A Few of my Favorite Things

You know when you find something that is so great you want to call each one of your friends to tell them how great it is? I've found myself thinking this about several items over the past few weeks so I thought I'd write up a blog post about a few little diddys. I'm not including just any old product here but things that are seriously helping me out in life and that I want everyone to know about.

So here goes nothing (in no particular order):

1. These Tinkle face and eyebrow razors

If you're anything like me and have an absurd amount of peach fuzz on your face, this product is for you. Like, WHO HAS THIS MUCH HAIR ON THEIR FACE? I can thank my Grandpa Hewitt and his dang genes. Luckily, these face razors have been there for me in my time of need. When your regular razor isn't cutting it on the sensitive curves of your face, reach for these.

2. Costco wool socks

My mom got me turned on to these socks three winters ago and I seriously look forward to wearing them in the winter time. They are a merino wool blend but they aren't super thick so you get 1) incredibly breathable feet 2) great cushioning and 3) super warm coziness. They are PERFECT to go under boots of any kind. I know what you're thinking, how can a pair of socks be this great? Let me tell you how many people are on the bandwagon.

My mom gifted them to me.
I now have 16 pairs.
I gifted them to my husband.
He gifted them to his mom, dad, and sister.
His sister went and got two more sets for herself. She then gifted them to all of her roommates for Christmas and they all love them!

These babies are only sold seasonly and they come out with new patterns each winter so keep an eye out for them at your local Costco. They are branded as women's trail socks but you can wear them for any and all cold-weather occasions.

3) This kale and pear smoothie

I've been on the hunt for green smoothies that don't have a ton of sweet fruit in them but are still filling and this one does the trick. It's chock full of the superfood kale and has a more nutty taste to it than sweet.

Here's what you need:

1 frozen banana
1 bartlett pear
2 cups kale (you can substitute spinach if needed and it doesn't change the taste)
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 cup almond milk
Splash vanilla
Ice

(I also add 1 scoop of this LivFit superfood vegan protein to get even more nutrients)

I crave this smoothie every morning and it feels good to get in so many greens first thing in the morning.




4) These Tombow dual brush pens

One of the hobbies I'm trying to develop this year is a form of calligraphy called brush lettering. After some exhaustive research about the different pens, strokes, paper, and styles I got started. These pens were my first purchase and I don't regret them. They are the perfect pens for beginners and they create the most beautiful letters once you figure out the right pressure for the upward and downward strokes. If you're looking to get into this hobby, this is a great place to start!



5) These Le Creuset 12 oz cocottes

Jeff's favorite dessert is the Butterscotch Bread Pudding from Founding Farmers so I decided that for Christmas I'd buy these little beauties and try to recreate that bread pudding. While we're still figuring out how to make ours as good as the bread pudding at Founding Farmers, we quickly realized that these are absolutely perfect for the great, delicious PAZOOKIE! In case anyone doesn't know what a pazookie is, it's a slightly underbaked chocolate chip cookie baked into this thing and then topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Dreamy, right? If there's one thing that's quickly becoming a Jeff and Hannah Merrell thing, it's pazookies.

6) Hidden Figures

If you're living under a rock you may not have heard of the movie, "Hidden Figures" now showing in theaters. As a self-proclaimed movie lover and frequenter, I've declared this movie one that every person should see. It's good to its core, inspiring, teaches some great lessons about empowerment and civil rights, and makes you leave the theater wanting to do a little better. Seriously, though. This box-office hit deserves all the accolades.

7) This beauty blender

Although I feel like beauty sponges have been around for eons, these teardrop-shaped beauty blenders are the new-kid-on-the block and now I've been asking myself why it took them so long to make a sponge in this shape. I've never loved the red patchiness and uneven tones of my face and have always worn a lot of foundation.

Using a beauty blender (the trick is to get it wet first so don't skip that part!) and then applying my foundation has created a super smooth, even finish with my MAC foundation. I finally feel like I've figured out how to make my face look clear!




8) These coconut curry meals

For anyone who LOVES Indian food but doesn't have a good restaurant near you or doesn't want to pay an arm and a leg for it, these are your answer! They are SO easy to warm up - just throw the pouches in a pot of simmering water and within a few minutes, all that chicken and sauce is hot, hot, hot! Throw some basmati rice in the rice cooker, your favorite vegetable to steam on the stove, and 15 minutes later you have an incredibly delicious meal. Every time we make one of these for dinner I comment about how tasty they are. Easy peasy and super delicious. Get them at Costco (of course!) and put them in your fridge or freezer for the days you don't have anything else.

There you have it. All my favorite things wrapped up into one beautiful blog post! Hopefully you find something that will make your life a little easier, or beautiful, or delicious. I'd love to hear about any of your favorite things. We're in this together and I want to hear about what you rave about!