My Favorite Things

Still trying to find that perfect gift for someone?  I've compiled a list of some of my favorite things that I own.  Perhaps you'll find some inspiration for someone in your life!  I've included pricing and links for you as well.  Happy shopping!

Koppen Sweatshirt –  $50 - It's so warm and cozy.  Yet it's cute enough to wear out and about without looking grungy!

CamelBak Eddy Bottle - $15 - It doesn't spill and is easy to carry anywhere.  You can't go wrong with this gift.

A few BOOKS I've read this year and recommend:

Dream More by Dolly Parton - $13 - A wonderful and inspiring quick read. Great stocking stuffer.

Captivating by John and StasiEldredge - $11 - An insightful and fantastic read for ANY woman!  

Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst - $10 - A friend of mine told me this changed her entire relationship with her husband and kids.  It's a light-hearted, yet to-the-point book about how to handle those times when your situation and emotions make you come "unglued."

Advocare Spark (Healthy Energy Drink)- $50 - This has revolutionized my life this year!  I was an energy drink/ coffee fiend.  This is a much healthier option with far less caffeine and gives me a better feeling of alertness.  And it is cheaper than some energy drinks or coffee concoctions.

Knives - Price Varies - I always carry at least one knife and use them often for a variety of things.  It's a great gift that anyone can find a use for.  I have two favorites, a Gerber Multitool and an SOG folding knife.  SOG is my favorite brand by far.  In fact, grampa is getting a new SOG from me this year... shhhhh ;-)

Fuzzy Socks - $2-20  - Warm, cozy and cute!  You can get them anywhere.  My current favorite are the Cabin Socks from Dicks Sporting Goods.

Avalon Organics Peppermint Shower Gel - $6-15 - I've seen this in-store at Meijer cheaper than online.  Peppermint aromas help make you feel more awake.  It's an effect much like smelling salts.  This shower gel doesn't dry out my skin and smells wonderful.

Bissell Hard Floor Vacuum - $45 - I replaced every inch of carpet in my house with hard flooring this year and this vacuum has saved my life!  It picks up every little thing on the floor and does a great job along the edges too.  

P-Mate - $5 - Make fun of me if you want, but these are another life saver!  Buy them as a gag gift or a serious gift.  Either way, they're great!  As an outdoorsy girl, there's nothing worse than having to pee and trying to squat or lean against a tree and trying not to pee on yourself or your clothes.  Hey, I'm honest!  These things let us girls stand up and pee where we want to pee without making a mess.  I use them camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, and in port-o-lets.  

Joby GorillaPod - $20-$50 (depending on your camera size) - Another great product I've found endless uses for this year!  It packs/ stores really small and gives you a ton of versatility and stability as a tripod.  They make them for iPhones, compact cameras, SLR's and several other options.  For larger cameras I highly recommend investing in the ballhead for it as well.

Actual pic of my GorillaPod from a hiking trip this year.

Survival Straps - $25-$50 - These come in custom colors as well as options to put on a medical tag or a tag supporting a charity.  They are super cute and are made of paracord so in the event you need rope of any sort, you can unravel the bracelet and use it.  If you do use it, send the company your story and they'll replace it for free!  So cool!

Brooks Cacadia Trail Running Shoes - $100-$110 - These are my favorite shoes!  I've worn them for work, trail running, hiking, warm weather hunting, climbing trees and just to walk around.  They are super comfy and great for almost any outdoor activity.  Available in Men's & Women's.

CamelBak L.U.X.E. - $75-$100 - There are lots of CamelBak packs that are all wonderful and available at varying price points.  My favorite "catch-all" pack is the L.U.X.E. It's a women's pack that is nice and small, but still has a large (100 oz) hydration bladder and lots of storage space.  It's the smallest and most economical pack that still has room for all your essentials.  It is comfortable and keeps the weight on your hips so it doesn't get heavy or annoying as the day goes on.  I use mine primarily for day hikes and mountain biking.  Though I have taken it lots of places.  The bladder is removable so I've taken it out and put it in my multi-day backpack for a hiking trip as well.  These seem pricey and I had a hard time spending the money at first, but I get so much use out of it, I don't regret it at all.  

Vera Bradley Tiny Case - $7 - Ok, it's a contact case, BUT I took the contact container out and use this for carrying earrings, jewelry, hair ties and bobby pins.  It is the perfect little case for those things that get lost at the bottom of my makeup case.

Rachael Ray Thermal Tote - $25 - Anytime I have to take food anywhere this is my go-to tote!  The straps adjust so you can carry it vertically or horizontally.  Makes it great for carrying warm casserole dishes and knowing nothing will spill and it will stay warm.  

North Face Rain Jacket - $90 - This is one of those things I wasn't too sure if I would use often enough to make it worth buying.  Let me just say, it has served me very well!  I've worn it for concerts in the rain, fishing, hiking, camping, even grocery shopping in the rain.  I have lots of rain gear, but this jacket is my favorite!  It is really lightweight and breathable, but keeps you totally dry.  It's a great buy and looks really cute.  It comes in lots of colors too.

Princeton Tec Headlamp - $35 - This thing comes in handy so often!  Princeton Tec makes a number of different headlamps.  I've tried two of them and love them both.  They are well made and will stand up to some abuse.  I love the "Fuel" because you can customize the colors of 7 pieces and make it unique.  It's great for everything from power outages to working on cars or any project where you need a flashlight, but don't have any free hands.  I always take it camping, hiking, hunting and catfishing.  

That's all folks!  Thanks for reading and I hope you've gotten some inspiration for finishing your holiday shopping! 

Book Review - DREAM MORE by Dolly Parton

I picked up Dolly Parton's new book, Dream More: Celebrating the Dreamer in You the day it came out.  As soon as I got home with it, I got into my most soft, comfy clothes, slipped on some colorful, fuzzy socks and curled up in my bed with too many pillows to count and my three favorite stuffed animals.  Then I opened up the book to begin reading.  I didn't quit reading until I reached the back cover.  Yes, I stayed up and read it cover to cover.  It's not a terribly long book, but I just couldn't put it down.

Dolly has a bit of a unique philosophy on life, dreams, God and happiness.  In this book, she puts it all out there as her philosophy relates to dreams we have in life.  It's a great stocking stuffer and a truly inspirational read.  I highly recommend you pick it up.

The whole book is basically a deeper exploration into the hopes Dolly expressed in her 2009 commencement speech to the graduates of the University of Tennessee.  One thing I love from the speech is at the very beginning she says, "I usually try not to give advice. Information, yes.  Advice, no.  What has worked for me may not work for you."  I love this quote because I am exactly the same way.  I will give you all the information I can and I'm happy to share my experiences with anyone who'll listen.  But to give advice... no so much.

Here are a few of my other favorite quotes from the book and speech:

 "I would certainly rather wear out than rust out.  I hope that I drop dead right onstage one of these days, doing exactly what I want to do.  It might shake the audience up a little bit, but I hope everybody knows that's exactly what I want."

"Happiness is your commitment  appreciating all that is good in life, big and small."

"Learning is really all about experience, how you look at everything you do and draw lessons from what you have done.  If you learn from that and you don't make the same mistakes twice, then not only are you smart, you have what we call "horse sense."

"I make a point to appreciate all the little things in my life.  I go out and smell the air after a good, hard rain.  I reread passages from my favorite books.  I hold the little treasures that somebody special gave me.  These small actions help remind me that there are so many great, glorious pieces of good in the world."

"All my life I have walked a fine line.  I'm too bad to be good and too good to be bad.  I also walk a fine line between being gaudy and sexy.  My spirituality and my sensuality seem to be intertwined.  But I'm too cartoonish to ever be a threat to wives or girlfriends."  

Seriously y'all!  Pick it up.  It's a great "feel good" kind of book.

Dream More

Dolly Parton is someone I admire in a BIG way.  In fact, she is the only person on my bucket list that I want to meet.  (Garth Brooks used to be on that list, but I got to meet him earlier this year)  In fact, I dream about meeting Dolly fairly often.  Usually in my dreams we are just having coffee or hanging out somewhere and chatting.

I love how open she is and her adorable sense of humor.  You never hear anything mean or judgmental from her.  She really is what she is.  She is unique in a great many ways and that's what makes her wonderful.

This morning I saw a tweet from the Grand Ole Opry that she released a new book today entitled, Dream More.  A more perfect book could not have been released in my opinion.  This is going straight to the top of my reading list.  The second I can get my hands on it, you'll surely be hearing about it!