These are a Few of my Favorite Things

Perhaps you're expecting "raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens". While those are nice, they're not on my list of favorite things. I may not be Oprah, but I can still have my very own must-haves, right? Some are actual things, while others are people, or the things they do. Either way, I choose to focus on the good stuff in life, and what better way, than to jot it all down for the world to see?

WARNING: If you are not a woman, or are a squeamish, offended by "too much information"-type woman, then skip this post!

In no particular order, here they are:

• Clean sheets


• Zevia (this is a relatively new no-calorie soda that is NOT sweetened with artificial chemicals like aspartame and sucralose that sweeten Diet Coke and Pepsi, for example) I found it during a random search on the web, and now I drink an unspeakable number of these each day. I am particularly fond of the Root Beer and Black Cherry flavors. The Cola gives me a little caffeine kick when I'm looking for one. See for yourself at: http://www.zevia.com/


• The song, "Everybody Knows" by Concrete Blonde. It's not the lyrics I love, per se, but it's a catchy little song, and reminds me of some good times during my freshman year at boarding school. You can take a listen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaJAxdGeZ4E


• My husband. I was young and still pretty naive when I fell for him. I certainly didn't truly realize what a gem I'd landed when we walked down the aisle. But to this day, despite his few imperfections, I am still convinced that I am the luckiest lady alive. I'd post a pic, but that wouldn't go over well with his super-private nature!


• My washing machine. Have you ever stopped to realize how many people wash clothes by hand, or must trek their clothes to a public place to do laundry? My machine is old and the knob has been glued back on, but it washes our dirt away :)


• My Diva Cup is a new favorite. I'd like to see Oprah give a hundred of these away on her show! I can just see little, silicone cups flying all over the studio as the audience tries to figure out what they're for. I came across the product on another blog and decided to give it a try just to see. It has been four or five months now, and although the giddy, I'm-so-excited-to-be-free-of-tampons-and-pads sentiment has mostly passed, I'm still a BIG fan. Their site explains how they're used: http://www.divacup.com/ I must say, the only thing that bothers me about the Diva Cup, is that I didn't have one a decade ago.


• S'mores with dark chocolate (photo above by "Richard")


• Trader Joe's mini pizzas


• The Winter Daphne that blooms under my kitchen window early each Spring and fills our entire first floor with intense perfume


• Our Litter-Robot. This thing is saving our four cats from a certain eviction from our home. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but I wouldn't like or pet them nearly as much as I do, if I were constantly scooping after them. I tried to toilet train them with the Litter Kwitter, (a subject for an entirely different post) and that did not go as planned, so we went with option 2. It was pricey, but with four cats who never go outside, it has been worth every penny. Here's a link for you cat-lovers: http://www.litter-robot.com/ If you ever decide to purchase one, go through the manufacturer's site because the money-back period is longer, and I can pass along a $15 coupon off. (Just let me know if you would like one). I watched videos of the contraption before we bought, and they were enlightening, to say the least: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5wYfhxVmiI&feature=related


• Diamond Brite dishwashing detergent; no chlorine or phosphates, but it gets our dishes beautifully clean.


• Sonlight homeschooling curriculum


• Getting the daily news online at http://www.foxnews.com/


• Listening to my girls as they giggle together!

The list will grow and change as time passes, I'm sure. But for now, this is a great starting point.

Do you have a personal favorite you'd like to share with all of us? If so, please comment!