Favorite Things, Q4

It's kind of ironic that I'm composing this blog about Things during a time in which I am completely sick of stuff. If I find one more tiny plastic horse in my bed or baby doll shoe under our kitchen table or speck of glitter A-NY-WHERE, I may just explode. Yet, for the first time in quite awhile, I've actually had a hard time narrowing down my list of My Favorite Things this quarter. So, before I get too distracted and resume my rampage of stuff collection throughout the house, here goes...

My Favorite Things of the Final Quarter of 2012...

1. Ring Holder...I know lots of ladies never, ever slip off their wedding rings, but I find that I remove mine constantly. Whether I'm bathing the girls or washing rinsing dishes (who was I trying to kid? I hand wash a dish, I don't know, once every few months?), I was always laying my rings down somewhere and then having no clue where that somewhere was! I remembered that my Grandma Sumner always had a darling little dish that said 'Rings and Things' sitting by her kitchen sink and wished that I had something like that, too. I can't remember when I'd last seen one in a store before I found a selection of adorable novelty ring holders at Paper Skyscraper. I chose the kitty (though that mouse is pretty darn cute, too) and have loved having a spot for such a valued possession. Fun Silver Ring Holders by Umbra
2. The Ally McBeal TV Series... when Baby Wright was a fresh itty-bitty, I found myself up for 2-3 times a night at 45 minutes a pop. (Nursing in those early weeks takes tiiiiiime.) Now, not that I didn't enjoy simply gazing at her sweet face during these sessions, but Mommy was tired and a tad (dare I admit?) bored. Couple that with the fact that my experience with newborn nursing is a touch, how shall I say, uncomfortable unpleasant excruciatingly painful, I needed a distraction. So, on our first day home from the hospital, I rummaged around our DVD collection for something to watch to help take my mind off the pain and limit the mental screaming of the F word (I wasn't kidding when I said EXCRUCIATINGLY), I selected Ally McBeal, season one. I flew through those episodes in less than a week and was dying for more. So, I hit up Amazon, ordered the entire series with a couple clicks of the mouse, selected overnight delivery, and continued on through the series. The show totally takes me back to college days when folks used to comment on how I reminded them-both in looks and expressions-of Ally. I found myself so engrossed in the lives of each character that I didn't mind the middle of the night feedings so much. Truly, I could go on and on here: love the show. Love Ally (the character.) Love the music. Love the story lines. Ally McBeal: The Complete Series
3. The Music of Robert Downey Jr... this favorite piggy-backs the one above. Most people are familiar with RDJ as an actor or even RDJ as a criminal or, now, RDJ as a redeemed superhero (Hello, he's IRON MAN!), but few are aware that he is quite the musician. Several years back, I fell in love with his album, The Futurist, and the song Details from that album was one of the 'must play' songs from our wedding reception. As I was watching Ally, I was reintroduced to his amazing version of Joni Mitchell's beautiful song, River. Over the holiday season, I'd often find myself playing it over and over on either my phone or on my laptop. Now as I'm blogging, I'm looping the soothing song over and over as I type. RDJ: River
4. Ugg Slippers... just before Wrighty Pie was born, I decided that I could use some comfy slippers to have both at the hospital and at home afterwards. Since I've been using up a fairly large Bloomingdale's store credit for well over a year now, I decided to check out their website for some options.  Though I initially wondered if these would be too hot, I love my selection and where them almost every day! They couldn't be cozier and have a nice, solid sole for the times when I run outside in them to take out trash (or forget that I'm wearing them until I look down at my feet at Target.) Ugg Dakota Slippers
5. Long and Comfy Tanks... as I've mentioned before on the blog, I managed to get through my entire pregnancy without sporting a single piece of maternity wear. This isn't to say that I didn't gain weight (I did) or that my belly wasn't ginormous (it was), I just found pieces of clothes made of just the right material to grow right along with me yet not stretch-out too much to be unwearable post-pregnancy. One of my most-worn pieces was a long, black tank that I picked up at a favorite shop in Denver last summer. It's the only tank I had that was long enough to cover my belly right up until the end of the pregnancy. Then, after Wright was born, I found myself wearing it just as often as it is a great layering piece. After growing tired of digging through the hamper for it and washing and drying it at least twice a week, I did an internet search by the style number, found the websites with the best prices, and added several more to my wardrobe. I now have the tank in five colors (white, black, blue, hot pink, and purple) and cleaned out my closet of several so-so tanks. (I look forward to the day when my tummy is flat enough for me to wear the form-fitting tanks solo!) Did I mention these are made of the softest material imaginable? How I love feeling like I'm wearing my jammers all day!Three Dots Viscose Tanks
6. Hanky-Panky Modal Undies... while I'm on the topic of cozy/comfy-wear, I cannot leave out my new favorite unmentionables. I've been a wearer of Hanky Pankies for several years now. In fact, I was pretty sold from the first pair I ever wore, and now my undie drawer is full of them. The company claims to make the 'world's most comfortable thong' and that tag-line is no exaggeration. It never occurred to me that they could be improved until, accidentally, I picked up a pair of the new modal version during Nordstrom's semi-annual sale. After wearing them, I headed right back to the store (still taking advantage of the sale) and picked them up in every color they came in (which isn't too many at this point.) Hanky Panky Modal Low-Rise
7. Our Nativity... I love the house when it's decorated for Christmas and actually feel like it turns from a house to a home in some ways. In addition to our tree, we decorate with nutcrackers and snowmen and Santas. But, for me, the crown jewel of our holiday decor is our Nativity set. I realized that a tasteful Nativity was hard to find but fell in love with this one when I was out shopping with my mom several years ago. She noticed how much I liked it and gifted up with the first few pieces the first Christmas Lindsay and I were married. She added more pieces to it as gifts for several occasions thereafter, and it's now a complete set. It always seems to draw compliments of those who are in our house around the holidays, and I feel a tinge of sadness as I box it up each year. It's such a perfectly beautiful depiction of the true meaning of Christmas. WillowTree Nativity Set

Reading back over my list, it's funny how several Favorites were triggered by the life change of having a newborn in the house again and others were focused on my love for all things cozy. 

(Keeping in tradition of the Favorites list consisting of strictly seven items per quarter, I'll just have to give an honorable mention to Bolthouse Holiday Nog: tasty stuff + low calories = a new favorite holiday beverage in our house.)