Posts Tagged ‘dining’
Mother’s Day 2011: Mom by the Numbers
My mom kept me on track with my second-grade math. In 1978, we had a massive Amana Radarange microwave oven with manual dials to turn for the minutes. She would set two minutes on the Radarange to heat a cup of water. I had that long to finish a multiplication worksheet (sans calculator), so I could ace my math test in Mrs. Karrell’s class. She did this math ritual with me over and over. This Mother’s Day, consider the numbers behind our appreciation of Mom.
- According to 2008 U.S. Census figures, there are 85.4 million mothers in America.
- Mother’s Day ranks second among gift-giving holidays; Christmas is first.
- An estimated 83.1 percent of Americans will celebrate Mother’s Day 2011.
- Total 2011 U.S. spending on Mother’s Day is expected to reach $16.3 billion, up 11% from last year.
- Mother’s Day accounts for one quarter of holiday flower purchases.
- An estimated 75 million Americans will dine out for Mother’s Day today.
- Americans will send 139 million Mother’s Day cards, making it the the third-largest card-sending holiday. (Christmas and Valentine’s Day take the top spots.)
- Hallmark offers nearly 900 different greeting cards for Mother’s Day 2011.
- In 2010, Americans made 11.3 percent more calls on Mother’s Day than during the rest of the year.
I’m fortunate to have a great mom. It’s time to call to let her know and tell her about the charitable donation I made in her name to Meals for Moms.
Tags: dining, flowers, for her, for mom, giftology, greeting cards, mother's day, surveys
In our home, my wife is the hostess-in-chief. If I were running hospitality, I’d be tempted to follow the advice of comedienne/actress Amy Sedaris: fill the medicine cabinet with marbles. (“Nothing announces a nosey guest better than an avalanche of marbles hitting a porcelain sink,” Sedaris suggests.) So for my wife’s birthday, I gave her gifts that affirm her as the entertaining hostess.
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Any event needs a plan. Notepad maker Knock Knock packages a menu list, a shopping list and a cooking prep list in The Chef’s Planning Kit |
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Two of my wife’s favorite crooners are Michael Bublé and Harry Connick, Jr. I gave her their new albums (Crazy Love |
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Instead of pitchers, we’ll be serving from Artland Simplicity Eight-Piece Punch Bowl Set. |
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I think her favorite is the Waring Professional Buffet Server and Warming Tray. |
respectively) as lively music for our party prep. Tags: birthday, dining, for her, for hosts, gift ideas, music
This decade is almost done. As a year 2000 bride and groom, my wife and I exchanged nearly a decade’s worth of anniversary gifts. Most of the time, we followed the traditional anniversary gift themes. To round up the gift count to ten, I’ve included our wedding day gifts.
The Zero Anniversary (Wedding Day)
- Hers: Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Bean pendant in platinum (pictured)
- His: Palm Vx personal data assistant (today, this device would be the Apple iPhone)
First Anniversary (Paper is the traditional gift)
- Hers: 30 additional 8×10 black-and-white photos from our wedding
- His: Framed share of Apple stock from Oneshare.com
- Ours: Bed and breakfast weekend
Second Anniversary (Cotton is the traditional gift)
- Hers: Victoria’s Secret terry robe
- His: Williams Sonoma personalized denim apron
- Ours: Door County, Wisconsin getaway
Third Anniversary (Leather is the traditional gift)
- Hers: “Reading in bed” theme: Barnes & Noble leather book weight, Restoration Hardware lap desk with faux leather padding, The Wedding
by Nicholas Sparks, and two lapis blue chenille throws
- His: Restoration Hardware leather bedroom valet and leather desk accessories
- Ours: Under the Tuscan Sun
at the movie theater
Fourth Anniversary (Fruit or flowers is the traditional gift)
- Hers: A dozen roses sent to work
- His: Floral bouquet from 1-800Flowers.com and America (The Book)
by Jon Stewart
- Ours: Bed and breakfast weekend
Fifth Anniversary (Wood is the traditional gift)
- Hers: Wood-fired steaks at a local bistro and Tiffany & Co. diamond earrings
- His: L.L. Bean Oak Mission Bookcase
Sixth Anniversary (Candy or iron is the traditional gift)
- Hers: Mauna Loa chocolate-covered macadamias
- His: Fireplace irons
- Ours: Second honeymoon in Hawaii
Seventh Anniversary (Wool or copper is the traditional gift — read the blog post)
- Hers: Burberry fringed cashmere scarf from Nordstroms.com, a mission style copper vase from Cobre Hand-Hammered Copper, and copper garden labels to mark perennials.
- His: Ugg sheepskin-lined leather slippers from Zappos.com
Eighth Anniversary (Bronze or pottery is the traditional gift —read the blog post)
- Hers: Handmade mixing bowl in rustic yellow from Little Bit of Bybee pottery, a set of four bronze-beaded placemats and bronze-beaded coasters from Z Gallerie, and a dozen fall-colored roses delivered to work in a pottery vase.
- His: A 37-inch Samsung LCD High-definition TV and a giant gourmet fortune cookie drizzled in chocolate from Good Fortunes.
Ninth Anniversary (Pottery or willow is the traditional gift — read the blog post)
- Hers: A painting of a willow tree from Etsy, a Pampered Chef baking stone and seven other gifts.
- His: Filet mignon at a hibachi restaurant
Tags: anniversary, books, chocolate+candy, clothing, dining, flowers, gift ideas, jewelry, movies, photos, stock
With the grand opening of an Omaha Steaks store nearby, we treated ourselves to filet mignon this weekend. We selected four six-ounce beef tenderloin steaks for grilling. Omaha packages the steaks in a sturdy box for up to three months of storage in the freezer. Ideally, you allow them to defrost in the fridge overnight. Otherwise, you can defrost the vacuum-sealed steaks in cold water for 45 minutes.
I liked the easy-open packaging for each steak. The grilling instructions were also simple. Based on the steak’s 1.5 inch thickness, I grilled on high heat for nine minutes. Then I flipped the steak for another seven minutes. Finally, I took them off the grill and let the steaks “rest” a few minutes, so the juice flow to the center. Our first two steaks were juicy and delicious, served with a mustard sauce on the side.
These premium steaks make a great present to ship to your non-vegetarian giftees. To order online, visit OmahaSteaks.com or purchase from Amazon.com
Tags: dining, father's day, food, for dad, for hosts, fourth of july, gift ideas, gift sites, guy gifts, indulgences
As a child, Mother’s Day meant my older sister and younger brothers making slightly burnt pancakes for Mom’s breakfast. After her breakfast in waterbed, I impertinently asked my mom, “So when is Kid’s Day?”
Her answer was immediate: “Every day is Kid’s Day.”
Mom certainly deserves more than one day out of the year to officially honor her. And this year marks the 100th anniversary of the U.S. founding of Mother’s Day. Anna Jarvis organized the first Mother’s Day in Grafton, West Virginia on May 10, 1908.
Today, Mother’s Day is the third most popular holiday for gift-giving, following Christmas and Valentine’s Day. The National Retail Federation estimates that 84.2 percent of Americans celebrate Mother’s Day. Together we will spend $15.8 billion on gifts to thank Mom. And many of us will dine out for brunch or dinner. According to the National Restaurant Association, Mother’s Day is the most popular day of the year for dining, with 38 percent of us celebrating Mom with a restaurant meal.
This year, I joined the 66.9 percent who gave flowers to Mom. I choose an arrangement of irises in purple, yellow, blue and white from ProFlowers.com. And my wife is making a brunch for her parents this morning.
Thanks, Mom!
Tags: dining, flowers, for her, for mom, gift ideas, giftology, mother's day
