by Amy K. Bredemeyer
I've seen several blogs that do "Thankful Thursday" once a week (and others that do "Wordless Wednesday" for that matter), where they list things that they're thankful for. I haven't jumped on that bandwagon on any of my blogs (which, by the way, I'm up to four. might I throw in a quick plug for my Restaurant Review Blog - www.thecasualeater.com), but I often think about specific things that I love and want to recommend to others. Similarly, Oprah does this every year. I heard about it a few years ago when she famously gave away a car to everyone in her audience. Since today is the final episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, I thought that I'd take a look at her last list of "Favorite Things" from November 2010.
A watch: I hate it. I think it's ugly. The oval face is okay, but the two clocks is weird to me.
A tote and ballerina flats: okay, take them or leave them. But it disturbs me that a flannel tote can cost $250.
A camera. The Nikon D3100, to be specific. I'm not into fancy cameras, but I'll call this one a winner.
A sweater & throw from Ralph Lauren. another annoying item, in my opinion. I love a fancy sweater as much as the next gal, but I'm not willing to drop $500 on one, so I'm a bit bothered by choosing it as a "favorite thing."
Earrings. I love earrings. I feel like I wear them well. I have three holes in each ear, so I have plenty of options, LoL. But, again with the $500 per item thing... no.
Haircare products from Andre Walker. I know nothing about this line. But, at a modest price of $65, I'll celebrate it. Maybe even look into it.
Panini press. eh. We got one for our wedding and have never even opened the box. We had a George Foreman grill (which, you know, is kinda similar), but sold it since we never used it. So, $100 on a panini press isn't something I'd go for, but I do think that others may enjoy it.
Cutlery. A good knife isn't always easy to find. We LOVE our cutlery, so if Oprah supports some, I'm glad people will have a standard to branch from.
Macaroni & Cheese. This is one of my husband's favorite foods. We buy it from Costco, LoL. We've gotten it at restaurants on more than a few occasions. But spending $29 for one package seems a bit extreme to me. However, if it is truly Oprah's favorite mac & cheese, I'd be glad to receive it!
Books. One by Jay-Z and one weight loss book. no comments from me.
Netflix. I have it. I love it. But, 5 years is a long time, why not just get people a 1-year subscription? Kinda flaunting money, I say.
A 52" TV with a Blu-Ray Player. Cool. 100% support this one.
Kiva Gift Card for $100. Pick a small business to support, for as little as $25. Pretty cut-and-dried. Good job on letting others choose who to help!
Closet System. I've had two now, both were installed before I had the rooms. And, I've hated both. I support the idea, but think that it's such a personal thing that one person's closet system doesn't work for another. But, if you're figuring out your own decision, cheers!
T-Shirt. you know, to commemorate the final year of the show. cool.
Pants. Well, I would argue that $98 is awful high for lounge pants (I'd believe it for jeans or dress pants), but I bought the softest pair of lounge pants in the world last year. They were on clearance and were like $7, marked down from $88. And I wish I had bought more. So, $98 pants sound good to me!
A Royal Caribbean cruise with airfare on United. I'm in love. I wish I was in the audience just for that. My husband and I have taken four cruises and can't wait for our next!
A CD. from the Black Eyes Peas. Love them. Love CDs. Done deal.
iPad. While I personally haven't figured out what I'd use a tablet for (I mean, I am already checking email before I get out of bed on my phone. I'm thinking an additional internet device is overkill!), I have come to understand why other people enjoy them. And so, kudos to Oprah on this selection.
A Purse. from Coach. not in love with it, but I know people pay $400 for such items. I mean, if it was a kate spade, I'd probably be thrilled, LoL. Thumbs up.
A Tunic and Leggings. Simple in concept. And, $300 for the tunic isn't that outrageous. But, I draw the line at $260 leggings. #FAIL.
Hope in a Jar. It's a moisturizer. 8 oz is over $100. A bit pricey for my tastes, but if that's what Oprah likes, so be it.
Lingerie. More specifically, a $500 gift card to buy lingerie at Nordstrom's, PLUS another $500 card to pass on to a friend! That's a lot of money for lingerie. But, it ain't cheap, and I'm sure that Nordstrom's has pricey items, so it probably balances out in the end. Hoorah for good bras!
Herb Savor. A great idea. It keeps herbs fresh for weeks. And, it's reasonable. approved.
Tin of popcorn. When I was a kid, we got a tin of popcorn every Christmas. And, the cheese flavor went the quickest. Well, Oprah chose Garrett Popcorn from Chicago, and the tin was filled with the cheese kind and the caramel kind. Sounds like a great choice... and then you find out that it costs $135. I'm pretty sure the tins we got were more of a $10 (maybe $20) deal.
Cookware. As someone who had a larger wedding (175 in attendance), one things I was hoping to open the next day was the pots and pans we registered for. They weren't there, amongst the piles of wonderful things. But, we got gift cards a-plenty, and now have a very full line of pots and pans (I say "very full" because we ended up with "bonus items" because we bought the big set and stuff). And, we adore our set. We mention is once a month or so to one another. And, our pans weren't cheap. So I fully stand behind Oprah's selection of $600 Le Creuset cookware.
Jeans. Miraclebody Jeans. $110, and they claim to make you look 10 pounds slimmer. I'd be willing to try them on, and though $110 is a bit more than I'd want to pay, you could convince me to if they lasted! Nice choice.
$100 donorschoose.org giftcard. This I can definitely get behind. I donated some money through donorschoose last year, since I enjoyed the fact that I could choose exactly who got the money and what for (and I could judge their entry based on grammatical coherence, haha). They also emailed me a couple times to let me know when they reached their goal, how the project worked out, and (my project helped a specific classroom) some notes from the children who were aided by my gift. Yay.
Croissants. $40 for 24 minis. Sounds like a bit much, but if they're really fantastic, I'd believe it! We have a good french bakery near us, and since it's not cheap to buy delicious pastries ready-made, I totally believe that $40 would be worth the price if those croissants are that good!
Teas. I'm not a tea person (I'm a hard-sell on most hot drinks, though I never turn down hot spiced cider!), but my husband's family enjoys it quite a bit. And, while we tend to keep some tea in the house, it's certainly not the kind that Oprah chose ($150? really?), but I respect her pick.
Another book. This one is full of inspirational bits, meant to give you daily doses of hope. Okay, cool.
And that's the list. Which items would you want? Do you disapprove of any of the selections like I do?
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