Awesome Affordable Etsy Find of the Week!

Vanilla Lavender Goat's Milk Soap, $5

Every year for my birthday and Christmas I ask for a baby goat. And every year, like my pleas for a Mighty Ducks DVD gift pack, this request is ignored by my family and friends, who insist that I couldn't fit a goat in my apartment (I could) and that I don't really view Coach Bombay as a father figure (I do).

Last night, at my birthday dinner with my family, one of my wishes kinda sorta came true.

When I opened my little brother Bob's gift, which was artfully wrapped in a stained brown paper bag and sealed with 15 hidden thumb tacks (thanks, kid), I found a framed "Certificate of Goat Milking Prowess," good for a lesson in basic goat care at a local farm.

At first I laughed nervously, thinking this was payback for Bob's 12th birthday, when the entire family pretended we had pooled our money to buy him 6 months of beekeeping lessons instead of the video game he so dearly desired. But then I looked around the table. No one was yelling, "Gotcha!" My brother Tona wasn't doubled over in hysterical laughter like he was for the beekeeping incident. My mom was beaming with excitement.

Finally Bob said, "I got it at the high school auction. Isn't this what you've always wanted?"

I laughed and clutched the frame to my chest. "Yes, Bob, it's exactly what I wanted."

p.s. Currently planning my perfect goat-milking outfit. Any suggestions?