Stuff We Adore

I just love an insider secret.   I purchased a beautiful comforter from swanky home store.  Of course, it was on sale and there were no matching linens available.  When I inquired as to what might best match, the owner of the store gave me her insider secret.  She said, “Go to K-Mart.  Go directly to the bed and bath shop and buy only the Martha Stewart products.”

Upon her recommendation, I purchased the bed linens and happily used them many years.  More recently, I found the exact color of green towels I needed to match the designer wallpaper in my bathroom.  They are fantastic towels.  They’re large and soft and absorbent – and the perfect color!  What more could you ask for from a towel?  Oh, did I mention, they’re only about $10 a piece?

The only down side is that they must be purchased from K-Mart.  Not only are K-Mart stores usually in horrible condition, most of them have closed down.  The few that are left are never convenient to get to.  BUT, if you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and shop the Martha Stewart aisle.

I like to think of myself as a person of moderation, but I will admit to one strong addiction – hand cream. After years of living in arid climates and years of working in hospitals where there is never enough hand washing going on, I apply hand cream by the bucket-full.

A couple years ago I visiting the outdoor mall in Scottsdale (another yummy place we adore!) and they had the hand cream out on the sidewalk with a tester scoop. Although I have ended up smelling of the strangest things in the past, I never pass up those samples of hand cream. True to my nature I slathered on the cream – and immediately went inside and purchased a tub. I have been addicted since and am never without a jar.

Last year some of my closest friends received Fruits & Passions from me for Christmas. Was this just another token bath product gift given with no thought? Oh no, it was a gift straight from my heart.

As much as it pains me to face it, soon I’ll have to turn on the heating. But the one bright note in saying goodbye to summer is once again remembering how much I love my digital thermostat. Why I spent so long constantly adjusting that archaic little dial on my old-school thermostat, I’ll never know. Now I never forget to turn the heat down when I go to bed, and it’s always warm when I wake up in the morning.

I have one like the Honeywell 5-1-1 Day Programmable Thermostat. The 5-1-1 model lets you program weekdays separate from Saturday and Sunday, perfect if you work outside the house during the week but want to be toasty on the weekends.

I picked it up at Lowe’s for about $50, and it’s paid for itself many times over. We’ve saved hundreds in heating bills since we installed it. Really, you can’t afford not to buy one.

[Editor's note: Thanks to reader Chris for her contribution about Sally Hansen's leg-helper!]

It is called Airbrush Legs Leg Makeup, by Sally Hansen.  I purchased the lightest of the 4 colors to choose from because of my fair colored skin on my legs.

What I loved about it is that it is water resistant, goes on really easy, does not streak or turn you orange, hides most sun damaged skin and spider veins, and makes your legs look soft and silky.  Most of all, it washes off with soap and water, so it does not stain your skin or clothing.  It also has a slight shimmer to it.  I just found out that she has other product out for face, and body and just a shimmer spray that was supposed to be very good.

It’s hard to find a good croissant, at least on this side of the Pond. Believe me, I’ve tried. After living in France and eating way too many of these amazingly flaky pastries, I realize I complete took them for granted. It’s something I have regretted with each bite of most inadequate US-based croissants.

Browsing through the freezer aisles of my local Trader Joe’s, I spotted a box of Mini Croissants in the freezer section. I figured, “What the hay. It can’t be any worse than some of the overpriced versions I’ve had from local bakeries.”

They were, in a word: fantastic! So close to the dreamy pillows I’d grown to love in France. Flaky, fresh, the perfect size for dipping into a hot chocolate or café crème. And surprisingly well priced too.

Vive le Trader Joe’s!

Over-exercising caused me untold plantar foot pain for months.  I read one statement by a foot specialist that said if we live long enough, we’ll all experience plantar foot pain.  After serendipitously picking up a pair of Sofft dress sandals and wearing them to work on a regular basis, the pain eased and then actually disappeared after several weeks.

OK, so these shoes are never going to be featured on Sex and the City.  Actually, I don’t think anything in my life would be featured on Sex and the City.  But there comes a point in every woman’s life when function must take its place over form.  Enter the growing segment of “comfort shoes.”

I am sold on Sofft shoes.  Better yet, they can be found anywhere from Nordstrom to Marshalls.

TIGI products are perhaps known best for their wildly popular Bed Head line.  Enter a new line of premium (read: expensive and not sold at Target) hair-care products called S Factor.  An upscale salon owner in Running Springs, CA, recommended this product after too much sun and pool water (and too much middle age) turned my hair into a pile of unmanageable straw.

TIGI S Factor Smoothing Conditioner tamed my hair, allowed me to run a comb through it, and preserved the color much longer than normal.

I’m not generally fan of high-end salon products, but this stuff works.  It can be hard to find, but Ulta carries it and everyone has an Ulta, don’t they?

Most people ask too little of their toilet seats. Not me. I require that it be sturdy (so I can comfortably sit while snipping nails, brushing teeth, or whatever), easy to clean (because that’s the division of labor at my house) and the lid doesn’t make a loud bang when I’m too tired to close it softly when I’m up at 2 a.m.

The Bemis Easy 2 toilet seat really delivers. It twists completely off for easy cleaning and - this is the best part - glides down softly every single time you lower the lid.

Seem too good to be true? Check out the video by clicking here.

I love fresh air.  Nothing suits me better than sheets hung on a clothes line and cool summer mornings rushing through my open windows.  In other words, I love bringing the smell of the outdoors in.  Oust does just that without leaving a chemical smell.

Let’s face it, there are places in my house that don’t smell exactly like a field of flowers.  The closet that holds tennis shoes, the laundry room where the cat box resides and the cabinet that holds the trash cans are all contenders for Oust.  I just go through and spray those spots and it smells as fresh as it does on cleaning day.

Oh and the garbage can.  A shot of Oust after trash removal and you’d never know my trash was out baking in the hot sun all week.

[Editor's note: A dear reader scouted the Champion Running Skort for us and has this fab review. Thanks, Cassie!]

By Cassie Moir

If you are like me and trying to cram your workout into an already busy day, these running skirts are for you.  They are extremely flattering to my almost 40-year-old figure, so I have to believe that they would look great on anyone.  Now you can look cute when you have to stop by the grocery store on the way home from the gym.

Available at Target so you know they are reasonable priced, I even got one on clearance for $10.00.