I've Got Your Christmas Shopping Covered

I have a new tool and I just love it.  I've seen these yarn bowls around on various blogs and so I was thrilled when Uncommon Goods offered to send me one to try.

It's handmade and it's just beautiful.    A good sized ball of yarn fits in it and the special slot keeps yarn from tangling or rolling away.

Everything at Uncommon Goods is unique and has a story behind it.  This year, forget the mass-produced gift items at the mall and browse through this extensive online catalog instead.

When I received my items, I also received some information about the craftspeople who made them.

Who wouldn't love to receive something so beautiful and personal as a gift?

In addition to the yarn bowl, I took a look at one of the tea towels they offer.  This is a great gift to have ready in case you need a hostess gift or something lovely for someone with a new home.  The fabric is a good heavy weight and the graphics are tasteful and interesting.  You can probably think of three different people to give this to right now.

What else does a tea-drinker need?  Tea of course!  I got to sample these "tea drops" which steep in the cup without a bag.

They were beautifully packaged, smell like heaven, and include the story behind them.  I dropped one into some boiling water in a cup and it brewed instantly.

Delicious!  Another good gift to have on hand for special people.

Check out the story about Uncommon Goods and their relationship with craftspeople. I'm sure you'll want to support this business that supports creative entrepreneurs.  See gifts for dad here, and gifts for kids here. If you're like me though, you might end up finding a few things you want for yourself.  I wont tell.

10 Things I Love About Not Watching Football

 Kathy over at Mama's Losin' It has a set of suggested writing prompts for today.  I picked "10 Things I love about football." 

There's just one catch.  I don't watch football.  Haven't seen a game in years.  That doesn't stop me from loving it though.  Here are my 10 reasons why:

1. It's a great excuse to sit down and watch television on Sunday afternoons.  While I can hear the neighbors cheering on the home team, I am having an equally enjoyable time catching up on Downton Abbey episodes.  I don't feel guilty for being unproductive in the middle of a weekend day - everybody is!
2. Even though I graduated from college many years ago, I maintain bragging rights to my alma mater's football team.  When they're winners, obviously I'm a winner.  When they lose I just don't bring it up.
3. Having gone to plenty of games in the past, I now know exactly how long 100 yards is.  This is actually pretty useful.  Whenever some measurement is mentioned in a large number of yards, I compare it mentally to a football field.
4. There are a lot of great tailgate and football party food recipes on Pinterest.  There's no law that says a particular dip can only be used for a football party.  When cooks get creative, everybody wins!
5. Football pants.  I might have to endure replays on the nightly news, but I don't always mind so much. 
   
6. We Americans stubbornly insist on calling our game football, when the rest of the world has a game they all call football and we call soccer.  I love that we're just contrary like that. 
7.  Fewer crowds at the mall on game days.  The big crowds are all down the street at the stadium.
8. Special game-day sales.  These run the gamut from shish kabobs to electronics.  Nobody requires you to show proof you actually watch the games in order to get the discount.
9. "Football widow" events.  My local yarn shop hosts a big knit-in on Super Bowl Sunday every year, with refreshments and sales.  Count me in!
10. Last but not least, I can go through the checkout line at the supermarket with a huge bunch of chips and snacks and drinks and guacamole and nobody bats an eye.  Because of course, I'm just getting ready for the game.

 Are you a football fan?  Or more like me - someone who just takes advantage of the wonderful parts of football season.

Day 8 today for the Harry Potter quilt show and tell.

Just another set of books.  Wizards clearly love to bind books with all kinds of fantastical images.  They're wizards, they can do anything they want.  I'd like to think the book with the flames on it is actually hot to the touch in the wizard world.  The one with skulls is probably a book on poisons.

A Christmas Shopping Confession

2009 has been a tough year for me physically. I've only really been able to walk the last few weeks, and still not very much at a time. Recovering from surgery has been a long slow process.

So imagine what it feels like to go into a department store for the first time in nearly a year.

It feels like hunger. Hunger to buy. Unfortunately, since I haven't been out much in so long, my focus isn't on gifts like it should be. My focus is on the things that really catch my eye.

Things for me.

I feel pretty guilty about spending money on myself, but what's the good of blogging if I can't bear my soul to my readers? I need a few things. And, okay, I want a bunch of few things too.

I'm trying to control it, and trying to remember to create a wishlist so my loved ones can get me exactly what I want, but it's just so much easier to pick it up when I see it.

Hopefully I'll get serious about gifts for other people next week. Does this ever happen to you?