Welcome to Day 2 of Favorite Things! If you missed Day 1 you can click here to catch up on all Favorite Things for 2021. We have 4 more amazing ladies to feature today! Here we go -- please welcome:
Hello and Welcome to Day 3 of Favorite Things 2021! You can see all the favorites by clicking here. Please give a very warm welcome to:
Kortney at Author Kortney Keisel
I'm thrilled to have my sister-in-law Mary here today! Mary has been with me from the beginning since I knew her in high school when I met her brother, my now husband! She is super smart and is a wealth advisor in Dallas and has 2 daughters in college -- one at University of Texas and another at BYU. She is always taking care of others and watched our kids when we lived in Texas so we could took a trip to DC. Mary also sends thoughtful cards and gifts to the nieces and nephews and remembers birthdays and special occasions. We all love Aunt Mary! Here she is sharing her favorites from 2021:
WELL + FOOD's 15-20 minute HIIT workout trampoline routines are my fav!
2. Fav Skin Product: Awake 2% Retinol Sleep Oil This oil was my #1 beauty find in 2021. Retinol products have always dried my skin. Awake renews and regenerates my skin with the same power of similar retinol concentrations, but without the drying side-effect of that most retinols. |
4. Fav Thanksgiving Planning Guide: Women of Today by Camila Alves McConaughey I discovered Camilla’s site while reading her series on reducing Sugar intake and cravings that I’d come across, which was the best content I’d ever read on the topic. As I scrolled through the sections on her site I can across her Thanksgiving guide. I loved the way it explained laid out the planning weeks in advance.
5. Fav Rug Meets Fav Dog I fell in love with this handwoven NuLoom rug the moment I unrolled it. It’s no surprise that my English Golden, Penny loved its thick wool pile too, and was constantly laying on it. Getting too comfortable, she eventually relieved her bladder on the rug’s lovely bold hue. Quickly realizing what she’d done, she played dead to absolve herself. It was so funny to watch that I spared her any impending consequences.
6. Fav Home Discovery: Sharon Nolan Pebble Art It’d be tough to skim her website without finding one of her quant 3D creations to love. They use little space in home and can even sit on a desk. Her 50+ scenes pop with visibility, depicting a range of subjects from fishing, family, homes, pets, newlyweds and more.
7. Fav Way to End a Day: Pjs and Tea During my struggling teens I’d occasionally come home to find my mom sitting in her PJs next to the table set with 2 mugs and peanut butter toast quartered for sharing. She never had to ask me to join, her well-recognized gaze of unconditional acceptance secured my seat. For a few minutes we’d shared simple conversation on the flavor of tea we each chose that night and why, but connected on much more. It’s no wonder a centering cup of hot cup of tea made my list! I brews in a Keurig, using k-pod disposable liners.
My 3 fav sips:
2. Ecoteas Organic Unsmoked Pure Leaf Yerba Mate can be found at local natural foods stores. I like to add peppermint (oil or leaves) before snapping on that lid. Provides antioxidant -rich, clean energy.
3. Starbucks Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa cures sweet cravings or accommodates a hot cocoa toppings bar.
8. Fav Super-Soft, Mega-Cozy Blanket: Kirkland's Signature Plush Blanket I’ve lived in freezing states before, but when you marry Texas with week-long, record- freezing temps, the result was frozen gas lines and power windmills causing massive power failures through the state. With water lines frozen I wrapped them in blankets and a soft, cozy blanket soared to the top of my fav things. Hoping to keep even one or two extra degrees of warmth inside, I decked windows and doors with my new fav things, blankets!
9. Fav Electronic: Sonos Roam As we might say in TX, “Darlin’ the proof is in the puddin’!” The small portable Sonos Roam is superior in sound and capabilities compared to its more expensive competitors. Over past 5 years, I’ve been building my Sonos collection, one speaker or room at time because they customization and capabilities are awesome!
Sonos’s app offers creative options to interplay each room and most home devices. Its intuitive and easy to learn with cool features, including a library of vendor platforms to connect and feed sound from.
The creative ways to use Sonos are many. The next time my kids are ignoring my request to come eat dinner, I’ll just switch the speaker in their specific rooms to play “Mamma Mia”, to subtly remind them moms speaking. While their speakers play one song, my audiobook playing in kitchen will continue, without break.
10. Fav Subscription: Harvard Business Review The massive library of past and current article content is written for the non-academic readers and compared to a typical article. You’re sure to locate search results for whatever struggles your workplace is having. These articles provide real solutions that when applied will return great dividends through more success at work, even for non-business environments. The digital subscription also includes great contents with books and audio content.
11. Fav Dumpling Makers: My daughter’s college roommate is from China visited TX earlier this year. On her and my daughters’ Tejas bucket list was to have make authentic Chinese Dumplings using a recipe her mom provided. They purchased ingredients at a specialty market and made incredible hand-rolled pork dumplings! Here is a link for 7 dumpling recipes: A Guide to 7 Types of Chinese Dumplings (thespruceeats.com) I like bamboo quality of the steaming trays in this set from Amazon
12. Fav surprise purchase: NANOLEAF I picked up these neutral wood light tiles on a steep sale, figuring I’d return. Amazingly, within the day, I had them dancing to La Boheme, while I lay on the couch with lights off I experienced music in an entirely new way and will be keeping them for sure!
Most tiles NANOleaf makes are bright colored, some can even change with a handprint using or by 100s of programmable options. Gamers are sure to love, but so would teens or bedrooms where sleeping princesses sleep that would doze off to slowly fading pink and purple light. My daughter’s boyfriend is 21 and commenting on how cool he thought they were too.
Hello! Welcome back to the 12th annual Favorite Things!
We feature bloggers, friends, family, and writers who share their favorites from the year to give ideas for gift giving and may also give you plenty of ideas for your own wishlist. It's so fun to see new ideas and what makes these amazing women tick.
Please welcome:
Kortney at Author Kortney Keisel
Here are some years' past Favorite Things that you can click through!
Thank you for another wonderful year!
Hello and please welcome my beautiful sister-in-law Brittany! I adore this girl ♥ They have been living close to us for the past 2 years and will move this summer for a fellowship and I'm already sad about it. She's got the cutest 2 kids and just graduated from cosmetology school and is a wizard at all things hair and beauty. She is the perfect match for Charlie, the youngest on my husband's side and is just chill, fun, easy to be around, and super organized. Enjoy her and her favorites!
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1. Joico Blonde Life Brightening Shampoo & Joico Blonde Life Brightening Conditioner: If you’re blonde you need this set! I’ve tried several blonde shampoos & conditioners and this is by far my favorite. It helps so much with maintaining brightness, without drying out your hair (like many purple shampoos & conditioners tend to do). Also, it’s cheaper than many other salon quality hair care products.
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| 2. Babe Lash Essential Serum: I swear I have the shortest lashes ever but this serum has helped! I put it on every night after washing my face. I’ve been using it for about three months now & have started noticing a difference in the past few weeks. A three month supply is around $65 |
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| 3. Erase Your Face Cloths: I used alcohol makeup wipes for years until I found these babies. I’ve tried a few times to stop using alcohol makeup wipes because I know how bad they are for your skin but nothing I found removed my makeup as seamlessly. These are awesome though. You just put water on the cloth & wipe your makeup off! You can also wash and reuse them. They are $9.99 on Amazon for a pack of four. |
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| 4. Made by Mary Jewelry: Made By Mary is my favorite company for personalized jewelry. I wear my Made By Mary necklace almost everyday. Mine has the initials of my husband & two kids on it. My good friend’s father recently passed away & I got her one with her father’s birth month flower on it. I just love the sentiment & simplicity of this company’s jewelry! |
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| 5. Where the Crawdads Sing: This has become my all time favorite read. I found it on Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Book Club list & it did not disappoint! If you’re into a book about resilience with a little mystery & romance then you need to read this book! I seriously couldn’t put it down! |
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| 6. Fannie May S'Mores Snack Mix: My husband and I are kinda obsessed with these. It’s a s’more without the mess! Whenever we find them at Costco we have to buy a bag because we can’t always find them. Fair warning though these are so dangerous to have in the house because they are honestly just that delicious! |
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| 7. Freshly Picked Diaper Bag: I went through around three diaper bags within six months when I had my daughter. Then I finally decided to invest in a diaper bag that would last & let me tell you I couldn’t love this diaper bag more. I’ve had it for about three and a half years now & I’ll probably keep it for all of my babies because it’s holding up so nicely. It also has all of the pockets you could need! |
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| 8. Kenra Thermal Spray: I love this thermal spray! It comes in a pretty big bottle & is around $16 on Amazon. I love how you can use it as a thermal spray & hairspray. It’s so great for hair that is colored! |
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| 9. Revlon Colorstay Foundation: this foundation is so awesome for the price. Before using this I spent around $30-$40 dollars on foundation. This guy is a little under $10. I love how it’s full coverage. It also comes in natural or matte finish, depending on your skin type. |
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| 10. Reduce Tumbler: I don’t buy plastic water bottles so a good water bottle/tumbler is a must! I love this one because it has a straw & fits in car cup holders! I got mine in a pack of two from Costco but I can’t find them there anymore. They also sell them at Target & Amazon in cute colors like this one! |
Thanks for your favorites, Brittany! Click here to see more 2021 Favorite Things. Thanks for stopping by.
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