For the past few years in our house, we’ve looked forward to a visit from none other than the “elf on the shelf”.  Are you familiar with these little dudes?  They are the cash-flowing creation of a freaking genius of a woman, and for $29.95 (plus shipping & handling) these little dolls will fly all the way from the North Pole to your humble abode for the whole month of December.  They’re like Santa’s shrimp-sized spies, reporting back to the head honcho each and every night about who’s being good & who’s being a little shit.  They are also known as B-R-I-B-E-R-Y for parents at this very stressful time of year.

     Our little pointed toe fairy first came to us back in December of 2007.  My kids decided to name him Clyde, and for the past two years, old Clyde’s been racking up the frequent flier miles between our house & Santa’s pad.  Each morning my kids practically pee their pants with excitement to find out just where Clyde is hiding.  You see, night after night, it’s up to the parents to find a new hiding spot for Clyde. And if you forget, you better think fast on your feet, or best believe, you are screwed. Your kids will surely notice that the elf is in the exact same spot as the day before.  How do I know this?  It’s because I can’t tell you how many times we’ve dropped the ball and have had to suddenly send the short people upstairs so that one of us can scramble around and move the damn elf doll.  Luckily, our kids are young enough that we can still pull this whole smoke and mirror tactic on them.  We could say, “Look kids, there’s a spaceship on the lawn,” and haul ass to move that little sucker before they would even turn their heads back from the window.

     I must say that Clyde and his magical bad ass have more than earned their keep around here.  On many occasions, all I’ve had to do is point to his tiny perch, and my kids instantly think twice about what they’re doing. They know that he’s taking mental notes all day long to give the boss all the dirt on them.  You gotta love that kind of power. He’s like the eyes and ears for the Don Corleone of all gifts.  I can’t decide if I have a crush on him or if I wanna rip his throat out cause I’m jealous of him. Maybe we’ll sort it all out when we go out for drinks next weekend.  I hear he’s a lightweight, so maybe I can get him to spill some of his secrets after a few cocktails.

     For now, all I know is that that pint-sized pixie better hurry up and get his spy on cause I’m losing my marbles trying to keep these kids of mine in line.  All the excitement over the holidays has them bouncing off the freaking walls.  My daughter even openly admitted to me last night that “it’s really hard to be good every day.”  So, I’m not ashamed to admit that I need all the help I can get throughout these next twenty-five days of craziness.  I wish I could talk Clyde into just staying the whole year through, but I don’t think I can really compete with the eleven month vacation the fat man promises him in return for all his hard work.

Hello!
Hope all of our friends celebrating Thanksgiving this past week had a wonderful holiday!
Now that Thanksgiving has past, we can look forward to Winter Holidays, like Christmas and Hanukkah. If you need some simple or complex gift ideas, check out the Winter Holiday Gifts page at the MarkTheDay.com Store! Our hope is that our Winter Holiday Gifts page will help ease the shopping that can, at times, be a burden on what is otherwise a wonderful time of year, filled with fun between friends and family alike. Even if MarkTheDay.com is new to you, you can shop with confidence knowing that the MarkTheDay.com Shopping page is powered by Amazon.com – and, if you are a fan of the free services MarkTheDay.com provides, keep in mind that every purchase you make on the MarkTheDay.com Shopping page helps support MarkTheDay.com.
Thanks and have a great holiday season!

Kids who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder need something to do. A gift that provides fine or gross motor activity can fill that need.

Gifts for ADHD Kids
(author unknown)
Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:26:03 GMT

NaBloPoMo, I wanted to make you work. I really wanted to participate. But I failed, mainly because you fall during Thanksgiving, which means a week-long trek with either dial-up Internet or a massively shared computer that does not lend itself to blogging.

Today is the first day following Thanksgiving, and I have approximately 3 weeks to finish my holiday gifts. I’m a little worried about this. I have two completed and a list of approximately 15 to finish. My favorite thus far is the pig toy, though. No doubt about it, it’s cute, easy, and best of all, a one-skeiner using size 5 needles and Berroco Comfort (at least the way I knit). We should really take our Christmas photo and get cards ordered. We do have gift ideas either bought or in process for what we’ve decided to buy in stores. For my parents, we’re getting a Toshiba media frame so that they don’t have to mess with going to Flickr at random intervals to get our newest photos of Baby Girl. We Sisters are pitching in to get my dad a recliner and my mom a triple picture frame for all of our wedding portraits. For My Husband’s parents, we’re getting them a digital photo frame as well.

Thanksgiving break itself was largely boring and somewhat frustrating. I’m several years older than my sisters, and we have vastly different viewpoints on life and how things should be done. Since Baby Girl is refusing to sleep right now, and because I don’t feel like rehashing all of the crap, I won’t enter into details of this year’s clashes. Suffice it to say that I do not suffer fools gladly, nor those who believe in keeping up appearances despite what reason, logic, and common sense dictate.

And finally, don’t take this personally, but those who have holiday decorations up, AND cards printed/written/addressed/sent, AND all presents bought and wrapped? I’m not talking to you.

From Candace Jackson Gray

INGREDIENTS
1 C. margarine, softened, divided
1 1/2 C. packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs at room temp
1 1/2 oz. dark chocolate
5 medium beets/2 C. pureed beets
1 t. vanilla extract
2 C. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
confectioners’ sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS
To make beet puree, trim stems and roots off beets and quarter. Place in heavy sauce pan filled with water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 50 minutes or until the beets are tender. Drain off remaining liquid and rinse beets in cold water to cool. Slide skins off and place beets in blender. Pulse until a smooth puree forms. Let cool slightly before using in cake. Puree can be made several days in advance.

In a mixing bowl, cream 3/4 cup margarine and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Melt chocolate with remaining butter in the microwave on high in 20 second intervals, stirring each time until smooth. Cool slightly. Blend chocolate mixture, beets and vanilla into the creamed mixture (mixture will appear separated so don’t fret).

Combine flour, baking soda , salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. spring form pan. Bake at 375 °F for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely before dusting with confectioners’ sugar.

Pilgrimage Statistics

Consecutive Days Riding: 51                             Consecutive Days Blogging: 52

Today’s Mileage:  11                                        Total Trip Mileage: 450

Holidays and Holy Days on November 30:

Saint Andrew’s Day – Christian observance of the coming of Christianity to the area now know as Scotland. The martyrdom of St Andrew is remembered as the season of Advent begins.

____________________________________________________

As I ride the bike this morning I sort through the various blog topics I collected during the previous day. Where do these topics come from? As I go through my day, a word, a phrase, a glance sets me to “thinking” and topics starts to takes shape. I feel this process is partly a result of the creative muse (an openness to the rich tapestry of my daily life) and partly a product of facts, teachings, theories, research, trivia, memories, poems and stories I carry within me.  This concoction is constantly stirred by my inquisitive nature and non-critical awareness of feelings and actions. Each time I dip the ladle into this stew, I am surprised with what come out.  As one of my sons recently stated about a bowl of Susan’s chili: “There’s a lot of good stuff in here!”

My students among the readers will see the title of todays blog and say “heard that one before.”  This “be certain about what you believe, but humble that these beliefs do not fit for everyone” This is one my most frequently uttered words of advice  In particular, it is advice I give to students who desire to follow in my footsteps and become a therapist. This approach is almost a requirement if one wants to be an effective and ethical professional therapist. This topic of how one should respond to questions came up in part as a result of a discussion I was having with a friend who is a regular commentator  to  my blog.

A Question!

We discussed how questions can be seen, especially by teachers, as challenges to  authority and adequacy.  A professor might interpret criticism to mean that he/she has not covered the material properly, explained concepts adequately or made the topic relevant to the student’s world.  Questions can be sent as sharp barbs which attempt to humiliate or establish moral superiority. Yet these very same questions, when filtered through a “certain but humble” prism can be viewed and received as gifts! Every question, regardless of the motive, is a chance to plant another seed!  A chance to further clarify, to share stories and observations; a chance to step back and look at the bigger picture and then dive back in with a new explanation or clarification. Questions are gifts and weather vanes, they tell you how far you may have travelled in exploring the wonderous, sometimes mundane, sometimes frightening world view of another human being.  The reaction to questions tell you whether to proceed or pull back, or return another time.

A Gift!

I have come to realize there are two general processes behind most questions.  Those that seek to arrive at a genuine understanding and insight of another person’s worldview and those which lead the questioner to develop cognitive and emotional empathy.  The second group are those that are fashioned and delivered in an effort to develop an  “attack plan.”  They probe a person’s beliefs system for weaknesses, for fuzzy boundaries, for uncertainty.  The purpose of these questions is not to understand the structure of motivations of someone life, but to cause it to collapse.  They ultimately desire to poke holes in worldviews, create uncertainty, undermine foundations, to destroy the structure so that they may be there to “help” you rebuild.  They strive to prove that your worldview is wrong and theirs is right!

Unexpected gifts!

How should you react to such questions?  By formulating your own attack, by deflecting and then lunging for their heart? You can do this, but it only leads to struggle, like two warriors with their shields up probing the others defense. The outcome at best is a standoff, most often someone needs to be vanquished. Should you just shut down the conversation, walk or run away?  This only leaves the other standing alone, feeling victorious, self-righteous and “just.”

If you arm yourself with a certainty in “your beliefs,” but the humbleness that your beliefs are not and should not be those of the other, you answer their questions about content (i.e. the names of God, existence of heaven and hell, etc.) with a smile. Treat their question like a gift, like a request for true understanding not a probe in preparation of an attack. Whether it bears a point like a weapon or a look of awe and puzzlement, of new discoveries.

Be a gift, plant a seed!

Let them aim their biting  questions for your heart, let them strike with their best blows if they must.  Their blade will effortlessly pass through you with nothing to tear, damage or destroy.  For your certainty, your core happiness and joy, your spirit is made of light, love and personal knowledge of the divine. You smile at the gift and wait for the next lunge.  You have not tried to change them, not played “tit-for-tat”, not become defensive, not called them names or condemned them to hell. You have given them a glimpse of another reality, you have mirrored the divine, you have planted a seed of possibilities!

The turkey leftovers are finished, pumpkins have been tossed, fall leaf garland has been replaced by lit greenery, which can only mean one thing-it is time to shop til you drop! Today is affectionately referred to as Cyber Monday because everyone gets online to start their holiday shopping. Many online stores offer great deals and discounts as well as free shipping. Here are a few of my fave online stores and their sales today. Enjoy and try to get some work done in between shopping!

www.shopbop.com

Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta

www.katespade.com

www.anntaylor.com

www.couturecandy.com

www.tobi.com

www.toryburch.com

www.revolveclothing.com

]]> http://paronymouschristos.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/healthy-belief/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:44:06 +0000 Mark http://paronymouschristos.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/healthy-belief/

I’ve been recently re-awakened to look at the spiritual gift of healing again, largely because a significant number of our church are suffering from illness of one kind or another.

In many ways I find healing to be a fairly simple thing, I believe God does it, I believe that’s why I’m here, but at the same time I find it deeply difficult, ‘why doesn’t it always seem to happen?’, ‘why don’t I see more of it?’ etc…

I’m wrestling at the moment, but in my place of wrestleitude, I’ve decided to go for it anyway and start to pray in faith for the restoration of those that I know of, that are sick around me. I don’t have all the answers on the ins and outs of healing and I’m not even sure I know how to pray for it, but I’ve made a choice to go for it, to ask God to use me. He calls us to desire the greater gifts so that’s what I’ve set my heart on.

I think faith is a pretty key element in all this so I’ve started reading a bit about that, here’s an article on the subject that I found pretty interesting.

I particularly like these quotes:

Like the father who brought his boy to Jesus for healing desperately proclaims, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief”. A prayer that, if we are truly honest, we should recite daily.

Most often, having faith is a conscience decision that builds strength, as trust is earned. Whereas people grow tired and become uninterested, giving up the pursuit of earning another’s trust. God is persistent and will continue to prove himself to us continually and faithfully.

If you’re in the area, we’ll be praying for health issues at my church from 7:00am to 7:45am tomorrow morning. Come and join us to pray.

Holy Trinity Church Richmond

I hope you all had great Thanksgivings– now it seems the race is on for the holidays.  I’ve already seen houses with trees up and lit, while the stores blare festive music and are mobbed with sale seekers.  The holidays often make us think about those who are less fortunate, but I know I’m not alone in wanting to beat the Salvation Army guy over the head with his own bell by the second week in December.  Luckily there is a way to tackle your shopping list while doing good deeds.  World of Good by Ebay is an online marketplace for products that support either people, the environment, animals or a cause.  Each product is certified with a Goodprint, which tells you what kind of positive impact you can have by purchasing.  What’s not to like about crossing things off your gift list AND having the satisfaction of helping to save the world?

We all know by now that bamboo is a highly sustainable material great for making all sorts of things, including these brightly colored bowls.

Or dress up your table with these gorgeous dishes made from recycled glass.

These peony cup and saucers would make a perfect gift paired with a basket full of assorted teas and cookies.  Handmade in Vietnam, they support local artisans who receive training, loans and product development.

Also supporting local artists are these gorgeous capiz candle holders, the perfect hostess gift for all those holiday parties.

Recycled aluminum looks amazing when it’s handcrafted into a sleek and modern serving bowl.

For less than $10, you can help support artisans in India and make sure your loved ones don’t forget what you look like.

How great are these owl bookends, handcarved from Indian soapstone?

Note cards and journals are always excellent gift choices for people like teachers or others you don’t know well personally.  All of these are handmade using recycled content.

Ok, I’m quickly finding that I could spend all day on this site and easily find gifts for everyone on my list.  Thanks, World of Good, for making it easy to let the Salvation Army guy live to see another year.

When you have a craving for chocolate, a pregnant craving no less, only the ultimate in chocolate will do. While pregnant with our first child I had the craziest craving for chocolate brownies on July 4th no less. This was after we had already dropped off my in-laws at the airport and considered our day done. Not me! I wanted BROWNIES, and no one would stop me! If I recall, we had just enough ingredients to make the batter but I was short on chocolate chips, but had lots of Rolos and nuts so I just threw everything in and baked away. They were the tastiest brownies I ever had.

Later on when we got home from the hospital with our first child, all I wanted – brownies!  I mean, what better way to recover from labor and delivery than chocolate right? My hubby and oldest daughter even made a batch of brownies just for me (I did share), when I came home from the hospital with our second child. It’s now become sort of a tradition to bake a batch of these for friends and family who are adding to their families. This time around, I am making some brownies for some friends and co-workers that just had babies.

The recipe is pretty easy and probably the longest part is waiting for the butter to melt, well besides waiting for these to come out of the oven! Best part about this recipe is, you can do it all by hand if you wanted to and you can add anything you want into the batter. It is an excellent base for other brownie creations, and they freeze well too! Add some fudge frosting to these brownies for some serious chocolatey goodness.

Chocolate + espresso = parents best friend.

Ultimate Chocolate Brownies

• 2/3 cup Butter – melted and divided
• 1/2 cup Hot water
  • Optional: Add 1 tablespoon Instant Espresso to hot water OR
  • 1/2 cup Coffee
• 3/4 cup Cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 2 cups Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1-1/3 cups All-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Chocolate Chips
• *Optional: Nuts, Candy (Rolos, caramels, York peppermint patties, Heath candies)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13×9x2-inch baking pan OR two 8 inch square baking pans. (I sometimes line the pans with parchment paper and non-stick spray to make for easier cutting and removal.)

Prep the butter and hot water. First, melt 2/3 cup of butter. I have tried melting butter in the microwave, and inevitably in the last 5 seconds it explodes – so, I am sticking with the stovetop for now.

Heat 1/2 cup of water on the stovetop, or place in a microwave safe container and cook in the microwave for about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Cook a little extra in case of evaporation, and double check the quantity. Optional: Dissolve 1 tablespoon of espresso into the water, or use reheated coffee.

While waiting for the butter to melt, in a large bowl combine:

• 3/4 cup Cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda

To the cocoa powder mixture add HALF (1/3 cup) of the melted butter, and slowly add the hot water (1/2 cup) to make a thick chocolate paste.

After the chocolate paste has formed add the following ingredients. Be sure to mix well before moving to the next ingredient.

• 2 cups Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1/3 cup Butter

When the batter is nice and smooth, slowly add the remaining ingredients. This works best when the flour is added in small batches and the mixer is on a low speed.

• 1-1/3 cups All-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Chocolate Chips (or other mixins, nuts…candy…)

Take the batter and pour into prepared pans.

• 13×9 pan: Bake 35 to 40 minutes
• 8×8 pan: Bake 30-35 minutes

The brownies are done when a toothpick placed in the center comes out fairly clean (sometimes it pokes a chocolate chip), and when the brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Place the pans on a wire rack to cool. Cut and enjoy, over…and over…and over again!

Since these were a gift to our friend who just had a girl, I added pink ribbon and a note on the top of the container of brownies. Ultimate Chocolate Brownies = Ultimate New Baby Gift!

I’m not hard to surprise, I love gifts of all kinds. Each one is a surprise to me. But if I have to choose just one, I could narrow it down to two. That’s close, right?

We had a desk with a hutch, and any time someone would bump or lean against the desk/hutch, the hutch would come crashing down on our (then) new flat panel monitor. Every time someone come through the door, we would simply cringe, we just knew it would happen whether we issued warnings or not. Come Christmas time, my husband got me a fully assembled desk, complete with a stable hutch. He hid it for a month and a half in the garage. How I never seen it, I have no idea, because I had ventured out there many times!

The second would be when my husband got me my very first sewing machine! A singer, and that puppy held up dandy. It’s still holding up, even being out of time. I was devastated when the timing went screwy. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone to repair a sewing machine? Jeepers.

This year, I’m attempting to hold out for a good ole’ Target visit. Being an hour and a half one way to drive, it’s a treat!

So, tell me. What is/was one of your most surprising gifts? 

I waited very impatiently for Christmas this year.  I’m not sure why exactly but I skipped right past Halloween without even acknowledging it and had a few thanksgiving decorations up in October early.   Although, before it was even Thanksgiving I was sneaking out a few Christmas decorations here and there.  My birthday was the day after Thanksgiving this year and what I wanted was to get the Christmas tree up!  I have been sick and slept nearly all day on Thanksgiving and again on my birthday.  I woke up so late it was technically not my birthday anymore but my boys (primarily my youngest son) helped me get the tree up from the dungeon and at least erect.  Today (Sunday) I finally felt like doing more and everyone helped me decorate the tree in red and gold.  It looks very nice. 

Now, I just have to figure out what to give for gifts this year.  It will be challenging since I have so many medical bills right now.  I am always pretty crafty but this year I don’t have much energy or time.  I have been sleeping so much and my awake time is usually time I’m not feeling like doing much.  I have a few ideas up my sleeves but mostly I think it will be more of a token “it’s the thought” year.  A smile and a hug may be all some people get but I think everyone will understand.  One thing is for sure, nothing can put a damper on my Christmas spirit this year.

“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”
―Mother Teresa

My latest creations

It’s that time of the year again.  I know this because half the radio stations in the area tell me every morning as I drive into work.  There is enough guilt to go around Casa de Netty without some nameless twit on the radio reminding me how it’s my duty to make my family smile this holiday with wonderful gifts I should purchase at these fine stores.

Here’s the deal – my parent’s have have all the material possessions they need – and then some.   My kids?  They have ever-changing needs – while today they may want a new toaster, tomorrow they may decide a new set of  towels are in order.  So my answer to it all is gift cards.

I know, not a lot of heartfelt warmth in plastic, hence the scarves.   Since I am relatively sure that neither of my girls would ever find this blog, I can tell you that the blue/green ones are for my youngest and her new roommate and the center is for the oldest.  I need to make one more to match the center – though a bit smaller for my granddaughter.  Oh and possibly another one if the one in the oven is a girl as well.

I like knitting, even though my co-worker tells me I’m to young to sit around knitting, I find it very soothing.  Kind of like meditation, though instead of breathing you pay attention to the needles and the stitches.  I am getting to the point where I don’t have to obsessively stare at my work – but I still need to check youtube from time to time – especially when it comes to casting off.

Gotta love the information age!

xoxo

It’ Cyber Monday and my friend over at Squidoo.comhave put together the top 10 best green gift ideas of 2009. They have a helpful eco guide so the whole family can get in on the gift buying.

Amazon Gift Cards
Baby Gifts 0-2yrs.
Toddler Gifts 2-4yrs.
Boy Gifts 5-8yrs. | 9-12yrs. | 13-17yrs.
Girl Gifts 5-8yrs. | 9-12yrs. | 13-17yrs.
Her Gifts Girlfriend | Wife | Mom | Grandma
His Gifts Boyfriend | Husband | Dad | Grandpa

You can’t go wrong. tTake some time to check them out.

So, a few posts back, I mentioned that there was another test knit completed this summer. Silly me, I forgot to tell you all about it!

By mid-summer, I had agreed to test knit a rectangular version of the popular Ulmus Shawl by Kirsten at Through the Loops. She picked the color scheme, and I have to say…I love what she chose for the scarf!

Using 2 skeins of Koigu KPPPM and 2 skeins of Spud and Chloe Fine, I knit the medium size in the pattern, using almost the entirety of each skein.

I absolutely loved knitting this. It’s easy but keeps you interested, especially with the changing color of the Koigu. The end charts are a delight, and work up so fast. It really is a lovely knit. I had planned on keeping it for myself, afterwards, but even though I love it very much, I found myself not really wearing it. I’m more of a triangular scarf person, then rectangular.

Lucky for me, I have many enthusiastic friends. I gifted this to my high school best friend, Laura, over Thanksgiving weekend. She loves it as much as I do, and I know it will get a lot of wear out of her.

Now my brother is requesting one, in a palette of blues. Guess I get to knit another one! No complaints here!

The details:
Needles: US 5 / 3.75 mm
Yarn: Koigu Painter’s Palette Premium Merino (KPPPM) (colorway: p621) & Spud & Chloë Fine (colorway: orange)
Yardage: 2 skeins of Koigu (350 yds) and 2 skeins of Spud & Chloë Fine (496 yds)
Mods: none

raveled

For the foodie on your list, I’ve compiled this yum-licious gift guide.  From yummies to eat to the best of the best books of 2009, and finally some new tools to make cooking more fun.  The best part?  All are under $35…stock up!

Gourmet

Spice Rub Kit – Purpose Design, $15.  Perfect for the gourmet griller.

Heritage Farm Favorites Seed Kits – Seed Savers, $13.50.  6 packs of favorite vegetable varieties.

Artisan Salt Sampler Set – Saltworks, $25 for the set.  A fun gift for the novice or experienced chef in your life!

Bacon Peanut Brittle - Bon Bon Brittle, $15/ lb.  If you know someone who hearts bacon…I can think of many on my list!

Sea Salt Caramels – Crate & Barrel, $19.95.  The BEST caramel.

Books

Coco – $32.97.  Part cookbook, part editorial review of the most 100 influential chefs of today.

Cook’s Illustrated Subscription – $26.95.  The ultimate foodie magazine, amazing recipes and technique tips.

Food & Wine 2009 Cookbook – $19.77.  The best recipes, wine pairings and menus of the F&W magazine from the past year.

Quick Cook – $23.10.  Beautiful photography, recipes, techniques and tips to streamline your time in the kitchen.

Gadgets

Kuhn Rikon Mini-Pro Knife Sharpener – Amazon, $19.99.  A must-have for any well-stocked kitchen.

Herb Keeper – Crate & Barrel, $19.95.  Perfect for keeping herbs fresh longer!

Rolling Pin – Anthropologie, $24.  Beautiful vintage design on bone china.

Mixing Bowl – Crate & Barrel, $24.95.  Bright and cheery for any kitchen.

Fold Flat Cheese Grater – Delight, $21.50.  Ideal for small kitchens!

My children are excellent receivers of gifts (and it’s very nice to give to them).  Of course, they prefer a year round schedule of toy giving, but they also eagerly anticipate the holiday season and the rush of gifts and celebrations.  I always hope for an exuberant Christmas morning, while guarding against an excessive, consumer focused experience.  As with many things, in the choice of toys and gifts, simplicity is often the key.

On a personal note, we are blended family with Christian and Jewish traditions that meld with each other nicely to create some wonderful and meaningful holiday traditions, the best of which is gathering our family and friends together to celebrate our love for each other.

A couple of thoughts about toys, gifts and creating an holiday experience for children:

TOYS

When choosing toys, consider material, aesthetics, origin, child development:

• Material:  Some toys are plastic, some metal, some wood, some cotton or wool, and so on.  Pay attention to the kind of material with which the toy is made.  There is an experiential difference, for example, between something that is made of plastic and something that is made of wood, and there is an experiental difference between something that is handmade and something that is molded in a machine.   Make a conscious desicion about the kind of experience that you are offering your child.  I generally seek toys made out of natural material such as wood or cotton or wool.  That said, wooden toys, often handmade, are likely much more expensive than their plastic counterparts.

• Aesthetics:  Each object or toy offers an aesthetic experience to your child and affects him or her in some way.  Be mindful of what the toy looks like — sounds obvious, but I know that I have come home with toys that when I look a little closer, are weird looking or oddly distressing in some way.

• Origin:  if possible, support local craftsmen and craftswomen.  Sometimes it is not so easy to find — the local farmer’s market is a good place to find local craftspeople. Small toy makers are under duress because of the recent government mandate of toy testing.  Click here for a recent New York Times article about the  Burden of Toy Safety Laws on small toy businesses.

• Child Development:  Choose toys that are socially and developmentally appropriate for your child, sometimes this is self evident, sometimes this is not so easy to discern.  the important thing is to be conscious and mindful of what you are purchasing.

SIMPLE, INEXPENSIVE GIFTS

One way to cut costs with gift giving is to make them:  baked goods, painted cards, hand sewn pouches filled with treats, yarn pom-poms, tissue paper stars;

another way is to find treasures in nature:  a lovely piece of driftwood,  a bouquet of gnarly twigs, pressed flowers, fresh herbs grown in the garden;

another way is to hit the thrift stores — I have found some really unique and fun gifts that way — including a pair of antlers for a friend with a rustic bent, and some vintage “Florida” salt and pepper shakers for a relative down south.

As with many things, the presentation is so important: fun or pretty wrapping paper and bright ribbons and bows go a long way towards expressing your care and attention.

Of course, more than just dolling out stuff, gift giving is an expression of love for another person,

and is a wonderful way to recognize and  appreciate the people in your life.

There are lots of simple ways to achieve a feeling of abundance and celebration:

• Bake cookies or other treats for friends and neighbors;

• Decorate the house with candles and cards and paper snowflakes;

• Light candles, or make a fire in the fire place and sing songs — pop popcorn over the fire, or make smores;

• Invite friends and family over for a potluck dinner or brunch party.

Here are some websites where you may discover all sorts of treasures and wonderful gifts:

Acorn Toy Shop I love this website for its beautiful curated selection of toys, home decor, and clothing.  Out of Brooklyn, NY,  the owners of this lovely shop, Karin Schaefer (an artist) and Diane Crespo (a film-maker) have stocked their store and website with exquisite handcrafted toys and accessories.

A  Toy Garden offers lots of fun creative toys, many of which are fair trade or made in the USA.

Nova Natural Toys and Crafts With beautifully photographed toys and craft supplies and books, Nova Natural is a long established ‘go to’ place for thoughtful gifts.

Books make great gifts and these books from Steiner Books are on our list this year:

HAPPY GIVING!!

This is perfect for boring monday mornings and tedious office meetings! The Noughts and Crosses Mug is a great way to keep yourself awake.

So that time of year is upon us again, It’s Christmas Time!!  This year why not grab some awesome bargains and RIGHT NOW is THE time, the AU Dollar is high in comparision with the USA so its Import time people!! Get it while you can!

Here are a great range of items and sites for you to check out and get your Christmas Bargains early and $ave!!

Smrt Arse Wear – For the Smrt Arse in us All! Adult Humor Tshirts and Apparel.

The Organised Kaos Toy Store – Australian owned online toy store specialising in a wide range of educational, wooden & traditional toys, games & activities. Free Gift Wrapping and a flat delivery rate Australia wide.

Over 500 Personalised Christmas Gifts for Children at Identity Direct.

Crazy Sales Au – Get 5% off for Christmas USE CODE: XMASCM – Merry Xmas!

Australia’s Book Shop Save up to 40% on books by  buying online. Check us out today Fishpond.com.au

Play4me.com.au – the world’s entertainment superstore

Fair Trade Coffee – Crop to Cup Uganda Bugisu Coffee

Australian Jade – great Jade Jewellery at affordable prices. Pendants, earrings and bangles to suit your style. Featuring rare black Jade.

Unique horse riding clothes for girls Click here.

Upload your own Photo to create a card that will be the talk of the party. www.Moonpig.com.au

Fantasy Lingerie – Up to 50% off Store Prices! get sexy this christmas and $ave!

So here are a few places to start! Enjoy and Merry Christmas