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Handmade gift of the week: Date Night Jar

Every couple needs one of these! And if you don’t have one, this is a great gift idea for your partner’s next birthday…



Why we love it:
1. It’s thoughtful – you can show how much you know and care about your partner by adding activities that they like to do to the jar. You could even include the names of your favourite restaurants or take-away places. 
2. You can have fun with the colour theme – use coloured popsicle sticks or keep them plain for a more organic look. You could pop them in a glass, mason jar, wooden box or any other type of vessel that you could imagine. 
3. You could even make a jar like this for the kids or a close friend and get them to pick an activity the next time you can’t decide what to do or where to meet up. 

Check out our other handmade gifts here…

What activities would you put in your jar? We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…

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Book of the month: Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross has made me even more grateful to be a woman living in 2015. This book falls under the genre of Historical Fiction – unfamiliar territory for me, but well worth a read. Here’s why…

What it’s about:
“For a thousand years, her existence has been denied. She is the legend that will not die–Pope Joan, a controversial figure of historical record who, disguised as a man, rose to rule Christianity in the 9th century as the first and only woman to sit on the throne of St. Peter.”

This is the story of an intelligent young girl who escapes the contempt of her misogynous Priest father. Following the death of her eldest brother Matthew, Joan and her other brother, John travel to a schola (school) where they are both educated and taught to read (a rare opportunity for a woman in this era). 

Following a Viking attack on their village (of which Joan is the sole survivor), Joan pretends to be her brother and dresses as a man to protect herself as she flees to the monastery of Fulda. Retaining the identity of her brother, she is initiated into the brotherhood as Brother John Anglicus. Joan becomes a great scholar and healer and eventually decides to travel to Rome to further her knowledge and reduce the risk of her true identity being revealed. 

Once in Rome, Joan’s intelligence and quick-thinking are rewarded as she becomes the personal physician to the Pope Sergius. Through some fortunate twists of fate, Joan is soon reunited with her one true love, Gerold and rises through the ranks to become the first female Pope. But Joan is forced to make a decision between love and power…and pay the price. 

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross



Likes:

  • Woolfolk Cross’ vivid description of life during the 9th century demonstrates significant research into society and culture throughout Europe’s Dark Ages. Despite being labelled as “Fiction”, I finished the book feeling like I had been thoroughly educated about this period, especially on key events such as the Borgo fire that destroyed over three-quarters of the Vatican, and the Battle of Fontenoy, resulting in the loss of around 40,000 men. 
  • The book raises women’s age-old dilemma of balancing family and career, whilst exploring themes of gender equality, love, religion, politics and power. 

Dislikes:

  • The further you get through the book (or if you read anything about this story before reading the book) the more predictable the ending becomes. There are other ways I would have liked the book to end, but since the book is based on historical events, I understand this isn’t possible and enjoyed it regardless. 

Why you should read it:

  • The legend of Pope Joan is a fascinating mystery.  
  • Despite being set over a thousand years ago, Joan faces and overcomes challenges that are relatable and similar to the ones faced by women (and men) today. 

Read more about author Donna Woolfolk Cross and this book here…


Here are some other books you might enjoy…


What was the last book that you read? Did you enjoy it? We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…

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Thursday Thought…

“You leave old habits behind by starting out with the thought, ‘I release the need for this in my life’.” Wayne Dyer

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Handy Home Tip: How to dry clothes quickly

You need that school uniform or pair of jeans dry in a hurry…here’s how to fast-track your tumble drying time…



This Handy Home Tip was kindly shared with us by The Household Helper – your go-to hub; providing tips, tricks, hints and how-tos for keeping your home sparkling clean. From the kitchen, to the bathroom and everything in between, their mission is to share more than 100 years of expertise from the team at Pental Products, owners of some of your most trusted household helpers. Check out their Facebook page for more helpful tips…

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PRODUCT OF THE WEEK: Cyber Clean High-Tech Cleaning Compound

If you can’t remember the last time you cleaned your mobile phone or computer then keep reading – this product is for you!
How it works: 
This pliable cleaning compound is designed to ‘squish’ into small cavities to remove dirt and germs. 

Why you need this:
  • This cleaning compound is safe and effective – it does a great job and doesn’t damage your precious devices. 
  • You can use it on multiple devices – computers, phones, calculators, electronic organisers, PDAs, MP3 players, etc. 
  • It doesn’t leave residuee
  •  It has a proven disinfecting action
  • This is a great gift for gadget-lovers, work colleagues or when you need a useful, unusual gift

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Hello June!

Happy Birthday to everyone celebrating their birthday this month!

Did you know that you have multiple Birth Stones: Pearl, Alexandrite and Moonstone and your Birth Flower is the rose?
Are you celebrating a birthday this month? If so, let us know what’s on your birthday ‘Wish List’ in the comments below…

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Competition time!

We’re pretty excited about a new brand we have just discovered: Go Comb. 

The only thing is, we need some help picking which colours, so this week we have a slightly different type of competition. We’d love your opinion on which colours we should stock. Simply pick the comb you like best for your chance to win it!

To enter:


1. Visit the Mr Gift Facebook page to find this competition. Like the Mr Gift Facebook page, as well as the Facebook competition post.

2. Comment on the Facebook post by telling us: Which colour do you like best?
3. Comp ends midnight Thursday 4/6/15 and winner will be randomly selected (open to Australian residents only, sorry!).
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Recipe of the Week: Jam Drops

Today is Biscuit Day, so we thought we’d share one of our all-time favourite biscuit recipes with you…

The humble Jam Drop is a firm favourite in our family. This classic biscuit recipe should be a staple in every household. 

Here’s why we love Jam Drops:
1. They are easy to whip up last minute if you need to bring a plate for morning tea
2. They are fun to make with the kids
3. They’re an ideal crowd-pleaser for fundraisers, parties or functions
4. The ingredients are simple and usually available in most households at any given time. 

Image from www.thefifowife.com.au

Ingredients:
125g butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs 
2 cups self raising flour
Jam

Method: 
1. Cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. 
2. Sift flour into the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix to combine. 
3. Make mixture into stiff balls (approx. the size of a walnut) and place on greased oven tray
4. Dip the end of a wooden spoon into flour and use this to make a hole in each ball
5. Fill each hole with jam
6. Bake in a moderate (180 degrees celcius) for approx. 10 minutes or until biscuits are lightly golden. 

Tips: 
1. Experiment with different flavoured jams – we usually use raspberry, but marmalade, fig and homemade jams are also delicious. 
2. Biscuits can be dusted with icing sugar to ‘dress up’ for a special occasion. 

Check out our other recipes here…

What’s your favourite biscuit recipe? 
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…