Thursday, January 17, 2013

What Santa Brought Me.....Keeping the Costs Sensible


I know everybody is anxious to know exactly what presents Sluggy received for Christmas in 2012.
Oh come on.....you KNOW you want to know.  ;-)

Yes, we are lavish gift givers around here.
It's all about the bling.......the luxury........the decadence........
No, around here, we don't expect anyone to spend a big wad of cash on a pile of gifts for us.  We gift sensibly.  We give what someone wants/needs(within reason) and we try to get a deal if possible.

Here are a couple of gifts I got from extended family......first from my brother and his wife....

A pair of slippers and a cocktail shaker and mix

And from Hubs brother and the nephew.....

a Kitchen store gift card

We do a nuclear family Secret Santa gift exchange and #2 Son got my name.....


I got a book I wanted, "Everything You Were Taught About the Civil War Is Wrong", and a gift card to Ollie's Bargain Outlet "Good Stuff Cheap!".  #2 Son knows me too too well.....

And #2 Son gets extra credit because he bought the book from a used bookseller. ;-)


Then my older two kids, having jobs now and making a little of their own money, got some Christmas Spirit this year and decided to buy presents for each family member.  This was unexpected and yes, the thought of it was the best part of the gifts!

So #1 Son bought me....

Candles that smell like cookies and Cherry Blossom Bubble Bath

And the Daughter got me this.....
An Olive Oil Pump/Sprayer to break my addiction to PAM. lol

Then Hubs bought me a book.....Hubs considers a book the "perfect gift" so I can pretty much count on a book for Christmas....lol.....

Gotta love Stonewall Jackson!

And "Santa" filled my stocking with this strange mix of goodies....

2 packs of safety pins(I asked for those!lol)
Gas treatment ?
Post-Its ?
Chocolate coins ?
a high class bottle opener ?
I am still shaking my head over most of this stuff....I think Santa either lost his mind or had too much egg nog before he got to our house.lolol

As you can see, we just live on the edge, walk on the wild side, spend money like it's going out of style!!
Not.....

But here is the one thing I asked for and they & Hubs actually got for me.....


While the kids were all home at the same time for the Holidays(which doesn't happen nearly at ALL anymore), they went up to the local portrait studio and had this photo taken.  I haven't had a photo of the 3 of them together done since they were in elementary school.  And the bestest thing about it?  They are actually smiling REAL smiles, not those faked ones I get when I ask them to pose so I can take a picture!

Of course, I didn't get the portrait until late last week, but it made my Holiday.
Yes, it did.



Sluggy

21 comments:

  1. I agree; a book is the perfect gift. All three of them smiling was the first thing I noticed! Hurray for you and smiling children.

    I like getting things I need, no matter how humble or strange. You did well. The "different" stuff? It IS all useful.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. No, the perfect gift is fabric. lol
      The day Hubs dies, the local library will need to build a new wing to hold what I'll be giving them.

      I'm not the most romantic of gals but gas treatment in my xmas stocking?!? I don't think the man is trying anymore....lol

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  2. Love the picture of your kiddos! Your book picks remind me of my youngest son. He loves anything Civil War related and since we live in the South that's easy to find. BTW, I've had my Misto for years and love it. Got one for my mom but she still uses Pam. I do still use the Pam with flour for some recipes. Thanks for sharing your christmas stash with us:)

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    1. Thanks Anonymous. The kids might not have star looks but I think they are beautiful. ;-)

      I hate the money being spent on PAM so I am sure I'll grow to love this oil sprayer. I have been meaning to buy one for years now.lol

      I highly recommend the "Everything You Were Taught..." book. Just be careful because after reading it awhile, he might start muttering the phrase "Damn Yankees" under his breath. ;-)

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  3. Well, you can't say your family doesn't know you well!

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    1. Yeah, they know me too too well it seems....except for that gas treatment thing.....

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  4. Lovely gifts!! :) Im sure you'll have fun spending those gift cards!! Your kids are beautiful! Great portrait!!

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    1. Thanks Carla.
      The kitchen store is in the mall and I don't "do" the mall, but they also have an online store so that works.
      I will LOVE spending the Ollie's card! I just got a 15% off coupon in the mail for there too.....discount AND gift card=Winning!lol

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  5. What great gifts! I love practical stuff and the picture is priceless!

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    1. Thanks 1Family. Now I have to work on them to buy me a nice frame for the portrait for my Birthday...lol

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  6. I think the picture is the best gift any mom could get but the post it notes are coming in a close second. Den got a box cutter in his stocking. Think Santa was trying to tell him something.

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  7. You have an addiction to Pam??! What?... you snort the stuff?
    Very nice gifts! And I love that picture too!

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  8. The pic of the kids is great! I would love that too. I got a small bottle of icewine in my sock, just like I asked! Something sweet to sip on once a year!

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  9. Love the photo. That's definitely an awesome gift, especially with adult children. Now... that Olive Oil Pump/Sprayer sounds like the best thing ever and I'll have to go research and get myself one. Why didn't I think of it? I overuse PAM all the time, but this sounds so much better (and cheaper) of an alternative!

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  10. The picture is definitely the best. Second of course to the gas treatment, of course. ;-)

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  11. Oh man I was so hoping you got a leaf blower so you could have some fun with the neighbour!!

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  12. Oh the gas treatment is cracking me up :)

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  13. I have those same slippers! In two colors! It's like we are twins! : )

    I love a practical gift. And I agree with your husband, you can never go wrong with a book. Unless it's a duplicate. Then you can exchange it. : )

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  14. Cute kiddos, Like the high class bottle opener you are so posh.

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  15. Actually how old is that boy, I have a daughter or two that need men.

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  16. What a great pic of your kiddos!

    I bought myself an oil sprayer. Researched it on Amazon. Bought one with great reviews.

    It sucks.

    I hope yours doesn't.

    ReplyDelete

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