Christmas Wish List

 

 

I'm usually concentrating on that presents I need to buy for others so it's fun to switch it around and think about what I want :) (and need, to wear and read)

Want

I love these wine glasses in white and red with the flat bottom, I have seen them at a few restaurants but could never find them in stores.  But last week at The Library Bar they had them so I took note of the brand.  

Need

I am almost out of my Dry Shampoo.  This is my favourite brand and the smell reminds me of my trip to San Francisco in 2019.

Wear 

This Athleta Turtleneck would be good for skiing or just a cooler winter day.

Read

You know what? I can't find any books that I want! That is rare for me but I don't see any new ones that interest me, and since I get my books at the library anyway, it's hard to pick any on my reading list that I think I need to own.  I'll have to come back and update this later if I come across anything in particular.  However, I will never turn down a book as a gift, so we'll see if I get any. 

Let's Look - Gift Ideas for Men

Today we are looking at gift ideas for men.  Men have a reputation for being hard to buy for but I have been lucky to buy lots of great gifts for Dave over the years (if I do say so myself!).  And lots of these ideas come from these lovely ladies - Shay and Erika - with whom I am linking up today. 

The links to the products aren't vetted, I just googled them, so I'm not sure if they are for US or Canada, but you will get the idea.  (I also am not influencer level enough to get any sort of compensation for these products.) My other caveat is that I enjoy many of these gifts myself, so although they were gifts for Dave, some of them are household items now :)

Theragun Mini - this mini-massager is good for the athlete in your life (or those over 40, haha) to help with those aches and pains.  

Food Thermometer - This is great for the BBQ or just chicken fingers.  Not sure how we cooked without it, just hoped for the best that everything was cooked (or more likely overcooked certain things just to be sure).

Headphones - Dave actually got these for me, along with a pair for himself, and they come in handy at home on conference calls but also on the plane.

Vuori Clothes - You can't go wrong with joggers or a t-shirt, good quality and soft material.  I also got Dave the Echo Insulated Jacket and he loves it. 

Workout stuff - free weights, a barbell (that was fun getting into the house after it got delivered to the front door and Dave was set to get home in a few minutes! I somehow got the box into the front hallway and then took it all apart, carrying each component separately downstairs and then putting it back into the box in a place where it could be hidden, phew!), foam roller, yoga mat, workout towels.  If you're into Peloton, I can confirm that their clothes are nice.

A few stocking stuffer ideas - Cord Collars and Magnetic Cable Cords

And two things that can never go wrong for my husband - a nice bottle of scotch or a box of ProV-1 golf balls. 

Hoping I can come up with something good again this year!!

Let's Look - Stocking Stuffers

Okay, I was supposed to swap November's topic with this one.  So if you're looking for my top comforts you can check out last month's post.  But for any Santas still looking to fill those stockings, this post is for you. 

For myself, ahem, things I like to get in my stocking are: 

Coffee beans, Andes mints, soap, dish towels/cloths, something to read like a magazine or a simple book, and lottery tickets. Some other ideas for someone like me (although I don’t really need them myself right now):

Saje Rollers - Peppermint Halo and Immune would be appreciated by anyone.

Lipgloss - I love the Fresh brand but there are lots of other options at the drug store too. 

Face Masks- These are affordable and a nice treat

Hair Elastics

Hand Cream

For the kids, Santa usually brings things that we would never buy, like Nutella and sugary cereal.  (“Of course Santa is real, Mom would never buy Nutella!!”). They also usually get some socks, underwear, hot chocolate packets, and some candy.  If you’re looking for some ideas for games or little toys, we like these ones:

Nee Doh- these are fun in any form they come in

Sushi Go

Exploding Kittens

Monopoly Deal

My husband usually finds some cashews, Toffeefee, golf balls, and beers in his stocking.  Last year he also got these things:

Cord Organizers

Charger Cord Collars

Wallet Ninja

Linking up with Shay and Erika. 

You can see all of my posts from this link up series below:

January - Organizing

February - Medicine Cabinet

April - Pet Peeves

May - Morning Routine

June - Travel Tips

July - Favourite Summer Finds

August - Worst Habits

September - Evening Routine

October - Biggest Fears

November - Top Comforts

Christmas Wish List

Hehe.  I bought a few things for myself in Miami and we are buying a lot of things for our house, so I really don't need too much for Christmas this year.  I do like to put together this little list of a few things I do want.

Want

Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia Candle. I know the price of this candle is outrageous, but it's such a pretty smell (it's the perfume I wear).

Need

A new brush.  I have this one from Dry Bar but the ends are coming off and it's hurting my head now. I'm not sure if I want the same one or if there is something better.

  

Wear

A new set of PJs. Not flannel, but a thinner softer pant, and then a t-shirt or tank top.  They had so many nice things at Nordstrom when I was there but I didn't buy anything.  I know a store near here has some of the same brands, and then Joe Fresh and the Gap usually have good sleepwear.

Read

Stolen Focus. My good friend recommended this as a must-read. 

Friday Favourites

Part of the fun of going away is shopping! Especially when you get to visit Nordstorm and Target (still bitter these brands couldn't make it in Canada!). It's also fun to go to Sephora with friends to share your recommendations. A few of the things I purchased:

Summer Friday lip gloss. I have the face cream and when I saw this in line, I picked up the gloss too.  Both products are great. 

I picked up this mascara on a recommendation.  It's a tubing mascara which means it will coats your lashes like a tube.

I got these black jeans. The Wit and Wisdom brand is very flattering and so affordable. 

And this fun sequin top.  So basically I bought jeans and a going out top!

I also got a pretty plaid shirt. It is so soft and a bit of a splurge, but worth it. However, I can't find a link to it on the Nordstrom site and I didn't get a photo of the one I bought so I'll have to share it another time.

And this dress which will be good for any holiday parties we may go to.

If you like travel recaps, check out my posts on South Beach and Florida Keys.  What a nice little trip.

One of my favourite books I read this year was Demon Copperhead. The author, Barbara Kingsolver, was on the Armchair Expert podcast recently and I just got to listen to the interview.  It was such a privilege to hear her speak about reading, writing, and this book in particular. 

I don't mean to alarm anyone, but Christmas is right around the corner so I'm hoping I can get some things started this weekend!

Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

Friday Favourites

 

This was one of those weeks when I am saying TGIF!! Let's get to a few favourite things from this week and then it's time to get through this workday and stroll into the weekend (ding ding, Stroll, Canadian FI race this weekend in Montreal...anyone...?)

My ladies golf league is on Tuesday nights, and this week it was raining when I was supposed to tee off.  I thought about not going out, but there were two other ladies that were braving the rain so I decided to join them.  As usual, I'm glad I didn't cancel plans for weather.  We did get a bit wet but I had an umbrella and then it cleared up for the last few holes. The ducks were enjoying the puddles.

My dad was in town for a few days and brought me these nice flowers one day.

A few nice gifts I got for my birthday last week - the Jo Malone perfume, English Pear and Freesia.  It was my favourite from the sampler my friend had given me a few months ago so I asked for the full size bottle. 

I also got some nice shampoo and conditioner.  I got the same for Christmas and I only just finished up the shampoo, so my birthday came at the right time.

Two new pairs of Goodr sunglasses, a pink pair to replace the ones I had before that broke..

I'm also wearing the new dress I got from my mom, the same one as I have in blue :)

And my favourite colour, white!

Dave got me a new hat called a Ponyback.  It had a spot for your ponytail at whatever height you're wearing it. 

(Yikes, that mirror is filthy!)

And I asked for a bottle of port from my mom.  I thought that drinking a glass of port would be something sophisticated I could start doing. 

We have a busy weekend ahead, sports, Father's Day, and moving into our basement (plus the F1 race and US Open to watch).  I am hoping to be back here on Monday to show you how our new living space in the basement will look. 

Friday Favourites

 

Happy Friday! Guys, do you know that February is on Wednesday?! What in the world! 

My friend gifted me this little Jo Malone perfume sampler.  It has five lovely scents in suitably small containers that will still last me a long time.  I have perused the Jo Malone scents for awhile but could never select one at the store so this is a great way to try them out. 

I volunteered at the school for Pizza Day on Wednesday.  The kids like seeing me at school and I like seeing them and their friends. 

We got some beautiful snow this week.  I was sort of stopped here waiting for the cars in front of me to get up the hill.  I had no problems in our car with snow tires, and I'm a confident enough driver to get around in the ice and snow.

A friend dropped off a Starbucks gift card for me the other day (so nice!) and I picked up a treat for myself with it on Thursday.  Can never resist a sprinkle cookie :)

Dave and E have been hitting the golf simulators for some off-season practice. This was last week .

Looking forward to a ski filled weekend with the fresh snow.

Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

Friday Favourites

 

Linking up with Andrea and Erika to share a few of my favourite gifts that I received for Christmas. 

Santa did a good job with these two, a Queen Elizabeth tea towel and wooden tree ornament.

I got this pretty sweater from a local boutique.

Yummy coffee.

New cookbooks.  I've already made something from One.

Most of our Christmas cards are lovely family photo cards, but these non-photo cards were some of my favourites.

I got several other nice things as well, I was very fortunate :)

Also, please join me and a few other bloggers for this year's Not Just a Mom Link Up on the second Monday of each month, we start next week.  Save our graphics and link up.  Our first topic is "Introductions" to kick off the year.