Monica's Favorite Things 2007

We really don't watch much television since the only channels we receive are the local station that may or may not be visible on any given day. So we have become fans of the library and $1 "Nearly New" rentals at the corner rental store. But this past year we've taken a step up to Netflix. We have thousands of choices right at our fingertips and an unlimited amount of time to return them. No more late fees. No more getting out of the warm bed to return the DVD. We have enjoyed some classics and documentaries that would not be available anywhere else. We are slowly working our way through the Heartland Film Festival award winners and loving it.




This is the only TV series that I am currently still trying to watch. Watching The Unit is like watching an action movie every week that's neatly tied up within the hour without the shock factor gore. It's a little bit MacGuyverish which is fun. And the good guys always win. But I mostly appreciate how it supports our military and the hard choices they make in fulfilling their duty as well as the story line that revolves around these men and their wives. The biggest bonus is that this is a series that Sean and I enjoy watching together.





This book has been the most challenging to me this year. I have begun to work through it with a friend that is currently in nursing school. It is refocusing me in my Christian worldview as it relates to the nursing care that I give each week. And I've only read the first few chapters! The way it's going, it might be on my list again in 2008.






This Bible Study is one that I am going through with my oldest daughter and another mom/daughter from church. It is a study centered around Proverbs 11:22 "Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion". Each chapter expands on this theme as well as introduces a different way to dig deep into the Word. It has been a great platform for discussions and convicted me personally of areas in which I lack discretion.








I have been a longtime fan of the beauty school to access affordable hair cuts for my family. The Regency Beauty Institute moved into our neck of the woods this year and it exeeded my expectations. It was classy, professional and cheap! $9.00 for a wash, cut and style. They gave my kids the royal treatment and even served me something to drink.

SO3(g) + H2O(l)	H2SO4	H2SO4(l)

This is my long lost friend sulfuric acid. If I had only known the powers available to me via this small white bottle than my life would have been so much easier this year. Beginning in July we've had a toilet problem in our master bathroom that has been my nemesis. It constantly backed up it's putrid contents to the point that we stopped using it all together. (This however, did not prevent the children from doing so). All I could imagine was a Thomas the Train stuck sideways in the "S" curve of the toilet being a gatekeeper to all that might pass by. We had done everything short of taking the thing apart. I do, however, attribute my strong right arm to the workout afforded me by plunging the thing. I discovered the sulfuric acid wrapped in thick plastic at WalMart and decided to give it a go. After being nearly scared to death by the warning label, I poured, heard some terrible bubbling noises and waited the fifteen minutes. ( I did spend those fifteen minutes rinsing my hand with cold water because one minuscule drop splashed on my finger and nearly ate a hole in my hand). But when it was time, the toilet flushed like a dream and has ever since.




Out on DVD this year, Miss Potter. It was nothing short of delightful. I laughed and cried and found myself swept away into the story of Beatrix Potter. I even watched it a second time (a rarity for me) with my older girls. They loved it, too. This is a DVD that I'd be proud to own.






My kitchen floor is white vinyl and a thorn in my side. Even when it's clean it doesn't look that way. It had turned a dingy and faded until....Armstrong floor stripper and cleaner. It's like a whole new lease on life when I wake up in the morning and my floor smiles back:)








This is the product that has rocked the world of this curly headed family. Aquage is the product that I have waited for my whole life. I could go on and on, but I already have.





Before this year CVS was just another corner store of overpriced goods. I was quite familiar with the pharmacy drive through, but little did I know the deals which were waiting inside! I started blogging to have a forum to bless my family, but I had no idea all that it would entail. Through the savvy of other bloggers I've been challenged and guided through the process of living well within our budget. CVS has been a huge part of that. Since beginning shopping there in late October we have purchased roughly $200 at CVS on everything from diapers to photobooks to dish soap to Diet coke and milk. And we've saved over $650!! What a blessing.