Laptop

I've come to the end of my series - the end of My Favorite Things. But, there's one more on the list. Last, and certainly not least, is my laptop. I love my laptop and use it every day, literally. Its a new laptop and I'm still "getting to know" it, but I love it just the same! Its faster and stronger and prettier than my old one, even if some of the buttons are in different places. Its also quiet and very sleek. It was a gift to myself for the new year because Bill and I agreed that it was time I had a new laptop. Now he's asking for a new one too...we'll see!

Without my laptop, I would not be able to blog and share all these wonderful things with you! The wonderful machine has been responsible for this entire series. Of course, there are lots of things in my house that I love and numerous things that did not get mentioned, but I think you have a sense of some of the things that are important to me. Several people were expecting to see Bill on the list, because I do love him and he is usually in my house, but he is not a "thing" so I did not include him. Of course, this blog would not be as interesting without him and his camera, so I have to include a special THANK YOU to Bill for helping with all the wonderful pictures...in this series and in general.

Today is the end of March...so many endings! But, that means that April is just around the corner, full of new beginnings (even a new blog series). My laptop and I will see you there!

Flip-Flops

Here's something I almost forgot that I love...my flip-flops. I forgot about them because its been too cold and rainy lately to wear them but I do love my flip-flops. When the weather is good, I wear them all the time! And, because they are so cheap (thanks Old Navy), I am able to have multiple pairs in multiple colors. My favorites are the black ones and blue ones, of course, but I occasionally wear the other ones too. Honestly, I've only worn the white ones once, but it was a good once...I wore them for my wedding! Yes indeed, I had flip-flops on under that fancy dress. Its all about comfort, if you ask me!

And, while the list is in no particular order, flip-flops are solidly one of My Favorite Things.

Jumbo Muffin Pan

I'm getting close to the end of my series...just a few more to go. The next of My Favorite Things is my jumbo muffin pan. I love to bake (I think you may have picked up on that already) and I love jumbo muffins. I am currently addicted to the Otis Spunkmeyer Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Jumbo Muffins. I could eat them for the rest of my life and be very happy. I was contemplating this addiction last summer and I decided I could MAKE my own jumbo muffins. The only thing I lacked was a jumbo muffin pan...so I bought one. My very first attempt was, of course, Chocolate Chocolate-Chip muffins. They turned out great!!! They were super chocolatey and delicious. I've only used my jumbo muffin pan a few times since then, but every time I do - I love the results. The jumbo muffins are much more fun to eat than regular muffins...they are bigger and tastier. I've made cranberry jumbo muffins, bran jumbo muffins, and pink-lemonade jumbo cupcakes. This morning, I decided it was time for jumbo bran muffins again. We ate all of them for breakfast. They were so good...and the jumbo muffin pan made them even better. Its a really good pan and I really like jumbo muffins!

Market Bags

Now here's something that I was just reminded that I like. We went to the grocery store this morning to buy supplies for our party. Here in Italy, they charge you for grocery bags. You have to pay 5 cents for each bag. That's not so bad, and we have many bags at home (they are actually pretty good bags) so its not the cost, but the principle. Instead of buying bunches of bags, people here bring their own bags or they bring a small cart (since most people walk to/from the grocery store). I hear this trend is catching on in the US too, but I haven't been there recently so I can't say. In order to spend less on bags and not waste as much plastic, I use my market bags. My mom sent me some great bags from Peru and I LOVE them. I have two favorites that I use regularly but I like them all. They are sturdy and have excellent handles and I love the colors (my sister got the pink one, hehehe). They are also a very good size for our trips to the store. Bill usually carries the big one and I carry the medium one. Today, I did an exceptional job of bagging our groceries! In fact, I am still proud of my accomplishment! But, none of it would have been possible without my market bags...my very cool market bags (and also one of My Favorite Things).

Photo Albums

Next...Photo Albums. I love pictures. And, I love organizing them. Before the digital picture revolution, I would order printed copies of ALL my pictures (sometimes I even ordered doubles). I started organizing my pictures when I was a senior in high school (a long time ago). I like to keep them chronologically because its easier to find a specific picture, and it helps me remember when things happened. I can tell you exactly when I got my first digital camera, because that is when the printed pictures end. Very sadly, I have a half-empty photo album just waiting to be filled. I still organize my photos, and I still keep them chronologically, except now I have them on my computer. The computer makes it harder for people to flip through them and get a glimpse of my past. Its also harder to show someone a picture in the middle of a dinner party (but that doesn't happen very often, so I guess I'm ok). I still have all my photo albums and they are neatly arranged on my shelf, but sometimes they seem sad and lonely. I like to flip through them occasionally to remember what a printed picture feels like and to remember all the good memories. I used to say that if there was a fire, I would grab my photo albums before I ran to safety...I still think that's true. There's a lot of history in those albums and that's why they are on the list of My Favorite Things.

Miniature Flags

I'm nearing the end of my series of My Favorite Things. I just have six left, so I better make them good ones. Of course, this list is in no particular order! The next one is my set of miniature flags. I love flags and maps (and globes, as you already know). It all started when I was given my first overseas assignment. They had a ceremony called "Flag Day" where they announced each country and who would be sent there by handing out flags. When your name was called, you had to walk to the front of the room and get your little flag. I got Pakistan. It was such a cute little flag, but it was lonely. I had lived in other countries and I felt that they should be represented too. So, the next time I was in the mall, I bought more flags. (You know, those little kiosks in the middle of the mall that sell the miniature flags and pins and decals?) I bought the missing flags and I've slowly been adding to my collection since. In fact, just last weekend I went online and ordered even more - I decided that I should include the flags from the countries Bill has lived in too! So, we have a few more flags on the way and a new flag stand too. Maybe I will post an updated picture when they arrive. But, even when they aren't complete, I love my flags. Each one is so cute. They represent all the years I've spent around the world...good times!

Oven

Here's something that I really like, but its not really mine. I use it, and I love it, but I don't own it. It is my oven. I like my oven a lot because it helps me produce all the yummy baked goods that I so enjoy. However, because my housing is furnished, the oven belongs to the apartment, not to me. In my various other houses, I've had some really bad ovens. The one I have now is my very favorite. It deserves a place on my list of My Favorite Things. It is a gas stove/oven so it works right! (I do not like electric stoves/ovens at ALL.) It is also black and white, which is my kitchen color scheme, so I'm happy. I just really enjoy my oven. It heats up pretty quickly and I've learned its idiosyncrasies and together we bake delicious treats. I use it every Saturday to make scrumptious pizza and bread sticks. Last week, I made some banana bread and it was also delicious. I think there's only been one thing that came out of the oven that was not good...and that was my fault, not the oven's fault (I forgot about it and it turned into charcoal!). I love my oven and I love using it.

My oven with fresh baked banana bread...so good!

Games

I love to play games. I think its fun to sit around with friends and play games. Its just plain fun! Not everybody likes games, and I try not to force anyone to play, but it can be fun...even with people who don't normally play games. (Of course, if someone is really determined to hate it, they will not have fun and neither will I.) But, mostly I just play games with people who like to! I've been able to play a lot of games here in Italy because I've found people that like games as much as I do. One of my favorite games in recent memory was playing Pictionary and watching Bill and Alex...they didn't win, but they were entertaining! Of course, Sarah and I won that game - maybe that's why it was so fun. I've enjoyed all the games that I've played with Rachael, Sarah, Alex, Margaret, Emma, Mike and everyone else who has participated in my group games. I even had fun playing Risk the last time - even though I was the first one to die, thanks to Alex! I've always loved playing games...its an easy form of entertainment. Over the years, I've developed quite a collection of games. I love opening my game cupboard and looking at all the fun just waiting for me. Games are definitely on the list of My Favorite Things.

Do you like games? What's your favorite?

Wooden Spoons

Here's the next one of My Favorite Things. I love my wooden spoons. I love to use wooden spoons and I love to buy them too. In Peru, you can buy hand-carved wooden spoons for practically nothing...I have a lot of Peruvian spoons. I bought some and my mom continues to buy them for me (thanks, mom!). I even have a wooden spoon that she bought me in Sweden. I also have fancy, expensive wooden spoons (well, just 1) and other assorted grocery store wooden spoons. I even have an extra long, skinny spoon for mixing juice. I love all my spoons and I use them often. I use wooden spoons more than anything in my kitchen...I really love them!

Stargate DVDs

There are a few shows that I absolutely love. Stargate SG-1 happens to be one of them. When I lived in Pakistan, I didn't have television. But, they did have really cheap DVDs. (Yes, they were illegal DVDs, but we didn't have TV so we were desperate!) We would usually buy series of TV shows, instead of movies and then just sit and watch season after season. A show that I already loved was Stargate SG-1, but I was missing current episodes in the US, so I started from the beginning. I watched about 2 seasons in Pakistan and then I bought a few more when I left. After that, I changed my addiction to Netflix and ended up watching all 10 seasons. It was a sad day when I watched the last new episode! Other shows that I watched in Pakistan were Friends (another favorite), 24, CSI, and, Alias. It was fun to watch the shows at my own speed and without commercials. So, my Stargate DVDs are also on the list of My Favorite Things. Right now, Bill and I are watching all 10 seasons of Friends. After that, we're going to watch Stargate SG-1 again (its such a good show!). Although Bill has seen some episodes, he hasn't seen them all...in order! I can't wait...I want to start them now, but I have to wait. Oh, its so exciting!

Shot Glasses

No list of My Favorite Things would be complete without mentioning my collection - my shot glass collection, that is. About 10 years ago, I started collecting shot glasses. A lot of people think this is an odd collection because I don't drink. But, I don't collect the glasses for drinking...I collect them just to collect them!

It all started when I was visiting San Francisco with my sister. We tried to go to Alcatraz, but there were no tickets available. Instead, we walked around and bought souvenirs. I was in college and very poor then, so I couldn't afford much. One of the few things I could afford was a $2 shot glass. It was cute and funny so I bought it. I realized that one shot glass by itself was pathetic, so as I drove back across the US, I bought a shot glass in each state. They are easy to find - every gas station has a few and they are always cheap.

After a while, I realized that I needed a way to display all my shot glasses. I mean, what's the point of having a collection, if no one can see it. So, I asked my dad to build me a shelf. I gave him the dimensions and he made me a great custom shelf. My dad made 3 shelves for me and then I had to have 3 more made in Honduras. Pretty soon, I will have too many glasses for my shelves...I don't know what I'm going to do then!

I collect shot glasses because they are cheap, readily available, and small. My first glass was the Alcatraz one and my most recent addition is from Disneyland Paris. I love my collection and its fun to look at all the different glasses and remember all the places I've been. Its a fun collection because of all the memories!

Sharpies & Post-Its

Anyone who knows me well, knew this one was coming! There are very few things I love more than Sharpies and Post-Its. I use Sharpies as often as I can...and I use Post-Its all the time. I have all kinds of colors and sizes and shapes of both! My favorites are the small mini-sharpies that I have in my bag and the black post-its that require special metallic pens. I love them all!

There's really not much else I can say...I LOVE Sharpies & I LOVE Post-Its. Do you?

Cereal

I love cereal! I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! I usually try to limit my cereal to breakfast time only - but that's just an attempt to be fair to other food. Cereal is so delicious and its part of a complete breakfast so I'm sure it could be part of a complete lunch or dinner too! There are so many different kinds of cereal that I really don't understand someone who doesn't like cereal at all...I just have no tolerance for people like that! I have a few favorites and I usually rotate between them. When I was younger, my favorite was Life. It still has a place in my top 5, but its often number 3 or 4. My new favorite is usually Quaker Oat Squares...so yummy, and I tell myself they are healthy (even though I know they are loaded with brown sugar!).

I think there are 3 general categories of cereal: there is the sugary, kiddy cereal that has things like marshmallows in it, then there is the more regular category of cereal with normal flakes and squares, then there is the ultra healthy category that is usually loaded with all kinds of dried fruits and nuts and other assorted things that get stuck in your teeth! You might be able to guess, but I prefer the middle category. Most of the cereals I like are pretty straightforward. A basic cereal with no additions. No nuts, marshmallows, fruits, or crunchy clusters! I like my cereal to be simple! The funny thing is that Bill likes a different category completely! Thankfully, we both agree that the sugary, kiddy cereals are just too much...too sweet to be cereal, really. But, Bill likes the healthy junk! Yup, he likes the nutty clusters and the fruity bites. So, I have been forced to fill my cereal cupboard with 2 types of cereal. The basic, delicious cereal for myself, and the healthy, crunchy stuff for him! I guess its OK as long as we can keep Cap'n Crunch and Lucky Charms out of the kitchen!

With that said, my cereal cupboard is one of My Favorite Things in the house. I love seeing all the different kinds of cereal and enjoying the wonderful taste of each one. In case you're wondering, my current top 5 favorite cereals are: Quaker Oat Squares, Wheaties, Life, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Grape Nuts. Bill is currently eating Cranberry Almond Crunch and Banana Nut Crunch but he won't commit to having a "favorite" cereal.

Do you have a favorite cereal?

(We have the All Bran just to make bran muffins...we don't eat it by itself!)

Lunch

This isn't part of my current series, but I just had to share. Today was a beautiful day!! The weather is warming up nicely. It was nice and sunny! After a lovely walk this morning (running errands), we had lunch on the patio while enjoying the company of Belle - the chocolate lab we are taking care of. It was so nice. Oh yeah, and the strawberry-banana smoothie I made was pretty delicious too!

Necklace Tree

Here's something that no one else has. I'm sure of that because my dad built it for me! Its my necklace tree and its on My Favorite Things list. Several years ago, I tried to make something to hang my necklaces on so they were all visible and easily accessible. I used nails, and it worked, but it wasn't very cool. About the same time, my sister found a tie holder and thought of me because it had places to hang necklaces (or ties, I guess). But, it still didn't work very well because it was supposed to hang on the wall. Then, my dad visited. He found a way to take the round "hangy" part off and create a stand for it. Now it sits prominently on my dresser and I have all my necklaces proudly displayed. And, it spins!! Its very cool.

Goo Gone

On to numero seis! This next one I really love. I love it so much that I've already written about it in a previous blog. What is it, you ask? Well, its Goo Gone. It is one of the most miraculous inventions ever invented. It really is amazing stuff. I think its safe to say that we've all experienced annoying goo at some point - usually in the form of labels or stickers stuck to things that we want to use. We can live with the stickiness, sure, but its annoying. That's where Goo Gone steps in. It eliminates the gooiness and it smells good too. I referred to it last time as "refreshingly citrus-scented" and I continue to think so. Its not something that I use every day, but I always have it in my house. I even have a little mini bottle of Goo Gone in my desk at work! It is a handy potion when you need it!

My first experience with Goo Gone was an epic one. I had some serious goo and I wanted it gone. When I found the solution, I was so inspired, I wrote about it on my blog. If you're interested in that story, you can read it HERE.

If you are new to Goo Gone and have never known the wonders of its magical powers, I strongly encourage you to run out to your local store and pick up a bottle today. Its available practically everywhere! It will give you a satisfied feeling as you watch and feel the goo slip away and all you're left with is a shiny, smooth surface (if that's what you use it on). In fact, we used it just tonight to get a sticky, oily mess cleaned up. Its even supposed to work on crayon marks, although I have no personal experience with that one. What a versatile product!

Ah, Goo Gone, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

Bottle-Cut Glasses

Now here is something very cool. The next on my list of Favorite Things is my bottle-cut glasses. I got these glasses in Peru. There is a small "factory" where they take wine bottles, or any bottles really, and they cut them off to make glasses or bowls or other containers (depending on the size). They make tall glasses and short glasses and all different colored glasses. These are my favorite glasses. I love the deep blue color and I love that they are unique. There aren't very many people who have a set of glasses made out of cut bottles. (I also have a few bowls made from bottles but the glasses are the best.) I like them because they are thick glass and they feel solid when you use them and the cut edge is smooth so its comfortable when you drink. I just really love these glasses.

And I also love the pictures that Bill takes for me. Thanks, Bill!

Globes

On to number four. Another one of My Favorite Things is our globe. All my globes, in fact. I LOVE globes and antique maps and I have a lot of both. I like them so much we even decided our wedding theme would be globes (our wedding favors were small globe paperweights). But, my very favorite globe is the huge globe on a stand. My parents gave it to us as a wedding gift. It even has a nifty brass plate with our names and wedding date. It is a beautiful globe and it looks so sophisticated in our apartment. Some day, we will have a study/office and it will be decorated with globes and antique maps. We'll have maps all over the walls and globes on the shelves. And, sitting in a prominent corner will be our wedding gift globe - the big, fancy, favorite globe!

big globe

on the shelf
on the desk

on the table

Bread Machine

Here's number 3 (although the list is in no particular order). This is a good one too. One of My Favorite Things is my Bread Machine. My sister has a bread machine and she uses it often. I wanted one too so I could make fresh bread and pizza dough. As a wedding gift, I finally got my bread machine, from my sister. It is a very good bread machine, according to consumer reviews. And, I LOVE it. I've only made bread in it two times and it was yummy. But, I regularly make pizza dough in it. I'm sure you know by now that we make pizza almost every Saturday. Yup, we do and we make the crust in my bread machine. It works wonderfully. It takes 5 minutes (or less) to throw all the ingredients in and then the machine does the rest (just set it, and forget it). It mixes and kneads and rises and mixes some more (it will also bake, but not the pizza dough). When I come back, the dough is ready...just add ingredients and bake. Yummy! I also make bread sticks from the pizza dough and they are tasty too. I love my bread machine. I have a whole cookbook of bread machine recipes and I'm excited to try them all (at least most of them). I'm planning to start making more bread so I can use my bread machine to its full potential. Quick, easy, and delicious. Oh, how I love my bread machine?!?!

pizza dough

Quilt

The second thing I'd like to share from the list of My Favorite Things is my quilt. My mom makes quilts. She made her very first quilt for me, which I love! Its black and white and has a 3-D look. But that's not the quilt I'm talking about. No, several years ago she made me a second quilt. And she made it with fabric that I picked out. We went to the fabric store and picked out flannel patterns to make into a quilt. She already had the design and I just had to come up with 8 fabrics. I picked 8 fabulous ones that she kept trying to talk me out of. Her vision of the quilt was not the same as my vision. But, even though she didn't believe it would look good, she made it just the way I wanted it, to my exact specifications. Its a big, fluffy, flannel quilt. She brought it to Italy and gave it to me for Christmas two years ago. I LOVE it! Its my winter quilt and it keeps me very warm...roasty, toasty warm! And, even though Bill gets super hot at night with the big flannel quilt, he let me keep it on the bed for one more month before we switch back to the summer quilt, the black and white one. And, my mom is now a believer in my vision for the flannel quilt...she thinks it looks good too.

handmade with love, by my mom!

Filing Cabinet

The first of My Favorite Things is my Filing Cabinet. (Remember that this list is in no particular order.)

My filing cabinet is new. Bill gave it to me for Christmas. Some may think it is a strange gift but I LOVE it. I love to organize and file things so a filing cabinet is great. I've wanted one for a long time and now I finally have my very own. More than just the filing cabinet, I like my whole filing system. I have binders and shelfs and lables and dividers. All of it works together to create organization and order. I love organization and order. I love having things to file and finding a proper place for everything. Right now, I'm a little behind on my filing, but that's my fault...not the filing cabinets fault. It sits there, waiting for me to fill it and to neatly and orderly arrange my important documents. I spent some time organizing this weekend and it reminded me how much I love order...and that's why I love my filing cabinet. Am I the only one that gets exciting about keeping things organized? (I don't think so.)

New Series

Welcome to March! It is the beginning of a new month, so why not start something new. The beginning is always my favorite time to start a new series. I have several ideas floating around of things I could write about and I will eventually get to all of them, but I'm saving some of them for later in the year. Right now, I decided I would write about some of my favorite things. Sometimes, I look around my house and see things that I really love. They might be normal, ordinary things and they might be super special things. Either way, I love them. I love the way they work or what they do and I am happy to have them. So, I thought it would be fun to share them with you too. There are a lot of things in my house, but I'm going to pick 20 of my current favorites. And, since Bill has his camera back, I can include good pictures. I think its fun to see the things that people like around their house, but more importantly to hear the reasons why...so I'll include my reasons too! This topic may seem boring to some people, but I think it will be fun and it will help me write more often. So, starting tomorrow, I will show you some of My Favorite Things (in NO particular order). Right now, I'm going to eat the brownies that I made, fresh from the oven (so incredibly good)!!!