I bought one of these for my husband several years ago, but now it is one of my favorite things ~ an Electric Towel Warmer. We first saw these while traveling in Europe where they were fairly common. I'm not sure why they aren't used more in the states. I thought it would make a great gift for Brent as he is an earlier morning runner - how nice it would be for him to come in from a dark, cold run to shower and dry off with a warm and toasty towel. I was right - it is nice to dry off with a warm and toasty towel, even for me without the dark and cold run! As an added benefit, your towels dry out thoroughly so they never get that musty smell. There are two different types of towel warmers - hard-wired wall mount, like we have, or those that stand alone on the floor and plug into an outlet. I think we paid about $200, but there is a variety of styles and price ranges to choose from. Try one and turn your bathroom into a mini home spa!

Keep the tissues handy - you will laugh until you cry - at the Thou Shalt Laugh DVD. This is a collection of six family-friendly stand up comedians, including our favorite, Taylor Mason. This guy is a genius, although I would have not wanted to be his teacher, and especially not his mom! Mason is an amazing ventriloquist. He, along with his puppet friends, Romeo who packs quite an attitude and Paco, the pig with the Mexican accent, will have your entire family laughing hysterically. I picked up this DVD before vacation a few years ago and we received Thou Shalt Laugh Deuce as a gift last year. We watched portions again over the weekend, and it is as funny now as it was the first time. And here is some good news, as I was writing this post, I noticed that Thou Shalt Laugh 3 is now available. Guess what's going on my Christmas list....

Our New Family Favorite ~ Lawry's Teriyake Marinade over boneless, skinless chicken thighs

My boys love this so much, that if I ask them what they want for dinner, they always pick this, even if we had it for dinner the previous night! My husband likes it because the boneless, skinless thighs are a uniform thickness and grill up quick and easy. I like it because it is relatively healthy and much more flavorful than chicken breasts. Just toss them in some of this marinade for at least 30 minutes, then on to the grill. It's a great main dish to accompany fresh summer vegetables like sweet corn or green beans. Try this - you will not be disappointed.

Corkscrews for Dummies

This is it – a dummy proof corkscrew. The grips wrap around the bottle and the lever gently eases the corkscrew down then up and out. Perfect – every time. No cork floaters in the Chardonnay any more. You can find these under a couple of different brand names – Houdini, Rabbit, or Screwpull – and a variety of price points. I think mine was in the $20-25 range from Target. If you, like me, are a total klutz when it comes to traditional corkscrews, you will love this one.