My Favorite Things in 2016

Mr. Squirrel nibbles a peanut on a sunny December afternoon.

My 12 Favorite Things in 2016



(in no particular order:) 

 1.  Lilac-scented handmade goat milk soap from Walla Walla.

While strolling Main Street last June in Walla Walla, WA, a friend and I stumbled upon a basket of handmade goat milk soap in a shop full of collectible treasures.  

I LOVE lotions and potions, especially goat milk soap which is so gentle.  My only complaint is that so often the beautiful fragrance disappears long before the soap is gone. 

NOT SO with goat milk soap from the Midnight Oil Soap Company!  WOW! 
I was astonished that LILAC was still fragrant until the final sliver!!!

So, if you want long-lasting, gentle, full-fragrance handmade goat soap, please go to owner Kim Hedine's website, www.midnightoilsoap.com--or, if you're strolling in Walla Walla, stop in her store at 54 1/2 E. Main Street.  

(P.S. In my most recent order I ordered the peppermint lip balm!  It's my new very pepperminty favorite!)

2.  Pink UGG Slippers.

A long-time fan of UGG (thank you North Dakota and the study of warm feet!), one might think that I indulged in this Aussie brand while in Australia last March.

But, no, way more fun to discover them MARKED DOWN at DSW mid-summer!

This is a heavenly slipper to slip into at the end of the day--soft, warm, well-made and PINK!!

(I wonder if color might be why they were still available and on sale!)


3.  Visiting New Zealand and Australia--long on my Bucket List!

Exploring Auckland on our Arrival Day!

This, truly, was a highlight of my LIFE!  

Full of adventures, lots of exploring, GREAT wine, new friends, a fabulous stateroom and so much BEAUTY to behold, it was, in fact a TRIP OF A LIFETIME.

Now I am considering ways to return--always the mark of a truly memorable destination.



4.  Thrift store delights.

I have long donated to organizations like Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity, but never took the time to browse for treasures.

Since my big move to Colorado, I am student of less is more, purging is good, the art of decluttering and the life changing magic of tidying up.

BUT, there are some AMAZING things just waiting to be found at your local Goodwill or ReStore.   

This year brought so many unexpected delights and surprises --BUT, I'm constantly sorting and continuing my efforts to whittle down--in my Good Will Hunting kind of way! 







5.  Customer Service that actually helps me solve questions/problems.

 Because I experienced in 2016 the Good, The Bad and the Ugly in the area of CUSTOMER SERVICE, I will CELEBRATE those folks who actually helped me resolve the issues for which I was calling for assistance.

How wonderful to hear a REAL, LIVE PERSON on the line, who is cheerful, helpful and speaks English.  A person who listens well, understands my issue and finds ways to SOLVE/RESOLVE.  

Blessed are those companies who have figured out the advantages to providing honest, reliable, helpful CUSTOMER SERVICE.




6.  Lighted candles on fall and winter nights at home.

I LOVE the ambiance of a candle burning brightly, casting a romantic and soft glow, often filling the room with the scent of pumpkin spice or Christmas pine.

In our house you will find a myriad of candles which I especially enjoy lighting as the days shorten and the nights lengthen and then after the Solstice and the nights shorten once again.

Sometimes (and not often in Colorado where the sun shines almost daily) on dark overcast days, I light a candle in the kitchen for its cheerful light and welcome fragrance.  What a spirit lifter!!!







7.  LED Lights.

Since our JOYS OF HOME-OWNERSHIP (Post 9/28/16) and our successful transformation to LED lights in the garage, I have been quite the devote' of LED lights!!  

Throughout the house I have replaced light bulbs with new LED bulbs and have begun to invest in LED lights for our Christmas tree and yard decorating.

LOVE the clear bright light of LED!

8.  Having the Poudre River Trail all to myself.

Of course, this usually requires sub-zero temps--but, again, thanks to my days in North Dakota, I know how to dress warmly to enjoy morning walks in ALL conditions.

Unlike the warmer months when a walker must be alert to the hoards of bike riders, joggers and fellow walkers, there is a sweet joy in the quiet solitude found on a frosty morning walking alone along the Poudre River.  

9.  Watching favorite movies on cold winter nights.

 This, of course, is connected to #6 as lighted candles are an essential ingredient to a perfect night at home, snuggled in a soft blanket on the couch, listening to the Arctic winds sweep in from the west, with time to watch movies--old favorites, new releases and classics-no-matter-when-they-were-released.

After so many years of not being home in the evenings, we never tire of quiet nights at home.




10.  Cashmere--all of it.

I am a sucker for SOFT--and cashmere is my go-to material for LUXURIOUS SOFTNESS AND WARMTH.

I LOVE it all--sweaters, gloves, scarves, wraps, blankets--ALL OF IT.

I also LOVE that it wears well and seems to last forever.  All good, yes?





11.  Salt lamps.

This entry is again related to #6, in that salt lamps cast a lovely warm glow when turned on. In addition, the small bulb inside warms and as it does warms the salt around it.  As the salt warms it emits positive ions like you would find walking along the beach near an ocean.

Those positive ions have healthy benefits, again like walking along the ocean--anyway, that's what I tell myself as I switch on my many salt lamps scattered throughout the house every morning.  

Unlike candles, there's no open flame so I leave my salt lamps safely on all day and turn them off just before bed.  

I love the glow, the ambiance, the color so much that these are a 12-month uplifting indulgence!

12.  Good times with my family and friends.

Sweet Molly, a Beloved Friend.

I consider myself so very rich to have so much love in my life.  

From riding vintage Honda 90s with Ken on the rugged trails in the Wyoming mountains, to celebrating a happy wedding in Walla Walla, to rafting down the Snake River in Jackson Hole, to watching for rattlesnakes while exploring the Pawnee Grassland, to blowing giant soap bubbles with the help of robust Wyoming wind.

What fun to share laughter in a pub in Hobart, Tasmania with new friends, to stroll the beach at sunset with an old friend, to smear paint with my art friends and to explore a new trail with my four-footed friend.

We've frosted gingerbread houses, decorated t-shirts, driven to the top of the world and listened to the rain on the cottage roof.  

What a marvelous year and now to embrace 2017!