Five Favorites

I've been puzzling over what today's blog should be about. At some point, I'd like to write about my cats (they are adorable and ridiculous, after all)... but I'm not in the mood to do that today. Arlo the Airedale has been in rare form lately as well (rare form = stubborn and poorly behaved), and I'm sure I could recount a few of his recent exploits... but again, I'm just not feeling it. Which is why I've decided to focus on five of my favorite things.

Tanya and her soaps. I'm actually a little reluctant to share Tanya with you because I think she already gets a lot of business and when I need soap, she doesn't always have much in stock, but because I'm a good person, I'm going to not only tell you about Tanya's soap, I'm also going to provide a link so you can get some of your own.

I discovered Tanya on Etsy when I was trying to find some Chardonnay soap for my mom for Christmas. My mom loves Chardonnay, and she's become a bit of a soap snob over the years, so I was deep into the Etsy rabbithole when I came across TanyasEarthworks.

Long story short, I bought some soap.

The soap arrived.

The package smelled so good that I used much of the soap, saving only the bar of Chardonnay soap for my mom. I then had to order more before the holidays. Everyone received soap that year: Annie, Alex, Mary, my mom... other people whose names don't begin with A or M...

Anyway, if you'd like to try Tanya's soaps, this is where you can find them: TanyasEarthworks (but she's taking a break right now; she won't be back until October 22). They're worth the wait, though; her soaps obviously smell amazing, but they're also really creamy- and wonderful-feeling. 11/10 recommend.

Screw-top wine. I've gotten to a point in life where I not only buy my wine based on the label, but I also look for screw tops instead of corks. It's just simpler, you know?

I'm also not big into spending more than $12/bottle, so I look for sales. When The Velvet Devil and Jam Cellars go on sale, they're worth the buy. You're welcome.

Rao's spaghetti sauce. It tastes homemade. Is it a little pricier than Prego and Newman's Own? It sure is. But do you know what else? It's very, very worth it. Having discovered Rao's, I no longer feel the need to grow my own produce, blanch tomatoes, harvest herbs, sweat onions and garlic... I just go to the grocery store and buy a jar of sauce that tastes every bit as good as my homemade sauce. It's much simpler.

Tophouse. I discovered this band yesterday and have literally listened to their song "Mountain Song" at least eleven times today. I've also listened to "Drive Back Home" and "Sirens." This is what I do, folks: I find a band, I fall in love, I choose three to five songs, and I listen to them nonstop until I feel the need to listen to another song by said band. It's what happened with Reel Big Fish and it's what happened with Caamp. When I fall in love with a band and follow this pattern, that band has staying power.

There's not a doubt in my mind that Tophouse has staying power. They will definitely be on a future book's playlist. (In fact, they already are... you just haven't been introduced to the book yet!)

Here's a video of these boys from Montana who now live in Nashville. The lead singer has a laugh caught in his throat in every song I've listened to so far. (All three of them!) I'll bet they're a jolly group of individuals.

St. Ives Energizing Coconut & Coffee Scrub. I bought this quite a while ago, used it, loved it, and forgot about it. Years passed and I discovered other face scrubs, nearly all of them purchased at Marshall's for a good price. And then, just a few weeks ago, I bought a scrub at Marshall's that was supposed to be citrus-scented. I couldn't smell it because it had one of those silver seals under the cap, but I took a chance and bought it because it was only $3.99 and I've had good experiences with Marshall's face scrubs in the past.

Guys, this face wash sucked. It was runny and it did not smell like citrus. It smelled flowery and gross. I threw it away and visited my old standby, Amazon.com, where I was reintroduced to St. Ives Energizing Coconut & Coffee Scrub. (Side note: As a kid, I used to think St. Ives was pronounced "Stives.")

The coconut/coffee scrub was only available in a three-pack, and I didn't need three face scrubs, but I nevertheless splurged and shared the extras with my mom and Annie. They were very appreciative and their skin's looked better than ever these past couple days.