Birthday Gift Idea!

I need this.

Um, yeah, The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook will be available in March, and if I don't get it I will kick and scream.

If that's not enough to persuade you, check out their awesome little trailer for the book.  Then get thee to the Back in the Day Bakery and bring me back a bacon jam sandwich.  And maybe a cupcake.  And some 'nana puddin'.  Let's get on that.

Get here already, March!

Christmas Booty

Shoot yeah, I really scored this Christmas!

Now, I actually got my big Christmas gift early.   You remember Whitey, righty?  By the way, Matt says that I should not name my camera Whitey because that's offensive.  I say that it's not offensive because I am also white.  He just shakes his head and rolls his eyes, basically defeated by my ability to argue.

But check out some of my other Christmas loot.

1.  Very cool owl drawing/painting thing.  This was a gift from our friend Collin, who bought it at a silent auction that was to benefit another friend.  It was very nice and thoughtful because I'd bid on it myself, but then been outbid, and decided I couldn't spend too much on it.  I'm really excited to have it.  It also kind of reminds me of the owl calendars that I made for a few of my friends using this amazing generator.

2.  Beautiful stationery.  This is from Cassie, and I'm a little bit crazy about it.  What makes it even cooler is that Emily Ley is a friend of hers from way back when.  This stuff makes me want to catch up on my correspondance (but really I'll probably just lie on the couch in my pajamas and drink Simply Grapefruit juice from a plastic goblet.)

3.  Awesome Martha Stewart kitchen tools.  These are from Matt's mom (who also gave us cash, which I know she hates to do because then she doesn't get to have as much fun shopping).  I love this stuff, and she even got it to match the kitchen!

4.  Pastry stand.  This one is from a friend at school, who left it in the carport wrapped up as a surprise.  I can't wait to fill it with tasty goods!

5.  Caitie made me this print using Wordle.  I love the bright colors and the way she managed to fit so much of what I love into one picture.  I also kind of like this spot for it.  What do you think?

6.  This apron that I bought for myself on the day after Christmas at World Market.  Maybe it'll keep me from wiping my hands all over my jeans.

7. Also bought myself The Perfect Scoop, which I've already mentioned here.  We bought it with a gift card, so it technically is a Christmas gift.  Expect to read about many a recipe from this one.

8.  Omigod I love this next gift.  This one is also from Cassie, and I'm pretty sure she got it from this Etsy shop.  It's a camera strap, and not only is it in some of my favorite colors, but it also has my initials on it.  I'm so excited about it! (Also, it's hard to take a picture of a camera strap when it's still on the camera.  I could've taken it off, but I'm lazy.)

9.  I don't know why I love this little juicer bowl that Matt's grandma gave me so much, but I do.  I love the color and I love the little pour spout and I think it's going to look gorgeous in the kitchen.

10.  The next thing is from Grandma Carol and Grandpa B., and it warms my heart.  Months and months ago I mentioned to her that I didn't know where to buy kitchen twine, and she filed that away.  She'd seen something like this at a store, but decided that it was overpriced.  Instead, she had Grandpa B. make it for me.  I love them, and I really, really love this gift.

11.  And, finally, I got this Whoville-style ornament from Tanya (she actually gave me two of these, but I only have a good picture of one of them). Tanya has some special ability to pick out the very best, most fun Christmas ornaments.  Most of my favorite Christmas ornaments have come from her, and they also make me smile.

Sooooo. . .I'm itchin' to know. . .

What'd you get?

Hello There, Mr. Weber.

First of all, you should know that Matt and I never exchange expensive gifts.  For birthdays and Christmas, we usually have a limit somewhere between $30-50.  But this year he bought me a camera.  And it is amazing.  And apparently we decided that for the month of December 2010, we would be ballers.

Because since he'd gotten something so great for me, I felt like I needed to reciprocate.

So I did.

Our grill had broken a few weeks before, see, and I'd seen the way Matt swooned over the ones at the store.  I decided to surprise him with a Weber grill.  I ordered it online, and had a plan to track it like a maniac, intercept the package, and then put it together while he was at work.  Then I was going to hide it in the guest room closet until Christmas morning when I would wheel it out to the living room with a big bow.  And it would be the best Christmas surprise!

Except a few things happened.

1.  I am terrible at keeping big fun secrets.
2. The package was delivered while we were at a solstice party that our friends were throwing, so I couldn't intercept it.
3. I am terrible at keeping secrets.
4. The box was way too big and way too heavy to keep Matt from seeing it. (Even though we had our friend Brian go home before us and hide it in the back yard--he possesses some sort of super-human strength because he moved that seven-ton box all by himself!)
5. I was drunk from the solstice party, and am terrible at keeping secrets.
6. Matt had figured out that something was up, and was very suspicious.
7. Once I got home and he questioned me, all I could do was put my face inside my shirt and laugh a lot.

Finally, Hugh and Cassie said that I needed to just give it to him already, because I was too weak and undisciplined to keep the surprise going.  Plus, we were having Savannah Family Christmas the next night, and it was supposed to be nice and warm out, and then Matt could use his new gift.

So this was Matt's solstice surprise.

And then Hugh--wonderful, smart, patient Hugh--put the grill together the next day while Cassie and I ate sandwiches and went grocery shopping.

Isn't it gorgeous?

And apparently it is awesome, or so says my husband, the grill master. 

I've got to concur, because that hot dog that he brought me and that I ate while writing this post sure didn't taste like it was cooked on any ol' hobo grill, that's for damn sure.

WAFFLE CONES!

We had a wonderful, peaceful, gluttonous Christmas.  We slept until 12:30, opened presents (more on those later), ate lunch, chatted on the phone, went to see True Grit (seriously awesome movie--completely perfect--and this comes from the girl who hates westerns), and came home and ate an absurd amount of food.  It was one of those days that reminded me of just how much I love my simple, uncomplicated little life.

Oh yeah, and I GOT A WAFFLE CONE MAKER!  (Because I have the best mother-in-law this side of the Mississippi.) 

 Tonight I just made vanilla, but I'm thinking that there will be more flavors in the future: lemon to go with sorbet, chocolate, chocolate-dipped, chocolate-dipped with sprinkles, cinnamon and nutmeg. . .  Um. . .can I make a strawberry waffle cone?  I swear I'm not high.

And, bee-tee-dub, there's only one thing that's more exciting than homemade waffle cones--and that's. . .MINI WAFFLE CONES!

As you can tell, I'm goofy excited about this gift, and I can't wait to have people over for dinner to have a medly of mini cones.  New Year's, perhaps?

New Camera!

Man oh man it's been a busy few days.  I've been so busy cleaning and decorating and baking and wreath making and phone talking and wine drinking that I've completely neglected to share the arrival of the newest member of our family with you.

Meet Whitey.

I just named him that like five seconds ago, but I think it might stick.

Whitey is my new camera, a Christmas gift from my wonderful husband, who is a poker extraordinaire.*

Here's a picture of the camera that someone else took (kind of hard to take a picture of the new camera with the camera (kind of like vacuuming the vacuum).

Isn't he beautiful? 

He's also really easy to use and takes great photos and feels great in my hands and takes HD video and is quite an upgrade from my DSLR from 2002.  Hugh recommended this camera when we were there for Thanksgiving, and as soon as I saw it I knew it was the one for me.  It also got great reviews and has great features and is a Pentax, so I will be able to buy older Pentax lenses for it. Since Whitey arrived on Thursday, I've probably taken thousands of pictures, and I'm in awe of just how easy he is to use.  I'm still figuring everything out with it, but having a blast doing it.

Here is one of my favorite shots from my favorite camera when I took it to my favorite bakery.

*We share money, and sometimes when you share money and then spend lots of it on an expensive gift for the other, it's like, "Oh, hey.  Thanks for spending all of that money I made on this thing." Anyway,  Matt has not been playing online poker and winning a lot**, and he's definitely not made enough to buy me a new camera for Christmas.

**Because it's illegal to play online poker for real money, or something like that.

What to Buy for a Boy

It's hard to buy stuff for boys.  But you know what?  You're probably overthinking it.

I don't know what the boy you're buying stuff for is like, but I've learned some things about gift giving in the eight (!) years that I've been buying presents for Matt.  Obviously, not all boys are the same, so these guidelines are for the Matt type of guy.  Matt is an avid reader, and doesn't give a rat's ass about clothes.  He loves to be entertained and he hates unnecessary crap. 

Here are the things I've learned about buying gifts for Matt (and for my brother, and for a handful of guy friends), and you could probably apply these same lessons to gift-giving for some of the boys in your life.

1. Don't buy him stuff with beer logos all over it.  Boys like beer, sure, but do not need to decorate their home and their bodies with beer paraphernalia.  If you find yourself tempted to buy him a matching hat and tshirt with some logo on it, stop yourself, and instead just buy him some beer. (Or some bourbon if you want to get really fancy.)

2. He loves to read, but he's probably already read the thing you were thinking of buying him.  There's no shame in a gift card to Barnes and Noble.  (But if you must buy him a book, here are some great authors: Chuck Klosterman, Bill Bryson, Stephen King, Bill Simmons, Malcolm Gladwell.)

3. Seasons of shows make fantastic gifts for the guy who loves entertainment.  If I had to buy a guy a gift right now, this is what it'd probably be.  Among the best choices right now are: The Wire, Mad Men, Dexter, Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad and Battlestar Galactica.  This is also a super fun gift because if it's something that you are also interested in, then the two of you have a fun activity.  (Also, Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared if he's a Judd Apatow fan.)

4. If you really want to buy him clothes, go for comfort before fashion.  A tshirt or a hoodie with his favorite team can be cool, and some man slippers can be welcome, too, as long as he doesn't already have a pair.  (Now, if you can secretly slip in fashion that's also comfortable, then you win.)  Oh, and buying yourself clothing for his favorite team is stupid.  He thinks so, too, even if he's not telling you.

5. If you've got the funds, he's going to be thrilled to have that latest electronic thing: ipod, TV, game system, etc.  You'll never go wrong with this, but you might not always have the money for it (in fact, we usually put a $50 limit on gifts to each other, so big fancy surprise gifts basically never happen).

6. Tickets to things make awesome gifts.  Whether it's to a concert or a sporting event or to see David Sedaris speak (he's coming here in April!), tickets can be wildly fun (and maybe even self-serving, too, because you can be the plus one). 

7. And, finally, don't get too cutesy or sentimental.  That what gifts to your girlfriends are for.  He doesn't want anything that you crafted, or painted, or knit.  If you want to be sentimental, then include a nice note with a big-screen TV.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.  Obviously, these guidelines would not work for every guy, and maybe there are guys out there who like to receive crafts as gifts (though I seriously doubt it). 

Any great gift ideas (or things to definitely NOT buy) for a guy that I've overlooked? 

Bacon Jam

Today I had an after-school date with my teacher friend, Lizhen, at Back in the Day Bakery.  The purpose of the date was for me to return her camera (something I was not happy about doing), and for us to chat.  Also, I was starving.

I was starving when I got there at 3:30 because I'd been at work all day, and, knowing that I would likely stuff my face like some sort of tazmanian devil heathen at the bakery, I had thought it best to be moderate early in the day.  Like, two grapefruits and some 100-calorie popcorn moderate.  So by the time I got to the bakery I was basically about to gnaw off my own hand.  But, fortunately, I didn't have to because they were still serving lunch, and I got to try something I'd been hearing about for weeks: BACON JAM.

Sounds gross, huh?

It's not.  Unless by gross you mean the greatest thing you've ever eaten, ever.  The picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice, and I'll admit that the jam isn't much of a beauty meal.  At Back in the Day, the Bacon Jam sandwich is served on ciabatta bread with tomato slices and some kind of delicious cheese.  After taking my first bite, I literally jumped up out of my seat and skipped to the counter so that I could order one to take home to Matt.  It was all I could do not to eat his sandwich, too.

So how convenient is it that this month's issue of Everyday Food has a recipe for bacon jam? (Since Back in the Day's Cheryl's cookbook won't be out for a while) I haven't made it yet, but I'm thinking that might be a fun Sunday task.  How fun would a little jar of this stuff be for a hostess gift?  Or for breakfast? 

Do you have an opinion on bacon jam?

Well, I Didn't Know You Could Buy THAT at Target.

Today I got this Target holiday catalog/advertisement thing in the mail.  It contained a bunch of decent coupons (coupons I might need to use if I wasn't already done Christmas shopping!) and pretty pictures and such, so I was thumbing through it.  I got to this coupon for Legos, and I was all, "Hell yeah, Legos!  I love Legos!"

And then I looked a little more closely.

Wait a second.

A slave ship?  Really?  Couldn't have called it a "rocket cruiser" or something a little less startling?

Now, I will happily admit here that I am clueless about Star Wars.  I haven't seen the movies, and I don't want to ever see the movies.  But I'm guessing that there is some kind of slave ship in one of them?  I just question the marketing approach in neglecting to find a proper euphemism for the children's toy.  And maybe I'm just stuffy or a prude or a crazy liberal, but something about giving a kid a slave ship for Christmas just doesn't sit right with me.

"Hey, little Timmy.  What'd you get for Christmas?"
"A slave ship."

Maybe that's why it's $10 off?

All I Want for Christmas. . .

I know it's a little premature to be talkin' Christmas gifts, but since I did all of our Christmas shopping today (and before 2:00, no less!), it got me thinking about what I want.  I also wanted to brag about having completed our Christmas shopping.  Did I mention that I'm finished? 

So here's what I want. 

1.  Microplane zester.  I don't really know why I don't have one of these already.  Apparently, once you go microplane zester, you never go back. 

2.  Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes. (Or really any awesome baking cookbook.  I'm more into delicious recipes than I am into decorations.)  Also, since I tend to slop up my cookbooks and write all over them, I really don't mind buying them used.

3.  Part of why I'm not so into baking decorations is because I don't know how to do that, so these Wilton icing tips would be a welcome addition to our kitchen.

4.  And these offset spatulas are pretty much a need, too.  See above.

5.  Lately I've been drooling over anything and everything milk glass, like these vases.

6.  Can't say enough how much I love the striped Martha Stewart tea towels.  Last year, Matt's mom got me the turquoise striped ones and they inspired the decor of both The Lagoon and The Deep End.  What crazy things might I do when inspired by these red ones?

7.  And here's where I stop acting like a somewhat-reasonable human and begin to act like a spoiled brat.  I want this camera.

 8.  And for the camera, I need a memory card.

9.  And maybe an extra battery?

10.  And maybe some extra lenses?

11.  And, since we've been pro-baby for a few months now, I think it's best that I have this: this fetus-shaped cookie cutter.  Not joking.  I want it.

12.  Oh yeah, and I definitely don't need these at all, but I would giggle like a little girl if I had All-Clad measuring cups and spoons.  And I'd bake you something delicious!

 

Oh, and did I tell you yet that I've finished Christmas shopping?

What do you want for Christmas? 

Recipe Card Maker

How do I know I'm old?  Well, for one, I know I'm old because I was giddy when I came across these printable recipe cards today.  How cute are they?  Methinks they could be fun for homemade gifts.

You can find the generator here.

Now I'm going to go drink a big glass of Ensure.

This and That

A few things to get you through your Monday. (Mondays are my worst days; I have school and then a class--a dreadful class that sucks my soul from my body--and I don't get home until around 7:00. Boo hiss. The up side is that Matt usually has dinner ready for me when I return home, just like a 1950's housewife.)

• First, if you feel like you just can't find the perfect gift for that special someone, try the above rug. It's only 1K, and if you really want, you can have it autographed by Sarah Palin. (Okay, so that last part's a lie, and no polar bears died for the sake of this rug. It's from Etsy, and you can buy it here.)
• Speaking of Etsy, Matt ordered my "Bad Dingo" tote bag just in time. He got the very last one! I am REALLY excited about walking around carrying the bag. When he emailed the seller, he explained to her that our dogson is an American Dingo and had a tag that said that he's a baby eater. (We got him a different tag when he got bigger and more fierce looking. Now it calls him a professional snuggler.)
• Speaking of Matt, he is currently watching football and yelling and clapping. Mitch is lying by my feet under the desk, terrified of his manic father and loud noises.
• Speaking of football, did you see that Smash Williams won the Heisman? I saw that, and I even got to throw out some fake football knowledge during the show, all stuff I've heard Matt say. "You know, Tebow's game won't really transfer to the pros. He plays much more of a running game and he's not as accurate at passing. . .It's basically the difference between Matt Saracen and J.D. McCoy." Everything I know about football I know from listening to Matt talk to his friends and watching Friday Night Lights.
• Speaking of awesome television, 60 Minutes had both Obam' and Ricky Gervais on tonight. It warmed my soul. I think that Ricky Gervais is perhaps the funniest person alive today.
• Speaking of funny, isn't it weird that I've had two cute kid posts lately? Fear not--I do not have Baby Rabies (thanks for the term, Carly!). That shan't happen anytime soon, or ever.
• But speaking of things that shall happen soon, I've only got five glorious days of school until Mitchmas break. Friday the Savannah family is coming for Mitchmas dinner, and my friend Maureen and her husband are coming for New Year's. She's a vegetarian. Any good vegetarian recipes you'd like to share?
• Speaking of food, I feel like I eat enough on a daily basis to feed a small country, or at least an elementary school. It's disgusting and terrible, yet I won't stop. Matt's going to have to knock out walls in our house and invest in a horse trailer just to get me out of the house.

Happy Monday to you! Anything fun happening? What are your plans for Mitchmas?

Mitchmas Gift for Myself

I bought these slipper booties for Matt's mom for Christmas. But I wasn't convinced that she'd like them. She gets creeped out by some soft textures, and the [luxurious] inside of the booties is soft like a little lamb.

I decided that she would hate the gift. Back to square one.

(The silver lining, though, is that the booties are in my size. Merry Mitchmas to Mandy!)

But now what to get for Matt's mom? I'm doing everything I can to avoid giving her a gift card. While I love to receive gift cards as gifts, I hate to give them. They seem so impersonal!

Do you give gift cards? Any amazing gift ideas for Matt's mom?