I haven’t done a favorites post in a while, and after a few random conversations on Twitter (personal twitter accounts: limecello, gwen, c2, shannon, wendy)  I realized there were a wealth of favorites I could feature here. So that’s what I decided to do. Maybe this’ll happen again, maybe it won’t, but I had fun doing it, and I hope everyone else did and will too. So… enjoy. This is my new “favorites” post with some super star guests. I’ve very excited, and grateful that some of these very talented authors (and individuals) decided to contribute.

Amie Stuart – Action Flicks: Action flicks make me squee harder than a 13 year old girl at a Jonas Brothers concert. Seriously, I get more excited than my kids as we get closer and closer to the Summer Blockbuster Movie season-and I have BOYS! It’s like Christmas and my birthday all wrapped together and this year promises to be (for me) exceptional-Terminator, Star Trek, Wolverine, G. I. Joe, Public Enemies and yes, even Angels & Demons is on my radar. Give me guns, blood, bombs and mayhem; give me totally unbelievable car chases and plot twists that would make the Heroes staff writers drool with envy, but Lord have mercy, don’t give me a hankie or any of that, “You complete me,” crap. In truth, I think I was a dude in my last life.

Ann Aguirre – (She was originally going to talk about Sham Wows but couldn’t because she doesn’t have one, so if any generous soul wants to give Ann a present, there’s your perfect suggestion, and chance!) . My favorite thing in the world is my Eternally Soft blanket from J.C. Penney. I actually find I sleep better underneath it because it’s so soft. The satin edging makes it like a baby blankie, only it’s king sized. I had one when I was a kid, and then I went years without one. I managed to track it down to J.C. Penney, and I ordered three, when I bought them, so they would last a while. I even got them monogrammed, which is oh-so-fancy. I have blue, cream, and hazelnut. These are the best blankets ever, so light and soft, but they’re snuggly warm too.

c2 got paid by a LOT of companies to do hers… (and seemed to misunderstand singular vs plural…) Sometimes it’s the little things that make us happy! Here are some of my most favorite things:

	Sympathy for the Skin body cream. If I did not use this fabulous banana vanilla concoction I would be positively reptilian during the winter months! Nobody wants that…trust me. .
	Big Mouth lip gloss. I can’t tell that it plumps and I don’t need it to, anyway, but this gloss does smooth my lips out and enhance the natural color plus it isn’t sticky and goopy. Yay!
	There are no words for how happy my Sleep Mate makes me. I love sleep! Good sleep is a fabulous and rare thing, says me. I don’t like identifiable sounds in a roof when I’m trying to sleep – like a television or radio or ticking clock (hatesssss the ticking clocks!!). But I don’t like complete silence either. Normally I’m so easy going but I’m difficult when it comes to all thing sleep-related. Heh. . Anyhoo, I grew up with a window air conditioner in my room so I love the sound of a fan when I sleep and the Sleep Mate sounds just like a fan or air conditioner of some sort. It masks all the weird sounds that might intrude on my sleep but isn’t so loud that I can’t hear the storm siren, if it starts wailing. Plus I have the loudest refrigerator ever and the kitchen shares a wall with my bedroom. If you’re a light sleeper or have noisy neighbors or just don’t like too much silence, a Sleep Mate might be a product for you. If you’re a light sleeper or have noisy neighbors or just don’t like too much silence, a Sleep Mate might be a product for you. I grew up with a window air conditioner in my room so I love the sound of a fan when I sleep. Plus I have the loudest refrigerator ever and the kitchen shares a wall with my bedroom.
	Sprees! My favorite candy since I was a little C2. I found the tube version a few weeks ago in a tiny market in a nearby town. Win! (Ed note: They can be bought online as well.)
	Piggy Polish nail polish. Such fun colors! And bonus toe rings (that are way too big for my toes but might fit someone). What more can you ask? .
	Spiderman gummies vitamins Best vitamins EVER!
	Jokari Fizz-Keeper Pump and Pour! You squeeze the bubble and your soda stays fizzy. I didn’t think it would work but it SO does!
	Tarte emphaseyes eyeliner- Love this eyeliner! In black (the other colors I’ve tried don’t show much). I only use it on the bottom lid, usually. It stays put and makes it super easy to get right up by the lashline.
	Dee Tenorio – I pondered this very carefully. Should I talk about my love for my children or husband, the people who fill my days and make my life worthwhile? Should I talk about my nearly unnatural passion for football and how all I want for Christmas is a Drew Brees Charger jersey? Or an LT? Or maybe just LT, period? But no, I thought, if I should be honest, one thing that makes me happy, every time…is cake. I know, it’s lame, but it’s true. Cake is love in a spongy, frosting covered, pudding or fruit filled shape. That’s why they make it for birthdays. I love a light cake, the kind that when you sink a fork into it, the whole piece bends then releases back to it’s previous shape. The frosting should be creamy without leaving a waxy coating on your tongue. Sweet without gagging you. Oh, and it should have two layers. And it needs filling, preferably pudding. That’s where the affection is. Yup yup. Goooood times.
	HelenKay Dimon – Home. I love to travel and the more exotic the better. Enjoy going out with friends because having a balance between work and fun is important. I live in Southern California with so many wonderful vacation spots nearby – the beach on one side and the desert on the other. Beverly Hills a morning’s drive away and so many great locations close by plane. But the place I’m happiest is my house. It’s not big. It’s not in the most expensive area. There are things I’d love to change. Heaven knows it needs work…and a good cleaning. None of those defects matter to me. Whether I’m in my back yard sitting in the sun and surrounded by flowers, or in my family room fighting the pets for space on the couch, I’m content. Comfortable. Secure. It’s both a feeling and a place. It’s where I work and where I avoid doing work. Home is where my family is and where I always want to be. . . [And yes, that is an actual picture of HelenKay's gorgeous home! Now don't break her trust or mine by going off and stalking her!]
	JenB (she won’t admit it, but I’m giving it to you straight – she was paid off by Kiehl’s) – My favorite thing is Kiehl’s. I got hooked on Kiehl’s because of their Lip Balm #1. I keep a half-ounce tube in my purse and the one-ounce jar on my nightstand. It’s great on its own or under lipstick, and it lasts a long time because it’s ultra-moisturizing. It’s also the only lip balm I’ve found that doesn’t break me out around my mouth or cause my lips to feel like they’ve become dependent on it (unlike Carmex). Of course I didn’t stop at the lip balm. I also love their Leave-In Conditioner. My hair is thick, wavy, and somewhat coarse, and so far this tames it better than any other product. I’m constantly changing shampoos and conditioners, but this leave-in is a constant. Other Kiehl’s favorites are the Light Nourishing Eye Cream, Creamy Avocado Eye Treatment, Blue Herbal Spot Treatment, Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, their FABULOUS lip glosses, and most recently the Tinted Moisturizer. They even have a line of baby products which I’m tempted to try because of my sensitive skin. And for those of you with extra cash and extra-pampered pets, try their Canine & Equine lines.
	Katiebabs – One of my favorite things in the whole world is to chew gum. If I could live on coffee, pretzels and gum, I would be one happy person. And what is there not to like about gum? Where else can you choose between a zillion different flavors that can give you hours of enjoyment? Bubble gum is a great appetite suppressant and allows you to do many things with your mouth. (I know it sounds dirty, doesn’t it?). . I have become quite the gum expert. Orbit gum is my absolute favorite because it is pretty inexpensive, comes in an easy to use package and the flavor lasts for hours. Bubble gum is like choosing your favorite color crayon because there are so many flavors to choose from. After a meal, usually after lunch I must have a piece to cleanse my palate. . Just by saying these two words- bubble gum makes me smile.
	Keri Stevens – I confess. I am in love with my front-loader washer. Yes, he is a large appliance. And yes, he is a large appliance. Because he has such massive . . . capacity, I wash three times as much clothing in each load than my old top-loader could swallow. . He’s beautiful, too – a shiny stainless steel drum set in a white case. When his surface is dirty, it takes just a lick and swipe to clean him up. Easy. And when he spins? Oh, when he spins! I can sit for hours, mesmerized gazing through his glass door to the maelstrom. But it doesn’t take hours, of course-because he’s energy-efficient, water-conserving and fast. And when it comes to my dirty clothes, fast is a very good thing. . Lord Grey (I’m pretty sure that’s what the LG on his front stands for) is the strong, silent type. His cycles are so quiet that he makes clothes washing seem effortless-but when I lean against him, I feel him throb. I get on my knees in front of him, pushing in dry clothes, pulling out wet. But the balance of power in our relationship is equal: I know how to push all of his buttons. And although I live with four other people, apparently I am the only one able to turn him on.
	Limecello -Me? I love free things, or discounts and coupons, and have been known to share links to free cookies/meals/etc. I discovered SwagBucks in February, and I waited until I made sure it was legitimate before I started telling people. (Also to make sure it wasn’t spammy or would give you a virus- I knew my computer was dying so I didn’t mind TOO much if something else happened to it.) But you know? All was good. So sign up – and get yourself some swag too. You don’t even have to use the link I posted, but I’d love for you to do that, because I do get referral points up to a certain mark. (And yes it works, I’ve gotten $55 in Gift Cards from it, that yes I have used and they work, and am working on getting more.) . But that leads me to my real thing. What makes me happy is basic human kindness. One day, Amie surprised me with a really nice post, and messaged me, saying she thought it was great that I teach little inner city brats. (I won’t talk about it here.) I still need to *really* pass it on, but I ran into a really nice valet named Tim this past week. I got lost and parked at the wrong place when going to see the ophthalmologist. I was also wearing heels because afterward I was meeting friends for dinner because one of them was leaving for CA. Anyway, the valet took care of parking for me. He got me a band aid because my shoes ate my heels (literally all the skin still is gone), walked me to my car, swiped me out, then drove me to the proper lot. Just because. What an amazing guy. He told me some weird things like he lost weight and wanted a 30″ waist for when he hit 50, but you know. It was nice for him to help me out.
	Moira Rogers (Yes, I got a matched set! Go me!)
	Bree – I’m going to go out on a limb and say no one who uses utensils wouldn’t find their lives way better with one of these around. It’s a spoon! It’s a fork! It’s a freaking titanium spork! Not only is it useful for those eating-related quandaries (like shrimp fried rice) but you can use it for self defense, too. Not to mention the street cred that comes along with owning such an epic piece of cutlery. . (Disclaimer: street cred only accumulated among the extremely geeky or quirky.)
	Donna - My favorite thing right now is Food Network. There are very few shows on that channel I won’t watch. Whenever I’m stuck in a rut–culinary or otherwise–I just switch it on and educate myself. Okay, well, I mostly just drool. But sometimes there is edification going on, I swear!Any time I need some new recipe or technique to mess around with in the kitchen, Food Network delivers. When I have insomnia and can’t work for some reason, Food Network delivers–usually in the form of an episode of “Chopped” or “Ace of Cakes” or something else I can only stare at in amazement as slumber slowly overtakes me.And then we have my absolute hero. My younger daughter calls him “the man who makes food,” and we both stare devotedly at the television when he’s on screen. If he tried to sell me snake oil, I’d buy it. I have thirty episodes of “Good Eats” on my DVR–in high-definition, no less.Yes, it’s true. I am a foodie and a nerd…and Alton Brown is my king.

So now… it’s your turn! What is your new favorite thing? Or you can pass on the awesome by talking about someone who you appreciate. Or you know, turn this into a rant. That’s great too. Just join in and chat – it’ll be fun, and the water is nice. I promise!

I haven’t done this in a while (and have been grumpy etc – don’t worry, some rants are coming your way) – so… here’s my newest/current list of “Things That Make Me Happy.” (And yes, yes I did write it on a bad day. Oh well.)

1. Rième. I’ve talked about this before, but I’m going to say that the quality of my life has markedly increased since I discovered this wonderful beverage. (I will, however, say stay away from the lemon – not the limon. The lemon Rième is frankly reminiscent of detergent :X) My favorites thus far are the pomegranate and blood orange. Think… G.U.S. and those types of drinks – but it comes in a container that is much more fun!

2. Tweezerman products. I have the mini slant tweezer, and the point tweezer. I love them. They are amazing. I looked for products after getting my eyebrows done for the first time in my life last year (yeah, so, I’m not girly) – and figured I should at least try to maintain it. It was my “gift” to self, since I was going to a nice salon/spa anyway to donate my hair. (Which turned into a terrible debacle and a very unhappy Lime who spent way too much money she wasn’t expecting to – but… at least some little kid with cancer has a wig of my hair, right?) It was my fourth time donating hair and I’m a bit sad I’m going to have to find a new place.

But this is about HAPPY things.

3. New books. I’ve been saying how I don’t really know what books I’m looking forward to in 2009… well I found this magic/monster list yesterday (though I think it was really only one publisher? Eh.) and… now I have 34 books on my “want” list.

4. Libraries. I love libraries. Yes I buy books too, but I have a net worth of very many negative numbers. We won’t go into details. Uncle Sam owns my soul, because I decided to be an educated fool. So, the library is a wonderful source for books. Try it out. Many libraries also have interlibrary loans – or even ebooks for you to check out. (Can’t renew the ebooks, and no you can’t copy them etc. Try. They’ll still disappear. Yes, you can return them early to check out more. It’s fun.) So, no need for piracy, friends. There are numerous, excellent, legal ways to get books.And before anyone gets into a snit – I do buy books. A LOT of them. At last count I have well over $5,000 worth of “fun” books – so yes I am doing my part to try to help out the romance/publishing industry.

[P.S. if you see ebook piracy etc, you should do something about it.]

5. Texting. Finally, my cell phone plan includes unlimited texting – and that is a good thing. I can finally stop yelling at people who text me, and don’t have to be miserly about responding to important messages.

6. Tim Tams. I violently love these chocolate biscuits. You… really have no idea. Think: me dancing around the house wildly. I like chocolate, but it’s not even my favorite sweet/dessert. But I love these little things. They’re Australian. Rumor has it they’re sold at Target Stores nationwide. There are articles on the internet that say so. Well, THEY LIE. Every Target I’ve been to, does not have them. Five states away, the Target does not have them. I do not appreciate being lied to, especially as it was something I was so excited about. I’ve only had two packages of Tim Tams ever in my life, sent to me by the wonderful, amazing Lexxie Couper. The second package was totally unexpected and a fabulous surprise. She is a goddess-amongst-goddesses. I recommend you support her because she is such a wonderful person. If your Target has Tim Tams, stock up. Or if you don’t think they’re as thrilling as I do, send them my way. [Ed.: Hey Lime - just for you, babe - a US source for TimTams.]

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7. Shampoo for curly hair. Mine isn’t crazy curly, but there’s a natural wave to it – and it has a mind of its own. I don’t go for the expensive stuff – Pantene Pro-V hydrating curls shampoo and conditioner seem to work extremely well, in all weather conditions. It wasn’t at the store on my last shopping excursion, so I just bought TRESemmé- not the same, but now my hair has this whole crazy styled textured thing going on. (I, uh, don’t do my hair. No point. Would take forever and I just… no.) Either way, you always need shampoo and conditioner, of course.  (And duuude. Check out that amazon links. Heck – I might start getting it shipped from amazon with those prices.)

8. Long walks. I am house/dog sitting, and I took The Beast for a three-mile walk on walk #1 a few days ago. (He’s a gorgeous, 8 yr old, underweight 110 lb Great Pyrenees. And a champion show dog. Puppy’s life is worth more than mine.) Isn’t he the cutest thing? I felt so guilty not letting him in sooner but he was so adorable I had to snap a picture. Good thing I’m not a real mom or real pet mom – those little critters would be so spoiled. I’m such a soft touch.

9. Another repeat that deserves a shout out, my Zeno. And also, the Bliss epilator. (I know, I’m losing my non-girly image, but I’m talking about these products because they’re the only ones I have!) Yes I know the Bliss kit has more than just the epilator. And I could cry – I definitely paid more for all of these products.

10. My champagne flutes. Sadly amazon is all out of them. Well, this is a two-fer as I love my champagne flutes, but I also love sparkling wines, and fizzy drinks. So yes, I use my flutes to drink my Rième . The other glasses are just as nice and I know most people drink other things- so here are the links to some of the gorgeous glasses. (I almost got the highball glasses…) I’m talking about Nachtmann Vivendi Glass, produced by Riedel Glassworks. So these aren’t THE best, but they’re one of the best. After all, Riedel is good stuff. And you know these wine glasses actually have stems, which is a good thing.

And now that we’ve come full circle, I leave it to you. What makes you happy? Any new discovery or just random thing you like? A pretty leaf, a delicious cookie – fabric softener? What?

p.s. – As usual, I have kindly provided links to all these products for you (those that I could). And if you’re at all into brow maintenance/”couture” as the site says – go to Amazon and buy now. I’m almost sad I already bought all these things because they’re like… half the price. Jealous – but at least I discovered them so I could share them with all of you, right?