Category "Valentine’s Day"

Time is the Best Gift of All

Queen Darlene - March 27, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Gifts for Him, Valentine's Day

Time is the best gift of all. When I was 21, my 16-year old brother and I were on our way to the gym when we decided to visit our deaf grandparents. I asked them if they would like to go and exercise too.

Grandparents-Time-Best-Gift-of-All-gift-idea-sunburst-gifts

Walter & Julia Cleaver in the 1970s.

They had no workout clothes so when Granddaddy came out in Grandma’s baby blue shorts, sleeveless undershirt, black socks and black street shoes, my brother did not want to take them. When we arrived at the club, the walk from the parking lot was the longest walk ever for my humiliated brother.

Entering the gym, we had to fill out guest forms for them. Putting their birth dates of 1896 and 1902 raised eye-brows. We wanted to take our grandparents to the exercise room on our own, but the club insisted a trainer take them for their first visit. When the big, muscular trainer came in, he was shocked at the age of his clients – ages 77 and 71.

Grandma’s trainer soon had her doing sit-ups and leg lifts, riding a stationary bike, and relaxing in the sauna. We finally made it to the pool.

Make Someone the Star of a Book | Personalized Custom Books

Princess Diana - March 18, 2014 - Baby Shower, Birthday, Christmas, Congratulations, Kids, Valentine's Day

Everyone likes to see their name in print. From children to grown adults. It makes us feel special when we become the star of a book. It turns an ordinary book into a keepsake.

I personalized a book for my son Aiden that tells the story that my love for him is forever and unconditional. It’s like what we say in my family, “I will love you for eternity +1.”

My favorite part of the book reads:

Aiden,
I love you as BIG
as a great lion’s roar,
and as deep as the ocean,
I love you much more.

And I love the message this sends about loving him even when he has misbehaved.

Aiden,
I love you when you’re nice,
and when you’re cranky too.
I love you without liking
the naughty things you do.

Heart-Shaped Steaks Make Memorable Valentine’s Day Dinner

Princess Diana - February 18, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Food & Drinks, Gifts for Him, Valentine's Day

This Valentine’s Day I was looking to give my true love a gift that had the WOW factor. I wasn’t looking for romantic or sentimental. I was looking to knock his socks off!

So I bought him two pounds (hoping he would share!) of prime aged hand-cut ribeye steak from a local meat market – and check this out – asked the butcher to cut it into the shape of a HEART.

A “Sweetheart Steak!”

It looked stunning – all that bright red meat marbled with strands of cream-colored fat and covered in a delicious spice rub.

The perfect hunk of meat for my sexy, hunk of meat.

The heart-shaped steak got the reaction I wanted from my husband Kevin. He was surprised by the shape and impressed by the size. (Men and their preoccupation with size… I swear.)

He had never seen anything like it, and he couldn’t wait to throw it on the grill and eat it. Mission accomplished!

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. – Unknown

How to Buy Your Wife Gifts That Won’t Get Returned

Princess Diana - February 14, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Money, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day

Queen Darlene and I have a co-worker who follows our blog. He sent us an email one day after one of our gift ideas reminded him of a gift-giving strategy that has served him well as a husband.

Eldon’s idea of how to buy your wife clothing, jewelry, accessories or other gifts that won’t get returned is so good that we wanted to share it with our readers! Here is what he wrote to us:

I tried to buy clothing gifts for my wife. She returned them all because they were the wrong color, etc. So, I got wise and would find a cute photo of a dress, purse, shoes, earrings, etc. that I wanted to buy – usually if I listened closely I could pick up the hint of what she wanted.

Continue Reading

Surprise Love Messages and Funny Pick Up Lines

Princess Diana - February 13, 2014 - Anniversary, Gifts for Him, Valentine's Day

You’ve heard those people who complain about Valentine’s Day. “Valentine’s Day just forces people to buy stuff.” OR “Why do I need a holiday to make me tell someone “I Love You’ on one specific day?” You know what? Those people are absolutely right!

milk does a body good funny pick up line gift idea

Click to enlarge

You don’t have to buy someone “stuff” to show your affection for them. You should also find ways to say “I Love You” to your special someone throughout the year, if not every single day.

This year, I’m using Valentine’s Day to kick off a year full of How-much-do-I-love-you-let-me-count-the-ways type of love messages to my husband.

All through the year, I’m going to surprise my husband with love messages that begin with things like:
“I love you because…”
“I know you love me because…”
“I am lucky to have you as my husband because…”
“Aiden is lucky to have you as his father because…”
“Thank you for…”

Will You Be My Valentine?

Queen Darlene - February 11, 2014 - Valentine's Day

Remember when we were kids making Valentine boxes with the slit in the top for the upcoming class party and placing your Valentines in everyone’s boxes? I couldn’t wait to get home to look at every single one and see who had given me a Valentine. Very sweet memories.

It was Valentine’s Day when I visited my friend, Orean, who lived in an assisted living center. I brought her a heart shaped box of chocolates. I also brought her other Valentines I had made to share with her friends.

Orean said, “It has been a very long time since I handed out Valentines.”

After Orean read the Valentine attached to the heart shaped lollipops, she couldn’t wait to hand them out. She was on a mission as I watched her walk the halls into the dining room handing them out along the way and asking, “Will you be my Valentine?” Continue Reading

POP the Question Wedding Proposal Idea

Queen Darlene - February 6, 2014 - Experiences, Valentine's Day, Wedding

Survey says….six million people are planning or expecting a marriage proposal for Valentine’s Day. Ohhh…..the pressure of how to propose? Ask the love of your life to marry you in grandiose style? Or just pop the question?!

Every girl has the “dream” of how the proposal will happen and it is never what we expect when it does. My husband, Randy, and I had many talks about getting married one day. We even looked at rings at the mall jewelry stores where I showed him my favorite.

But we were broke! Randy had one more year of college. I was graduating high school and planning to attend the same college. So I was not expecting a ring any time soon.

For the Home Brewer – Personalized Beer Bottle Caps

Princess Diana - February 4, 2014 - Birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Housewarming, Valentine's Day

My father-in-law Greg began brewing homemade beer a few years ago – and man! – has our family enjoyed the benefits! While he’s brewed all sorts of kits, types and flavors, my favorite is still the batch of peach ale he specially made for my wedding rehearsal dinner.

Last year, my husband Kevin started brewing beer with his father. It gave them a fun way to spend father-son quality time together. They have fun making it together. They have fun drinking it together.

They also enjoy brewing different types of beer and sharing the fruits of their labor with friends and family. Each batch yields about 50 bottles so there is plenty to share!

Valentine’s Day Gift – Mail a Handwritten Love Letter

Queen Darlene - January 30, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Gifts for Him, Valentine's Day

We email. We text. We phone. Everything is short and to the point. Many of us think we have lost the art of writing. I think we just need a little practice.

I remember in elementary school we would write and pass notes that would say, “I LIKE YOU.” In junior high, the note writing would become a little more sophisticated to something like, “I LIKE YOU VERY MUCH!” And in high school my boyfriend would write a three page love letter detailing how pretty I was, how he couldn’t wait to see me after school, and of course the three words I always wanted to hear, “I LOVE YOU!”

Well… your perfect opportunity for writing a love letter is coming up – Valentine’s Day! This year, don’t spend 30 minutes in the card aisle at the store looking at Valentine’s Day cards that most of the time don’t say what your heart would say anyway. Instead, spend that 30 minutes writing a heartfelt love letter.

Cute Way to Give Earrings

Princess Diana - January 28, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Graduation, Kids, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day

It’s boring to give someone jewelry in those cardboard gift boxes they come in. Plus, it’s super obvious what the gift is when you use wrapping paper.

Sometimes the jewelry doesn’t even come in a box. So what do you do?

You find a cutesy wutesy teddy bear or stuffed animal. Put the earrings through the teddy bear’s ears and BA-DING!

You present a popular gift in a unique way!

Presentation is everything.