Schnitzel with Noodles

"Doorbells, and sleighbells, and schnitzel with noodles. . . ." Are you humming it yet?

I thought I'd post a few of my favorite things, along with some explanations of these particular items. I hope this doesn't come across as materialistic -- it's not. I think the lure (or pitfall) of materialism is to always want MORE. These are things I cherish. With a few exceptions, I only have a quantity of one (1) of these items. Amassing the entire world's inventory of them? That would be materialistic. . .and expensive.

So, here they are, in random order.



Two of these three items were wedding presents -- well, one was a wedding shower present. The "Chicken" is a cutting board that I received at a bridal shower held for me by my coworkers at Wheaton College. A very lovely lady named Pat Swindle gave me this cutting board. I have used it nearly every day since it was given to me almost twenty years ago. It sits where it has always sat in my kitchen -- directly behind the kitchen faucet. It's just a fun, funky backdrop to the sink. I cherish it. I use it. I love it.

The heavy blown-glass salad bowl was a wedding present -- from Kris & her son Jason. They attended Community Christian Church with us -- and we really cherished getting to know them. I remember, when we received the gift, it was wrapped in Big Bird Christmas wrapping paper. Jason, I recall, wanted to help wrap it -- and he was 3 or 4 at the time. It's a beautiful bowl from the "Little Traveler" in Geneva, IL. I have heard of, and seen this store -- but have never ventured inside. I would love to go sometime -- and see this (obviously) wonderful shop.

My KitchenAid Mixer is truly one of my prized possessions. I use it to make everything from bread to cookies, to meatloaf and cheeseballs. I got it a few years after we moved to TN -- back when we had a membership to Sam's Club. I fear the day that she gives out. I noticed - while making pizza dough the other night - that the motor is starting to run hard. I don't like the sound when it does that. But, I have told myself that if a new mixer is necessary, I will treat myself to either a sunflower yellow one -- or a stainless steel model. We'll see. I'm not doing any shopping -- yet. I love my mixer and I will be very sad when she gives up the ghost.


This wreath was made for me (and Mark, of course) by my mother-in-law a few years ago. It has five (5) miniature baskets on it, which she wove herself. It also has five primitive stars -- made of homespun material. You have to know that two of my very favorite things in the world would be primitive (misshapen) stars, and homespun material. When we first got the wreath, it hung above our bed -- old house -- evergreen walls. Looked mighty nice in there. In our new house -- and it's been almost two years, I don't think it's new anymore -- it hangs in our living room. It's actually kinda between the living room and the office. I can turn 90 degrees from the computer (here) and see the wreath. . . and when I walk out of the kids end of the house -- it's what I see.

Well, you know, if Sam Waterson isn't on Law & Order, or something.

The year that she made my wreath, I believe she made 14 others. That's right. . .you do the math, I'm tired. Fifteen wreaths x five baskets + five other decorations. Each person's wreath was made to reflect their tastes, or backgrounds.

I love my wreath. I love the stars. I love the baskets. I love my mother in law.



Okay, this is actually some "newer" of my favorite things. The white "barn" star in the background sits along the wall on my kitchen counter. I found it about a year ago, when I noticed a store with lots of primitive decor was going out of business. I found the large, black barn star that hangs over our bed (another post -- another favorite). . .and this white star. Initially, it hung on the wall in the kitchen, but it's just tall enough to fit between the countertop and the underside of the cabinets. It's perfect.

The cutting boards -- yes, I have more cutting boards. The small cutting board was a Christmas present this past Christmas, from my in-laws. It's made of bamboo - a renewable resource. It's small, portable, and just cute. I really enjoy using it -- and have been known to cart it over to the stove top (flat, solid surface -- another favorite thing for another post) and chop veggies on a cool burner surface. The "bread" cutting board is one that Mark found for me -- and I really like it. I honestly don't remember where and when he got it -- maybe on his trip to NY a few years back??? Regardless, it's a great cutting board -- and although my OCD tendencies make me want to only use it for slicing bread -- I use it for all sorts of stuff. (Especially if the other two cutting boards are dirty!)

Lastly, my blue bowl. A few weeks ago, I went shopping with my friend, Janet. She's another officianado of primitive decor. She and I hit up an antique/craft store out in Farragut. A lot of the booths had crap -- if I'm honest. But, there were a couple booths that totally rocked. One of those booths had this bowl. It's not an antique. In fact, you can probably find it through a place like Domestications or Gooseberry Patch. I just love the depth. I adore the color. The weight is just right. And when I need four (4) cups of bread flour to make those amazing chocolate chip scones . . . or when I need to mix up a box of brownies. . . it's just the right size.

Not to mention how adorable it is when used to serve a bowl of popcorn!!

So there you have it -- a few of my favorite things. I have more. I will post them another time. Of course, my family counts on the list -- and my church family, my Savior, yadda yadda yadda. (No, I did not just yadda yadda Jesus!)

But, these days, as we're trying to spend less -- and not indulge ourselves in more stuff, it seems to be a great time to celebrate the things that we already have that we love.

That's all.