Door Bells and Sleigh Bells and Schnitzel with Noodles
On one of my favorite blogs, Friday Playdate, Susan had a great idea. And she invited readers post a list of their favorite things. Very Oprah... except you don't actually have to give the shit away. So please, if you hosted your very own 'My Favorite Things' show - what would you list?? I'm going to list some of mine, and stealing from Susan once again, I'm going to categorize them.
Indulgences
Cashmere. I can almost hear my mum saying something about getting it dry cleaned... but EVERYONE should own a cashmere sweater. Wrapping-up-in-soft-cozy-warmth. The stores all have cashmere this year, even Target. The only cashmere sweater I own was given to me by my brother-in-law when he worked for The Limited. It was completely unexpected. It's a zip-up hoodie and I love it.
GAP low rise bootcut jeans. I love Gap clothes. And I love their jeans because they have an ankle length which fits my short legs perfectly. There is nothing worse than finding jeans that fit but are wayyyyy too long for a 5'2"-er like me. GAP jeans aren't cheap so that's why I consider them an indulgence.
Coach bags. I've always been drawn to label bags but Coach is one of my fav's that is an indulgence but not a scary indulgence that would feed my guilt for years.
Pedicures. Take care of your feet people!
Concerts. See your favorite band or musician live. Your body will hum.
Professional photography. The best money I've spent has been on going to a professional children's photographer who formed a relationship with Liam and took the most engaging photos of him. Wait til you see my Christmas card! I cherish photos and I will consider these photos an investment in comfort for when he's an angst-ridden teenager who curls his lip at me.
Things I Can Afford
Lands End All Weather Mocs. I live in these shoes from November-March. Best part is they are super easy to slip on and off so I can drop them at the door and easily slip them back on when needed. I have them in brown, red and black.
Walmart.com digital prints. You can upload your snaps and pic them up in the store. You can get 4x6s for just 12 cents each. The quality is above average. Makes it worth entering the store.
GAP Outlet. We have one at an outlet mall. I always get amazing deals. They also have GAP children's, babies' and maternity outlets.
DVR - One of the best gifts Dan ever gave me was signing us up for our cable company's DVR. Pausing live TV! Recording shows without a VCR! Rewinding for all the "Did you just see/hear that?" moments my husband and I share. I heart our DVR.
For Toddlers
Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Home. we got this for Liam for his birthday this past July and he STILL plays with it. Door to open, lights to turn off and on, music, mailbox, window shade! hooray!
Stride Rite shoes for boys with EXTRA WIDE feet. I have come to discover that I will be paying through the nose for shoes because of my son's size. Those cute shoes you see in Kohl's and Target... yeah - not so much.
The Children's Place. I've found the best deals for well-made kids clothes here. And great sales. Also, when you sign up for their mailing list you get reusable discount passes for 15-30% off. They also have EQUAL amounts of boys and girls clothes (take note Gymboree and BabyGAP).
For my Bellllllllay
Lasagna. I can't make it well but I LOVE to eat it. My favorites are my mother-in-laws and my cousin Donna's. Love ricotta and meat in it. YUM YUM
Penne Rustica from Macaroni Grill. Perfect blend of chicken, penne, creamy zesty sauce and baked so it has a crunchy coating. The could throw a few more shrimp in there to make me happy - 3 pieces of shrimp is just a tease.
Entenmann's Coconut Macaroons. Like a box of Mounds bars. Real. Good. Stuff.
Ferrero Rocher. The hazelnutty goodness with melty chocolate middles. I keep buying them to give as gifts and they keep disappearing. It's not just me... I'm just saying!
Can't Wrap These Ones
Puppy smell
Feeling Liam press himself against me
Newborn baby clothes
The middle of a good book
Chatting with good friends
My family, I'm lucky to say
A nice glass of pinot grigio
Reaching out my foot to touch Dan's leg in the middle of the night
Christmas Eve in my house
Seeing Daisy and Lily tussle playfully
Chubby smiley babies
Waking up in the morning knowing I get another day with Liam
Indulgences
Cashmere. I can almost hear my mum saying something about getting it dry cleaned... but EVERYONE should own a cashmere sweater. Wrapping-up-in-soft-cozy-warmth. The stores all have cashmere this year, even Target. The only cashmere sweater I own was given to me by my brother-in-law when he worked for The Limited. It was completely unexpected. It's a zip-up hoodie and I love it.
GAP low rise bootcut jeans. I love Gap clothes. And I love their jeans because they have an ankle length which fits my short legs perfectly. There is nothing worse than finding jeans that fit but are wayyyyy too long for a 5'2"-er like me. GAP jeans aren't cheap so that's why I consider them an indulgence.
Coach bags. I've always been drawn to label bags but Coach is one of my fav's that is an indulgence but not a scary indulgence that would feed my guilt for years.
Pedicures. Take care of your feet people!
Concerts. See your favorite band or musician live. Your body will hum.
Professional photography. The best money I've spent has been on going to a professional children's photographer who formed a relationship with Liam and took the most engaging photos of him. Wait til you see my Christmas card! I cherish photos and I will consider these photos an investment in comfort for when he's an angst-ridden teenager who curls his lip at me.
Things I Can Afford
Lands End All Weather Mocs. I live in these shoes from November-March. Best part is they are super easy to slip on and off so I can drop them at the door and easily slip them back on when needed. I have them in brown, red and black.
Walmart.com digital prints. You can upload your snaps and pic them up in the store. You can get 4x6s for just 12 cents each. The quality is above average. Makes it worth entering the store.
GAP Outlet. We have one at an outlet mall. I always get amazing deals. They also have GAP children's, babies' and maternity outlets.
DVR - One of the best gifts Dan ever gave me was signing us up for our cable company's DVR. Pausing live TV! Recording shows without a VCR! Rewinding for all the "Did you just see/hear that?" moments my husband and I share. I heart our DVR.
For Toddlers
Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Home. we got this for Liam for his birthday this past July and he STILL plays with it. Door to open, lights to turn off and on, music, mailbox, window shade! hooray!
Stride Rite shoes for boys with EXTRA WIDE feet. I have come to discover that I will be paying through the nose for shoes because of my son's size. Those cute shoes you see in Kohl's and Target... yeah - not so much.
The Children's Place. I've found the best deals for well-made kids clothes here. And great sales. Also, when you sign up for their mailing list you get reusable discount passes for 15-30% off. They also have EQUAL amounts of boys and girls clothes (take note Gymboree and BabyGAP).
For my Bellllllllay
Lasagna. I can't make it well but I LOVE to eat it. My favorites are my mother-in-laws and my cousin Donna's. Love ricotta and meat in it. YUM YUM
Penne Rustica from Macaroni Grill. Perfect blend of chicken, penne, creamy zesty sauce and baked so it has a crunchy coating. The could throw a few more shrimp in there to make me happy - 3 pieces of shrimp is just a tease.
Entenmann's Coconut Macaroons. Like a box of Mounds bars. Real. Good. Stuff.
Ferrero Rocher. The hazelnutty goodness with melty chocolate middles. I keep buying them to give as gifts and they keep disappearing. It's not just me... I'm just saying!
Can't Wrap These Ones
Puppy smell
Feeling Liam press himself against me
Newborn baby clothes
The middle of a good book
Chatting with good friends
My family, I'm lucky to say
A nice glass of pinot grigio
Reaching out my foot to touch Dan's leg in the middle of the night
Christmas Eve in my house
Seeing Daisy and Lily tussle playfully
Chubby smiley babies
Waking up in the morning knowing I get another day with Liam
posted by Susie @ 8:44 PM
10 Comments:
At 10:52 PM, December 15, 2005,
Claire
said…
Oh my, that picture of Liam holding the block is OUT OF CONTROL PRICELESS. How did you ever find the photographer that did it?
At 11:08 PM, December 15, 2005,
Susie
said…
Claire - I'm totally lucky. My hair stylist had a baby and displayed a picture of her baby girl in black and white with angel wings on her back - very Anne Geddes. Turns out the photographer is one of her clients. She actually lives in the same town as me. She taught herself. She is AMAZING. And she has the SWEETEST way with children. She has a nice-pretty-kindergarten-teacher way about her that kids love. She actually used Liam as a model for her sample holiday cards which is how we got some. I'll post the card Christmas Eve.
At 9:24 AM, December 16, 2005,
Susan
said…
Never dry clean cashmere--hand wash it in baby shampoo and cold water. Seriously! It will keep the fibers soft and pliable (dry cleaning fluid can dry them out) AND you get to smell like Liam's clean head all day! And now you can afford more cashmere because you won't be paying to clean it! Ta da!
And that Penne Rustica at Macaroni Grill is one of my favorite things ever. I might need to get me some tonight. Mmmmm . . .
Thanks for playing--happy Christmas!
At 9:31 AM, December 16, 2005,
Anonymous
said…
You're right! That photographer is worth every penny you spent. The card is priceless!!!
At 10:31 AM, December 16, 2005,
Taylor
said…
I am in LOVE with his picture. That has to be the most adorable thing I have ever seen. I only wish that I could find a photographer so talented around here. His photographs are definitely worth the investment.
I love this idea. I enjoyed reading the list of your favorite things. We really do have a lot in common! DVR is the greatest. I just couldn't function without it! We also got the Laugh and Learn Home for Tristyn for Christmas, I can't wait to see her play with it!
Looking forward to seeing the Christmas card. Gosh I still haven't even gotten a picture picked out for ours!
At 1:25 PM, December 16, 2005,
Susie
said…
Susan - Whooa that thing about baby shampoo just changed my life. Do they sell cashmere sheets?
Kelli - Thank you! I adore it!
Taylor - Trystan will love the home. There is really so much to do with it. And the DVR really is one of the best inventions right up there with diet dr. pepper!
At 1:36 PM, December 16, 2005,
Kara
said…
i concur with susan about cleaning cashmere. i was in a cashmere STORE (a whole store FULL od cashmere!) in nantucket when the kid was an infant. i fell in love with a particular sweater but said out loud "no dry clean only items untile she stops projectile vomitting." thats'a when the lovely lady in the store told me about baby shampoo.
if your washing machine has a 'handwash' cycle, use that. i machine wash allof my cashmere in extra cold water with a squirt of baby shampoo. the cashmaree lady also recommended drying it on 'low' for a few minutes to bring back the fluff. five years later, i ahven't ruined a single item.
good luck!
At 11:00 AM, December 17, 2005,
Carrie
said…
I want tickets to the show, babes.....
just got my card, too. I'm choking on love over here.... CHOKING.
XXOO
At 11:09 AM, December 19, 2005,
ieatcrayonz
said…
Evil, evil, evil! Do you know how much money I wasn't planning on spending will now have to be spent at the Children's Place??? Super cute store. Super awesome prices.
Gah!
At 8:46 PM, December 20, 2005,
Jewl
said…
I love your list!! I will have to check out the Gap jeans, thanks for tip... I am only 5 feet so I am shorty too. I adore the picutre of Liam, it is beautiful! Might get some of the Lands End Mocs too, they look comfy!
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