All of the recent comments about the Keurig coffee makers got me thinking about a few items that I think are really neat gadgets to own. As I have mentioned before, my husband enjoys gadgets, which means we have many! So, at the risk of sounding materialistic, here are just a few of my “why-didn’t-I-think-of-that” things:

1) Head Flashlight >>> Our local electric company has us on a faulty circuit, which goes off more than several time a year. It’s truly frustrating to look outside and see that it is always our side of the street that has lost power. This gadget is great! We keep several of them in different locations, so that when (not if!) our circuit goes out, at least we can see what we are doing. (Also, on the occasions when we need to carry Sprite outside in the middle of the night, these head flashlights make it possible for us to have our hands free to carry our “puppy” in and out.) (I got four of these flashlights for Christmas one year, I think it was the Christmas after I got four fire detectors for our home… I’m easy to shop for!)

2) Keurig coffee maker >>> I absolutely did not want this coffee maker! But, my husband’s office moved to a new location where it made it impossible for him to go through a drive-thru for his daily coffee. We have programmed this little gem to turn itself on at 6:00 am, he pops a K-cup in, and he’s out the door with a 12 oz. travel cup of hot coffee in about 30 seconds. I actually held out for several months before I started using the Keurig, but finally got rid of my Mr. Coffee machine. We opted for the Keurig with five cup sizes because my mom has a Keurig with only two size settings, which I find a little limiting. Sometimes I want a “a more expresso” type of coffee, in which case I set it on the smallest cup size possible. We are now enjoying all different types of tea, as well as the most delicious 70 calorie cup of hot chocolate imaginable. (This was my husband’s birthday gift… Easy to shop for him, also…)

Let’s see, I know there are a few other things we use every day…

3) Sage TV >>> This thing is more like a “do-it-all” DVR to me. Again, I balked at getting this. (I am notorious in my family for being a very set-in-my-ways technologically impaired person, who never wants to move ahead with the times!) But, I can honestly say that I am now the person who uses this Sage DVR thing the most. (If my husband had taken my balking seriously, we would still be using VHS tapes — That’s how much I complain about having to learn a new device!) Getting back to this Sage thing… You should see my “Favorites” list: Claudette Colbert, Barbara Stanwyck, Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Judy Holliday, William Powell, Melvyn Douglas, Jimmy Stewart, Norma Shearer, ETC. Any time one of their movies plays, my Sage records it. I don’t have to rely on the schlocky shows the networks play when I have movies with all of my favorite actors. The movies were made before I was born, but I love watching them anyway!

4) My Top Loading Washing Machine!!! >>> I tried and tried (for around four years) to like my front-load washing machine, but NEVER got out of the “Hate It” mentality. It simply did not get our clothes clean. My husband did some research, finally found we could actually still buy a top load washing machine, and he then bought it for me. The TRUE translation for this is that he got tired of my weekly complaints about the new HE (Healthy Environment/Dirty Clothes) washing machine.

I wish I could get back all of the shirts I turned into rags during those four HE front load washing machine years!!!