12.12.2006

Santa

Minnie Attacks Santa!!!
I hope that everyone has already asked Santa what they want this year. Because by the time Minnie is done with him there won’t be a whole lot of jolly left to go around!

Santa’s already lost part of his hat and, sad to say, his left arm is completely gone – stuffing and all! I fear his beard and nose are next.

Oh, that Minnie, she looks at you with those brown eyes and wants you to pet her like she is some attention-starved ragamuffin, but then you turn around and she's taken off with something.

We can only hope that Santa makes it until Christmas…

posted by cateinthecity @ 6:03:00 PM 0 comments

12.11.2006

Baking

I don't have a whole lot of holiday traditions, but I love to bake Christmas cookies! I spent the better part of yesterday baking all sorts of cookies to package up to give away and to bring into the office.

I tried some new recipes and made some standbys - I think that just about everything was a success! I made:

Almond Tea Cakes
Candy Bar Cookies
Macaroon Cookies
Candy Cane Sugar Cookies
Shortbread Pinwheel Cookies &
Coffee Almond Toffee Bark

Just when I thought it was time to put away Grandma's rolling pin, I decided to make mini-cupcakes! Tomorrow is my cousin's birthday, so I made some mini-cakes still in the holiday spirit to celebrate.

Introducing Rudy and Rhonda Reindeer! (Yes, I gave them names - no more sugar for me!)

posted by cateinthecity @ 10:05:00 PM 2 comments

12.06.2006

Comfort

I have a cold. Nothing more or less than a bothersome head cold. My nose is runny, my throat is sore and my eyes are all red. A few days with this thing has now turned into a week.

The crisp air outside, (we’ve had some freezing temperatures,) the advent of the holiday season and my little cold have gotten me in the mood for all things "comfort."

Yesterday, I stayed home from work and did nothing but lie around with my Mickey Mouse blanket and Lamby. Day before that I put on a big sweater and Uggs that made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

I’ve also been craving comfort foods lately. So far this week I’ve eaten oatmeal, soup, mashed potatoes, chicken and dumplings, tea with honey and macaroni and cheese - Who knows what’s next!

Comfort is all around and thank goodness it’s not just in the food! So I think I’ll go home tonight and curl up in front of the TV with a Minnie dog on my lap!

posted by cateinthecity @ 3:30:00 PM 0 comments

12.04.2006

Gifting

There are a good three weeks left to do our Christmas shopping. And since I am a big dork who started gathering “items” back in September to avoid a big budget crunch, I thought I would post some of my favorite shopping sites for those who are still in need of a few ideas.

My first installment is for all of you busy (and lazy) shoppers who are into online purchases.

www.uncommongoods.com
This is a mail order outfit with lots of quirky and unique gifts. Great to browse if you don’t know what to get someone, and also a good place to look for hostess gifts. I got my order in less than two days-record time!

www.jcrew.com
A favorite standby for clothes. Be sure to check out sale items, because they have great deals sometimes. They also carry “tall” sizes for men, which adds an inch to the sleeves. You can make returns to any JCrew store to make things even easier.

www.peets.com
Tired of Starbucks? But still want to get some caffeine for the coffee lover in your life? Peet’s has gift packages of coffee and/or tea as well as flavors sold by the pound. You can also select the day you want your order shipped so you can place well in advance and forget about it!

www.LandsEnd.com
Land’s End has great prices on winter clothing and a decent selection. You can load up on gloves, scarves and hats. If you want to go all out, order a lightweight half-zip fleece with monogram starting at $25 bucks! Buyer beware, ladies-their apparel sizes run large…

www.bn.com
I tend to order from Barnes & Noble more often than Amazon-probably just because I have a membership card and I visit their brick and mortar stores quite often. It is no secret that books make great gifts. Adults, teens, kids-you name 'em-there's a book for them! However, if you do venture into a store, you will find loads of other great gift ideas in the store. B&N has tons of games and puzzle books too!

www.sephora.com
This one is a no-brainer. If you don’t have a Sephora store near you then check out their website! They have all sorts of cosmetics and fragrances from all sorts of companies. Still don’t know what to get? Check out their gift options page. Favorites packages are from Philosophy, L’Occitane and Bliss. Vera Wang perfume is also quite nice as is Grace by Philosophy. Even though I do like Philosophy-I would stay away from the Candy Man items - I was in the store yesterday and they are a little nauseating.

www.tiffanys.com
Who can go wrong with a little blue box? While many people think this is out of the price range, check out sterling silver earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Without precious stones, it is easy to find gifts in the $100 range. Also good trinkets found here are pens, key chains and crystal candlestick holders. Online orders still arrive in Tiffany’s signature box and white bow – you can choose a red bow special for Christmas.

Happy surfing! More ideas to come later...

posted by cateinthecity @ 4:58:00 PM 0 comments