A Word to the Wise

[Mike Null]

FYI........unlike men, who cherish all manner of electrical devices, especially if they're tool related, I've been advised in quite positive terms by SWMBO that there is absolutely nothing which has a cord that can be called a gift. Further, this view is supported by her (our) married daughters.

In plainer English--if it has a cord it ain't a gift!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Mike...what was her tone of voice, volume and facial expression when she made this announcement? What was she doing at the time or what had she been doing just prior to making this announcement?

PS...we have a spare bedroom if you need it.

[Bruce Page]

The bigger question is what were you going to get her? :D

I remember getting something for my first wife years ago, don't remember exactly what it was, but I do remember that she was not too pleased.
Chalk it to one of life's little lessons.

[John Coloccia]

I could so get myself banned from SMC right now, and it would almost be worth it...

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Hey guys.....I think John's trying to imply something about us....


BTW Mike.....I brought this up with my wife a minute ago while eating breakfast. She said it depends on with whom you are dealing. She made it a point that she doesn't like jewelry or fancy clothes......and things with cords are fine with her.

[Jim Koepke]

FYI........unlike men, who cherish all manner of electrical devices, especially if they're tool related, I've been advised in quite positive terms by SWMBO that there is absolutely nothing which has a cord that can be called a gift. Further, this view is supported by her (our) married daughters.

In plainer English--if it has a cord it ain't a gift!

Gee, I am glad the women in my family are more understanding.

The daughters were happy the year I gave them all computers for Christmas.

My wife was very happy and thankful when all new washer, dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator, freezer and wide screen TV came to our home.

I can understand that a vacuum cleaner, can opener, waffle iron or coffee maker might not be met with the same kind of enthusiasm.

My wife is not my mother, but she is the mother of our children. She likes a card on Mother's day. She also likes wood burls or special cuts of wood. So when I was buying a load of ash I also got a couple of nice slices of wood for art work. I used wide masking tape to make some hinges and pasted notes on the inside and outside saying happy Mother's day. I also included an apology for not being able to find an envelope. She loved it and even told the kids when they called about the not being able to find an envelope.

Women like big things especially when they are small… Like diamonds, rubies and pearls.

jtk

[John McClanahan]

My wife doesn't care for jewelry, but she does like power tools for the kitchen! For me, I would rather pick them out myself.

John

[Mike Null]

Some of you guys are pretty lucky. It's not that my wife doesn't like things with cords; she just doesn't think they're appropriate gifts. She is also ready to get rid of the KitchenAid mixer and she doesn't use the food processor any more. I'm going to guard the coffee pot though.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Mike,

There in lies the difference. My wife just got a new food processor....she has 4 to my knowledge......a bread machine.....2 vacumn cleaners......

[David Weaver]

The mistake all of us make is reading something that works with someone else's wife, and then attempting to turn around and apply it to our own wives.

Bad idea!!!

It doesn't even work to try to transpose from MIL to wife.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Here is one of my less-than-brilliant moves:

Noticing that slots for pliers, screwdrivers, etc. would occasionally empty themselves while I was out of the shop, I got the clever idea to get SWMBO - as just one of her presents that Christmas - a small plastic box from the hardware store, and put in it brand new set of Craftsman screwdrivers, pliers, dikes, tape measure, small hammer, small crescent wrench - that type of stuff - for the kitchen.

Whoa, Buddy..........SOMEONE lost their sense of humor. But, in the end, it was "message received". None of those slots ever turned up empty again, and other, more specialized things that do get borrowed from time-to-time always immediately return home.

[Jim Becker]

I could so get myself banned from SMC right now, and it would almost be worth it...

Yea...being a "family oriented" forum, some of the exceptions to the rule shaln't be mentioned... ;)

[David G Baker]

I lived with my second wife for just over 25 years and I was never able to give her a gift that she liked. I never gave up trying until I left and moved to Michigan leaving her in California with all of the gifts that I bought her over the years. My leaving may have been the one gift that she liked but she sure seemed angry about it and still is ten years later.

[Ryan Mooney]

Here is one of my less-than-brilliant moves:

Noticing that slots for pliers, screwdrivers, etc. would occasionally empty themselves while I was out of the shop, I got the clever idea to get SWMBO - as just one of her presents that Christmas - a small plastic box from the hardware store, and put in it brand new set of Craftsman screwdrivers, pliers, dikes, tape measure, small hammer, small crescent wrench - that type of stuff - for the kitchen.

Whoa, Buddy..........SOMEONE lost their sense of humor. But, in the end, it was "message received". None of those slots ever turned up empty again, and other, more specialized things that do get borrowed from time-to-time always immediately return home.

Hah, I have the opposite problem. I tend to have a bad habit of "borrowing" tupperware or bowls (not the nice ones!! lesson learned!!) and using them in the shop for various potions and mixtures (many of which are NOT conducive to said article returning to its original purpose). Not a popular move let me tell you :D Maybe I need to just go get my own.

[Brian Ashton]

Then cut the cord off it and give it to her... problem solved.

[Dan Hintz]

Amy was quite ecstatic to get her iPad 2 for a combined birthday/Chanukkah present (couldn't get it in time for Chanukkah, was even late for her birthday by a month or more... gave her a box with a picture of it inside), and the Motorola Charge smart phone I got her last week has been a real hit. Being corded isn't a bad thing, it just depends on what they're after.





And john/Jim... if you guys need corded, you're not doing it right :p

[Larry Edgerton]

Here is one of my less-than-brilliant moves:

Noticing that slots for pliers, screwdrivers, etc. would occasionally empty themselves while I was out of the shop, I got the clever idea to get SWMBO - as just one of her presents that Christmas - a small plastic box from the hardware store, and put in it brand new set of Craftsman screwdrivers, pliers, dikes, tape measure, small hammer, small crescent wrench - that type of stuff - for the kitchen.

Whoa, Buddy..........SOMEONE lost their sense of humor. But, in the end, it was "message received". None of those slots ever turned up empty again, and other, more specialized things that do get borrowed from time-to-time always immediately return home.

I just bought my wife a Kennedy tool box. She loved it!

I bought her a really cool shoulder Vacuum. She loved it!

I have bought her a Kitchenaid, a Kayak, a car, a stove, a lawnmower, a trimmer just her size, her own tool set, etc. etc.

I have been working a lot and have not gotten to the slow bathroom drain, and she went and bought a drain snake and did it herself while I was at work. Yesterday she bought the brick for the chimney on the new house and helped me move them.
And, we had fun.....

Years ago I did buy her a diamond necklace with yellow gold chain. She said I should know she only buys white gold!

I told her right then and there that she will never get another piece of jewelry from me, and other than a wedding ring I never have again. I don't buy clothes, or anything else she wears, except winter coats.

So.... as you can see different things work for different people. My wife loves me and knows I love her, and she does not place conditions on it or test me. I am the same way with her, what she does is fine, what she buys is fine and at the end of the day I want to be sitting on the other end of the couch with her.

Of course it took me three wives to find one so cool.............

[Rod Sheridan]

Different people appreciate different gifts.

One year I bought a pair of Metzler tires for Diann's bike, and gave them to her for Valentines Day.

That was part of the "Nothing says "I love you more than a set of tires" approach.

The guys at work were planning to check the obituaries to see how well my plan worked out.

Diann was elated to receive a set of tires for her bike..................Your personal experience with this approach may vary...........Rod.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I just bought my wife a Kennedy tool box. She loved it!

I bought her a really cool shoulder Vacuum. She loved it!

I have bought her a Kitchenaid, a Kayak, a car, a stove, a lawnmower, a trimmer just her size, her own tool set, etc. etc.

I have been working a lot and have not gotten to the slow bathroom drain, and she went and bought a drain snake and did it herself while I was at work. Yesterday she bought the brick for the chimney on the new house and helped me move them.
And, we had fun.....

Years ago I did buy her a diamond necklace with yellow gold chain. She said I should know she only buys white gold!

I told her right then and there that she will never get another piece of jewelry from me, and other than a wedding ring I never have again. I don't buy clothes, or anything else she wears, except winter coats.

So.... as you can see different things work for different people. My wife loves me and knows I love her, and she does not place conditions on it or test me. I am the same way with her, what she does is fine, what she buys is fine and at the end of the day I want to be sitting on the other end of the couch with her.

Of course it took me three wives to find one so cool.............

Larry.....I lucked out the same way but under different circumstances.....got drafted....enlisted...got a 51 day delayed entry....12 days to go...told my drinking buddies I would like a date with a blonde with a good personality......They said they knew the girl where did I want to meet her for the date? The next night, a Saturday night....she met me in a parking lot of local hamburger joint and we went for our first date......the next day on Sunday she brought her 2 kids from her first marriage and we went on a picnic....the next evening we went on a date and I asked her to marry me. 8 days later I left for bootcamp after signing over my checking and savings accounts. 2 days after I got home from bootcamp we were married. 3 years later after reenlisting, I adopted those 2 kids and we eventually had one more child. We celebrated our 42nd anniversary this past Christmas Eve.....like your wife....she's very level headed.....great heart and personality......and I just want to continue to share our lives together.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Corded AND gasoline motored things both work at our house. Sue was thrilled the year she got a new glass topped stove for Christmas since she had been less than subtly hinting for months about the immenent death of the old 4 burner stove. Ditto the year she got a new computer, the year of the new kitchen lighting, etc. While I use the tractor to mow the lawn, Sue doesn't like to use it and I bought her a push lawnmower and later she got a 2 wheeled string trimmer for brush. On the other hand, the occasional bit of jewelry is now acceptable after many many years of her not wearing it. Evolution I guess. She thinks the presents are nice, but the real enthusiastic response is when I do a small unexpected kindness like a load of laundry or two. We both tend to do the traditional married division of household chores, but we are not adverse to occasional changes or reassignment.

[Belinda Barfield]

Geez, I'd be happy just to get a gift - corded or not. The SO doesn't do gifts . . . ever. Once when I returned from a particularly serious doctor visit for a biopsy I found flowers on my desk.

[Matt Day]

What happened to "it's the thought that counts"? Not even curling irons, hair driers, heated towel racks, or electronic gadgets?

I'm very lucky to have an understanding wife, and she is honest. I've tried really hard in the past to get her gifts I think she'll like, but she's admittedly very selective (read picky) with her purchases and she appreciates how hard I try but she usually returns it. It did bother me a little at first, but it makes sense. How many of us have gotten gifts and never used it or enjoyed it? Seems like a waste of money doesn't it? She and I have come to the understanding that she needs to drop hints of what she wants and I'll get it. To me this means she basically tells me what she wants, because being a man I don't pick up on the ways of the fairer sex most of the time. Or, she buys it herself, shows me, and thanks me for the great Chistmas/anniversary/birthday gift. I do the same, except I just put a list of tools or cycling stuff together and give it to her, or buy it myself. Makes life easier and less stressful around the holidays!

[Bonnie Campbell]

Along the line of 'hints'... why do so many women think their extremely subtle hints are going to be noted? Geesh! Tell the poor guy what you want! My daughter is horrible about expecting her husband to read her mind. I told her I didn't want to hear ONE complaint from her again about a gift he buys her.

I've gotten appliances, jewelry, a ladders, a wagon, tools and what not as gifts. I've appreciated whatever I've gotten. Guess I'm an oddball.

[Larry Edgerton]

Larry.....I lucked out the same way but under different circumstances.....got drafted....enlisted...got a 51 day delayed entry....12 days to go...told my drinking buddies I would like a date with a blonde with a good personality......They said they knew the girl where did I want to meet her for the date? The next night, a Saturday night....she met me in a parking lot of local hamburger joint and we went for our first date......the next day on Sunday she brought her 2 kids from her first marriage and we went on a picnic....the next evening we went on a date and I asked her to marry me. 8 days later I left for bootcamp after signing over my checking and savings accounts. 2 days after I got home from bootcamp we were married. 3 years later after reenlisting, I adopted those 2 kids and we eventually had one more child. We celebrated our 42nd anniversary this past Christmas Eve.....like your wife....she's very level headed.....great heart and personality......and I just want to continue to share our lives together.

My first date with my wife was 10 days in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and on up the St. Laurance and back to Michigan. We stayed at all the best places, a couple of 5 Stars, and had a riot. I explained to her that it was all going to be downhill from there.

When we got married we spent a week in a remote cabin with no running water, read that an out house, and fished and Kayaked in the Lake Superior area. That is the one she always talks about. I am a lucky man indeed!

She just called me, a thing that happens every Monday, to explain that she misses me, the normal Monday morning withdrawals. I feel the same.

Finally! So this is what it is supposed to be like......... I burnt up a lot of years trying to make the wrong people happy.

Larry

[Jim Koepke]

She is also ready to get rid of the KitchenAid mixer

I bet my Chocolate, chocolate chip cookie recipe would get her to keep it. Just make sure she knows you need the mixer to make them.

Ingredients

2 cups of all purpose flour
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1 t. salt (I have left this out and not noticed)
1 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon

1/2 pound butter, softened
1-1/2 cup brown sugar (white sugar does not taste as good)

2 eggs (without eggs, dough is drier and cookies thinner & crisper)
1 T vanilla
1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine in a bowl flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and clove if used and set aside.

In a large bowl mix the butter and brown sugar until smooth. This is easier if the butter is softened in a microwave first. Beat in eggs and vanilla. If fudge ice cream topping is used, heat in microwave or water bath and blend in at this time.

Gradually add flour mixture. Add chocolate chips and other desired goodies. The dough should be stiff, add more flour if needed cocoa powder can also be added.

Using two tea spoons scoop up a little of the cookie dough in one spoon and use the other to scrape it off onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies should not look wet on top when removing from the oven. Small cookies take less time than large cookies. Your time may vary.

Options: 1/4 t. clove powder, macadamia nuts, any kind of nuts, more chocolate chips or add white chocolate chips, mint chips, add half of jar of Dove Dark Chocolate ice cream topping or place a chocolate covered coffee bean on the top of some of the cookies as they are removed from the oven.

jtk

[Jim Rimmer]

LOML comes up with some great ideas for gifts. Since our anniversary comes close to Mother's Day it's hard for me sometimes. This year for M Day she wanted a bedroom repainted and for anniversary she wanted me to finish the refinishing job on her parents' bedroom suite that she inherited. I got both done just in the nick of time and she was pleased. The plus side of this is she asked what I would like as an anniversary gift and I told her that I had just bought a used Leigh DT jig and that it could be my gift. I had been trying to figure out how to break that news and it went just fine and got me off the hook for buying "just one more" tool. :D

[John Hemenway]

FYI........unlike men, who cherish all manner of electrical devices, especially if they're tool related, I've been advised in quite positive terms by SWMBO that there is absolutely nothing which has a cord that can be called a gift. Further, this view is supported by her (our) married daughters.

In plainer English--if it has a cord it ain't a gift!

Sounds like you need to shop for gifts in the Lie-Nielsen catalog!

[Roy Turbett]

What about gasoline engines? I was considering a new chain saw for my wife.

[Jim Koepke]

What about gasoline engines? I was considering a new chain saw for my wife.

Be sure to get the hockey mask to go with it.

jtk

[Mike Cruz]

I'm with you, John...biting my tongue. Not to mention, if my wife somehow read what I would write, being banned from SMC would be the least of my worries. ;) :D :rolleyes:

[Brian Ashton]

I bought her a really cool shoulder Vacuum. She loved it!



In our house I'm the one that gets all happy about a new vacuum cleaner. I'm that particular about them I ordered my latest one out of the UK. Where as the latest and greatest cordless tool I could careless about.

[Leo Graywacz]

Tell your wife you agree with her. Then take the dishwasher, clothe washer, cloth dryer and throw them away. Replace it a dish towel and a sink basin, a washboard and a tub and a clothes line.

See how much she likes it when you give her corded gifts back to her.

[Stephen Tashiro]

Nothing with cord can be considered a gift? This brings to mind an irresistible practical joke for some birthday or Christmas. A present is unwrapped to reveal a 50 ft extension cord, but when it is examined closely, one end contains a small box with diamond ring or some suitable "real" gift.

[Dan Hintz]

In our house I'm the one that gets all happy about a new vacuum cleaner. I'm that particular about them I ordered my latest one out of the UK. Where as the latest and greatest cordless tool I could careless about.
Both Amy and I were quite excited about getting a Dyson... in fact, I believe it was a partial birthday present one year. Those things are awesome!

[Art Mulder]

Different people appreciate different gifts.

I'm trying to adopt that attitude... but I confess I'm really puzzled by the number of times someone mentions a dishwasher, or fridge, or washer/dryer as a present. (both here and in other threads over the years.) To my wife and I those are just part of the house, and they fall under the household budget.

But back to the original topic... Well I did by my wife a mac mini a few years ago, and she was quite delighted with that "corded" present. But otherwise I can't recall a single corded present. Just picking a present at all is a tough time, since my beloved does not have expensive tastes and if she really needed something, then we'd probably just go and get it. So like others I usually depend on her giving me a list -- getting that list is hard enough!

Fortunately she is delighted every time I show up with some flowers "just because"...

[Chris Kennedy]

I always buy my wife several gifts for her birthday and Christmas -- one practical, one silly, and one romantic. It covers all the bases.

Anniversary gifts have always been more household oriented. One of our first anniversaries, I bought "us" a food processor, and my wife couldn't have been happier. Anniversary gifts/purchases have continued in the same vein over the last ten years.

Chris