Some Things I Love

While my friend was visiting, she noticed multiple things I have that she was very interested in, and finally she said that she hoped I would blog about them all. And why not? 

I'm sure I've mentioned some of them now and again, but here they are together, the things I remember us talking about and a few more. (Most of these images are from, and links are to, Amazon; let me know if any don't work for you.)

Cup covers

I love these! I really dislike drinks dripping on me, which is an issue in this humid climate, and to be able to slip one of these on a drink and have that not happen makes me so happy: no drips, plus it keeps the drink cooler longer (often a factor if you're outside in Florida, let me tell you), and it means that I'm not trying to pick up a slick glass with my ever-worsening-arthritis hands without dropping it (which I did do, not that long ago, at a place where they served water in "elegant" goblets that still get drippy; fortunately for me, it was when lunch was over, and I didn't douse anyone with ice water). I carry one in my purse and another in my car. They come in many colors, from plain black to the ones I got, so you can really get what you want.

Happy Masks and case

Earlier this year, someone recommended Happy Masks as a good brand, and I ordered some (they had a waitlist at the time, but they seem to be caught up now). The filtration is supposed to be excellent, and for a mask they are decently comfortable to me. I ordered both the Pro and the Ultra--both are fine, I can't tell them apart--and I ordered one XL as well as some L, since my measurement seemed to be on the line between the two sizes--the XL works, but the L fit me fine. They can't be machine-washed, but you can hand-wash each a few times, so you get a lot of use out of them.

They also sell a pouch to put the mask in, which I love having in my purse so that the mask isn't just floating around in there.

Scalp massagers

These were for my mother, but she has raved about both the regular massager and the shower one.

Cold brew coffee thing (not its correct name)

In a hot climate, I want cold coffee more often than hot, and I've used for this over two years without trouble. There are doubtless many ways to cold-brew coffee. I tried some of the ready-made pouches but they were messy and I didn't always love the type of coffee used. I read about this set-up and decided to try it. It's nice that you can use whatever coffee or combination of coffees that you want, and that it makes a bunch at a time, not just one or two cups. The filter does have to be hand-washed, but I bought another mason jar so that I can stick the jar in the dishwasher, and still make more coffee if we haven't run the dishwasher for a few days.

How it works is that you put the filter in the mason jar, fill it with ground coffee, pour water in until the coffee is covered--well, actually I fill it part way, put water in slowly, then put in more coffee and water, to make sure the water really gets all the way through--then let it sit for a day (it says 12-24 hours at room temp, but I'm not setting timers, I usually just do it the next day). Then you remove the filter (that part's a little messy, but you get the hang of it) and voila, coffee!

Large ice cube tray: silicone mold

This looks like the one I got at Walmart, but they're certainly available elsewhere. I still do use regular cubes, but sometimes it's nice to have one large one, because it takes longer to melt, and it doesn't bonk me in the upper lip when I sip, the way regular cubes like to do.

Stand-up, fold-flat shopping bags

I like using reusable shopping bags, but it used to make me crazy the way they'd fall over as you were trying to fill them, as well as how they'd pile up messily in the car. Fortunately, someone mentioned these and I got them--in January 2018, so they're holding up! They fold flat when you're not using them, and I find them very handy.

Cell phone holder for the car

I got this before having a car with built-in GPS, but honestly I still use my phone for directions most of the time (the car sent me the wrong way once, which kind of diminished my belief in its navigational powers, though I still love having the map to glance at.) The exact one I got isn't listed anymore, but this one looks the same. It sticks to the dashboard, but not like glue, so you can move it easily, and the set-up is flexible for different phone sizes.

Dry-erase fridge calendars

This isn't something everyone would need, but Mom and I wanted to be able to have each other's schedule at a glance, so I got first one weekly calendar to put up on the fridge, and then a second when it became obvious that by the end of the week, you need to see the following week too. I got two slightly different because the first one wasn't available when I wanted a second, but there are various designs that come to the same point. 

Questions on any of this? Ask away! Things you love? Tell me more!