Gift giving woes...

"We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers."

-Seneca

September... the month that I realize Christmas is approaching (and dread it a little bit). "What brings this on this insight?" you ask. Every year my mother-in-law's birthday (Sept 16th) makes me realize that in the next few months, I must come up with not one, but two gifts for her. She is not an easy person to shop for. Our tastes could not be more different, and she basically buys whatever she wants. I've almost given up on finding the perfect gift that she'll ooh and aah over, but I still want to find something that she'll like. Needless to say, it's been a headache.

However, this year, inspired by the whole "in-a-box" concept that's a popular topic on Craftster.org, I put together a "mountain getaway-in-a-bag." (She wanted us all to meet up in the Great Smokies this weekend to celebrate, but realized it was too late to make reservations. Still sounds like something interesting for a later date, though.)

So here's a breakdown of what's inside:

• "To research a mountain getaway" : Great Smokies/Blue Ridge Mtns guidebook
• "To make plans and to record memories" : two small journals from Target
• "To mark must-see sights" : Post-It note flags
• "To snack on the trail" : a bag of trail mix from Target
• "To pamper and relax" : a manicure set and a bath fizz ball from Michael's
• "To bring the outside in" : an Autumn Leaves scented candle from Target (not pictured, because I had forgotten about it... had to reopen the package to add it)

One birthday present down... one Christmas present left to go. Fingers crossed she likes it!