Christmas Loot!

I mentioned before that I did very, very well this year at Christmas. My husband AND my kids really picked out some great stuff for me. It didn't hurt that I was VERY specific on what I wanted. I actually took Nick downtown and walked through a few shops and pointed out things I liked. He paid attention.
I got a beautiful bracelet made with sea glass. I've been intrigued with sea glass since we got here and I found so much of it just down the road on the beach. I can't wait until it warms up and I can collect more treasures.

Isn't it cool?!

Callie bought me this purse. I LOVE it. It's not a big name designer but it's exactly like the one I wanted. I have never owned a bag that cost more than around $70.00 and that's ok with me. I just can't see paying that kind of money for a purse that I will probably get tired of in a couple of months. I do love this one though. It's the perfect size and I think it's just as cute as it can be. Unfortunately, a larger bag usually means I will fill it with even more stuff.

This wild looking contraption is an electric wine bottle opener. Yes, you heard me right. I never knew such a thing existed, but here it is. You have to keep it charged and then when you're ready to pop the cork, push one button to drill the spiral down into it, and another button to pull it back up. It's fantastic. I'm not sure I will ever get to use it because Nick wants to play with it every time there is a new bottle to open. This came from J.D. He knows me well.

                                        

This cutie came from my dear husband. When we were walking around downtown a few days ago, we stuck our heads into a candle shop. This beauty was sitting inside amongst a ton of candles. I said ...ohhhh I like that lighthouse. Boom.. it's under the tree. (he did tell me it was 50% off so I'm thinking of going back for more. What great gifts for moms. Their birthdays are coming up!) You can put a tea light or small candle inside to make it light up.

This was the big one! A bread machine! After reading about my friend Michelle talk about all the yummy breads she makes and noticing that she saves so many steps (kneading etc) by using a machine made me want one. She was kind enough to look up my Santa on facebook and throw him a hint. It worked! My geek of a husband researched machines and said this one is the "Bread Machine 6000"  or "The Mac Daddy" of the bread machines. I have made two loaves so far and it's so nice! I LOVE it. I will share my new amazing recipe for white bread in another post. Nick and Callie keep wanting me to make more. It must be good!

I followed Michelle's advice and took the dough out before it baked. I too, like the look of a loaf in a more traditional pan than the one that comes with the machine. It's not that much trouble, just pull it out after the "dough" session is over and let it do it's final rise in the pan. Bake in the oven, have your family drooling over the smell and take it out. I'm not sure what this tastes like after a day or two, it just doesn't last that long here.