My Favorite Things: November 2012

1. The Hotel Cafe Presents Winter Songs. Yes, I'm already listening to Christmas music, and this album is my favorite. All the best singer-songwriters came together to try their take on classic holiday tunes ... and a couple new ones. My favorite is Winter Song by Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles. Listening to these songs on repeat makes me happy and excited for the holiday season.

2. Starbucks Peppermint Mocha. You know how much I love Starbucks, and I couldn't leave one of my favorite holiday drinks off my favorite things list! Yesterday, for Starbucks' BOGO event, I tried the caramel brûlée latte while Nathan had the egg not latte, and I can tell you neither is as good (in my humble opinion). The mocha is so rich and the peppermint adds the perfect amount of sweetness ... mmmmm. Give me a delicious warm beverage and I'm instantly in the holiday spirit.

3. Patagonia R2 Fleece. This is the best purchase I've ever made, for real. I bought my jacket almost five years ago, and when it starts to get chilly, I wear it literally every day. Around the house, to the bank, on a photo shoot. Some of my friends laugh at me for wearing it around the house, but it's just so comfy! I'm sure it's looking a little shabbier than when I bought it, but after I throw it in the wash I think it's just as fluffy as ever.

4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (movie). This movie is so.good. I loved the cinematography and the story line. They both were raw but beautiful at the same time. While I was watching the movie I kept thinking, I wish I could see things like this. Nathan and I usually don't agree on artsy movies, but we both left the theater loving what we had just watched. And I must say, Emma Watson did an unbelievable job. I admire that girl. She's going to have no problems getting gigs now that her Harry Potter days are over.

5. Juma Gallery. I lived in a fun, little neighborhood in Cincinnati. It was nicknamed the "Eclectic Mile" because of all the cute shops and restaurants and events going on. I absolutely loved being able to walk out my door and be at a coffee shop in two minutes. When we moved to Shaker, I loved the neighborhood, but for different reasons. I can still walk to get coffee and mail a package, but there's not much eclectic about the restaurants and shops around us ... until Juma moved in. Oh my goodness, this coffee shop/clothing and home goods store/art gallery is phenomenal. I would definitely dub it eclectic. Photos will be coming to the blog soon (the one shown is from the Juma website)!

My Favorite Things: October 2012

1. Orville Redenbacher's Salt and Pepper Popcorn. This is all I want to eat lately. Like two and three bags a day. So salty and peppery and delicious. :)

2. Sprout Cocoa Lip Balm. Another Birchbox snag, this stuff really smells like chocolate! Plus it's all natural and works like charm.

3. Boots. Fall is here (although today it's supposed to be 70 degrees)! I've broken out my boots and scarves and I'm loving it.

4. Muggswigz. I used to hang out at this Canton coffee shop during my summers home from college, and I forgot how great it was! Nathan and I and some awesome friends headed here after a corn maze recently and the pumpkin latte was perfect. I have to say ... SO much better than the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks. I know! I'm sorry. I just don't like it very much.

5. Reggae Run. I lived in Cincinnati for four years and didn't do this 5K until I moved to Cleveland. Ha! I didn't run the whole thing because the hills in Hyde Park are RIDICULOUS, but it was still fun to participate ... and eat a ton of food afterwards. :)

My Favorite Things: September 2012

1. Panera breakfast sandwiches. I didn't have time to eat breakfast before last week's wedding, so I picked up something I thought would get me through most of the day. So good! Why haven't I tried these before?? The bacon, egg and cheese was delish, and it totally held me until dinner. 2. Hello perfume by Harvey Prince. I'm not a huge perfume girl. I mean, I wear it, but I don't have a "signature scent." Then I got Hello in a recent Birchbox. I think I'm sold! It's citrus-y, but in a grown-up way. So much easier than going to the perfume counters at the mall to find a new favorite and walking away with a headache.

3. My car, Nancy. She might not start on the first try and her stereo might be dead, but Nancy got me all the way to Oxford and back this week. All 177,000 miles of her.

4. McDonald's hot fudge sundae. Evidently I'm on an eating out kick. There's not much to say about this one except that it's the best $1.30 I can spend! :)

5. My office color scheme + this print. My office colors were set and then I found chairs that I LOVED. The only problem? They didn't fit the scheme. But I loved them so much, I decided to throw caution to the wind and get them! I know, I live dangerously. I had to tweak the colors a little, and after I had decided on the accents, I found this Be Yourself print in every one of the colors I had picked. The green will be more mint, but it's pretty close. And I'm totally getting the print.

My Favorite Things: August 2012

1. Fresh flowers. Lately I've been trying to use all the bottles from our wedding, so our house looks like a florist shop. But I'm enjoying the bright colors and fabulous smells. :)

2. My Ann Taylor Loft clutch. This is totally frivolous but I'm tired of carrying around my giant purse. It's pretty freeing to slip a clutch around your wrist, plus it's sparkly and girly too. :)

3. Fresh basil. OK, please help me out here. You buy a whole carton of fresh basil from the store and you have 85% of it left over after you use it for one recipe. How do you save it so it lasts?? I love the stuff, especially the way it smells, and we've been using it in everything we can so it doesn't go bad. I especially liked this basil beer bread recipe.

4. Blueberries. I have vivid memories of picking blueberries at my grandparents house each summer. When I was little, I was never a huge fan of the fruit, but I loved filling our cartons with the deep blue berries and they always tasted good coming right off the bush. These days, I actually like blueberries and we've been using them in everything, just like the basil (but not together :)).

5. Café Civilization. This little coffee shop in Tremont is so authentic. I don't know what the building used to be, but it's really old and has lots of dark wood and cool booths inside. The only downside is that they only take cash, and I never carry cash! I inevitably have to run to the ATM.

6. A Beautiful Mess blog. I've been loving this blog lately. It's way cooler and artsier than I am, but it makes me feel like I'm a vintage clothes-wearing, DIY-loving, right-brained hipster.