OPRAH IS NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH A LIST.....

I'm back....with my favorite things I discovered during
2018......
you might be familiar with some but I found some really interesting things that now I can't live without....
Let's start with the biggest find of the year 

"Everything But The Bagel
seasoning"....
It's difficult in the South finding a good NY Bagel.....
I discovered that if I take a Thomas' plain bagel
toast it then put on whipped cream cheese....then sprinkle
heavily with this seasoning.....well...who needs NY Bagels!
Found at Trader Joe's it is fabulous....
here is a link to other things you can use it on...it's almost a 
cult item....
https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/everything-you-can-do-with-everything-bagel-seasoning-article

I'm always asked when I'm having lunch out with the girls about the lipstick I wear...No matter what you eat or drink...
it never comes off...
cheap at $7.99 at Walmart
it's Revlon Colorstay Ultimate....
#25 Premiere Plum
so far so good...I have been using it awhile now and unlike the last stuff I tried this is not drying out my lips like I just walked across the Sahara Dessert....

Admit it who doesn't like to receive a card in the mail....
It's a lost art and sentiment we need to get back to doing...
A thank you on the Internet is just not the same...
The price of cards have gone through the roof....I mean
Hallmark....really....$5.95 for a greeting card....it's crazy
And now the price of stamps are going up....
But if you go to the Dollar Tree the cards are either
50 cents or $1.00...and they are nice cards....
Unlike the ones you find in the mixed box these are quality
greeting cards many from Hallmark....so for $1.00 counting the stamp and two minutes of your time to write a little note
You will have made someones day....
And speaking of the Dollar Tree for those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile....Let's not forget the time my
father-in-law...."The Big Boss" got into a verbal fight with the
manager of said store because
Nothing was priced.......

speaking of the Dollar Tree.....I was shopping someplace where a mother and daughter were fighting about what kind of soap to buy...
The daughter was raving about Yardley Oatmeal and Almond soap....while the mother was complaining about the price....
Being "me"....who will butt in on any one's conversation I told them that the Dollar Tree sells it for .....well...$1.00.....
They also sell Yardley Lavender which is equally lovely...

I have to admit I am cheap but would like to think of myself as
"Frugal".....
I was paying about $150.00 for color and a haircut at our local
fancy salon.....what a waste of money since it lasts between
5 and 6 weeks....that's nuts!
So off to my other favorite frugal store Walmart....
Yes I have the gall to park the Maserati out in front of the store...
and to make matters worse I park in the
"handicapable spot".....
In the year I have owned this SUV I have only seen one other one on my side of Cobb County.....
And where was it parked.....At the Walmart....
I hoped it was another frugal shopper and not a stolen car...
This hair dye is fabulous....it lasts a good 5 weeks and takes all of 1/2 hour to put on....it livens up your hair and makes it incredibly
shiny....at under $3.00 how can you go wrong....

nothing much to say.....best sauce ever....Making the list 
Two Years in a Row.....
At Costco comes in a two pack for under $7.00
Gives Rao's a run for the money....

Unfortunately big appliances eventually die.....
In our case half of this was true....
Since we moved in to the house 7 years ago I always wondered why I had a cheap Ikea dishwasher when all my neighbors had a
Bosch......
It appears the Boob that lived in the house first....you remember the guy who had nothing turned on to save money...
even my Wolf stove was disconnected....they cooked all their meals in the microwave....
He had another rental property that they were moving into when he sold us the house...I figure he needed a dishwasher so he took the high end one and left me with the cheap Swedish crap....
Anyhoo....the dishwasher that drove me nuts for 7 years finally died....
Home Depot was unable to install the Kitchen Aid that I replaced the Ikea one with....Why....who knows the installer was an idiot....
He left our house with the dishwasher halfway out in to the kitchen.....said he was unable to "fit it" into the existing hole...
Cancel one Kitchen Aid and off to Lowe's.....
where I picked out the dishwasher of all dishwashers....

expecting to never replace it in my lifetime I asked for the best one that Bosch made....
German engineered and made in North Carolina I was sold...
with the sale Lowe's was having and a rebate that would pay for the installation I said "SOLD!"
It actually cost less then the Kitchen Aid at Home Depot...

it is one fabulous kitchen appliance.....
stainless inside and out....it never shows fingerprints....
What sold me was the third tray for flat utensils that are too high to fit in the silverware container....
So quiet that they have a red light that shines on your floor so you know it's running...when it's done the light goes out...
The only thing I had to get used to was the fact that dishwashers no longer come with a heating element...
I know...that's crazy right...
you need to use a drying agent along with your soap and it does have a "extra dry" button that works like a charm....
The drying agent...that tiny little bottle....lasts a very long time...
I recommend this to anyone in need of a new dishwasher....

I have a son in law who loves gadgets.....
I used this air fryer during the holidays at their apartment and
was intrigued....to someone like myself who takes cooking seriously I usually don't go for cooking gadgets....
WRONG....
this thing is great....the day I got home from New York the
S-I-L had one sent to me....
I happen to have a very wonderful son in law....

Light in weight and quiet you just set the temp and time and this is what you get.....no grease or oil of any kind used....
I'm a big tator tot person but I discovered the other day that
I can also make Monty's nightly meal in it...no mess no fuss...
I make him 1/4 pound of ground beef to add to his dog food if not he refuses to eat....It's always been such a pain....a dirty fry pan...
a greasy stove....a bowl and a stainer to get off the grease because this monster of a dog has a "dainty" stomach....
Popped the ground beef broken up in to the Air Fryer and in 4 minutes Monty was eating....Clean up is a breeze....it goes right into the dishwasher....actually just as easy to clean in the sink...
right now everyone seems to have it on sale...I saw it at Best Buy and Macy's for $39.95.....
Go buy yourself one....it's the best invention since the crock pot...
This particular one is a Bella....

Now we're talking....
Candy!
Who doesn't love getting a box of chocolates.....
Daughter gave this to me for Christmas and besides being
beautiful they taste fabulous....
I was equally intrigued by the box they came in....

A tin lacquered box that you can use for doo-dads long after
the candy is gone...On sites like Bloomingdale's and
Nordstrom's it sells for $35.00 or around the same price as
Godiva that only comes in a throw away box...
well packed inside my suitcase for the flight home...
Delta managed to crush the box somehow????
Hey...my computer was in the same bag and luckily was not damaged....
Delta..... quickly without an argument... sent me a check for
$35.00....the Boss ordered me a new box and I got to keep the
check...I call that a win win situation....
They also come in different colors....like yellow...pink and
turquoise.....It would make a lovely hostess gift....or
a birthday gift for a friend...

Speaking of sweet things....and thanks again to the
son in law.....I discovered another Trader Joe's
irresistible item....
Cookie Butter Ice Cream...
Think of those good cookies Delta gives you on a flight and picture that crushed up inside of ice cream...
I don't even want to know how many calories it is...
They also have fabulous Coffee Bean ice cream for the
Coffee Ice Cream Lover....
But....we are all trying to keep the calories down....
So that we can eat all these goodies and tell ourselves...
"But I won't drink anything with sugar"
Who are we kidding????
I switched from Splenda which everyone tells me will kill you...To....

No difference in taste....I use this in my unsweetened ice tea...
Unfortunately I still drink a ridiculous amount of
Pepsi Max a day....
I wasn't out and about much in 2018 like in past years or I'm sure this list would be a lot longer....I hope you try something on the list....I highly recommend the hair dye!!
Have a wonderful 2019!