The Gift Exchange

This Royal English Tea Tower has got to be my all-time favorite Wedding or house warming gift! This gift has it all!  And with so many things to keep and reuse, It’s completely perfect! With two beautiful fine porcelain tea mugs, this would be a great gift to send to Grandma, then show up at her house in time for tea! This wonderful keepsake gift can be loved for many years to come. Just add happy memories and you can enjoy this gift for generations!

It seems like everyone I know is either starting or adding to their families lately. I noticed that all the baby gifts are either predictable or just plain boring.  And of course, you want to give a gift to the parents, too, but what would that be?
The Proud Parents Deluxe Gift Set has it ALL! It has nice gifts for the baby, including an all organic layette set and a large plush teddy bear. For the parents, Silver Picture Frame, two beautiful ceramic tea mugs with tea and infusers!
And at the end of the day, everything you need for a mini home-spa treatment: Green Tea Shower Gel, Green Tea Bath Salts and Green Tea Body Butter! And it comes all wrapped up in a festive tote suitable for baby’s toys!

On Saturday I turn 27…

I have mixed feelings about growing older each year, while I usually welcome the future with open arms there is something to be said for the events that made up the last year of your life what it is today. Saying goodbye to a great year is hard, take this past year for instance: I moved into a new place, proudly stood by my best friend as she married her perfect match, gained a sort of confidence I didn’t know I was capable of and realized that I don’t always know whats best. Traveled across the world by myself, learned the importance of good shoes and dreamed big.  While this past year was wonderful, I anxiously await what the future has in store. I have good things coming to me, I can feel it in my bones. So today, with only 24 hours left of a wonderful 26th year, help me celebrate all the accomplishments, failures and good times as I prepare to open the door for many more adventures as a 27 year old.

If you feel like making my transition a great one don’t hesitate so send me some lovely flowers like these…. The Stylish Plant Assortment, Heavenly & Harmony or the How Sweet It Is arrangement.

One of my fondest memories of the New Year isn’t so much a memory of that the actual day but the events leading up the the much anticipated Y2K. I know you all remember it – Almost everyone had emergency kits made, stores sold out of batteries & bottled water, people pulled their money out of banks. It was a want-to-be-survivalists dream come true. It offered an excuse to be crazy for a few months and purchase all of the gizmo & gadgets you’ve always wanted and not be labeled a freak. I must be honest- I am a secret survivalist at heart. Whenever I come across a show where you have to hunt your own food & make a shelter I think to myself “If I had to do this I could and do it well”. I have started fires by literally ripping splinters off of wood to make kindling because there is no ax (what kind of person has fire wood but no ax?!), camped for almost a month straight forging for coconut’s that dropped from the trees and I survived the Spring Break Quake of 1992 (I was 7).  So I figured if mayhem struck at midnight on Jan 1, 2000 – I would be prepared.

When midnight came and went and nothing happened, nothing, the world didnt end, computers didn’t cease to exhist, and there were no riots on the street (at least not in NE Portland), I was relieved and a little disappointed. I was ready to show off my secret skills to everyone, make shelters out of little more than a blue tarp and some duct tape, cook a gormet meal over a campfire in the middle of the road (seriously – why would we be in the road, were houses going to implode as well?), sew clothes out of scraps of cloth forraged out of the garbage and make my own soap out of lye & fat. Oh well, maybe I will have the opportunity to utilize my talents at another time. For now I will continue my research & sharpen my skills.

This year I will be ringing the new year, thankful that the computers of the world didn’t fail and I will be warm and cozy no matter where I spend it. So raise your glass of delicious bubbly  and toast with me –

Here is to running water,
And store bought soap.
To working computers ,
A future with hope.

To ovens that work
A roof over my head,
Money in the bank
And my comfy bed.

Christmas is over with now what do I do with my Poinsettia?

Once the poinsettia bloom has gone, the leaves on your plant should be all green and won’t look so holiday like anymore.  Poinsettias are a great plant to keep year round on your desk especially if your office has Fluorescent light.  They don’t like to be watered as much.  Once the soil is completely dry you can water your plant but make sure you have good drainage.  If you have a saucer, empty it.  They don’t like water as much as other plants.  Poinsettias also like to be in the light.  If you have a dark house, put it by the window but make sure the leave don’t touch anything that is cold.  They like to be in room temperature heat and don’t tolerant cold at all.  In October you can start putting your plant in a very dark room or a closet for 12 hours a day without light and it will start getting it’s color back closer to December.

I have a sister who loves 3 things: Traveling, chocolates and drinking good coffee! I think that this year for Christmas, I will bring the islands to her by sending her the Hawaiian Kona Coffee & Premium Treats Gift. Not only does it have the most awesome snacks to go with the coffees, but it also comes with it’s own ceramic coffee mug & spoon, all packed into a keepsake, eco-friendly jute tote bag. Who couldn’t use another bag? Now, if I can just figure out how to mail some Tiki torches, this gift will be complete!

Steps you need to take to select and keep your Christmas tree fresh longer

1)  Before getting your tree, select an area in your house that Christmas tree will be placed.  Keep it away from direct heat like fire places and other heat sources.  Even the heat TV’s and fridges produce can cause damage in the long run.  Also, keep it away from the door and don’t place it in between two doors as the winds can knock your tree down.  Make sure you measure the selected area to insure that your tree will fit in the designated area.

2)  Research your purchasing area.  Some lots will have a tree shipment in weekly or some only once in the whole season.  I always recommend the Christmas tree farms not only because its tons of fun but also because you know for a fact that your tree was “just” cut.  Many times at the tree lots, they have been sitting their for weeks at a time and also we don’t know the conditions they were transported in.  Strong dry winds and cold weather can factor into the tree’s life span.

3)  When selecting your tree, look for the color.  Fresh trees will have  healthy looking green with few brown needles.  Always run your hand through the tree and pay attention to the flexibility of the trees.  Also look for any fallen needles.  In a healthy tree, you want to see branches bounce back into its place and be flexible in general.  If you are still not too sure, drop your tree at the butt end and watch for the amount of needles dropped.  If your tree is healthy, you should only be able to see brown needles on the floor.  If you see a large amount of green needles on the floor, get a different tree.   When you are selecting your tree, keep in mind what area it will be kept in (refer to step 1).  If you are setting your tree in the corner where only the front of the tree is visible, you will need to look for a tree with the best looking front.  If you are keeping it in the middle of the room where all sides are visible then you will need a tree that is best looking 360 degrees.

4)  Make sure that when you are cutting your tree, the butt end of your tree is over 6 inches long and is straight to insure it fits into your stand.

5)  When setting your tree up, re-cut the stump 1 inch and place it in warm water.  Make sure you check the water levels regularly.  Even for small amounts of time that the tree is left without water will make it dry out quicker. Adding Aspirin, sugars and bleaches is not necessary.  Just warm water will do the trick.

6)  When decorating your tree, use UL approved decorations and lights.  Use of miniature lights will decrease the amount of heat it produces and is not as harmful for the trees.  Also turn lights off at night.  It is not only for your safety but also will keep your tree last longer by not exposing your tree to too much heat.

I recently spent time in the Middle East with friends who have relocated there. I saw some of the most beautiful sites my eyes have ever seen. Experienced heat comparable to being roasted in an oven, and tasted foods that made my pallet rejoice. Of all the things I took in over my long journey, what I miss most is the food. Sure we have local restaurants that claim to be the real thing- Trust me, once you have had the real thing, the local restaurants will never quench the hunger. I don’t know if it is because the ingredients were local, or if there was something in the water, what I do know is that nothing compares to falafel outside of the Damascus gate in Jerusalem. Kenifa in the Ballad, Hummus off of Rainbow Road in Amman,  even the soda was better overseas (this may be because… A) I don’t usually drink soda. B) that was one of the few cold beverage choices).

Since being home I have tried my hand at recreating the delicacies I can’t seem to find here….. My lebnah, a fresh cheese made from yogurt, is to die for.  Falafel, made with the special tool I picked up in the old part of Jerusalem, good, but could use work. Baklava – Well lets just say, in a blind tasting, I would win. But lets be honest, it takes forever to make! Layers upon layers of phyllo dough, butter, and just the right amount of the nut/cinnamon mixture. Repeated several dozen times to obtain the perfect ratio of filling to dough. Once that is  assembled it must be cut prior to baking. When the cut baklava is in the oven you need to start on your syrup mixture to ladle over the baklava after is as reached its radiant golden color. Standing at the stove top, stirring the sweet concoction waiting for the magic to happen, you can’t step away or the sugars will surely burn. Here comes the worst part. When the baking is done, after you soak the pastry in the syrup, you have to wait for it to set before you can eat it! Now trust me on this one. I have tasted the baklava in every phase of the process. I have gotten wicked sugar burns from being impatient. It is worth the wait.

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of making it yourself I suggest you just get this Holiday Baklava Assortment. Trust me – After all I am an expert.

The original meaning of word “wreath” is unity, circle of life, and eternity.  In the ancient Rome the civilians would decorate wreaths and hang them on doors to represent victory when solders would return home from war.  This is how the whole “hanging” wreaths began but the whole history started when new Christian Germanic people would make wreaths out of evergreen in December to calm their winter blue.   They also liked to light up the fires in hopes of upcoming spring and renewal.  It wasn’t until the 16th century when the Christians in Germany started to keep the tradition alive by practicing this symble in hopes of their new believe in Christ, the never ending light.  From then on this practice has spread to all the Christians in the word and now is practiced by all.
The traditional wreath actually had 5 candles lined up inside the wreath. The center candle stood higher then the other four.  Every week before Christmas, the family would give a prayer while lighting one candle every week.  By Christmas Eve, 5th candle (being the taller one) would be lightened which represented baby Jesus being born as a savior to us all.

I’m trying to expand my horizons as a self proclaimed wine enthusiast. Please, please understand that I regularly consume wine from a box, so in no way am I claiming to be an expert. But as I am now in the business of offering super luxury and high end wines, I feel that I have a real obligation to at least sound like I know what I am talking about. I am looking forward to the day when a “damaged” bottle of Opus one comes back to us, and we all get to whip out a glass of this exceptional wine, but until that day I am limited by my budget on which wines I can try.

I started with some of the local wines readily available in the supermarket. Some I have tried before, some I will gladly try again. As a true connoisseur, AKA “lush”, I have rarely met a wine I don’t like. But I am starting to see what everyone is talking about; the way a certain variety compliments a dish, or evokes a feeling that another wine doesn’t. One of my absolute favorites is the Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay (if you get it with this Wine Tote, you’ll also get a bottle of Erath Pinot Noir which is amazing as well)  it tastes a lot better than dear old Carlos Rossi. Sorry Carlos, I think our relationship must come to an end- it’s been a crazy ride.

I guess my point is, you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy a decent bottle of wine. And I am comforted that the people who select the wines we carry have those exceptional palates, and can make the call for me on what is a good, and also what is truly exceptional. Still waiting on an expired bottle to pop through- oh wait, doesn’t wine get better with age? I guess I still have a lot to learn.