Dad's birthday

So one of the coolest men in my life (my Padre) has a birthday coming up- this Saturday to be exact! And seeing as I doubt he could find my blog via Google if his life depended on it (he can barely find solitaire  on their computer), I feel safe telling the internet what he will be getting for his birthday ^_^

First on the list:

Dr Mario and Tetris was mine and my parents' ultimate favorite game on Super Nintendo.

This is not Dr Mario and Tetris. However, they loved Puzzle League also. Remembering this (and having just bought my father a DS for Christmas last year), I felt blown away by the awesomeness of stumbling upon this in our local Power Gamer. Priced at $17, I immediately bought it. If you would like a copy of your own they are priced around $15 (used) on Amazon.

And Okami.

Now let me tell you. The graphics in this game will rock your socks. HOWEVER, the opening intro will take forever and a day. I've only gotten to the 3rd level but really love the storyline and the whole idea behind it. Sometimes I have issues forcing the wii remote to do what i want it to do, but that's nothing new. If you would like to buy it, skip over to Amazon where it costs less than $20 normally (FAR less then I paid in store).

Now I may possibly also bake my father these awesome cupcakes.

But I shall have to talk about those later as photos of those are at home on my other computer.

And everyone loves photos.

Mother's Day gift ideas

Seeing as how Mother's Day is kind of around the corner, I figured I should look into some things my 2 moms would like (2 moms being my actual mom and my new mom in law).

Anywho, here's what I came up with:

****** If you happen to be my mom or my husbands mom, please stop reading now and skip this post until 5/10/10. Thank you for your cooperation. ***********

note: these lovelies are not for sale but there is a recipe for them here!

another note: her blog is awesome, check it out.

note: while these lovelies cost a whopping $30 (for TWELVE) and are far more cost efficient to make at home, mine never look this pretty. If you are too lazy to make them pretty but still want these for your mum you can buy them here.

Almost all ladies love flowers and I'm certain most moms are included in that. These lovelies are lilacs (Syringa Prairie Petite to be exact) and sadly currently sold out. However you can buy similar plants from here for about $30.

another uber simple but easy to personalize gift:

custom mousepads from here for about $10 :)

I don't know how many of you ever had parents that did this but growing up my parents didn't spend too much money on birthday's or Christmas... heck they don't do that now either :) anywho, for many years I'd get these homemade coupons (good for one free trip to the ice rink, good for one free movie of your choice to watch with mom and dad, good for one free breakfast in bed) and loved them - these are coupons specifically for moms! Priced at $9 from here, I think these are adorable.

This one made me laugh too much to keep to myself. It's priced at $4.50.

Check here to see the inside and to order.

And Happy (almost) Mother's Day!

$10 Thurday (1)

So again, today I was searching for cheapie gifts and could not believe how almost impossible it is to find a blog dedicated to gifts under a particular price range!

So here I am, announcing $10 Thursdays (and perhaps later if I become more ambitious I'll add in $20 Tuesdays) where one entire post on that day will be about giftys found online that cost 10 bucks or less - occasionally I may throw in the one odd ball that's a tad more pricey if only because it's too cool to ignore.

Here I show you these ^ candle sticks from CB2 priced at $3.95 each, a brilliant hostess gift or even a cheapish wedding gift! found here.

And this little Christmas ornament ^ (also from CB2) would be a great gift for mom or grandmother or anyone really, priced at $3.95 also it looks to me like one of those ornaments you'd always smile on as you hung it on the tree. found here.

As the future wife of an all around avid gamer, these ^ hour glasses simply spoke to me. Priced at $9.95 (small one) and $29.95 (large one) from CB2, these just look like fun to have around. Perhaps not as easily giftable but still has quite a bit of potential. found here.

This three part appetizer/ dip server ^ is just plain classy in my book, priced at $9.95 from Crate & Barrel, it would make a lovely hostess gift. found here.

These magnetic hooks ^ are amazing in my book. A set of these mini magnet hooks (that also come in 3 other colors) costs $8.95 and would be perfect for someone living in a small apartment (thinking of buying them myself). Imagine sticking them to the fridge and hanging everything from keys to oven mitts to a simple Christmas ornament. Love these, probably buying them for myself ^_^ found here.

As a lover of pigs (I was basically raised in a town named Pigtowne), Polka dots and random, this ^ Piggie bank made me swoon. NOT exactly in the Thursday price range, this beauty costs $15.95 at Crate & Barrel. Love the pig. found here.

These rings ^ (and half the rest of the store's small cheap gift section) simply scream BRIDESMAID GIFTS to me. Priced fairly cheap at $4 a pop, these joys are girly, quirky and unfortunately, only sold in store at Pier 1. found here.

I'll admit, as much as I love writing and adore looking at journals, it was the price of these ^ that caught my eye. Priced at only $2.18 over at Pier 1, these lovely useful gifts are also only sold in store. found here.

geekery

Randomly googled "gifts under $10" today and lookie what I found! Love this website for its random assortment of awesome.

How cool would it be to have this ^ seriously, you'd never accidentally burn your hands again! And you'd the shower one would be even more useful! Quirky but definitely a fun one :) found here.

More of a gift for the nerd at heart, I love these ^ magnets for 1) the sheer geekery, 2) the ability to spell funny things and 3) studying purposes! I would have killed for these in high school! found here.

A gift for the true hard core gamers (or rather, very brave and proud gamers) I love these ^ fuzzy d20's mostly because of my (newly found) and Kevin's love of DnD and all things odd and quirky :) found here.

The best part? All under $20!