Christmas Shopping at Charming Charlie!

I've been bad

Today, I finished up my Christmas shopping. I decided that instead of going from place to place, I would just go to Charming Charlie. I'm pretty lucky to have a place like this around! I got things for my mom, grandma, my little cousin Nia, and my aunt. I even got something for my uncle there!

But when I saw this ring, it was pure concentrated heaven~


This is my first official Hime acquisition!   Just enough sparkle to look flashy and expensive, but with a pearl on top, so it doesn't look like some kind of engagement ring. When I posted it on my Facebook page, my friend Niki told me that this ring was the very epitome of me.

Before I found that, I was going to buy myself a headband! I could have missed this beauty, and it would have cost me $5 more! Good thing I realized I could just make my own.


It even fits like a dream, at size 5. Do you know how hard it is to find rings to fit my tiny fingers?? I can fling my hand around, and it won't fly off!

This ring was made for me~!
I can't stop staring at it~ $10 well spent.

But like I said, I bought everyone gifts too.
I'd like to think I made good choices.

Originally, I was going to only get some things for Nia, but figured that I could find something nice for all of them. I mean, it's got an amazing selection in every color and type you can think of, so I could easily find something fun for Nia and something classic for my grandma.

Er, not to sound like their saleswoman or anything. They've got everything from the Gothic look to the super Sweet, Mode to Bohemian, so it's only right that I gush.  I was there when putting it together, so I know it well.


Let me show you what I got for the family!

This one is the gift I got for grandma. I thought it was neutral enough to go with anything she wears, and not so out of place for going to work, but still elegant for her old fashioned ways.  I showed her my aunt's gift, and she said she really liked it, so hopefully, she'll like this one too! Cost was $7.97.  And speaking of aunt....

I don't really speak to my aunt too much, but I thought that this would go well with her. She's a really mature woman, so it's really simple and pretty, not overly flashy. She could wear this to work too. And it comes with earrings. This is the only reason this one didn't go to my grandma, since her ears aren't pierced. $9.97 for this one.

I got these for my mom.   She loves jewelry, especially costume jewelry, because she wears them when she's modeling.  She usually just gets them second hand, but since I never get her anything, I wanted to get her something nice.  I got her these earrings, because they're exactly her style, and I can think of so many things that she owns that would go with these.  $9.97 for this as well.

These three, I bought for Nia. She's at the age where she really wants to express herself. I almost got her some hoop earrings, but I remembered how when I was a kid I couldn't wear big hoops, so I thought some nice button earrings in fun colors would be best. And that hat, it's going to be perfect for her. She loves hats, and she's always wearing her dad's. I think she'll like having her very own, with a little feminine flair to it. $6.97 for the necklace, $6.97 for the earrings, and $12.97 for the hat.


I also bought my uncle a really nice watch, plain black with a modern looking face to it.  It tells time and the date, and you can even time things, and it's waterproof.   $14.97 for that, making it my most expensive purchase.  I've never gotten him anything before either, so at least he'll get use of of this!

And I didn't actually buy this for anyone, nor did I even buy it today.  This was my first purchase from Charming Charlie, but I never posted a picture of it.  I bought it because so long ago I saw this butterfly ring on someone, and I wanted one of my own.   I guess it's pretty Hime too, but I got it before I knew anything about Hime-kei, so it doesn't count XD  This was still back when I really liked Lolita.  Also, it's too big   They only had it in one size, size 7, so it's even too big on my thumb!  I'll have to fill it in with something.  This was only $4.97 though, so it's worth it, especially since it's so much like the ring I saw, but in silver.  I'll just have to get used to most rings being too big anyway.  I like rings too much to start limiting myself!

Besides purchases, I tried to make butter melt candies (think butter mints or dinner mints, but without the mint part).  Ten years ago, my mom got these delicious divinity type candies from this store in Kentucky.  They were so melt-in-your-mouth and rich and buttery....  We loved them.  But I didn't think I would have enough to buy them after purchases (and I don't!), so I thought I would try to make my own.

They ended up way buttery than I wanted, because I didn't add enough powdered sugar, but they still tasted pretty good.  I mean, they're still just butter, sugar, and whipped cream, lol, so yeah, super unhealthy.  My grandma really loved them, though.

We have received two packages, one from some place called eCookbooks, and another from another from the Food Network.   I'm guessing I'll be getting a lot of cooking supplies and books for Christmas....  I should have just said I wanted money early on, lol.  Hopefully she didn't just get me a ton of Rachel Ray and whatnot books....  I'm not really big on the famous personalities of the Food Network.  I really only want one cookbook right now, and it's for confectioneries~  Ah well, too late for that....

Also.
This year, I'm going to send my first Christmas card to my dad.

I haven't spoken to him in years, and before that, I had never even met him since I was a baby....

It felt weird to do it before, because I worried that maybe he'd think I wanted something from him. But I just don't want to regret missing out on a relationship with him.

He was never there, but I don't hate him. It was a mutual decision, it's not like he ran out on us. My mom never put him down. In fact, she told me that he was the reason she didn't abort me. Just think, I might not have been here today!

I got a lot of traits from his side, like my hair and my skin. I barely look at all like my mom, lol.


I'm a little nervous, because I don't know what to say. Wish me luck!