A few of my favorites…

I’ve found over time, in reading as many blogs as I do, that often my favorite posts by other bloggers are the random ones… the ones where the blogger makes lists of some of their must-haves, whether it be products, ideas, other blogs, music, etc.  This past Christmas, I actually found a lot of cool gifts for loved ones this way. 

So, this post has been percolating in my mind for quite some time, and it may just make a regular appearance here on Sprik Space.  :)  Today, I want to share with you, in no particular order…

Quirky Cordies Cable Management System  ~$10

Maybe you keep a lot of USB connection cables on top of your desk like me?  You know, for the camera, the iDevices, the Kindle, the cordless mouse, etc. – naturally, they all accept different cables.  With this handy dandy little contraption, there’s no more cursing from my side of the office when a cable slips behind the desk… because it doesn’t happen anymore!  YAY!

 

Instagram

I’ve been a bad family blogger lately… but I’ve found an interim solution – Instagram!  If you have a smartphone, download the app – I highly recommend it for a way to quickly and easily catalog both the minor and major daily events.  Most of my photos are in the minor category, but it’s so much fun to take a quick look back – one of Connor’s favorite activities.  In fact, I may just take up Instagram-ing completely instead of writing up personal/family blog posts – we’ll see.  At the end of the year, I plan on having a book made, full of the Instagram photos I’ve taken.  Here are a few of my favorites over the last month: ( a – b – c – d – e – f – g – h – i – j ).  If you’re on Instagram and want to follow me, my username is sprikspace.  If you don’t have the app, you can follow my feed online here on Webstagram.  To make it easier on the grandparentals, I threw a handy-dandy button over in the left sidebar, too. 

 

Kuhn Rikon Ceramic Knives

Oh, ceramic knives, where have you been all my life??  I received a set these paring knives for Christmas… one of the best gifts my husband has ever given me!  So sharp, so non-stick… makes everything that I’m cutting feel like it’s just a stick of butter.  Love, love, love them.  I now want to replace every knife in my kitchen with a comparable ceramic knife.  And I just might!  ;)

 

This post on Momastery titled: “Don’t Carpe Diem” really spoke to me.  Amen!  (Maybe you’ve already seen it… can’t hurt to read it again.)

 

Teaching your child to put on their own coat

‘Tis the season that we can’t leave the house (which we rarely do anyway during RSV/flu season) without coats.  This video from I Can Teach My Child has been a real game-changer for us.  I love seeing Connor feel so empowered!!

 

 

Chemisettes by Anne

I meant to share this product with you during the warmer months, but keep it in mind for Spring and Summer to come…  I don’t know about you, but I get so annoyed wearing camisoles under some of my tops with lower-than-I’m-comfortable-with necklines, especially when it’s humid here in Chicago.  I hate to sweat and feel sticky, and wearing an additional layer, when all I really need is a few inches of fabric at the top, is typically the last thing I want to do… but have to do.  Somewhere I stumbled upon this product, a chemisette (think a dickey cami) and I’m sold!  I ordered several and consider them amazing.  They allow me to control how much cleavage I’m willing to show and they help me to stay cool.  (I know the picture looks a little funny, but if you ever feel the same way I do about those pesky camisoles, check it out!)

 

Tovolo Better Batter Tool and Silicone Cooking Utensils  ~$10-12

I received one of these bad boys as an early Christmas gift while I was doing my holiday baking… worked like a charm!  In fact, I’ve recently replaced all of my cooking utensils to a silicone/metal handle combo so that everything is dishwasher friendly.  (I don’t know about you, but I hate scrubbing the wooden-handled utensils… which shrink over time so the silicone piece no longer fits tightly.)  I found some good deals at Williams-Sonoma and Sur la Table after the holidays to complete my set. 

 

Marilyn Tuxedo Round Hair Brush  ~$20

I have a bob, and a round hair brush is my go-to hair styling tool.  So, when my old one began to fall apart recently, I headed to Ulta and “splurged” on a new one... I’m sold!  I picked up the Marilyn Tuxedo 3” Round Hair Brush – it’s large, but it puts just the right amount of bend in my hair, without a defined curl, and gives me plenty of volume at the roots even without using any products (and I have fine, limp hair).  I especially like that the brush end has a flat top so it will sit upright on my countertop while I’m getting ready (just an important feature I was searching for).   The barrel is ceramic-coated, not metal (like a lot of the cheap ones are) and the bristles are natural boar, not synthetic.  I love this brush!

 

IKEA Frost Clothes Drying Rack  ~$20

I’ve had this rack for nearly 10 years now… and it’s still as good as new.  I air-dry most of my wardrobe to keep it from shrinking shorter (I’m 5’9”) and this drying rack is a work horse!  It’s strong and sturdy and can contain an entire week’s wardrobe plus a few other pieces easily.  I recently spotted it again at IKEA, and knew I wanted to mention it here.  You can position it in a variety of ways, and when it folds down it can fit right behind a door, imperceptibly.  I probably would have purchased 3-4 of those wooden dowel racks in the same amount of time I’ve had this one rack.  It’s awesome.

 

Bar Keepers Friend  ~<$4

My big Christmas present was a whole set of pretty new pots and pans… they’re stainless and oh so shiny.  And I want them to stay that way!  As I’ve been learning to cook everything at a lower temperature, there’s been a bit of oxidation staining, and Bar Keeper’s Friend has been a miracle.  Just a little bit of powder and some water… a slight scrub, and my pots and pans are as good as new!  This inexpensive cleaning agent will also remove the rust spots on silverware that the diswasher leaves, and I’ve been told it should work on the stains our old faucets left on the bathroom sinks.  You should be able to find it in the cleanser section of your local store, or fairly inexpensively here.

 

The Head and the Heart

I first fell in love with “Lost in My Mind”… can you blame me?

And then I downloaded their entire album… they’ve all become my favorites.  I love listening to it while I plink away at the PC (writing this post, for example ;).  Only $5 for the entire album as an MP3 download at Amazon right now!

 

These guys

…are my absolute favorite!

They’re my whole world.

 

 

I’m so lucky they’re mine!!