Beneath the Wrapping Paper...

We had such a great, fun, relaxing Christmas. The snow made it magical. Since the presents have all been opened, I thought you might like a sneak peak into the things I got for Christmas this year. So, here are 5 (okay I have to make it 6, I thought of another) of my favorite gifts this year.


The first gift that I LOVE is one that we have really needed, but it's pricey enough that we haven't jut gone out and bought it. Apparently, according to my dental hygienist, I have the tendency to get a lot of tarter on my bottom teeth (thanks to good ole' genes - my dad has the same problem). So, even though I go to the dentist every 6 months AND yes, I DO brush my teeth, I always make sure my hygienist has to work hard for her paycheck. From Mark's mom and dad we got (drumroll, please) an electric toothbrush! A super awesome Oral-B one!!

If you want to be as cool as us, click on the link and get you one. I was very over zealous when I tried to use it after I had only charged it like 5 minutes. Apparently you have to wait longer than that for it to work more than like 10.3 seconds. But so far, I love it, and my teeth feel really clean!

Another favorite gift of mine are actually socks from Mark's mom and dad. Now, before you think that's lame, let me explain. Here's the "before picture" of the socks chillin' on my couch:

And here's the after picture of them on my feet:

OMG. Can you believe it? Basically, you pull them over the tops of your boots and it makes it look like the boots have fur at the top. I had never seen anything like it and I LOVE them. And want some more! (-: I will have to find out where they got them. Why didn't I think of that? I could be rich!

Moving on... here's a gift that Mark especially liked, because, well, we actually got this gift when we got married, and then Mark washed it in the dishwasher and ruined it, so we got another one from my mom and step-dad for Christmas.

I love Wilton Armetale serveware. It's versatile, beautiful, and so functional. I like to make hummus and serve it in this bowl with pita bread. If you want this, click on the photo above and you can have one, too! (-:

One of the other gifts I love and am so glad I got is a book from Mark's parents that I have been wanting for a while.

It's called "Super Natural Home", and it's so good for a beginner, like myself, who is starting to switch things over in my home to being more natural. It's so practical because it goes from room to room in the house showing the things you can do to switch over to more natural things. It even tells which fruits/veggies are the most important to buy organic, and which ones aren't as important to get organic. It also gives the really healthy/natural brands of hygiene products. I haven't read it all the way through yet, but it's really great so far. One of the parts I am most looking forward to is the recommended reading list in the back. I like to learn and do a lot of research on something before I make a decision, so this gives me a plethora (big word points for me) of other resources I can use once I finish the book.

If you are interested at all in being more natural, give this book a try. Click on the photo above and you can order it from amazon. See how easy I make things for you people?

This next gift is one of my favorites because of the thoughtfulness involved. My boss got me a beautiful headband with a flower on it, a pair of earrings, and a Charleston's card for Mark and I. Here we are, at Charleston's, enjoying a wonderful meal, and me, sporting my new headband and earrings. And impressively enough, he picked them out himself. I think that gifts are always more meaningful when that much thought is put into them.

And finally, I got the Pioneer Woman cookbook. If you aren't familiar with the Pioneer Woman, you should check her out. She's from Oklahoma, has a cultic following, and from the looks of my new cookbook, her food can be nothing short of fabulous. I have already found SEVERAL recipes that I am so excited to try. Mark and I looked through the whole cookbook last night and have some things we are pretty pumped about. I'm sure I'll let you know when we try them.

Click on the photo above to give it a try. It will be worth it. I promise.

Whew! I guess that's all for now. I got other gifts that I love as well, but I can't show them all!  What did YOU get for Christmas?

~Kathryn