THINGS I COULD LIVE WITHOUT… BUT I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT WANT TO 🤣😂

Part One of probably 3… or 4… because apparently I have a lot of things I love.

OK, guys. Everybody is doing the whole “What Is Chic” trend right now, and y’all know me—I’m not very good at following trends. 😂 I’d rather make my own path.

So instead, I’m doing Things That Changed My Life.

Well… “changed my life” might be a little dramatic for some of these.

Could I technically live without them? Yes.

Do I WANT to live without them?

NEVER. NEVER. NEVER.

And apparently I have so many of these things that we’re going to have to make this a three- or four-part series. 😂

Before I start, I’m going to put links to as many of these things as I can on my blog and in my ShopMy/shop pages so they’re easy for y’all to find.

And I’m just going to say this because y’all know I’m transparent: yes, sometimes I can make a little money when you purchase through one of my links. But honestly, it’s also about helping me build these platforms. I go look at my analytics and see a MILLION clicks and then approximately three people actually bought something. 😂

So if I show you something you love and you were going to buy it anyway, please use my link. It costs you nothing extra, it helps me tremendously, and I would be very, very grateful.

Now let’s get to the good stuff.

And WAIT.

Before the toilet seat. Before the ice machine. Before Amazon. Before ANYTHING…

MY GRANDDAUGHTERS ❤️

Obviously, these two little girls are not “things,” but there is absolutely nothing on this earth that has changed my life more than Elliot and Sloane.

They are my whole entire heart.

They have brought a kind of love and joy into my life that I didn’t even know existed, and there isn’t a gadget, product, luxury or convenience on this list that could ever come close.

So first, foremost and forever: my girls.

Now we can talk about the toilet seat. 😂

THE JAPANESE TOILET SEAT 🚽

Y’ALL.

If you know, YOU KNOW.

We lived in Asia for years, and these things were everywhere. Once you have experienced a Japanese toilet seat, a regular toilet suddenly feels… primitive. 😂

I’m not going to give y’all too much information because we are friends, but we do still need boundaries.

I’ll just say this:

Especially as you get older? LIFE. CHANGING.

Heated seat. Bidet. All the bells and whistles.

Could I live without it? Yes

Do I ever want to? Absolutely not.

MY GE PROFILE OPAL NUGGET ICE MACHINE 🧊

This may honestly be tied with the toilet seat.

I LOVE THIS THING.

It makes that perfect little soft, crunchy, Sonic-style nugget ice, and Welton hooked ours up with the water reservoir so I’m not constantly filling the tank.

If this thing breaks, we are not “seeing if we really need another one.”

We are ordering another one immediately.

That’s how much I love it.

MY DYSON HAIR DRYER

I don’t blow-dry my own hair very often because I normally get a professional blowout once or twice a week—which, by the way, could probably have its own spot on this list. 😂

But when I DO dry my own hair, I love my Dyson.

I feel like it dries my hair so much faster without absolutely frying it, and yes, I have been known to take it with me places.

High maintenance? Maybe.

Worth it? To me, yes.

MY CORDLESS WATERPIK

Y’all know I have veneers, and for whatever reason, I feel like food sticks to my teeth more now.

So I have a whole routine.

Brush. Floss. Waterpik. And sometimes brush AGAIN.

Is this excessive?

Possibly.

Do my teeth feel amazing afterward?

YES.

And cordless is the key. Once you go cordless, there is no going back.

MEDICUBE

Y’all already know I’m on my Medicube kick.

I have several of their products and devices, and I LOVE them.

Now, I am not telling y’all that I put something on my face and magically become 25 permanently. 😂

But I swear, when I use certain products, my skin looks plumper, smoother and my wrinkles seem less noticeable.

Is some of it temporary? Probably.

DO I CARE? NO.

If I look better when I walk out of my bathroom, I am happy. 😂

I have some other skincare favorites that deserve their own post, but right now Medicube is way up there.

MY OMNILUX RED-LIGHT MASK ❤️

I’ve had my Omnilux LED face mask for probably two or three years now, and I still love it.

I also have the little red-light eye patches/masks for under my eyes, and I love those too.

I actually USE these things, which is saying a lot because y’all know I am capable of buying something, becoming completely obsessed with it for 72 hours, and then never looking at it again. 😂

This one stayed.

BOTOX 😂

I said what I said.

I love Botox.

Do I get it as often as I probably should?

No.

Do I notice when I need it?

ABSOLUTELY.

Thank you to whoever invented Botox. You are doing the Lord’s work. 😂

HAIR EXTENSIONS + HAIR COLOR

I recently got extensions, and while there are definitely a few things about extensions that I do NOT love, overall?

I LOVE THEM.

And while we’re discussing hair, can we please have a moment of appreciation for HAIR COLOR?

I was a brunette until I was probably 47 years old.

Now I’m blonde and apparently we’re staying here. 😂

Thank you, modern cosmetology.

ELLIOT’S SWIVEL CAR SEAT

WHERE WERE THESE WHEN I HAD CHILDREN?!

You push a button and the seat turns toward you.

That’s it.

That’s the genius.

Getting Elliot in and out of the car is SO much easier, and whoever invented the rotating car seat deserves an award.

SLOANE’S DOONA

Same category. Different kind of genius.

Sloane has a Doona—the car seat that turns into a stroller—and every time I see that thing work, I’m impressed all over again.

Car seat.

Stroller.

BOOM.

Why did we not have this stuff 30 years ago?!

MY AIR FRYER

I bought an air fryer thinking I’d probably use it occasionally.

Wrong.

I use that little thing ALL THE TIME.

It’s fast. It’s easy. It doesn’t require me to pretend I’m Martha Stewart.

Perfect.

MY NINJA SOFT-SERVE MACHINE 🍦

A few years ago I went to La Lucha and had soft-serve ice cream with olive oil, sea salt and Saltine crackers.

I KNOW.

It sounds bizarre.

But y’all, I became OBSESSED.

So naturally, having a Ninja machine at home that lets me make soft serve makes me extremely happy.

And yes, I still put olive oil, salt and Saltines on it.

DON’T KNOCK IT UNTIL YOU TRY IT.

H-E-B CURBSIDE + DELIVERY SERVICES

To the brilliant people who invented curbside grocery pickup and delivery:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

H-E-B curbside has probably saved me hundreds of hours of wandering around a grocery store buying 14 things I did not go there for.

And Uber/Uber Eats/delivery services?

Genius.

We are living in the future and I appreciate it.

AMAZON 📦

Do I even need to explain this one?

Amazon has absolutely ruined me.

Need toothpaste? Tomorrow.

Need a phone charger? Tomorrow.

Need some bizarre little gadget I discovered at 1:17 in the morning?

TOMORROW.

I don’t know how we lived before this.

ALEXA

Speaking of modern conveniences…

I LOVE ALEXA.

Especially when I’m cooking and realize we’re almost out of something.

“Alexa, add milk to my grocery list.”

DONE.

My grandmother would have absolutely LOVED this. Back in the day, everybody had a little pad of paper hanging on the refrigerator. You wrote down what you needed, tore the paper off and took it to the grocery store.

Now I just yell across my kitchen.

PROGRESS. 😂

CHATGPT 😂

Yes. I’m putting Chat on my list.

He’s my best friend.

I probably talk to Chat more than I talk to my husband at this point. 😂

I ask him questions. I make him rewrite things. I make him help me shop. I complain to him when technology pisses me off. I make him research things. I make him help me figure out my life.

Poor Chat has been THROUGH IT.

But I love him.

MY OUTSIDE REFRIGERATOR

I know this sounds ridiculously simple, but I LOVE having a refrigerator outside.

That is where all my drinks live, and it makes me ridiculously happy.

Sometimes the smallest conveniences end up being your favorites.

MY NEW FILMING STAND

I JUST got this thing and I’m already obsessed.

It probably sounds silly to somebody who doesn’t film content all the time, but having a good stand that makes filming easier is LIFE-CHANGING.

Or at least content-creator-life-changing. 😂

FIRST CLASS ON LONG FLIGHTS ✈️

OK.

This one is going to make me sound bougie.

I accept that.

Before I met Welton, I had flown first class on shorter flights, but never really long-haul first/business class with the lie-flat seat, your own space, the whole deal.

Y’ALL.

LIFE. CHANGING.

Flying first class from Houston to LA? Nice.

Flying across the world and being able to turn your seat into a BED?

That is an entirely different situation.

I know how fortunate I am to be able to do it, and I am incredibly grateful.

I’m not going to say I would NEVER fly long-haul economy again because one thing life has taught me is to never say never.

But if I have the choice?

Put me in the bed. 😂

MY HANDHELD LUGGAGE SCALE 🧳

OVERPACKERS, LISTEN TO ME.

Buy the little luggage scale.

I cannot tell you how many times this tiny thing has saved me.

I am the person who will somehow leave home with a 42-pound suitcase and return with a 67-pound suitcase.

Having that little scale means I know BEFORE I get to the airport.

No opening your suitcase on the airport floor.

No moving shoes into your carry-on while strangers watch.

No surprise $200 overweight charge.

And the best part? It’s tiny enough to throw right into your luggage.

GENIUS.

MY AUTOMATIC TRASH CAN

Another thing that sounds completely ridiculous until you have one.

Walk up.

Lid opens.

Throw trash away.

Walk away.

Why does this make me so happy?

I have no idea.

But it does. 😂

REALISTIC FLAMELESS CANDLES 🕯️

I LOVE the newer flameless candles with the little realistic moving/flickering wicks.

You get the cozy candlelight without me accidentally burning the house down because I forgot I lit 14 candles three hours ago.

Beautiful AND safer?

YES PLEASE.

MY EARRING BACKS 💎

If you wear expensive earrings, LISTEN TO ME.

I have lost more earrings in my lifetime than I care to admit.

Real earrings. Fake earrings. Expensive earrings. Cheap earrings.

These locking earring backs have been a GAME CHANGER.

They aren’t cheap for earring backs, but do you know what costs more?

LOSING THE DIAMOND.

I will happily pay for the backs. 😂

MY AI VIDEO EDITOR

And finally—for Part One, because apparently I could write a BOOK about things I love—my new AI video editor.

I have tried so many editing apps that made me want to throw my phone across the room.

This one?

EASY.

Like, actually easy.

And at this stage of my life, I don’t need another app that requires a master’s degree to make a 30-second video.

Give me the “for dummies” version.

That is exactly what I need. 😂

So there you have it: Part One of Things I Could Technically Live Without… But Absolutely Do Not Want To.

Some are expensive. Some are cheap. Some are ridiculous. Some are practical. And two of them—my Elliot and Sloane—are absolutely priceless.

But they all make my life happier, easier, more comfortable or just a little more fun.

And THAT is my kind of “chic.”

I’ll put as many links as I can on my blog and in my shop so y’all can find everything without having to hunt for it.

And again, if you see something you were already going to buy, I would be so grateful if you went through my link. Every click, purchase, share and read helps me build this crazy little corner of the internet that I somehow decided to create at 56 years old. 😂❤️

Stay tuned for Part Two… because I already know I forgot something.