Fore!

My hubby is a big golfer. He will take any opportunity to brush up on his golf swing or get out on the golf course. He’s also extremely organized. Everything in his life has to be properly put away and in its’ place. Kind of a contrast from me – don’t get me wrong, when it comes to my work life and my school life (and gift giving) I’m rather OCD. Think I’m kidding? I had a phone interview for a new job last week and they asked how I stayed organized with tasks. I used my color-coded Christmas presents spreadsheet as an example. The HR representative laughed and told me I was borderline OCD.

Anyways, when I came across a golf organizer for your trunk, I thought that sounded like a great fit for my husband. It gave room for extra shoes, clothes, balls, etc. Anything you can think of, all stored away in one handy little place. The problem is, when I went to order it, there were horrible reviews on the quality of the product. So I kept looking. I finally came across a Nike Golf trunk organizer. It’s more expensive than the other brand I looked at, but I figured that a Nike Golf came with a certain reputation.

$72.95 at Amazon.com

Then, just for fun, I got him a pair of these Golf Ball Finder Glasses! You can get these just about anywhere, even Bed Bath & Beyond. The reviews weren’t outstanding with this either, but for the price (less than $15), you can’t expect too much. The bottom line was, people found more balls than they lost. For $15 I figure if he just finds 15 balls a year we’re probably in the clear. If nothing else, it is pretty fun to sit and watch the wildlife with those glasses!

$17.19 at Amazon (but you can get this at Bed Bath & Beyond with a coupon for cheaper!)

It's Rubbing Off...

For the first time in years, I actually had a small list of things that I wanted for Christmas. I gave my hubby two things that I wanted that he could get me (one of which I ended up taking off because I didn't realize how expensive it was). The number one thing on my list this year was a nice jewelry box.

I've been given a million jewelry boxes over the years from my parents, grandparents, friends, etc. While I loved all of them, they eventually wound up in storage or garage sales. I haven't had an actual jewelry box since I entered adulthood. Most of my jewelry was in a drawer with some necklaces hanging up on a wall thanks to giant push-pins. Very college chic.

So I told the hubs that I wanted a nice jewelry box. I gave him no direction, just that I wanted a nice jewelry box. He was happy that I gave him something tangent he could get me (first time EVER!) and I was happy because I know he has great (albeit expensive!) taste in most things.

He did good :)

It was handmade by an Amish man and is "Heirloom Quality," which, according to hubby, means that it will outlive our grandchildren's grandchildren. It's absolutely gorgeous and it is kind of exciting to think that this gift is one that can be passed down through our family for generations. I always thought about my mom and grandmother's jewelry and passing it down to a daughter or granddaughter one day - but never thought about something I would have that I could pass down!

So there you have it. A history in the making gift that will keep on giving for generations to come. Love it! :)

Keepin' it Kool.

It seems like every year I tend to get hubby one "big" gift for Christmas and a couple of smaller gifts. Sometimes they're something he's mentioned over the past year but never got around to getting (rare!). Sometimes they're something someone else mentioned and he seemed interested in. This year's "big" gift was none of the above. I don't even remember how I came across it, but I think it stemmed from when I was considering giving him this:

A remote controlled cooler! But then I decided that maybe I need to encourage getting away from the college-type gifts. At the time, we were talking about buying a house. This house had an AMAZING three-tiered back deck and we were just dreaming about all the awesome parties we would have. In anticipation of that, I bought hubby:

I got him the larger one and it was definitely a good surprise on Christmas morning. The smaller one is 57 quarts and the larger one is 87 quarts (holds 72 12oz cans with 20lbs of ice to give you a base). It's rustic, it's useful and it's much nicer to look at then the plastic ones!

I bought it on Amazon for around $150 I think but it's currently unavailable. You can find them on the world wide web though!