Monthly Archives: March 2015

Give the Life-Changing Gift of a Summer Camp Experience

Princess Diana - March 31, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Kids

Every kid who goes to summer camp always comes back with stories to tell.

At summer camp you do things you never get to do at home or at school, and it feels like one big slumber party at night! Everyone makes new friends and bonds from doing all sorts of fun activities together.

I treasure my summer camp memories of sitting around the campfire making s’mores, dressing head to toe in black to play Capture the Flag in complete darkness, and exploring the woods to see what I might discover whether it was a cave or a secret wigwam!

Going to summer camp is a life-changing experience that creates life-long memories.

I went to the traditional summer camp that provides first-hand encounters with nature but there are all sorts of summer camps that tailor to specific interests. There are sports camps, drama camps, leadership camps, band camps, church camps, academic camps, arts camps, and the list goes on!

What they all have in common is how they shape the characters and boost the self-esteem of children by exposing them to experiential education that allows them to learn by doing.

Large Print | At a Glance Calendar

Queen Darlene - March 26, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, Mother's Day

Are you always looking for your reading glasses? I know I am! Large print has become my friend.

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The print on my iPhone is so large that only one or two words appear at a time per line. My younger friends have difficulty reading it that way but oh… how it make it so much easier to read my texts!

What if you have macular degeneration? Think of how difficult it would be to do everyday tasks and the frustration of not seeing clearly. This is the world in which my 91 year old step-father lives.

So for the past several Christmases, I have given him a large print At a Glance Calendar. He hangs it in his kitchen where he can easily see it. What a difference it has made! Continue Reading

“No Ugly Crying” Personalized Handkerchief | Wedding Day Gift

Princess Diana - March 24, 2015 - $20 or Less, Wedding

Leading up to my wedding day, I prayed I could contain the waterworks so I wouldn’t become a crying, sobbing mess. I didn’t want to ruin my make-up or my pictures.

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Thankfully, I mostly teared up with only a few tears escaping.

I’m pretty sure I’ve never met a woman who didn’t spill at least one tear on her wedding day. Tears of happiness are just impossible to contain on such a special day.

When tears spill, a person needs a handkerchief. A personalized handkerchief makes a wonderful gift that a bride can put to great use on her wedding day to dry any tears that may fall.

Handkerchiefs can be customized and embroidered with a wedding date, initials, monograms, Bible verses, quotes or personal messages.

On the day of my best friend’s wedding, I gave her a handkerchief with the words, “No Ugly Crying.”

Cookie Monster in a Cookie Jar

Queen Darlene - March 19, 2015 - Baby Shower, Birthday, Food & Drinks, Kids

My niece loves stuffed animals that sing, talk or play music and I wanted to give her fancy chocolate chip cookies for her birthday. Hmmm? How to combine the two as a gift?

Who likes chocolate chip cookies more than anyone else? Cookie Monster, of course! “Me want cookie!”, “Me eat cookie!”, and “Om nom nom nom” said the Cookie Monster through a mouth full of cookies.

I found the perfect Cookie Monster stuffed animal singing a song by counting from one to 20 cookies. For a thoughtful twist, I purchased a large cookie jar so he would fit inside. Cookie Monster in a Cookie Jar!

We do not want Cookie Monster eating the fancy cookies so I placed the cookies outside the jar. Cute! Huh?

This was the centerpiece for Whitney’s birthday party. It was a hit and everyone loved choosing their own cookie.

Tell Someone the Things You Admire About Them

Princess Diana - March 17, 2015 - Business, Experiences

My mentor called me one day and said, “You’re in trouble.”

I knew he was joking, but I was still a little nervous. What could this be about?

He said, “Diana, sometimes in life we don’t always get feedback on how we’re doing as a boss, as an employee, as a friend, as a spouse or as a parent.”

Telling someone that you admire them is one of the most thoughtful acts of kindness.

“Just in case I get hit by a bus tomorrow, I wanted to make sure the people whom I admire know how I feel about them.”

He went on to share very specific qualities of mine that he admired: educated, good attitude, plays well in the sandbox with others, good communicator, good mother and wife, good work/life balance, and head screwed on tight.

As he told me these things, I sat there in a positive state of shock, and I felt a tear collect in the corner of my eye.

Hearing someone tell me all of the things I was doing right gave me that same magical feeling of opening presents on Christmas morning, except this time each kind word my mentor spoke to me became its own present.

Grandparents Day for a Child Without One

Queen Darlene - March 12, 2015 - $20 or Less, Catch All, Experiences, Kids

My friend, Jody, told me her son, Austin, was crying because he no longer had any living grandparents to take to Grandparents Day at school. He lost his grandfather earlier in the year.

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“Grandmother” & “Grandson”

I have known Austin since the day he was born and could not stand it that he was heartbroken. I told Jody to have him call me. I would go as his grandparent. When Austin called, I asked him, “Do you want a young grandmother or an old one?”

In my mid-forties at the time, I prepared to be a young grandmother but as luck would have it, he asked for “old!”

I told him, “Old is what you want, old is what you will get!” Continue Reading

Lottery Ticket Wedding Anniversary Bouquet

Princess Diana - March 10, 2015 - Anniversary

Have your wedding anniversary gifts become predictable and expected? Even worse – boring? Don’t stress…

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This wedding anniversary gift idea has it all! It’s creative, unique, sentimental and funny!

Take lottery tickets and arrange them into a lottery ticket bouquet inside a flower pot. Read “Lottery Ticket Bouquet | 40th Birthday Gift for the items you’ll need and instructions on how to assemble the bouquet.

You can purchase a random number or the same number of lottery tickets for the number of years you’ve been married.

For the “thoughtful twist,” add a message that says, “Being married to you is like winning the lottery every single day.”

Bicycle Gift for All Ages

Queen Darlene - March 5, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Gifts for Me, Mother's Day

Waking up Christmas morning to find a bicycle under the tree is a memory that lasts a life time!

Receiving a bicycle as a birthday gift also makes for an exciting and memorable moment.Who says the fun has to stop when we become adults?

Our grandparents surprised my brothers with new Schwinn Sting Ray bikes for Christmas in the 1960s. They went everywhere on them and rode from morning until dark. Many of you who are Baby Boomers remember doing this too.

My husband and I purchased bicycles in our early married life. We would ride through neighborhoods looking at new houses and wondered, “What do people do to afford $35,000 homes?” That sure was a looooong time ago!

When my son was almost one year old, I told my husband I wanted a bicycle with a baby seat for Mother’s Day. Dustin loved riding with me. It was a wonderful way to exercise especially carrying that extra weight–not mine–my baby!

The last bike I received was for my 59th birthday from my mother. It happened to be one of the last gifts she gave me before she passed away. It’s pink because my mother thought it was the perfect color for her daughter! Continue Reading

Saying Thank You With a Short Video

Princess Diana - March 3, 2015 - $20 or Less, Thank You

When more than 20 of my friends and family helped me raise $1,500 for the Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma’s storm shelter campaign, I was extremely grateful.

Their donations will ensure the safety of girls and volunteers at Camp E-ko-wah during tornadoes and other severe weather.

As part of the campaign, their generous support also pushed me to go Over the Edge – literally! – by rappelling 16 stories down the side of a skyscraper in Oklahoma City. It’s an experience I will never forget.

Instead of writing thank you cards, I decided to record a personal message and combined it with photos and rappelling footage from my GoPro video camera. I put together a short thank you video with the intent of sharing my rappelling adventure and expressing my heartfelt gratitude.