The good, the bad and the REALLY CHEESY

I have been fortunate enough to be the recipient of some really wonderful presents in my day.

The one below is a recent one.
Now, I am not saying that every woman would like a miniature food processor for her next gift-giving occasion. I am simply saying that though I didn't think I would like it when I received it (and in fact, it sat on my shelf for nearly a year before I used it), now I am wholeheartedly in love with this little lovely. I use it every day, mostly to chop up whatever we're having for dinner so that she-who-no-longer-eats-baby-food *cough*Lucy*cough* won't choke. It is covered in water droplets in this picture because I had to dig it out of the dishwasher so I could take a picture of the entire processor, not just the naked base.

I think my favorite part about this present is that I didn't really know how much I needed it. That's very much like the camera I use to take all of these pictures. My parents got it for me for my birthday to replace our slightly ancient digital camera that was only a little better than a box, some foil with a hole, and unexposed film on a sunny day.

I have also been on the recieving end of some not-so-good presents. My step-mother tends to factor pretty heavily in the NSG end of gift giving.

After I moved into my first apartment, I received a box of random things I'm pretty sure she picked up at the dollar store.

It included a bunch of these:
Um, thanks.

I think.

And, for the REALLY CHEESY part of this post, of course, the greatest gifts I've ever received are my two beautiful daughters. They challenge me (daily, sometimes hourly), they make me laugh, they inspire me to be a better person...

I also like to think that Emily and Lucy are the best gifts we as parents have given to the girls, in that as siblings, they will always be there for each other.

All of this talk of gift-giving is for the most recent Blog Blast by the Parent Bloggers Network. They are collaborating with GetInHerHead.com, a free service for couples who want to get it right every time. Most men want to be better at giving, but they’re just not wired to listen as closely and remember details as well as your girlfriends do.