Tag Archives: gifts

12 Days of Christmas Countdown

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graham-crackers-0041It’s a week until Christmas Eve and Day No. 9  in Cathy’s 12 Days Before graham-crackers-008Christmas Countdown (seemingly mathematically impossible, but true nevertheless). To celebrate, how about a quick and easy recipe perfect for family entertaining or gift giving? It’s my family’s favorite, Graham Cracker Cookies. My mom first got us hooked on these, and now it’s not Christmas without them. Inexpensive, fun, quick, simple and satisfyingly too-rich-for-everyday, set these out for the kids when everybody gathers at your house — and watch the christmas-and-new-years-2006-07-0185adults sneak a couple, too. Stack a few with doilies or squares of parchment paper, wrap up in plastic wrap and tie with festive ribbon for gifts. Or fill a holiday tin for the really special folks on your list. Here’s how you make them: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and layer with graham crackers. Bring one cup brown sugar and one cup butter to a hard boil and pour mixture over crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for about five minutes and remove. Cookies will be hot and soft and then will harden somewhat but won’t be crisp. Check back tomorrow for No. 8 in the Christmas Countdown for something to give you a headstart on Christmas 2009.

Demos’ in Alabama

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It’s almost here! demos-0041Training began this week at the newly finished Demos’ restaurant in Florence, demos-003Alabama. “Today (Monday) is our official first day of training. We won’t open until the end of the month,” said Felicia Demos, chief financial officer for the family business, in an e-mail. Demos’ is a middle Tennessee icon, with restaurants in Murfreesboro, Nashville, Lebanon and Hendersonville famous for offering delicious homestyle food at great value and with excellent service. My husband and I are both from middle Tennessee and we eat at Demos’ whenever we’re nearby. I cannot believe our luck in getting one practically in our own backyard. We must have been living right.  Who knew? Visit http://www.demosrestaurants.com to see the menu and learn more. And Florence folks who want a headstart can get gift certificates at the restaurant from around 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, Felicia Demos said, or order from the Web site.

Holiday Fashion

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Purse contents cleaned up for photography purposes, since I also usually carry: Cell phone, digital camera, water bottle, lipstick of the day and tons of receipts, papers, brochures, tickets, coupons, etc. But decided to impress you all with appearance of a clean and organized bag. Has it worked?

Another item on the December to-do list marked off: Switching handbags for fall’s orange to winter’s red. Listen, for me this marks a major style accomplishment. If only I were one of those fashionable women who coordinate bags with outfits — the kind for whom it’s second nature to reach for new purses whenever they change clothes. But, no. Please don’t get me wrong. I love handbags. Who doesn’t? I head for the purse section of any store and always have a wish list of new ones I can’t live without — even if 99 percent of those remain on the list instead of in my closet. But it’s fun to look! However, because of general laziness and fear that I will leave my glasses at the bottom of a purse and never find them again, I stick to the basics and carry one bag a season, with occasional forays into a small messenger bag for hands-free shopping and a compact clutch for the (rare) times husband and I eat out somewhere that does not serve free chips and salsa before dinner. This spring and summer, I had a beautiful green bag younger daughter gave me for Mother’s Day and I only gave it up for orange a couple months ago. But the orange purse is starting the clash with all the reds and greens this holiday season, so I changed to this three-year-old soft red bag — one of my favorites because it has a cell-phone pocket that my cell phone actually stays in, thereby cutting the search for a ringing phone by at least a couple minutes.

Christmas Gift Projects

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carolyns-scarves-005My younger daughter Carolyn is a master at recycling and reusing when carolyns-scarves-004it comes to making gifts. She is so creative and talented — proof that genetics skips a generation because she did not get those characteristics from me. Inspired by Natalie Chanin’s how-to guide “Alabama Stitch Book,” Carolyn’s latest project is making these tea towels* from thrift-store T-shirts. She shops for the colors she wants, then cuts out the solid pieces of fabric from the shirts and plans her embroidery and reverse-applique designs. We recently spotted towels just like this in a Birmingham gift shop for $25 — she’s got less than $1 in each towel and the embroidery goes fast, so making them is definitely a money-saver. Plus, I think it’s her therapeutic stress-relief. These are so wonderful that I’m counting on her to make my old age rich and comfortable. Isn’t it nice to know that your children will take care of you?

And if you haven’t seen a copy of Natalie Chanin’s book, you’re missing out. It would make a wonderful carolyns-first-bandana-0021Christmas gift for any crafters on your list. Natalie is a fashion designer who returned to her northwest Alabama roots several years ago. Her company specializes in gorgeously hand-quilted clothing made from recycled fabric. Check out her Web site at http://www.alabamachanin.com/ to learn more. Carolyn’s first project out of “Alabama Stitch Book” was this past year when she tried her hand — literally! — at making this bandana. She’s gone on to make several for family and friends out of old and vintage T-shirts, including one she made for her sister, Liz, from the blue T-shirt Carolyn was wearing on the day Liz’s first baby — Nolan Thomas Behel — was born. I remain in awe of my children’s talent and imagination. Who would have thunk it back when it was a struggle to get them to finish their homework???

* Tea towel — a Southern term for a pretty cotton or linen towel used exclusively for drying delicate dishes and silverware

Anthropologie

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huntsville-102908-014My favorite shop in the whole world is Anthropologie. I love huntsville-102908-015this store and I’m not really sure why. I immediately go to my happy place as soon as I walk in the door — in fact, this is my happy place. I mean, the clothes are far too young and funky for my post-menopausal body and I know I look ridiculous in the Cream-of-the-Crop Top paired with the Can-Can Pencil Skirt and coordinated with the Sylvan Scene Cardigan, but shopping hope springs eternal. Somehow, Anthropologie makes you believe. And then there’s the other side of the store: A sort of huntsville-102908-016eclectic and hip yard-sale jumble of linens and glassware and kitchen goodies — all those things you never knew you huntsville-102908-0171needed until Anthropologie gently waves them under your nose and says, “Hey! You are just the right person to take home this Pitch Pine Sugar Bowl” and even though you do not even use sugar ever at all, before you know it you are at the cash register trying to remember if you’ve already signed up for an Anthropolgie card. This happens to me time after time. Is it something in the store’s oil-diffused air? Has Anthropologie perfected an undetectable form of consumer hypnotism? I don’t know. I think I need to go again to figure it out. And again. And again. And … Check out the Web site at http://www.anthropologie.com/

Red Rain

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red-rain-001One of my family’s favorite stores in Birmingham, Alabama, actually is red-rain-004in Homewood. Red Rain is a sort of environmentally-aware general store with an emphasis on local and Alabama products. You can buy handmade soaps and candles in recycled containers, local honey, fresh produce, gently used books and glass ware, lotions and creams, handmade jewelry, stationery, Alabama Dirt shirts, yoga items and Alabama Chanin appliqued dish towels made from recycled T-shirts. Red Rain is a vibrant gathering place, too. Shopkeeper Sarah Gurganus believes in being an active member of the community and in environmental education and supporting local red-rain-003craftspeople and artisans as well as environmental causes. Red Rain is a go-to place for gifts in my family. Just walkingred-rain-0022 in makes me smile — and it smells so good! Plus, it’s so inspiring to see what creative folks can do. Red Rain also has Burt’s Bees and Dr. Bronners products and some  wonderfully whimsical pottery pieces. Check out the Web site at www.redrainstore.com.

Bicycle Earrings

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I love these earrings! A friend of my college-age daughter gave them to her for her birthday and they are so incredibly cute. My daughter rides her bicycle everywhere she can, so these earrings were the perfect gift. They came from Sojourns in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. Check out the Web site at http://www.shop.adventureartpeace.com. Sojourns is a Fair Trade retailer and gallery that offers handmade clothing, gifts, housewares and food from around the world. I’d like to adopt Soujourns’ theme: “Adventure – Art – Peace.”  But of course I’d add “Coffee and Chocolate” to the list. I’ve got my priorities, after all.

Hometown Shopping

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This barbershop in Florence, Alabama, is where my husband gets his hair cut. (No. That’s not his truck!) He likes it, he says, because it’s simple and direct — he walks in, gets his hair cut and beard trimmed and then walks out. Nothing fancy but it gets the job done in an authentic sort of way. And that describes this part of Florence — called Seven Points –perfectly: Easy to get to, shopper-friendly and full of local folks with real shops doing real business. Such as Hodgepodge Antiques Mall, 11142 N. Wood Ave. It’s three rooms full of treasures, and you can rummage around all day if you want to. No pressure. Another must-visit Seven Points retailer is Scent-Sations Candles and Gifts, 1123 N. Wood Ave., where you can buy hand-poured candles in almost any fragrance imaginable — visit http://www.pouredbyhand.com to see the list. One of the best things about Scent-Sations is that you can turn your own containers into candles — a great way to recycle. Then head to Peck Ace Hardware Co., 1118 N. Wood Ave. , one of those true hometown hardware stores that’s been there for decades and still has what looks like the original wooden floors. You’ll get a friendly “hello” when you walk and an equally friendly “come back soon” when you leave, regardless of whether you’ve bought anything or not — browsing is encouraged. And then there are some of the most interestingly named businesses in Florence: Crazy Carolyn’s Fashions and Wigs, 1148 N. Wood Ave., actually run by a woman named Carolyn; Polly’s Radio and TV Service, 1128 N. Wood Ave., not run by a woman named Polly (although the building is where I took ballet lessons about a million years ago); and the fast-Chinese-food Wok N Roll., 115 Edgewood Drive. The McDonald’s at Seven Points also is fun — it’s decorated entirely in purple and gold to support nearby University of North Alabama.

Isn’t it amazing what you can find in your own backyard?