We all have favorites – books, desserts, children. (Did I say that?) Usually my favorites, children or otherwise, depend on the season or situation. For example, I love hot tea in the winter and fizzy fountain Coke in the summer. (I know Coke is dreadful for me – I’ve cut back.) My favorite child in any given moment is the one who isn’t glaring at me. 😉
My friend Amy of Maisymak.com asked me to join in her My Favorite Things link up. In this season of gift exchanges, plummeting temps, and recovery from too much travel in the name of sports, here are some of my favorite things – they might make good gifts!
Poster Text Posters
These are THE BEST gifts for book lovers, a genius combination of the visual and the literary. Postertext uses the exact words from a novel to create a representative picture of the story. This poster for Pride and Prejudice, which hangs in daughter’s bedroom, includes the first 35 chapters of the novel, in teeny words:
Here is a close-up of Mr. Darcy’s feet:
Isn’t it grand? And Postertext just announced their newest release, another favorite of daughter and I, The Book Thief:
The posters are reasonably priced around $30, but they come in odd sizes, so finding a frame is a hassle. We got one close to the right size and used black paper behind the poster to fill in dead space. Or, you could custom frame with a coupon from Michael’s!
Quote Magnets from Barnes and Noble
I’ve bought a ton of these this year to keep me inspired. Priced at $4.95, these are great stocking stuffers or a gift to stick in a card. You can find them at the front of your nearest Barnes and Noble store or online. I own several and rotate what appears on the fridge each month. Here are two of my favs:
Quinoa
Quinoa is a great source of protein that travels well. For a mom who carts kids an hour to sports practice four nights a week, quinoa is a miracle! We had it once a week, in various forms, such as Mexican Quinoa, “Fried Rice” Quinoa, and my own concoction, Jambalaya Quinoa. Some kids loved it, all tolerated.
Don’t be intimidated by the fancy name. Quinoa is a seed that behaves like a whole grain. It contains all nine essential amino acids and no gluten or cholesterol. It cooks up like rice, only faster. Rinse it, add to broth and seasonings, bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add beans, corn, and cumin for Mexican, or tomatoes, thyme, and white beans for Italian.
Here are links to my favorite recipes:
In fact, feel free to raid my Pinterest Recipes Board. Perhaps you could whip up some quinoa to give to a busy friend this December.
Arbonne
Let me say up front that I don’t like to spend money. However, I will spend it on a product I believe in. I used to buy cheap skin care items at Walmart to take care of my face. However, after I hit 40, my face stopped being happy with Neutrogena. In fact, it was downright flaky!
My best friend from college, who has always and will always look fabulous, sells Arbonne, and when I shared my skin care woes, she told me about her favorite Arbonne products. Then she gave me samples. One week of using products that my skin literally drank, and I was hooked.
Arbonne promotes overall health and wellness. They keep their products pure and simple, without excess fragrance or chemicals. I spent A LOT of money on my face lotion, but my skin feels so much better, even as the air cools and dries for December. I’m also using their Energy Fizz Sticks (with green tea, ginseng, and B vitamins) to help me kick my Coke habit.
How about you? What have been your favorite products of 2015? Please share in the comments and visit Amy’s blog to find more cool stuff in her gift guide!
Also, come back Friday for my announcement about my annual My Favorite Things Giveaway, in which we will create the best book wish list of the year!
Thanks,
Oooooh…definitely interested in the face cream; I’ve been in need of an upgrade! The posters – LOVE. And um…I might have a certain love with Diet Coke which I’m always fighting…!
YOU?! Diet Coke! I never would have guessed this from the queen of green smoothies. I feel better now. 😉 Hey, we could be addicted to much worse things, right?
I agree that a high quality skin care product is completely worth it! I haven’t tried Arbonne, but I do find that I need to switch out products every so often, so maybe I will check it out when I need a change. Off to look at those posters and Amy’s post…loved learning about your favorite things!
Oh, one of my favorite things this year are Mitscoots socks. I’m so pleased with the quality and I love that the company is so socially responsible.
I saw those socks in your gift guide. It’s wonderful when we find companies who do such generous things. For those of you who don’t know, for every pair of socks purchased at Mitscoots, the company gives a pair to someone in need. More at Dana’s Gift Guide.