Product Placement

We are about to move back to Corvallis. There are certain things I will miss about Saint Helens, but for the most part I'm ready to move. Whilst packing up all our possession, It's really given me time to reflect on all the great things we own. And sometimes when you have great things, you just want to praise them. Unfortunately, all of these great things are inanimate objects and have no capacity to appreciate my comments, but hopefully you will. 

Top 10 House Hold Items The Beesleys Recommend

10. One Style Sock- Some people believe there is a laundry monster who eats your socks in the dryer, creating a frustrating black hole of endless unmatched socks. whether real or fictional, it does not matter if you only have one style of sock. All of my socks are from Forever21 and look exactly alike. All of Patrick's socks are from Hanes' Goodwill line of "Slightly Imperfect style Socks" and look exactly alike. I'm not kidding, that is literally what they are called. Although, each sock is slightly imperfect and unique, my 20/20 vision can't tell the difference between any said pair.

9. Quick Dry Towels- We recently bought a whole matching set of towels. They were 50% off at Fred Meyer, so we got them for $4 each. We bought them because they were fluffy and soft, but still felt absorbent. When we got them home, I realized they are quick dry towels. Usually when I'm washing towels they take so long to dry, but these ones dried at the same rate as the other clothes. So great.

We got purple towels. For some reason, the color purple always makes me think of the Marchants.

8. Bulk Spices- Winco sells spices in bulk. Fantastic idea for anyone who doesn't want to spend $6 for a lifetime supply of Coriander. And here's a little fact for you: apparently, ground spices have an average shelf life of 6 months.

7. LA's Totally Awesome Laundry Pre-Wash- It's like Shout, but it's a dollar at the Dollar Tree. I was skeptical about it because it was at the dollar store and because the name is so ridiculous, but it got amazing reviews. In my experience, it works just as well as Shout.

6. Cheese Grater- We recommend a cheese grater with a box to catch all your cheesy goodness. We got one from Kitchen Aid, but we just saw an even bigger one at Ikea that was really neat too. The box helps contain the cheese and it's easier to grate, with less chance of slicing your finger.

5. Safeway Just for U- I'm a die hard Winco fan, but when we moved to St Helens the only shopping options I had were Safeway and Walmart. This Walmart has a very limited selection of food, so I shop at the overpriced Safeway. But here's the thing, Safeway just came out with the Just for U program/ app. They show you all their deals and you get even more coupons for using the app. It makes shopping at Safeway a little less heartbreaking when I get to the check out. Also, I get gas rewards points to Chevron and Safeway gas stations. I'll take it.

4. Silverware- Yes cavemen, I recommend using silverware. Patrick and I both grew up in households with the 5 piece silverware: knife, big fork, big spoon, little fork, and little spoon. Since we don't host elegant  five course meals daily, we decided to cut the frill and just get one size of knife, fork, and spoon. It makes life just a little bit less complicated. Plus, have you noticed that silverware trays can't get their act together? I swear the standard cutlery tray has 4 vertical slots and the weird baby horizontal one in the back. Whose silverware are they catering to, no one likes using the back of their drawer.

3. Powdered Milk- I buy powdered milk from the bulk section of Winco. It's really handy if you run out of milk or if you are using a recipe that uses a lot of milk and you just don't feel like pouring half the jug in the bowl. 1/3 powdered milk + 1 cup warm water = 1 cup milk. Warning, don't use for drinking (tastes gross), just cooking/baking.

2. Oxo Good Grips Smooth Edge Can Opener- We purchased this can opener shortly after we were married because it is the best can opener I've ever used. It was $21 which is pretty spendy for a can opener, but so worth it. Well, when we used our brand new can opener, it sucked! We were prying off aluminum lids for a good 6 months. Boo. I finally wrote an email to Oxo about how disappointed I was and they gave us a new one! Apparently they will replace any of your Oxo products if you send them the product and your receipt. The new one works like a charm and I'm now a more loyal fan of Oxo.

1. Toaster Oven- By far the best product we own is our toaster oven. It is awesome! I wouldn't know how to survive without it. The one we have is extra special because it is a baby oven, but it also has a purely toaster function on top. I love it because it's like a really fast oven. Just the other day,  Patrick fit an entire Totino's Pizza in the toaster oven.

 So here's to hoping that all our stuff makes it through this move in one piece. And here's also to hoping that Patrick will do a satisfactory job at driving the U-haul. Although, a part of me is also hoping he mildly dings the truck a bit so that the U-haul insurance we bought will be worth it. 

Is that bad?

An actual picture of our stuff in the back of a U-haul.

By the way, we're doing great. We went on a picnic for lunch last week. Hi!