Hey y’all-it’s hard to believe it’s March! February is typically one of my least favorite months due to the winter blues. This year it was even harder due to pandemic fatigue and ongoing unrest in the world. I definitely struggled with lack of motivation and some seasonal depression this February. Nevertheless, I still found joy in plenty of things over the past month. I’m sharing them today in my February 2021 Favorites post!
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Duffy & Friends Phone Order from Disney’s Aulani Resort
The highlight of February 2021 was getting some Duffy & Friends merchandise I had been wanting for a long time. Duffy the Disney Bear is Mickey Mouse’s teddy bear who originally debuted at Tokyo Disney. Five additional friends have joined Duffy over the years: ShellieMay (a girlfriend bear), Gelatoni (an artist cat), StellaLou (a ballerina bunny), CookieAnn (a chef puppy), and Olu (a musical sea turtle). Duffy had a meet and greet in Epcot at Disney World from 2010-2015. Alas, his popularity in the US never quite took off the way it did in Japan. You can read more about Duffy the Disney Bear and his backstory here.
I bought my stuffed Duffy bear during my 2015 Disney World trip. Then I was able to order ShellieMay, Gelatoni, and Olu on shopDisney at various times. When I learned that StellaLou and CookieAnn merchandise became available at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii, I hoped that perhaps they would eventually appear on shopDisney. Despite constantly checking, they hadn’t appeared on there.
However, in early February I discovered through a Duffy & Friends Facebook group that Kalepa’s Store at Disney’s Aulani Resort was taking phone orders. So, I called them and ordered the standard sized CookieAnn and StellaLou plushies. Duffy & Friends merchandise was buy one, get one free at the time, so I also ordered a smaller StellaLou in a tutu, plus some plush keychains.
It felt like Christmas in February the day my StellaLou and CookieAnn items arrived. I’m so happy my Duffy & Friends plush collection is complete! If you’re a Duffy fan, you can call the Hotel Operator at Aulani (808-674-6200) and ask to speak to Kalepa’s Store. If no one picks up at Kalepa’s leave them a voicemail and they will call you back.
Mickey’s Runaway Railway Happy Meal Toys from eBay
You might remember that in late 2020, I was really into collecting the Mickey’s Runaway Railway Happy Meal Toys from McDonald’s. I got three of the toys in my own Happy Meals during the promotion. Then in December my cousin sent me two extras she had. Shortly after New Year’s a sweet Instagram follower who knew I was collecting these sent me an additional extra. This gave me 6 out of the 10 toys in the collection. I figured this was decent, especially because a non-safety related recall in the middle of this promotion threw a glitch in the collecting process.
However, I still periodically checked eBay to see if I could find any of the four toys I was missing at a reasonable price. Sure enough, in early February I found one seller who had both the Goofy Riding a Train toy and Goofy Riding Expedition Everest toy. Even with shipping, the cost of these two toys was not much higher than the price of two Happy Meals. So, I went for it! Both of the toys were still in the plastic wrap. Expedition Everest is one of my favorite rides at Disney World, so I’m glad to have that toy in my collection. Also, all of the Mickey’ Runaway Railway Happy Meal toys connect to form a train. Therefore, having the Conductor Goofy toy gives my train a solid front!
I now have 8 of the 10 Disney World ride Happy Meal toys inspired by Mickey’s Runaway Railway. Check out my current train below:
Mini Hungry Hungry Hippos from McDonald’s Hasbro Gaming
In my January 2021 Favorites post, I shared that I was loving the Hasbro Gaming McDonald’s Happy Meal toys. I got 4 of the 8 toys from that promotion through my McDonald’s visits. The only toy from the Hasbro Gaming collection I didn’t get that I really wanted was the Hungry Hungry Hippos game. I found a brand new reasonably priced one on eBay, so decided to order it. It’s absolutely adorable, and I’m so glad I got it.
The two McDonald’s Happy Meal toy orders in February 2021 were the first time in years I bought anything from eBay. In fact, I’m pretty sure the last thing I bought on eBay prior to this were Lacoste polo shirts when I was in college circa 2005. (And I’m 99% sure said Lacoste polos were fake, haha.) My recent eBay purchases were a very positive experience. I highly recommend checking out eBay for certain collectors’ items.
PuraVida Panda Bracelets
My new PuraVida Panda Charm Bracelets are an example of on-point Facebook ad targeting. I saw an ad for this adorable panda bracelet pop up on social media. Pandas are my favorite animal, and it was actually a panda print 11 years ago that began my Lilly Pulitzer obsession. When I saw that the bracelet was only $13 and a portion of proceeds benefit the World Wildlife Fund, I couldn’t resist buying. Since I was having a hard time deciding between the pink and mint color, and the price was so amazing, I got both.
These bracelets will go really well with my casual loungewear. I especially love how the panda charm coordinates with the panda in my 60 Animals print Lilly Pulitzer pajama pants. Then during a springlike day last weekend, I wore it with my panda print Lilly Pulitzer Luxletic skort.
Another bonus-every PuraVida purchase helps provide full-time jobs for artisans worldwide.
Bed, Bath, & Beyond Bathroom Storage Furniture
My bathroom is a large square. Although there’s a decent amount of floor space, my vanity area isn’t that large. There’s not a ton of built-in cabinet and drawer space for storage. One wall of my bathroom is suited for a small piece of bathroom furniture for additional storage space. I previously had a chrome towel rack, but realized it wasn’t the most efficient use of space. Each shelf was a small square, and things easily looked cluttered since all the shelves were in the open. In addition, I didn’t even use the bottom shelf because items got gross and dusty easily with it so close to the floor.
So, I found this piece of bathroom furniture from Bed, Bath, & Beyond, and my parents got it for me as a belated Christmas present. I like that there’s enclosed cabinet space to hide clutter, but also some shelves up top for items I use frequently. If you’re looking to increase your bathroom storage, I highly recommend this.
Philips Sonicare Electric Toothbrush
During February, I got two dental crowns on my bottom right molars. Once my mouth settles from that procedure, I need to get two crowns on the other side. Even with dental insurance, crowns are extremely expensive. (Side note: If you’re under 30, I highly recommend starting to save for dental procedures now, because the need for them definitely increases once you hit 30!) Even though I have always been good about brushing twice a day and flossing at night, it wasn’t keeping me from having dental issues. I have a feeling that brushing in the morning while in a hurry, and brushing and flossing at night when I’m tired probably caused me to rush through these things to check them off, but without the attention and technique for optimal results.
So after investing a lot of money in these crowns, I’m determined to be more proactive about my oral health. Switching to an electric toothbrush is one of the ways I’m doing this. At every dental check-up, the hygienist would ask me if I was using a manual or an electric toothbrush. I would say “manual,” and she said that while electric is preferable, it was fine to use a manual if I was brushing twice a day. Since using a manual toothbrush was fine, I had zero motivation to pay extra for an electric toothbrush.
However, after shelling out major bucks for these crowns, I’m determined not to have another cavity again if I can help it! And I also want to make sure I don’t get cavities underneath my crown. So, I’m doing everything in my control to maximize my oral health, and that means using an electric toothbrush. I bought a Philips Sonicare Protective Clean 5100. It has three different settings: clean, whitening, and gum care. My electric toothbrush has a two-minute timer so you can be sure that you brush long enough per ADA recommendations. In addition, it beeps every 30 seconds so you can ensure you’re spending equal time on each quadrant of your mouth.
Brushing with an electric toothbrush felt extremely awkward at first. However, I’ve gotten the hang of it. If you’re looking for an electric toothbrush, I recommend the Philips Sonicare. I can’t wait to update y’all after my next dental check-up in June!
Girl Scout Cookies from GrubHub
One of my friends texted me that GrubHub was offering Girl Scout cookie delivery! In the past, I’ve bought Girl Scout cookies at booth sales. However, with grocery delivery and online shopping, I don’t go out and about for errands much these days. Plus I’m not sure if many troops are even doing booth sales during the pandemic. Anyways, I’m glad I got a Girl Scout cookie fix this year. I got one box each of Thin Mints, Shortbread, Lemonades, S’mores, and Toast-Yay (a new variety for this year that I heard was good!).
Panera Southwest Chili Lime Ranch Salad with Chicken
Panera sent me a $10 reward that expired at the end of February, so I ordered delivery for lunch one day. I got a combo with one of their new pizza flatbreads and a half Southwest Chili Lime Ranch Salad with chicken. This salad has romaine, avocado, feta, corn & bean salsa, tortilla strips, cilantro, and chili lime dojo ranch dressing. It was delicious!
White Chocolate Cheesecake m&m’s
I’m pretty sure I’ve had these before this year, but I don’t think I’ve shared them on the blog. So, I’m sharing them now. I love the white chocolate cheesecake m&m’s that are a special edition flavor for Valentine’s Day. If you like white chocolate and cheesecake, you will definitely like them. Put them on your list to buy next February!
McDonald’s Pokemon 25th Anniversary Happy Meals
When McDonald’s first announced that their next Happy Meal toy promotion after the Hasbro games would be Pokemon cards, I wasn’t that excited. I was never into Pokemon back in the 90’s, and didn’t understand the trading card game at all. In addition, I thought Pokemon Go was stupid back when people were into playing it on their phones several years ago. So it surprised me that I actually got really into collecting the 25th Anniversary Pokemon cards that McDonald’s offered in their Happy Meals in February. The characters are actually really cute, and I like the Japanese anime aspect of them. There are 25 different characters in this special McDonald’s Happy Meal promotion. Each character comes card in a regular and holographic version, so there are 50 total cards. Every Happy Meal comes with a pack of four cards.
I hope you enjoyed reading my February 2021 Favorites! Here’s to March-it’s crazy that this time last year we had no idea how much our lives would change within a couple short weeks.
What have you been loving lately?!
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-xoxo Liz
