I’m a total creature of habit and there are a bunch things in my home that I use daily and wouldn’t want to live a day without so I’m pretty excited about our My Five Favorites topic this month! I hope you’re ready for a mix of everything from my favorite super soft towels to my favorite kitchen gadgets to a must-have Shark Tank product because that’s what’s coming your way! And my friends Pam of Simple Details, Lisa of Shine Your Light, Jennifer of Dimples & Tangles, and our guest host, Annie of Most Lovely Things are all sharing favorites from their homes too.
I bet a lot of you know Annie already but if you don’t, you’ll definitely want to pay Most Lovely Things a visit because her home is one of my favorites! I’ve been able to visit not just through photos but in person too – she actually lives only about 20 minutes from me so we’re able to get together every month or two. It’s pretty much impossible to pick a favorite space in her home but her cozy eat-in area gets me every time!
Thanks for joining us Annie! Are you guys ready to get this ball rolling?! Let’s jump into my favorite home basics I can’t live without… (post includes some affiliate links – full disclosure statement {here}):
My Bathroom Favorite
There are a few things that just aren’t worth skimping on and one of them is bath towels – I LOVE stepping out of the shower to a big, soft, plush towel! I’ve read a ton of towel reviews and tried out several brands over the years and {these towels} are definitely my favorites. They’re plush and absorbent but are always dry by the next time I need them – basically the perfect luxury towel!
Scroll & click/tap to shop this space:
One of my other bathroom must-haves is Bliss Body Butter which I love and have used daily for over ten years (I first got addicted when my husband brought home a travel sample from a business trip where he stayed at a W Hotel). It’s a a really good moisturizer and also smells absolutely amazing – my favorite scent is a toss up between the Grapefruit + Aloe and the Lemon + Sage. I’ve found it at TJ Maxx from time to time but otherwise order it {here}.
My Car Favorite
I know we’re talking all about HOME basics today, but my car is basically my second home (the amount of time I spend carting my kids around and running errands is crazy) so I’m calling it fair game! This is kind of silly but I have a serious love for {this car seat gap filler} that I bought after seeing it on Shark Tank (love that show!). It’s super easy to install and keeps you from dropping your phone, receipts, etc. in that gap between your car seat and the center console where it’s a huge challenge to fish things back out. One of those things that you don’t know you totally need until you have it!
I also love having {these headrest hooks} that attach to the bars of your headrest and are stored neatly folded in:
but swivel around to hold your purse or shopping bag:
Super convenient and keeps things from falling out of your bags like they sometimes do when you throw your bags on the floorboard!
My Kitchen Favorites
There are two things in my kitchen that I use almost daily – one that I’ve mentioned before (but I had to include because I’m obsessed with it!) is {this clip-on strainer}. I use it mostly for pasta but have also used for draining fat like when we’re making tacos. You simply clip it on the edge of your pot or pan (it adapts to fit all sizes), strain your food, and then throw in in the dishwasher. So much better than a big colander!
And between my husband’s biking and my girls sports, we use a lot of water bottles and while I’ve tried several products to clean them, {this water bottle cleaning set} is amazing!
The largest brush is super long to get down into any water bottle and there’s also a brush to clean out the straw and a detail cleaner that gets into the crevices of the water bottle caps. And they’re all on a single ring hook (the two smaller cleaning accessories can be snapped on and off the hook without opening it). Love it!
My Nighttime Favorite
I mentioned a few posts ago that I love books and read a little bit almost every night before I go to sleep. I’m a bit of a night owl while my husband’s a morning person so often he’s already asleep when I come to bed so I do my reading (all of five pages before I invariably fall asleep 🙂 ) with my book light.
I’ve tried four or five over the years but like {this book light} the best – it’s rechargeable, has two different levels of light to choose from, and uses a nice, warm LED (as compared to a lot of other book lights that have a cooler-toned light).
My Laptopping Favorite
I do a lot of my laptop work at the desk in our home office but also love sitting in our window seat and on our family room sectional (with my buddy right next to me of course!). Whenever I’m laptopping or just hanging out at home, you’ll most often find that I’ve thrown {this super cozy cardigan} over whatever I’m wearing:
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It’s basically as comfy and warm as wearing a robe but without big sleeves that get in my way and you can totally get away with wearing it out of the house and be as cozy as if you were in your plush robe without looking like a slacker! It has two deep side pockets which is perfect for holding my cell phone and keys if I run out. My husband gave me this cardigan as a birthday gift (it’s available and currently on sale {here}) because he knows how much I love my robe from the same brand (you can find that {here}). My other must-have-by-my side is a glass of seltzer water! I decided to try and break my Coke habit about six months ago (as in the drink, not the hard core stuff 🙂 ) and found that the fizz of the seltzer water totally satisfies my Coke cravings. So whenever I’m sitting down with my laptop, you can count on finding a glass of seltzer water nearby! You can also count on Hope bugging me for belly rubs – of course she makes the things I can’t live without list too! 🙂
I hope you guys enjoyed reading about a few of my favorites – I would love to hear some of yours too! In the meantime, hop on over to my friends’ blogs and check out which home basics they can’t live without – they always have great things to share!
Pam – Simple Details
Jennifer – Dimples & Tangles
Lisa – Shine Your Light
Annie – Most Lovely Things
And if you’re looking for even more project inspiration, check out my favorite DIY projects {here}, my favorite decorating projects {here}, and my favorite organizing projects {here}. Enjoy!
Lisa says
March 7, 2018 at 9:59 amAww that last picture of you and your furbaby is too cute! We are long overdue for nice new towels so thank you for that recommendation! I have been meaning to get one of those strainers you’ve mentioned too and am off to do that right this moment!
Kris Jarrett says
March 9, 2018 at 10:56 amLisa I’m serious that that strainer is like my favorite kitchen thing ever – we eat a ton of pasta so I pretty much use it every day and totally love being able to throw it in the dishwasher without it taking up a ton of space!
Elizabeth Whitesides says
March 7, 2018 at 3:52 pmGirl – totally clicked thru and bought those two car gadgets! It will be great to have my umbrellas hanging behind the passenger seat instead of having to do some serious yoga to find them on the floor of the back seat. And the seat gap thing is going to save my 27 year marriage. There are at least 10 bins, cubbies, slots, etc in my man’s TLX but he insists on driving with his phone, glasses and keys in his lap, which means they are forever sliding into the seat gap. And guess who has to get her thin fingers scratched and pinched fishing them out for him ALL. THE. TIME!? He is a neurobiologist, smart as can be and the sweetest pea in the pod. But clues? He is fresh out of them. ; ) I would never think such as thing as a “seat gap filler” existed, but hallelu! : )
Kris Jarrett says
March 9, 2018 at 10:58 amOh my gosh – you are hysterical!!! But seriously, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve scraped the heck out of my hands reaching down in that space! It’s such a silly product but I’m obsessed with it! 🙂
Caroline says
March 7, 2018 at 9:33 pmI bought that clever strainer after you wrote about it before, and it is really a neat gadget! I use it often. And now I think I’ve got to try those car headrest hooks–never knew such a thing existed, but what a genius idea.
Kris Jarrett says
March 9, 2018 at 11:06 amI’m glad you like that strainer as much as I do. Trust me, you’ll love the hooks too – they’re great!
Joanie says
March 7, 2018 at 10:37 pmLoved this post Kris! Always fun to find out what other people can’t live without.
Kris Jarrett says
March 9, 2018 at 11:07 amI’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Annie Diamond says
March 7, 2018 at 10:57 pmKris,
Thanks for including me as guest host this month! I sure love that we live in adjacent towns! I had no idea that a car seat gap filler even existed. I need that! And I love those Barefoot Dreams sweaters! Perfect for about 8 months of the year here in CT. I hope you still have power!
xo
Annie
Kris Jarrett says
March 9, 2018 at 11:08 amAnnie I loved that you were part of the crew on this one! I love Barefoot Dreams anything – so super cozy!!
Erin says
March 8, 2018 at 1:48 amKris! This was such a fun post full of favorites and you have some good ones! I’m so getting the clips for your car! And the bottle cleaner.. and the book light! Love it all. And you and your little sidekick are adorable! ❤️
Kris Jarrett says
March 9, 2018 at 11:09 amHa! Glad you found a few fun things for yourself! You’re so sweet to stop by – can’t wait to see you next month!
Tiffanie Stewart says
March 9, 2018 at 9:09 amLove that gap filler! I am getting it ASAP! Thanks for sharing.
Kris Jarrett says
March 9, 2018 at 11:09 amIt’s awesome – hope you love it!
Karen B. says
March 9, 2018 at 9:37 amKris,
You never disappoint. I will be trying the towels, Bliss Body Butter and have placed the cardigan on my wish list! We’ve bought and tried about 3 different towels (from affordable to ridiculous) and they are either not absorbent (oddly, some of the most “expensive” towels simply don’t dry my skin) or they (cheaper ones) feel like drying with sandpaper after 2-3 washes! It would be worth the extra money if they are truly absorbent.
Enjoy the weekend.
xo,
Karen
Kris Jarrett says
March 9, 2018 at 11:11 amI’m glad that you enjoyed the post Karen! Towels are tough and sometimes even after you find some you like, they change them up so they’re not exactly the same the next time. If you try these, let me know what you think!
Elizabeth says
March 13, 2018 at 1:29 pmAwesome what you find out from other bloggers. Love the seat gap filler idea. I’m always dropping stuff in between the seats, arrgghhh! The perfect solution for me.
Also thanks for the book light idea, I’ve also tried several and never found any of them to work very well. I might just give this one a try 🙂
Thanks Kris, great post!
Blessings,
Elizabeth
Kris Jarrett says
March 19, 2018 at 11:05 amI’m glad you enjoyed the post Elizabeth! Thanks for stopping by!
Denise P says
May 2, 2018 at 9:10 pmWould you share the source for the three leg wicker stool/table? It’s lovely, thanks!
Kris Jarrett says
May 13, 2018 at 9:54 pmSure Denise – it was a HomeGoods find!
Deb says
June 11, 2018 at 11:38 pmHi – I’m Deb who wrote to you a few days ago. I followed your directions to paint my horrid bathroom
Red tiles. Put on the third coat of paint this morning.
My question is – how many days do I need to let the floor dry before it’s ok to use, put rugs on and take showers?
Thanks Kris!