Getting Real with Shadra Bruce

These are a few of my favorite things …

Lilacs. In my mind, there’s nothing better than the fragrance of a lilac bush. That it’s purple and beautiful too just makes it even better. I’ve loved lilacs since I was a little girl and I’d fight the bumble bees for the pleasure of the flowers in my grandma’s front yard.

Montreal. Having studied French since I was in 7th grade, you can’t imagine the pleasure I have at living only 6 hours from the biggest population of French speakers this side of the Atlantic. When you add delicious food, friendly people, low crime, and a great metro system, Montreal is destination #1 in my book!

Books. My love of writing started with a love of reading, and there’s nothing better to me than sitting down with a good book and diving in. I have rainy afternoon favorites, like Sue Grafton and Jeffrey Deaver, and intellectual favorites, like E.M. Forster and Derek Walcott, and poets, like Alice Notley and Peter Riley. If the floor of my house ever collapses into my basement, it will be because of the weight of the books that line the shelves throughout the house!

It takes a lot to earn my brand loyalty, but I’ve learned that some things are worth buying even if they cost more because they always work. Here are a few that have made the A-list in our home:

Tide. I don’t care how dirty my kids get their clothes or how thick the grass stains are in the knees. Tide gets everything clean. We’ve tried nearly every detergent, and it simply works better for our laundry than anything else we’ve tried. We keep the liquid around to use as a stain spotter but buy the powder in bulk for the loads of laundry.

Scott Tissue. Ok, nobody talks about toilet paper much, but when you live with a disabled person whose judgment about how much of the stuff to use is often fairly off, having something that doesn’t clog up the pipes is a must. When it also happens to be of high quality and affordable, it’s a win-win!

Newton’s Own Organic Green Tea. I drink a lot of tea. In fact, I drink so much tea that we actually subscribe to delivery service so that we don’t have to go to the grocery store as often. The number one reason why I have fallen in love with Newton’s Own Organic Green Tea, however, is because it is ORGANIC and ALL NATURAL. Ok, that can be the number one and number two reasons to fall in love with it; the next reason to fall in love with this tea would be the amazing taste. Healthy and tasty don’t always go together, but in this case, it’s delicious. Possibly addicting. If you’re looking for an all-natural, organic, healthy tea option that can tastes great, I highly recommend Newman’s Own. (This is not a sponsored post but an honest recommendation from someone who gets the tea by the case from Amazon).