Stich-witchery

Well, seeing as how I planned ahead. I'm finding myself with spare time, but never in very large doses. So I'm finishing a lot of my mother's projects. Most of those projects involve the serger and sewing machine. It's actually quite relaxing to take scraps of cloth and put them together into a beautiful quilt. I will always prefer tying over piecing though- because tying is a social activity.

I would like a sewing machine of my own eventually. Besides, then I can make shirts that actually fit Paul's lanky frame.

A good night's sleep is worth it.

I have trouble sleeping. Always have. But one semester I borrowed a twin size piece of memory foam from my dad and stuck it on top of my bed. I slept incredibly well, and only woke up to a) remind my future cousin-in-law that it was midnight, or b) because the pain from my sprained ankle was really bad. I felt more refreshed with 6 hours of sleep on that memory foam than I did for 9 hours on any other bed I've owned.

So that's why I decided that one of my top-priority presents is a queen-size memory foam mattress topper.

Oh yes, Paul wants it too.

Now where did I put that?

It's that time again! Time to renew your driver's license, fafsa, or other important HR paperwork. The problem is, you can't remember WHERE your birth certificate, last year's tax return, et cetera is.

That's what got me thnking, what if I had a safe box to deposit all those things in. And what if it was also fire resistant, water resistant, and generally emergency proof. It would make my life a wee bit easier, not to mention that I won't have to worry about my husband moving documents around when I'm not looking.

So, for a simple example (prices range from about $20 to several hundred dollars)- lookee here.

Presents versus Presence

In times of economic uncertainty and the tightening of the belts, going to a lot of birthday parties, bridal showers, baby showers, etc... can really strain the budget. Just to make things simple though- I'll make it clear here, once and for all.

For each occasion (ie, wedding, birthday, Christmas, etc.), even if there are numerous parties, I don't need a present each time. Because if I invite you to more than one party, it's because I like your 'presence' not your 'presents.' Presents are nice, but knowing I have a good friend that I can talk to is even better.

So please, when you feel obligated to, but don't have the money; remember what is really important in life: the friends we make and the times we share.

Cleaning supplies

Life is messy, but a clean house is a happy, healthy house.

Vacuum
Mop & Bucket
Broom
Dustpan & Brush
Trash cans
Toilet brushes
Plunger
Sponges/scrubbers

Humidifier/Air purifier

Kitchen

Most of my mother's kitchen supplies came as wedding presents. Unlike the china, which was broken by the time I was born (less than a year later), the waffle iron, knives, and other kitchen supplies my mother was given are still in use today.

We have stove pots and pans, knives, a glass baking dish, and a few other odds and ends.

cookie sheets
muffin pans (regular and mini)
bundt cake pan
mini loaf pans
cooling rack
measuring spoons and cups (because you can never have too many of these)
can opener
vegetable peeler
grater
whisks
cutting boards
strainer
mixers (I like my mother's)- Bosch, kitchenaid, the good kinds.
waffle iron
toaster


and let us not forget my favorites:
Spring-loaded scoopers
Tupperware containers (because Tupperware is cool).

Fine Dining

Our scene opens upon an elegant dining room, lushly paneled with rosewood and teak. Light drifts down from the chandelier, glinting off the fine silver cutlery and gold trimmed china, prisming through the goblets, casting sparkles over the starched linen.
A single red rose sets on the table, the only color in a golden world.

Bah, who am I kidding? It's not me!
Besides, I already have a nice set of china, currenly residing under my brother's bed. It was given to me by a very dear friend, and is her wedding gift to me.

So for fine dining, all I'm missing is the food.

Browsing through the stores...

I was shopping with my mom, helping her get ready for a con when I spied these:
Storage cubes

Maybe not the best furniture on the planet, but it looks just about right until I can afford better.

Behold the powers of awesome...

This list is the reason for all the trouble: the cool things that never show up on a registry.

The best place to spark creativity and buy really cool, really random stuff- in fact, I wouldn't mind a whole bunch of stuff from here. Just try to keep it sort of useful, or really really fun. http://www.sciplus.com/

Like this nifty thermometer (I can't find the ray gun version, this must be the James Bond prototype)

A ding-dong bell! Well, maybe not for the wedding, but the teacher in me wants one.

I can't think of anything else at the moment, but I'm sure some of you will.

Useful Things

Because let's face it, I won't be living in my parent's house anymore. If you have anything to add to the list of useful things, don't be afraid to comment.

Towels - nice big fluffy ones, smaller ones for the kitchen,
Blankets
Vacuum - These are actually fairly affordable nowadays. My vacuum... for me to take care of and fix.
Broom - I like to sweep... it calms me.
Dustpan - because using a piece of paper is sad...
Hot pads - the more muppetlike, the better.
Clocks - so I know what time it is without looking at my phone. I'd like one for every room, or maybe one for every wall. That's what the good punctual people do.
Bookshelves - Okay, so it's not a need. But I really, really want them! I feel sad when my books are on the floor, and you can store so many other things on bookshelves too.
Fire extinguisher - Daniel added this to the list as a joke, but it really is important to have one.
Laundry hamper/baskets/bags - because the laundry is always there...
Waffle iron - Paul wants this one. I personally don't eat that many waffles, but maybe that's because it's hard to eat waffles with 10+ people eating dinner the same time.
Mixer - because it's hard to make excellent cookies without one. Good cookies, yes, but excellence is nearly unachievable. Bonus points if it can do bread.

Also, consumables - like a case of toilet paper, set of paper towels, gift certificates to grocery stores, etc.

Things I want, but probably can't afford

Things I want, that are also useful, just a little out of the newlywed college student budget.

Memory foam mattress topper -

Humidifier - Asthma begone!

Sewing machine - I have the skills, but no machine to call my own... it's sad.

Vacation fun - because we all need an escape from reality every once in a while.

Slightly less old car - well, it would be nice, but probably not... you're not Santa.