Flip-flops in NY (Babytease)

52 days til Christmas. Have you started?

Most of my family lives out of state.  Part of my family lives close to us, but we simply don't see them for holidays.  It's usually just my mom, my brother, my son and myself.  Last year I started a tradition.  Instead of giving each other presents that are large, we are only allowed to buy or make things that can fit in a Christmas stocking - leaving room for other presents to fit in the stocking as well.  The presents should be wrapped.  No name tags.  It's a surprise who gave it to you.

The monetary value of each gift is not important, but the size is.  Great things come in small packages.  And they don't have to be expensive to be appreciated and liked very much.  This helps the person that has less money to spend to feel better about their gift-giving.  It also cuts down on tons of wasted wrapping paper and clean up.  And there is always something you need to get but tend to forget.  Someone can get it for you, because they know you so well. And no name picking. There are only four of us so it really doesn't work out.

It was a big hit with us last year.  I love to receive watches whether it's my birthday or Christmas.  I received the watch I'm wearing now. 

There are tons of great stocking stuffers that qualify as gifts.  Here are some of my favorites:

For the ladies:

Lotion, bubble bath, nail polish, nail clipper set, pumice, loofa, bodywash, specialty soap, sachet, rollerball perfume,

pic from musingsofamuse.com

jewelry of any kind, real or not, cel phone or iPod case, fluffy socks, favorite candy, Pez, photo magnets, cute Post-It Notes, paperclip bookmarks,

pic from mychicnscratch.com

purse sized calendar, camera memory cards, USBs, digital camera, travel hair dryer or alarm clock (clock at Ikea for $.99), Tokidoki breath mints or mirror,

pic from tokidoki-blog.com

make-up case, photo mini book, craft supplies tea ball to steap tea, tea bag (ball) holder,

pic from tropicalteaco.com

favorite tea or coffee, cookies for dunking in beverages, novelty set of utensils for work, umbrella, silk scarf, gloves,

For the gents:

I don't smoke but - a monogrammed lighter, lottery tickets, special pen, Chapstick, leather embossed bracelet, Sudoku book, paperback, Swiss Army Knife,

pic from cosmopolitan.com

money clip, wallet, tie, cufflinks, a special key chain, earbuds, Sharpies, favorite candy, homemade candy or cookies, Pez, breath mints, DVD movie, cologne, razor and/or blades, rechargeable battery set,

pic from elec-intro.com

nail clipper set, monogrammed luggage tags, travel alarm clock, novelty deck of cards, dice game, framed photo of family, mass transit card from home or a city he will travel to,

pic from nydailynews.com

compact umbrella, action figures (yes, for the grown-ups, at least in my family),

And for the kiddies:

Most of this is obvious, but I'm going to list them anyway.

Hair clips, bubble bath, bath toys, Chapstick, hand sanitizer, an Archie Digest or any other comic, Barbie clothes because she already has the Barbies, cool Matchbox cars, mini Lego sets, Mobile sets, PlaySchool People, ABC hard books, Silly Putty, Play Dough, Slinky, Jax, mini checkers or chess, a small puzzle, dice game, novelty playing cards, water guns, water balloons, Army Men, fake police badge, toy wallets, fake money, batteries for "the big present", differnt coins and some dollar bills, ornament with their name on it and the year, mini flash light like for a key chain, marbles, tickets to Radio City or an upcoming movie or the circus.

And, of course, there are the gift certificates.  You can buy them almost anywhere for almost anything these days.  If you do decide to put them in your stockings, I wouldn't make them for more than $10.  If you want to spend more, get several cards with small denominations.  I try to stay a way from big stores so they are not spent on groceries and the like.  Try smaller, maybe privately owned stores, or the beauty salon or barber, or your local bookstore.  I really like homemade ones.  The kind that offer a date night or doing dishes for a week straight.  You can make them as simple or pretty as you like.

I tend to stay away from electronics and too much candy.

These are my suggestions - most tried and true, but I also came across a blog post from Jenna at:

Jenna's Journey Blog

Many of ours are the same, but she has 150 suggestions on her list.  Some of them are fabulous. Go check it out.  You will never stuff your stockings full of dollar store candy again!

Christmas Card Saver

 

I've always wanted a memorable way to save Christmas cards.  I receive many cards, if you count the ones from work.  Some of them are not so memorable, but so many are, and the sentiments inside even more.  The great thing about this is, you can pick how many or how few to keep. I also love how they are contained and easy to save.

I just came across this way to save them, per year, which is very simple and cute.  Please visit The Creative Place to view the tutorial.  I know you will love it as much as I do. 

Photo from The Creative Place

Christmas miracle on Black Friday

After years of my begging him, my 18yo son cleaned his room.  He actually put together some baskets with wheels that slide under his bed, arranged his footwear and washed clothes all in one day.  He did this on his own, without me mentioning it first. IT'S A HOLIDAY MIRACLE!

We had a great Thanksgiving meal yesterday with family and friends that came over to share it with us.  I cooked the bulk of the meal, but others also chipped in.  I started preparing a few things on Wednesday and that really helped.  I'm going to start doing that from now on.  It's very good advice.  I should have listened to Ina Garten years ago.

Today I've been watching old episodes of Knitty Gritty and Uncommon Threads while I reworked a pair of jeans.  I really miss the craft shows on HGTV and DIY.  I'm so glad I have some episodes on my DVR and they are airing some others at 6:30 AM and so on.  I bought two pairs of jeans at Old Navy a couple of years ago and realized they looked too similar.  But they were sooo cheap!  So I've taken the back pockets off and fringed the bottom hems.  I'm going to add some lace and gold paint after I wash them tomorrow.  Can't wait.

I found out on NATE that I'm a "distracted" personality.  I want to do so many projects at one time that I don't do any.  So the jeans are numero uno right now.  I'm not starting anything else until I am satisfied with them.  Except... I am running a small cookie swap at work.  And a Secret Santa.  I can't help it.  I love the holidays.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  Our families are very special to us, and I'm sure anyone reading this works very hard taking care of theirs.  May you all be healthy and happy in the weeks and years to come.

Kim

 

Not crafting

I am sitting here wearing flipflops and a sundress in my NYC living room, watching Julia and Jacques with a load of launrdy about to be done. I hang them in the bathroom because I don't have a dryer. It would make my kitchen too hot, even with a vent.  I'm watching the cooking shows looking for some new ideas for Thanksgiving.

I have had a houseguest since mid-July, who was supposed to move out today, but did not. This person is a family member, which has made it all the more hard for me to ask them to leave. A friend, a boyfriend? You can burn those bridges if need be, but blood is hard for me to deal with.  This person has stressed me out to a new level, instead of helping as they professed when they moved in. Helping family can be such a burden because you never know if you are actually helping them or hurting them by making things too easy for them.  It's amazing that I can be so hard on my 17 year old and so easy on others to avoid confrontations. But I always rationalize being hard on my son that I am teaching him life lessons. Today was supposed to be the end of this ordeal and the beginning of no tension in my home. I think they are trying to torture me because I stayed home sick today, but it's just like me to think the worst of this person right now.

I hoped they would leave early and I would put a load or two of laundry in and crochet in bed or work on a project on my one and only table in the living room, but they keep coming in and out of the apartment and it's driving me insane.  This has basically been my life for the past five months. I've completed a few simple projects, but want to do so many things for an economical Christmas. If I can get my act together, I just might be able to accomplish a few of them, because I am not trying to be too ambitious.

I have a pleasant Thanksgiving meal planned, but I always like to try one new thing, which I may or may not use again. My son has invited some friends over. I think he likes playing the host.  The problem is that I do not have enough seating after a little furniture fiasco this summer.  But anyone that comes over knows what happened and understands, and will be bowled over by my food(LOL), so they won't care.

I'm looking forward to the holidays, the new year for a new start, and February for another new start. I hope to report back soon.

Love Kim

 
  

Funniest Xmas present EVER

 

 

Thanks guys.  I'm using them now. 

Best gift ever!

  Olympus FE-370

We got together with the little bit of family we have here in NY today and my lovely family heard my complaint about my present camera and got me this one!  I am the luckiest person ever to have such great people around me that are so generous and giving all of my life.  My son hit me up with Lost Season 4 and Beadle the Bard.  That was real thoughtful for a sixteen year old, but this is just incredible.  I am going to have so much fun with this sucker.

Then I packed these

 

This is from a batch of Coconut Almond Fudge and from a batch of Cherry, Walnut & Marshmallow fudge.  I found these boxes at A C Moore from Wilton, but they are outrageously expensive.  Three of these 1/2 lb. boxes were four bucks!  Anyway, the person I bought them for a worth a lot more than that.  I had a time getting the paper right.  I was glad I had parchment on a roll in the house.  12 pieces of candy fit perfectly in the box.  I filled all three.  I know who I want to give them to, but if any one extra shows up for lunch tomorrow I can give them one of these and they won't feel left out.

   

Golden raisins, cashews, marshmallows, a couple of M&Ms w/ peanuts, 2 cinnamon Santas, 2 Kisses w/ candy cane, 2 Hot Cocoa Kisses, a starlight mint and a nice piece of Turron (almond candy).  I put them in a cup with a marshmallow covered soldier and a candy cane.  My family members are gonna love these.  They're gonna be pissed at me for bringing them more candy, and cupcakes, after all of the holiday food.  I don't care.

Hispanics do it different

 

On Christmas Eve a family that I grew up with here in New York City invited Scott and me to their Christmas Eve celebration.  Hispanics celebrate on Christmas Eve with food and dancing and liquor, dressing up and partying.  Christmas Day is to sleep it off.  There may be a tree and some decorations, but it's not needed.  The people I usually celebrate with, not just this family, but all that I know, including my own, usually prepare rice and beans with roast pork, potato salad, green salad and avocado.  It is all very important.  Desserts are not.  My maternal grandmother always made a coconut candy and had Turrone in the house.  It's an Italian candy made of Almonds.  Sometimes I stick to tradition, sometimes I don't.  I enjoy different kinds of food, and other peoples' traditions.  I wanted to create my own traditions for my son and myself.  Some years we do it the Hispanic way, like this year, visit from house to house, and other years we stay home making a simple Christmas Eve meal of fish then a roast beef or turkey or ham on Christmas day.  On the 24th we went to the party and on the 25th we went to my two best friend's houses.  We spent half the day in each house.  We ate a great meal in both places and were dizzy and sleepy from being so full when we got home.  Food is love, and celebration, and the biggest gift they/we can give you.

            

Sunday's Holiday Party

I had an open-house party on Sunday, but I have no photos because I was so busy running around making sure everyone was eating or drinking or talking to someone, and not bored to death.  I have a small two bedroom apartment on the 16th floor, with no buzzer to get into the building.  There weren't too many problems for people to get into the building.  I've never had a buzzer in eight years living here.  I counted a total of 38 visitors between 1:30 and 9:00 PM.  It had snowed on Friday and was supposed to snow/rain on Sunday and cleared up early, so I didn't expect so many to show up.

I mixed up the menu, serving latin food and a little something else.  I prepared deviled eggs and put together a crudite'.  I also served a great hot artichoke and spinach dip with pretzel chips.  I cooked black beans, red beans, white rice, penne with homemade tomato sauce and mozzarella, pasta with sauteed mushrooms and steamed broccoli with garlic and olive oil, stuffing, mixed garden salad, a large glazed ham, baked chicken, and various homemade and storebought cookies, homemade fudge and chocolate bark and other sweets.

I invited old friends, new friends, friends I go to the free movies with, coworkers and ex-coworkers.  It was a great mix of people, races and ethnicities.  Scott and I don't have a lot of family in NY and we will get together with them this coming weekend to exchange gifts.  The party would have been too much for them.  All in all I think everyone had a good time.  I've only heard good things so far, and received many thank-yous.  I'm looking forward to next year's party.

Xmas Decorating Pt 1

This mantle was given to me.  I laid a mirror against it.  I had planned on painting something black, or using black felt, but I Iike the mirror, and I had no other place to put it.  I didn't take a pic of the mirror, because then I would be in the pic.

We decorated Saturday afternoon.  There wasn't a whole lot of decorationg to do.  There won't be a tree this year because I don't want to sacrifice my ornaments to Bella.  I have had kittens/cats in the past.  It is heart breaking to come home and find them shattered on the floor.  I know they don't do it on purpose, but there is no explaining to them what they are doing wrong either.  The hooks I used to hang the stockings are from Target.  They are flat, brass-looking, and real heavy.  I didn't want to use any motif since I have so much going on in the apartment as far as decoration.  Everything in the stores is so "traditional" or "country" I thought that this flat one was nice.  You can see it better below hanging the pink stocking. 

                

The initials are from Anthropologie.  The bird is from Wal-mart.  (I probably have about 20 or more in all different styles and colors, from different stores.)  The pink tree is from ABC Home and Carpet.  The wreath is Martha Stewart.  I got the stockings from Target for $.99 each!

I found this at Michael's back around Halloween, on sale for $8.  It came flocked, with lights.  $8.00!!!  It's now part of my tabletop tree collection.  There are a couple more around the house that are not in the pics below.  I'm up to 33.  Some are real inexpensive, a few are Dept 56, 3 are Christopher Radko.