I thought I’d tell you about a few of my favorite new things.  Most are Christmas gifts I received and you may already have some of them, but it’s still fun to share ideas, right?

First, my new favorite tea is Tazo Organic Apple Red Tea.  I’d seen it at the grocery store for weeks and I finally bought some for myself.  It is SO good.  I don’t add any sweetner at all and it’s perfect.  It’s also a naturally decaf rooibos tea.  So for those of your avoiding caffeine or if you’re pregnant you can have this one!

Next…my new red down throw from Kohls.  It is a very pretty color and it gets you toasty quickly and keeps you there.  It’s washable and comfy!

I also love my new workout pants from JC Penney.  VERY cute and comfy!  I can’t find the jacket to match however because they’re all sold out in my size.  I even checked the clearance rack here to see if anyone had made a return.   Maybe I’ll just buy a bigger size and do some work on it.

My new Cast Iron Gridde/Grill Pan, which I cannot wait to try later this week.  I’ve needed a good solution for making pancakes and hamburger and now I have it with this one pan!  Most griddles are made with a non-stick teflon coating, which I do not want.  Now I have a safe way to cook my pancakes and a large surface to get it done quicker!  And I can cook my hamburgers, chicken, or whatever on the other side!

Last, but certainly not least.  I love my new diamond earrings that Johnny gave me.  They are beautiful and they go with everything.  What a thoughtful husband I have!

If I’m forgetting anything else that I love, I’ll just have to tell you later.

I thought I’d do a stocking stuffer/product review post since I know several people who are trying to get all their stocking stuffers done.  Here are a few of our favorite small toys that would fit just right into a stocking.

First up – The First Years Stack n Count Cups.  These cups are cheap and my kids have loved them.  We have played with them in so many different ways – stack ‘em up, nest ‘em, spin ‘em around on our wood floors, play with ‘em in the tub, cover your eyes, cover your ears…you get the picture.  Cheap fun!!  These are about $3.99 at Babies R Us.

If you haven’t already bought some of these little Tonka Wheel Pals, they are another great item.  Our boys have a ton of them and love to play all over the house with them.  They have police cars, fire trucks, tow trucks, race cars.  And they come in a small or medium size.  The smaller ones come in packs of 5 for around $8 and the medium sized ones are about $4 each.

Looking for a couple of good little books for a stocking?  Here are a couple of our favorites.  Open the Barn Door by Christopher Santoro or Cars and Trucks from A to Z by Richard Scarry.  Open the Barn Door has a little door to open on each page, and it’s a great book for learning which sounds go with which animal.  Cars and Trucks book is just a book of silly types of cars and trucks from A to Z.  These are chunky board books and would slip into a stocking very nicely. Burt’s Bees Bubblebath is another favorite around here, and it’s phthalate and paraben free.  

And, if you’re looking for a treat, Fruitabu is a good option.  The twirls are easier to chew than the smooshed fruit.

Hope this gives you some ideas for your little one’s stocking.  I love stockings and can’t wait to put all the goodies in them this year!

In case you’re in need of some really great journals, I’d like to recommend a few here.  I love to keep a pregnancy journal, and of course after that I like to keep a baby book.  After the baby book?  Well, I just found a really cool journal for after your done with the baby book!  Or, if you just want a blank journal, I can tell you where to find a really cool one.

OK, this is my absolute fave for a pregnancy journal. I’ve had this particular journal with each of my pregnancies and I really love it!  It tells you how your little baby is growing each and every day, starting from conception!!  It is just so amazing to see how at only a few days old so much is already going on!  It truly is a little baby in there, no matter what they call it!  Now, there isn’t a lot of room to write, so if you’re really wordy, I’m not sure what to do.  But you don’t need to miss out on this super journal if your pregnant!

Now my favorite baby book is the Humble Bumbles’ Baby Journal.  I have this journal for each of my two kids right now.  It is very colorful with all the pages I can think of that are important, like family tree, parents, extended family, bringing you home, and it lasts until age three.  The only thing I wish it had that it doesn’t is a sibling page, but I just changed one of the pages and made it into a sibling page the last time.  It also comes with a growth chart in the front and some cute little paper frames to go around your pictures.  There’s also an envelope for keepsakes and a small one for hospital bracelets and for the first hair cut.

Gabriel will be three in October, so I’m almost done with his baby journal.  So I just saw this journal at Mom4Life and had to try it out!  It is SO cool!  I don’t think he’s quite ready for doing the drawing in it yet, but I’m sure he will be before I know it.  It’s got favorite things, places for them to draw themselves, friends, family, pets, birthday, holidays, and a place for thought and drawings in the back.  I think it will be great when he’s ready for it.

If you’re just looking for a blank journal, then I highly recommend these. They are beautiful and very high quality.  The paper is acid-free, from a fully sustainable source, and archival quality.  There’s a ribbon style bookmark and a memento pouch in the back.  The journals also have closures to keep everything securely inside.  My journal is from the French Collection and the Fanfare line.  It has a fanfare style binding, which it describes in the back.

Any of these journals would make a great gift for others or yourself!