Category "Christmas"

A Private Music Concert | Unique & Thoughtful Gift

When my mother Robyn turned 50 years old, her six children wanted to show her just how much we love her. Our gift needed to leave a mark on her memory as big as the mark she had made in our hearts and lives.

Private Music Concert Meaningful Gift Idea

My mother and grandfather sing and clap along to the music Edgar Cruz plays on his guitar.

Instead of having her children one at a time, our mother pretty much had us all at once. My parents adopted my two brothers (Garry and Kevin), my two sisters (Jeny and Julia) and me so my siblings and I could stay together. A few years later, we added Ochi to our family.

That still blows my mind because I didn’t have Aiden until I was 30. My parents were in their late 20s when they opened their hearts and home to five kids ranging from ages five to 18! God bless them!

My brothers and sisters and I decided to DOUBLE surprise our mother on her birthday.

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American Flag Flown Over the Nation’s Capitol

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As my husband cleaned the garage, he came across a box of items that belonged to his parents. He found the American flag that had been flown over the nation’s capitol in Washington, D.C. in honor of his father who enlisted in the Army and fought in WWII.

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A thoughtful gift for Veterans Day

My husband’s father was a proud red-blooded American through and through. He loved his country! I never heard him complain about paying taxes and he made sure to vote in elections. He felt it was extremely important because so many died for us to have that privilege.

For a thoughtful gift one year, we requested to have a flag flown on his birthday, December 2. The flag was mailed to us in time for Christmas. The flag came with a personalized certificate of recognition and authenticity to reflect the occasion. Continue Reading

Easy Peasy Oreo Popcorn Recipe | Edible Gift

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I discovered something at the age of 32. No, it wasn’t the secret of life. But close! Oreo popcorn.

oreo-popcorn-thoughtful-gift-ideaI’ve tried many different flavors of popcorn in my life, but never this. My mother-in-law brought some home from a party she attended, and my life has never been the same since!

I obtained the name of the store that sold this tasty treat because I planned on buying some for my son’s birthday party. Then I thought, “Waaaaaaait a minute. They can’t be that hard to make!”

I was right y’all. All it takes to make them are three ingredients. Easy peasy!

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Hands of Love | Photo Gift Idea

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Hands are a beautiful thing because of all of the different ways they express love.

The hands of your parents and grandparents are the ones that held you for hours as a baby, wiped your tears when you cried, placed the Band-Aid on your skinned knees, threw the ball to teach you “catch,” held your bike up as you learned to ride it, showed you how to measure ingredients when baking cookies, and reached in their wallets to give you a few extra dollars to go out with your friends.

Their hands also taught you how to write your name, work math problems and start a lawn-mower. I’m sure you can think of a zillion more things their loving hands have helped you with throughout your life.

My son and I thought it would be a meaningful gift to capture pictures of both of his grandparents’ hands and give them to family member for Christmas. Dustin came up with the idea to take pictures of the things they enjoy doing now.

Hands of Love Photos Gift Idea

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Play on Words Add Special Touch to Gifts

For my mother-in-law’s birthday, I bought her a gift card to a local shop that specializes in flavor infused olive oils and balsamic vinegars.

card using play on words paired with gift cardI knew she’d love it because my boss loved her Premium Olive Oil and Vinegar With State-Shaped Cutting Board gift that I gave her for Christmas from the same store.

I gave her a gift card so she could pick out her own flavors of olive oil and balsamic vinegar but a gift card just isn’t much fun to open. So what did I do?

I added a “thoughtful twist” to the gift card by creating a cute card on the easy peasy photo editing website PicMonkey. I combined a photo of my son, a chalkboard overlay, some doodle heart overlays, and text that said:

Oil always love my Mimi! Continue Reading

Wedding Coffee Table Photo Books

When I planned my dream wedding, I tried my hardest not to overspend. It’s sooo easy to do. So I found creative ways to cut costs (like doing my own flower arrangements) or just eliminated things (like renting a limo).  But one area where I was willing to pay top dollar for top quality was my wedding photography.

Wedding Coffee Table Photo BookI knew that I would have only have my memories and the photographs by which to remember all of the special moments that happened that day.

The moment when he first saw me in my wedding dress.
The moment when we shared our personalized wedding vows.
The moment when my best friend made me cry with her funny and heartwarming toast.
The moment when I “dropped it like it’s hot” on the dance floor – still in my wedding dress – with my champagne glass held high above my head.

Memories fade over time but my wedding photographs never will – thanks to digital copies!

My talented wedding photographer Kristen Edwards did an amazing job capturing all of  the details, the people, and the emotions that made up my wedding day. Kristen ended up providing me with a CD filled with nearly 800 beautiful photos – and she was able to make me look damn good in almost every one. God bless her and Photoshop!

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Instant Photobooks Delivered Monthly | Groovebook

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Click. Click. Click. With the camera on our smartphones, we can quickly capture any moment with ease. Many of of us have hundreds of photos stored in our phones.

instant-photobooks-groovebook2-sunburst-giftsBesides the ones you’ve shared on social media, most of the photos you’ve taken on your phone have probably never been seen by another human being. That’s too bad!

You also probably don’t get many of them printed either. Heck no! That would be waaaay too expensive!

Or is it?

What if I told you that you could print 100 photos from your phone each month and have it shipped to you in a keepsake photobook for just $2.99? That’s the total price. No tax. No shipping and handling.

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Painting of Childhood Home Brings to Life Cherished Memories

I bet you can remember in great detail your childhood home.

canvas painting of a two story houseFor me, I still remember the wallpaper design in each room. The texture of our brown couch where I spent hours reading my Nancy Drew novels. The large crack that ran across the width of my bedroom door for which I have my younger brother and a very sturdy chair to thank for creating.

Every time one of my siblings visits our hometown of Enid, Oklahoma, we always drive by our childhood home. It’s a magnet that draws us.

With one look at that two-story beige house with its wide front porch, the flood gates open to our childhood memories. We see the windows but what we’re really seeing are the many family events that took place behind those windows.

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Surprise Someone By Hiding Gifts Inside a Balloon

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Presentation! Presentation! Presentation! We are always trying to find new ways to be creative in gift giving, right? Here is one that is easy, inexpensive, colorful and makes a noise that goes POP! Gifts inside a balloon!

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Hiding an engagement ring inside a balloon is a creative way to “pop the question!”

In a previous post, I talked about a unique wedding proposal idea. Get a decorative box that has an attached lid that will perfectly fit a blown up balloon. Write or type a note that says “POP ME” and attach it by using a stick pin to the inside of the lid.

She can use the pin to pop the balloon. Place the engagement ring inside a blown up balloon, put it inside the box and close the lid. When she opens the box, pops the balloon and sees her beautiful engagement ring, that’s when you get on bended knee to “pop the question.”

Gift cards have become a common way to give a gift. Usually it is placed in a card, an envelope or a gift bag. BOOOORING!

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Make a Trip Unforgettable With Gift of Cologne or Perfume

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When my husband and I visited Las Vegas for one of his work conferences, I spent the day entertaining myself by shopping. One of my purchases that day happened to be a bottle of cologne. My husband wore it that night and everyday for the rest of our trip.

bottle of cologne in luggage on top of clothesWe enjoyed many wonderful memories on that vacation because it seemed like we did it all – gambling, fine dining, all-you-can-eat-crab, clubbing, shows and a pool party.

What happened when we got back was really cool. Every time I smelled the cologne on my husband, I immediately thought of that trip to Vegas and all of the things we did.

It made me feel happy all over!

It’s no secret that research has proven that scents and smells can trigger powerful and vivid memories.

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