I bought my husband one of these "artist made" puzzles/brainteasers from here and he loves Suduko: http://www.brilliantpuzzles.com/Artists_Made_Puzzles.html I can't seem to find the one I bought. It is called Irrgarten. Anyway, the whole website has a lot of great stuff and you can search by difficulty. I wanted a super hard one! :) The Japanese puzzle boxes also looked really neat.

I was talking with someone earlier this week and was curious if what she said is generally true or not. Maybe I'm crazy! Anyway, I have seen thread here talking about groceries so I was curious how much you all allow in your budget for clothes for your family and for you. So, I have two questions: 1. Do you consider yourself fashionable or care about fashion? How much do you allow maybe per year for clothes, shoes, and accessories for yourself? Do you consider beauty products as part of your clothes budget? 2. How much do you budget for your kids? 3. How much is budgeted for your husband? I would appreciate your help.

Fagus trucks are really wonderful and last forever. What about a wagon? Or a slack line? Or a remote controlled car or helicopter/drone? Or a real bow and arrow set (not one with real tips but a youth one and not the little kiddie ones)? Or big foam airplanes- the 4ft span ones? For your older two boys, why don't you purchase some creative materials they can use for a new hobby? Maybe tools, or a woodburning kit, or woodworking materials, or whatever.

Thanks for this link. It was a fun read and I decided to purchase Juxtabo because of it.

This book was interesting: https://www.amazon.com/Cloudspotters-Guide-Science-History-Culture/dp/0399533451/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1513026250&sr=8-5&keywords=cloud+book

I purchased quite a few games this year: - EeBoo Tea Party Game- for my little girls - Mastermind- for my older boys - Rock Me Archimedes- for our family - Catan Junior- for our family And I also purchased a few puzzles and brain teasers for everyone.

I just did a lot of research on this last year and the Sonia Kashuk brushes from Target were highly rated even over some others fancier brands. I purchased the kind linked below and they are so wonderful. I haven't had any shedding and they work beautifully. I purchased a foundation brush, a big blush/powder brush, and an shadow brush. They work wonderfully. https://www.target.com/p/sonia-kashuk-174-kashuk-tools-dense-blush-powder-brush-no-24/-/A-14024596#lnk=sametab I think Sephora might have a Rose Gold set of their own brand if you really want Rose Gold.

I have never before but I actually did this year. We have friends that are getting married across the country this month and I ordered some stuff from Sur la Table and paid $5 for wrapping. I did get free shipping and had a coupon as well so I didn't mind paying the extra and I wanted it to be look pretty for them. Plus if I had shipped it to myself, wrapped it, and then sent it to them it would have cost more. But, other than that, I never have paid for gift wrapping.

I love using my fancy china. Mine came from the thrift store and are just beautiful- but they are not Christmas ones. I would love to have Christmas china. I am always suprised how much my children (even my 2 year old) love using the "pwettyy pwettyy ishes". I don't make it too complicated for them. We use one fork, knife, and spoon with a dessert fork above. We have fancy water glasses that we use for Martinellis cider. And we usually have tea from Harney and Sons with dessert so I have cups and saucers. We use cloth napkins and have taper candles with a special candle we purchased for the holiday.(At thanksgiving this year my kids picked a pretty beaded turkey candle for our centerpiece. I usually decorate the center with natural materials from my yard- flowers, leaves, pinecones, pine branches, etc. The kids help with this part by gathering all the materials. :)

I was going to mention this on your other thread but didn't get to it. I found these beautiful puzzles/brain teasers and the really difficult ones might be nice: http://www.brilliantpuzzles.com/Jean-Claude-Constantin_c_278-1-4.html?applyfilter=FQAjp7WIty8mCpRgIuK6MUyUCF%2BnxW9%2F5b%2Bivx7w35SBSVD7F80T5ZW%2FeBbVGm2mnx5U0n6wyQ6K%0D%0A55N%2FSMbBpoPmT3oP%2F8oB8VNJy3zvV5QPmnYk47I4aw%3D%3D That website has a bunch of great ideas for logic/puzzles/etc.

It is a brand. I bought it at a local specialized baking store. Amazon has it but it is so expensive there. Whole Foods or World Market might have it. King Arthur Flour has some fancy cocoa powders.

I have this and it is so beautiful and I love them: http://www.demetz-patrick.com/en/ulrich-nativity-49/ul-holy-family-4-pieces-12701.html

We like the recipe on the Hersheys Cocoa powder container. I do put in less sugar- about half what the recipe says. Once I splurged and bought 1 lb of Vahlrhona cocoa powder and it was AMAZING. The 1 lb makes a lot of cocoa (and other things) but it is spendy.

1 French Lentil Soup with Bread and salad 2 Chicken Picatta with Veg 3 Chicken and Bacon Pasta with salad 4 Shepherds Pie 5 Potato Corn Chowder with salad 6 Stromboli with Veg 7 Mimis Thai Wraps 8 Cheese Enchiladas with Salad 9 Twice Baked Potatoes with Veg 10 Roast Chicken with Yams and Veg 11 Salisbury Steak with Potatoes and Veg 12 Hoppin John with Veg 13 Butternut Squash Soup with Bread 14 Mu Shu Pork Here is mine. I plan for two weeks of meals at a time but don't put them in any order just because some days turn out to be crazier than others. It allows me flexibility with a new baby. I plan both super easy and more time consuming meals so that if the day gets crazy I have easy options. I also plan some meatless meals so that our menu is budget friendly. For lunch we usually have leftovers and for breakfast I have staples (oatmeal, rice pudding, muffins, pancakes, etc.) that I always have the ingredients on hand for. When I plan I just put in "Veg" as when I go to the store I just purchase whatever they have that is in season, or on sale, and looks nice. I just put in how much I need. I am going shopping today so had to have my meal plan done. :)

My two year old is so in love with baby dolls since her little baby sister arrived. Bella Luna has some lovely choices. Push and pull toys are also so fun. I am eyeing this one: http://thewoodenwagon.com/woodentoy/BBJ24510.html

We have never broken one either and my boys aren't gentle. I am actually getting more for Christmas.

Also, I really love this store and have shopped there pretty much every year: http://thewoodenwagon.com/ They always have beautiful toys and decorations that you can't find elsewhere.

I bought this for my husband at their Black Friday sale: http://www.brilliantpuzzles.com/Irrgarten-Wooden-Brain-Teaser-Puzzle-Maze-Game.html They have lots of these Artist made puzzles: http://www.brilliantpuzzles.com/Artists_Made_Puzzles.html and their Japanese puzzle boxes look really neat: http://www.brilliantpuzzles.com/Japanese_Puzzle_Boxes.html

We love everything Keen

If he enjoys woodworking, the swiss Pfeil chisels are amazing. Woodcraft has sales on them. Also, there are some amazing puzzles that are made from woodworkers. Try here: www.brilliantpuzzles.com/Artists_Made_Puzzles.html

If you want to go big you could get a used Toyota truck. My husband bought his own used truck when he was 16. Eighteen years and a lot of miles later, it still works wonderfully. Seriously, this truck has survived everything and we use it all the time. If you want some special nativity sets, there are incredible beautiful ones here: http://www.demetz-patrick.com/en/nativities-5/ A collection of beautiful wooden spoons would be something special. I just bought some olive wood salad spoons and they are lovely.

I have Pampered Chef pans that are amazing- going on 13 years now. Emile Henry also makes really nice stoneware. I have three loaf pans that are perfect. I also just bought Sur la Table's casserole and they are so nice.

Boden has amazing dresses that always look nice and have a longer length. They are pricey though. I only buy their items when they have major sales but they are super nice quality so if you find one you like it will last for years.

Why don't you use a similar method for coffee as for tea? You could use a Melitta or even a French press. Dump in ground coffee, add water, done. Both are super easy to throw in the dishwasher and you don't have to worry about cleaning a machine. If you want to get fancy you could grind your own coffee beans.

I am thinking about getting a wagon for my kids for Christmas. I really would like a sturdy one and I don't mind spending more if one would be durable since I have six kids and I imagine the wagon will have years of use. Anyway, can anyone share what you have and what you like about it? I want one that is useful for carting kids and stuff around when we go places but also one that will be fun for the kids to play with. I really like the look of the LL Bean XL one but it is so expensive. Does anyone have that one and is it worth the extra money? I would appreciate your help so much!