November 11, 2026 by suzanne day by day

Wish List Wednesday: Gift Ideas for the Dudes

I have a handful of very specific dudes in my life, and each one of them is exceedingly difficult to buy gifts for. Also, two of these dudes have Major Milestone Birthdays coming up, in addition to the winter holidays, and so I am twice as stumped.

All images from amazon.com unless otherwise noted.

Mens Sunday Slipper My husband hates having cold feet, and these look warm and elegant. Or maybe these slippers with arch support? (Image from bombas.com)

Puzzle Mania: I could see three out four of the dudes on my list enjoying this book.

Murdoku: Speaking of puzzles, I got this logic puzzle/Sudoku mashup for my husband for Father’s Day and he LOVES it. Ooooh – there’s a new one out. Maybe he needs it?

Darth Vader Fortune Teller: This little fortune teller cracks me up and I think my brother would love it.

Upton City Coat: My husband mentioned recently that he’d like a new fall-weight coat he can wear to work. This is lovely. (Image from Johnstonmurphy.com)

Messenger Bag: Speaking of workwear, my husband is also on the hunt for a more adult work bag. His current bag holds a TON of things, though, so it’s hard to find an adequate replacement. (Image from buffalojackson.com)

Insulated Lunch Bag: Maybe if I got my husband a heavy duty lunch box, he wouldn’t need to stuff IT into his messenger bag.

Smart Bird House: Not sure if this would be better for my father or my child, but they would both get such a kick out of watching birds nest.

The Rolling Stones: The Biography by Bob Spitz: I think my dad would enjoy this biography, as he’s a big Rolling Stones fan.

Joggers: I got a pair of these for my husband a couple of years ago and he loves them and wears them all the time. Maybe my brother and my father-in-law need their own pairs?

Footed pajamas: These are another thing that I got my husband ages ago that he still loves and wears. The best part is that you can wear them and take your feet out of the feet part, just in case your tooties get a little toasty. (Image from feejays.com)

Apocalypse Survival Set: Perhaps you, too, have a prepper in your life. Although if you have a REAL prepper, they probably have heavy duty versions of all these things already. Maybe this is for the not-quite-a-prepper person in your life? (Image from uncommongoods.com)

Bubble blanket: My husband is often chilly and my daughter and I tend to hog the available blankets all to ourselves. He clearly needs his own. Also, I want about four of these for our house. *Oprah voice*: Everybody gets a blanket!

Waterproof headphones: Maybe this would be better for Father’s Day, since we live in a part of the country that has winter, but I think my husband would enjoy swimming laps a lot more if he could listen to his tunes.

Animal Print Socks: These make me super uncomfortable but I think my brother, who loves a good gag gift, would enjoy them. (Image from wanderprints.com)

Merino Wool Socks: For the less quirky men in my life, these Bombas might be more appropriate. (Image from bombas.com)

LED Sports Ticker: This would be a major splurge, but I bet my husband would LOVE this.

Flight Tracker: Oh wow, he might like THIS even more. He has always been obsessed with airplanes, for as long as I’ve known him. He would get such a kick out of this. (Image from theflightwall.com)

Backyard Hammock: Hammocks make me kind of nervous, but I think my brother would get a lot of use out of one.

Ring Toss Game: Maybe he’d get just as much enjoyment out of a game for the backyard? Or there’s always axe throwing.

Cordless Smart Jump Rope: The ceiling in our workout room is too short to use a real jump rope, so this would be a cool alternative.

Cordless Screwdriver: My husband and my father both need one of these.

Thermal Imaging Camera: This is another tool that I think my dad and husband would enjoy. Do I have any earthly idea WHAT they would use it for? Not really, but I think they would love walking around our homes and seeing what’s hot and what’s cold.

Portable Tire Inflator: If you have a person in your life who enjoys gadgets and/or tools and/or cars, this is another one of those surprise mega hits with my husband.

George Washington Cap: My father-in-law loves a good cap, and he also loves history and the United States. This cap seems like the perfect intersection of those interests. (image from thehistorylist.com)

Promise of a Nation: He might also really enjoy this coffee table book. (Image from smithsonianstore.com)

Funko Pop: My brother and sister-in-law 100% need me to create mini figures in their likenesses. (Image from funko.com)

Laser Measuring Tool: I think every guy on my list would enjoy measuring all the things with this digital tool.

Diagnostic Scanner: I definitely want to get this for my husband; I bet my brother would like one, too. My dad has one and it allows him to diagnose (and then repair, because he is A Car Guy) issues with his engine. I might need to look into it a little more to see if this is the exact right one for their specific vehicles, but this is definitely a contender.

Anything Speaker: Ah yes, yet another gadget that I don’t 100% understand, but I think would really appeal to my husband and probably my brother, too. Using some kind of bone conduction vibration technology, it turns anything into a speaker.

Fancy Sweatshirt: My husband is always a sucker for a good sweatshirt, and he tried this one on earlier this year and loved it. I don’t know if I can behind the yellow, but it does come in other colors. (image from jcrew.com)

Scent Subscription: My husband has been really into fragrances for awhile now, and I think it would be fun to get him a fragrance subscription service to allow him to sample a bunch of different scents. (image from luxesb.com)

Dopp Kit: A nice travel toiletry bag is always a useful gift. Just depends on whether the people on my list already have one or not.

Travel Hoodie: My brother has some long distance travel coming up, and I keep seeing this hoodie with built in eye mask everywhere. I love how efficient a use of space it is.

Well, this list got a wee bit out of control. But I do feel as though I have a better handle on what I might get these fabulous men in my life.

November 4, 2026 by suzanne day by day

Wish List Wednesday: Gift Ideas for a Tween/Teen Girl

I mentioned yesterday that I have only the vaguest of ideas for holidays gifts for anyone this year. What better way to solidify those plans than by doing a little online shopping? Well, or at least online putting-into-my-cart-ing.

All images in this post are from amazon.com, except for the 3Doodler Candy, which is from Target.com. Links to amazon products are affiliate links.

The one thing I KNOW I am getting Carla is this drying hairbrush tool.

She’s recently gotten into crocheting. I don’t know a single thing about crocheting, but I love this kit with a bunch of brightly-colored yarns.

Oh! Or this little crochet project kit, where you can make CATS. I mean, this is enough reason for me to want to learn to crochet.

On a recent family trip, Carla noticed this board game and immediately requested it for Christmas.

We’ve got kind of a cat theme going, so why not lean in? This book about cats in myth and folklore sounds perfect for Carla.

I don’t really know if she NEEDS this little mindfulness Yeti, but it is SUPER cute.

Carla adores popping boba, and I found this great variety pack with different flavors. I would pair it with a package of fun fruit tea.

I tried to find a boba Jellycat and failed, but I did come across this bagel with shmear, which is darling. I don’t get the Jellycat craze, and certainly don’t understand why they are so expensive, but they are very soft and very cute.

Speaking of trends I don’t understand: Carla would love these squishy sticks of butter.

She has been wanting a little Polaroid camera for a long time. My biggest objection is buying film once she goes through what it comes with… but maybe that’s something she can spend her allowance on?

In terms of vintage/retro gadgets that are back in style, I think she would get a lot of use out of this MP3 player.

I’m pretty sure this flip book kit was in the running for last Christmas. It didn’t make the cut, but I think it’s SO cool.

Or maybe she’d like this create-your-own-filmstrip kit?

Carla and her cousin have gotten really into collecting Pokémon cards, and they require special storage. It’s amazing how quickly one can fill up a binder with these cards. Carla is in need of a new binder, like this one. Probably I would pair it with a bunch of Pokémon cards; apparently the Dollar Store is the best place to get those.

Speaking of Pokémon, Carla spotted this Pikachu in a store somewhere (Target?) and asked me to put it on her Christmas list. She is a sucker for an animatronic anything.

Ah, yes, it was Target. She spotted this 3D candy pen while we were there and wants that, too.

Every now and again, Carla dips into a bit of a witchy vibe. I think she would love these oracle cards.

Carla continues to love miniatures, and building things; this build-it-yourself greenhouse is the exact intersection of those two loves.

To that end, she would adore this Mini Brand bakery.

This feels like a good start for brainstorming. Are any of these items on your list for the tweens in your life? What is the Hot Gift among the tweens you know?

November 3, 2026 by suzanne day by day

Tuesday Randomosity: Feeling Overwhelmed Edition

It is Tuesday and Day Three of NaBloPoMo. I am already feeling Wildly Overwhelmed. It’s a GOOD overwhelm: I am so excited! So many new posts! So many thoughtful comments! And yet, I am feeling a bit like the toddler being attacked by puppies. The joy! The delight! The inability to do anything but lie there helplessly!

A humorous meme depicting a man looking back at a woman in a red shirt labeled 'New Blog Post,' while a woman beside him, labeled 'All the blog posts I still haven't read,' looks disapproving.

What is your strategy for reading and commenting on blog posts? I have no strategy and am therefore already behind.

Perhaps if I had planned my posts, and did not have to write those in the moment, I would have more time to read/comment and be feeling better about the whole thing. (If you have post suggestions for me, please feel free to share them via my Ask Me Anything form.)

Speaking of feeling overwhelmed, I am also feeling overwhelmed by:

…election uncertainty.

I voted. That’s all I can do. While I have no idea what’s going to happen – especially in my state, which feels like it could easily go either way – I am very much looking forward to the end of all the spam texts. There are so many and they are SO RIDICULOUS.

Screenshot of a text conversation featuring humorous comments about a person's candidacy and a playful remark about voting conditional on receiving a text from their dog washer.

…Christmas anticipation.

How’s your Christmas planning going? Mine, so far, encompasses some vague thoughts about potential gift ideas. Like, super vague. I may share some of them in post form, because that helps me organize my thoughts. We’ll see if I can get my act together.

A humorous meme featuring two characters from a sitcom discussing the stress of coming up with Christmas gifts in November. One character expresses their overwhelmed thoughts, while the other responds with a concerned comment.

…exhaustion.

My cat is not dealing well with The Time Change. He is surly and accusatory and runs away from me when I approach him. He came into my room at THREE AY EM to scratch the carpet, which is one of his tried-and-true It’s Time to Wake Up alarm settings. Even if the time hadn’t changed, that’s too early.

My husband and I are not dealing well with The Time Change. I thought we would feel more rested! I thought we’d pop out of bed an hour early! But no. We are both hitting snooze and grumbling at the cat, whose secondary alarm setting is to climb onto various surfaces and knock things onto the floor. Maybe if the cat would chill out, we’d be able to get some sleep?

A humorous social media post about a cat's mischievous behavior, featuring a caption that contrasts the phrase 'you're such a good girl' with the cat's history of causing trouble.

…fluff.

Speaking of the cat: Lenny is experiencing his fall shed. We got a very brief reprieve from his spring shed, a reprieve of about a month. It was a wonderful month. But now we’re back to tumbleweeds of fur littering our floors. My dutiful robot vacuum Rocky is on the job, although sometimes the fur is too voluminous for him to handle and he has to reroute himself around it. I’ve also purchased a new handheld vacuum for the stairs and furniture. So far, I like it a lot. Our regular vacuum does a great job of cleaning the carpeted areas of our home and I’m contemplating getting a second one, to minimize the amount of lugging it up and down the stairs I do. While I would be 100% happy just getting the exact same vacuum, I kind of have a wandering eye. If you have pets, what kind of vacuum do you use to stem the fluff?

A cat lying on the floor next to a robotic vacuum cleaner in a modern living space. — *Lenny loves to lie directly in Rocky’s path, so that Rocky has to go around him.*

…routine shakeup.

My child has begun a new set of activities, but they are so new that we haven’t established any sort of a routine. Sometimes it feels to me as though the adults in charge of said activities take the same approach to planning that I have taken toward NaBloPoMo. I do not care for that.

A woman with a stylish black bob hairstyle and dramatic fashion, sitting at a table with a cheerful expression, captioned with a humorous remark about chauffeuring her child.

…fall beauty.

We have had the most glorious, luxuriously long fall. The first photo I have of fall leaves is from October 2. And now, more than a month later, our trees are still gorgeous. Sure, some of them have lost their leaves (do you think they feel jealous of their still-frocked friends? or are they relieved to be able to rest?), but many many are still decked out in the most fanciful array of crimson and gold. I cannot get enough and I have been taking mental pictures and actual photos as often as I can. The photos never quite do justice to the beauty of my surroundings, though.

A close-up view of autumn leaves on trees, showcasing vibrant orange and yellow foliage against a clear blue sky.

A bright, sunny landscape featuring a vast green field, with colorful autumn trees in the background, including vibrant red foliage on the right.

What’s got you feeling overwhelmed today?