My friend Melissa asked me to share my “favorite things” post again this year (last year I was too crazy with the wedding, but click HERE to find the one from two years ago…I think it’s funny that most of those are still my favorite things).

Ok, so here we go with a new list. Just as a side-note, none of these things are sponsored. They’re just things I love. But I will link to affiliates (if available) so that they are easy to find.

My girls love these mini dickie’s backpacks that they can use as a purse to stuff anything they need in.

They love the black but there are lots of other colors HERE.

They also think these Glossier chapstick are the best things in the world.

The “birthday” one is their favorite and you can find them HERE.

I am always getting questions about where to find “tall” clothing. One of my favorite spots is Athleta. They are a little pricey, but I’m telling you, they are so worth it to me with how much I wear them. They have the best and the most comfy TALL pants and I have traveled all over the world in mine.

Also their tall leggings are the stretchiest and the best. I love them.

Click HERE to check them out.

I know there are some knock-offs on Amazon HERE that some people rave about, but unfortunately they’d never be long enough for me.

I adore my AirPods that you can find HERE. (BTW, how is EVERYTHING on Amazon these days?? So crazy).

Whoever designed those knew their stuff. They are kind of pretty, don’t you think?

I use mine SO MUCH, mostly to read a bazillion books.

So…I better also add that one of my very “Favorite Things” is my subscription to Audible that you can look into getting HERE.

My brother gave me a 3-month subscription a couple years ago and I have never looked back. So many beautiful things to listen to in the world, and it is so awesome to be inspired while cleaning toilets or folding laundry or making dinner. Ha!

Find some of my very favorite books I’ve listened to in these posts linked over HERE…and also if you click on “good books” on the menu up there at the top there are a whole slew of my favorites including parenting books and Christmas books and books for youth.

My friend gave us this breakfast sandwich maker last year that we all love so much (HERE).

Elle loved it so much she got one to whip up sandwiches over in Hawaii. I love it because you can make breakfast sandwiches:

And lunch sandwiches too:

Just because it has arugula and turkey with egg rather than bacon, does that really make it “lunch”? I don’t know, but that is a good sandwich right there I tell you!

We are a big game family, but we don’t branch out from our favorite stand-by’s much.

Rummikub HERE, Codenames HERE (this is a new one and hasn’t completely become part of the “regulars” yet but it has great potential, and regular old cards HERE (we like the jumbo numbers so Lucy can see them well).

I know I said this one in the last “fav things” post but we still love Hydroflasks SO MUCH. I wasn’t a believer at first. I was just fine with my little plastic cup with a straw I always had on the counter filled with ice water. But this sucker is the BEST. I know this picture is blurry but just bear with me here for a minute. The blue one is mine but my girls love the black smaller one. Grace and Claire both asked for them for their birthdays.

You can find those HERE.

Our old pans were SO worn out and gross that I finally splurged on some new ones when they went on a great sale at Costco and I love them.

Check them out HERE.

And one more cooking gadget, this is a new one but I think I am going to love it. Such an easy way to steam veggies really quick in the microwave.

You can find it HERE.

Ok and as long as we’re back talking kitchen appliances, I do love my microblade zester my sister bought for me as a gift after she came to stay.

She is a really good cook and when I use it I feel fancy like her. Ha! You can find that HERE.

…and my spatula from Pampered Chef (HERE)

I am in love with Bath and Body Works. Is that just me or is everyone and their dog in love with that place? There is nothing like walking into your house and having a good scent filling up the air so we always have “wallflower” plug-ins all around our house and these are my three favorite scents:

That one on the right up there smells just like Anthropologie to me and I adore it, but I love the others for the holidays.

But even more than the wallflowers, I adore the candles. This is my favorite one right now:

(We have it burning pretty constantly in our house…by December first we’ll burn the Fresh Balsam one all the time.)

All these things are grand and good, but my very favorite things are sentimental ones.

That’s why I love photo books so much. I try to put together a Chatbook for my kids each year with all the favorite pictures from the year:

Last year I got fancy with Blurb and FINALLY did a baby book for Lucy:

She was pretty happy about that:

And I put together two books for Max, one from each year of his mission in Taiwan, complete with all his letters:

It was one of those gifts I was more excited to give than he and Abby could have ever been to receive because so much love was put into that thing, but I have to say they were pretty happy too:

I did a little tutorial about how to make those Blurb books in Lightroom over HERE.

Oh there are so many other “favorites” but that’s a wrap for today.

You can find Melissa’s blog with links to other “Favorite Things” posts over HERE.

And the next person I get to link to happens to be my friend Sarah who I think is one of the best people in the whole wide world (even though I still haven’t met her in person, which sounds weird but it’s true). If you haven’t read her blog before you should because she’s the real-deal. Check out that real-deal and her favorite things over HERE.

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6 Comments

  1. Love these, Shawni! What a great idea to make a book for the mission! ♥ I love sun-washed citrus too and I really need to check out Glossier — it’s been on other favorites too. Thank you so much for joining us amidst the craziness!

  2. Great list! As a librarian I can’t help myself, I have to mention that there are FREE ways to get audio books, in case some of your readers can’t afford an audible subscription. Just about every public library has either Overdrive, Libby or Hoopla. You can download audio books, e-books, movies, magazines and more right onto your device, all for free. Sometimes new releases won’t be available right away, but they will be after a bit. If anyone needs help with this, I urge you to contact your local library, librarians love to hook people up with books! Or comment here and I can help!

  3. Dear Shawni
    I used to read your blog religiously but something happened and it disappeared. Probably a senior moment. Could you please enroll me again?

  4. Joint favorites with you: Rummikub (why do we always reach for that when we propose playing a game?), Audible, Chatbooks and Wallflower plugins. I just ordered that Sun-washed Citrus, so I’m excited to try it 🙂

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