Pudge, Meet Finley

Hmmm, not sure about this. Too much sniffing on the left.

Too much sniffing on the right...

Mom, are you serious???

I think we are going to be best friends.

It is like my own little pony. Only much, much cheaper. And more accessible.

Christmas for the Under Two Set

We had Christmas early this year with Tommy's family, so I thought I would share with you all what I got Baby Max.

It is hard to believe what a difference a year makes. This is Max last year at Christmas at 9 months old.

He has sure gotten to be a cute little man!

This year I got Max a little Picture Me book from Snapfish with him as the star.

I am a little disappointed in Target because the other gifts I got him are not online. But everything else pictured came from there. (Of course.) We got him a little monster tent. Apparently, it is also comfortable for a 28-year old man.

Seriously, Aunt Katie, clothes? Those aren't fun :)!

However, I am so loving the Paul Frank line at Target and he HAD to have these pajamas.

Allison's gift to Max was a huge hit. Just look at that smile!
I am also blessed to have a Godson who is only one month younger than Max. He also had a Paul Frank Christmas.

And I also got him his first set of colors. They are really big so tiny hands can manuever them better.

As for me, we had quite a surpise under the tree this year from Tommy's family:
I am loving it so far! I am a huge reader and the way the screen is set up it is like you are really looking at a book. My first download is the new Jen Lancaster book. Nothing like a beach read in the middle of winter!

A new kind of Christmas Tree

Doesn't everyone have a jewelry box that looks similar to this?

Well, now I have a little project for you. A few years ago my mom had seen an idea at an open house on taking old costume jewelry and using it to make a piece of art. So she, my mother-in-law, Tommy's aunt and Tommy's sister, decided to make their own jewelry tree. (I helped my mom with her tree, but they happened to plan their night of craftiness when I had other plans. It is hard being as busy as me ; )

This is my mom's tree getting close to completion.

I think this is Tommy's aunt's tree. (Hard to say since I wasn't there...)

Tommy's mom's tree.
I am pretty sure this is Kristen's.
I think the finished product turned out really good.

As far as supplies, they just used old jewelry, a velour backing and fabric glue. Easy enough, right?

Napa...2 weeks later

Talk about a delayed reaction. Two weeks ago I got back from Napa. But, you know, gift giving season took precedence.

The scenery was beautiful.
The food was excellent.

Finley even loved it.

The wine was excellent.

The wineries were stunning.

Again, the food was pretty good. ; )

My mom and I took a small detour to this factory. (Have I ever mentioned my love for factories on here?)

The architecture was so unique.

The company was fabulous.

Bottom line on my trip: I would love to go back.

Real Simple Gift Ideas

I know I have mentioned how much I like my Real Simple Magazine (also a great gift idea), so I thought I would share a few of my favorites from their gift guide.

Have you guys ever heard of foodzie? It is like etsy for food lovers. Featured in Real Simple were several products for sale on the site. One was this 6-pack of mini-cheesecakes from Decadence Cheesecakes. 6 cakes are $28.95. Unfortunately, these are sold out until after Christmas, but you know, maybe next year.

I thought this was hilarious for the guy in your life - a BBQ sword from wishingfish.com.
Also from Foodzie is this Bacon Jam. I was intrigued (that is saying alot since I don't eat bacon), so I copied the description for you:

we take a big bunch of really, really good bacon and render it down...add a bunch of spices, onions, etc...and let it simmer for about 4 hours...give it a quick puree, and blast chill it...and you have bacon jam...
it is great on burgers, grilled cheese sammys, baked potatoes...a general baconopia of uses...


I thought these disposable bibs available at Spoon Sisters were really cute and clever. Also, if you have never visited the site, it is really cute. Check it out. There are so many fun items.

Also from Spoon Sisters is the infamous lazy spoon that Rachael Ray uses on her show. I mean, I am all about saving another dish from getting dirty, so this works for me.

Fan Club and Celeb Gifts

Today was a big day! I have only had two exciting happenings on my blog. The first was when Linda Fuller, wife of Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller, found my blog and commented on a post about a house being built in memory of my dad.

And the second was today. You guys, I am now pretty much the unofficial chair of the Auntie Anne's fan club! She found me because of yesterday's blog post. Okay, so maybe Auntie Anne didn't find me. But someone on her staff did, which is pretty much the same thing. As a huge fan of Auntie Anne's I have been rewarded for my loyalty (this loyalty is deep, seriously, I walked and walked and walked around the Oakland airport when I went to Napa just to get a pretzel. Now tell me that isn't loyal. There were lots of options. I am just sayin'.) I am now going to be the proud owner of several free pretzels. I bet you all want to be my friend now!

While talking to my nice representative from Auntie Anne's, she mentioned another great gift for other pretzel lovers out there - a make your own pretzel kit! And at $12.95 you cannot beat the price. I might have to do this instead of making Christmas cookies this year. Christmas pretzels would be a great new tradition.

So, now for my celeb gifts. Technically, I am not sure these are celeb gifts, but they were in US Weekly, so close enough.

Janie, I immediately thought of you when I saw this gift - A Dog's Life Wine. It is a mix of your two favorite things, wine (granted, it is not Franzia) and pups. And 2 bottles for only $25 - steal.

Isn't this sleeve for your to-go coffee just so clever? Only $5, people. Available at the Container Store.

Supposedly Denise Richards' daughters have this crayon apron from Chasing Fireflies. Either way, this apron is really cute and so is the online store.

More gift ideas tomorrow.

More edible gifts

I had this really great post for today which included some fabulous gifts that I saw on the Today Show and some really fun gifts that I found in Real Simple. And, well, I left the Real Simple magazine in my car. And the car is outside. And it is simply too cold for me to get it. So, I guess that might be my hook for tomorrow night's blog post.

Today on the Today Show I caught a really great segment on edible mail order gifts. And, in an annoying turn of events, the Today Show has taken away their embed link from their site. So, I guess you can get it here. (That link was given begrudgingly...)

For those of you too lazy to check the whole video out (don't worry, I won't judge) here are the highlights.

San Francisco sour dough bakery, Boudin, has a bread of the month club. Seriously, brilliant. Why didn't I think of this when I was doing research for the gift basket post???
Earlier this year I did a post on Aunt Sally's pralines. They are all delish, but the chewy ones are amazing. Not better than my mom's, but my doesn't sell them. So, I guess these will do.

For garlic lovers, how about this as a gift basket from Garlic World? Only $1.99 a jar, too.

I love specialty beverages. And I love cream soda. And it is German. And I went to Germany. And my husband is German. So, basically it is like I was meant to try these gourmet soda's from Sprecher's Brewery.

This whole gift basket from Henning's Cheese is only $29.95. Look at those flavors!

Okay you guys, I have like the biggest pretzel obsession ever. I make special trips to the mall just to go Auntie Anne's. (Side note, have you ever had their almond pretzel in the caramel dipping sauce? Go. Today.) Also featured today was Philly's Own Soft Pretzels. This whole box of 25 pretzels is only $15. Honestly, I can only get about 3 Auntie Anne's pretzels for that. Hmm...must try. Think of all the money I could save.

Lastly, as a huge sweet lover, I was intrigued by Mr. Tod's box of 10 mini pies and cheesecakes. Doesn't this look absolutely amazing?

More gift ideas tomorrow!