A few of my favorite things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens…..

Occasionally I think about the things I wouldn’t want to do without – products that make my life so much easier or more pleasant. I started making a list the other day, and thought I’d share it. None of these are sponsored or ads – all paid for with my own moolah, shared here for your edification:

Cell phone holder

This is a cell phone case with a zipper pocket for credit cards, a wrist strap and a cross-body strap. I was originally attracted by the Bandolier brand, which I still may eventually shell out for with their beautiful leather, but I wanted to try out the concept first, so I got this model from Amazon. I originally thought about this when I would walk from my office to our dear little village coffee shop wearing something WITHOUT pockets, then have to walk back with my cup of hot latte, phone and card – without spilling or losing any of them. First world problems, eh? Fair enough, but I was willing to shell out $21.99 for a solution. Since then, I have been asked countless times where I got it, and after 3 months of hard daily use, it’s not showing any wear. So money well spent!

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens – don’t worry, we won’t do the whole song…

Purse organizer

Maybe because I leave the house at 7:30 am and don’t return until at least 5:30 pm, I tend to carry a lot of stuff in my purse everyday. But I really like to coordinate purse with outfit. So I got this to hold all my essentials – wallet, lipsticks, keys, phone, checkbook, little notebook, calendar, tissues – and be able to swap out quickly in the morning without leaving anything behind. Yes, I am realizing that all those things except keys, lipstick and tissues are now contained IN MY PHONE, but you get the picture. I got a gray felt number similar to this on Amazon, and it has held up really well too.

Beeswax food wrap

I really hate using plastic wrap, and I’ve tried several brands of beeswax-coated fabric that I really like. It’s wonderful for wrapping all the way around something like a half a lemon or onion. It takes a little more work to get them tight across a bowl, but do-able after you warm slightly in your hands. You can wash them in the sink with dish soap and COLD water. I can use one for at least a year before it wears out. Unless someone puts it in the dishwasher….I’ll leave it to you to figure out how I know this.

Fry-wall

I originally saw this in a kitchen gadget shop, and I’ve been told it was a product introduced on the show Sharktank. I liked it so much I bought the larger size as well. This is a silicone collar that fits inside a skillet (I have 2 sizes of cast-iron skillets I use pretty much every day), and are tall enough that they contain all the splatters from going all over your stove and countertop. Steam can still escape straight up so things don’t get soggy, and you can work in the pan without having to remove a screen and defeat the purpose. They come with a little collar to keep them folded up in storage, and did I mention IT GOES IN THE DISHWASHER?!?!?!?!?

Shapeez

I saved this until last so that if any blokes have lasted this far in the post, then can bug off now – this is about BRAS! These totally eliminate “back fat” and “side boobs”, and do NOT feel like traditional “shapewear” (which always made me feel like I was being killed and swallowed by a giant python, all danged day… They make several different underwire styles, that supports “the girls” with the entire garment, not just the shoulder straps, so it’s comfortable ALL DAY. They also make a “minimizer” that reduces “forward projection” by a cup size (on me, anyway). Translation: you don’t have to safety-pin your blouse together – yay! NOT cheap at $89 before tax or shipping, but my oldest one is 3 years old and still going strong.

So, have you tried any of these or something similar? What are some of your favorite things? Spread the news and don’t hog all the good stuff for yourself.