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Amazon Goddess.

By: Jen Shoop

A friend of mine once told me she shared her Amazon Prime account with her brother and it was just a leeeetle TMI.  So funny to think how the digital age has enabled new forms of intimacy, right?  I remember when Mr. Magpie suggested we share a cell phone plan before we were even engaged, and it gave me a tingly feeling — “oh, so this is serious.”

I was thinking about what my Prime orders say about me in particular the other day because I was scrolling through past orders looking for something and I noticed how dramatically our orders have changed over time.  Sorta like my musings on what your grocery bags say about your lifestage.  At any rate, I thought I’d share my most recent Amazon order…plus some of my absolute favorite Amazon purchases over the past many months, and items on my wishlist, too.

My Last Amazon Order.

+Philips Avent bottle warmer.  This was on my registry and marked as purchased, but it never made its way to me — and it didn’t matter much, anyway.  Mini has always been un-particular about the temperature of her bottles — slightly cool, room temp, warm — it all goes down fine.  BUT.  We just transitioned from formula to milk and she, understandably, hates a fridge-cold bottle.  And I, understandably, hate boiling water and then sloshing a cold bottle around in boiling water for a few minutes first thing in the morning, when she’s fussing for her bottle.  Problem solved.  There are some negative reviews, but one consistent: this is the fastest bottle warmer on the market, and will heat a bottle in under 3 minutes.  Done and done.

+Lee Raziwell book.  I’m nearly done with the two-part History Chicks podcast on Jackie O. and have found it both riveting and devastating.  Do not listen if you’d like to retain some illusion of the happy life of Jackie and Jack Kennedy.  HOLY COW.  This podcast really exposes some of the many skeletons in the Kennedy family closet.  (Did you know Jack didn’t even want to marry Jackie?  That Jack suffered from horrible scoliosis his entire life and, when not on camera, was often in a wheelchair?!  That Jackie survived not only a stillborn birth but the death of a baby two days after his birth?!  Oh my God.  The tragedy of her life is…!)  WTTW: the narrators on History Chicks take a minute to get used to; it’s sort of like two gossip-y friends talking through history, dwelling on certain indelicacies, judging historical figures for their decisions, etc.  But they really get in there, giving you a detailed and behind-the-scenes look at some of history’s most famous women.  At any rate, after listening to the podcast, I’ll often pause and spend some time looking up pictures of the moments and figures they’ve mentioned, and I’m now obsessed with Lee Radziwell and her incredible style.  I had to order her beautiful book, which I’m excited to pore over in bed, and then display in our blue-centric living room.  (Shown at the top of the stack on the coffee table above!)

+Mr. Clean gloves.  I automatically get a new shipment of these every month — a good reminder to toss the current pair.  These are THE BEST (super soft lining, super thick!), and the key to extending a manicure.

+A keepsake Bible I’ll be giving as a gift at a Baptism this weekend.  This is darling, and I was impressed with the quality.

+Chicken salt — finally back in stock after being sold out for weeks!!!  Can’t wait to put this on popcorn and fries!

+A reusable snack bag for mini — I’m actually using it to stow her little toothbrush and toothpaste by the dinner table, because (shame on me!) it’s so easy to forget this step if I don’t do it just after she’s finished dinner.

+Mini’s Easter basket stuffers: a pair of sunglasses (she’s obsessed with mine), a toy egg set (<<reviews!), an Easter book, and plastic Easter eggs, to be filled with Puffs.  (All of this will go into her new Easter basket/bag, a genius design for those of us short on space, as it can be folded up!  More Easter suggestions here.)

My Favorite Amazon Purchases.

I still stand by all of these picks (amazingggg, all of them!), but a couple of more recent additions:

+Party Gear: for mini’s birthday, I ordered tons of great stuff on Amazon, but I especially loved these darling cupcake boxes, which I used to house mini’s cupcakes and give away as party favors, and these pretty napkins.

+Travel: these compression bags, which are great for storing dirty laundry, and these wipes, which I use to wipe down plane seats, stroller, etc, while on the go.

+Home: Hoover Linx cordless vacuum (currently on sale for $99!) << I love this thing for our Manhattan apartment.  It stores upright (!), takes up virtually no space since even the “foot” is narrow, and charges via removable battery.  (Don’t underestimate the importance of how it charges — a lot of other lightweight competitors need to charge against a huge charging pad, or while laying down, etc, etc.  With the Linx, you have a small charging unit that plugs into a wall, you remove the battery from the vacuum, and charge it on its own.  GENIUS for those of us short on space.)  It wheels around with ease, is incredibly lightweight, and has decent suction.  The only drawback for me is how frequently you need to empty the chambers and unclog the suction section, which can easily get clogged with hair/dust bunnies/etc.  It’s a totally fair tradeoff for its tiny footprint, though!

Rowenta iron.  I’m so glad I upgraded my ironing game — I had no idea what a disservice I was doing to my clothes before this iron! I use this ironing board, which I like because the dark cover shows no stains, and it does not wobble!  (So many of the ironing board reviews complain about wobbly legs!)

I also — so random — love my OXO Clip-On Dustpan.  Another great innovation for those of us short on space.  It clips onto basically any broom and has this rubber tip that means all of the dirt particles actually get into the dustpan (!).  I know this sounds weird, but I’ve had dustpans that don’t lie as flush with the ground, and it takes like 23 swipes to get the dirt into the pan!  (I bought this broom on the great reviews of The Wirecutter, and don’t think it’s anything special, TBH.  I find that the head of the broom keeps loosening from the stick and I’m always screwing it back on, which annoys me.  I would buy the OXO one the next time around — OXO seems to know what’s up when it comes to design.)

Shelf risers.  These are SO high-quality — super sturdy! — and they really make the most of our limited cabinet space!

+Personal: water carafe (makes me feel like I’m staying at a spa and encourages me to drink more water) and this lipstick organizer.  Also bought a big roll of Kraft paper and used this green grosgrain ribbon to wrap all Christmas presents this year — cheap and easy and chic, and I still have like half the roll of Kraft!

+Kitchen: the best oven mitts ever (the silicon tips mean you can hold onto a piping hot pan for several minutes without a problem, but they’re still pliable!) and my mise en place set (<<so amazing; they stack; you can use the longer end to scoop things up; and they are dishwasher-safe).

+Random: Tree Genie.  OMG.  Do yourself a favor any buy this while it’s off-season and on-sale (currently $100, was $129 when I bought it).  This is MAGICAL — Mr. Magpie and I always used to get into horrible fights when putting the tree up because it was such a royal pain to use those cheapie plastic stands with the metal screws.  This is super-easy and super-sturdy.

My Amazon Wishlist.

+I need some new cooking inspo — this Alison Roman book is on my radar (she is everywhere these days!), as is Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, which just won the IACP cookbook award.  I looked through it in the preview tool online and I like that he has a section where he proposes menus.  I loveeee when cookbooks do that!

+New pillows.  I don’t know what happened, but during our move, we either lost our good bedding pillows or they deflated while in transit, but Mr. Magpie and I wake up every morning angry about our sad, flat pillows.  I’ve heard good things about these and these.

+Mentioned recently, but I want a new set of tupperware and am looking at these.

+Rowenta garment steamer.  I steam a lot of my clothes and am now a Rowenta fangirl.  This has been in my cart for like three months.

+Dr. Brandt magnetight mask.  I’m so curious about this stuff!!!  You use a magnet to remove the mask!

+This spa-like shower bench, since our shower has no cut-out in it for shaving!

P.S. ICYMI — my favorite sunglasses (under $70!) were re-stocked and are now on back order, but you can still get a pair!!!

P.P.S.  More of my favorite home gear.

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13 thoughts on “Amazon Goddess.

  1. I spent a couple of years obsessively reading about the Kennedys – the book Kennedy Women stands out among them, as does America’s Queen! – and neeeeed to download the History Chicks podcasts so I can refresh my memory about Jackie. She has always fascinated me.

    So many good picks here – gotta order that tree stand, and I am intrigued by chicken salt … !

  2. The toy eggs are such a great purchase. Both my daughter and son loved these as babies and used them in their play kitchen later. Seeing these in your post makes me miss that age so much!

    1. Aw!! It’s hard for me to believe it, but I’ve had to retire a number of mini’s toys/items recently — pacifiers and rattles and chewing rings that she just does not pick up anymore…time flies.

  3. Love all your picks! Re: cooking inspiration, if you don’t have Jody Williams’ cookbook Buvette you are missing out. It’s one of my favorite wedding gifts from my best college friends and it is such a beautiful book! Not only is it a comprehensive and delicious cookbook, it is a real pleasure to flip through for inspiration. xx

  4. I’m downloading those podcasts for our drive today, and you MUST add Nemesis to your reading list if you’re into Jackie/Lee. It’s a fascinating (and gossipy) look into them during the Onassis years, and I could not put it down.
    Stealing your toothbrush trick! That’s GENIUS.

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