My Stand Bys

In other words, crap I cannot live without. One of my favorite Bloggers, Amanda at MODG Blog, did this crazy cool list of baby products and paraphernalia she needed to have for her six month old (and all the stages in between). Peeps, I don't even have a baby, and I was licking that list up. Then she did a follow up list of things she needed to survive for herself having a six month old baby, and all her readers were like "preach". I mean, once Oprah made this sort of of stuff famous with her Favorite Things, we were set up for life. Without further ado, my list...

Every year I go to the Costco Scholars breakfast. It is actually not that great. They have weird food, and I am forced to small talk with higher up people at local companies, who seem really disappointed that I am an English major, and stop talking to me. The highlight of the event is at the end, when I go around my table and take the like 250 page stack of Post its (and the centerpiece). I have been known to take two or three at a time, and bequeath them to family and friends. These post its are my life. I literally use them every day. I write my to do lists on them. They're portable and huge so I can write a lot. Plus they're super cute because the base is a Costco pallet. In addition to these beauties, I also own a stockpile of free post its that I store in my desk. I truly never have to buy any again. I love organization.

Rubbermaid White Ice Cube Tray, $2

I am spoiled. At home, we have an ice dispenser that serves cubed or crushed ice straight from our refrigerator door. But before we moved here, we didn't have a fancy schmancy fridge. And at school I use a straight up old fashioned ice cube tray. For my Coke in a bottle (obsessed!). I love the way it makes it foam, ok tangent aside, if possible I would take one of these to a desert island (well, and I guess er some fresh water). 

iPhone4 Defender Series Otterbox, $49.95

I have, uh, kind of bad luck with phones. Not only do I use them to death, but I have been known to drop them in running water or leave them in a Macy's bathroom for someone to take and then Macy's doesn't call me back til a month later. Or whatever. So when I got my iPhone in February, I decided I was going to protect it from everything. This case has three layers: the clear piece of thick plastic that goes over the screen, the plastic white cover that encases the phone, and the pink silicone that goes over that. It may make the phone three times bigger, but its indestructible. 

Burt's Bees Chapstick, $3

My lips are unnaturally chapped these days. I am not huge on slathering chapstick on, usually because I forget. But Burt's Bees is my go to lip saver when my lips need to be smoothed. For some awful reason I have misplaced both my Burt's Bees lip balm and my back up, the lemon lip balm from Bath and Body Works. So last night I had to make do with classic Chapstick and it just wasn't the same.

Longchamp 'Le Pilage- Small', $125

Normally, I have the habit of changing my purse every other month or so. I am not exclusive either, I will switch up Juicy Couture Day Dreamers with a tote bag I bought at Urban Outfitters two years ago. That all changed in December when I got my Longchamp Le Pilage for Christmas. I have been carrying this purse in Billberry (a deep plum, not like the ugly green color above) for a record shattering six months. I LOVE it. It's versatile and I get tons of compliments on it. It's also really classic, trendy without being so trendy that I won't be "in style" a year from now. It's timeless. More importantly, the material it's made from is easily cleaned so it rarely looks dirty. It's smaller than what I normally carry, but still fits a lot in it. So recommend it!

What are the items you cannot live without?!