We had lots of sunshine yesterday, but rainy and drizzly here today. Thankfully, it’s been a bit warmer, which is weird for January in Ohio. I hope you are seeing some sunshine today!
Before we get into my December favorites, I want to share something with you that I just bought and LOVE, and is currently on sale! I’ve never had an Rtic tumbler or one of their “road trip” tumblers, but when I saw their holiday prints, oh my gosh! I love the Ski print and the plaid print so much! The sale is so good, I ended up purchasing several for myself and for my son and daughter-in-love.
The road-trip tumbler reminds me of the Stanley tumbler, but there are multiple ways from which you can drink from it. I like that a lot. Though I don’t ski now, I love this mountain/ski slope motif and have been using it nonstop since it arrived. You’ll find it on sale here: Ski Road Trip Tumbler. These would make great gifts for anyone with a winter birthday or to scoop up now as a Christmas gift for next year.
This is the other style I purchased in this design. They could not have chosen prettier colors for their winter/ski theme! You’ll find it on sale in several sizes here: Ski Tumbler (20 oz, 30 oz, and 40 oz.)
The other pattern I had to get was this gorgeous plaid! I will be using both the ski and the plaid designs for the rest of winter. I was so happy to see that the colors are just as vibrant in reality as they appear in these photos. You’ll find this Road Trip tumbler on sale here: Red Plaid Road Trip Tumbler.
After seeing the 40oz plaid road trip tumbler in person, I decided to order the 30oz and 40oz tumbler before they are all sold out. Those should arrive tomorrow. I’ve been delighted with how fast these have arrived each time I’ve ordered. You’ll find the red plaid tumbler on sale in various sizes here: Red Plaid Tumbler (20 oz, 30 oz, and 40 oz)
I want to share this with you, although it was a bit of a fail for me. I love this reindeer flatware and have some dinnerware with which it would be perfect to pair. I love whimsical flatware like this!
Unfortunately, when it arrived, the quality wasn’t what I felt it should be. Notice the pieces/chunks of metal sticking off the antlers on the flatware piece on the left in the photo below. Those chunks of metal don’t pop off; they are very hard. I opened up the box on two place settings, but didn’t remove them from their individual boxes. Both 5-pc place settings had pieces that looked like this—with metal stuck/globbed onto an antler. Though I love the design, I decided to return them. If you want to take a chance and order this flatware, you’ll find it available here: Reindeer Flatware. I only opened two boxes, but maybe the others would have been okay.
On to my December Favorites: My son/DIL have this paper towel holder that mounts underneath a cabinet. I’ve been using a countertop towel holder since I didn’t want to put screws into the underside of one of my kitchen cabinets. Amazingly, this paper towel holder will stay in place without screws. It comes with a strong adhesive strip that firmly holds the towel holder to the underside of the cabinet…and it stays! So far, it has held beautifully, so I feel comfortable recommending it. It’s also very easy to load paper towels into; the ends slide apart to accommodate any size roll. You’ll find it available here: Paper Towel Holder.
When the kittens were tiny—just 7 weeks old, one of them tinkled on my bed. I had a mattress cover on the bed, but it wasn’t a waterproof one. I decided to replace it with a waterproof one, but didn’t want a cover that would rattle or make noise when lying on it. This one had great reviews, and I’ve been really happy with it. It also washes well. You’ll find it available here: Waterproof Bamboo Mattress Protector.
When I broke a bone in my hand 3 months ago, trying to open a bottle or can with a pop top was impossible. I have this device back in Georgia, but didn’t have one here, so I ordered one for the Dollhouse. It works great! I still use it a lot, even though my hand has mostly healed now. Definitely makes life easier! You’ll find it available here: Multi Bottle Opener.
I used to use Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion many years ago, but I moved away from purchasing it since I never shop in a mall anymore. I just discovered it on Amazon and ordered a bottle. I love it and had forgotten how much until it arrived a few weeks back. Great moisturizing lotion for the face! You’ll find it available here: Clinique Moisturizing Lotion for Face.
A while back, I saw a Youtuber recommended this shampoo as being great for white, blond, or grey hair and decided to give it a try. I like how my hair looks whenever I use it, so feel comfortable recommending it. If you’re looking for a quality shampoo to keep your blonde, white, or gray hair looking nice and bright/white, you’ll find this shampoo here: Phyto Purple No Yellow Shampoo for Grey, White, and Blonde Hair.
I love eating home-made vegetable soup in the wintertime, but I really don’t like peeling potatoes. I saw this vegetable/fruit peeler advertised recently and decided to give it a try. It worked great on the two green apples I used when making Butternut Squash Soup recently. (I made a double batch, thus used two apples instead of one.) The first time I used it (see photo below), I didn’t realize the little cutting tool was placed a bit low on the apple. When I peeled the second apple, I started it much higher up on the apple, and that left very little peeling for me to remove once it was done. It’s incredibly fast, too! Will definitely be using it whenever I want to peel an apple or a potato. I wonder if it will work on oranges, too. You’ll find this easy-to-use peeler available here: Potato, Apple, Vegetable & Fruit Peeler.
Football season is pretty much over now, but I love this adorable 2-quart slow cooker for making cheese dips or chili for dipping.
It seems to only be available for 4 college teams here: 2-Qt. Slow Cooker.
I mentioned this heated blanket when I first purchased it, and it has been a huge hit with my son, DIL, and grandsons. I purchased a second one, and both times went with the 72 x 84 inch size. I like having two so whoever is using it can adjust the temperature to a setting that they like. You’ll find it available here: Heated Blanket.
Hope you find this list of favorites helpful! Happy weekend!
❤️ that red plaid!!! franki
I know! Love it for winter!
Thanks for sharing all the products you try and let us know about! I’m going to order shampoo. I’ve been using Clinique Dramatically Different moisturizer for at least 25yrs and love it. I’ve tried other product samples and always go back to Clinique. Wish you a Blessed New Year, Susan!
I’m curious to know if you can taste any difference in your beverages with the ceramic lining vs the metal interior of the Stanley tumbler. I’ve not used a Stanley—I consistently use a SWIG tumbler which has a stainless interior and I love those. But their claim that the ceramic lining is better has intrigued me. Maybe you should do a blind taste test :).
I should do a taste test to see. I was surprised when I saw the white ceramic interior in Rtic. I did a quick online search to read about it when I noticed it. Some people seem to think that metal interiors change the taste of water or whatever’s inside, but I’ve never noticed that with my Yetis.
It would be interesting to put water in both a Yeti & Rtic tumbler, let them sit out overnight to see if I notice any difference.
I only use my Yetis for water, but I’ve never noticed a metal taste. I would expect Yeti to only use the best stainless steel since everything I’ve ever bought from Yeti was top-notch.
I started ordering my Clinique directly from Clinique.com online and they often have 30% or 40% off or at least they did this past fall/quarter. I signed up for their text messages so I could be notified when they have a sale. Hope you find this beneficial.
I should do that because I really like their mascara, too—and I pretty much only wear mascara and moisturizer. Thanks, Vickie!
Sunday evening 1/11/26, I noticed that Bed, Bath and Beyond has the reindeer flatware $21 cheaper than what you paid. Not sure if it is in a local store but, if it is, maybe you could find some that were made better. Good luck!
Really! It would be interesting to see those in person to see if the quality is better. Thanks for that tip, Nicki!