Stocking Stuffers: Kiddo Edition

November 24, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized

Obviously, the options are endless for kids’ stockings.  Such an easy audience to please.  Arle would be happy as a lark with a stocking full of candy and stickers, but of course I’ll want to get a bit more creative than that.

Since different age groups of kids like different things and all, I’ve decided to just point you in the right direction for your shopping and just point out a few highlights here and there.

Here are some ideas for the small fries in your midst.

Brain Quest Flashcards ($10.95) – I remember my sister loving these when she was a lil’ tike, and I’m pretty sure Arle will, too.  She may be a bit young for them now, but she’ll grow into them soon enough.  How great would these be to stow away in your purse and pull out at a restaurant, in a waiting room, or on a plane???

Mini Classic Gumball Machine ($3.25) – What kid wouldn’t love to wake up to one of these on Christmas morning?

The Land of Nod has a great selection of stocking stuffers this year.  Enter the promo code CELEBRATE at checkout and you’ll receive free shipping on your entire order (excluding furniture).  Here are some of my favorite picks:

I Spy Glass ($7.95) – Arle loves to pretend she’s spying out the window and watching for Swiper (the Dora villain, for those of you lucky enough to be out of the Nick Jr. loop).  This would be a great addition to her super sleuth paraphernalia.

Little Miss and Mr. Books ($3.99) – I loved the “Little Miss” books when I was a kid.  So glad they’re making a comeback. Little Miss Chatterbox will certainly be making its’ way into our Lil’ Ms. Chatterbox’s stocking.

The Handyman Can $12.95) – Even our little girlie-girl has a tool box and loves to go around the house fixin’ things.  For those kiddos who don’t yet have a tool set, this one is adorable!

Give These Puppets A Hand ($8.95) – Arle’s constantly taking her socks off to make puppets, so I think it’s about time she gets the real deal.  I think these are so cute and are a great price.

Welp.  I’m tired.  I have a house full of company and lots of cooking to do.  Off to bed, I am.

Ta ta for now.  Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all a goodnight.

 

 

 

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Stocking Stuffers: Culinary Queen Edition

November 23, 2009 · Filed under Favorite Products, stocking stuffers · Tagged ,

Let me start off by saying I definitely DO NOT consider myself a “Culinary Queen.”  Far from it, actually.  But, as a woman who loves to cook and entertain, this list is chock full of things I would love to find in my stocking.

Most of the items are a bit pricier than some of my previous suggestions, but would make great additions to some of the less expensive things on the girlie-girl list.

Placecard Holders – How stinkin’ adorable are these, although I probably wouldn’t actually use them as placecard holders.  I just don’t throw dinner parties fancy enough for such a novelty.  Instead, I would use them to identify dishes at a party.  That way, guests won’t have to constantly ask, “What’s this”?  How cute would these have been at the shower my friends and I hosted a few weeks ago???

Strainer-Sifter – There have been many moments in the kitchen when I’ve wished I had one of these little guys.

Taste-Test Recipe Book – I discovered this beauty (and fell head-over-heels-in-love) while reading one of Jami’s entries, (an absolutely hilarious list of gifts for men to buy their ladies).  This has to be the cutest recipe book EVER.  It’s a bit pricey at $28, so it would probably not fall into the stocking stuffer category, but I couldn’t resist putting it on the list.

Flat Whisk – Something I definitely want in my utensil drawer to make sure I get all those yummy bits off the bottom of my pans when making sauces and such.  I’m just sure it would make my food taste better.  Plus, it seems like it would be easier to clean than my other whisks.

Baker’s Bliss Measuring Spoons – I. Must.  Have.  These.

Herb Keeper – This thing is a bit pricey, but seems like it would be worth it.  I’ve wasted many a fresh herb in my day and this looks like the answer to all my mushy-brown-herb-troubles.  Here’s a version that’s $5 less expensive, but I can’t seem to get the pic downloaded.

Stainless-Steel Pastry Blender – I love, love, love baking and would love, love, love to have a pastry blender that actually gets the job done.  My current one stinks.

Welp, that’s that.  Still working on the list for kiddos.  Hopefully will have it ready tomorrow.

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Stuff Those Stockings: Guys’ Edition

November 19, 2009 · Filed under stocking stuffers · Tagged , , , ,

I know I said I would be posting these weekly, but then I decided it would make more sense to just get it all out of the way, so you can make your shopping lists now.  So, my goal is to flood your brains with all sorts of ideas for all sorts of peeps.

I feel the need to preface this post by saying that when I’m thinking about stocking stuffers for guys, I’m usually thinking of what Trav would like.  But here’s the thing, Trav is pretty much an 11 year old boy, stuck in the body of a 31 year old man.  Think of the movie, “Big,” and you can see what I’m dealing with here.

I tried my best to come up with ideas that don’t involve some sort of toy.  Although, I am in fact going to start off with a toy.

Rubik’s Cube – I put one of these in Trav’s stocking a few years back and he loved it.  It sits on his desk in his office and causes him much grief…in a good way.  It’s a way for him to break away from work every now and then and is pretty much the closest thing to exercise that man’s gotten in years.

Sneaky Uses For Everday Things – This seems like one of those things that guys would find interesting.  Me…not so much, but whatever.

Double Coffee Measure – I put this in Trav’s stocking last year and he thought it was great.  It’s his way of contributing in the kitchen. 

The Art Of Shaving Travel Kit - Trav isn’t one to spend a whole lotta dough on “beauty” products, but this is one thing he’s willing to splurge on.  He has pretty sensitive skin when it comes to shaving and this was his saving grace.  We were introduced to the line while we were in NYC a couple of years ago.  We were strolling through Barney’s looking at lots of things we couldn’t afford, when we stumbled upon this stuff.  We bought him the full-sized starter kit and he was instantly hooked.  The only thing was, that he wasn’t able to lug all of it with him when he traveled.  I put this in his stocking the following Christmas and it’s been in his travel bag ever since.  If your man hasn’t ever tried it, the travel kit would be the way to go so he can give it a trial run.  And, although it’s pricey stuff, the regular sized products last him almost 11 months.  So, we’re probably not spending much more than when he was going through a can of drugstore shaving cream each month.  If you don’t want to invest in the whole shibang, just go for the shaving cream and a basic brush.

Kobayashi Liquid Deodorizer -  For the man in your life that has a great sense of humor, this would be HILARIOUS to throw into a stocking.  I laughed out loud when I read the description on x-tremegeek.com for this stuff.

“Plain and simple… this stuff works! We don’t know how, but it works. Just put one tiny drop of this amazing deodorizer in the toilet before you sit and take, uh… care of business, and it miraculously prevents offensive odors from reaching deadly levels. It’s a clear colorless liquid with just a slight hint of fragrance that doesn’t cover up” or “do battle” with odors like those flowery overpowering sprays. It’s as if offensive odors simply can’t escape the toilet! It’s amazing!”

  • Scent is the strongest sense tied to memory–don’t leave a bad impression
  • Great for when you go to dinner at the in-laws
  • Keep a bottle in your pocket or purse
  • Discreetly leave them for office-mates and roommates

    • Jack’snak – Guys like to eat, right?  This is great for stockings, because it takes up room when a guys’ stocking is often filled with small stuff like gift cards.  Plus, it’s delicious.  And made right here in KC.

    The Dangerous Book for Boys – For any of the men in your life that are daddies to boys, this would be cute to give.  It’s full of ideas of activities to do with their lil’ men.  Mighty Goods says, “If he’s gonna teach the kid how to make a go-cart, first he’ll need to know how.”

    Here are a few more random (and obvious) things guys usually like:  books, beef jerky, DVDs, and gift cards.

    That’s all I’ve got for ya.  Now, I’m off to research fun items for the kiddos.

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    Stuff Those Stockings: Girlie-Girl Edition

    November 18, 2009 · Filed under stocking stuffers · Tagged , , ,

    One of my favorite parts about Christmas morning is ripping through my stocking and finding all sorts of fun stuff.

    I still remember the first year I found something other than the norm in my stocking.  What was the norm, you ask?  Candy, an orange, and random nuts that surely no kid ever actually eats (Mother Santa, why exactly DID you put nuts in our stockings?).

    The stocking stuffers were a hit with all and quickly became a tradition.

    I even enjoy shopping for stocking stuffers more than regular gifts.  There’s an art to finding a variety of things that actually fill the stocking, aren’t too expensive, and that the recipient will love.

    So, each week up until Christmas, I’m going to share some of my favorite stocking stuffer ideas with you.

    Here are some ideas for the girlie-girl on your list:

    First up is from my list of all-time favorite beauty products.  Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm is the best thing you can ever do for your lips.  One container of it should last the recipient until next Christmas when you throw another tub in their stocking.

    Ms. Manicure Matchbox Emery Boards are great.  They’re perfect for carrying in your purse or travel bag.  For the new mom they’re a life-saver.  When Arle was a newborn, I cut her poor little fingers the first two times I attempted to cut her nails.  I cried.  She cried.  I immediately swore off nail clippers and instead, I started filing her nails while she was sleeping with these mini wonders.  They are the perfect size for itty-bitty fingers.  They can usually be found at Target, Wal-Mart, Sally’s Beauty Supply, Beauty Brands, etc.

    I love magazine subscriptions and People Style Watch is a great one to give to all of your shopaholic family members.  It’s not loaded with dumb ads, and actually highlights a great mix of clothes and accessories you can actually afford and those you can only dream of buying.

    The Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler is always a treat to find swimming around in my stocking.  It comes with an extra pad that you switch out after using it for six months.  It seriously is worth every penny because it makes such a difference on your lashes.  Definitely provides an ooh-la-la effect.

    Every girlie-girl wants her home to smell nice, right?  This Capri Blue candle in the Volcano scent is fantastic.  This small version lasts 40 hrs., but there are bigger (and pricier) versions that will obviously last much longer.

    Fun nail polish is always a good stuffer.  I mean, what girlie-girl isn’t always looking to add some pizazz to her polish wardrobe?  I love Essie polish.  It’s just plain good.  If I’m going to take the time to actually paint my nails, it better last more than a day without going all white-trash on me.

    Alrighty, then.  Hopefully this will make your shopping a lil’ bit merrier and your stockings a lot more fun.  Feel free to add your own girlie-girl stuffer suggestions down in the comments.  I would love to hear your ideas!

    Tah tah for now.

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    The Big Night

    November 17, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , ,

    So.  Last night was fun.  Lots and lots o’ fun.

    The rumor about Marlboro Man making an appearance was true.

    He showed up with their two punk boys and all three of them were adorable.  Here’s my posse with MM and the youngest punk.  One of the girls below developed a pretty serious crush on MM.  I won’t say who, b/c she’s already threatened me within an inch of my life if I tell.

    Pioneer Woman, once again, was extremely kind and gracious.  She’s just so stinkin’ like-able.  She answered lots of questions submitted from the gigantic crowd of women, drew names for door prizes, then began signing books.  And I mean lots of books.  If I had to guess I would say at least 1,000.  The place was packed with P-dub fans.  Her hand had to have cramped up at some point, but she powered through, never once letting her smile leave her face.

    Oh, and get this.  As I was getting ready last night, I decided I needed to wear a warmer coat than the black and white one I had on at the morning signing.   But then I remembered that PW had actually complimented me on my coat that morning, so I decided to do an experiment to see if she would remember me.

    When our group’s turn came, we walked up and PW said, “Oh!  You were there this morning!”

    Of course, it was only because I sacrificed my warmth and wore a coat that sticks out like a sore thumb, but still. She remembered.  Such a sweet BFF, she is.

    Here’s our crew with PW.  Please take note of how Rachel’s hand is slyly reaching out to touch PW’s arm.  Rachel, are you going to ever wash that hand again?

    Not sure why, but the guy using my camera kept taking pics after he got a good one.  I thought it was funny enough to throw out there on the ol’ interwebs.  Why am I leaning in towards PW with a huge cheesy grin on my face and my eyes closed?  Because I’m Crazy Stalker Lady, that’s why.

    It was a super fun night with some super fun girls.

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    The Big Day

    November 16, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged ,

    It’s super-duper official.

    Pioneer Woman and I are officially BFF.

    Don’t believe me?

    Uh, the proof’s in the puddin’…

    030

    Don’t we look happy together?  Don’t we look like we belong together?

    Arle and I went to the first book signing this morning and had so much fun.  PW was every bit as kind and gracious as I expected her to be.

    I had all sorts of fabulous things planned out in my head to say to her, but of course Arle totally stole my thunder.  All PW wanted to talk about was Arle’s cute tutu and Arle’s cute shoes and Arle’s cute bow.  Understandable, I guess, but geez.  Oh the plight of the mommy with the cutest stinkin’ daughter on the face of the planet.

    Woe is me.

    PW did comment on the name of my blog, though.  A lady had put a post-it note in my cookbook, so PW would know who to sign it for.  When she opened it up and saw “Momdiggity” she giggled and asked what it meant.  I told her it was the name of my blog and she said she loved it.  As I was leaving, she hollered out, “Bye, Momdiggity!”

    That’s right. BFF fo’ sho’.

    I was planning on texting her to see if she wanted to meet me at Starbucks for a cup o’ joe and small talk before leaving KC, but I just realized she forgot to give me her phone number.  Obviously, a complete oversight on her part.  I mean, she was really busy and all, so I’ll let it slide.

    056

    So, one PW event down and one to go.  She’s speaking at the one tonight and I’m going with friends, so it should be loads of fun. Girls night out, wahoo!

    Plus, Marlboro Man is going to be there.

    I’m just sayin’…

    Trav, don’t worry, though.  I’ll just admire him from afar.

    One last thought…I would just like to give a pat on the back to Rainy Day Books for pulling off a seamless and fun event.  I have read blogs about PW signings in other cities that were a logistical mess b/c the host bookstores had no clue what they were doing.

    Not here in KC, though.  No sirree.

    Rainy Day has done this many times before and has it down pat.  Job well done, my friends!

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    Recipes For Yumminess

    November 12, 2009 · Filed under Recipes

    As per Carolyn’s request in the comments on my baby shower post, here are recipes from the shindig.

    Jessie’s Pomegranate Champagne Punch

    orange slices (to garnish)

    1 c pomegranate seeds (optional)

    2 c fresh orange juice, strained

    1 quart pomegranate juice

    2 c chilled limeade

    lime slices (to garnish)

    1 (750 ml) bottle pink champagne

    Mix pomegranate juice, orange juice, and limeade together.  Pour in the champagne.  Float lime & orange slices on top.  Pour into ice-filled glasses, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds & serve.

    Rachel’s Cream Puffs

    For Filling
    Mix 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding with 2 cups heavy cream and 1 cup milk.  Cover and refrigerate.
    For Cream Puffs
    1/2 C. unsalted butter
    1 C. water
    1/4 tsp. salt
    1 C. all-purpose flour
    4 large eggs
    Heat oven to 425°
    Bring butter and water to a boil.  Stir in salt and gradually add flour.  Stir until mixture forms a ball.  Remove from heat.  Using a wooden spoon, beat in eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition until smooth.  Drop spoonfuls onto an un-greased cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.  (Note: they will expand quite a bit when baking, so don’t make them too big).

    Allow cream puffs to cool.  Then, slice off tops and fill with cream, and replace top.  Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

    If you would like chocolate sauce on top, melt 1/4 C. of butter and 1/2 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips together and drizzle over filled cream puffs.

    Rachel’s Spinach Artichoke Dip

    1 pkg. of frozen spinach, thawed and drained well

    1 Can of quartered artichokes, chopped

    8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

    2/3 C. parmesan cheese

    1/2 C. mayonnaise

    1/2 C. Sour Cream

    1 tsp. mustard

    1 small red onion, diced

    Cayenne pepper to taste.

    Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until heated through.

    ———

    The Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes are the same ones I made for Arle’s 2nd birthday.  I absolutely love these things.  The icing definitely takes time to make, but is well worth it.
    ———
    Jessie made the Raspberry Pineapple Mascarpone Tarts from a Giada recipe and they were delish.
    ———
    The Raspberry Chipotle Cream Cheese is just a block of cream cheese with 1/2 a bottle of Fischer & Wieser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce poured over the top.  Thanks to my sweet friend, Maeghan, for gifting this to me.
    ———
    I had big plans for making homemade caramel corn, but ran out of time and sent Trav and Arle to Topsy’s.  I’ll admit that I was also a bit intimidated by popping popcorn on the stove.  I heard microwaved corn doesn’t work well for caramel corn…anyone know if that’s true or not?

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    My Latest Obsession

    November 10, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized

    Although being a stay at home mom is my absolute dream job, I recently discovered another gig that I’m thinking is pretty stinkin’ dreamy.

    Raise your hand if you’ve seen Man Shops Globe on the Sundance channel.  Oh my goodness it’s fabulous.

    It’s a show documenting the travels of a guy named Keith Johnson.  Keith works for Anthropologie and is responsible for scouring the globe for fabulously unique items to sell in their stores and decorate their stores.

    Seriously.  Dream job.

    First of all, Anthropologie is one of my all-time favorite stores to step foot in.  Love, love, love the home items.  Love, love, love, the clothing.  Love, love, love the accessories.  I realize they tend to be on the pricey side of things, but their sale section is a gold mine.  The dress I’m wearing in the shower post yesterday was found in their sale section last week.  It had originally been $138, but I purchased it for $29.99.  Take that.

    So, I say all that to say working for that company in a position like Keith’s would be flat-out fantastic.  What could possibly be bad about going into work and being told, “Uh, Heather, we need you to hop on a plane and go shopping in France for a few days.”

    I saw the promos for the show a while back and set the DVR to record the series, but never got around to watching them until two weeks ago.  The first episode was in France.  The second was in South Africa.  Two of my favorite places on earth.

    One of my favorite things about it is when he stops into some random artist’s shop.  Somebody who’s obviously struggling to get by, but loves what they do.  Keith decides he loves their product, makes a huge order, and instantly changes the artist’s life.

    Trav even digs Man Shops Globe.  Watch it tomorrow night.  Some people may find it to be dreadfully boring, but that just means you’re dreadfully weird.

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    Baby Shower Fun

    November 8, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized

    My friends, Jessie, Rachel, and I spent the past few weeks preparing to throw a baby shower for our friend, Kristin.  Yesterday was the big day and everything went off without a hitch.

    Except for when I unscrewed the spout on the Pomegranate Champagne Punch a bit too much and it started pouring out like a raging river and went everywhere.

    But other than that everything was great, if I may say so myself.  Kristin got loads of great goodies for the babe and all of the guests were lots of fun.

    We decided to make it a bird-themed shower.  I love the whole bird decor thing, but Trav hates it.  This gave me the perfect opportunity to go bird wild.

    For some reason I was dead-set on making a diaper cake.  I had never seen one of these until my baby shower two years ago, and it was really cute.  Once I started researching how to make them, I discovered that cute diaper cakes are a rare find.  Most are super-duper tacky and just look like a bunch of diapers jumbled together.  I finally came across this adorable one on my favorite entertaining site, hostesswiththemostess.com.

    I searched high and low for cute receiving blankets to use, but couldn’t find any that I loved.  I finally resorted to just using fabric to line the layers.  Here’s the finished product:

    007

    I also attempted another crafty first and painted a bird on a branch to add a little more bird love to the mix. Definitely nothing impressive, but I had fun making it.

    040

    We had loads of yummy food to eat and drinks to sip.  On the menu:

    Spicy Spinach Artichoke Dip

    Homemade Cream Puffs

    Raspberry Pineapple Mascarpone Tarts

    Caramel Corn

    Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

    Raspberry Chipotle Cream Cheese with Crackers

    Strawberry Orange Water

    Limeade

    Pomegranate Champagne Punch

    006011063

    Guests wrote down blessings for the baby or their favorite family traditions to give Clay and Kristin fun ideas as they start their family.

    078Jessie and Rachel were so much fun to host with and Kristin was loads of fun to host for.

    066

    Jessie, Kristin, Me, Rachel

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    Geez, Louise

    November 3, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized

    I’m not sure how this has happened, but my baby girl has suddenly turned into a little girl.  A big girl, according to her.  By the looks of this pic, I think she might be right.

    060The pic below is from Halloween two years ago.  How on earth do they grow and change this quickly?  I just can’t take it.

    halloween

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