I’m sharing just a few of my favorite things from 2023. Enjoy!
It’s been a minute since I wrote a favorites post. Better late than never, I’m publishing my favorites for 2023.
Corn neck heating pad. I mentioned the corn neck heating pad in my first trimester pregnancy tips post. I’ve owned one of TinyLilStitch’s corn neck heating pads for years. It was an absolute lifesaver during pregnancy and postpartum. Now that Annie is past the newborn stage, and I’m spending more time on the computer again, I’m still using it daily. I love the weight of the corn and the way that you can drape the pad.
Vessi shoes. Yes, I jumped on the Vessi bandwagon because we’re still following Mxr Plays (for about four years now), and Vessi has been one of their regular sponsors. I have an older version of the Cityscape Classic. The newer version doesn’t tie, which I think is good, because the laces that came with my pair are too short. Otherwise, I love the Cityscape Classic shoes so much. They really are waterproof and have held up so well. I was able to wear them comfortably through my entire pregnancy, and they’re still going strong.
Large format flatbed scanner. We have a Brother laser printer, which is amazing. It has been an absolute workhorse. I use it for the vast majority of my vintage scans. But I have a number of items that are bigger than standard letter size. I asked for the Plustek large format flatbed scanner a couple of years ago and started using it more regularly in 2023. It fits my needs perfectly.
Nature Valley Biscuit Sandwiches – Peanut Butter. Nature Valley Biscuit Sandwiches are not a new discovery but a product I come back around to every couple of years. The biscuits were a lifesaver during the early newborn days when I was hungry but needed to feed Annie. They’re still a great snack both at home and on the go. The peanut butter flavor remains my favorite, but coconut butter is good, too.
Javy decaf cold brew concentrate. I love the taste of coffee, but I can’t drink regular coffee. It’s hard on my stomach and just makes me jittery, and then I crash. I get a much better caffeine boost from tea. Javy is the first quick/instant decaf coffee product that I’ve found, which is what I need for this stage of life. Making a hot or iced coffee in the morning is always a little treat. Javy makes other varieties as well, if you’re looking for a similar concentrate product but with caffeine.
Ello Tidal glass tumbler. I’ve been using a small variety of glass tumblers with lids over the past four years. The Ello Tidal and trunco model that I’m linking below are the two that have held up the whole time. The Ello Tidal is a nice bigger size without being obnoxious. (I don’t understand the huge cup trend.)
tronco 20 oz glass tumbler. I rotate between the above Ello Tidal and tronco 20 oz, so that I can use one while I wash the other one. I don’t love drinking with a straw. But having lidded cups around kids is life-changing, and I drink a lot more water this way. I’ve had the tronco 20 oz for several years now, and it’s held up well.
Katie Daisy flowerland glass. When I really need a change of pace from the lidded cups, Katie Daisy’s flowerland glass is my go-to choice right now. It’s 16 oz., which is a nice size, and the designs are so pretty. I highly recommend hand washing carefully, as the designs aren’t permanent.
Katie Daisy washi tape. I was excited about Katie’s washi tape release for months in advance, and it didn’t disappoint. So many of her designs are so good. I especially like the seed packets and jam jars and all of the repeating florals. She also released a set of Christmas washi tapes, which is fabulous, too. I used it to attach gift tags to presents this year.
Pizza peel. I never thought that my family would be so excited about eating frozen pizza on a regular basis. But they are, so it’s in the monthly rotation right now. A pizza peel makes all the difference in getting frozen pizza in and out of the oven. The handle folds, making it easy to store, which is a great feature. I’d love to make pizza on the grill and Traeger someday, too, and it would be great for that as well.
Gorilla Grip silicone oven mitts. I absolutely love cooking with the Traeger. One of my only issues is taking the pans out safely when I’m cooking at 400 degrees or higher. Regular oven mitts don’t cut it. The Gorilla Grip mitts are at a whole different level and will last forever.
Miss Mouth’s Messy Eater Stain Treater spray. Yes, I jumped on the bandwagon and got the Miss Mouth’s Messy Eater spray. I’m still happy with the OxiClean Max Force stain remover. But with four little kids, I’m spraying items almost every day and wanted to see if it was worth the hype. While it doesn’t treat absolutely everything perfectly, it has worked wonders on quite a few serious stains. If you’re frustrated with your current product, I highly recommend giving it a try.
The North Face women’s ThermoBall Eco Triclimate parka. After owning and loving the same parka for over a decade, I’ve had a bad run with a couple of different winter coats over the last four years. I wasn’t ready to spend big bucks on something like Canadian Goose. But I wanted to step up the game from the last brand that I tried. I’m only two months into serious wear with The North Face parka, but I’ve been happy with it so far. It’s not bulky but still very warm, it has great pockets, and it has a decent hood, especially when it’s zipped up all the way.
Women’s winter touchscreen gloves. Gloves are one of the few clothing items that I’m hard on and need to replace every two or three years. I picked up the set of four touchscreen gloves last winter. I love having multiple pairs so that I can keep pairs in different coat pockets and can have one in the wash at all times. I’m still being hard on them and don’t expect them to last forever. But they’ve made it through a winter and a half already. I love the cuffed design, and the touchscreen function does work.
Weleda Skin Food. Weleda Skin Food is not a new product but one that I use daily after washing dishes and rely on more heavily during the winter months. In general, I don’t like lotions that are smelly or greasy. Weleda Skin Food is the exception because I like the smell, and it works so well. When I don’t need a product that’s quite as heavy-duty, I use Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve. It isn’t smelly or greasy at all, which makes it a great product for more regular use. It just isn’t quite as powerful as Weleda Skin Food.
Sister Golden Flower Art Prints. I found Sister Golden through an Instagram ad, and as always, it was spot on with my personal preferences. Their flower art prints are absolutely fabulous, unlike anything that I’ve seen before. I’ve been itching to makeover my craft area and really want to get a set of four flower art prints for one of the walls. Taking on any sort of decor project is overwhelming right now, but I’ll update you on this process whenever I have an update.
Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris. I’ve been in such a fiction rut the past year. There isn’t a single book that made the cut for this post. A few fiction books that I read were decent. But Happy-Go-Lucky is on a whole other level. David Sedaris’s writing just gets better and better. I always love listening to his books. The last couple were definitely worth reading as well.
Fall Out Boy’s So Much (for) Stardust. I can’t remember the last time that I was as excited about new albums as I was for the final two items in this favorites post. I’ve been a huge Fall Out Boy fan since the From Under the Cork Tree days, but I haven’t loved a new album since Save Rock and Roll. Every single song on So Much (for) Stardust is so good. It’s one of those albums that you can listen to straight through every time.
Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Unlimited Love. Similarly, I’ve been a huge Red Hot Chili Peppers fan for over two decades. I like all of their albums but never got into any specific ones besides Californication and By the Way. Unlimited Love is another album that I can listen to all the way through every time. There are a few good songs on Return of the Dream Canteen as well, their other newest album release. But two double albums so close together was overkill. I wish that they’d cut it down into one double album.
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