Two dissimilar words came to my mind the other day. They were, “Reassuring and surprising.” They promptly moved into my brain as I was laying on my bedroom floor to do some stretching. I do stretching on the floor for my back, since sitting at a desk all day can make you as achey as I imagine Heidi Klum’s permanently stilettoed feet must feel. (And even heels when preggers? Really now!)

After I’d been laying on the floor like an idiot, feeling unfairly lulled into a pre-dinner nap, I moved my head just enough to catch a glimpse of my cat lying on the floor near me. She’d been out of my eyesight before, and since shopcat’s ninja-quiet, I hadn’t heard her at all. Knowing that she was there made me geek out a bit, and that’s when I decided my feeling of this was that I was surprised but also reassured. It’s not totally unexpected to see Shopcat lurking somewhere I don’t expect her to be. And the sight of her is always welcome (well…not while I’m in the shower – and yes, that has happened). The idea that she would curl up to me, especially when I’m feeling a little low, reassures me that she feels affection towards me. And yes, I’m weird and I crave approval and affection from my cat! I’ve noticed that she follows me around wherever I go very trickly. (I’ll look up and notice that she’s on a chair nearby me while I’m watching Netflix goodies, or that she’s appeared on my bed while I’m organizing my socks.)

So, that warm feeling of seeing Shopcat there with me was surprising and then instantly reassuring. And I really like those two words paired together. Since I’m always thinking about what to write here, I wondered if there was any way to group items as being both surprising and reassuring. As you maaay have realized, I obviously did. Since I’m about to tell you!

I’ve made a list of items that I find bring out that feeling of being surprised then reassured.

1. Gilmore Girls. Gilmore Girls episodes that I’ve already seen surprise and reassure me by how easily re-watchable this show is. I think that quality is due to how witty and fast-paced it is. I only own one season (the 7th – the worst season!) but you can watch them on THEWB.COM for free! Yay, free stuff.

2. Soft Socks. I recently bought two pairs of Aloe Socks by Earth Therapeutics. I got mine at Kohl’s for $8.00 each. You can also get them online @ Amazon. These socks are so soft that if you forget you’re wearing them and take a moment to focus on your feet – it’s amazing to realize how comfortable you truly are.I want to note that I didn’t really take much note of the aloe factor for the socks, but I did find they were terrific to put on after I lotioned up my feet. So really, any super soft chenille sort of sock could work.

3. Apple Chips. So delicious, but low in calorie. Mmm. If you get in the habit of eating them, you start to think you’re cheating on your diet. But you’re not. Genius! I like the regular ones, or cinnamon ones.

4. New Pillows. When you get new pillows, every night you’re surprised at first by them since you’ve been out of bed all day. And then you become happy with your decision to purchase them. I’ve been experiencing this ever since I bought two new Calvin Klein pillows on sale at Marshall‘s. They are SO fluffy! Softer pillows are great for people who sleep on their stomach/side – which is what I do. They were a great investment, and I got two for the price of what just one was at another store. (I secretly think that the Leachco Snoogle Body Pillow looks awesome, haha. And it has amazing reviews! But apparently these are for pregnant moms, blah blah. They get all the fun. Har. …And omg, the Snoogle Loop looks even more cool. You could use that in bed to watch TV. Ungh. Wants. I want it just so I can say “Just let me go get my Snoogle.” )

6. Lippy that lasts. Whether you want a lipstick that lasts, lipgloss that lasts (good luck) etc – it’s great to find a product that really works for you. It’s such a surprise to look in the mirror two hours after you’ve left home, only to see that your lip product is still there and working. One product that I’ve found that works for me is the Cover Girl Outlast Lipstain. But you still should do some layering to make the color last. When I wear it, I always put some sort of sheer lipstick over it. Lipliner is another great thing to help color stick and stay – no matter the product. The color I have for the Lipstain is the #400 “Everbloom Kiss”. It’s my favorite of all of them. I’ve also tried #410 “Bit of Blossom” (nice, a medium raspberry) and #445 “Cinnamon Smile” (a little too dark/muddy for a fair complexion).

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