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Six for Saturday: Panicky and Exclamation Pointy

Wow! It has been… a week. Nothing bad! Just – so much driving, so many commitments. I have once again been A Terrible Blogger Slash Blog Friend, and all I have to offer you today are some bullets.

Cookie Swap Extension: THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in photos and links for the cookie swap! I am so excited! I wish we could all be traveling to a central location to share the scrumptious cookies in person! If you want to participate in the cookie swap but missed the original deadline, well, you are in good company as I also missed the deadline. I am hoping that I will get to make SOME COOKIES today or tomorrow, but it’s not looking great. I am looking down the barrel of at least two hours in the car both today and tomorrow and while that doesn’t seem like a whole lot when a day is twenty-four hours long, I find it Very Difficult to get anything meaningful done in and around so much driving. If I get an extension, so do you. I will aim to have the cookie swap post up on Monday evening or Christmas Eve at the latest. And, in part because I feel guilty about how flaky I have become, I have a little cookie-related giveaway planned for those who are interested. 

Christmas Cactus: Ever since I read Nicole’s post about Noelle, her Christmas cactus, I have been enchanted by the idea of owning one myself. When lo, what to my wondering eyes should appear in the floral section of my grocery store, but a Christmas cactus in full bloom! I bought it, brought it home, put it in the one spot in my house that gets semi-direct sunlight, and gazed adoringly at it every time I passed through the kitchen. It seems to be actively rejecting my love and hospitality, though. The blooms have begun to crumple and this morning I found that one of the teeny pink buds had fallen onto the table. What am I doing wrong?! Perhaps it is simply horrified by the state of the kitchen table. 

Housekeeping Standards, or Lack Thereof: My Christmas cactus is not the only one who is appalled. Not only is my kitchen table full of Random Crap, it is also covered in crumbs. But that’s not the half of it. My normally mediocre housekeeping activities have apparently taken as big a hit as my blogging this week. When all you do in your home is eat and sleep and follow the child around urging her to hurry! we are late!, the crumbs tend to pile up. I have an enormous kitchen island in my kitchen, and normally it is PRISTINE. That is my preferred state. I do not like to pile things on the island; we have other counters for piles. I like the island to be a clean and welcoming expanse of granite awaiting the preparation of delicious and nutritious meals and/or cookies. NOT THIS WEEK. Mail has piled up on the counter, I have a row of holiday cards waiting for me to hang them on the wall, there’s some leftover cedar fronds from the cedar garland I bought to go above the mantle, crumbs everywhere. Let’s not even contemplate the state of the floor. How we are not overrun by mice and/or ants is a miracle. I cannot wait for my family to be done eating in the kitchen so I can restore order by way of cleaning fluid, Swedish dishcloths, and my zooper.

Favorite Flower: I may have gone a little overboard in terms of holiday flora this year. I bought a poinsettia. But then. I went to my mother’s house, where she had the most enormous, beautiful poinsettia I have ever seen. She got it at Costco, she said. So I braved Costco the week before Christmas to get my own giant poinsettia. For $15.99. It’s hard to see in the photo, but this thing is at least three feet tall. I am sure it will die any moment now. 

Last Minute Stocking Stuffers: As per usual, I have been panic-buying last minute stocking stuffers like it’s my job. You may remember I said I was going to buy a cooling towel for my husband? Well, then I didn’t get one because I was hemming and hawing about whether he would really use it, and then I couldn’t find him any other interesting stocking stuffers, so I returned to get the cooling towel and it was sold out so I ended up getting him this three-pack. So if he doesn’t end up using it, now it will be three times as wasteful! This is the power of procrastination, folks. It is supposed to arrive Monday, which is cutting it quite close. I also panic-ordered my dad this magnetic pickup light tool, which looks useful but may be something I already bought him for a previous gift occasion? Not sure. And while I was ordering things, I added this book to the cart because I felt guilty Carla only has one book under the tree. And then, because my husband mentioned that he may not have any stocking stuffers for me, I ordered myself a nice little stocking stuffer. Why yes, I do have a problem.

How Are We Doing This?! I am mainly howling into the parenting void, but honestly: how is anyone doing anything? It has taken me SEVEN HOURS to complete this blog post.  (I did take a pause to clean the kitchen and floors and take a shower.) This is my life lately. Yes, yes, there is Extra Holiday Stuff, but also this is just… how things seem to be? Everything takes seven times as long as it should. Interruptions abound. (Today’s interruption was having to take a 45-minute detour to the shoe store to buy snow boots for my child whose perfectly good snow boots are suddenly too small.) Minor but essential activities (cleaning the counters, doing my thrice-daily zoop, cutting my toenails, showering) are being shelved in favor of… something??? (Being in the car, probably.) Of course I am not getting enough sleep – my sleep is plagued with weird-ass nightmares that linger days after – and I’m tired all the time which I recognize is not helping. (But what is this stage of life if not Tired All the Time?) I am clenching my teeth. Somehow I am ten minutes late to everything. I am in the car all the time. Listen, I get that moving to this new house with the new, much longer commute was a big change to my routine. But it has been more than a year now, and I should be getting used to it, and GETTING IT TOGETHER. But I am not! Nothing is together! I only have the one child and the one husband! All the things are good! I have no real stress to speak of! AND YET. I continue flailing around, spluttering and splashing and dog paddling my way from tiny sinking island to tiny sinking island and NOTHING IS BEING ACCOMPLISHED. How are YOU doing this???? What am I doing wrong???? And how do I fix it?!?!?!?!

Okay. I am going to finally post this and go dry my hair and then pack my child for a night at her grandparents and try to get into a Staycation With My Hubby frame of mind instead of my current state of AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

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Gifts Galore: 2024 Contenders for All the People on My List

It feels panic-inducingly late to be Just Now Thinking of What to Buy People for Christmas, and yet that’s where I am. I have not yet received a single holiday card this year, so I’m kind of hopeful that everyone else is similarly… slow to get into the holiday swing of things. If you, like me, are still scrambling to buy gifts, I’ve made a list of some of the things I’ve been considering for the people on my list. (Here’s where, if you normally exchange gifts with me, I recommend you consider bailing out unless you want me to ruin any semblance of surprise.) This list is meandering and haphazard, but I hope you find something that appeals to you or one of the people you need gifts for.

Cute Earrings: Carla got her ears pierced this past summer and so I of course want to give her ALL the adorable earrings. She expressly asked for “seasonal” earrings, so perhaps something like this would work well. But I love super cute and unique earrings, so I am leaning toward something like this or this (she loves pickles and croissants).

Something French Adjacent: Carla is taking French in school and we plan to visit Paris sometime in 2025, so I’d like to get her something French-ish to wear. Perhaps something like this or this or this? 

A Sign for Carla’s Craft Room: I think she’d love something in neon but she might also appreciate this one.

Mason Jar Herb Kit: I cannot for the life of me grow herbs indoors, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. I wonder if my green-thumb friend would like this?

Personalized Planter: This same friend has a gorgeous flower garden. I wonder if she would make use of a personalized planter?

Custom Garden Sign: Or I could do a personalized garden sign. She might really love that!

Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner: A BUNCH of people on my list usually get books from me/us. Although I’ve read more books this year than ever before, I can’t think of many that I’d consider gift-worthy: really compelling, good writing, long-ish, and ideally published in the current year. The one that stands out to me is Long Island Compromise, but it’s so raunchy that I don’t know if I could really give it to anyone? Maybe there’s one person who would appreciate it; the others might find it shocking and distasteful. (It IS shocking and distasteful; it is also hilarious and well written and profound in its way.) 

Burrito Blanket: This was kind of inexplicably on Carla’s wish list; she does not eat burritos.

Office Supplies: My sweet little big kid seems to have jumped right from All Toys All the Time into Office Supplies? I mean, I get it, who doesn’t love office supplies? But I’m not sure gel pens or even a pretty pink desk organizer will result in the exciting fun-filled Christmas of her imagination, you know?

Dog Lamp: Come on. This is adorable. Maybe it bridges the gap between “office supplies” and “toys”?

Sherpa Jacket: Another Carla wish list item. Maybe my niece needs one too?

Flannel Pajamas: Carla has a pair of jammies from Abercrombie kids and she LOVES them. She could definitely do with another pair.

Sweaters: Like the request for Office Supplies, I have a feeling that Carla’s enthusiastic list of clothing items – like this and this – may result in disappointment rather than elation. Although that dino sweater is pretty amazing.

Sweatshirt: Speaking of clothing, one of the only things my husband requested for Christmas is – wait for it – a sweatshirt. Since there were so few things he asked for, I kind of feel locked in to buying him one, so I have been googling “best men’s sweatshirt” trying to get a hot tip. Anyway, GQ rated this sweatshirt as its Best Overall Hoodie, and it’s a decent price, so: sold.

Bamboo Jogger Pant: The “googling it” option is how I landed on these jogger pants which I got him for his birthday and which he loves. They are SO soft. 

Fish Trivet: Has anyone in my life asked for a fish trivet? Does anyone need a fish trivet? Doesn’t matter; I want to buy (or own) this fish trivet. 

Stars Hollow Long-Sleeved Tee: One of my friends is a TV aficionado and I always peruse the merch from her faves to see if I can find anything she needs to have. She might need this.

Stars Hollow Pajama Pants: Or THESE. Who would object to another pair of comfy jammies?

The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop: I did already get her this memoir by the inimitable Emily Gilmore, but maybe you or the GG fan in your life needs a copy?

Gilmore Girls Socks: Or how about these GG socks?

Arconia Mug: I am really leaning toward this Only Murders in the Building mug. Simple! Classic! Useful! And I like that you have to have watched the show to recognize what the Arconia is.

Tree Kit: How fun would it be to give (or receive) a tree?

Freezable Pint Glasses: My husband got me a set of these glasses last year for some holiday or other and I love them. They are perfect for summer nights. My brother needs these, I think.

Freezable Wine Glasses: I also have a set of these and love them as well. I have a friend who enjoys sitting outside on a summer night and she may find these under her tree.

LaNeige Icons: All the ladies on my list would love this. I would love it, myself.

Joke Writing Book: I think I have considered this for Carla before. I’m sure she would get a kick out of it.

Monster Mat: After many years, our original monster mat finally bit the dust, and we recently replaced it. How were we living without it?! This is THE BEST craft mat. 

Bean Bag Chair: Carla has one in her room and I keep promising (threatening?) to get her another one. I think my niece would love this too.

Low Light Duo: Houseplants are a perennial item on my wish list. Our house, however, has kind of a light problem. We get very little direct light. But this low-light duo would be perfect.

Bookends: My husband and I just got a new book shelf with open edges, so we are now on the hunt for great bookends. I want them to be minimalist and/or beautiful. These are good on the minimalist end of things.

Plant Stand: Most of my plants are just crowded together on the floor. They can barely see out the window! A plant stand would fix that problem.

Sous Vide: Jen raved about this sous vide a long, long time ago and I have had it in my Amazon cart ever since… and yet even on sale ($119 down from $199!), it feels like too extravagant a gift to buy for myself. But it would be a PERFECT gift for someone to buy for me.

Coffee Subscription: It’s been a long time since I’ve gifted my husband a coffee subscription and maybe it’s time to do it again.

Croissant Stuffie: Carla loves croissants, she loves stuffed animals; why not join these two loves into one adorable gift?

Croissant Stuffie with Moustache: Or what about a croissant stuffie that’s also demonstrably French? (His name is Monsieur Croissant, omg.)

Croissant Throw Pillow: This throw pillow is not quite as cute as the anthropomorphic stuffies, but it is a much better price range AND it’s enormous.

Fancy Teaspoons: For those of us experiencing Spoon Drift, perhaps these would be a wonderful addition to the cutlery drawer.

Gentle Pressure Sleep Mask: I see that I included this on last year’s list and didn’t get one. I still feel like I could use it. 

Kindle Remote Page Turner: This feels like kind of a silly/lazy thing to want, and yet I would LOVE it. I love my kindle, but I prefer to snuggle up with my hands under the covers and it’s a (teeny tiny) pain to uncover one hand to turn the page. 

Fancy Jams: My husband loves jam and he loves food gifts. Bonne Maman does a gift box of little jars which would be super fun. Oooh I like the different flavors in this one. Apricot with jalapeno! Persimmon! Olallieberry! I have never even heard of an olallieberry. (Ah. I see. It is a kind of blackberry.)

Hamster Warmies: Carla recently made herself a little pillow filled with rice that she microwaves and snuggles with. I bet she would love a stuffed animal that she can warm and snuggle. The only question is, which critter would she like best?! 

Fancy Chocolate: Sometimes, the best gift is edible and these truffles sound amazing. Hanukkah begins on Christmas evening, which means we’ll have one night of gift overlap. These menorah-printed chocolates would be so fun to give (or receive).

Chocolate Cake: I read rave reviews of Dandelion’s Tokyo gateau; this chocolate gateau Basque looks just as decadent. 

Mouse and His Dog by Katherine Applegate: We got Carla the first Dogtown book last year, and she loved it. So I’m eager for her to read the next installment in the series.

Quiddler: We usually get my parents a new game, and – considering they are huge Scrabble fans – this one sounds RIGHT up their alley. (Thanks to Allison for describing and recommending it!)

Cloud Eau de Parfum: I am a little reluctant to spend $70 on a perfume that my kid may not like, or may love, in which case it will become our home’s signature scent for the foreseeable future. But I think she would love a perfume by Ariana Grande, and it’s a kind of fancy and mature gift for a kid who’s not really that into toys anymore…

Perfume Sampler: An alternative my husband and I discussed as an option for Carla is this perfume sampler, with a voucher to buy the one you like the most. We decided it could be very fun or very stinky. Maybe one of my sisters-in-law would like it instead?

Bread Bow: I am very intrigued by this knife.

Tomato Leaves Soap: Listen, in my opinion, this is a completely bonkers gift. It’s hand soap, for Pete’s sake, and it’s EIGHTY DOLLARS. I prefer my soaps on sale at Target, you know? And yet, ever since I read about this in one of the seven million gift guides I peruse this time of year, I cannot stop thinking about it. What if it is magical???

Wood Penguins: I am utterly enchanted by these penguins.

Avocado Vase: Carla asks me if we can try to grow an avocado every time one of us eats one. This pretty vase might inspire me to endure the rooting phase.

Book About Art: This book may be slightly on the young side for Carla, but it looks SO neat I might get it for her anyway. Maybe this How to Think and Draw Like an Artist Book would be more on Carla’s level? 

Book That Takes Place in France: I want to build some happy anticipation for Carla in advance of our upcoming trip to Paris, and maybe a fun novel that takes place in Paris (or the surrounding areas) would be perfect, like The Time Traveling Fashionista at the Palace of Marie Antoinette by Bianca Turetsky? Or maybe The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson would be better? We read a fictional diary of Eleanor of Aquitaine last year that Carla really enjoyed.

Ugg Boots: Ah yes. Everything old is new again, and Carla has been begging for her own pair of Uggs. I am always hesitant about spending money on trendy things, especially when she is sure to grow out of them in a year… so this might remain a wish.

Hanes Comfywear: Who doesn’t need a set of super comfy loungewear?

Squishmallows Mystery Pack: I don’t think Squismallows have remotely lost their allure for my tween. Maybe this would be a good “toy” to include alongside the clothes and makeup and books and other tween gifts?

Temporary Tattoo Markers: Carla is always drawing on her arms. It kind of drives me nuts, to be honest, but it’s not a battle I’m willing to wage. Maybe I should lean into the (temporary) body art craze?

Golden Girls Coasters: One of my best friends and I do a bit wherein she’s Blanche and I’m Dorothy and I really want to get her these coasters.

Golden Girls Tea Towels: Or maybe these tea towels would be more useful.

Sleuth & Solve: Science: This book looks fun and educational.

Mini Karaoke Machine: I love that this karaoke machine has TWO microphones. Sounds like it will be a hit at sleepovers.

Dog Walking Bag: Carla is desperate to have gear for her dog walking business. (A couple of neighbors have hired her to walk their dogs over the past several months.) Not sure if she would get a ton of use out of it, but she would LOVE to own one.

Balloon Animal Kit: Not that Carla needs a second business on top of her first (which already conflicts with the things *I* want her to do, like homework and chores and instrument practice), but this is such a cute and fun idea. I could see her making balloon animals for the birthday parties of the little kids on our street.

Pottery Kit: Oh my goodness would Carla love this. I don’t know if her craft room would survive, though, but perhaps that’s exactly what a craft room is for.

Sherpa Lined Gripper Booties: One of my family members has very cold feet and these seem like the exact kind of thing she’d use all the time. 

Blanket / Throw: One of my gift recipients recently moved and I think this throw would go really well in the house. Or perhaps this plush blanket would work even better? It looks so soft! Oooooh… maybe I like this monogrammed throw best of all. If only this particular gift recipient were a Mariah Carey fan, because this blanket is fire.

Red String of Fate: Carla is considering this for some of her friends which I think is so sweet.

LaNeige Midnight Minis: I think this would be a great gift for Carla to get and divide up among her friends. 

Marine Layer Saturday Pants: Not quite sure where I read about these pants, but I am eyeing them for my husband.

Smoothie Cup: One of the only things I could come up with for my own wish list was a cup from which I can drink smoothies. I have very specific criteria though. Must not be plastic, (I hate drinking from plastic), must be dishwasher safe, must have a lid, must not have a straw. I like this one because it’s ceramic, but it’s a little utilitarian. I like the look of this Stanley Pint Glass a lot (and maybe I have a teeny bit of Stanley FOMO?), but there’s no lid and I really only need a smoothie cup when I’m driving somewhere and can’t drink it out of a regular glass. Now this Kate Spade Tumbler is more like it! Super cute color options, lid, insulation. Hmmm. It’s hand-wash only, though… but maybe I could deal with that since I probably won’t use it all that often.

Ember Smart Mug: Because we are apparently both lacking in drinkware, one of the only things my husband requested for Christmas was the larger size Ember smart mug. He already has the 10-ounce version, which has lasted for years… but he needs a bigger cup of coffee, people. Can you blame him?

Paris Hilton Mug Warmer: I really wish I had someone to give this to. Somehow I don’t think my husband would appreciate it, but I feel like SOMEONE will. 

Paris Hilton Pot Holders: THERE ARE ALSO POT HOLDERS.

Lay’s Ornament: Carla spotted this ornament in a store somewhere and fell in love with it; Lay’s are her favorite chips. Alas, I failed to buy it. But I can buy it for $28 on Etsy and I just may do so! 

Skincare Set: The Bubble brand is all the rage among the sixth grade set. I could totally see Carla liking this set. Or this trial set of “super cuties.”

That’s all I have for you this year, Internet! As usual, making this list was super fun and wasted a ton of time that I could have spent DECIDING rather than DITHERING. But if you are still in the dither boat with me, hopefully this gave you a thing or two to add to your own cart.