I didn’t want to contribute to any stampedes at brick and mortar retailers, so I saved my holiday wish list for late in the evening of Black Friday. You’re welcome.

This is what I want for Christmas, or what YOU want for Christmas because I already have it and love it – which means I want more of it.

1. Tretorn Canvas Tennis Shoes – This is strictly a want. I wore Tretorns for many years as a kid and I can still remember the cushiony softness of this shoe. Plus, they’re cute.

2. RoC RETINOL CORREXION MAX Wrinkle Resurfacing System – Okay, so maybe your gift recipient would need to be okay with you acknowledging their sorry skin, but if you know someone who is looking for a good beauty treatment, this is pretty great. I received this system at BlogHer ’13 and it’s done some magical stuff to my face – especially my pores. There, I said it. It’s a little pricey for a stocking stuffer, so I’m including it in this gift guide.

3. iLive Under Cabinet Radio with Bluetooth Speakers – I love to listen to music while I’m in the kitchen. Instead of putting my phone in a bowl or cup to amplify the sound, it would be great to have something that would play my iTunes without the use of dinnerware. I have an under cabinet radio now that gets a lot of use, EVEN THOUGH IT’S A CASSETTE PLAYER. 4. Wii Fit U – I included this on my special needs kid’s list, too. We enjoy it that much. I would love to say that I do only the adult stuff, like yoga, but I can’t stop playing the obstacle course game. Also, the Fit Meter tracks your steps and altitude so I joined a virtual gym community and we’re competing against other players. There’s nothing like a friendly competition to motivate me. Chocolate works, too.

5. Cuisinart Stainless Cookware Collection – We are moving away from cooking with non-stick cookware and though the few pieces of stainless we have aren’t Cuisinart, every other kitchen tool I own that’s stamped “Cuisinart” is a quality piece. We got our Cuisinart toaster for our wedding and while everyone made fun of me for putting a $90 toaster on the registry, it’s lasted for almost 17 years and is still toasting strong.6. Isotoner smarTouch Gloves – I asked for touch-screen gloves last year, too. *cough*

7. Brown Ankle Boots – Because everyone has black ones, so why not stand out. Also, because my brown, pleather ones are all torn up from wearing them so much. If a stacked-heel is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

8. Gap Perfect Boot Jeans – These jeans come in four lengths which is awesome for a tall girl. I have them in regular, long and extra-long and can switch them out depending on whether I’m wearing ballet flats, tennis shoes, or boots. And, they’re mid-rise so there’s no risk in bearing your backside. Again, you’re welcome.

9. Remote Car Starter – Show someone you love them by warming up their car for them. Bonus: You don’t even have to leave the house.

www.viper.com

10. The Home. T. – Getting another Home. T. would mean moving to another state, but for this kind of softness, I’d consider it.

11. The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays – I am not exaggerating when I say that I’ve been complimented on yesterday’s turkey about 20 times. My husband won’t stop talking about it. The recipe came straight from this book and like all of Ree’s dishes, it was easy and delicious.

Disclosure: I received a Home. T., Wii Fit U and Fit Meter for review and Ree’s book as a gift. I, quite possibly, have the best job ever.

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One of the most inspirational women I know is my sister-in-law.  She is a mother of five, a nurse, wife, friend, sister and breast cancer survivor.

My sister-in-law does not inspire me because she’s a survivor, but because of the journey she took so I would be able to call her one.  I knew a lot of other inspirational women who didn’t survive the disease.

All of them fought hard, through pain, nausea, weakness, hair loss, hospitalizations, infections and surgeries.  The least I can do to honor them is give a little back to their cause.

Each year, I participate in the Komen Race for the Cure, but Hanes has made it possible for me to show my support more than just one day a year.  They have a new program which allows people to design and buy their own shirts to support the fight against breast cancer.

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In case you don’t know much about good music, I will tell you that the title of this post comes from the song, “Shattered” by The Rolling Stones. Also if you didn’t know that, then we can’t be friends.

Shattered is the way I feel when I go shopping for dresses. I hate shopping for dresses. Especially when I have to find something. When I don’t have money, or when I don’t need anything, there are gowns virtually diving into my shopping bag. I have no idea how it happens.

But, when there is an upcoming occasion where it’s imperative to look cute…oh, say like a conference in New York….ultimately, I end up dissappointed. I have said before that I am not a petite flower. It is hard to find stylish, dressy clothing when you’re the size of Gigantor.

Therefore, I was skeptical when Shabby Apple wanted me to try out one of their dresses. I first began drooling over Shabby Apple when my bloggy friend, Bossy, spoke of them, but let’s understand something, shall we? My body doesn’t look like Bossy’s. At all. I was really worried that I would get a dress and not even fit in it, let alone look nice.

Then I saw the dress on a model and was surprised to see that she looked just like me! Only with brown hair, gorgeous cheekbones, well-toned arms and slender hips. As you can imagine, this completely reassured me not at all.

But, I went for it and look at me! I have a waist and my arms fit in the armholes and I look like I have a neck instead of a stump of chin! I love this dress. It’s stylish and breezy and I can’t wait to wear it in New York.

Finding a dress I like isn’t even the best part of this, because Shabby Apple donates 5% of their net dress sales to a charity that helps women in poverty worldwide. Each Shabby Apple dress comes with a hang tag with a personal story from one of these women. I cried when I read mine, and I wasn’t even hormonal.

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I can’t really begin to tell you how much I love Old Navy. For real. Like I would marry it. You can’t beat the cuteness, you can’t beat the price and you can’t beat the quality. Enough said.

Well, no. It’s not enough said. Because recently, I decided it was time for me to get some new clothes. I didn’t get myself much of anything for fall or winter and had cleaned out my closet which ended up looking like Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard.

So, I walked into Old Navy with $100.00 and here’s what I walked out with.

This cute, green shirt.

This soft, breezy and super-comfortable skirt.

Three pairs of flip-flops. One gray, one blue and one orange.

Some stylish, cargo-capris.

A cozy, long-sleeved tee shirt.

Two stainless-steel, water bottles…because the two I already have weren’t enough.

And a crisp, white polo shirt.

And, after buying TEN items, I still have some money in my pocket! Which is why I think I want these shoes.What am I talking about? I need these shoes! Right? Right? Good. I’m glad we could all agree.

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