THE PETERSENS

Every year, we set a budget for what we can spend on each other and every year, Ben breaks the budget while I stick to it.  One can look at this in two ways: 1) Ben is such a sweet husband to buy whatever will sweep me off my feet, whatever the cost or 2) Ben is a stinker because when he buys something extravagant and I stick to the budget, my gift looks really…well, cheap.  I’ve always looked at it from the 2nd perspective.  Of course, I always LOVED what he got me, but I told him that this year sticking to a budget can be part of his Christmas gift to me.  He agreed, though hesitantly.  I think part of his hesitation came from wondering whether he could really get me a gift or gifts that I would really appreciate.  Though this is not what Christmas is about and not what our family tries to focus on, I would like to share with you what Ben did end up buying for me.  He did a wonderful job and he was really intentional about everything he purchased.

Gift #1: A laundry basket.

I never thought I would see the day when I would ask for something that seems so boring and practical, but this year, that day arrived.  I LOVE my new laundry basket.  It’s sturdy, has good handles and can hold lots of clean clothes!

Gift #2: Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

For those of you who know me well enough know that I am a Harry Potter fan.  Not one of those dress-up-as-Harry-Potter-whenever-you-watch-the-movie fans, but just the general type.  This was a good gift, too.

Gift #3: Cute pajamas

My husband hates my nasty PJs that I’ve had since high school and I guess I don’t really blame him all that much.  So, he usually gets me a new pair of PJs every Christmas.

Gift #4: Joy of Cooking cookbook

When Katie came to visit from MN, we went to the library where I borrowed this cookbook.  I fell in love with it and have been raving about it ever since.  I guess Ben picked up on all of those not-so-subtle hints and purchased one for me. I can’t wait to try all sorts of new recipes out on my family!

Gift #5: Salad spinner

I did what every husband fears his wife will do.  I returned one of the gifts he got me, but for good reason.  He purchased a bed desk for me from Bed, Bath & Beyond, which is really something I wanted.  But, the only one that fit into our budget didn’t fold up or anything.  If you’ve seen where we live, you know that we have limited space, so with great sadness, I had to return it for something smaller.  Thus, I decided on a salad spinner.  I hate eating wet salad.

Gift #6: Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney

I’ve wanted to read this book for a long time because like most other women, I feel so overwhelmed and busy a lot of the time.  It was sweet for my husband to remember and get this for me for Christmas.  Don’t I have a great husband?