These are a few of our favorite things

A week or so before the RWA conference last month, I realized I needed a full-length mirror. Up til then I'd been making do with standing as far back from the bathroom mirror as possible or even catching my reflection in the sliding glass door. But that wasn't cutting it, so I went on a search for some sort of full-length mirror that would hang over a door.

I live in an apartment now and while they don't mind that I put nails and screws in the walls for art work and curtain rods, I thought they might frown on the mounting hardware for a mirror on a door. I'd dearly love a cheval mirror, but I have no room for it. As luck would have it, I found the perfect mirror at the first store I visited. Once home I pulled out my handy dandy pink girly tool kit (a gift from the Playfriends) and prepared to mount the over-the-door hooks. Then I spied a little package of something else and discovered something I think is one of the greatest things since sliced bread.

Command Picture Hanging Strips.



They use the same adhesive technology as regular Command strips that allow you to hang things damage free on walls. But these picture hanging strips are like Velcro with the Command adhesive on it. I decided to try this because it would give me a more finished look. I stuck the Velcro-like pieces together, pulled the liners off and positioned one on each corner of the mirror. Then I pulled the rest of the liners off and positioned the mirror on the back of my bedroom door. I held it in place for a minute, them gently lifted from the bottom and pulled the mirror away from the door. One set of strips stayed on the door and one on the mirror. An hour later I stuck the mirror back up and fully expected to hear it come crashing down in the middle of the night.

The mirror's still there.

Yesterday I put a cork bulletin board on the closet door in my office/spare bedroom. It's still there too.

These little things are FABULOUS! I've loved the regular Command hooks since they came out, but the picture hanging strips are now on my list of favorite things.


I figured others had favorite things too, so I polled my Facebook friends and some other friends on various Yahoo loops and have compiled a list of things that make like special or easy. I told them up front to just skip computers, cell phones and DVRs because those are a given.

Here, in no particular order, are the responses I received:

~ Digital camera
~ Handheld calculator -- my first one in 1975 cost $25 and only had 4 functions. Now they give away free ones that will also compute percentages and square roots.
~ Cordless phones and answering machines
~ Ball point pens
~ Birth control pills
~ Polio vaccine (and any other vaccine too)
~ Superglue
~ Disposable diapers
~ Fluoride toothpaste and fluoridated water
~ Sunless tanning lotion
~ Microwave oven
~ Wireless networks
~ Caller ID
~ Fleece
~ Microfiber
~ Electric kettle (I know I love mine)
~ Memory foam
~ Netflix
~ GPS
~ Post It Notes
~ Mechanical pencils
~ Remotes -- car, TV, garage door
~ My own washer and dryer as opposed to visiting the coin laundry each week
~ The Popeil Pocket Fisherman (I have some weirdo friends)

But my absolute favorite answer was this:

Yeah, I rather like the ones in my bathrooms too. I'm old enough to remember the chamber pot my grandmother put under the end of the bed at night because the bathroom was off the backporch and unheated.

What are YOUR favorite things? What makes life special or easy for you?

One commenter will win a book from the stash I brought home from the conference!