— Summer Hill body wash and body lotion from Crabtree & Evelyn
— The “Dances with Clouds” essential oil from Mood Star. I am a drug addict for this particular scent. If they ever discontinue it, I seriously will be bereft.
— This kind of Paper Mate pen. Best pen ever invented
— Dunkin Donuts iced coffee
— Oil of Olay Regenerist night creme
— Ben Gay ultra strength (in the red box)
— Weight Watchers Picante chicken & pasta
— DuWop Lip Venom lip plumper
— All Smashbox makeup products – particularly the Photo Finish Foundation Primer – a product I cannot believe I have gone this long without.
— Swiffer accessories
— Inglehoffer Sweet & Hot Mustard. I believe I have covered my journey with this mustard. I now know that a Pathmark 3 towns north of me carries it. I can rest easy.
— Pepperdews. Hard to find. I want them to arrive at my door on a weekly basis. I am not alone in my adoration.
— Venus Gillette disposable razors
— Oil of Olay microdermabrasion kit
— What I call “Harriet the Spy notebooks”
You had me at Swiffer.
“I believe I have covered my journey with this mustard.”
That sounds like something the Mad Hatter would say.
Emily – that might be the funniest comment you have ever made. I cannot stop laughing imagining that in a LITERAL sense – the Mad Hatter skipping along his journey covering the path with mustard.
o.k., I NEED the lip plumper.
Jackie – yes!! That’s the one I was telling you about!
I only thought of it because, aside from you finding your experience with mustard to be a “journey” (I love that), there’s a line from the Disney cartoon version of the movie were the Mad Hatter is trying to “fix” the White Rabbit’s watch by smothering it with honey, tea, anything he can grab from the table during the tea party, until someone hands him a jar of mustard and he says “Mustard?!?! Let’s not get silly.”
No, let’s not. We’ll stop after we drown the watch gears with sugar in hopes that it will keep better time.
No list would be complete without Harriet the Spy notebooks. I must have had a dozen of them when I was a kid. Yes, I was a huge Harriet fan. Still am, in fact.
Really like your list. I will have to try some of your “cannot-live-withouts.”
The only one that threw me was the pens. My vision of you writing (when not typing at breakneck speed on a computer) is with some sort of beautiful, but practical, perfect pen that either you or someone who loves you dearly spent hours picking out. The kind of pen you love and buy refills for. The kind of pen you put away because you know it’s silly, but you really don’t want anyone else writing with. Nothing expensive, because that’s just silly and impractical.
Not that I don’t love the simplicity of Paper Mate, but it did surprise me. Didn’t change the image in my head, but it’s nice to know.
Jen – Those pens used to be everywhere and now they’re actually harder to find – what with the air grip bullshit that all pens seem to have now. Pens are too FANCY. That Paper mate pen just FLOWS …. I buy them in bulk at Staples (when I can find them) – I have boxes piled in my closet, I am totally not kidding. Finding a good pen is no small thing – Ive been using that pen since I wrote Orphan Train, the novel, in 6th grade! Please, Papermate – don’t discontinue it! Maybe other folks like their pens to have GPS systems attached and windshield wipers and invisible ink … but seriously: leave the simple stuff available for those of who need a pen to do one thing and one thing only: write, and write well.
Oh, and a funny coincidental thing:
A couple of hours ago I got a personal call from my local candle shop to tell me they were expecting a shipment of “Dances With Clouds” oil in in the middle of next month. I love that oil so much that I have them call me PERSONALLY on their ordering status. I don’t mess around.
I love those Inglehoffer mustards. We currently have the “stone ground” variety in my fridge. I also love the horseradish mustard from Inglehoffer. mmmm mmmm
I love those Inglehoffer mustards. We currently have the “stone ground” variety in my fridge. I also love the horseradish mustard from Inglehoffer. mmmm mmmm
I still journal in Harriet-the-Spy notebooks. Those fabric-covered, small “journal” books are just too twee or something.
Not to copy Mere, but I love the Inglehoffer mustards, too. I think I bought one of each kind not long ago for a party or something. So there would be a mustard to suit everyone.
Totally agree with you on the “good pen is hard to find” thing. If you find one you like, it doesn’t matter what it is, it’s YOUR pen.
I’m an ultra fine point sharpie girl when I have a choice. Or a good ball point. I’ve never been a huge fan of the roller ball thing. They always smudge or blur.
And now I want to go to my staples and see if they have your pens!
I adore your choice of pen. I hate all the pens with frilly attachments and crap. I can’t stand the roller-ball pens either. My favorite pen is the Skilcraft US Government retractable pen. They work so well and last forever. I had one I used for more than a year when I was active duty. As a journalist, I did a lot of note taking. These pens are incredible.
Cullen – it is so so important to find a pen that works for you! I am in total agreement. This is one of the few times in my life where I have intense and unbreakable brand loyalty.