My Birthday Wish List...

...that is almost a full month early, Bill!!  My birthday is coming up next month, and although we don't typically get too excited about gifting each other with big presents for our birthdays (ie: We count things we purchased recently as our birthday and Christmas gifts to each other.  For example, Bill got a new LED TV in the basement from me for Christmas (which we bought on a Black Friday Sale and were planning to get anyway:), and he promised to build me a pseudo dry bar in the basement for my Christmas present.  (The bar is a work in progress that was going to be completed over Christmas break...but then other things came up.  We'll be tackling the dry bar in the very near future, and I'll post pictures, of course.)  I thought it would be fun to round up a few items that have caught my eye while online browsing. 

Here goes:

Alphabet Needlepoint Pillow

Pottery Barn Teen

I just love this sweet embroidered 'S' pillow from Pottery Barn Teen.  I'd love to see it in one of the kiddos' rooms or on a small chair.  I originally wanted the 'h' and 'l' versions of these pillows for our lou-lou ghost chairs in the front room, but the 'h' was already sold out by the time I discovered them.  I had already thought about DIYing white pillows with simple black letters on them, figuring that a white pillow with a black letter in a size appropriate for a kid's chair would not be available off the shelf.  At 10 inches these would have been exactly what I had dreamed up!!  They also would have set me back $60 for 2, so maybe it's a blessing the 'h' is not available.  Still, I'd take a nice embroidered 's' pillow.  My DIY 'h' and 'l' versions will not be so fancy:)!!

Farmer's Market Basket

Anthropologie

In an attempt to reduce the number of plastic containers we use in our kitchen, I've had my eye out on ceramic and glass alternatives.  I've already picked up a nice Pyrex set of containers, but I'd love to get my hands on one of these!  Isn't it adorable?

Trampoline

Walmart

Trampolines are just fun.  I'd love to jump around in our basement with this guy, and it has the added benefit of helping with lymph system circulation!

Life Factory Bottle

Drugstore.com

Again, in an attempt to reduce the amount of plastic we use, I'd love to have one of these glass bottles for on the go errand time or yoga time.  They have silicone sleeves on them and are made of thick, medical grade glass.  Our kiddos both have a smaller version of this glass water bottle, and they love them!  They are also on sale, buy one get one 50% off at Drugstore.com right now!

Olin Rug

Crate and Barrel

I have long been a fan of the white and black version of this rug, and C&B recently came out with a grey and white version that would be perfect in our master bathroom!  I've got plans to work on some of the details in our master bedroom and bathroom in the near future, and this rug would be a wonderful addition to my master plan!!  I'm thinking a 30" x 50" rug will work out in the space, although I may need to do a little measuring to see if a 4'x6' would work better.

The Hunger Games

Amazon

I've heard that this book is phenomenal, and I'd love to read it once I finish up Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which is our neighborhood's book club pick for the month.

Magic 8 Ball

Amazon

This one is totally random.  Here's my explanation: I've never owned a Magic 8 Ball, and I've always wanted one.  That's it.

Wire Basket

Amazon

I'd love a couple of these to help organize my crafting supplies.  I love that they have a label tag built in to the basket!

And it wouldn't be fun unless I added a couple big ticket items to my big ol' wish list for the year:

Nimbus Wool Rug 8x10

Overstock

We've had a similar rug (texture-wise) in our office for over a year now, and I absolutely love how lush it feels, and I think the kids would love playing on this green version in our basement.  The color would be perfect for the blue, green, chocolate brown and white color scheme that we have going on down there, as well.  And while I originally picked out a similar and much less expensive rug from IKEA (Hampen Rug in 5'3"x7'7" (Two of them taped together with carpet tape would result in a 7'7"x10'6" rug.), I'd rather stick to a wool rug versus polypropylene if possible.  If we end up going the IKEA route, we'll do some major airing out in the garage or sun porch before laying that rug in our basement. 

And finally, kitchen bar stools:

Kubu Counter Stools

Pier 1

I'd mentioned way back in the day that I really wanted several of the Elana Banana Counter Stools from World Market.  I still love those stools, but there is the shipping cost to deal with and the fact that I'd want 5 stools and they come in pairs.  Pier 1 just added the Kubu Counter Stool to their line up, and it's a nice option.  I have yet to check it out in person, but online it looks like it might work. 

And I should note that I realize that I am crazy for even considering purchasing woven seating of any kind that gets regular use by young children.  Our current backless counter stools have woven tops and have become food and playdoh traps.  I'm telling you, cleaning those things is less than fun.  (Charm used to reach our counter using a Learning Tower like this until recently, when he decided that he's a big boy and can use a stool like the rest of us.  (As a side note, our Learning Tower was one of the best purchases we've made for our kids, aside from the fact that we all stubbed our toes on it from time to time.)  I do have a plan for keeping woven stools nice and clean in the future, and I'd rather not go the wood or pleather route as an interim solution when a woven stool is what I envision for the long haul!

So there you have it, one very full birthday list!  And no complaining that I didn't make a list early enough, Bill:)!!  And, to Lucky and Charm:  I also love dollar store surprises too!:)