Category "Anniversary"

A Romantic Bed & Breakfast Getaway

Queen Darlene - February 13, 2015 - Anniversary, Experiences, Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is all about love and romance. Looking for something that will say that in a big way? Well, I have a lovely and romantic gift idea. Instead of buying flowers and chocolates spend that money on a Bed & Breakfast getaway.

Step away from the fast pace of the every day world and spend time focused on one another. Renew, rekindle and have a romantic fall-in-love-again-experience with the one you adore.

You can explore everything from luxury Bed & Breakfasts to sprawling inns. B&Bs offer different amenities such as themed suites, king or queen size beds, balcony/deck, in-room fireplace, in-room Jacuzzi for two, flat screen TVs, fitness facilities, hot tub, couple massages and spa.

Some have hiking trails and horseback riding while others are nearby art museums and shopping. There are a few that have their own entertainment.

You can choose a Bed & Breakfast that offers group dining or that delivers a gourmet breakfast right to your door.

Upgrade His or Her Lifestyle | Thoughtful Gift Ideas

Princess Diana - February 11, 2015 - Anniversary, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Gifts for Me, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day

You probably know someone who is hard to shop for. It can be frustrating finding this type of person the perfect gift because they seem to have everything.

Don’t worry. For those who are hard to shop for, buy them a nicer version of something they already have in order to upgrade his or her lifestyle!

By upgrading, you’ll be giving someone a higher level of quality, comfort, beauty, performance, protection, or utility.

These types of gifts really work well when someone doesn’t typically spend money on themselves or when someone isn’t aware of what they’re missing by not owning a better brand that provides additional benefits.

Queen Size Sleeping Bag for Two

Princess Diana - February 9, 2015 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Gifts for Him, Valentine's Day

Imagine cuddling under the stars… Sharing body warmth… Inside a sleeping bag for two!

Camping is definitely more fun, cozy and romantic when you’re sharing a queen size sleeping bag designed for couples.

If your special someone is not interested in camping, a two-person sleeping bag might be just the thing to make the idea of sleeping outdoors more attractive. If you think about it, being zipped up together will make camping feel more like sleeping in a regular bed and less like tent-sleeping.

If you and your loved one already enjoy camping, well… a two-person sleeping bag gives you the opportunity to do more at night besides (*cough) sleep.

Three Gifts Representing Your Relationship’s Past, Present & Future

Princess Diana - February 8, 2015 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day

We often say, “I Love You” but Valentine’s Day gives us the perfect opportunity to show “I Love You.”

Taking the time to come up with a thoughtful gift for your sweetheart can actually strengthen your relationship.

That’s what happened last year on Valentine’s Day, when my best friend, Leslie, received three gifts from her boyfriend that represented their past, present and future. Not only was it romantic, but it gave a deeper meaning to the holiday.

Here is how Leslie described the past, present and future gifts she received:

Love Letters for Valentine’s Day

Queen Darlene - February 5, 2015 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Valentine's Day

Listen up guys – Love letters for Valentine’s Day trump cards, candy and flowers! Especially, if you haven’t written one in a very long time.

I wrote a post for Valentine’s Day last year on this very subject. I heard from women about how thrilled they were to get their love letters. Some letters were mailed to the office like I suggested, and others were placed strategically on kitchen counters or on bathroom sinks.

I’m telling you this is a no-fail gift for Valentine’s Day!

Now, I have a confession to make… There’s a back story to that “Mail a Handwritten Love Letter” article.

Last year, I told my husband he needed to write me a love letter so I could use it in my post. Continue Reading

Personalized M&M’s |Valentine’s Day

Queen Darlene - January 29, 2015 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Birthday, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day

Chocolates are a girl’s best friend. Some would say diamonds but oh… how chocolate satisfies that indescribable craving!

Randy surprised me last year for Valentine’s Day by giving me my favorite candy – M&M’s! And they were personalized. I had no idea he even knew you could purchase them that way. I’ve seen personalized M&M’s at baby showers and birthdays and thought they were waaay cute!

My M&M’s had messages of Love Randy, Happy Valentine’s Day and the American Sign Language sign for I Love You (that one was my favorite!). The ASL “I love you” sign is a tradition used in my family by my grandparents, parents, brothers, sons and us. Continue Reading

The Promise of New Experiences

Princess Diana - January 27, 2015 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Valentine's Day

I received a most thoughtful gift from my husband for Christmas, but it’s perfect to use for Valentine’s Day, birthdays and anniversaries. In it, he promised new experiences for us to enjoy together throughout the whole year.

Spend quality time with someone you care about by giving them new experiences you can share together.

The romantic way he promised it brought tears to my eyes. This was no empty promise.

In a letter, my husband wrote to me:

I spent some time thinking about what to buy you, but I couldn’t come up with any ideas for a new gadget or item that would make your life better or increase your happiness. I also thought about our life together, and how much I love you and how much we love sharing in new adventures. I want every year to be our best year together, so here are a few things I’d like to either do or start doing next year for us.

A Private Music Concert | Unique & Thoughtful Gift

Princess Diana - November 18, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Experiences, Gifts for Him, Valentine's Day

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.

Hands of Love | Photo Gift Idea

Queen Darlene - October 9, 2014 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Gifts for Him

httpvh://youtu.be/wukqoBeDhag

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.

Play on Words Add Special Touch to Gifts

Princess Diana - September 25, 2014 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Teacher 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.

I 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