Yesterday Megan of www.blog.disorder2order.com tagged a few people and asked what 8 things simplify your life. Here is that list plus 2 more:
1. My husband – he does so much for me to make my life easier. He is always asking, “What can I do to help”. How did I get so lucky? He does the dinner dishes every night, vacuums and mops the floors, takes care of all those pesky house repairs, he’s my web master and technical support, and all around go-to guy. Don't want to imagine life without him.
2. Computer – I can’t imagine life without it! To go back to paying bills with a check, or balancing my account manually terrifies me. Or, not being able to Goggle when I want to find or research something—can’t fathom it!!
3. De’Longhi Rialto One-Touch Super Automatic Espresso Machine – Bye bye Starbucks—saved thousands of dollars last year!! Both my husband I were dailies at Starbucks, sometimes twice a day. That really adds up over a year. We decided Christmas of 2007 to buy one gift for both us—our De’Longhi Rialto. Now we can have Starbucks quality drinks anytime without leaving home!
4. Dishwasher - for the breakfast and lunch dishes my husband doesn't do :)
5. iPhone—it wasn’t love at first touch, but I finally can text with the best of them. Plus, how did I ever live without being able to read e-mails away from my computer? Total addict!
6. TiVo—this year’s Christmas gift. I love how I can with one click schedule to record my favorite shows for the entire season—how cool is that! However, I am watching more and more TV these days and getting less and less sleep.
7. FreedomFiler filing system—love, love, love the easy retrieval of paper information and the rotating and removal features of this file system.
8. My Lucy brand clothes—comfort, style, and fun all in one clothing line.
9. Washing Machine - I can set a delay start on mine--love that feature!
10. Dryer - aka the dewrinkler machine because I rarely iron!

Thank you for asking!

I can only think of 3 things that would be irreplaceable, beyond the obvious people and pets: The CDs containing the zillions of photos from birth on of my 3 yr. old son, our wedding photo album, and my huge notebook full of clipped and compiled recipes for everything I ever cook!

Probably the one thing that I can't live without in my home would have to be my $3.99 Ikea fleece throw. I don't know how I survived so long without it. I've always had a fleece throw but this one is by far my favorite. It's so comfortable.

I second Cathy's choices of wedding photos and recipe binder....I'd also have to say all my cookbooks (many of them hard to find), my photo albums (one of these days I swear I'll get around to transferring all my old negatives over to digital images) but most importantly an old trunk that was built by a sailor during WWII and given to my grandfather - a dentist - in lieu of monetary payment for the dental work he did. It's been passed down to me and contains as much family history as I can put into a single space.

I'm going to have to go with Sue and say my teddy bear, Griz, that I've had as long as I can remember. Though he's missing an eye and looks a little worse-for-the-wear, he still has the primo-spot on my bed.

my children's photos, childhood album and wedding photos...truly any all photos..
fav blanket
computer
artwork by my kids

In no particular order:

-- iPhone: it was a Christmas gift but it already has my entire life in its little brain.
-- Favorite pair of skinny jeans: they are a constant motivational source for me after I have this baby!
-- Scrapbook albums: I put way too much effort into those things for them to burn to a crisp!
-- Sonicare toothbrush: seriously, brushing my teeth with a normal one now just doesn't seem like it is doing anything.
-- Grandma's quilt: it doesn't go with my decor but it still feels like part of her is with me when I use it.
-- Terry cloth bathrobe: My SIL buys me a new one every Christmas and I use it every day. I hate going on vacation without it but it is far too bulky to pack!
-- Tivo: How could I possibly watch television without it?
-- Craft supplies: I have honed my collection over many years. I can't bear to think of my Cutter Bee scissors melting!
-- Complete set of original Nancy Drew books: I devoured these as a child.
-- My laptop: my job and the rest of my life is in this thing!

1) Corner Cabinet that my grandmother gave me with her tea cup collection that she collected from all over the world
2)my G5
3)the antique iron bed I slept on when I was little
4)my Pottery Barn office collection (i waited 2 years to purchase it)
5)my Nikon D70s
6)my grandfather's camera
7)christmas ornaments
8)all photo albums
9)series of 4 watercolors of "Silly girl" that I bought in ShenZhen, China (would remind me of all of my trips overseas to China)
10)my jewelry box

10) The ocean - I've never lived far from it and never will
9) The news - we are not individuals, we need to know whats happening around us at all times so we can support and get involved where necessary
8) My camera - documenting life's magic is a wonderful thing. I need to do it more than I already do, but if I didn't have the ability at all, I'd be lost
7) My car - everyone who is important to me is over an hour away. I would walk if I had to, but thank goodness I don't.
6) The internet - its how I stay connected and sell my wares
5) My eyes - there is a lot to experience in this world that we don't *necessary* have to see to experience, but damn if it doesn't make the whole thing a lot better!
4) Music - such an inspiration to play and to listen
3) My hands (how would I create things then!!!)
2) My dog, Mira
1) My boyfriend, Bryan

I just blogged about it! Every must have for a fashion blogger! Check it out: http://www.stylistdiva.com
xo
Bree
p.s

this suprises me to say because i'm not really someone who owns nothing--in fact i have so much stuff from cleaning out our parents' estates in our home and in storage.....that i think i'd give it all up rather than pick anything, even the pictures....

one thing you learn for sure when you clean out a dead person's house is nobody takes it with them...and all those precious pictures? if they are not labeled well no one has a clue who they are and you throw most of the old pictures out because there are just too darn many and no one cares about great mama's second birthday party....really....they are fun to look at but in the end....just more stuff.....

if i could take one or two things i'd take my pocketbook and my passport. and if i couldn't take them i could always get a new one....

1. Macbook, it keeps me connected to my loved ones, particularly my family who are scattered around the globe. I heart Skype! And it also helps me do my freelance work.
2. Ecojot notebooks (hence the alias) they keep me on track in so many ways.
3. Collection of pens and desk supplies. I was that kid who was always super excited to by back to school supplies, elementary to college.
4. Digicams, in fact, I have two, a point and shoot and SLR... Gotta be able to capture the moments.
5. iPod touch, music during the day, and reading NYTimes.com by night.
6. Cellphone, text messaging, calling... Gotta keep in touch :)
7. Wow, that's a lot of electronics. I am a bit of a geek. There is of course my beloved pillow-top double bed!
8. A little prayer book from my Auntie Jojo.
9. My little cherry wood jewelry box filled with family heirlooms, photos and treasures.
10. My pearl earrings from my mum.

Can I assume people and pets don't count?

1. My iMac
2. My BlackBerry
3. Bathroom sink
4. Handed-down big leather club chair from my mother
5. My baby blanket that sits hidden in the closet but is always there
6. My bookshelf with all books attached
7. My bed! The softest most wonderful bed on Earth.
... Wish I could think of more but I am easy to please!

1. POLLOCK - he's my roomate and friend, and pet. He leaves his hair all over the floor, but regardless I can't breathe without him

2. SOUK CHIC FLOR carpet tiles - pretty rad and totally easy cleanup behind Sir Mouth Magnet Doggie Face (aka Pollock) There is no better stylish carpet option for life with a 140lb Dog

3. WALL PAINT - I need lots of color, particularly SONIC PLUM which is this ridiculous purple that i sit in each day in my home office

4. PERSONAL ART - I'll make it myself, buy it from someone else who made it, or pick it up from the thrift store - but I need to be surrounded with visual stimulus that has meaning in my life

5. TEDDYBEAR BLANKET - you know those blankets that are really plush... really plush... they aren't so pretty - but I can't live without them. (This tattered ol thing definitely wouldn't look good in Domino's Favorite Things Spread)

6. VINTAGE SLIPS - Lately I'm loving walking into my closet and seeing a few lacy numbers hanging there. We then lounge around the house together, drinking coffee and reading up on on home decor blogs.. We love each other - my slips and I.

7. BOOKS. I just don't trust anyone that doesn't have books out and about in their home. I mean how does one live without a stack a books in every room.

8. Uh.. Laptop - cause I seriously would die if I didn't have the ability to sit on my couch and watch AMC's Mad Men without http://theestateofthings.com open on my lap

9. Crosley Record Player - okay I could live without it - but only if I traded it in for something way cooler and more authentically vintage... Music must be in my ears at all times... Which music you ask!? This music - http://audiomuffin.com

10. Lastly - Friends and Family dude. The house is not a home unless you are sharing it with people. I love it when there are people in my kitchen, on my couch, at my dining table, in my office!!! I can't wait to stock this place with more of that!!

Love always,
Betsy from TEOT
http://theestateofthings.com

Ooh! So much fun! I love,love those lists in the mags! Such a great idea.....
Here are my 10! For you, my dear!
1. Kiel's lip balm
2. tea or coffee(but, lately...tea)
3. gap jeans
4. anthro or J.crew tops
5.soft sheets(I don't care where from, mine are usually from Target)
6. etsy art
7.comfy furniture
8.a good book
9.lots of light
10.pretty colors
So fun...probably not specific enough..oh well! :)
xo
Melis

The items that I care most about in my place are:

-Photos

-Sketchbooks from the past 8 years

-Turquoise polka-dot pencil case that my uncle gave me when I was kid that he purchased in Italy

-My collection of art books

- A couple of my paintings

I don't own any antiques or fancy jewelry so everything else is pretty much replaceable.

Things that I really enjoy and would be sad if I never experienced them again:

- coffee
- comfortable boots
- my striped pj pants
- spandex in my jeans
- the internet
- cotton underwear
- my fabric & art supply stash
- sewing machine

This post just made me realize how little I would need to make me happy!

-m

Alice Almighty of www.BohemianHellhole.com can't live without:

{the children and chihuahuas are a given...}

1.} My Zeiss Ikon cameras
2.} Robot drawings by Vegas
3.} Smeg appliances
4.} little Moleskine journals
5.} vintage red cast iron {French and Belgian} cookware
6.} an orange leather chair of unknown origin ~ I have loved it since I first saw it sitting in a church entryway. I bought it from them, and have used it ever since.
7.} photographs by James T. Walker
8.} my 1876 George Steck square grand piano
9.} 1920s leather sofa ~ perfectly worn, skinny arms, not overstuffed, impossible to find new....
10.} a tiny antique rocking chair my dad bought for me as a baby

Truly, Alice

1. The jewelry cabinet my parents bought me when I was 16. It has a plaque on it that says "For my Cassie on her 16th birthday."

2. Blackberry w/ laptop.

3. Rice bags.

4. Family photos (those photos, and their associated memories and connections do go on with you after you go).

5. The ring my grandma bought for me right before she died.

6. The blankets my grandma has sewn for me over the years.

7. My grandma's pearls.

8. Engagement and wedding ring.

9. My car. Mazda 3.

10. Lotion.

1. My Husband (aka High School Sweetheart; Best Friend.)

2. Photography & Photo Albums, Digital files with or without the laptop.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/2907682422_6fd91ed13b.jpg

3. Memorabilia & Stamp and Coin collections passed down from my dad.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/2908000080_f18f573b80.jpg

4. Friends' Art
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3092/2908000022_4483c191ed.jpg

5. My Art
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/2906836753_6af41a4555.jpg

6. Books
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3247/2907682292_2d4af6a092.jpg

7. Homemade coffee table
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/2906837135_750a5efa25.jpg

8. Homemade lamp
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/3183150800_b1a23196ec.jpg

9. Balcony space & Plants
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/2906837597_9965748ec3.jpg

10. Good Old Organization
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2211/2906836847_5aee6ff97a.jpg

1. nice candles and incense, like voluspa and archipelago. i also like standby hippie incense like nag champa.
2. my huge perfume collection, containing a lot from black phoenix alchemy lab, much which is limited edition.
3. collection of nun/saint things- postcards, dolls, prints, etc.
4. vintage gloves, garter belts, scarves- all my vintage accessories and jewelry.
5. cds and records.
6. books.
7. this box full of old cards, letters, photos, concert tickets and other random doodads. it's basically my memory box.
8. my paintings and other artwork i've done, as well as the artwork of friends.
9. candelabras.
10. my vintage bedside table. it's the weirdest looking thing, i can't even describe it.

In no particular order, my absolute favourite things are:
- 2 small pieces of chinese calligraphy/artwork that my late-mother had commissioned. Each have my childrens' chinese names incorporated into the artwork.
- wedding and family photos, plus scrapbooks
- a beautiful alderwood buffet (first furniture bought as newlyweds)
- my Canon digital camera
- a vintage white coffee pot found at an antique store during a romantic getaway with hubby.
- Laptop computer
- Blackberry
- My purse collection
- and lastly, my entire crafting room

Thinking through my day....

1) Angel care baby monitor.... she's two but I still can't give it up.
2) The dove grey paint color in my bedroom... I couldn't start my day off right without it, it's never irritating.
3) My favorite coffee cup.... it's huge so I don't need to wait for the caffeine to kick in to go get a second cup.
4) The chest of drawers I store my daughters toys in.... it functions for her and keeps my house looking grown up.
5) A pair of white chairs I found at a little boutique.... if I were a chair I would look like these chairs.
6) The rocking unicorn my husband's late uncle made him when he was little... this wouldn't be home without it.
7) My heated towel rack.... how could I not?
8) My white wool coat.... it covers all the kid stains so I always appear to have everything pulled together ;)
9) My green Petunia Pickle bottom diaper bag.... no crazy mom days since I got it
10) The remote to turn the ceiling light off in my bedroom... yea for not stubbing toes!

My top ten list for a magazine is very different compared to my top ten list of save from a fire...

For the fire, leaving out the people and pets and sticking with the things:
1) Photo Albums
2) A book of fairy tales from 1933 given to me by my grandfather that was his when he was little
3) My great-aunt's recipe binder, all I have from her
4) Handmade dolls from my Amma (Icelandic for grandma)
5) A few pieces of art
6) Copies of all of our files
7) A few antiques from my hubby's grandparents

That's about all I'd risk fire for... other things that I'd replace immediately after they were burned or smoke damaged:
8) my purse and the items in it
9) my down comforter and pillow
10) my laptop

My top ten list for a magazine, a la Domino:
1) My laptop
2) Palm Treo
3) KitchenAid Mixer
4) My ponnukokur pan
5) Renew Lotion
6) Lavendar or Jasmine pillow mist
7) My down comforter and pillow
8) Southern Living (the magazine)
9) Exfoliating Oatmeal Soap
10) DVR

Mine are:
1. Family photo album
2. Apple laptop
3. Worn out teddy bear that my parents bought me for my first Christmas
4. Old sweater that belonged to my dad
5. Wooden black rocking chair
6. Everly Brothers DVDs and CDs, and there are many to get out of that burning building ... but truly ... I couldn't live without listening to them for long.
7. A couple of jewelry pieces given to me by special people to mark special occasions.
8. Important documents and papers, as well as, stamped passports kept as souvenirs reminding me of experiences and places where I've been.
9. A rolodex of contacts not entered in my computer.
10. My wallet, so I'd have a few bucks to spend, a bank card and credit cards. As long as I had my wallet, I could navigate in the world.