Poppy’s Top 5 Holiday Gifts

I’ve been nice and naughty, so here’s what I hope someone gets me for the holidays:

Keurig Special Edition Brewing System
$139.95 with free ground shipping
This brewing system can brew hot or iced K-Cup beverages of your choosing. It is programmable to wake up before you do and has an energy savings mode that turns the unit off when not in use. It offers a 6, 8, and 10 oz cup and holds 48 ounces of water in its reservoir. The best part? Quiet-Brew Technology so that you don’t wake up the neighborhood brewing your morning K-Cup of coffee! YAY!
Purchase at: Keurig

Colin Stuart Embellished Boots
$158
These boots exude sensuality! An unreasonably high 4 1/4″ heel makes these boots perfect for special events or bedroom romps. The studded buckle, built-in platform, soft suede, and knee-high length make the perfect fashion statement. Wear these boots under or over a pair of jeans or to complement a little black dress.
Purchase at: Victoria’s Secret

Yummie Tummie Skinny Tank
$62 to $68
Be proud of your muffin top! But if you need to make it disappear for a bit wrap it in this fantastic slimming tank top. Polyester and estaline help you keep your voluptuous curves looking fierce.
Purchase at: Yummie Tummie

Coach Poppy handbags
$118 to $598
This collection of bags goes full range from fun and flirty to chic and sophisticated, so there’s a bag for every woman’s needs! Featured is the punk girlesque Tartan Glam Tote for $198, gorgeous outside and in.
Purchase at: Coach

Xbox 360 Kinect
Xbox 360 with built-in Kinect sensor – $299.99 to $399.99
Kinect sensor for your existing Xbox 360 – $149.99
No more wired or wireless controllers to play your favorite games because YOU are the controller! The new Kinect sensor technology brings you into any Kinect capable game by making your game character move just like you do.
Purchase at: Amazon

Feature photo credit: Dov Harrington

Because Coffee Really Is The Most Important Food Group

Meet my precious: the Keurig coffee maker. The Mother’s Day gift I made my husband and son give me last year. Best gift I ever picked for myself, and trust me, I’ve picked a lot.

I was an avid coffee press person right up until the time my husband suddenly decided to start drinking coffee (what is up that, anyway?). The press became a huge pain because it only holds a couple of cups of coffee, so I would have to boil a second pot of water, clean out the press, etc. Really too much effort for a weekend (I wait for free work coffee during the week), don’t you agree?

Now, I had considered the Keurig before but since I was the only one drinking coffee the press was really ideal. But now that there were two (three if you count my son, who, inexplicably likes coffee) coffee drinkers in the house, this started to sound like a good idea. I could have my stronger coffee, and my husband could have the coffee equivalent of training wheels. And, my son could have a cup of decaf once in a while. Brilliant.

Let’s start with the obvious. This is a nice looking machine. It’s not huge; it probably takes up a bit less space than a conventional coffee maker. It’s slightly rounded in back rather than square so it fits nicely in a corner. The pan on the bottom, where the cup sits, comes out for cleaning and for tall travel cups.

There are three “strengths” you can choose for your cup. A small cup, which would be pretty strong, a medium (think Startbucks) and a tall. You’ll have to play around and try them all to see which suits you. Which is the beauty of the thing really. You can have one cup strong and the next a little mellower. Everybody gets exactly what they want every time with no compromises. I love it when I don’t have to compromise. It’s a little bit of Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one.

The other great thing is that you have many choices in coffee, from mild to bold, organic and not. You can mix and match so there’s something for every mood. Plus you can also get all kinds of tea and hot chocolate. Honestly though, I’m not a huge fan of the hot chocolate (at least the one that comes in the sampler you’ll get with the machine) because it is made with water rather than milk. But that’s a personal preference. And I see that Godiva makes a hot chocolate for the Keurig, so that’s an enticement for me to give it another try. You’ll find the most choice online at Keurig.com, but you can also buy the K-Cups (as they are called) at Bed, Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s, Target and other places. We buy a huge box of the Newman’s Own at BJ’s once a month. It has about 80 cups in it. You can also purchase a refillable cup to use your own coffee in, but to me that defeats the entire purpose because then you have to clean that thing.

Now, the cleanup. Ready? Just take the cup out and toss it. Done. Brilliant.

And the coffee? It is good. And hot. And takes only a few seconds to brew. The machine needs a minute to heat the water when you turn it on, but after that your cup of coffee is done in a flash.

Mother’s Day is coming up. So is Father’s Day. And bridal season. And your birthday. You can thank me later.