Monday 24 March 2008

Spring Coffee Swap Questionnaire

Coffee

1. What is your preference? Whole beans or ground? Ground, please. I've never tried whole beans, as I don't have a coffee bean grinder. Unless my blender would do the trick? There is a button that says "Grind". Maybe I should try it?

2. What kind of coffees do you enjoy? A rich, bold roast; a light, fresh one, or something in between? Leaded or non?
Is there really such thing as "leaded" coffee? I hadn't heard of leaded, so I will say no thank you to that one.
Otherwise, I enjoy a light or regular boldness. I would take any kind if it comes in mocha, LOL.

3. If you were headed out right now to buy some coffee for the house, what would you be picking up?
Nescafe instant Mocha Cappuccino (as I'm currently out of filters). Othewise I would be getting a Tim Hortons fine ground coffee.

4. Do you drink for caffeine, pleasure, or both?
That depends. Mostly just for pleasure, but if I'm having a rough day or anticipating stress, I enjoy a cup for the caffeine. Then there's those nights when I stay up late to watch a movie on TV when I really should get to bed... and I'm so tired the next morning! I usually have tea in the morning, but on days like this, tea doesn't always cut it.

5. Do you enjoy flavored coffees? How about add-ins or flavored creamers?
Yep! "That's the way, uh-huh uh-huh, I like it..." (I've got songs in my head today) Mocha, irish cream, french vanilla, hazelnut, etc.

6. A large, lovely mug or a small, dainty cup? both, as long as they can go in the dishwasher! :)


7. Describe your perfect cup - not JUST the coffee, but how you'd enjoy it!
I have a special mug my sister gave me with teddy bears on it, and it makes me smile whenever I use it. So a 'warm-hug-mug' with a cup of coffee makes it a treat. I also have a lovely "Thank you" mug from a client, that makes me feel appreciated. I used to have a cute cartoon moose, but not sure where it disappeared to? Anyways, I would start some coffee in the afternoon just after I come in from the cold outdoors. I'd put the toddlers down for their afternoon nap, and enjoy some coffee while I take a short break. This is when (if all is quiet) I like to catch up on my blog reading to see what everyone else is up to.

8. You're sitting down to enjoy a nice cup in the local coffee shop, knitting bag in hand, iPod all tuned up - or maybe you're there with a few friends for knit night! What treat do you pick up to enjoy with your coffee? A sweet, rich brownie, or something more healthy? How about a salty treat? What goes best with that great cup and company? I would have a chocolate chunk cookie, or a chocolate chip macadamia nut cookie. MMMM!

Yarn

1. Do you knit or crochet?
Both - I've just gotten into knitting recently and I'm really enjoying it!

2. What are your favorite types of yarns to work with? Soft, smooth, cozy, cottons, and bulky yarns. There are so many types of yarn I haven't tried yet... but I like yarns that feel nice while you work with them.

3. What do you have on the needles (or hook!) right now?
Needles:Red Sugar 'n Cream cotton to make a heart-shaped dishcloth, blue-grey yarn for a bobble purse I'm halfway done
Hook: a camouflage vest that I have to put the buttons on.

4. What are your favorite colors in yarns? What about those that you'd never find in your stash?
I like most jewel tone colors, and most earthy tone colors. A color you wouldn't find in my stash is orange, unless I'm using it on a project for someone else. It just doesn't look good on me.

5. What sort of needles or hooks do you enjoy using? Any you just detest?
A pal sent me a pair of Clover bamboo needles that I adore! I like hooks and needles that are easy/smooth to work with.

6. Are there any particular notions you absolute do NOT need? Some of us swap a lot - are you sure that you have enough tape measures to last your lifetime? Enough stitch markers to mark every stitch of a 10 foot wide afghan?

Ha Ha. The only tape measure I have is the kind I have to keep together with an elastic band. I've just gotten my first set of Etsy stitch markers, too, so I'm just in the beginnings stage of my notions collection.

7. You walk into the yarn shop and have exactly and only enough money to purchase 2 skeins of yarn in their 2 for 20 special they have going..The choices are a soft, thick cotton/viscose blend in your favorite colors, slightly variegated..a beautiful sock yarn that's just squishy and sproingy in your hands.. a soft, worsted weight wool like malabrigo.. and a lovely bamboo blend with colors to just die for. Which do you walk out the door with?

I haven't seen Malabrigo at my LYS yet, so I would have no choice but to pick that one. Otherwise, it would be a hard choice.

Spring

1. We're starting sign-ups on the first day of Spring - is it already truly Spring-like where you are?
*Chuckle* Not here! The sun is shining a bit brighter, so that's nice. But with 5 foot high snow banks, we have a ways to go still before we see signs of spring. Occasionally we see a bit of grass on the edge of sidewalks where someone has shoveled.
-sigh-

2. What's your favorite spring flower? Do you have one?
I love to see the tulips pop up! That's one of the first beautiful things we see here in spring. My other favourite is the Tiger Lilly and the Iris, but they come up near the end of May.

3. What do you most look forward to about springtime?
Taking slow walks through the neighbourhood to find the first hints of gardens blooming.

4. They've predicted a gorgeous day tomorrow - Sunny and about 65 with a nice breeze - how do you spend your day?
Part of it outside taking a long walk. I'd bring my dog along, so he can greet all the other doggies out with their owners.

5. The day after, it's going to be cooler and pouring down rain - does that impact your mood? How do you spend that day? what helps cheer you up?
We'd play some indoor games with the kids, like magnet fishing in the living room. Later I would have a hot chocolate while knitting something warm.

Odds n Ends

1. Do you collect anything BESIDES yarn and needles?
interesting pens from different places, stickers (for my kids' artwork), and chocolate (that always goes missing)

2. Are you allergic to anything? no

3. Do you have pets?
one dog; he's a sheltie named Levi

4. Is this your first swap, or are you an old pro? What are the last 2 swaps you participated in?
This will be my 3rd swap. The names of the last 2 swaps I've been in are:
Defeat the Winter Doldrums dishcloth exchange, and the knitter's Scavenger Hunt swap.

5. List 3 of your favorite blogs - craft related or not - and tell us why you love them.
I'm still trying to figure that out. I have a few on my google reader that I like to get updates on, like the secret pals from my last 2 swaps. It's fun to stay in the loop. I also like to discover new blogs to read, by clicking on the various links on other's blogs. Hope that's ok for an answer.

Friday 21 March 2008

New Swap... Dare me?

I just found a link to another swap, posted on Miss Me's blog.

It's a spring coffee swap, and here's the link.

Should I do it? Do you dare me to join another swap? We only have till the 25th to sign up!

It's not really spring, here in Canada. We might not see the beginnings of green grass for yet another month!

And if I do, should I keep my present "secret email", or get a new one incase I'm lucky enough to spoil the same people I got to spoil in the last 2 swaps I participated in? What are the odds of that? Have you ever gotten the same partner in a subsequent swap?

Letter from Al Gore

I got this email today from Al Gore.  It's something I strongly believe in.  I'm curious how many of you (bloggers) out there have joined in the fight against climate change?  Has Al Gore's efforts made an impact on you?  Have you learned anything new, or adapted new strategies in your everyday lives to help slow down climate change or fight pollution?  I would love some feedback on this one!

"Dear Friend,
Global warming is a problem of unprecedented magnitude and that's why we've launched the largest mobilization campaign ever. Actions by individuals like you will be the driving force behind this campaign and our ultimate victory. We're going to succeed, but I need your help today.

More than 850,000 people have already joined us, but if leaders in business and government are going to make stopping climate change a priority, we need you to urge your friends to get involved today: http://wecansolveit.org/invitealliance

We need to grow to 1,000,000 members by April so we can send a loud message that we want action now. That is why I need you to forward the email below to all of your friends and family right now and ask them to add their voice.

Thank you,

Al Gore"

Saturday 15 March 2008

Scavenger Hunt Package is here!

I checked the mail, and guess what?  My package has arrived from Krystal in Ohio!  Thanks, Krystal!  Unfortunately, my blog is not allowing me to post more than 5 photos, so it may take 2 posts to show you all the goodies I got!

First, here is the 'something hard' category.  I think it's a soduko cube, and will be fun to try out.  My husand claims he is very good at it, but won't be allowed to try it until I'm done!
This is so awesome!  Krystal knitted me a pair of fingerless gloves!  This was part of the category 'Spoiler's Choice:  Somthing Warm'.  I've been longing for a pair of these, but haven't gotten around to making a pair yet.  Now I get to enjoy my very own!  I absolutely adore them!  Isn't she a great spoiler?
Second half of 'Something Warm' was this yummy Hot Cocoa from Starbucks!  Winter's not done here, yet, so I'm saving this for the next blizzard.  We are supposed to expect more snow this weekend.
This is my other favourite item from the swap;  a pattern book called "One Skein Wonders" that will let you do projects using one ball of yarn.  Each pattern shows just how much yardage is needed, and what kind of yarn they used for their sample.  I think this book is great, because I do have a few balls of yarn from purchasing too much, etc. and I would love to use them up when it's time to destash.  I've already decided which project I will start first!  Oh, I almost forgot to tell you what category this was from:  Something related to the letter T:  Try something new!  I like how creative Krystal is!

This was part of 'Something Green'.  It's a skein of Patons SWS, which stands for Soy Wool Stripes.  Natural wool, and feels so nice!  I don't have any of this in my stash, and I'll be picking out a pattern for it from my new book that Krystal gave me.  The other item from this category  will be in the next post, as well as a few other goodies!  To be continued...

I've been spoiled!

... continued from the last post.  Here are the rest of my goodies... from Krystal in the knitter's Scavenger Hunt Swap.

This is the rest of my something green category;  it's all natural Tazo Duet, Herbal infusions of black and green teas.  The inscription on the back of the tea pack reads, "Like tea itself, good fortune is best when shared with others."  And the packaging was made of recycled material, so definitely a good 'green'.  
I had to get a photo of both hands in my new fingerless gloves, so here's me in the mirror!
Something funny/whimsical, this bling bling emory board (I know I won't loose this one around the house! LOL)








This beautiful lilac colored yarn is the Something Round. It's called Catania, made by Schachenmayr nomotta and is 100% cotton.  I do not have any yarn this small, so I'm curious as to what I will make with it?  Once I've entered it into my Ravelry stash, I intend to see what others have made with the same weight yarn.  For those of you curious of the gauge, it says 10 x 10 cm is with 36R and 26M (I assume 36R means rows, not sure what the 26M stands for, other than perhaps stitches across).  


Next is Something Local:  It's a cool bragging rights pen for the local sports team from Ohio State.  We like to collect pens around here, especially pens we don't see everyday.  My husband got a good kick out of it, too, as he was invited to play for them back in high school.

This has been such a great swap to be involved in!  I had a great time spoiling my pal, and I have to say that Krystal did a fantastic job spoiling me!  I love my stuff!

And thanks to Carly, for putting on such a great swap for all of us!

Tuesday 11 March 2008

Finished Scarf

This is the scarf I finished crocheting for my sister.  I really enjoyed working with such bright colors!  It really made the whole house seem warm, even though we have so much snow outside!

We got another snowfall over the weekend.  Notice that you can barely see the tree anymore, it's actually stuck in the snowbank!  Now it just looks like a few twigs sticking out of the snow. Boy, my shoulder is sore!  But we had sooo much fun playing in it today!

LYS shopping spree!


What a great weekend!  It started out like this...
     The doorbell rang.  This brings an automatic response in our household of children running around screaming out, "Who is it?  Who is it?" which in turn, gets the dog all excited and follows suit.  So our mail lady is greeted by barking, screaming, giggling, and jumping all in the background.  I shoo them all away for a minute, "Go read a book together on the couch while I'm at the door".  This seems to work, for a brief minute.  
     The mail lady says, "Wow, this is a pretty big package, I wonder what it is this time?" to which I reply, "it must be my package from the knitter's scavenger hunt I was telling you about.  That's the only thing I'm expecting in the mail right now."  We cross paths regularly, so I got to tell her all about the cool swaps I've discovered while getting back into blogging, like the Defeat the Winter Doldrums and the Scavenger Hunt Swap.  She loved hearing all about the great dishcloths I made for Alaina, the fun I had while searching for my items to send JoAnn in the Scavenger Hunt, and the wonderful dream package I got in the mail last week from Brenda W. in the dishcloth exchange.  
     The package that the mail lady had was oddly shaped;  a rectangular cardboard box that was long enough for an umbrella to comfortably fit inside.  The label was on the other side, so I couldn't see who it was from. 
    "You'll need to sign here, for the package.  It cleared customs, and there are no fees or duty to pay."
     I put the package inside the front hallway, just behind me as I signed the form to accept delivery.  She could tell I was pretty curious myself... what might be in there?  I gave her the pen and clip board back, and smiled.
    "I look forward to hearing all about next time I do my rounds.  Have a nice day!", then she was on her way.  We have the friendliest mail lady!  I waved good-bye and closed the door.
     I turned around to bring the package to the dining table to open - it was gone!!!  Who did this?  The evidence was so obvious;  the pitter-pattering of little elephants upstairs!  My children do not tip-toe lightly.  This was now a rescue mission!  Operation Find-My-Package!
Before I even got to the top of the stairs, I could hear the box being opened;  I can tell that my oldest 11 year old son is in cahoots with the younger ones, or they never could have opened it that fast!  Then I hear packing material being scattered about, and loud laughter.  I arrive at the crime scene, only to find the little yarn thieves are taking evasive action!  I am being bombarded by those little foam packaging peanuts.  They're coming from everywhere!  Quickly, the suspects (I can't call them criminals, just yet) fall back and retreat to various hidden locations within the house.  
     All I am left with is an empty box, and a note.  At least I can enjoy reading it and find out who my secret pal is, while I wait for the surrender of those sneaky little yarn theives.  I still have the upper hand - I'm in charge of snacks in this house!  No package?  No banana muffins for them!  I open the envelope carefully....

Then I woke up.
There was no package in mail for me yet, but I was glad to have an amusing dream to laugh about in the meantime.  It was one of those dreams that seem so real, you don't realize till you wake up that you were dreaming.  Not too often do I get those anymore, I can usually tell that I'm still asleep.

On to other news (no more fiction, I promise):
A friend emailed me to say there was a sale on at our local yarn store.  Apparently, Cloth & Clay is closing and has everything 50% off!  I was saddened to hear that just after I discover a LYS it has to close!  ARRRG!  But on the bright side, it's a great sale!  I did find out that they have another store not too far out of town that will be staying open.  I convinced my husband to let me spend some money there due to the sale.  We had already agreed I would not purchase any more yarn this month, so don't even ask what I had to do to convince him.... 
I got a few hanks of wool to felt with, some organic cotton for my baby nephew's bath mitt that I'll be knitting, and a few balls of sock yarn to try out.  I tried to get some Malabrigo, but it was sold out.  So the brands I did manage to get (you can tell me if these were wise purchases or not, I'm unfamiliar with any of them being a beginner knitter) were:  

Regia - sock yarn made in Brasil
Lana Grossa's Mega Boots Stretch Softcolor - 3 different balls/colors
ARAN by Briggs & Little (made in New Brunswick, Canada) 2 hanks of Natural White
Regal by Briggs & Little - 2 hanks of Horizon Blue, and 2 hanks of Midnight blue
Cash Iroha by Noro (made in Japan, and feels so heavenly!) 2 hanks each of brown, and red
Cl0ud Cotton, (made in Peru for Estelle) 1 hank, very soft, gentle green color 
I also let the kids pick out this cute little frog sitting on the cotton hank, shown in the photo above.  My  4 year old son has a fetish for frogs, and green creatures like lizards, grasshoppers, and dragons.

So as you can see, I've kept myself busy this past weekend.  I'm so happy with all the yarn I've picked up.  I usually purchase yarn when I have a project in mind, but I couldn't resist.  You should have seen the quirky smile on my face all day.  Now to figure out what to do with it...

Saturday 8 March 2008

No signs of spring here!

This is me outside shoveling our sidewalk.  My DH took the shot from our upstairs window.

Can you see the snow on the shovel?  That poor little tree beside me is almost up to its branches in snow!  I'm wearing the hat and scarf that I crocheted myself.  If it weren't for snow, I'd have no excuse to wear them!  The reason you can't see me very well, the wind is blowing snow everywhere!

Our dog Levi loves to play in the snow!  This is him after he came inside.  He's not good at getting all of the snow off him.  

A beautiful evening shot of our front yard.  Still snowing, and all the shoveling I had done is now covered up again.  See that tree again?

Here's my little one making snow angels.  Can you believe that my two children wanted to walk to the store in this for some treats?  My 11 year old was given some spending money today, and can't wait!  

We are watching movies tonight, and sharing the goodies they got from the store (jube-jubes and chocolate bars) and I'll be finishing the rainbow scarf I am making for my twin sister.  The colors are so warm and cheerful, there's no way you can wear it and get the winter blahs!

Oh, we are also turning on the fireplace tonight!

Wednesday 5 March 2008

Look what I got!!!

I was just going out to pick up the kids from school, and the mail
lady knocked on my door. Look what she brought...

I was so excited! I told her it must be from my secret pal, so she told me to open it upside down if I don't want to read the label and find out what's inside (customs form has to declare contents).
Then my husband looks at the box and says, "It's from..."
"DON"T tell me!", I shouted back. "I have to go pick up the kids still, and I want it to be a surprise! I'll open it when I get back!"
When I came back, I got out the camera, and wouldn't you know it? Murphy's law kicked into play - my batteries were fully drained. OH NO! I wanted to take photos, so I had to recharge my batteries.
Talk about a build up of suspense!!! Finally, the batteries were charged, and the kids and I could hardly wait to see what was inside the largest box I have ever gotten in the mail!

The gift bag inside was so cute! Little fuzzy animals everywhere! I wondered what was inside, and by now my little 4 year old was exploding with excitement.
What's in it?

Look at this! A lovely gift basket! Full of goodies! Who was it from???
Not the yarn fairy... (though if there was one, this would be her)
My secret pal for Defeat the Winter Doldrums is....

Brenda W.!!!!
A.K.A.
Mamere knits too much

I finally know her identity!
The funny thing is, I've been checking out various blogs from the Winter Doldrums swap and I had no idea it was her!
I read her blog a few times and she never gave herself away!
What a great secret pal!
Ok, I know you all want to see what's inside that huge goodie bag, so I'll show you:

Look at this beautiful dress!  I think it could also double as an angel. So pretty!

What an adorable Lady bug!  This one scores extra points with my kids, too!

Wow! Look at this! Isn't it amazing? I'm so spoiled! I'm not going to wash dishes with this one! It's going to have a place of honor on the counter, just underneath my coffee mug!
What a wonderful way to start my mornings, with a hot cup of coffee/tea so beautifully displayed!   The detailing is so lovely!  Brenda has a really nice photo of it on her blog (I just checked it out, and you can see more of the details on her blog).

This Cucumber & Aloe soap is handcrafted by Arcadia Aromatics, and the scent just tickles my nose!  So charming and fresh, it reminds me that spring is coming!

Then there was this; a pair of Clover Bamboo knitting needles just for me!!!  I know Brenda was reading my blog!
I can't tell you how much I've been wanting to try knitting with a pair of these!  Now to pick out which yarn to use with them first...
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

So by now, I'm jumping up and down and giggling with glee, and my kids are wondering if it's my birthday. It might as well be!
Underneath is the cute card she got me, letting me know her true identity! When I found out it was "mamere knits too much" I had to go and tell my husband!
I have a wonderful friend, who is also an honorable "mamere" to my youngest, as she was so kind to step in and be my birthing coach when my husband fell ill with food poisoning (That is a whole other story by itself, LOL).
So to my child, she has earned the endearing title of "mamere". It was an intriguing coincidence that my secret pal should have the same nickname.

Talk about having your cake and eating it, too! What a dream!
My secret pal really went to town!
I have not been able to find this cotton anywhere yet, and keep reading in everyone else's blogs about how fabulous this cotton is.
Now I see why! It's so delectable!
Not only was I overly spoiled with many skeins of Sugar 'n Cream cotton, in all these yummy colors, but Brenda was so sweet to send them in this pleasant basket to store my new stash in!
I am so spoiled! I'm going to so enjoy dipping into my new stash... now for that hard part; deciding what one to use first!  My new yarn basket is all settled in the living room, for everyone to see!  

Here's a closer shot, so you can see all the different flavors of Sugar 'n Cream that I was spoiled with!

I don't know why, but I am quite taken with this one in particular:
I'm sorry the picture just doesn't do it justice. It makes me feel calm and serene just holding it... something I likely need.
I'm going to love knitting with it! On the label it says it's called "Soft Ecru", and it's slightly lighter than the cream color.

So, altogether for a group shot of all my new goodies? Here it is!

What a great experience this has been! I've had such a great time spoiling my secret pal, Alaina,
and being spoiled myself by Brenda W. She's left me a few clues here and there in my emails, but I never did figure it was her.
I will keep an eye out for the next round!
Now I'm off to write a thank you note to Brenda, who has outdone herself!

Tuesday 4 March 2008

My new knitting books

Look what I got in the mail! I ordered these with a gift card given
to me by one of the children I take care of.

Monday 3 March 2008

Defeat the Winter Doldrums Topic # 6

For this topic we were asked to go through the other participants' comments for the last topic, and mention which one we liked best and why.

Alaina's day away was a favorite pick for many, and I have to agree with them. But as I don't get away much, I have to say there were many 'one day vacations' that I would love to go on. This one posted by Grace seemed so calming! I've never been on one of those long boardwalks, and it is something I would love to do. I can just imagine the scenery!

I also liked the idea of spending time with horses from Pony Knit's blog.

I could have a lot of fun skiing if I were offered unlimited hot chocolate for the day!

Then there's this:

I can't believe other people are getting flowers coming up when we have nothing but snow! There's still a good 6 weeks to go before we get any sign of plants sprouting out. But a spring garden is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

Defeat the Winter Doldrums partner



I forgot to tell you all who my partner was for the dishcloth exchange!!! Sorry!

My wonderful spoilee for this fabulous swap is no other than Alaina! Her blog is called, "I'd Rather Be Knitting" and always has something interesting to read about there. I've added her to my Google reader so I can stay current. Still can't figure out why there were legs sticking out the back of the trunk... but it was very funny! You have to check it out for yourself!

Also, thanks Alaina for the cool tracker at the top of my blog; I got the link from your blog!

Sunday 2 March 2008

Child Care Conference this weekend


I've been having a great weekend!  Friday night I started to cast-on my new purse pattern.  I ended up frogging it 3 times, as the stitches were way too tight when it came to doing 'purl 3 together'.  I couldn't jam the needle through, so I ripped it out and tried again, and again.  I couldn't go to any larger needles (they were the largest I have) so I tried to knit as loosely as possible.  Not easy to do, as the faster I go, the tighter the stitches.  Strange thing is, when I am crocheting the stitches get looser if I crochet faster. ???  But I am so thrilled to find that my work is started to look just like the bobble thingies in the photo (only in grey yarn).  I also realized that the ball of yarn I am using from my stash is large enough to make about 5 purses, or a sweater!  I'll have to find another project for the leftover yarn - it's just plain polyester I'm guessing.  Nothing fancy.  Good for practice projects, but not very soft so I wouldn't make a scarf out of it.

Saturday I went to a local Child Care Conference, and attended two wonderful seminars. The first one was an Early Literacy make-and-take workshop on making fun educational games to extend phonetic awareness. These games can be easily made wit the children during craft time, and can be modified for age and subject, like math, shapes, colours, spelling, etc. We made our own preschool version of Go Fish, Old Maid, Concentration, and Monopoly. In the afternoon, I attended a seminar entitled "Resiliency: Reaching In, Reaching Out." It's focus was on training both adults and children to become more resilient in their lives, and to give children the tools to succeed despite what might normally be holding them back.

I spent the evening knitting the first part of my new purse pattern and I'm so thrilled that those little funny bobble things are actually turning up like in the picture! I'm doing it!!!

Last night my husband and I cuddled on the couch and watched a comedy together. The boys both fell asleep early, so we had the whole evening to ourselves.

Today I got some great news; my secret pal from the Defeat the Winter Doldrums dishcloth swap has received her package! I was so thrilled to find out she liked her goodies! I'm so glad to have participated in this. There have been NO winter blahs here this year! It really worked!

Something Funny

After reading about the dissected frog in a post on the Scavenger Hunt Swap, I decided I would go through Etsy to see what other funny things might be out there. So here is my top 10 list of funny things I've found while browsing Etsy. Hope you have fun checking them out!

1. Alien abduction soap - my kids want me to order some for them - they glow in the dark!

2. Knitting Nerd car decal

3. Chicken Little hat

4. Grumpy stitch markers - I don't know if I would get these for me (have to think positive, right?) but they are LOL funny!

5. Green GooGoo Monster strange, but cute!

6. Thisknitting themed T-Shirt

7. Marshmallow on a stick. Poor thing, it mostly made my list out of pity... and the cute story that is written underneath its picture.

8. Teeny Tiny Tummies:they hide your secret things inside them

9. Glass Squashy CoasterA fun thing for guests to put their drinks on.

10. Treatsfor your couch. I won't even explain it... you have to read this one for yourself! I'm sure this one is a gag item. Wonder if anyone has actually purchased any?