Happy Weekend! It has been quite chilly here the last few nights although I think we’re going to warm up a little this week–just in time for Halloween. I’ve noticed the leaves are definitely changing now and starting to fall. The cooler temps have had me dreaming of cozy evenings inside, burning candles while sipping yummy hot chocolate. Every season has its own special moments, doesn’t it? Though I’m always sad to see summer ending, as fall moves in I begin to remember all the things I love about this time of year and I find myself giving in to its charms.
With the cooler days and chilly nights here, I’ve put together a list of some of my favorites that always get me through the cold days that I know lie ahead, and at the very top of the list is a purchase I made back in 2020 that I still love as much today as I did when I first installed it–a heated toilet seat. Hey, don’t laugh until you’ve tried it! Ha! It is the best thing ever on cold mornings, or for that matter, cold days! If mine ever stops working, I will be online buying another one, pronto! Best purchase ever!
When I first purchased a heated seat, since I didn’t have an outlet anywhere near the toilet, I ran an extension cord to it. That worked fine but this past year when I was adding/replacing lights in the garage, basement, and upstairs hall, while the electrician was here, I went ahead and had an outlet added to that area of the bathroom. It was surprisingly inexpensive to have that done.
If you really want to spoil yourself this winter, I can’t recommend anything better than a heated toilet seat. I’m linking the one I purchased below since it’s still working beautifully 3 years later. I love the night light that’s built into it also, perfect for those occasional middle-of-the-night trips to the bathroom. You’ll find the one I have (and love!) here: Heated Toilet Seat with Night Light. It has 4.7 stars after 3273 reviews! The reviews are so much fun to read, I remember one reviewer said that she loves to just go sit whenever she’s cold to warm up. Ha!
I’m so glad I went ahead and had an outlet added in that area of my bathroom because this past year I made another purchase that required an outlet–a Towel Warmer. I love, love, love my towel warmer, and use it every single time I take a shower. My showers are usually pretty short, so I turn on the towel warmer about 10 minutes before I hop into the shower, that way my towels are toasty warm by the time I’ve finished showering. This is the towel warmer I purchased and it’s still going strong. You’ll find it available here: Towel Warmer.
Always high on my Winter Survival List is Cutemol. I really use Cutemol all year because it’s so good for dry skin, but in the winter, I use it even more. My daughter-in-law and I swear by it! We NEVER let ourselves run out, especially in the wintertime when we both have trouble with splitting fingertips. Ever since I started using Cutemol on my hands during the wintertime, I haven’t had a single split on any of my fingers. It’s also a miracle worker of dry heels. Seriously! It’s amazing! A large container is a bit pricey, but it lasts a long time. A large container will probably last all winter because it only takes a very small amount of Cutemol to protect your hands. Note: Read the directions because it explains that it works its best when applied to hands that have just been washed and are still slightly moist. It seals that moisture in…amazing product! You’ll find it available in a couple of different sizes here: Cutemol.
You are probably tired of hearing me sing the praises of these merino wool socks! I purchased several packs of them a few years back and they have held up beautifully. I wash and dry them just like you would any socks and they are truly the warmest socks I’ve ever worn. Plus, they aren’t so thick that your shoes don’t fit as they normally would. Love these and still very much recommend them! You’ll find the women’s version here: Merino Wool Socks, Not Scratchey and Super Warm. The men’s version is available here: Merino Wool Socks for Men.
Winter definitely calls for a cozy throw! This one has great reviews and is very reasonably priced. It sounds super cozy and soft. You’ll find it here: Fleece Microfiber Throw.
I burn a lot of candles during the wintertime and my favorite is by Woodwick. I love the crackly “fireplace” sound that they make as they burn–it’s such a soothing, comforting sound. ♥ My favorite scent is Fireside, but really all their scents are wonderful. You’ll find Fireside with a crackling wick here: Woodwick Fireside Candle. I want to try their Warm Woods Trilogy, that sounds wonderful! You’ll find a bunch of their other scents available here: Woodwick Candles.
I’m not a “hot” beverage drinker but one hot beverage I do enjoy during the fall and winter is hot chocolate. This salted caramel and chocolate cocoa sounds delish and has great reviews. You’ll find it here: Land O Lakes Salted Caramel & Chocolate Cocoa.
I just ordered this Chocolate & Cocoa combo for my son, Dil, and grandsons. I’ll be visiting them very soon, so I’m looking forward to trying it while I’m there. Ghirardelli is famous for their rich, delicious chocolate, and the reviews looked really good for their hot chocolate. I love how it comes with its own scoop! You’ll find this Ghirardelli Chocolate & Cocoa here: Ghirardelli Chocolate & Cocoa.
Warm gloves are a must for winter and I really like these thermal gloves that are designed to work well with cell phones. Plus, they have an anti-slip side which means they should work well when driving. There’s currently a 30% off coupon available so I purchased a pair for my son. These would also make a great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer. You’ll find these available here: Thermal Gloves, Anti-slip, Work with Phones (30% off Coupon).
Talbots has an awesome 30% off sale going on right now and it includes free shipping! So I stopped by their website to see what they have in stock for fall/winter. I love this turtleneck with the button detail on the sleeves. I have one of these from many years ago and have always loved this style! This top is available in 8 different colors and on sale 30% off here: Turtleneck with Button Sleeves.
Cute, cute sweater! Love the deer design. ♥ You’ll find it on sale 30% off here: Deer Sweater.
Beautiful cashmere sweater set! It’s available in 3 different colors, I think the red is definitely my favorite. This would be perfect to wear to a Christmas party. You’ll find it on sale 30% off here: Cashmere Sweater Set.
I love a cable knit cardigan and this one looks extra cozy. I really like this soft cream color that would go with anything. I need this for my wardrobe! You’ll find it on sale 30% off here: Cable Cardigan in 3 Beautiful Colors.
One of the styles that Talbots offers almost every year are either jeans or corduroy pants with an adorable embroidered design. Over the years I’ve purchased jeans with embroidered umbrellas, hearts, bows, and corduroy pants with acorns and leaves. I love them so much! This year they have these gorgeous emerald green cords with embroidered Christmas design. Sooo cute! As soon as this post goes up, I’m shopping the sale and ordering these along with a few other things. You’ll find these embroidered corduroy pants on sale 30% off here: Green Corduroy Pants with Embroidered Christmas Designs.
One more thing to check out…their stretch corduroy jeggings. I live in these during the winter months! You’ll find them on sale and available in 6 colors here: Stretch Corduroy Jeggings.
I’m off to shop the sale, I’m afraid it may end tonight…hope not! Happy shopping!
Great Christmas gifts. I make gift baskets, so the cocoa is a plus. Tonight I bought butter cookies. One store had candy bars last year to match candles at Michael’s.
I keep thinking about the extension cord with USB outlets you shared recently. My daughter always says her cord is too short.
Don’t forget “Susan’s Favorites” on a side bar. Imagine a big gift basket with all those favorite cleaning supplies you share with us as a gift for a bride or new home owner. Or- your favorite candles and the throw.
I know, I need to do that. Thanks for the reminder, Myrna.
XXX
The heated commode seat surely sounds nice and comfy. I have been looking for wool socks. My friends could not believe my elderly mother wore wool socks in the summer, thinking they would be hot and scratchy. Actually, everyone’s feet get damp, winter and summer, so the wool allows feet to dry. Wool is wonderful. I sleep with a wool blanket next to me all winter, no sheet. It is not scratchy or hot. Now, I want a queen-sized, pink, wool blanket. I found a company on the internet that sold one, but forgot where I found it.
Oh, the towel warmer sounds like a real luxury.
I have issues with the skin splitting at the tips/edges of my nails. I have tried so many things, Working Hands, Aquaphor, etc but nothing helps. I have the issue year round since I crochet, quilt, garden, etc but it intensifies during winter. I think the yarn and fabric absorb oils from my hands. I will definitely try your recommendation. I want to try the candle too. Last time you mentioned it, it was unavailable for a long time and then it slipped my mind. I don’t mind winter so much as long as it doesn’t snow. I’m the snow shovel person and I hate it. All the gloves I’ve tried lets water/snow in the seams. I’m so thankful we had a mild winter last year. Only had to shovel a few times. Hoping for a repeat but can’t count on it. I don’t want a big bulky glove or mitten for shoveling. One thing on my list is a heated mattress cover. I stayed at my friends one fall and she turned it on before bedtime. It was so cozy, comfy without waiting for your body heat to warm the bed and covers. I turned it off about 15 later because I didn’t want to overheat. Have a great weekend.
Sandra, Cutemol is very different from Working Hands and Aquaphor. I had tried so many things before I found Cutemol. Sandra, when you put on Cutemol, do it when you won’t be touching or picking up anything for about 10 minutes. It’s super thick/rich but it does dry completely, it just takes about 10 minutes to fully dry. The directions say to apply to moist hands so it’s great to apply right after you’ve had your hands in water and have just dried them off. Since you have issues with splitting, after you wash dishes or gets your hands wet for any good amount of time, I would reapply, at least in the beginning. Also, make sure to get it on your fingertips especially. After you’ve been using it awhile, you may not need to reapply every time you wash your hands. It is amazing stuff! Let me know what you think about Cutemol after you use it! I hope it works because I know how painful split fingertips are!!!
I love heated mattress covers too–as long as I remember to cut them off after getting into bed. Otherwise, I have terrible nightmares if I get to hot while I sleep. Ever since I started using flannel sheets on my bed, I haven’t used my heated mattress cover since my flannel sheets don’t get cold the way regular sheets do–and I love how cozy they are.
I received my Cutemol and I love the way it goes on and feels. I like the other two but Aquaphor is like vaseline and stays that way. Time will tell how well it works on my fingertips. I have dry itchy skin that gets bumps, not acne, but I scratch them and it bleeds. I put a dab on each spot to soak in and then I spread it out on the rest of my arm or upper back where I tend to get these itchy lesions. My cats don’t like the smell and I’m not crazy about it but the smell disappears shortly after putting it on. I’ll keep you informed.
My daughter-in-law mentioned that one of my grandsons gets these little bumps on his arms and that she had tried everything for them and nothing worked. She said the cutemol completely made those go away. I wonder if it’s the same type thing. I would keep applying it on those little bumps just to see if it helps. Anytime you have your hands in water during the day, if it feels like it has washed away some, take a little dab of the cutemol and put more on your fingertips. I don’t know how it does it but somehow it locks in the moisture and just makes a big difference. Let me know how it works for you over the next few weeks. You should start to see improvement very quickly and hopefully you won’t get any split fingertips.
I’m not sure how it locks in the moisture either but one ingredient I don’t see in other lotions and creams is the beeswax. Lots of ingredients I don’t know about. So far I’m not itching as bad but it will take time for my “raw” skin spots to heal. If they don’t itch, I won’t scratch them & that was a big issue. I bought a tube of cutemol sensitive cream too and it’s not as thick but I put it on my arms a couple times a day. I like the thicker stuff in a tub but this I can carry in my purse zipped in a baggie in case it leaks. When I worked, I got eczema on my hands and I think it was from stress because I haven’t had an issue since retiring. Dermatologists prescribed all kinds of USELESS EXPENSIVE prescribed creams. It would start out as teeny tiny blisters under my skin, usually on my finger joints, then they would pop and ooze that started intense itching. It felt like the itch went to the center of my bones! I tried not to scratch, tried wearing gloves and I kid you not, I kneaded my gloved hands so bad they still bled through my gloves. My hands would scab over and crack and bleed then clear up. It was a nightmare-good thing I didn’t work in the food industry with such disgusting looking hands! I went to a new PPO and he asked if anyone ever tried a cortisone shot and I said no. He gave me one in my upper arm and within 2 days the itching stopped (I was in mid cycle). As long as I got in to see him as soon as I seen the blisters and got a shot (no more than 2 times a year I think he said) I never got the itching stage and avoided the whole horrible cycle. Once the blisters start to pop they itch but it would still help cut the cycle short. The years I suffered before that! So I have extremely sensitive skin. I can imagine a child getting itchy skin…I remember measles and Mom always yelling “don’t scratch!”. It’s hard as an adult not to scratch let alone a child. I hope he doesn’t get those bumps anymore. I’m going to start a cross stitch project and usually that would make my finger tips split and bleed. I’m hoping this will prevent it.
You probably have more cooler and cold weather than I do here in Southern California. It rarely gets cold enough for me to wear heavy sweaters. But our summers can be very hot, triple digits for weeks on end. So I welcome fall, and since I ski, I welcome winter too. Although there is no snow or rarely even frost where I live, I go up to the mountains to ski. I love the look of all those beautiful winter sweaters though.
Great ideas for gifts! I purged my closet and swore I would not buy another thing….then went to Talbots to buy a gift card for a friend and ended up with a great sweater at those wonderful sale prices. So many beautiful things….Happy Shopping !
HI Susan, Ahh….cold weather is my fav, I know I am the odd one. 🙂 But to keep warm, I am eyeing a new down comforter and, actually, that heated seat is really tempting. I have so many warm weather clothes that I KNOW I don’t need anything more….but….Talbots always has tempting things! I love this cozy time of year, and always look forward to turning on the fireplace and making soup! Happy Fall!!
I live in Southern Florida now but when I lived in a colder climate, I converted one of my bathroom ceiling lights to a heat lamp. It made the bathroom so cozy when I was getting out of the shower. I would have loved a towel warmer too.
Lin, I love that idea! I wish I had more than just one light in my bathroom area where the shower is, would love to do that!
Do you hand wash your merino wool socks? I’ve been eyeing these socks for years, but keep hesitating because it says to hand wash only. Would love to know if you throw them in the washer and if so, do they shrink?
No, I just wash them along with my other colored clothes, then hang them to dry in the bathroom. They dry quickly, normally overnight. These are the ones that I’ve purchased for myself and my DIL. https://amzn.to/3FWga7U. I purchased several packs of six pairs a few years back and they are pretty much all I wear throughout the winter. They last a long, long time. I haven’t purchased any new ones the last two years. After I wash/dry them, I don’t bother to pair them up, just toss all of them in the same drawer and grab two each morning to put on during the fall/winter months. After you’ve worn merino wool socks, it’s impossible to go back to regular socks. They are so incredibly warm. When I was in Ohio, toward the end of my trip there, it got really, really cold. On the flight home, I was sitting somewhere, can’t remember if it was in the airport or on the plane now, but I noticed that my feet and lower legs were warm (wearing my merino socks) and my chest, back and arms were all warm–I was wearing one of my long duster-style Naadam cashmere sweaters. I remember thinking the only part of me that’s cold is the part that doesn’t have wool covering it–which was my upper legs/thighs. I was wearing denim jeggings at the time. I probably should have had on corduroy pants! lol
Thanks for the reply Susan – I’m going for it!!