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“Are we there yet?”
If I was my 7-year-old self, I’d be losing it right now. I’ve been receiving boxes at my house for a month under strict instructions not to open any of them and it’s been tortuous.
MaineMan’s parents get here on Saturday and we have three dogs on hyper mode running, jumping and sniffing around. I’m not sure how my friends with kids handle it. We are pooped and we haven’t even made it to Chrismas Eve yet.
We’re watching “Wet Hot American Summer” and I just cracked up at the following quote, “I mean, we’ll all be in our late 20s by then, I just don’t see any reason why we can’t be places on time.” If only…
My website/gift recommendation of the day is Mxyplyzyk. I am obsessed with this pillow and I fully plan on purchasing one for you-know-who’s birthday. It’d be perfect for our camping trips. You’ll find a lot of other cute unique gift ideas on the site.
On a more serious note (I’ve mentioned her here before), a former high school classmate of mine Heather Hickey was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in May of 2010. She has been fighting the big C for over a year with courage and tenacity, and despite many ups and downs, she continues to inspire friends and strangers alike on her blog Hope for Heddy. I don’t know the exact details of her condition today, but the doctors recently found tumors in her brain and she underwent brain surgery just last week. If you’re looking to give to a worthy cause this holiday season, give to Hope for Heddy. Go to her blog and just click on the Paypal link. She’s worth it.
Previous Days Gift/Giving Ideas:
Duncraft/LLS
Daytrip Society/ Livestrong
Etsy/AHeirloom / Action Against Hunger
C. Wonder / Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue
Made / Pilots N Paws
Linus Bikes / National Wildlife Federation
Uncommon Goods / California Wildlife Center
Iomoi / Fran Crippen Elevation Foundation
Heath Ceramics / The Gentle Barn
Hipcycle / Ovarian Cancer Research Fund
Busy day here, hence the delay in adding to the gift guide countdown.
MaineMan and Agnes are sound asleep so this will be brief.
I don’t know how I ended up with this catalog, but I’ve kept it because I folded a few pages down for gift ideas. Uncommon goods. They’re based in Brooklyn (so if you’re in New York you may get quick shipping), and while some of the gifts are cheezy, like the personalized state necklaces, the majority of the stuff is actually quite cute, like the soup and sandwich ceramic trays and the cloud tumblers.
As far as charities go, the one I’ve chosen for today is the California Wildlife Center. I volunteered for them for several weeks earlier this year, though have been on hiatus since being laid off, and they can always use your help. It’s expensive to feed and care for all the sick, hungry animals, but they must and I look forward to rejoining their team soon.
Previous days:
Duncraft/LLS
Daytrip Society/ Livestrong
Etsy/AHeirloom / Action Against Hunger
C. Wonder / Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue
Made / Pilots N Paws
Linus Bikes / National Wildlife Federation
When you see the red highlighted message, “Will not be delivered until December 29,” you know you’re in trouble. Lucky for me, the item I ordered is for my own personal use. This just means that I really need to get my act together if I want my parents and brother to open anything on Christmas (MaineMan is already in a really good position this year as far as giftos).
Many years ago when I first started this blog, I recommended a gift a day in a 12-days-of-Christmas countdown. I wanted to bring that back this year, but instead of recommending specific gifts, I’ve decided to point you to websites. While reading this countdown may not help you on December 23, I hope some of you enjoy discovering cool gift ideas/sites as much as I do.
The first website on day one of my countdown, courtesy of Fashionista, is Duncraft. If you have anyone who is a bird enthusiast, this is a great place to find birdfeeders and all kinds of birding knickknacks.
If you are a bigger person than me, and you request people give to charity rather than send you gifts, I’ll be listing a charity a day as well.
The reason I haven’t updated my blog since Thanksgiving is because I was out of town all last week for my uncle’s funeral. Brian Ross Duffy, my mom’s oldest brother, 62, passed away almost two weeks ago. He was diagnosed with leukemia at this time last year and we all hoped he would hang on till the bone marrow transplant phase of his treatment. Unfortunately for all of his friends and family, he had a stroke and died nearly two days later. He never fully woke up from the stroke.
While I plan on fully reflecting on his life and our times together, I do want to suggest supporting the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society. Here is Uncle Brian’s obituary as it appeared in last Sunday’s New York Times. You can donate in his name for my family and for the sake of other families with loved ones fighting leukemia here.
We love you Uncle Brian and you will be missed, dearly.
