My Favorite Things

This Christmas, I received from my sister and my mother, possibly the best gift I've ever gotten. When we were talking on the phone about what to get each other for Christmas, I was like "You know what, I have way more money than you, and I feel guilty when you buy me things, so why don't you just make me a list of things you would get me if you had all the money in the world."

Well, I knew that my sister wouldn't heed that advice, so of course a package comes full of Christmas presents... but... there was also a binder that accompanied said presents. The binder was titled "Oprah Winfrey Presents: My Favorite Things - Christmas 2007: By Laura and Mom." To let you know how awesome this whole thing was, I'll rewrite the first page for you here:

"Please Read Before Starting Your Christmas Adventure!!

Danielle and Mike-

First of all, Merry Christmas (and happy belated birthday!). This year, Santa sent his favorite little helper, Miss Oprah Winfrey, to help Laura and Pam (henceforth referred to as "Mom") select their favorite things from the past year and send them to you as gifts this Christmas.

In order to begin this adventure, you must first unpack all gifts from the shipping box. As you will see, each gift has a number on it {there were 11 of them - D}. The numbers on the packages denote the order in which the packages should be opened. I strongly suggest (and so do Oprah and Santa) that you do not open the packages until this booklet tells you to. This folder has been put together (with lots of hard work, I might add) to ensure that you get the maximum amount of enjoyment out of your gifts.

If you have questions or concerns (or simply wish to express your gratitude) feel free to call the customer care center at the number provided.

Yours Truly,
Mom and Laura
Customer care representatives

Questions? Concerns? Call XXX-XXX-XXXX {Number blacked out to prevent you from calling my sister to demand presents yourselves - D}. Operating hours may vary.

As you can imagine, my excitement level was high. So I had to wait until I had read through each one, and open the presents in numerical order so that I could read their accompanying binder instructions, which were accompanied by witty descriptions, comparisons to pop culture icons, and some really fabulous illustrations. Also, there were some gift cards embedded on the pages, so I got to open the hand-made envelopes just like those awesome books I read as a kid that contain different letters and things that you get to interact with. Honestly, the presents themselves were actually pretty fabulous, but my husband and I were so entertained and touched by the effort that went into the binder that it pretty much made our holiday...

Anyway, the whole point of that two paragraph diatribe was really to introduce a new feature of my often neglected blog. My Favorite Things. And no, it's not going to be bullshit luxury items like "Uggs" or $700 hand creams. Although there will possibly be some luxury items on the list, it's not so much a list to inspire people to buy me gifts, but a way for me to remember the things I've had that seem extraordinary. Additionally, although they will necessarily be in some kind of order, they are not ranked in order of preference.

So. to inaugurate the Favorite things, here are a few that I know are absolute favorites.

Smith Brothers Farms Chocolate Milk: Smith Brothers Farms is a local dairy that raises their own cows, and makes their own dairy products. The result is absolutely AMAZING. Now, i will drink just about any chocolate milk, since "Chocolate Milk" on its own could certainly be on my list. But Smith Brothers takes it to a whole 'nother level. The milk itself is amazing. The cows are fed grass from local providers, and the dairy controls the entire process, so they know what goes into their product. The only milk I have ever tasted that surpassed this milk was in Canada, and we all know how much better their food is than ours, anyway. So, if you like chocolate milk, and you're near Seattle, you should really try SBFs chocolate milk. It'll change your life. Or at least taste really awesome.

Smith Brothers Farms Sour Cream: No, I am not being paid by SBF to promote their products, I just happen to love them. Their sour cream is the best sour cream I've ever tasted. It's thick, and subtle, but it tastes so good, I could just eat it right out of the carton and be fine. What's really awesome, is that SBF still has residential milkmen who will deliver this stuff to your house on a regular basis. AND the price isn't much higher than in the store. It's awesome. I can't say enough great things about them. I've driven past their farm, and the cows look really happy. If California has happy cows, the ones in Kent, WA must be ecstatic.