The Snuggie infomercials are wearing me down; I find myself declaring almost daily that "blankets are okay, but they can slip and slide, and when I need to reach for something, my hands are trapped inside!" I refuse to give in to the Snuggie propaganda, because at the end of the day, the Snuggie is just not cool. In my search for an alternative, I found the extremely cool Icelandic wool Seal Pelt. It allows me to use the remote, my laptop, talk on the phone, and answer the door, without getting cold. I might never take it off.

You gather up all your gear and romantic notions and trek into the wilderness for a weekend of wild love, but then the wilderness gets in the way; you argue as you wrestle with erecting a tent, your pyromaniac partner won't let you touch the fire, you get gigantic bug bites all over your arse, and SOMEONE forgets the ketchup. The idea of trying to squeeze into one sleeping bag to do that other thing bears do in the woods is crazy, unless you have a Big Agnes doublewide sleeping bag. It's designed for two people, has a zipper on each side to allow easy access for both sleepers, and the shell repels water so that a freak storm can't dampen passions.

I am on a countdown to finish a handknit baby blanket before my trip to Ireland next week; only half a blanket to go, embroidery to cover wonky stitches, and then a backing to sew on. I know my friend will love my imperfect (unfinished?) gift, just as I also know she would have loved this perfect blanket. The Noonie is "made from the softest fabric available" (the lining is made with luxurious white minky) and is designed to swaddle baby in style and ease. It's available in lots of cool patterns and organic fabrics and would look amazing in baby pictures (ahem, mine will look amazing in a low-light room).