I don't know how many of you watch Oprah, but I happen to love her show. I think she is awesome...and I've watched her talk about everything under the sun since she first came on TV with her very own talk show 25 years ago (gosh, that makes me sound old!). When I was in high school, my best friend and I made a pack that on our 40th birthday's we would go and see Oprah in Chicago and sit in on one of her shows...we've talked about it through the years and even "sort of made" plans...WELL our 40th birthdays came and went a few years back, the economy took a nose dive and neither one of us were able to afford a trip to Chicago like we had always planned and dreamt about doing. I have to say its been a huge let down and a bit of a disappointment...not that Oprah is the Queen or anything like that, but just the fact that we had to let our "dream" of 22 years just fizzle away and be forgotten. One of my favorite shows of her's to watch is the "Oprah's Favorite Things" show that she does around the holidays...you know (if you are an avid watcher, YOU'LL KNOW), the one where she gives away ALL of her favorite things to all the lucky audience members, things like:
Cruises...cars...jewelry...books...shoes...clothes...electronics...you know, those fun things!
Well...as I was watching her show the other day while I was working out (wishing I was there) and I decided that I would put my own little twist on her "Favorite Things Show" and share a few (more) of MY favorite things with my avid blog readers. Although, there is just one catch, I AM not able to give any of them away to anyone...sorry...this is just a "Show and Tell Favorite Things"...NOT a "Show and GIVE" favorite things....
So here you have it:
"Julie's Favorite Things"....(who knows, maybe someday I will have a show of my own)
1. I've always loved to watch movies...its one of my favorite things to do
(although with age comes the fact that most of the time a sleep while watching movies...for some reason my bodies things if I stop moving, its time for bed). As a child my favorite movie was "The Wizard of OZ" hands down. I still love it and find myself watching it several times a year
(yes, I can still be a kid I guess). As an adult I have many favorites BUT one of my very most favorites is "The River Wild"...it's an awesome suspense movie and has some awesome scenery as well....its a great watch any ol' time. If you are looking for some great "down time" to just kick back and relax or something to take you back to the days of your youth I recommend snuggling with a blanket, forget about everything and watching a great movie. You can get either of these movies on-line at amazon.com or at your local Walmart (walmart.com) for under $20
2. Shoes...we won't mention my deep love for these wonderful things (or how many pairs that I have) that we put upon our feet...but I do have a few favorites that I wear often, ones that I swear by for fashion sake as well as comfort's sake. My all time very favorite is a pair of ballet flats that I paid $3.00 for at Target on a clearance rack (crazy, I know) but they are the most comfortable and classiest shoe and I wished that I had a pair in every color...but alas, I do not...just a lovely red pair that I wear with just about anything and chalk up my "unmatchyness" to being "a splash of color". Gotta love those sale racks!
3. Jeans...yes Oprah's favorite jeans were/are a little out of my price range...although they looked pretty darn good on those models...I just can't afford her fine taste...so my SPLURGE was much smaller than hers. It's a pair of Jeans from Vanity (in the mall or eVANITY.com on-line). I love the feel of them when I am wearing them. They are so stinken comfy. I also love the dark color of the denim and the stitching on the side. I just love everything about them, I especially like that they are actually LONG enough for my extremely long legs and that I can wear heels with them if I choose too. I love Vanity jeans and I buy from Vanity whenever I can. These were a little pricey (a little more than I like to pay for jeans ...but sometimes it can't be helped) , I think they were about $49.00 which realistically is an awesome deal for pants that have an inseam long enough for me. I usually buy them on-line since the store doesn't always carry the 37" inseam. They are my favorite jeans HANDS DOWN!
4. Bling...I am a girl who likes jewelry...BUT...not the kind you think. The difference between my flashy jewelry and Oprah's flashy jewelry is not only the price (mine is a drop in the bucket compared to her's) but the style. I am not the kind of girl that has to have wads of diamonds and glitz (besides the fact that I don't have a place to wear things like that, its just not "ME")...I prefer the gobby, chunky, costume jewelry. Its fun, its stylish and it's SO me. You can pick up my favorite kinds of "blingy" jewelry just about anywhere in the Mall or at Target (LOVE that store). You can pay a pretty penny for it (which I refuse to do) or you can pay a very small amount...just shop around.
5. Books....I love to read. It's defiantly one of my favorite past times, there is only one catch....it also puts me to sleep. I can't spend hours and hours reading unless its right in the middle of the day (and even then its very difficult to do without falling into a deep coma type sleep). I've always wished that I could read more, but I learn to adjust...it just takes me a LONG time to get through a book. Years ago I got hooked on suspense and thriller type novels. One of my favorite authors is Mary Higgins Clark, and I've read almost all of her books....BUT lately I have gotten into reading books on self improvement, organization and decorating. I guess because its "light" reading and makes me a better person...but...I still love to dive into a good novel whenever I can!
6. Wrinkles...I think they scare all women. We fear them from the time we are in our youth and told if we don't take care of our skin when we are young, it will come back to haunt us when we are old. I have never wanted wrinkles, some say they are a sign of "wisdom"...personally I would rather not have all that "wisdom". I know that eventually we all seem to gain a few "wisdom" lines here and there, but I am all about prevention whenever possible. I found this "Wrinkle Cream" several years back that I swear by. It's not as expensive as some that are out there on the store shelves...but it isn't cheap either...at least in my eyes (I pay $12.97 at Walmart). It's the "Oil of Olay anti-wrinkle cream". I use it every night just before going to bed. I don't think it has made the wrinkles that I have disappear, but it has helped my skin stay softer and moister which I think has prevented many new wrinkles from coming. Look for it where you buy your favorite facial creams...its worth the money you pay for it!
7. Kitchen appliances...if you're someone who likes to or is required to do some type of cooking at your house, you know how important good kitchen tools are. Years ago my husband bought me a Bosch Mixer. It mixes bread dough, cookies, whips cream, grates cheese (with the right attatchments)...it does just about everything. I love it and use it all the time to mix up my bread dough. You can get it anywhere Bosch products are sold OR you can google it on the web and find someplace to order them on-line, which is just about anywhere. I think we paid about $350-$400 when we bought ours. They are well worth the price and they last for years and years. It's my life saver when it comes to making homemade bread/rolls/cinnamon rolls etc...I wouldn't make them without my Bosch Mixer...it would be too much work!
8. Oprah has a favorite food that she always gives away on her "Favorite Things Show"...this year it was gourmet popcorn and some chicken pot pie (there might have been others too...but these are the 2 that stick out in my mind). I too have my favorite food, I have way to many to list but one of my VERY favorite food is homemade Cinnamon Rolls! I love them so much. I become weak in the knees, losing all will power resulting in me eating WAY too many when they are around, therefore, when I make them...I keep a few for my family and then I distribute them to friends and neighbors...(I guess thats sort of like Oprah, right?!) The recipe that I have is the best that I have ever found. I require my cinnamon rolls to be moist and they have to stay that way for days (which these do)...I'm not a fan of those "good ones right out of the oven" that turn hard and dried out as they sit, trust me, cinnamon rolls are not all equal in yumminess! The best part about these cinnamon rolls is that I can SHARE them WITH ALL OF YOU!!! Just go to my recipe blog at betterthanburgers.net then click on desserts and scroll down to the post dated March 10, 2010 (Cinnamon Rolls) and then to the post dated September 9, 2010 for my favorite frosting that I put on them....then make yourselves a batch and sit down and enjoy!...From my house to yours...just like that.
9. Treats...I do like my treats just like Oprah does...I have several favorites. Chocolate is always a favorite (I don't know too many women that don't find that at the top of their list of "yummies"). I love Oreo's, black licorice (Kookaburra), and cinnamon bears...but my fetish right now is FROZEN Reese's miniature peanut butter cups. I don't dip into them often, but when I am wanting a little something to satisfy my sweet tooth, thats what I find myself heading for. I only eat one or 2 and thats enough to give me the "mmmmm" that I am looking for! They are a little bit of heaven for me. It's a good thing that you can purchase them just about anywhere you can find candy...try them right from the freezer, they are scrumptious!
10. Music...I love listening to Christmas music. I find myself wanting to start playing the Christmas CD's as soon as the leaves fall from the trees...but I don't actually turn the music on until NOVEMBER 1st (and yes, that would be FIRST thing in the morning on November 1st). I have bought Christmas CD's that I love and even some that I actually hate. I've decided that not everyone that knows how to sing and makes a Christmas album, can actually sing Christmas music and have it sooth my soul like others can. I tend to be drawn to the "old timers" that I grew up with like "Johnny Mathis", "Tony Bennet" and "Burl Ives"...but I do have a few favorites from the past decade. I love Amy Grant's "A Christmas to Remember" Album, Faith Hill's new album and ANYTHING from the Tabernacle Choir. These favorites always make me feel like Christmas is here and bring a smile to my face. You can get these albums along with so many others at any of your favorite stores that sell music...or look on-line at walmart.com (Walmart has everything).
And there you have it... "Julie's Favorite Things "
...not quite like Oprah's show...but hey, we are a low budget project here!
Have a Merry Christmas and a great holiday season!
Enjoy the music, the lights and all the hoopla that comes with Christmas...it will be gone before you know it...
and then all we have are the memories that we make,
make some wonderful ones!
