Holiday Gift Guide for a Glamorous Grandma

When Rookwood Commons and Pavilion asked if I could help pick out holiday gifts for “Grandma” I said sure, as long as she can be a Glamorous Grandma. If you know my mom, you know what I’m talking about. So I put on my mask and headed to Rookwood, on the east side of Cincinnati to go holiday gift shopping. I was a little trepidatious about shopping in the current climate, but I didn’t need to worry: there are social distance markers and reminders, as well as sanitizers, throughout the shopping center and I never felt crowded or unsafe. Many stores are also offering curb-side pick up if you prefer to stay out of stores. So, you know you can shop for holiday gifts, but what should you buy for Glamorous Grandma?

Here are ten ideas for the cool Grandma (she’s not a regular Grandma) in your life:

*Sur La Table: My mom loves to cook and this Le Creuset Dutch Oven the perfect size for making her homemade Matzo Ball soup or maybe a Roast Chicken recipe from her favorite, Ina Garten. They are also offering virtual cooking classes you can take at home starting at just $29!

*Maverick Chocolate Truffles: I’ve yet to meet a Grandma that doesn’t like chocolate and you can mix and match a box of truffles at Maverick Chocolate to make sure she gets all her favorite flavors

*Joseph-Beth Booksellers: My Mom is a voracious reader and she’s been dying to read President Obama’s new book. If you don’t have a specific book in mind, the staff at Joseph-Beth are always super helpful with finding the perfect one for you.

*Athleta: Only in 2020 would I be suggesting face masks as a gift, but these are by far my favorite. Their Made of Move Masks are breathable, have a filter pocket and metal down the nose to make sure it fits snugly, but comfortably.

*Talbots: We have an ongoing joke about “tops” from Talbots in our family as it’s always what my Grandma wanted for Chanukah. That said, this chunky purple sweater is nothing to joke about. My mom really suits jewel tones, so I’d love it on her. Talbots also has petite sizes for those, like my mom, who are vertically challenged.

*Whole Foods: Did you know Whole Foods has an extensive wine selection? They happen to carry my mom’s favorite, Rombauer Chardonnay. An easy holiday gift you know she’ll love.

*Nordstrom Rack: Before moving back to Ohio, my mom lived in California so winter attire wasn’t really in her wardrobe. These super cute, but super functional, Ugg gloves will be a must for Ohio winter and at a fraction of the retail price!

*Ulta: Every Glamorous Grandma knows the secret to being mistaken for your daughter’s sister is in taking care of your skin. This Sunday Riley gift set will help her glow from within and keep people asking how she could possibly be a Grandma.

*Redlands Grill: Somewhere between fast-casual and upscale dining lies Redlands Grill. My son always chooses to have his birthday dinner there and they are now offering online, take-out orders, too. A gift card from Redlands will not go unused!

*Mitchell’s Salon and Day Spa: Last but not least, who couldn’t use some pampering right now? I know my mom would love a facial, manicure and pedicure to help her recharge. Right now you can get a $100 gift card for $80 or $50 for $40!

I’ve clearly shopped with my mom in mind, but there’s something for every Grandma, glamorous or not, at Rookwood Commons! Keep an eye out for the full gift guide from @ShopRookwood and @CincinnatiBloggers!

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TK Maxx Christmas Challenge

It will come to no surprise to anyone that even vaguely knows me or has even glanced at my blog that I jumped at the chance to do the TK Maxx Christmas Challenge. First I freaking love TK Maxx. Second I love shopping. Third I love a challenge. Throw them all together and I have to wander around TK Maxx for an hour looking for the perfect presents--AWESOME.

December/January is a busy month birthday wise for us; NotBlondeHusband's Dad, Mum and Sister all have birthdays as well as Blondie Boy. So for us Holiday shopping, plus the bulk of our birthday shopping can sometimes put a strangle hold on the budget. Luckily you can find a present for just about anyone, at a fraction of the price at TK Maxx.

My challenge was to shop for the different people in our family and find the perfect Christmas gifts and keep it all to under £200. I had my mission and I went for it. First I have to say if you are looking for Christmas decorations hit up your local TK Maxx. Look at all these baubles and decorations!

I was in the Cincinnati Ballet production of "The Nutcracker" when I was 6 so I'm always partial to a cool Nutcracker--plus these were only £9.99! Can't beat that price! I managed to pull myself away from the pretty sparkly things and get on with my mission.

First up my Mother-in-Law. She and her husband recently retired and is headed off on a 7 week trip around Asia and Australia in the New Year. I decided to put my jealousy about her amazing trip aside and use it for inspiration!  She's a sucker for pink and I thought this suitcase would certainly stand out on the luggage carousel.

 RRP: £120.00 TK Maxx Price: £49.99!

It's also her birthday in early January and she's addicted to her iPhone almost as much as I am so I'm pretty sure she'd love this camel smart phone gloves so she can play Words With Friends while out and about without freezing her fingers!

 RRP: £54.00 TK Maxx Price: £19.99!

Next up is my Sister in Law; she also has a January birthday so I decided to pick a theme and buy two presents that would complement each other. She's recently been making cakes for some of her friends so when I saw this baking display I knew I'd find something!

So many options to choose from! I had to restrain myself from not buying anything for myself! I decided to go with a 14 Piece Cupcake Decorating Kit and a gorgeous sterling Cake Stand to display her creations!

RRP: £19.99 TK Maxx Price: £9.99

RRP: £45.00 TK Maxx Price: £16.99

Next up I was looking for a Chanukah gift for my Grandma Bess. She was a bit of a Carrie Bradshaw back in the day and is still really stylish. She's partial to scarves so when I saw this designer beauty I knew it would be a perfect gift for her!

RRP: £109.00 TK Maxx Price: £34.99

NotBlondeHusband is notoriously hard to buy for so sometimes we just end up going for more practical presents. He wears button down shirts to work but can have trouble with some shirts since he has broad shoulders. I know this American designer fits him and favourite colour is green so it was a winner!

RRP: £120.00 TK Maxx Price: £39.99

Last but not least is Blondie Boy. As you know he is obsessed with Cars and he also loves building towers and garages with Duplo; he doesn't have this set yet but I know he'd love to add it to his collection!

RRP: £40.99 TK Maxx Price: £29.99

The total retail price of my shop should have been £508-

 I only spent £201.93! 

I went just under £2 over budget but I shopped and bought for 5 people including 4 Christmas presents, 1 Chanukah present and 2 birthday presents! I think we can let the £2 slide don't you think? I've always loved TK Maxx for shopping for myself but now I more than know it's perfect to shop for everyone on my list! What's the best deal you've ever found when shopping?

TK Maxx provided me with a gift card for my mission but all opinions are my own. Y'all know well enough by now I don't say something I don't want to right?

Chrismakuh traditions

I left my laptop at home so while I wanted to post my recipe for lumps of coal--I can't or at least can't easily.


So instead go check out my Chrismakuh traditions post over on A Mother's Ramblings! Apologies for long link/ no hyperlink but the Blogger for iPad app SUCKS!

http://www.amothersramblings.com/2011/12/christmas-traditions-transatlantic.html

Drink your gin and tonica

Happy Chanukah! Chanukah is super early this year; it started on December 1st at sundown and will continue until the 8th. I always loved lighting the candles and I've really looked forward to celebrating Chanukah with Blondie Boy.

I know Chanukah is basically bottom of the list when it comes to important Jewish holidays, but it still is important to me culturally. So when I went looking for a cute Chanukah t-shirt or onesie for Blondie Boy and came up short I decided to make one myself!

I had NBH make me a template so my menorah was roughly symmetrical and I cut out the shape from sparkly blue felt.

I made a template again for my candles so they'd be the same size and cut them out from light blue and white felt and then free-hand cut my flames so they'd be more realistic looking.

Originally I'd planned on using fusible webbing and ironing on my design, but with so many little pieces that was going to be a major pain so instead I used fabric glue. Honestly he's going to wear it once or twice so I'm not super concerned with durability.

You can see the glue in the picture above, but don't worry when it drys the whiteness of the glue goes away and all you see is the colour of your fabric. I was kinda freaking out that I'd ruined it by using too much glue and it would dry all nasty, but it totally didn't. Also if you are like me and like to work all spread out on the floor a Stokke Table Top makes a great craft tray!


I think Blondie Boy looks super cute in his outfit and while he wouldn't exactly sit still for a photoshoot he really like staring at the candles flickering and smiles when I say the Baruch. I can't wait until he's a big enough boy to help light the candles!

Happy Chanukah to Mimi Linda, GG Bess, Auntie Alie and all our Jewish friends and family!

The Holidays are Coming

As the holidays creep closer and closer it's time to start thinking about holiday cards. We celebrate Chanukah and Christmas in our family so finding cards suitable for all our friends and family can be tough. Luckily there are places like Shutterfly that have cards you can personalize and are appropriate for everyone!

I love the ones like this that are simple and clean and suitable for all holidays:

I love this dreidel design:

Or maybe you want a more modern Christmas design:

Which one should I go with? Or should I go with something else? There are so many to choose from! Shutterfly is great for printing out digital photos and for me it's easy to order photos for my friends and family back home, too! You can also make lots of fun photo gifts and super cute photobooks.

If you want to try out Shutterfly's cards this year, bloggers can get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly! Just click here for all the info :)

Transatlantic Blonde was provided free cards for this post and you can too if you click above!