Yearly Archives: 2017

Lotto Ticket Get Well Card

Queen Darlene - April 20, 2017 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Get Well, Retirement

Need an easy peasy fun gift idea for someone who is ill or in the hospital? Choose a get well card and insert lotto tickets!

Nothing lifts someone’s mood better than dreaming about how to spend the money if you win!

Gift of Possibly Winning Big

My friend, Dick, had triple bypass heart surgery and I wanted to send a cheerful gift. I wrote in the card “possibility of a winning lotto ticket” because I won just a few weeks before his surgery.

I shared my experience in the card. I explained the whole episode of asking my husband to pull into a gas station as I wanted to check my ticket. My husband did his usual eye rolling thing because I have never won more than a few dollars. Continue Reading

Clever First Birthday Gift

Princess Diana - April 18, 2017 - Birthday, Kids

When my son, Axl, turned one year old, my father arrived to the birthday party with the most clever and thoughtful gift!

It didn’t come wrapped up with a big bow or in a gift bag with tissue paper like the other birthday gifts.

Because it actually wasn’t for my son…

Clever First Birthday Gift

It was for his parents – my husband and me. It was a gift card to a local restaurant with a handwritten message that read:

Happy Birthday from Axl
Thank you for having me!

A gift “from my son” to his parents so we could go on a date night. Talk about a thoughtful twist to a first birthday gift!

Houseguest Welcome Basket

Princess Diana - April 14, 2017 - Food & Drinks, Gift Baskets

I remember being someone’s houseguest and getting a late night snack attack. I’m dying for something to eat but I’m too embarrassed to look through their kitchen cabinets and refrigerator. Not good.

You may have been in a similar situation yourself.

Although someone tells you, “Make yourself at home!” you still feel hesitant to rummage through their food cabinets.

There’s a way to stop the embarrassment of hungry houseguests.

Provide visitors to your home with a Houseguest Welcome Basket containing drinks, snacks and treats!

Even if you tell your houseguests to help themselves to anything in your kitchen, they’ll still appreciate receiving a basket of goodies specifically for them. If you know their favorite snacks and drinks, try to to include them in the gift basket.

Holding Hands Photos | Sentimental Gift

Queen Darlene - April 13, 2017 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Birthday, Family, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day

I’ve known my friend, Sherry, for years and have had the privilege of meeting her parents on many occasions. When I recently attended a reception honoring their daughter’s achievement, I noticed they were holding hands across the table.

I asked if I could take a picture of them holding hands. Her parents smiled and agreed. I thought it was so precious and wanted to capture the sweet, tender embrace for Sherry.

Sherry’s parents are her biggest supporters. Their hands have held her, guided her, hugged her, loved her, and clapped for her and her awesome accomplishments. Continue Reading

Create Photo Art Using American Sign Language

Queen Darlene - April 6, 2017 - Birthday, Christmas

My paternal and maternal grandparents and my mother were deaf so my first language was American Sign Language.

Several years ago, my mother became ill and I took her to the emergency room. It was the beginning of dementia even though we were not aware of it yet.

The wait in the ER was F-O-R-E-V-E-R! and she became extremely restless.

To help keep her calm, I suggested we take pictures of her hand creating individual letters of the ABCs in American Sign Language (ASL).

She loved it and thankfully doing that passed the time.

We later printed out photos of the individual letters to spell out the names of my brothers, my mother’s cousins and her friends. We mailed them in “thinking of you cards.”

My mother enjoyed hearing from each one that they loved her special surprise gift. Sign language is beautiful and you do not have to be deaf to enjoy seeing your name spelled in ASL.

My First Library | Baby Shower Gift

Princess Diana - April 4, 2017 - Baby Shower

We all have our favorite childhood books or the ones we enjoyed reading aloud to our own children.

If you’re like me, you love certain titles so much you want other children to read them and fall in love with them too!

When thinking about what to give my best friend for her baby shower gift, I wanted it to be meaningful and special. I reflected on what things my two boys really liked when they were babies and also what things I really enjoyed as a new parent… Definitely books!

Certain books I’ve read to my boys more than 100 times so I decided to give her copies of the children’s books that were favorites in my own family.

I picked out a cute wooden crate and glued painted wooden letters that spelled MY FIRST LIBRARY.

Purse with Pursonality

Queen Darlene - March 30, 2017 - Birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day

For my birthday, my sister-in-law gave me a Betsey Johnson purse. Talk about a Purse with Pursonality! It’s definitely a conversation piece!

Everywhere I go, someone will comment, “Is that a smiley face?” I reply, “Yes, it is!” and we both share a wonderful, big smile that turns into laughter.

I’ve never had a purse make me so happy or random strangers! It’s an amazing feeling.

Women for various reasons have a love/hate relationship with their purses. Purses can be too small because many of us carry way to much stuff.

Or too big and we dig around for our ringing cell phone until the caller hangs up! Some purses have too many zippers and you can’t remember which pocket you placed your keys.

Purse With Pursonality

Since I’ve received my purse with pursonality, I’m over any trivial annoyance. It’s funny how things change when you have a different perspective. Continue Reading

Behind the Scenes Experience With Zoo Animals

Princess Diana - March 28, 2017 - Experiences, Gifts for Me, Kids

Recently, I realized that you haven’t truly experienced the zoo until you’ve experienced it behind the scenes.

My family has a zoo membership so we go multiples times throughout the year. At this point, I felt like I had seen everything the zoo had to offer.

Out of all the animals, my favorite ones to see are the giraffes and my favorite thing to do is feed them. Every time I see them I think, “God sure has a wonderful imagination to have come up with these animals!”

They are so beautiful and majestic, yet supremely awkward at the same time. And the built-in sunscreen on their tongues – genius design!

Behind the Scenes “Wild Encounter” at the Zoo

On my last visit to the Oklahoma City Zoo, I went with my Leadership Oklahoma City class to learn about the zoo and its planned expansion. As a bonus, they treated us to a behind the scenes “Wild Encounter” with elephants.

We entered the building where the elephants live, and we were given the rare and exciting opportunity to see them up close.

Collapsible and Expandable Flower Vase

Queen Darlene - March 23, 2017 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Teacher Gifts

Do you like surprises? I do! I received red roses from my friend, Karen. Even though that was a surprise in itself, that wasn’t the BIG surprise. She delivered roses in a gift bag with an collapsible, expandable vase.

What’s an collapsible, expandable vase you ask?

They are folded flower vases that do everything a glass vase can do except collect dust.

The vases are thin, strong, durable and amazingly stable. They will not leak.

Not only are they beautifully designed to display in the home or office, they are ideal for poolside and patio dining because they will never chip, scratch, or break.

I followed the instructions on the back of the package holding the vase.

Snappums | Stuffed Animal Slap-On Bracelets

Princess Diana - March 21, 2017 - $20 or Less, Kids

As a kid of the 80s, slap-on bracelets will be forever be “da bomb” in my book.

What’s not to love? It’s a toy and an accessory in one!

Slap-on bracelets have made a comeback in popularity recently. Kids today love them too! My son has received them as party favors at school and at birthday parties.

I love that. It’s a nice reminder that simple toys that don’t require batteries still have entertainment value.

Snappums Slap-on Bracelets

Hallmark has designed a new type of slap-on bracelets called Snappums.

They are soft, plush fabric characters constructed around a slap-on bracelet.

Think stuffed animal combined with a slap-on bracelet. Cool stuff!

You can pick from super heroes, such as Batman and Batgirl, dinosaurs, unicorns, cats, dogs, and other popular characters such as Hello Kitty.