Holiday shopping is here and I have long been working on this list for quite a while – Phi’s favorite things! I hope you enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. It’s a comprehensive look at the things I love the most.
Kitchen Products
(find more of my favorite items here)
- Weck Jars (10oz and 26oz) – love these for everything from making recipes (salad dressings) to using them as storage containers.
- Gold touch baking sheets – best baking sheets I’ve ever used.
- Instant Pot – it has a slow cooker setting I haven’t tried, but I love it for making things on the quicker side.
- Glass Pyrex bowls with lids – I use these for mixing and storage!
- Waffle iron – I have a fancy this fancy All Clad one and it’s incredible !! If you’re looking for a small waffle iron to make ‘Eggo’ size waffles I have this one and ended up buying 2 because it takes a while to make a lot of little waffles, but the kids love waffles.
- Le Creuset Dutch Oven – I use it for cooking and for baking my sourdough bread
- French Press – this is great for making coffee at home!
- Kettle – this kettle is single handedly one of my favorite kitchen appliances we own, it’s incredible!
- Kid safe knives – they actually work, and the kids love helping!
- Toaster oven – we have a fancy toaster oven and use it daily!
Food products
- Maldon sea salt flakes – use this as finishing salt on everything from savory to sweet!
- Newmans sea salt popcorn – surprisingly, this is the best microwave popcorn, ever! Yes, I buy a bulk box on Amazon
- Vennture brew coffee beans – I’ve never been able to taste different ‘notes’ in coffee until I tried this.
- Fanciest chocolate – Laderach– premium handcrafted chocolate from Switzerland
- Abuelitas Surprise – deliciously creamy and amazing hot chocolate mix
- Home Chef – my favorite meal delivery service, their food just tastes good, and there are so many ‘quick’ options I love (especially the ‘oven ready’ ones where they send you the pan.) Use code 40Sweetphi for $40 off your first 2 orders.
- American Spoon – preserves and jams and spreads. Especially their Sour Cherry Preserves (as mentioned here).
- Universal Yums – monthly snacks from a different company, makes for a great gift too.
Household products
- Mop – it’s life changing, I’m not even kidding. My floors have never looked cleaner and it’s just fun. My older son calls it the ‘wiggly waggly’ mop.
- A good ceramic mug – I love beautiful mugs (add a few from the bottom of this post)
- Natural rise alarm clock – this alarm clock is life changing, it wakes you up naturally with sunlight, totally makes a difference I swear!
- Cordless vacuum cleaner – it’s so sleek and small and works, it’s amazing.
Favorite cookbooks
- Fast and Easy Five-Ingredient Recipes: A Cookbook For Busy People – the top of my list because it is written by yours truly!
- Soulfood by Carla Hall– I’ve made tons of recipes from this book and have pretty much every page flagged to make in the future.
- Martha Stewart Cakes – a classic book with some of my favorite cakes
- Skinnytaste Meal Prep – I love this book for when I have a busy week ahead and need to have meals ready to go quickly.
- Cooking that Counts – full of recipes that taste great and are all under 1500 calories
Favorite Hair and Beauty Products
- Drunk Elephant – jelly cleanser – never before has there been a face wash that actually takes off my makeup and doesn’t dry out my face. This stuff is glorious, you can read about my skin care routine here.
- Exfoliating shampoo – it’s cooling and refreshing and just amazing.
- Thickening mask – pricey but smells incredible and produces results!
- Aveda wooden hair brush – it detangles and works!
- Sandcastle – dry texture creme – it’s like dry shampoo mixed with styling something, supposedly absorbs grease – I only wash my hair once every 3 days, so I think it really works!
- Air balloon spray- dry volume spray – this gives volume and wow, is just like what you’d think air balloon texture would be like, super lightweight
- Super lightweight tinted moisturizer SPF – this stuff really smoothes skin and I honestly wear nothing but this stuff on weekends when I’m not wearing ‘makeup’
- Foundation – it’s expensive but the best I’ve ever used.
- Eye liner – I don’t know if I’m stuck in my ways or what, but this is the best black eyeliner. I’ve used this exact same one for the past 15 years. Even my husband can tell you what it’s called because he’s had to get it for me on occasion.
- Mascara – a former beauty queen told me about this stuff, and it’s just crazy amazing. I’ve never worn anything that works as well since.
- Watermelon lip balm scrub to balm – keeps my lips hydrated with the slightest tint of color.
Clothing
- Caslon Tshirts – the best, softest, comfiest t-shirts. I get them in whatever colors are available.
- My everyday pants/jeans – my friends and I joke that these are the best kept jeans secret – I like the so-slimming girlfriend ankle jeans; great for shorter girls like me (5’4 with some hips)
- Classic plaid scarf – so many beautiful prints, and affordable – from J. Crew Factory!
- Birkenstock flip flops all summer, and then mules all fall!
- Dreamy soft cardigan – goes with everything!
- Softest pjs– my absolute favorite pajamas are the Cool Nights collection from Soma
Kids
- Kid safe knives – my kids have used these since age two, they actually work and kids love them! And yes, I know I already mentioned them above, but they are just that good!
- Ultra washable markers – the only markers allowed in my house, lol.
- The most beautiful Play Gym and developmental toys – via Lovevery
- Pjs – since birth, I’ve had the kids in Hanna Andersson Pjs. They hold up great throughout the years!
- You Are Special Today Plate – my mother in law introduced me to these plates and now we have them for our home, they’re so special!
Office stuff
- Wall calendar – this planner has been so helpful in planning out blog content in advance.
- Mnemosyne notebook – I love this notebook – it’s not too bulky and just the right size for all of the notes I keep.
- Chair – Ok, I know this is an investment, but it is 100% worth it. Especially, if you are sitting at your desk for hours on end doing something like editing photos.
Miscellaneous
- Five minute Journal – I’ve been using this for over a year now, it really puts me in a great mindset to start the day and I think is a happiness booster. It includes gratitude, prioritizing your day, 3 amazing things, inspiring quotes, affirmations and end of day reflections
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