Yearly Archives: 2016

Indoor Snowball Fights Any Time of Year

Princess Diana - July 5, 2016 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Gifts for Him, Kids

No longer does it have to be winter for everyone to enjoy a free-for-all snowball fight. Because someone invented indoor snowballs!

Indoor Snowballs actually feel and squish like real snowballs even though they’re soft and dry!

Kids, adults, the whole family will enjoy getting into an indoor snowball fight. Minus the cold, wet mess of course. No one ever liked that part anyway.

Here are ways to use indoor snowballs to add a ton of unexpected fun and laughter to any occasion. You might even get a little workout from all that throwing!

Gift for All Ages

Everyone from toddlers, kids, teenagers and adults will get a kick out of indoor snowballs! They make a fantastic gift for all ages at any time of year. Oooh, think how perfect these would be for a Frozen themed party!

Celebrate Obscure Holidays

Princess Diana - July 1, 2016 - $20 or Less, Business

Do you ever need a reason to celebrate? I’ve got hundreds of them for you.

Almost 365 reasons really because there exists an obscure holiday on almost every day of the year. How is this a thoughtful gift idea?

Because people will love you for turning an ordinary day into an unexpected celebration!

If you work in an office, you’ll be giving your co-workers an opportunity to take a break from staring at their computers to have a little bit of excitement and variety.

Take this scenario. It’s a typical Monday at the office. You surprise everyone with s’mores because it’s National S’mores Day! Your co-workers enjoy eating their delicious snack, and it makes them feel like a kid again thanks to you!

Bosses, supervisors and managers can use obscure holidays related to food (think Sundae Day and Pie Day!) to show some love to their employees.

On Popcorn Day, you could give your friends, family members or co-workers flavored popcorn. Oreo Popcorn is my favorite and it’s easy to make!

You could also place an unpopped bag of popcorn on your co-workers’ desks with a small note about it being National Popcorn Day. They’ll appreciate the snack and the fact that you thought of them, making it a thoughtful gift!

Here is a list of some obscure holidays that would be fun to celebrate. View a more comprehensive list.

BULBING Lamps Create Optical Illusion

Queen Darlene - June 30, 2016 - Birthday, Business, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Kids, Mother's Day

Looking for an unusual, unique, definitely different, you’ve-never-seen-before lamp? Curious? Yes, I thought so.

BULBING Lamps are flat, 2-D LED lamps that trick your eye and your mind to thinking they’re 3-D lamps. They create an amazing optical illusion!

Aren’t they a great gift for lighting up someone’s life? They also make a great gift for him.

I consider them functional art so it makes sense my friend, Linda, discovered these fascinating lamps on the Museum of Modern Art’s online gift shop.
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Rustic Cuff | Unique Oklahoma Jewelry

Queen Darlene - June 23, 2016 - Anniversary, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Gifts for Me, Graduation, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day

Have you ever heard of Rustic Cuff? Neither had I until I received one of the brand’s pieces of jewelry as a gift. Carol told me it was all the rage. Where have I been? It’s even made in Oklahoma!

Carol surprised me with a red Rustic Cuff bracelet to celebrate our day together of watching the University of Oklahoma’s Red & White football game with our husbands.

Every time I wear it, I recall fun memories of having a wonderful time with dear friends.

When we got home that evening, I Googled Rustic Cuff to read up on our very own Oklahoma gal. It is a jewelry brand that has become well-known nationwide and is a certifiable phenomenon around Tulsa, Oklahoma. Continue Reading

“If I Could, I Would …” Wishful Thinking Gift

Princess Diana - June 21, 2016 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas

WARNING: This present should not be given by itself.

My husband and I are huge fans of the TV show Game of Thrones. We have two young kids so watching the show together after the kids are in bed is our precious “us time.”

I like to joke that I’m like Daenerys Targaryen. She’s the Mother of Dragons. Well, I’m the Mother of Dragen. My oldest son was born in 2012, the Year of the Dragon, so I named him Aiden Dragen Jaeger.

For my husband’s birthday this year, I wanted to give him some things related to Game of Thrones. I finally decided on a t-shirt that features Hodor’s only quote.

“HODOR”
– Hodor

I purchased the Game of Thrones theme song and secretly added it as the sound he hears when his alarm goes off in the morning. I wanted him to begin every day in an epic way.

I also paired my gifts with an “If I Could, I Would…” Wishful Thinking Gift, something you would give if you had all the money in the world.

High Caliber Entertainment at Gun Range

Queen Darlene - June 16, 2016 - Anniversary, Birthday, Business, Experiences, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Mother's Day, Retirement

Ever celebrated a birthday or retirement at a gun range? My girlfriends and I did both! One had a birthday, and the other two were retiring!

Our friendship has spanned for 40+ years and we have celebrated many life events with various experiences, but I must say going to the gun range was a first! What an exciting thrill!

I hired an instructor for a private lesson to train us about safety, how to hold a gun,and how to aim and shoot. There’s a proper technique as you can imagine, and knowing it made us feel more comfortable handling a gun.

A gun range date night or group package is a unique gift idea for a beginner, intermediate or advanced shooter.

I highly recommend it for a different kind of experience for a date night, a celebration, or just bonding time with friends and family.

Happy 4th of July Photo Greeting Cards

Princess Diana - June 14, 2016 - $20 or Less, Family, Kids

Kids grow up so fast. Their appearance changes even faster which is why us parents love to take a gazillion photos. We don’t want to forget how they looked today because they may look different tomorrow.

Think about how your friends and family feel when they only receive photos of your kiddo(s) at Christmas time. It’s torture having to wait an entire year to see how they’ve grown!

When my son was born, I started sending photo greeting cards to my family and friends for Christmas and for Independence Day. That way they get an updated photo of Aiden every six months.

It’s also a fun surprise for everyone since no one expects to receive a Happy 4th of July card in the mail! I always get great feedback.

A Gift for Mimi, Nana or Gigi | Grandmother Gift

Princess Diana - June 9, 2016 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day

A lot of grandmothers want to be called something other than “Grandma.”

Sometimes she picks the nickname herself, and other times the first grandchild comes up with the name.

Whether it’s Mimi, Nana, Gigi or another name, the nickname or term of endearment a grandchild calls his or her grandmother is extremely special.

Her nickname is music to her ears.

My son calls his grandmother “Mimi.” While on vacation, we picked her up a gift – a cute wooden sign that reads, “They call me Mimi because I’m too cool to be Grandma.”

It’s the first thing she owns with her nickname “Mimi,” and she proudly displays the sign in her living room.

You can find similar signs on Etsy.com, and many stores on the website will gladly make custom signs with your choice of saying, colors and font.

Like grandmothers, many grandfathers have nicknames too so this gift idea can be used for them as well. For example, my son calls his grandfather “Pappy” and his great-grandfather “Papaw.”

What happens at Grandma’s stays at Grandma’s…

Zero Gravity Patio Lounge Chair for Dad

Queen Darlene - June 7, 2016 - Birthday, Father's Day

We have patio furniture but when my husband said he’d like to include a lounge chair that reclines, I immediately filed it away for a Father’s Day gift.

The older we get the more we enjoy sitting and relaxing on our patio. It’s so wonderfully peaceful.

During my search, I found several lounge chairs to choose from and finally decided on a reasonably priced Caravan Sports Infinity Zero Gravity Chair.

This lightweight reclining lounge chair features a sturdy frame and requires no assembly. I was impressed it folds down to 6.3 inches wide for storage. That’s slim!

It reclines smoothly and has both an adjustable headrest and lumbar support. The fabric (described as long-lasting outdoor grade fabric) looks and feels like the more expensive patio furniture I’ve seen.

Say Thank You With Merci European Chocolates

Queen Darlene - June 3, 2016 - $20 or Less, Thank You

I needed to say thank you to someone who did me a great favor but I had no idea who they were.

Let me start at the beginning. My long time friends, Curtis and Susan, and my husband and I made a pact to at least once a month spend a Saturday together by visiting TravelOK.com recommended restaurants across the state of Oklahoma.

The drive would give us time to visit and our destination would be a delicious meal.

Our first adventure was to check out Click’s Steakhouse in Pawnee, Oklahoma – population 2,179. The restaurant is known for its delicious steaks and amazing homemade pies. We arrived a few minutes prior to opening at 11 a.m. and already a line was forming at the door. Continue Reading