Trader Joe's usually has some gorgeous bouquets if you get there in the morning; IIRC, they run 9.99-14.99, with maybe an obscenely lush and multicolored beauty going for around $20.

Oh, hot! I was supposed to give her flowers ages ago anyway. If only I knew where the hell one got flowers from that didn't cost $75 or whatever.

Get her good ones if you can swing it. It'll make them all die from all the nast things they can't say.

Every year, my mum's secretary got a dozen roses from her son-in-law on his wife's birthday. I always thought that was so smooooooooove.

PC, may I strongly suggest that in addition to or instead of the gift card, you perhaps get her a small piece of jewelry or something else that she can keep. I have a nasty feeling that your family will expect some sort of special keepsake type gift for a major birthday such as this.

Tatoo! Tatoo! Get her a tatoo!!

That's a HELL of a keepsake!

Short wavy hair for meara

More short and wavy

Another cute cute

Still pretty - a little bit longer. Goth Tori Amos?

Oooh, I like this one.

So many choices that would look good. Short and messy.

Tiny picture, but cool, medium short cut

This would look great on meara. Similar to her Chi F2F cut, but a little longer.

Unendurable Retro Cutness!

And one last

t hearts Aimee

PC, may I strongly suggest that in addition to or instead of the gift card, you perhaps get her a small piece of jewelry or something else that she can keep. I have a nasty feeling that your family will expect some sort of special keepsake type gift for a major birthday such as this.

Ha, well, for that, they can suck it. She just got a hundred-dollar diamond whatever from me a couple weeks ago. And, freakily enough, I don't think my mom knows about the party. Like, she just called me and told me to go see a movie if I'm not doing anything. What this means is that she will eventually find out about it, but she won't have had time to drum up expectations as to my actions. Or something. Besides, she doesn't have a leg to stand on if she didn't tell me what to do. Of course, then I'll get the "It's just common courtesy" thing.

Ooookay, fuck it, this is awesome. My mom randomly gave me fifty bucks when she visited. I was actually planning on saving that to take the family out to dinner like I'm supposed to when they come see my apartment, but I'll just load up the gift card with all that, because that amuses me. Money is annoying, and I can't keep track of where all of it goes.

Dang it, you people are making me want short hair, for the first time in my whole life, but I don't think I can pull it off. I like that Goth Tori Amos a lot, though. Could I do bangs? I never had bangs. I'm all forehead and nose; I'm afraid short hair would make me look... what's the word... hideous? Yeah.

I like that Goth Tori Amos a lot, though.

I think that might work for you, actually.

So would the tiny picture of the medium short blond haircut.

I'm afraid short hair would make me look... what's the word... hideous? Yeah.

Impossible! That's not in your repertoire.

Now just go back and look at Ple's recent haircut pictures. She doesn't have a tiny nose. Yet the short haircut works. In part because the shorter the hair the bigger it makes your eyes look. Also because Ple is inhumanely beautiful.

But I think you could definitely go to jaw length with a good cut with smart layering. Not a bob, but the cuts mentioned.

Check out the back on this cut! - That's a cool, subtle effect.