Melissa's Favorite Things

Oprah has her favorite things show. Many of my fellow blogging friends have done a "my favorite" blog. It's my turn. I came up with 9 things that either make my life easier or completely spoil me to death. I love them all (in no particular order).

Who doesn't love Costco? I get everything from food to diapers to electronics at this one stop shop. Our local Costco is about 30 minutes from our house, which I used to complain about. Now I relish the fact that it is so close knowing that there is no Costco in Japan (but there is always Costco.com!)

You don't realize how much you dislike AM/FM until you taste XM. We got it for free in our car when we first bought it. Then it ran out and we got so sick of listening to commercials on FM. I think there were more commercials than music. We got it again for a roadtrip and I love it. I mostly listen to the love music channels (22-25) and the clean comedy (151), along with the occasional Oprah (156) and Fox News (?). There is always something on worth listening to.

Nothing satisfies me like a glass of ice cold milk and 3-4 double stuf oreos. I think I'm going to go get some right now. Thankfully I will probably be able to get this at the commissary in Okinawa.

I bought a cookie sheet from Pampered Chef a few years ago and it was been wonderful. It is stoneware, which definitely takes some getting used to, but it makes cookies and rolls that turn out beautifully. It cooks so evenly and nothing ever gets burned. I highly recommend getting one.

Even though we don't have cable, we have Tivo. It's basically like having google on your TV and you can also pause/rewind live TV. We tried the DVR from the cable company. NOT THE SAME! Tivo is so much more user friendly. We bought our Tivo box when they had the lifetime service option so we don't even pay for it anymore. Plus, you can record TV shows onto a DVD. Pretty cool for kid stuff or roadtrips. Extra plus...their logo is so cool.

I have been dreaming of a BOB stroller ever since our friends Tracey and Tom showed us theirs. I checked Craigslist like 3 times a day trying to find one that wasn't an arm and a leg (they retail for around $530). Today is my glorious day that I got to go pick my baby up. I found one in my price range and pounced. We got the Revolution with the swivel front wheel. Basically you can turn on a dime in a shopping mall, but also lock the wheel for some serious off road adventure. It even goes through sand with ease. I'm so giddy to have BOB part of our family. Check out their website at www.bobaround.com . I only wish I would have gotten it sooner.

This car is the only other thing that I will truly miss when we move. I love our Honda Odessey. I love the navigational system that tells me to turn right here and how much time I have left until my destination. I love that I can look up a phone number or always find the closest McDonald's. I love that there are 16 cup holders and that the back seats folds one third or two thirds. I love the built in DVD player for trips and that we have XM radio in it. It's so familiar and comfy (my parents even have one). I highly recommend it.

We coverted to Mac about 5 years ago. We were pretty die hard PC users, but after carefully weighing the things we wanted with what each company offered, we decided that the Mac was a better fit for us. It has been so easy to switch. Again, this computer is extremely user friendly and has so many built in conveniences that when I use a PC it feels like I'm a cavewoman. It's archaic. I love Photobooth and iChat, along with their address book and calendar. iPhoto and iTunes come standard. There are too many wonderful things about the good old Apple computer to mention. Go get one.

Lastly, we love our Nikon D50 camera. I know there are better models out there, but ours is almost a couple years old. First of all, I think digital cameras are the best thing ever invented. I look at the pictures of me growing up and there are some good ones, but the majority of pictures "just miss" that special moment. With a digital camera you not only get that great shot, but 20 others with it. Granted I do overdo it. I take WAY too many pictures (esp now that I blog and need to take a picture of ever mundane thing we do). I've regressed... This camera is my first really nice one and I've even learned how to use the f-stop and all about shutter speeds. I rarely put it on automatic. It's just super fun.

There you have it. My top 9 favorite things. If we had money, I'd buy each of you each thing just like Oprah. But, alas, I don't. What are some of your favorite things? Do we have any favorites in common?