6 Gifts Men Really Want

When Christmas rolls around, I find that the men on my list are the hardest to shop for. Here are 6 things that prove to always be opened with a big smile.

1. What they have specifically asked for. A lot of time we lovely women think we know best (we're usually right!). When it comes to gifts, though, if the man in your life has specifically said, "I would really like _______ for Christmas," that's what he wants. Really. Even if we think it's incredibly low-key or we don't understand why he could want something like that, it's what he wants and he'll love it!

2. Something that hearkens back to their childhood. Last year I got my fiancé a University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey jersey. He grew up in North Dakota and went to their hockey games with his family when he was young. UND just had to relinquish the name "Fighting Sioux" for political correctness reasons and I knew I wouldn't be able to get him something after the name was changed. I loved getting to see his face when he opened it! He didn't expect it and he's worn it all year.

3. Little things they wouldn't buy for themselves. Stocking stuffers can get expensive with guys, especially if they're techies. So forego the tiny expensive things and get a few stuffers they would never  even think of, but will enjoy: backscratcher brush for the shower, nail clippers that they can keep exclusively in their bathroom so they don't take yours, little bags of their favorite snacks, scented candle for their bathroom, pens (they always lose pens!), or an iTunes gift card.

4. Something that you don't necessarily like, but they do. Giving gifts is all about giving something that you know the other person will love. The first birthday my fiancé had when we were dating, I got him a Tempurpedic pillow. Boring, right?! But I knew he would love it; and he did! He still sleeps on it every night.

5. Handmade gifts from the heart. I know this might sound like something "lame" for guys, but it's really not. I made my future father-in-law a scarf last year and he loved it! Photo albums, old letters, and scrapbooks are other ways to show that you care. Coupon books for the leading gentleman in your life are always a hit.

6. Homemade food. We've all heard the saying, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." It's true. If you give them homemade food, of any sort, done up in a festive way, it will be appreciated by being eaten by lunch time...!

Have a great holiday weekend! Coming on Monday: 5 Easy Handmade Holiday Gifts.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Halloween Costumes: What Scares You The Most?

I got to thinking about Halloween costumes. A lot of people my age have grown out of the princess and superhero costumes (yes, stereotypical sexist costumes; not the point of this piece) and into the scary costumes: skeletons, zombies, dead spirits, etc. But are those "scary" things what people are really scared of?

What if we used Halloween to reveal what really scares us? What if, instead of wearing costumes that show who we fantasize about being, we wore our own fears?

This is my scary "costume": the things that scare me the most.

Wear your fears. You don't have to write them on your face, but find some way to show them. The more we get in touch with our fears, the more of ourselves we will like; which means maybe someday we won't even want to wear a costume, because we are the "fantasy" we want to be!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm hoping to launch my new site later today, so please stay tuned.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Fall Food Guides

Good morning!

I've been doing some cooking lately, and thought these two recipes are too good to keep to myself! I love chili, and I actually made this recipe myself! Enjoy!



Check out How to Make Energy Bites! by Kinsey Whearty on Snapguide.

Also, I really love these energy bites! You don't have to decorate them, but I thought they were pretty cute! :) I hope everyone has a great day! I'm working on getting the new website up and running, so stay tuned!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Apple and McDonald's: Corporation Moguls Making Changes

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Apple came out with the new iPhone 5 yesterday! Speaking as someone who just got her first iPhone and it is the iPhone 4...why do we already have the iPhone 5?! So here are some of the new features:

• The phone is lighter. This is great! My iPhone 4 in its Otter case is heavy. Sounds like a first world problem, but if it can be improved, why not?
• It has a larger screen. Awesome! There are now 5 rows of apps, not 4. Love that! Also, watching videos and taking pictures (with it's improved camera--should that be its own bullet point? Nah...) will be so much nicer with the larger screen.

• EarPods > earbuds? I don't listen to crazy bass-heavy music, so I don't really care a whole bunch. I guess it's nice that they are more sweat resistant for working out, but beyond that, I barely use them. I know my fiancé is going to love this, though--he listens to music all the time!
• 4G LTE instead of 3G. Of course. You can't come out with a new phone with only 3G these days.
• No more Google Maps! Apparently Apple made its own navigation system. Thank god. :) I despise getting lost and that is definitely what happens more than not with the current map app.
• Passbook. Now, I don't completely know everything about this, so I don't know how I really feel about it. From what it sounds like, if you walk into an airport and you have your e-ticket on your phone, your phone automatically knows you're in the airport and pulls it up. Um...yikes? I know that Google has a lot more on anyone than we even really know at this point, but enabling it further? I'm not sure...maybe I'm just old fashioned.

Verdict: Keeping my perfectly fine iPhone 4, but looking forward to getting the iPhone 5 someday. Also looking forward to getting iOS 6! :)

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McDonald's is posting the calorie counts of all their food now! *Side Note: I don't eat McDonald's. It has literally been years since I've set foot in one. I don't like fast food at all. I hope you aren't thinking I'm a pollyanna or anything; I just don't like it. Apparently posting calorie counts is common in NYC. How interesting. Some people are saying it's not going to make a difference, and people are going to just eat whatever they want while they promise themselves more time at the gym "tomorrow." In my opinion, just from how I react to food and calories and all that, I would quit eating all together if I started seeing that. I quit eating at Panera for years after I worked there because now I know how many calories and grams of fat are in everything there. 

Overall, I think it's great that McDonald's is doing this because there have been allegations in the past of them not being honest and forthcoming about what they're feeding their customers. This really gives their customers the facts before they order. It's honest and it seems like the right thing to do (although, in all reality, most people have smart phones so people can just look it up if they really want to). 

Such an interesting world we live in, that technology and fast food are headlines. 

P.S. I included the sites of where I got the photos of the copy written images because I don't want to be sued for stealing them or anything. Just making that very clear. :)

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

First World Problems

Well it's Saturday so I think a fun post for the day might be in order. :) One of the things I find pretty interesting to reflect on every now and again are all the "problems" we face here in the States. Here is a list of a few I have had in the last few days:

• My DVR didn't record the show I wanted.
• I had too much food at dinner last night and felt sick today.
• The delivery wing place only had 9 kinds of sauce and none of them were teriyaki.
• My football app didn't tell me what channel the Michigan game was on and I had to use the guide on the TV.
• One of the things I was most frustrated about today was how this week's Project Runway turned out.

It makes you think a bit. Hope everyone has a good weekend! We are getting our engagement photos done tomorrow, so I don't know if I'll post or not. Maybe I'll have a good photo or two to share on Monday!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."--Gandhi