A Moment's Pause this Thanksgiving

Thank you to Dirty Footprints Studio for this posting.... She has a MOST inspiring, honest, spirited blog so if you are needing to read something that's always GOOD, please pay my blog pal a visit!

I PROMISE MYSELF

To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet.

To make all my friends feel that there is something worth while in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best

and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of

others as I am about my own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the

greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile

to every living creature I meet.

To give so much time to improving myself that I

have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,

and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world,

not in loud word, but in great deeds.

To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side,

so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

--Christian D. Larson

I saw two people wearing this pretty, sparkly cross and asked about it. They told me to hold it up to the light and look through the tiny center jewel. When I did, the entire Lord's Prayer was visible, and I think I gasped out loud. If you have someone for whom this would make a great gift, CLICK HERE to order. It is just $40 -- or as they say, 2 payments of $19.99. And last I checked, they were giving away a two for one deal.

It is not a small crosss... it's certainly medium sized, and tasteful. This picture doesn't do it justice, but thanks go to prayercross. com for the photo. There's a video and more pics for you to see better for yourself. Just right for someone on your list?

For The Mindful

Do you have a person in your life who likes to cup his or her coffee/miso soup/cocoa/chai tea with both hands? This is a perfect gift for them -- they will use it constantly and it's simple in design to please any taste.

The Buddha Bowl, for $28 in white, blue or green

CLICK HERE

And for mindful eating, one bite at a time, a bowl with a place to rest your fork/spoon between bites... in the same restful, calm colors. Pair them together or order individually -- whatever is right for the person on your list!

CLICK HERE For bowls, $28 each

*thanks to viva terra catalogue for pictures*

Hanukkah Giving

A big blue box shaped like the star of David is really 8 small boxes, each containing a seasonal treat, including a wooden Dreidel with game rules. $55.95 CLICK HERE to order.

A box of a dozen kosher cookies in 4 different themed shapes packed into a round blue box. Just add a bow! $24.95 CLICK HERE

There is also a large set of 7 tasteful blue and gold boxes filled withhigh quality kosher treats - fruits, coffee, jam, chocolate, nuts -- to be

opened one each night. That item (#84Z) can be found by CLICKING HERE. $59.95

Cherry Moon farms offers a collection of Kosher cakes, cookies and candies ideal for sending to friends and relatives who don't

live in town. CLICK HERE for their Kosher Gifts section.

There were too many gifts at this site to highlight them here so I'm giving you the entire link: http://www.traditionsjewishgifts.com/Ch

anukahGifts.html or CLICK HERE. That's the "View All" link and there are over 8 pages for men, women, kids. Jewelry, things for the kitchen, handsome star of David jewelry boxes, Dreidels both traditional and modern... the list goes on. How about this limouage keepsake Dreidel box for $9.95? CLICK HERE

Or this beautiful Tree of Life Menora for $89.95 CLICK HERE Take a look at it close up on the site, very pretty!

How about www.JudicaMall.com for many gifts like this silver and opal pendant $27.95

or CLICK HERE There's a pleasing list of categories like: baby gifts, extensive jewelry, wall hangings, beauty products like the famous AHAVA products formulated from Dead Sea minerals. Something for everyone, and not just for Hanukkah.

Other unique gifts can be found by Clicking HERE





*thank you to each respective catalogue for their pictures*

What Say Ye?

I think it was Madonna that started the trend of broadcasting messages on her clothes when she first popped up with track suits and tees sporting Mrs Ritchie across the chest.  Then there were the Team Aniston/Team Jolie tees. 

It can be fun to have things made up with a personalized message and now is the time to order to have it done and shipped to you before the holidays.  Customized Girl is one site I have used. Just double check the size chart (goes from S to XXL), as mine were a little small -- I may have ordered from the girls tees instead of women's but they clearly h

ave a Women's and Mens category separate from one called Youth. CLICK HERE

Right now they have a family and friends sale -- Ending 11/22 they offer 20% off if you punch in the code family.

For beautiful acid free cloth or leather photo albums or to get your pictures on silk handbags (as pictured right for $89.), Exposures delivers high quality stuff.  Put "customized" and the name of the item  you'd like in the search field.  CLICK HERE for website

You may have heard of a place called Cafe Press. There you can upload your own photo , choose the font and color and customize your own stuff. Choose from a list of their generic items. I have ordered from them and they work quickly and deliver it to you on time. CLICK HERE

If you wanted to customize items in bulk -- 24, 50, 100 +,  ZAZZLE is a good site: CLICK HERE

If you want to personalize ornaments, stockings, picture frames, dop kits, etc..

CLICK HERE or go to http://www.personalcreations.com/home.asp

CLICK HERE or go to http://www.personalizationmall.com/?dest=store&did=16523&wordID=645868572&gclid=CMWXk8XEkp4CFQYMDQodU1DGpQ

There are many more on the internet, but these are a few to start with. So this holiday, delight your teen, seduce your significant other, bust up your buddy with a personal joke or promote your cause. Also great for your book group, ladies club, sports team, etc.. 

Taste Tested

Maybe it's because Thanksgiving is coming up but I have food on my mind. Here are a few things that are absolute treasures that I found in little places in Vermont.  Stores may buy them and mark them up but I'm taking you right to the original source.

Hidden Orchard Farms Apple Butter is the BEST I've ever tried. Sweet but not too, smooth with a little spice, everyone I've had taste it collapsed in a heap with a smile on their face.  At only $5.95 per 19 oz. jar, order a case, put a bow on the jar and give one to each person that you want to remember this holiday--bring 

them for hostess gifts for all those parties you'll go to, give to people at the office, your doorman, postman/woman, delivery guy or gal.  CLICK HERE to order and check out their other products. They also make it (and a selection of items) with no sugar added, preserves, cheeses, pancake mix, etc... I'd also recommend the 8 oz maple butter. On hot baked goods... TOO GOOD!

They are a small business so while they give a number to call, often no one answers, lol. You can mail in an order but if you really want some NOW, you can call the Vermont Country Store who carries it but charges $8.95 a jar. Still worth it. (Not on the Store website so you must call to order 1-802-362-8470).

For those of you who are counting calories this season, Cabot is famous for their Cheddars and in some stores you can find their 50% fat free, but they also make a 75% fat free that just allows you to put out cheese and crackers this holiday and cut off chunk after chunk without guilt! only 60 cals and 2..5 gms of fat per oz.  That's the lowest fat/cal count I've ever found. While nothing tastes like full fat cheese, this won first place at the 2008 American Cheese Society

Competition. CLICK HERE to see their low fat array. $3.49 per 8 oz or buy three and pay only $8.97

Butternut Mountain Farm makes maple flavored hard candies that I liked so much I hunted down the company that makes them and ordered. Thick, long lasting, great for dieters who want to avoid dessert, for sore throats, for the person quitting cigarettes,  maple lovers or no reason at all. They come in 5 oz bags and each is individually wrapped. A treat to bring to meetings to perk people up!  Peruse the site for other maple products like Maple Sugar.... CLICK HERE  to order.Really nice people at the Farm.

If you don't want to buy in bulk you can get this also through the Vermont Country Store for a 12 oz bag at $14.95 CLICK HERE to order or call the number given above.

Message in a... Jar

Now this sounds like a great idea.  365 little quotes of love, friendship, joy and hope in a jar for your sister to open every day.  $30.00 CLICK HERE to see samples of the quotes inside

the card reads:

Sisters share a closeness
no one else can understand.
A sister's always there
to give a hug or lend a hand.
Our memories we'll treasure,
on me you can depend.
I'm glad you're my sister...
I'm glad you're my friend.

In fact, if you like this kind of thing, there is a site that gives you the materials to customize your own. CLICK HERE to choose the container, the materials inside, the quotes or content of the messages, so you can do this kind of thing for anyone in your life -- teacher, husband, grandparent.  If you aren't feeling that creative, they do offer ready made message gifts similar to the one above. Prices range from $29-29.00 

A gift that will put a sure smile on the face of anyone who receives it, not just in the moment, but every day that they use it. 

*thanks go to pixiedustgifts for their photos*

Sock Stuff from Container Store

The Container Store always has a fun collection of little gadgets and gizmos that make great stocking stuffers--especially for the grown ups on your list. Oh so MANY little things can be found by CLICKING HERE. You will find everything on this page there and far more. A little sampling of the best...

Starting with this -- a much more effective way to not burn hands than those little cardboard sleeves, this rubber coffee holder handle slips over most to go cups and it claims to fit into the holder in your car. In green or black for $4.99


How about a prescription bottle magnifier for that family member who really could use it? Clips right on to the bottle and makes seeing the doseage and the RX or pharmacy number easy. $3.99-9.99.


For your gym buddy/cyclist/skater --- A 100 % cotton terry cloth athletic towel with a corner zipper pocket to store keys, cell, ipod, ID. Has loop for easy hanging too. LOVE THIS. $12.99

How about this towel with slip in areas for hands to make wiping of a pet's paws a lot more graceful? Great for those who live in muddy, snowy or sandy places. Keep an extra in the car to use after taking the pooch for a run.... $15.99


For those who always sit on their glasses by accident, or hunt for them everywhere once they pull out of the garage, here's a great stocking stuffer! Clips onto visor. (Will attach to a book, notebook etc to keep your pen if you prefer). $4.99For the techno on your list, or for anyone who has a computer keyboard, which means just about EVERYBODY -- non-toxic green goo that grips and collects those little crumbs between the keys or any dust/dirt on the keys. I haven't tried it but I'm going to! So while I can't recommend it from experience, it seems like a great little stocking stuffer. $4.99

There are really about 60 of these on the link I gave you above... so don't let my picks steer you away if you don't see anything quite right. Stuffing stockings is my favorite thing to do so there will be many more suggestions as we get closer to Christmas time. Please check back frequently.

Also, you might check out last years suggestions, which you can find by clicking the label Stocking Stuffers. There are also a few hidden in Great Gifts posts... you can always scrolling through.

Experiences -- Fun, Lasting (and in this case), Cheap!

When I was a kid, we lived in a nice ranch house in a nice neighborhood. Directly behind our house was a bridge that crossed a double set of railroad tracks that came and went as far as I could see. Often the open cars would be carrying coal stuffed to the brim, and every jostle would litter blocks of it onto the ground.

My main playground in the days before abduction was a concern, were those tracks. I'd climb through a hole in the fence to the left of my back yard and slide down the steep embankment, skidding in my Keds. Occasionally grabbing on to the hand hewn beams supporting the bridge to steady myself, my fingers might get sticky from the tar on the wood, but it made it easier to collect the coal. I brought them back and my mother would put the coal in a saucer, mix up some solution with amonia and food coloring and we'd pour it over. Before long there'd be a fantasy garden of pastel colored powder that had grown on the coal. Did you ever do this?

CLICK HERE to find a recipe for it.

And it calls for bluing... if you don't know what it is, it's an old time concoction used for whitening fabrics. There is a company called Mrs. Stewart's that still put it out and you should find it's little blue bottle with the red and white label amid laundry detergent -- in a mom and pop store or an old five and dime. CLICK HERE to read more and maybe through their site you can order it. There you will also find mention of pre-made kits for a similar project using salt. Apparently there are all kinds of uses for the bluing... who knew.

I know that some Science Museum shops and creative toy catalogs sell kits, so if you need to you can do that. I just find it's extra fun to do it the old fashioned way...

The original kit was called Magic Rocks and apparently it is carried by Target stores. CLICK Here for a link to see what it looks like and find a store in your area. I suggest calling first before you drive out, having the clerk find it and keep it for you if they can. It's not a common item.

The Smithsonian has a set for growing chrystals which you can find HERE for about $19.

Thanks to Mrs. Stewart's link for the graphic.

Have You Seen Tupperware Lately?

How about some good old Tupperware? Or shall I say good new? This is the company that started it all. With categories like On the Go, Preparation, Refrigeration, and Cooks Tools, it's still the best from your mom's day and better than much that's on the store shelves.  A boggling array of cool products and colors.  If you haven't looked at their website lately, CLICK HERE!

Fashion Lunch set -- In this economy and age of food allergies, or just seeking healthier meals, you don't have to brown bag it anymore.  $25 (and $10 of it goes to Tupperware's charities. You can order or read more about it if you CLICK HERE)

Classics: Fridge stacker- saves space and keeps cold cuts, cheeses, veggies fresh. Great for working moms so kids can make sandwiches when they get home.  $17.50 CLICK  HERE

Quick shake container (great for health shakes, homemade dressings, and travels well. Whose to say you couldn't use it for martini's in a pinch? Just $12 CLICK HERE

Don't forget that you can also just

get a gift certificate and let someone have a ball looking through the site to choose exactly what they want. CLICK HERE to purchase. Since they start at only $1.00, these make great stocking stuffers or affordable gifts for someone at the office, church, etc... !!!

Cute and Affordable!

Thanks go to Commenter Laurie for recommending this great little site called LittleMissMatched.  There are brightly colored, whimsical things for kids though they have a furniture, books and toys, mens and women's section. There are many gifts under $10 and $20... The 100 % cotton baby kimono below is only $15!

Their gimmic is that things are mismatched but clearly go together.  Like these flip flops -- one of a dozen color combos at only $5 a pair!

Laurie put it best: "If you have young people in your life or are young-at-heart yourself (and you know you are) you will enjoy viewing and possibly buying some of these things. "

Their socks come in "missmatched" trios of singles in every color and pattern combo you can imagine -- truly unique. May sound odd, but it works. 

The trio of reversible colored pillows below are $30.

Just CLICK HERE or go to http://www.littlemissmatched.com/ and click around on their site to see what I mean. Bookmark it for birthdays, party favors for your teens, teacher gifts, summer fun too.

Thank you Laurie!

Baby's First Ornament Kit

No matter what seasonal or spiritual tradition one might celebrate, a baby's first holiday is something special.  Here is a lovely way to preserve that memory.    

$29.95 for round ornaments, $34.95 for multi- shaped (as shown).

I imagine grandparents would especially love this ... And who's to say this could not be a gift for an animal lover as well? I could see a paw print in there too. :-)

CLICK HERE to order from Red Envelope.com.

Also, CLICK HERE to see the one that listed last year as one of the best gifts (imho) for new parents around. Classy looking, fun to make, forever a treasure, and all for under $50! 

You've Got My Heart Locked Up

Here is something interesting -- a locket that holds 4 pictures.

I could see this being great for a grandma, a  a mother or for someone who's crazy about their animals (who isn't?).  

If for grandma and she's got more than 4 grandkids, you could always string two lockets on the same chain if you are feeling flush.

Sterling silver, 20-22"chain, locket 3/4" in diameter, $69.95

CLICK HERE

Thanks go to Red Envelope for photo

Timely

Well, I really don't know why the publishers chose such a dreary title, but the subject sure is of the moment:  people with allergies and food sensitivities.

It seems everywhere I turn, someone is on a gluten-free diet. We know kids allergies to peanuts have grown to epic proportions.  I personally am fatally allergic to shellfish. It can make you feel a little -- or a lot -- left out. Once, folks with food allergies were thought to be whiners or hypochondriacs but now the world is starting to understand.   Now we have our own magazine!

How about a subscription (oh so affordable) to Living Without Magainze?

Just CLICK HERE or go to http://www.livingwithout.com/

and like the picture it says you can save close to 40% off the newsstand price. 

Articles in this month include: Pregnant and Gluten free, Sensitive to Soy, Autism and diet, Food and Feelings -- emotional wellness for food allergic kids, an article on your pet's seasonal allergies, how to deal with Halloween and allergies, recipes for delicious looking Rice dishes and a Thanksgiving Feast, and homemade breads, a doctor's column for questions, etc... 

I found a physical copy at Whole Foods. It can be nice when giving a subscription as a gift to roll up and wrap an actual copy of the magazine itself (good for stockings), but often the magazine will send you a card to notify your recipient or send one themselves. You can always write up your own card too.  The best thing about magazine subscriptions is that most of them are really affordable, and they last all year long. Every time it arrives, the person will think of you and -- not to sound like Martha Stewart --  THAT is a good thing!

Never Too Early

I started this blog to comment on pop culture but also to recommend great products when I come across them.... and that included Great Gifts. 

This year Miss Type A (that would be me) decided she'd like to create a little more room between Thanksgiving and New Years Day so, I don't know if I will be able to post as many gift ideas as I did in the past here. Or I will start earlier... like now, for example.

For those of you who don't know, I was a professional shopper, stylist and gift buyer for many years.  It has always been one of my favorite things to do to find just the right gift for someone, and though there are some tried and true fall backs, I am always looking for something that has not been seen before. Often those things become big sellers later.

But I have been looking for some things extra early this year. I want the holidays to be less cluttered, so am determined to have at least the gifts that I wrap and send out of state all done and off before Thanksgiving. I've heard several people express the desire to have theirs done in this time frame too, so they can relax for real and enjoy holiday time and all the deeper things that the season is about -- time with family and friends, cooking and eating, volunteering and reflecting.  BEING even.

Also, so many of us are budgeting more than ever this year.  We may have decided to not give gifts but do things for someone, make or bake instead of buy, or find great things under $100, under $50, under $20.  

And of what we give, I know that there's a greater desire for things that are made from recycled materials or is earth friendly in some way.   So I will keep that criteria in mind and if I find something that just blows those bounds away, I will sneak it up... after all, there's no harm in looking! :-)

So please check back and pass this link along to all your pals... and don't forget that there's a plethora of ideas that I put up from last year , 90% of which are probably still available.  Just hit the GREAT GIFTS label on this home page and you will find them all.  

Happy Holidays to All!

Take THESE words to Heart

And act upon them....


‘As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.’ ~~ John F. Kennedy


Thanks go once again to Renee at CIRCLING MY HEAD for this fabulous reminder quote!

Life and beauty are all transitory. To everything there is a season. The month is drawing to a close. Another autumn is taking center stage. The earth spins and follows its eternal pathway around the sun.

Some think of autumn as a time of bittersweet. They see a sadness beyond the beauty—a vision of winter and darkness to come. But I've never minded winter, never feared the cold and waning light. Because I believe in spring.

From THE-GRIZZLED-BUT-STILL-INCORRIGIBLE-SCRIBE-HIMSELF! at Riverdaze

"  I know that nothing is important except love and the people we love"

From Renee at: Circling My Head

From Rumi

...but come! Take a pick-axe, 

and break apart your stoney self. 

The heart's matrix is glutted with rubies, 

springs of laughter are buried in your breast.

Always fabulous, beautiful Rumi! Thanks to Tina for bringing this one to my attention today.

Bumper Sticker Wisdom

As seen on a car in New York City.....