posted
I'm coming up on my sixth anniversary (iron/sugar), and struggling with ideas of what to get for my wife. We just had valentine's day, so candy seems redundant, not to mention boring. Fireplace tools are neither romantic nor even particularly sentimental. I do most of the cooking, so cast-iron cookware would more or less be getting myself a present.
posted
I presume your child/children is/are young. If so, then surprise your wife with a babysitter and a night out.
Posts: 195 | Registered: Nov 2005
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But seriously, you are married to the lady, not to the list of traditional gifts. So just get her something that she would like, and forget about the iron/sugar suggestion.
If it were me, I'd certainly appreciate a night on the town, dinner at a nice restaurant and a show.
Jewelry, of course, is always appropriate. Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
I'm not married to the list, but we've been doing well with them so far, albeit with some amusing permutations. For "cotton" I got her a parcel of "cotton blossom" scented products from Bath & Body Works, for instance. For "paper" I gave her a framed copy of my vows.
We will probably find a sitter and go out in any case.
The jewelry idea might be interesting. They're doing neat things with hematite...
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
Find someplace you can pick up a bag of Cotton Candy. (Sugar.) If you get jewelry that's not delicate, drop it inside the hole in the center, so she finds it as she eats the candy. Dont' do this with, say, opals. But something with hematite would probably be fine.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
I think it is a really cute tradition. It makes me want to try it. I don't have any suggestions though for iron or sugar that's a tough one. Tell us what you end up choosing. I'm curious.
Posts: 416 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
In massage, we give "sugar" (effleurage or light stroking) after some deep work. I suggest getting her a massage. That's sugar I know most women wouldn't turn down!
Posts: 161 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
ooh I love ElJay's idea!! And hematite, in addition to being simply lovely (imho) is iron oxide, so there's your iron.
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Bake her a cake or pie. Those have plenty of sugar. If you make a cake, you can even put hematite jewelry in/on it (I'd suggest on. I'd be mad if I stumbled upon a surprise in my food.)
This assumes that hematite isn't toxic and won't break down due to contact with the food. I don't think either of these are the case, but you should check first...
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
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I wore braces for nearly 3 years. Cotton Candy is almost the perfect candy for braces. You can wad it into little bites that don't even touch the braces, and the sugar is so fluffy if any got on the braces it would dissolve very quickly. Her natural saliva would wash the braces clean easily. I mean, seriously, I can't think of any other food that would be better for braces than cotton candy. Certainly not anything she actually had to chew.
But enough of that. I kind of like the massage, or day at the spa idea. There's a spa in my small town that offers "Chocolate" packages where they serve chocolates along with whatever massage/facial/manicure/pedicure/etc package you choose. That would cover the sugar thing well.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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quote:This assumes that hematite isn't toxic and won't break down due to contact with the food. I don't think either of these are the case, but you should check first...
Another cautionary note, a lot of what's sold as "hematite" is actually "hemalyke" or "hemalike" (i.e. imitation hematite). To my knowledge, it's also an iron ore based substance, but it is not natural. I'm not sure what all the differences are, but if what you buy is mass-produces, really inexpensive, or sold in one of those ring/bracelet/necklace kiosks in the mall, the chances are very high that it's not natural hematite. (Not that I see that much diffence in quality or value between the two, but if leaching or contamination are an issue, you might want to research further.)
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
Yeah, I've seen so much real hematite on the Oregon and Washington coasts that it's a little baffling that anyone would make the equivalent of a cubic zirconium version...
Thanks for the info, KarlEd.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
Jewelry hidden in food is a romantic start to spending the evening getting a broken tooth repaired.
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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I think the reason for "faux" hematite is more due to the ease of manufacturing than the expense or unavailability of natural hematite.
If I'm not mistaken, natural hematite is carved. It's also very brittle. I'm pretty sure hemalike and other faux hematite is melted and formed. I know some fake hematite is actually glass with a metallic coating. The fake stuff is therefore easier to work with, more versatile for making complex designs at low cost, and probably stronger/less likely to chip or shatter. It's probably one of the few cases where the fake gemstone is "better" than the real stuff. (Note the quotes )
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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