It’s time for more of my favorite things. For some reason, I feel the need to wait until I have five things to share. Seems silly now that I’m sitting down to write this monster post. Maybe I won’t wait so long next time.
Oh, and please remember: I only tell you these things so I can guilt you into telling me about your favorites. (I’m totally using a Revlon foundation thanks to a comment from Melissa last time around!) So share the love by leaving a comment!
There seems to be a bit of a theme this time around…wake up, make coffee, drink coffee, cram in a workout. Oh and have gorgeous fingernails while doing it.
Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock iPhone App
This app is the best thing to ever happen to my early morning routine. Totally worth the ninety-nine cents they charge for it. Here’s how it works…
You set your alarm for the time you must get out of bed, then put your phone on you mattress by your pillow (I turn my phone on airplane mode). The app senses your light and deep sleep cycles throughout the night, and wakes you up during your lightest sleep stage within 30 minutes of your wake up time. That way you wake up feeling rested instead of like you got hit by a bus. There’s even a bunch of gentle music to choose from to wake you up – no blasting alarm buzzer. It’s a beautiful thing!
Keurig
You know about this, right? If not, I invite you out from under your rock to learn about this coffee revolution. I received a Keurig as a surprise gift after dropping a few hints. (Very few, mind you. In fact, I was only days into my three-month campaign to receive one for my birthday.)
Let me tell you, besides the amazing coffee the Keurig brews up, it doesn’t need daily washing!! As you may recall, I am the dishwasher, and it was a struggle to keep my old pot clean!
Shutterfly Personalized Travel Mug
This one made the list because it made me smile everyday, but then I lost it. Actually, I left it at church and it hasn’t turned up in the lost and found yet. I’m holding out hope!
Anyway, I treated myself (thanks to a $25 gift from Shutterfly) to this travel mug shortly before returning to work. During the two months that I used it, it made me way happier than it should have. I carried my pictures of lilBRO and bigSIS around all morning while sipping on my delicious flavor-of-the-day Keurig-brewed coffee.
And, I just-this-second discovered that they have iPhone cases now, too! Stop it, Shutterfly. I just can’t take the cuteness!
16-Minute Workout
When you have to wake up before 5 a.m. in order to fit in a morning workout, efficiency becomes crucial. That’s why I love {to hate} Jillian’s 16-minute workout. Sixteen minutes of pain means that I get to sleep in 14 minutes longer. I’ll take it.
Shellac – CND
If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen my funky manicure several weeks back. If not, I’ll just say, it was a bit out of my comfort zone. But theBOY insisted, so I went for it. Then, the nail technician insisted I try Shellac. Oh, why not?
Well let me tell you, there’s no going back. If you’ve been around here long, you probably know about my nail polish obsession. (Curious? Here. Here. And here.) Well, my quest for the perfect long-lasting polish is over. If you’ve been on one, yours is too. Stop what you’re doing and go get a Shellac manicure. And make it a French one. It’ll last f-o-r-e-v-e-r.
Here I am on day 14.
Day 14 close-up. You can see that my nails have grown quite a bit, but with the French manicure you can get away with it. I’m currently on day 19, and I’m just now starting to think it’s time for it to come off. (And I’m a little crazy about my nail polish. As soon as I see a hint of something chipping, it all comes off!) Want to learn more about Shellac?
There you have it, folks. Your turn! What’s your new {or old} favorites!? I can’t wait to hear.
~theGIRL
My Kindle Fire is a new favorite! I’ve downloaded some cartoons on it for my daughter and it is perfect to whip out when she is getting antsy during long car rides or trips to the store.
Good one! My new Kindle hasn’t gotten any use because I agonized over which cover to get for it, and I just couldn’t use it without a cover. Luckily, one is on the way! And it’s purple!!
I’m glad you love the foundation!! I can’t wait to get a iPhone case when I get my new phone- I can’t get one until June 1. My favorite things are:
1. Thanks to your and several other people comments-my Shark Steam Mop. Love it!!
2. Nivea “A Kiss of Smoothness” lip balm. I use it before bed and it has helped with my chapped lips
3. A new pillow. It’s amazing how much better I sleep when I replace them each year.
Melissa, when you are up for getting your new phone (if you have Verizon), call my husband Dustin 330-730-1491. He owns 2 Verizon stores in Jackson and will for sure give you the hook up, especially if you tell him I sent you!!
Thanks for sharing! I must have missed the foundation…?
1. Method all purpose natural surface cleaner…grapefruit! Whatever you do, don’t try the lemon verbena! After cleaning the counter 20 times during the day with 4 kids, I actually read the label of a previous brand I was using and it said something
along the lines of “do not use around food or food surfaces” and to “disinfect area
after spraying” if I wanted to use it around FOOD. I don’t eat off the counter, but I
am sure all of my kids drop food and eat it. I threw out that bottle and switched to
the non toxic spray, and the grapefruit smells incredible! Target sells it for less than
$3
2. Aquaphor. I know Sarah has mentioned it before in a baby post, but with 2 of my kids having severe eczema, we go through a huge tub of it monthly! Nothing else works better!
3. Dum Dums. A large bag for $2. Stash some in the car, in your diaper bag, and in your purse! With my son throwing tantrums at the worst moments, it buys me 7minutes of quiet bliss. Me being a mom 6 years ago would have looked down at rewarding a child with sweets for bad behavior…but now I just see it as a distraction!
Oh! And..
3. Gourmet garden squeezable herbs! It is found in the refrigerated section with produce. I buy the cilantro tubes, 5 at a time! We are always making fresh guacamole, and never have time torun out to the store to buy fresh cilantro every week, or have it go bad. I keep these tubes in the freezer and they last up to 3 months. They have basil, dill,and lemon grass also……all which I have in the freezer also! Must try!
And THIS Is why I do my favorite things. I’ve never heard of squeezable herbs!!
Wow, you can put them in the freezer?!? I must try try these! It is so annoying to have to make a special trip to the store just for herbs!
Since I’m at Target weekly, I will be trying the grapefruit cleaner!
The favorite things posts are always my favorite
I think I am going to have a “favorite things” party sometime in the summer…I posted it on my pinterest board!
1) Aquage Uplifting Foam. Flat hair no more!!!!!!! Spray at the roots, massage in, dry your hair, tease it up a little bit and there you have it! It’s even good for the next day when I don’t wash my hair (I wash every other day and thank you for the Suave Dry Shampoo heads up…I was using the expensive Bed Head stuff until you mentioned Suave!)
2) Gelish nail polish. I know you mentioned Shellac up top (which I LOVE), however, if you go to Sally’s, it is a different brand but the same idea as Shellac and you can do it at your house for SO much cheaper! The UV light is only $20.
One more!
3) ZUMBA!!! I recently started taking zumba classes and I LOVE it! I am going to get certified to teach it this year!
Oooh…I’ll have to look into Gelish! Thanks, JoAnn!
Ok, last one I promise!! Best purchase my husband and I ever made….our firm “tempurpetic” off brand mattress! He was hesitant to but one, thinking he would be too hot and swallowed up in it, but we both LOVE it! I found ours on overstock for $350 for a king, so bought it without trying it…..best decision ever! My back pain is gone, and my husband had rotator cuff surgery a few years ago, and has had horrible pain every morning in that shoulder…..until this mattress! He is able to move better, and I am able to sleep better! When we our at hotels, we can’t wait to get back home toour bed!
Okay, you must share what the off-brand is, Melissa. There are a few of my readers who I know need to know this! Oh, and as a side note, the Sleep Cycle app won’t work on your mattress.
I purchased through overstock. Select luxury medium firm memory foam mattress. If you sign up for the club O for $20, you earn money to put towards your next purchase, and it was well over $40, so worth it on our end.
Oh boy…campaign for a new mattress is officially starting! Thanks for sharing!!!!
Great list! I definitely have some new products to check out now.
I have 3 additions that have improved my life lately…
1. Sanuk flip-flops, from Buckle. The sole is literally made out of yoga mat material. Ridiculously comfortable!
2. The Body Shop almond oil daily hand and nail cream. Nice, fresh scent and it works really well without being greasy.
3. Camel bak water bottles. The soft, rubbery spout is just fun to drink out of! It actually helps me drink more water throughout the day. Great that it’s reusable and a nice size to throw in your bag and take with you too.
I have a new favorite after this weekend….MAC Pro Longwear Lustre Lipcolour! I bought it because I was in a wedding and it stayed on ALL day long! I only had to apply the clear gloss coat a couple times but the pigment color stayed put all day! Amazing!