Things I Covet...

*Note: I'd meant to post this before Christmas, but then wrote the whole thing, only to lose it when there was an error during posting! However, there is still Valentine's Day, our anniversary and my birthday coming up. Hint, hint.


Here is a little video clip that is a pretty accurate reflection of my life during gift-giving occasions, (courtesy of my favorite TV show, Modern Family):



In case you were wondering, I am NOT the wife in this scenario. This clip portrays my life in the sense that for weeks (sometimes even months) before a gift-giving holiday, I start dropping hints about things that I want. Hard. Hints that sound like, "Hey, I really want that ________", so they are not subtle. Yet somehow, my husband seems to interpret "Hey, I really want that _____ " as "I don't actually want that _______ at all", because I never get what I am hinting for. Last year, I was presented with 3 gifts- 3 GIFTS! I was super excited at the idea of getting 3 gifts, until I opened them and saw.....a book that I already owned, a DVD that I already had, and a CD of French music. The CD is nice and I like it, but it isn't something that I really have to have. I did appreciate his effort and the fact that he THOUGHT about getting me gifts, but I'm going to confess that as I was thanking him, my mind was listing off all of the things that I'd been hinting about wanting for the past few weeks!

Oh, well.

I always give him a pass. This is due to the fact that he is an awesome father and husband, which is a much better gift than anything you will find on this list. He takes turns getting up in the morning with the kids on weekends and holidays, he gives up things that he likes to do in his free time to spend time with them, and he never, ever complains about doing his share of the parenting responsibilities. This is worth more to me than any bag or kitchen appliance.

Let’s just explore- for fun, of course- the things that I WOULD like to get just once, though, shall we? So, here it is: my list of Things That I Covet. Take a look, you may find something that you might want to add to your covet list, as well!


Thing I Covet #1: Pancake Griddle

This may seem like a strange thing to covet for some of you. However, I have been coveting one of these for years- years! Why, you may ask? For the simple reason that it would allow me to make a whole bunch of pancakes at the same time. I cook breakfast for my kids, and pancakes are high on the list of favorites. The pan that we have to make them in is big enough to cook either one big pancake, two smallish pancakes, or three quite small pancakes at a time.

This may not be a big deal to many of you, but I am a very impatient person, and so having to stand over the pan for 10-15 minutes in order to cook enough pancakes for everyone makes me crazy! Plus, the ones that you make first just don’t stay hot for too long- by the time the last ones are ready to go, the bottom of the stack pancakes are warm-ish. Butter doesn’t melt. It’s horrible, really! Well, OK, not horrible, but it could be better…

Don’t even get me started on all of the other things that I could make on my pancake griddle! Oh, no, they are not just for pancakes my friends. Grilled cheese sandwiches! Quesadillas! French Toast! ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

I mean, really- need I say more?


Thing I Covet #2: Laptop Tote Bag

I try to be a stylish person. I don’t go over the top or anything, but I like to look nice and accessorize. I match my clothes with my jewelry and try to be colorful. So the reason why I carry around the laptop bag that I do completely escapes me. Seriously. I gave it to my husband about three years ago, and it is a great bag for a man. It is brown and orange, and it is a messenger bag, so you are supposed to wear it over one shoulder.

For the past few years, I wore a backpack to work. Then I decided that rockin’ the backpack I was not. I was really not. Reeeeeeeeeeeally not. No one can look stylish when wearing a backpack, I don’t care who you are. So this year I decided to ditch the backpack, but the problem was that I didn’t have another bag. My husband generously offered me his messenger laptop bag, since men apparently CAN rock the backpack and look stylish (why is that, exactly?). I was grateful, until I actually carried the bag around for a few weeks.

There are many problems with this bag, the first being its color. I like brown, and I like orange, but these are not colors that I wear often, nor are they colors that go well with lots of other colors. The result is that I usually clash. Badly. However, clashing is not a serious enough offense that I would ditch a bag. The real problems come with the design of the bag. I am not going to wear it over one shoulder, as that would: 1.) wrinkle my top, and 2.) cover, rub against, or break my necklaces. So that leaves me to carry the bag on one shoulder with the long strap. It is a hassle to get anything out of the bag if I am standing up and carrying it. There is no extra room for my wallet, snacks or anything really except for my laptop power cord. It is not a lady’s bag.

These things are all annoying, but were not quite enough to drive me to the point of ditching the bag. Until one day I was at the mall with my family and spotted a laptop TOTE BAG! It was pretty. It was colorful. It had two should straps and room inside for Lady Things. From that day on, I have coveted the laptop tote, as should you.

Thing I Covet #3: Cappuccino maker

I love coffee. I seriously love coffee. In fact, I luuuuuuuuuuurve coffee. But I ESPECIALLY love fancy coffee! Lattes, cappuccinos, au laits, you name it….sigh.

I have always dreamed of owning my very own cappuccino maker, allowing me the ability to sit around my house on weekend mornings, enjoying a latte that I didn’t have to leave the house to get. Or to have people over and be able to ask them, “Would you like a latte?” (fact: I have a friend who has a cappuccino maker, and everytime she makes one for me at her house, I am VERY impressed). I also dream of teaching my children to work the machine, thus ensuring a future filled with lattes and cappuccinos being brought to me IN BED in order to help me wake up in a better mood. I am not embarrassed to admit that I even included a plastic cappuccino maker in with the kitchen set that I gave them for Christmas, just so they can PRETEND to make me fancy coffee drinks.

However, there are a few reasons why I do not take the plunge and get one. First of all, they are ridiculously expensive. Yes, there are some cheap ones out there, but they are crap. Second of all, I fear that I may never leave my house, and there is the social aspect of going out for coffee and meeting friends to chat. I do enjoy that. Lastly, there is also the fear that I will become a complete and total coffee addict. I may love fancy coffee, but when I am paying several dollars per cup, I tend to keep my addiction at bay. I have no idea what sort of Pandora’s Box of caffeine highs owning my own machine would open up, but I suspect that it would not be pretty.

Thing I Covet #4: Fancy Diaper Bag

I am still in diaper-bag carrying mode. I still need to carry around diapers, wipes, crayons, snacks, and extra clothes with me everywhere I go (not to mention my ginormous wallet and my mobile). This is a fact that I must live with for the next few years. So, when I was pregnant with my second baby, I ordered a very stylish and very large new diaper bag. It’s black and nylon and tote-like and has lots of pockets and shiny, faux-leather trim. I loved it. That was a year and a half ago. Cut to the present day, and it is not looking so great---the faux-leather is cracked, the nylon is ripping apart and fraying (badly!), and the zipper is completely broken. My husband practically gags everytime he looks at it. It is no longer a stylish diaper bag, it is simply a functional diaper bag. Yes, I have gotten to the point where I am choosing function over fashion, when the hell did I arrive in THIS place?

I will have a nice, new diaper bag soon. The problem is that I am also a bit of a cheapskate, and stylish diaper bags are not cheap. So I always tell myself that my bag will go a bit more, but soon I will be at the point where I will pay almost any amount of money to never look at it again….as will my husband!


Thing I Covet #5: Laptop Desk

Who WOULDN’T covet one of these? No more balancing your laptop on your legs, burning yourself when your laptop gets a bit overheated because you want to be comfortable on the couch when you write instead of sitting at a desk or a table.

Enough said about this.


Thing I Covet #6: Kitchenaid mixer

Not only do I want one of these, but I want it in a fun color. Red, blue, lime green or orange, I’ll take any of them! I try to be a Domestic Goddess, but I usually fall a tad bit short. I truly, truly believe that if I had a Kitchenaid mixer, it would take my domestic goddess-ness to a whole new level. I am not sure why I think this, but I do know that whenever I see a Kitchenaid mixer in a store, I practically start drooling.

What is there not to love? It kneads dough! It mixes things without getting flour all over the damn place! It lets you have two hands free to get and add ingredients! It beats egg whites without straining your wrist or elbow! Hell, I don’t think I’ve ever been able to beat an egg white long enough for it to actually turn into a stiff peak…It is also easy to clean, which is important because I’m pretty lazy.

Alas...

Well, that is my Covet List for now…though I was introduced to the idea of the ice cream maker by a friend of mine today. Further research may just ensure it’s added place to the Covet List, so be prepared for a Part II of this post!

What are some things that YOU covet? What can I add to my Wish List?