A Few Of My Favorite Things – September 2015

Favorites copySeptember is over, so I guess that means that autumn is officially here. It’s one of my favorite seasons, but now that I’ve said it, I realize that I say it about each season. I’m decisive in most things, but not in this, since each season has its own charm:).

I like to share a few of my favorites each month with all of you. I share all kinds of things – cooking tools, household items, baby things and anything else that makes life easier and I really enjoy. Some of my monthly favorites aren’t things at all. I hope some of these reviews will help you find products that are helpful to you, as well as saving you money on trying multiple other products, like I did. If anything, you can just read my thoughts and see if it’s something you would be interested in. I would also love to hear about your favorite things, so please share. 

1. Calphalon Stainless Steel 6 1/2 quart Soup Pot

81F-3HmNLhL._SL1500_This is a favorite all year long, but especially during the cooler months. I use it every week and sometimes more than once. It’s the perfect size for many things – soups, braises, rice dishes, meat dishes, etc. Some of my ultimate comfort meals are made in this pot. I bought mine at Home Goods a few years for a fraction of the cost. It’s just a tad bigger than my favorite Le Creuset Dutch Oven, which I equally love, but I know that this one is more affordable for most people. It sears meat perfectly, since it has a heavy, fully clad bottom, which makes it distribute heat very evenly. If I had to get rid of all my pots and use only one, this is the one I would choose.

2. Chef’s Choice Knife Sharpener

418cmyuTLjLI strongly believe that a sharp knife is one one of the most important tools for any cook. A dull knife is a lot more dangerous than a sharp one, even though it sure doesn’t seem like it. You are much more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife. Having a good quality knife sharpener will make sure that your knives are always sharp. My husband sharpens my knives for me, and every time he does, be both marvel at how awesome the knives are. They are sharper than a brand new set, which is perfect. If you invest in good quality knives, they should last you a lifetime and having a knife sharpener will help you maintain them in the best shape. This machine is very simple to use and does a phenomenal job. The knives slice through a sheet of paper like butter once you sharpen them.

3. Knife Dock

KnifeDock-10058432_xI used to keep my knives on my counter in a knife block when I had a much smaller kitchen, since I didn’t have any available drawer space. I LOVE this knife dock. It means that my counters are less cluttered, and this knife dock can store a large variety of all kinds of knives. It’s not too large, so I can fit it into a drawer that is on the thinner side. Almost all the drawer knife organizers that I found were much wider and were wooden. I really like that the base is made from plastic, so I can wipe it down very easily. I am currently storing 8 knives in my knife dock.

4. Munchkin Bottle and Nipple Brush

41hWTXpu8wLI wash bottles all day long, and I’ve used several different bottle brushes and this is the one that I like the most. It’s thin enough that it can reach everywhere very easily and doesn’t feel bulky, but it’s not flimsy at all. Screwed into the bottom of the handle is a very handy nipple brush. The price is great too. I take mine with me even when we travel.

5. Parenting with Love and Logic

51Q4P6nPSVLI bought this book many years ago when we were starting our adoption process. It was recommended my many other adoptive parents. No, this book is not about adoption at all. It’s a parenting book that has a very unique approach, by using both love and logic to parent. Duh, that’s what the title says:). On one of our drives from Florida to New York, I started reading it aloud to my husband and we got through the whole thing while driving. It was so good that we breezed right through it. I would recommend this book to any parent. Since I’m a brand new parent, I want to read as many books as I can in this subject. If you have any recommendations, I would love to hear them.

Non-Material Things

  • Nathaniel 7 months-1-23Nathaniel got his first two teeth in September. I still haven’t been able to finagle a picture, since he refuses to cooperate with me. He looks so cute with his two bottom little pearly whites:). Finally those fussy nights and cranky days revealed what the struggle was all about. Every stage has its own special moments and I’m enjoying every one of them. He is showing his fun personality and makes me smile every day. Every morning I wake up with anticipation of spending the day with my little buddy. I love being a Mom.
  • Screen Shot 2015-09-04 at 2.14.52 AMThis past month Sergi and I started leading a small group in our church for married couples, which we call Building Your Marriage To Last For a Lifetime. We have really enjoyed getting to know all the people in our group. We have really great discussions every week and it’s awesome seeing that all of us want to make our marriages the best that they can possibly be. Sergi and I pre-recorded a video for each session, so that was a lot of work but so much fun to do together. We talk about marriage expectations, different personalities, communication and resolving conflicts, marriage and money,  going through hard times as a family, romance and intimacy and the purpose of each of our families.
  • Untitled designA Bible verse that has been meaningful to me this month is Psalm 33:4. “For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.” The whole chapter is one of my favorites; I learned it all by memory when I was a little girl and it still encourages me so much to this day. It’s so comforting to know that God and his Word never change and He is faithful through the ages. I have personally seen his faithfulness in my life over and over again. 

What are some things you have been enjoying this month? I’d love to hear some of your favorite memories, books and songs too. My favorite part of writing these posts is that I get to look back on the month, reflect on everything that happened and it gives me another chance to count my blessings.

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. This simply means sometimes I recommend a product or service and if you choose to purchase that product or service from my recommendation, I will get a small referral commission. Of course, this is at no extra cost to you but it does help to pay a tiny bit for the work I put in to creating recipes and sharing tips with you. I really appreciate your support. Thank you. The main intent of this post is to simply share my experience with you, so if you happen to find a great deal on a product I recommend at a garage sale, anywhere else online, or at a store, by all means, take advantage of it:). I won’t be mad, I promise. 

 

 

12 Comments

  • Luba

    One of my September favorites is your Zucchini Couscous recipe! I was eating it along with your Easy Baked Chicken Wings recipe while reading this post. 🙂 Mwahaha, can you tell I love your blog? Thanks so much for taking the time to write all your posts!

  • yelena

    That’s so cool that you guys started a group about marriage together!! Seeing some of those videos would be amazing!!
    Your blog is one of my most trusted favorites!
    Thank you for taking the time and sharing your favorites with us!

  • Natalia

    Thank you Olya that you share with us what you like ! I like your blog a lot ! Thank you for pouring your heart here !
    Also I would recommend couple of really great books on parenting topic : Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp and Age of Opportunity ( a Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens) by Paul Tripp . Both of them were translated in Russian and could be bought at slovostore.org

    • Natalia

      Also my friends who are young moms highly recommended another great book-“Don’t make me count to three!’ by Ginger Plowman . It makes the focus of discipline of heart and unpacks how to use the Scriptures for both encourigment and reproof.
      I watched some of your videos with my husband. We enjoyed them a lot even we are married 27 years already. It is so wonderful that you both already gained such wisdom from God in your young ages! Be a blessing for many for His Glory!

      • olgak7

        Thank you so much for sharing, Natalia. All those books sound great. I’ll have to look into them.
        I really appreciate your kind words about the videos.

  • Nata

    Love your posts! I would love to see those marriage videos! You should read to train up a child.I learned alot from that book.

  • Inna

    You know I really enjoy your blog and love that you started to include monthly favorites! I am a new mama too and its interesting to see what other mamas like! God bless you!

    • olgak7

      I’m so glad that you are enjoying these posts. I enjoy them a lot on other blogs and Youtube channels, so I hoped others would enjoy them here too.

  • Natasha S

    Hi Olga, thank you for all your posts, I really enjoy reading them and learn lots of useful information. You have mentioned importance of quality knives, I am currently looking to replace my old knives. What brand would you recommend? Thanks again for everything you do.

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