Wedding Registry Tips

This year, it seems, all of my friends decided to tie the knot.

Subsequently, I have waded through more than my share of wedding registries, trying to find that perfect gift for them. Some things on the registry made me shout out, "Amen, sister! Good choice!" and others left me chuckling. Seriously, a coaster holder? A banana hook? Blue jeans?

Eventually, I started thinking about my own registry. Having been married for a little over one year, I am now an expert at marriage (ha ha) and can maybe help brides-to-be with what worked for me in my registry.

What turned out to be the THE BEST ITEMS:

Heavy-duty metal measuring cups

• They won't get dents or melt in spots, ensuring accurate measurements every time. Not to mention, they're heat-proof! I once accidentally left a burner on and started a fire with a bunch of metal utensils and a plastic measuring cup. Guess which one bit the dust. Also, I like to occasionally make mini-pies in the metal cups and stick them right in the oven. Try that with your plastic cups! (no, really, please don't)

Knife Block:

• A great way to get all the knives you'll ever need-- and an easy place to store them! Be sure to request a block with knives that you'll actually use. I knew I would need a chef's knife, a bread knife, a paring knife, and some steak knives, so that's what I looked for. A boning knife or an oyster knife, not so much.

Pyrex Dishes

• Mixing bowls, baking dishes, measuring cups: they are all indispensable in my daily kitchen. They are oven-, microwave-, and dishwasher-safe, and they're very hard to break. Believe me, I break things all the time. :-p A huge plus is that they now come with lids!

Something for Hubby

• My husband, who loves quesadillas, was absolutely enthralled with a contraption called a Quesadilla Maker. So, being the nice fiancee that I was, I added it to the registry. Personally, I think it's a waste of cupboard space, plastic, and Chinese labor. But when I see the glow on Adam's face and the chorus of singing angels that fly around his head when he makes quesadillas on that thing, I know that it was a good idea.

What turned out to be a BAD IDEA:

-Kitchen-Aid Mixer

• Hear me out on this. I LOVE Kitchen-Aid. I drool every time I see one in the store. It is awesome. So I asked for it. For some odd reason, however, no one wanted to shell out $300 for a wedding present! What I should have done was ask for a more modest mixer, waited several years, and then twisted Adam's arm on my birthday. :-P But as it is, I ended up having to buy a mixer I could afford... which has one speed and leaves lovely metal shavings in my cookies.

Wine Glasses and the like

• In the spirit of putting enough items on the registry, I asked for all sorts of wine glasses, goblets, snifters... you name it. This may be a good idea if you are a great wine connoisseur or entertain a lot, but as a near-teetotaler who was attending a university with a stiff no-alcohol policy, I wasn't thinking. After the wedding, I set up house with 956878 wine glasses and ZERO real glasses I'd actually use every day.

Incompatible cookware

• Another classic case of Not Thinking. I asked for metal spatulas and stirring utensils to go with my collection of Teflon pans and griddle. I seriously have only one pan I can use those with. After the wedding, I had to go out and buy all silicone/plastic cooking utensils. Did that solve the problem? Mostly. Unfortunately, my dear husband was not as enlightened about not using metal utensils on Teflon. That was a sad day.

Silicone Bakeware

• It is a great idea, unless you're someone like me who hates creating more dirty dishes than necessary. So putting a silicone liner inside a pan I would have used anyways didn't really jive with me after the first few weeks. They now sit on a high shelf and say, "I'M SO LONELY!" every time I open the cupboard.

What I WISH I'd put on the list:

More kitchen utensils

• I forgot to ask for a lot of utensils that I'd need: pizza cutter, ice cream scoop, vegetable peeler, meat thermometer. And a good rule of thumb: you can NEVER have too many scrapers/spatulas, whisks, or wooden spoons.

Rugs

• Nothing says, "home" like bathroom rugs, kitchen rugs, and welcome mats! And nothing hides carpet stains better!

Sheets

• This was a major fail. There is nothing like setting up the bed after a long day of moving and discovering that you don't own a single pair of sheets. And those things are expensive! We went through our first year with one set of sheets, no joke. Wash, dry, and remake the sheets in the same day. Last month, I thought it'd be appropriate to get us a second pair of sheets- second year of marriage and all- and there was much rejoicing in the house.

In conclusion

• Research your registries. Registries are awesome, but some are more awesome than others. I have heard rave reviews about some retail store registries and horror stories about others. I will say this: as a gift buyer, Bed, Bath and Beyond has always been an easy place to navigate with reasonable prices. I would have liked to have registered there, but my tiny hometown was two hours away from the nearest BBB store. The place I registered offered some nice perks, like 5% back on every registry purchase, in the form of a gift card, but the merchandise was a little too expensive for my liking.

• Ask for high-quality items. Lord knows, if you're young like I am, that you probably won't be able to afford this stuff on your own for a while. And it is truly devastating when a wedding present breaks! So ask for things that will stand the test of time.

• Ask for things that you think you'll actually use. Apartment space is limited, after all. Think about what your mom uses in her kitchen/bathroom/bedroom. Ever hear of the 20:80 rule? It states that people use 20 percent of their kitchen items 80 percent of the time.

• Research your appliances. Consumer Report is great for this sort of thing. You don't want a coffee grinder that never fails to give you an uneven grind (this is the voice of experience speaking) or a vacuum that is notorious for clogging up.

I hope this was a help to somebody out there. Have fun with your registry, and Mazel Tof!

This post is linked to We Are THAT Family, who is hosting Works For Me Wednesday. Check out all the great ideas flying around!

The Church of Google

The past five years in my college town, I've been searching for a home church.

Please don't think that I'm an extremely picky person! I've had two years of carlessness, and then semester-long stays at churches where doctrine was either really weird or not taught at all. And then there was the last five months, where my choices were to either work Sunday mornings or be homeless. :-P

*sigh*

I'm really not that picky. I just a want a place where the Word of God is explained, and I don't feel lost in a crowd of thousands. And, as a musician, it's very important to me that the music is quality.

But where to start in the so-called "Buckle of the Bible Belt"? My city easily has over one thousand churches! It is possible to attend a different church every single week for years!

So Saturday night, I decided to throw fate to the wind. I told Adam, "The first church that comes up when I google '(name of city) church' is where we'll go tomorrow!"

Fortunately, I didn't get anything weird.

And, surprisingly, it wasn't one of the several megachurches in the area (not that I have anything against megachurches. They're just not my thing). I was intrigued. So we went.

Turns out, it was one of the best services I've ever been to in this town! The congregation was sweet, the sermon actually required that I crack my Bible open, and *gasp* they even had a little orchestra!! Be still, my beating heart. We'll be going back!

All the same, it was a little awkward writing on the visitor's card what influenced me to be there: "Google Search".

Kitty Trouble: Part 2, and Other Things

I have been AWOL from cyberspace this week because my laptop decided it would be fun to play dead. I'll go get that fixed sometime, but for now, I'm stuck with snatching time on the "family" computer when DH is otherwise occupied (I just hate asking other people to get off the computer! So I wait. And wait).

I should have known the rest of this week would be weird when I got out of bed and stepped on a kitten's head, which probably ranks in my Top 3 Most Horrifying Experiences. Between wiping up blood and earnestly beseeching God for some divine intervention in the kitty's life, I didn't do too much.

Turns out, after a couple precarious days of listlessness and being fed from an eyedropper (he wasn't eating or drinking anything), he perked up! In fact, I think he's forgiven me, because he's contentedly sleeping on my lap as I type right now.

Or he might be plotting his revenge. You never can tell with cats.

Seven Quick Takes

1. I am staring my third week of unemployment in the face. Ouch. I'm just happy that God is watching out for us, because otherwise, I'd be a ball of nerves! More on job things in a couple takes.

2. After a half-hearted attempt in high school (that ended after failure at turning on the typewriter. A technologist, I am not), I am making myself learn to type correctly, mainly using http://www.freetypinggame.net/. Anything with the word, "game," will usually do the trick. Oh, the joys and woes! The joy of earning 2347894 points in Alien Blast! The woe of the computer numbing my brain with nonexistent word after word (jaka... dfjk... jss;a... klls...), and then taunting me with, "You only type 19 wpm, you loser! HA HA HA HA." Okay, maybe not like that exactly. But that's when I go play Alien Blast again.

3. I have wanted to audition for the city opera chorus for a very long time, but I kept chickening out. In fact, I didn't call last month when they were holding auditions. But, this week, I started feeling convicted about letting my God-given talent go to waste, so on Tuesday, I sent a rather dubious email tasking if they were all full yet. I got a reply in seven minutes that said, "Come and sing tomorrow." Whoa! I'm thinking Someone upstairs was behind this. So I went and auditioned, and the director told me right there that he'd find a spot for me in at least one opera. Woohoo! That's a start! 

4. But, of course, you know what they tell all musicians: "Don't quit your day job!" Of course, the trick is having a day job in the first place! I am currently experiencing much angst (I just love that word) in my job hunt. First off, potential employers who require inquiries by email either a) never reply back-- not even a "Sorry, but you're not the one we're looking for." They just remain stony and silent, or b) they send an automated message directing me to an application site that asks what my SSN is and whether I'm interested in getting educational literature. Shaaady.

5. Also, it's a little frustrating being a recent college graduate, not having had much time in which to cram things that look impressive on a resume. I have the skills to excel in whatever a job can throw at me--- just *standing on a chair and singing musical-style* pleeeeeeeease give me a chaaaaaaaaance! In the meantime, I'm trying to learn new things (such as typing like a human being) and grow as a person so I'll be all ready for that perfect job.

6. The other day, I finally bit the bullet and inventoried the fridge/freezer. Now I'm wondering, why didn't I do this sooner? I actually know what I need to use up soon, and don't even get me started about all the treasures I found hidden in the freezer that I totally forgot were there. We won't have to buy much groceries for a while! Hooray!

7. My trials with the kitties are diminishing. We even named two of them. One is called Minion, because he's kind of evil, or at least as evil as a cute kitten can get. The other, his polar opposite, is named Mel, because he's so mellow. The other two are impossible to distinguish from one another, so we're not even trying to name them.. It's interesting to see how treating some kittens as individuals as opposed to others is really changing how the cats interact with us! Mel and Minion are extremely friendly, while the other two kind of slink away when Adam or I come near. I wonder if this is applicable in any way to humans.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out other people giving their Seven Quick Takes at Conversion Diary!

Works for Me Wednesday: Kitty Corners

I don't have any kids yet, but having been a babysitter extraordinaire in high school and the eldest of five siblings, I have had considerable experience in keeping kids occupied! 

What works for me today is a great game that always goes with me to a babysitting job.

This game is bingo with a twist. Players roll two dice, one with an assortment of kitties, and the other with actions. The players put little cardboard mice on any squares with the rolled cat doing the rolled action. When someone gets five in a row, they yell, "Top Cat!" You can read more about it here.

This is a great game for all ages. I have played this with a five-year-olds, my siblings, college roommates, and my husband. Kids especially love this game because a) it's really simple, b) all the cats have their own names, so it's that much more personal ("Let's find Ginger eating her food!"), and c) you get to throw  roll dice!

When I would go back to babysit a family a second time, almost invariably the first question out of the kids' mouths would be, "Did you bring Kitty Korners?" 

For more great ideas, visit www.weareTHATfamily.com!

Cat Attack!

Yesterday, I mentioned an event that pretty much turned the entire Downright Domestic household upside-down.

We began Friday with a trip to the beach with a friend who will be leaving town soon; we ended the day by taking these home:

Please don't tell our landlord.

We were ecstatic because we both love kitties and have been considering getting one for a while. This could be an opportunity for a free kitten! we thought.

Ever hear of Baby Think-It-Over? It is a life-like baby doll with real-life crying intervals and care needs that high schools programs will give to teenagers for a few weeks to convince them that having babies in high school isn't such a good idea.

More than once, I have turned the kitties upside-down and checked for batteries.

They are incredibly cute and fun to play with, but we are realizing quickly that we simply don't have the room for a cat. There isn't any good spot for a litter box or food.

I have boarded up and stuck more towels in nooks and crannies than I can remember (just how did I find out about these secret passages? Guess). Last night, I rounded up all the kitties to put them in the bathroom for the night, as usual. After much time spent fruitlessly searching for one lost kitten, I decided to just leave him out for the night. Maybe then he'd learn his lesson!

I woke up at four this morning to ear-splitting screeching from the kitchen. Where did I find this lost kitty? Inside my closed table-linen drawer. Don't ask me how. I'm still scratching my head over that one.

In spite of all the kitten adventures, Mama cat has proven to be the worst of the bunch. We have been the lucky recipients of a non-stop monologue from the cat. When one of moves to the other room to get away from the noise, she follows us, meowing all the way. We go to sleep listening to her vocalize. Come to think of it, this cat may be a perfect specimen to try this hilarious idea.

So, all in all, I'm having fun with the kitties, but I will be even better when my friend returns in a couple weeks to get his cats back!

Evidently, this whole marriage thing is working out

I am pleased to announce that, as of yesterday, Adam and I have been blissfully married for one whole year!

According to tradition, the one-year anniversary gift is supposed to be paper. This could be a book, a love letter, tickets to something, or whatever else your imagination comes up with. 

Adam told me he was going to buy me a ream of paper. What a romantic! (and a kidder, of course. I hope. For his sake.)

We actually didn't end up giving each other anything because we had an event that disrupted our entire weekend, which I will write about tomorrow. So I'm still open to suggestions as to what to give hubs for our one-year mark!

One fun thing we did was buy the game of Life and play it on a blanket at the park. Adam is awesome because he lets me cheat. I was doomed to go through Life without landing on a single kid space, so he turned a blind eye when I landed on the kid spaces anyway. :-D

So, thank you, Adam, for putting up with me for a whole year! I love you, and am ready to celebrate another hundred anniversaries with you!