Say it with Stationary

via Papyrus

I just received a thank you note from my sister-in-law on the Crane & Co. stationary pictured above, and I fell in love.  These were the exact words my dad said to me right before he walked me down the aisle almost eight years ago!  I will never forget that moment :-)

Stationary is by far one of my favorite gifts to give and to receive.  My brother-in-law got me hooked years ago when he started getting me beautiful stationary sets every year for my birthday.  There's just something extra special about receiving a hand-written note in today's technology driven world.

Go ahead.  Treat yourself.  I just did!

Happy writing!!!

Have A Kickin' Good Birthday!

Soccer Guys or Soccer Girls is my new favorite gift for 2-3 year olds.  It's basically Foosball without the sticks.  Two year olds enjoy laying out the pretend field, setting up the goals, and passing the ball between two players while occasionally making a goal.  SCORE!  While three to five year olds can setup ALL the players and begin to learn the rules of the game through interactive pretend play.

Pair it with a mini soccer ball and/or a soccer themed picture book and it makes the PERFECT gift!  Some of my favorite books include K is for Kick by Brad Herzog (includes fun soccer trivia/history for the adult reader) and For the Love of Soccer by Pele.

To top it off, our friends at Soccer Post are offering all Gift Cow Readers a special discount.  Use the coupon code giftcow to get 15% off at checkout!

Happy Kicking!

Brrrr! It's cold out there...

{via Restoration Hardware}

I don't know about you, but all I want to do on these brisk November days is curl up on the couch with a cozy blanket and a cup of tea. This blanket from Restoration Hardware is one of my absolute favorites. It is ridiculously soft and snuggly, and surprisingly reasonable in price. It makes the perfect winter birthday, Christmas, or housewarming gift. The best part is that you can personalize the blanket with all sorts of complementary gifts depending on the recipient.

For the tea lover, spice it up with specialty teas like those by Tea Forte.

For the bookworm, inscribe a special book to go with the blanket.

For the chocolate lover, include a bunch of Trader Joe specialty chocolate candies.

For the child-at-heart, wrap up one of the plush teddy bears from RH Baby & Child.

Happy Snuggling!!!

Pulled Pork, Anyone?

My husband's birthday was yesterday. As usual, thinking of an extra-special gift was a bit of a challenge. Thankfully, though, he happen to mention last weekend how much he enjoyed one of our friend's pulled pork sandwiches and that's when I had my AH-HA moment...

There is NOTHING my husband enjoys more than watching football on Sunday with his closest friends and family, while chowing down on some tasty snacks. So, I got him a slow-cooker, emailed our friend for her pulled pork recipe (see below), and invited a bunch of our friends over to enjoy pulled pork sandwiches and the games. The whole night was a HUGE HIT!

Pulled Pork Birthday Sandwiches
(serves 14 adults)

8 lb. pork roast on the bone (assume 1/2 lb./person)
1.5 (18 oz.) bottles of your favorite BBQ sauce
2 medium sized onions, sliced thin
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1.5 tablespoons of brown sugar

Cover the bottom of the slow cooker with one sliced onion and garlic. Wash and pat dry the meat. Lay the roast in the slow-cooker on top of the onions and garlic. Mix the brown sugar and bbq sauce together in separate bowl, then pour mixture over the roast in the slow-cooker. Cover top of roast with second, thinly sliced onion. Cover cooker and program to cook for 6 hours ON HIGH. Then, take roast out. Remove some of the fat from the roast, then use a fork to pull meat off bone. Return to cooker for another 2 hours ON HIGH. Enjoy!

Nothing's Better than Barefoot

I simply LOVE Barefoot Contessa. I discovered her years ago when my husband's aunt gave me one of her cookbooks for Christmas. It didn't take me long to realize that literally EVERY recipe in her cookbooks is a sure guarantee. Needless to say, I now own almost all of Barefoot's cookbooks (with the exception of Barefoot In Paris) including her newest addition, how easy is that?

Because I enjoy her books and recipes so much, I often like to incorporate her books into my gifts. They work for any occasion if the recipient enjoying entertaining, cooking, and/or baking. To top it off, Barefoot is currently on tour, so you could even add a little extra spunk to your gift with an autographed copy!

One of my favorite Barefoot Contessa's gifts is...

PIZZA PARTY: Parties Cookbook (see page 43) and a pizza stone wrapped in clear cello with lots of colorful ribbon, a tag that says "Pizza Party, p. 43," and an ice cream scoop hanging down from the ribbons.

Any other gift ideas from fellow Barefoot fans???