29: Current Favorites Vol. 8

1. I fell in love with Vans again earlier this year and got a pair of black Sk8 Hi Vans* in the summer. They’ve been my go-to sneakers since then.

2. I’ve been so happy about these LED-candles* (with timers) that I bought last year. I have them in two different places in the living room and they just come on by themselves around 5 pm every day. Magical.

3. Also, Trader Joe’s Graham Cracker Squares*. Those are the ones I eat before my long run. I haven’t tried a lot of other Graham Crackers, but these are just really good.

4. I saw some talk on Allison’s blog that she was not a fan of the fall Mrs Meyer’s scents (and Jenny chimed in that she wasn’t a fan either) but you guys have to go and take a sniff at Mrs Meyer’s Snowdrop* scent. We love it and I have already stocked up on it because it’s a seasonal item. My go-to scents are honeysuckle and basil. Peony is pleasant, too. 

5. I bought this Vattenkar Monitor Stand for my new office at Ikea last weekend. I wanted something simple but stylish for my two external monitors and since I also use my laptop screen, I needed them to be elevated. This monitor stand is great because you can use it as one stand with a separate compartment, or you can take it apart and use it as two separate stands (which works great for me).

6. I don’t think I sang the praises of Trader Joe’s Soffritto Seasoning Blend enough. It’s a staple in our pantry and I put it in literally everything! I love it so much that I stock up on it (it wasn’t available for a few weeks this summer and it made me freak out) and I have purchased a bunch to give as a small holiday gift.

7. I had been looking for TJs Gingerbread Coffee for the last few weeks, a seasonal item that always pops up around the holidays, but hadn’t seen it yet, so I picked up this new seasonal Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Spiced Coffee instead. If you’re a cinnamon lover (like me), you’ll love it. It’s a good alternative, but I still secretly hope they’ll bring the Gingerbread Coffee back as well.

8. It’s cozy socks* season and I am here for it. The ones pictured are from the Dolomites and were a gift from my sister from on our skiing trip last spring. I mentioned them yesterday. Aren’t they pretty? And they’re warm too. 

9. Not sure if you knew that about me yet, but I have a thing for stars and when I saw the Stråla Star Lamp* at Ikea last weekend, I had to have it. I mean it’s perfect as part of my holiday decoration but also simple enough to keep it around all year, don’t you think?

Share a favorite thing with me!


* #notanad, This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated by the brand or anyone else for linking the websites, and I paid for the items with my own money. 


I am doing NaBloPoMo this month. 30 blog posts in 30 days. Come join me. #nablopomo2024 Links to the Participants List and NaBloPoMo2024 Blog Post Ideas! Happy writing!

17 Comments

  1. I am still pondering if I like LED candles or not. I have purchased one a week ago for my mom who is currently at Reha and can’t have any real candles. I had made her the annual advent wreath.

    I usually add a pinch of cinnamon in my coffee so I guess I’m making my own version.

    And I wonder if snow drops have a smell. I can not really think of any. Interesting.

  2. Stråla means shine, and what a perfect winter/December addition!

    Your desk set up looks awesome, I’m jealous of all the screens and feel I want to have a second screen too now.

  3. That is a good round up of favorite things. I can’t think of anything great that I discovered in November. I ordered a new eye cream yesterday that a friend recommended and I am hoping it is something I like that will help with my under eye circles.

  4. I have so many favourites right now! I don’t use Mrs Meyers but I love Method cleaners for their scents. I just bought Timberland boots for walking and they are so cute and warm, I love them.

  5. I also love Method cleaners! Such nice scents, but they don’t impact my scent sensitivities.
    My favourite thing from November was my heated floor mat. It feels life-changing!

  6. Your star lamp is so cute, and I’d have it out year-round as well if it were mine. I’m a big fan of LED candles. I’m actually quite terrified of regular candles!

  7. I like LED candles with timers too. They are the perfect bit of ambient light with no cords to annoy me. Mrs Meyer’s Hand Soap is a standard in our house, love Basil.

  8. Oh, these are super fun, I too love the candles and star light and just give me those socks now, I need them like yesterday. The hand soap is new to me, I’ll have to check that out.

  9. I love the idea of LED candles, brilliant, i”ll see if I can find it here while I’m in china.
    favorite thing lately: kindle which serves as my middle of the night clock too as I don’t bring phone to the bedroom.

  10. Oh really? Snowdrop? I’ll give it a sniff next time I’m at the store.
    You’ve got a lot of Trader Joe’s items there! I have a TJs trip coming up- I’ll look for the sofrito seasoning.

  11. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about the Mrs. M Snowdrop scent! I have to get to the store to take a sniff!

  12. I am in the cozy socks era of my life. I bought some cashmere blend socks back in September and they are amazing! I love seeing people’s favorites list- thank you for sharing!

  13. A great list! Also got myself some cozy socks about two weeks ago, just on a whim, at Walgreens. Three pairs came in a bundle, nothing fancy but soft and I’ve been wearing the $@&:()6 out of them.

  14. I bought some new protein bars when I started the low FODMAP thing and I ended up really liking them. Not sure if I’ll go back to the kind I used to eat. They’re called Gomacro. This is a fun list. Thanks for sharing. The LED candles on timers sound like a great addition to the home.

  15. I got that snow drop Meyer’s soap last year and LOVED it. I haven’t seen it in stores here, and I do like my peppermint snow liquid soap in the powder room right now, but I might check Amazon. It is light and lovely.
    I bought some gold sparkly star-spangled candles with a remote for Christmas a couple of years ago and I love them. Candles on a timer is brilliant, though. I love having warm lights when it gets dark early.

  16. These favourite things are so cozy! I have never tried the soffrito mix but I am always asking for trader joes spice blends when people visit me from the states. My favourite is the everything but the bagel seasoning.

    That light looks super cute, not just for christmas but for all of winter. Also candles on a timer is brilliant. I would love to sort out or winter lighting situation more.

    I would love to hear more about your new house – did you have to get a lot more decorations or furniture? or were you able to use and spread out a bit more from your old house?

  17. I LOVE my LED candles. We have them spread all around the living room and I need them right now since it’s dark whenever I’m home!

    We also put up the Christmas tree yesterday and I am LOVING having the lights on whenever we’re home. It’s so festive and fun!

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