I’ve been meaning to write about John’s 26th birthday present since last July, and now seems as good a time as any: Valentine’s Day is coming up, and I know a lot of y’all are looking for sweet, low-cost, and thoughtful gifts for your significant others! (Me too.) Since his birthday fell on a week day last year, I wrapped up a few small packages — one for every two hours he would be at work — and marked them with the times they were to be opened. I kept the packaging discreet so as not to embarrass him in front of his coworkers :)

I can’t remember all of the gifts, but I know I included a can of his favorite limonata at 12:30 (lunch!), a gift certificate for a bucket of balls at our local driving range, a $10 Chick-fil-a gift card, an issue of a favorite magazine, and a can of tennis balls. The gifts kept rolling after he got home; I even put a late-night one in the freezer — a package of Dove bars! Yep, it was wrapped, too :)

I did get him a larger gift that he opened after work, but I think (hope) the best part of last year’s celebration was the hourly reminder that he was loved and thought of, even if we weren’t together.

P.S. Looking for Valentine’s Day goodies for friends? Here are a few I’ve made in the past: crepe paper chocolate, felt fortune cookies, clever cards, and wrapped chocolate.

Friends! Thank you so much for your kind input on my first Christmas card post. You guys are just the best. I loved hearing about your plans for your own cards, and about how much you love Minted, too! Here’s how the voting ended up this year:

I could easily have seen us choosing any of the three top vote-getters. However, we ended up going with a late-breaking photo, and then choosing a totally new design to complement it!

It’s the Winter Pines card by Alethea & Ruth. We really liked this design because it communicated well what we wanted to wish our loved ones — peace, love, and joy. The photo is by Bryce Covey, taken at our friends’ wedding. (By the way, that’s one of my best tricks for getting a good photo if you don’t have the budget for an individual session — wedding photographers are usually happy to take quick couple or family portraits during cocktail hour when not much else is going on, and everyone’s already dressed up!)

Here’s a peek at our second annual family newsletter. Many of you asked whether it would be back, and here it is! By the way, I COMPLETELY forgot to follow up after this post, but we are indeed an aunt and uncle!! Tegan was born on December 12, and she’s so cute — we just got back from spending the weekend with her and the rest of my family!

One other thing I wanted to mention — it’s important to us that our Christmas cards are not all about us. We send them out at Christmas to share our joy at the birth of our Savior with the people we love the most, and we want to remind people of that in a personal way. That’s why we include a few thoughts on what Christmas means to us. It’s also good for us to stop and put it into words!

Each card got dressed up with an address and some washi tape. I had the perfect mint, jade, and kelly green rolls already in my stash!

Not one of our cards goes out without a personal note (probably a holdover from my childhood — I can remember sitting around the kitchen table with my siblings and parents, signing what seemed like hundreds of letters from a very young age!). Here’s one for y’all:

Yes, I had some help sending these out :) Hope you love them!

As I sit here adding the final details to the last gift guide of 2013, my sister is in labor!! It’s only appropriate, since these gifts are all for the littles. The number of babies and kids in my circle has seemingly grown exponentially this year, which is giving me a chance to indulge in all the adorable goodies for the under-ten set. Some of them are more expensive, but all are beautiful and built to last for years.

A. Wooden state teether ($12) | Handmade in Utah from Hard Rock Maple, a wood that’s naturally antibacterial, non-allergenic, and non-toxic.
B. Great Day plate ($25) | Adorable design to start a fun family tradition from my friend Emily Ley.
C. Wooden block set ($49) | The colors of these blocks make them pretty enough to leave out on the coffee table full time.
D. Pluck carrot memory game ($36) | We recently bought this for a two-year-old, and it is SO CUTE in person! The detail is fantastic.
E. Travel tic tac toe ($14) | Love this handsome wood set for games on the go.
F. Knitted jacket ($32) | Anything with ears automatically moves to the top of my shopping list.
G. Memory game ($20) | Choose twelve of your favorite photos to build this custom memory game. A perfect way to remember and talk about far-flung family members!
H. Knit garland ($64) | Perfect colors for a boy’s room.
I. Noah’s ark ($108) | Adorable, and beautifully made. Layla Grace often runs discounts, so sign up for their email list before you buy!
J. Livingroom lanes bowling set ($59) | Since my first niece or nephew will live in the frigid land of Minnesota, this awesome indoor game will likely be a future present.
K. Melamine bee plate ($6) | Dinnerware for kids has come a long way, friends.
L. Soft fox ($38) | Foxes are my favorite, and this one is extra cute. I also love the Bla Bla fox.
M. Print teaspoons ($38) | Since these acrylic, dishwasher safe melamine teaspoons are smaller than usual, I think they’d be perfect for little hands!

Not included in this gift guide: books. Books are one of my favorite gifts to buy for little friends, but I’ll probably write a whole post on my favorites one day!

Am I the only one who sometimes wants to buy things for her future children, even if they’re years away?? Please say no. Kid things are just so cute!

Affiliate links are used in this post!

This year’s first two gift guide installments offered up many lovely things (and many I’d love to give and get), but I think I’m most proud of today’s. I’ve never done a gift guide for the gents before, largely because I think men are more difficult to shop for, in general, and also because I think the best gifts for men tend to be more specific (whereas, in general, a lot of gals would be pleased with a lot of the same things). I probably won’t be able to come up with this many male gift ideas for another five years, so enjoy! :)

A. Clean bottle ($10) | There probably should be a “brought to you by Shark Tank” disclaimer on this post. The Clean bottle was an ST discovery, and I think it’s brilliant — a water bottle that’s super easy to clean because it unscrews on both ends!
B. Wrought iron fire pit ($40) | We bought my brother in law a fire pit last year, and I must say, it was one of my more genius gift ideas. S’mores for all!
C. Light n’ go bonfire log ($10) | We also got Cormac this nifty log thing — it’s like a self-contained bonfire!
D. Flavored chili salts ($12) | These salts (flavored with different chilis) are perfect for the gent who loves to cook!
E. A Walk in the Woods ($8) | I would recommend Bill Bryson books to anyone, even those who don’t consider themselves readers. He’s laugh out loud funny and smart; A Walk in the Woods is one of our favorites.
F. Junior travel bag ($54) | Handsome dopp kit made from genuine Pendleton wool.
G. Red chambray tie ($16) | We bought John this tie a few weeks ago, and we both love it! It can be dressed up or dressed down, and is always casually cool.
H. Gosling freaker ($10) | Yep, you have Shark Tank to thank for this one, too. It’s a koozie (handmade in the US!) that fits any bottle! You have to check out this episode — the founder is a little nutty. Beep bop!
I. Sunglasses case ($12.50) | A manly (and safe) home for your gent’s specs.
J. Salsa Collection Gift Box ($36) | Cherry Republic is an awesome small business in Michigan (I wrote about them here and here). John is a salsa fiend, and highly recommends this sample box!
K. Nest thermostat ($250) | This one is more of a major gift, but it’s a good one! The Nest thermostat learns your habits and automatically adjusts your thermostat accordingly, plus you can control it from your smart phone. John’s wanted one for years!
L. White Whale mixers ($13.50) | Made from exotic juices and garden-fresh herbs in Durham, NC!
M. Tell The Ones I Love by the Steep Canyon Rangers ($15) | Have a bluegrass lover in your life? This CD is one of our favorites.
N. Leather dopp kit ($78) | Handsome and embroidered. I love the custom-stained antique caramel color!
O. Bezl iPhone case ($20) | I have my friend Will to thank for this last one, which just might be the most minimal case ever invented. Watch the video — it’s pretty neat.

Whew! I hope that gives you a few good ideas for the gents in your life! I’d love for you to share other suggestions in the comments — I’m always on the hunt for tried and true options!