Mother-in-laws birthday - need to buy something online now! Arrrgh!!! Help1!

[lynniep]

Well, we successfully forgot my dh's mums birthday this year, however have been given a reprieve, since she's in Germany and apparently doesnt come back till tommorrow.

My failsafe is some flowers, but that just seems so... blah. I think if I get to 65 (ish - I dont know her age exactly) and my kids just get me flowers every year (although nicer than nowt) I'm going to feel like old lady before my time.

Of course now have left it so late.. don't live near them so have to send it. I
hate this present buying thing - its so hard! And I dont really want to spend more than twenty quid.

She's quite a serious, not really into smellies type of woman. She likes good quality stuff but I can't afford a Moorcroft Vase! She's not the sort of woman who'd really appeciate a hand scribbled picture by my 19mo DS because they look messy in the house (although she gets them anyway lol)

I shy away from jewellery incase its not 'good enough'. I thought about a lovely scarf but would probably cost too much - anyone know anywhere that sells lovely ones online that won't break the bank? She definately woulnt like silly joke things (although to be fair she thought last years 'become a lady of the manor' gift was relativley amusing)

She's a bit snobby but generally a nice lady and I need to get something.

oh help I dont know what to get her (and yet again I wonder why I'm always in charge of this stuff yet its not my mother!)

.

I find a book is always good, a nice interious one to put on her coffee table. gardening (Trees of Britain or some such if she is a gardener), cookbook.

How about Waterstones vouchers to buy her own.

Or you could pay for a manicure/pedicure at her local salon? Always a nice treat?

chocs from Hotel Chocolat or Montezuma ?

how did you get this delightful task then!?

stationary with high quality paper [god that's dull]

nice picture frame with pic of your children in it?

hardback coffee table book is always a safe option

magazine or newspaper subscription can be done online pretty easily too

oh thank you for responses - I've been frantically scouring internet whilst I should have been working!!

I can't get her a voucher, cos she got me an M&S voucher for my birthday and I feel a bit pants doing the same lol

have had a look at choc sites, but feel ripped off paying what amounts to a quid per bite ha ha - ditto flowers. The only choc box I liked is sold out at debenhams - typical!

stationary idea I like too but havent found anything 'to her taste' (whatever it blinkin is!)

picture frame I did for mothers day

like the manicure pedicure idea

also like coffee table book, but then stumped for topic ditto subscription (I know she subscribes to antiques and home or something similar already)

I think I'm going to stop worrying for now (i.e. cop out) and get DH to ring tommorrow to check when she's home, and just say 'well we weren't sure when exactly you'd be back so didnt want to send a parcel'. that gives me a day or twos grace ;)

thanks again for responses! might just go see how much mani/pedis are as gifts...

Has she got a garden? Rather than a bunch of flowers, could you get her some plants for the garden? My mother loves a rose of the year we gave her one year (seems they (whoever they may be! )do them every year - they have them at a couple of our local garden centres and are supposed to be good quality roses, particularly if this is a special year for any reason. Or see if there are any other rose names that are particularly appropriate or that just have nice flowers! several places like crocus or david austin should do them over the internet, you can say you delayed delivery until you knew she would be home.

Alternatively something like a pair of blueberry plants are supposed to be quite hardy and grow well in pots if she likes eating blueberries, or plants of her favourite flowers or even just garden vouchers - that way she gets something to look at and nurture over the next few years...

Alternatively, would she like a photobook that you have put together of photos yourself? if you have the photos they don't take long to do on sites like photobox (but loads of people do them now) - her life in pictures, your family growing up, everybody she knows this year, all sorts of different things you could do.