These are a few of my (current) favorite things...

I first heard about The Pioneer Woman on Twitter -- do you know how @Starbucks sometimes retweets people's tweets when it's related to their shops? Well, they retweeted her, and something about her name made me click on her Twitter feed, and from there I clicked on her blog, and well ... the rest, as they say, is history.

The Pioneer Woman writes on such diverse topics as Cooking, Photography, Home and Garden, and Homeschooling, but my favorite tab on her blog is her Confessions. This is where she blogs about her day-to-day life as "a desperate housewife" living in the country with her family and assorted livestock. Which I find fascinating. Mind you, I'm a city rat through and through, I can't even fathom living in the country 24-7 like she does. Milking cows and scooping up manure is not exactly my idea of paradise! But something about TPW's sparkling wit, plus her keen eye for capturing heart-stopping moments on film, makes the country seem like something I'd like to try. You know, for just a weekend or so. What makes her blog so interesting is that she was once a city rat, too, and yet she found herself sinking comfortably into her new life as a "pioneer woman."

If you want to check out The Pioneer Woman, I suggest you start where I did and read her swooningly romantic tale of how she met her husband (aka, "The Marlboro Man"), Black Heels to Tractor Wheels. Warning -- you will need two hours and an industrial sized box of tissues.

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Headbands are my saving grace on bad hair days. No time to wash the greasy cowlick currently masquerading as your hair? Slap on a headband! Is the ponytail not dressy enough for your workday look? Slap on a headband! So you decided to curl your hair and now your head looks like a haystack gone wild? Slap on a headband! You get the point.

I'm not too fond of the headbands you can buy from big name brands (except for NY & Co.'s, theirs are okay), much preferring to buy from people who craft them themselves. Not only are the pieces more unique, but they have a certain homespun quality that makes them quite endearing. Here are some of my favorite headband artisans:

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I have never been one for yogurt. Sure, I'll eat it if it's drowned in chocolate sprinkles, granola crumbles, peanuts, etc. But yogurt by itself? Blech.

And then there was Menchie's. Yogurt so good, I can eat it by itself, happily. Yogurt so good, you can't believe it's so low in fat. So low in fat, in fact, that you don't feel the least bit guilty drowning it in chocolate sprinkles, granola crumbles, peanuts, etc.

If you are fortunate enough to possess a Menchie's in your vicinity, go today. If not, buy a plane ticket. I'm serious -- it's that good. My first time going was last Saturday and I was back again within the week (Thursday). And I just might sort of be perhaps wanting to go maybe again today. (Told you they were good.)

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This favorite won't surprise you at all, if you've been reading my blog this month. I began reading the book The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (one of my favey-fave writers) on  April 6th with my juniors and blogged about the experience the next day, when I recalled asking them who their five people would be.  Because I am of the belief that a teacher should never ask personal questions of students without being willing to answer them himself/herself, I promptly answered the question when one of my own students turned the question around on me. And I blogged about it, too.

What is this book about? It's about a man who dies trying to save a little girl from a horrific accident, not knowing if the last act of his life was triumphant or not. It's about a man who must meet with five people from his life who were important somehow, though they be strangers to him, before he can move on to his final resting place. It's about the power of hope, the importance of listening, and above all, the saving grace of love. I've seen firsthand how previously unmotivated students are blossoming in class now thanks to this book, but I don't just recommend it for young adults, because I think its themes are universal and should be read by all ages. No matter what your idea of heaven may be.

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Oh Cheerios, how I love you so. Thank you for being the one and only thing my heaving storm of a stomach could endure this week whilst I was sick, sick, sick beyond repair. Thank you for staying crunchy even when I douse you with a generous helping of milk. Thank you for staying fresh, even when I buy your ginormous box, open it, and then forget about you for a week. Thank you for being the one cereal my family does not like (and thus wisely avoid being so cruelly stolen by said family). Thank you for being one of the few cereals I never tire of eating, even after a second (or third!) helping. Thank you for being you, crunchy, sweet, delicious Cheerios. Early morning hurried weekday breakfasts would not be the same without you.


{all images found using Google image search}

What are your favorites this month, bloggy readers?


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5 comment(s):

Jenny☮ said...

I opened about 4 new tabs on my browser b/c of this post. THANKS! :)

One of my favorite "Favorite Things" ever. <3

Unknown said...

Haha, sorry to crowd your browser. But I'm glad you enjoyed this favorites post! This was one of my favorite to write. :)

chelsea rebecca said...

mmm MENCHIES! one of my favorites! we have one here and it takes all my money. haha.
and i love love taza headbands.. been on my wish list forever!!
and i've just been introduced to the pioneer woman and a love her blog! so great!

Anonymous said...

CHEERIOS. tee hee.

that is all :D

Vanessa said...

Pioneer Woman is my hero. Seriously one of the only things I asked for from Vito was for her cookbook.

I need to read that book. & get a busy bee headband!

Mmm cheerios. I love eat theming with a bit of splenda and fruit. Scrumptious!