Gifts for ME (and ok, others)

This post is sponsored by Uncommon Goods, who maybe haven't figured out yet that have blogged about shaving my dog's butt more than once.

The last time I ventured out on any type of Black Friday or other popular holiday shopping period (like any of the next four weekends), I was pregnant with Rowan. I left my house at 10pm and stood in the cold outside a, uh, National Chain of Toy Stores (ahem) for three hours before finally making it inside along with 700 other people who did not give one piece of ca-ca that I was 8 months pregnant, only that I was standing in the way of the sale display. We left without buying anything and I’ve been a proponent of online Christmas shopping ever since!
I have a few favorites I have bookmarked, but one of the places I always find cool things is Uncommon Goods. Not only do they have interesting stuff, but I appreciate that they’re animal friendly (no leather, feathers or fur) AND they give you an option to select a non-profit organization to benefit from company donation each time you check out. It’s like they handle putting the money in the jingle bell Santa pot for you! So, I was super-psyched when they reached out and asked me to share some of my favorite picks from their holiday gift guides.

Without further ado:

Grandparent &  Grandchild Letter Book Set ($40)
If you’ve got grandparents that remember (and are willing) to share their histories and stories, you may be familiar with the concept, but for those of us who let time go by without remembering to preserve the memories, this Grandparent & Grandchild Letter Book Set is just the sweetest idea. I wish I had known about it when my own mom was still alive, she would have filled it up in…about a week probably. This is the kind of thing your kids will be glad to have one day.

Honorable Mentions: Hand Trux Shovels ($18)

My kids would be half way to China with these inside of five minutes, or is it New Zealand? Oh, wait, Google says we'd end up in the Indian Ocean, that might be problematic. If you think I'm maybe exaggerating a bit, you have not yet experienced the digging ambitions of one Rowan H.
I also think the Mr. and Ms. Face Plates ($12) are pretty cute and would totally buy them, except for the fact that my sons already take 45 minutes to eat a hotdog.
More gifts for little guys here.
Because I didn’t want to have all the fun by myself (and because I’m married to a professional sommelier), I let Sam pick out some favorites from the Wine Lovers Collection. Being “wine people” we get wine gifts (A LOT), but these are ones we both agree are pret-ty darn useful.

Wine Preserver Bottle ($50)

The thing I do that causes CTS (the Clenched Teeth of Sam) is open wine and then leave the cork out of it. He likes to call me “The Stale Maker.” This wine preserver bottle has an airtight seal so it keeps the flavor in for up to a week. (though, let’s face it, there’s not a chance a bottle of wine would last in our fridge that long, but in your fridge it might!).


Wine Pearls ($24.95)


In the summertime, I love to open a bottle of white or rose when I get home from work, but since I’m never mentally functioning enough in the mornings to remember to pop a bottle in the fridge before I leave the house, the wine I want to drink when I get home is all warm. I end up pouring a glass and adding ice cubes to it which again causes CTS or this particular grimace that Sam does whenever I’m desecrating a nice bottle of Chenin Blanc. Problem solved with these little things that will cool it down without watering it down.

I also really like this Bamboo Wine Table ($22)

Because you can use this at a park, at the beach, in your backyard--just stick it in the ground and you've got an instant little party tray wherever you are. Theoretically, you could weed vegetables in your garden and drink a little vino AT THE SAME TIME (note to self: no more excuses for not gardening, other than congenital black thumb).

There are other gifts for wine lovers here.

Ok, now, enough shopping for other people, let’s get to what you can buy me, me, ME, otherwise known as These are fewwww of my faaavoorrittee thiiiiingggs. I’m really a sucker for personalized things so most of these came from the Personalized Gift Collection. I’m also apparently not very lady like because everything else was from Gifts for Dad (why does Dad get all the cool gifts?)

Custom Pet Pillows ($145)
Let's face it, my dogs are pretty much pillows already. But you can submit a favorite photo of your pet and this artist will use it to create an ACTUAL throw pillow that looks like your pet for you. How cute is that? Plus, these pillows probably don't fart.


Left Brain Right brain Bookends ($68)

We don't have near enough bookends in our house for the amount of books we own. I don't have enough  punny bookends in my life, period.






Das Horn ($24.95)

I'm not even the Viking in the family, and I need this. I love that it comes with both it's own stand AND a neck strap, so you can wear it around while you're doing Viking things or like, browsing Facebook. Probably frowned upon at the office, though?

Mom Equation Necklace ($185)
There are a million, cajillion versions of "mom necklaces" out there (I dunno, I’ve always been terrible at math), but I think this one is one of sweetest and most clever I've seen.

So, hopefully these will give you some ideas to get started with your Christmas gift giving. Only a month away-WHOOP!