BA50 Talkers
BA50s have a tall shopping task ahead as we strain our brains looking for gifts for our aging parents, our friends, our spouses, our kids, and for some of us–our pets. Are there still some of you out there looking for the perfect gift? BA50 to the rescue! We’ve compiled this list from our staff’s suggestions (we tried to exclude someone who was Shopping Impaired , but she actually had a few good suggestions!), and it runs the gamut from Awesome to Sweet–but not necessarily fattening. We hope this helps with your shopping angst. If you want more, go to our Gift Guides section for other great recommendations.
FEATURED GIFTS
1. We Vibe 3 Wireless Silicone G Spot Vibrator with Coochy Cream
What’s the buzz about? This vibrator is not only great when you are alone with your partner (male partner can penetrate as normal). It’s also great fun for a party too, when you and your partner want to share a secret just between the two of you! We-Vibe 3 brings 40% more enjoyment power than previous models, it’s made from medical-grade silicone with health and satisfaction in mind, and it’s designed to stay comfortably in place regardless of sexual position used. And the Coochy Cream is the best rash free cream money can buy.
2. LIQUID SILK 250 ml Liquid Silk Lube Personal Lubricant 2 PACK
Rated by the experts as one of the best lubes on the market. Silky and creamy, this non-glycerin lube is long-lasting and won’t promote yeast growth.
GREAT TECHIE GIFTS
The Klipsch Image S4 in-ear headphones have an unbelievable sound! This is a great gift for an adult kid, and if you buy this model, you will be getting a deal since the next generation of earphones is now available. Believe us, you (or your kid) won’t notice the difference in sound. Comes with a carrying case and different-sized tips to ensure a proper fit.
Price: $49.99 on amazon.com, $79.99 on klipsch.com
2. MOLESKINE EVERNOTE SMART NOTEBOOK
Have a friend who still carries around a notebook? This is the perfect gift for the person who loves writing in longhand, the old fashioned way–but also has a foot in the technology world. The new Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine uses Evernote’s Page Camera feature to capture the pages of your notebook with your smartphone or tablet. A perfect symbiosis of your analog and digital lives.
Price: starts at $29.95 for a 5” x 8” notebook on moleskineus.com.
FOR YOUR FAVORITE BA50
1. MENOPAUSE SOLUTIONS: COOL GARMENTS FOR HOT WOMEN! Check out these wonderful menopause nightgowns and pajamas. This moisture wicking sleepwear helps with night sweats and hot flashes–and they are getting rave reviews. This is the gift that keeps on giving–because it keeps you sleeping. This company is also founded by wonderful BA50 women! These start at $50.00 http://haralee.com/
2. CHILL OUT: LOUNGEWEAR THAT YOU CAN SLEEP IN–with full support! Mariwear is a dream fulfilled — a new, innovative line of loungewear, sleepwear designed for women by women. Finally, you can change at the end of the day into something that gives you built-in shape and support, while being comfortable enough to sleep in. Be free to relax and feel good about the way you look, and only have to change once! Starting at around $50.00. http://www.mariwear.com/
3. THE BEST OF EVERYTHING AFTER 50–Check out Barbara Hannah Grufferman’s “The Best of Everything After 50: The Experts Guide to Style, Sex, Health, Money and More,” a resource book on health, nutrition, career, fitness, sex and other topics that will keep you fit and fabulous. Price: $10.85
4. FOR YOUR WALKING BUDDY: Think 10,000 steps every day…a pedometer is a gift that tells your friend “I want you around forever and I love the gossip during our walks.” You can buy a simple, inexpensive pedometer online through Amazon or at Best Buy and Walmart, to name a few local stores. Price: $22.49 Omron HJ-112 Pocket Pedometer
5. DO IT YOURSELF GARDEN BASKET: You can put this one together! For the BA50 who likes to garden, create your own gift basket that says, “I get you.” Recycle one of those beautiful baskets in your basement and stuff it with tulip, hyacinth and daffodil bulbs, cucumber and zucchini seeds, simple cloth gloves, a spade and claw, a watering can and a gift certificate to one of the many nurseries in the area. All of the fun things a BA50 will need for when that last coat of snow melts.
FOODIE GIFTS
1. BELKIN CHEF STAND AND STYLUS
Have you ever cooked with your tablet on the counter only to have it covered with egg and flour? If you cook with a tablet as your recipe book, it is bound to get “gooped up.” The answer to a clean tablet is the Belkin Chef Stand + Stylus. The stand supports tablets in a nearly flat or upright position. Price: $26.79 on amazon.com, $39.99 on belkin.com
Do you know someone who puts vinegar on top of their ice cream? One of our vinegar-obsessed staff members recently made a trip to Napa Valley, and says this is the best–but it’s gonna cost you. SH Olive Oil has lots of other options if this gift set is too expensive. Check out their olive oils, salts, and other gourmet items. Price: $134.00
http://www.sholiveoil.com/store/products/Balsamic-Vinegar-Gift-Set.html
3. ADOPT AN OLIVE TREE At Nudo Italia, you buy it, they nurture it. Adopt one of Nudo’s olive trees and they will take care of it for you (and no, they will not let you adopt a kid) and make sure it gives you a product you love–olive oil! What a cool idea! You receive the oil it produces every season (three 500 ml cans, four times a year). The details and info about their other wonderful products (like their limited edition panettone) can be found on their website. Price starts at $48.00http://nudo-italia.com/
4. SLATE CHEESE BOARD FROM BROOKLYN SLATE CO.This is authentically rustic and perfect for presenting your favorite cheeses or hors d’oeuvres. The distinctive-edged slate (you can choose either red or black) is sourced from a family quarry in upstate New York. Each board is packaged in a burlap bag and comes with a slip of soapstone chalk. Price: $32.00
http://www.brooklynslate.com/products/special-edition-slate-cheese-board
Buy a Slate Cheese Board on Amazon.com.
5. We love cheese! Here’s a real find from Bee Hive Cheese Co. It’s an artisanal cheese company based in–of all places–Utah? Huh? Whatever! It’s good, and that’s what counts. The Sea Hive is hand-rubbed with local honey and salt, and the Barely Buzzed has hints of espresso and lavender. There are a variety of great samplers, both with and without accompaniments like salami, jams, and crackers. Prices start at $75.99
Shop Online for Beehive Cheese Company Gifts
6. EH CHOCOLATIER CHOCOLATE CLUB
Chocolate as a gift generally does not need much of an explanation- it’s always good!
EH Chocolatier is a small, and independently-owned (by two wonderful women!) company located in Somerville, MA. They produce hand-made chocolates that are often too beautiful to eat –but just try not to! Each month Club Members will receive a chef’s choice box of chocolates and additional treats. Prices start at $115.00
http://www.ehchocolatier.com/chocolate-club/chocolate-club.html
7. GOOD KARMAL WINTER CARAMEL BASKET
This is wild! Each of these yummy caramels is imprinted with a “fortune” inscribed with a quote of wise words. The selection can include flavors like Chipotle, Caramel Apple, and Chocolate Sea Salt, and they all come in a pretty hand-woven gift basket. Prices start at $45.00
http://www.goodkarmal.com/product/winter-gift-basket
COOKBOOK SUGGESTIONS FROM BA50 STAFF
These are the recipes from the amazing Los Angeles restaurants Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza, that are the collaborative effort of chefs Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali. Trying to get into these places can be more difficult than entering Fort Knox, but now that the recipes can be made at home, you can eat while you wait for a reservation. Price: $22.81
Where else would you find a true New York deli than in Brooklyn? The owners of Mile End had a mission to share classic Jewish comfort food in their restaurant, and they have elevated the fare to a higher, more delicious level. They generously share their recipes in this book, and also include their recipes and methods for pickling, preserving, and smoking just about anything.
Price: $16.12
3. Plenty
This is not a book for vegetarians, but it is about vegetables, and the recipes are so wonderful (and the photos so beautiful) that you’ll want to run out and make each one. Price: $27.99
4. The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
We’d bet that most people who follow food blogs know Deb Perelman’s The Smitten Kitchen. This award-winning blog from the woman who believes “there are no bad cooks, just bad recipes,” is written with humor and warmth. And so too, the book, containing almost 100 new recipes and some favorites from the much-loved site. Price: $19.75
5. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home
With recipes for Passion Fruit Frozen Yogurt, Salted Caramel, and Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream, the frozen dessert lover in everyone will scream the praises of this book. There’s also Darkest Chocolate Ice Cream in the World, Queen City Cayenne…we could go on, but we’re too busy swooning. (And we’ve got a brain freeze!) Easy instructions and great photos further enhance the pleasure of reading. Price: $15.10
GREAT GIFTS FOR AN AGING RELATIVE
If “What’s that? I can’t hear you…” or “Oh, the buttons are so small!” are common to your conversations with aging parents, don’t despair. Clarity, a company that specializes in tech products for people with hearing loss, low vision and arthritis, took this frustration and created a solution. Clarity’s Pal™ cell phone amplifies incoming sound up to 25 decibels and makes navigation easy with a large and illuminated dial pad of soft-touch buttons. Plus, Pal’s one-touch emergency call button will give everyone peace of mind. www.claritypal.com. Since it’s an unlocked GSM phone, it’ll be easy to add to the phone provider you like.
2. BAGS DESIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR WHEELCHAIRS, WALKERS AND SCOOTERS!
This a great gift for anyone who has mobility issues. Women who use walkers, wheelchairs, scooters or power chairs don’t have to sacrifice fashion for practicality. With these designer bags–they are actually pretty–women of all ages can maintain their individual sense of style and have a functional carryall bag that will keep all of their personal belongings at hand just like their purses used to do. These bags can also be detached and used as regular bags. Check out the options–the bags start at $59.95. Best of all…if you buy this item you will be supporting a company started by BA50 women! HDSmedallion.com
3. AROMATHERAPY NECK WARMER
This item got an A-plus review from one of our writer’s father-in- law’s 85-year-old girlfriend. (We can barely follow that connection either, so don’t worry…you are not losing it.) For aches and pains, heat is so comforting, but a hot water bottle is so passé. Place this handy neck warmer in the zapper for just a minute and then drape it around the neck or shoulder for some soothing heat. It is filled with organic lavender flowers for aromatherapy, and organic flax seed and rice. Also included is an eye pillow–great to pop into the freezer for cold therapy. Price: $29.95
4. LARGE PRINT NY TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Solving the NY Times crossword puzzle can be frustrating in and of itself, but if you can’t even see the clues (or the puzzle), you might give up before you even get started. If the Senior in your life is still an avid crossword solver, this collection of Times puzzles would be perfect. (Some of us are eagerly awaiting the Sudoku version!) Both the print and diagram are SUPER LARGE! Another collection made up solely of the Sunday puzzles is also available. Price: $10.84
Click here to Buy it on Amazon!
FOR YOUR FAVORITE PET
OMAHA STEAKS DOG TREATS–Yes, we love our pooches, and yes, we spoil them to no end. This gift will just reinforce that. These dog jerky treats are made of the same beef that Omaha Steaks uses in their human-grade jerky. (And our favorite kitty cats will love them too.)
Price: $19.95
or check out some Natural Dog Treats on Amazon.com
