element of having their attention for a few seconds while they read my captions. It’s been a great way to pour out a bit of my motherly wisdom as well.
That’s it for this list, everyone. Thank you for dropping by today! I hope it gave you some great ideas. My love to all of you. 🙂
