Category "Birthday"

Random Acts of Kindness for Your Own or Someone Else’s Birthday

Princess Diana - March 25, 2014 - Birthday, Experiences, Gifts for Me

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUw92wHDbSk&feature=youtu.be

When my friend Erin turned 34 years old, she posted the following message on Facebook:

pay it forward popcorn taped to Redbox machine

Pay It Forward Idea – Tape a package of microwaveable popcorn to a Redbox machine along with a note!

Friends and family – I am on a quest to complete 34 random acts of kindness today in honor of my birthday… will you help? Pretty please!?

It can be as simple as buying the order of the person in the drive through behind you, helping someone load their groceries in the car or taping quarters to the candy machines at the mall. It can be done at anytime and anywhere!

And if you wouldn’t mind sharing with me (send me a text, give me a call, post it on my Facebook wall), I would love nothing else on my birthday than to hear about all the nice things being done for others! I am starting today with volunteering at the Oklahoma City Regional Food Bank until noon if anyone would like to come and join!

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.

Hand Prints on Canvas Best Friends Gift Idea

Queen Darlene - March 11, 2014 - Birthday, Business, Christmas, Experiences, Kids

I am blessed to have life long friends. It’s a trait I copied from my mom. She attended the Oklahoma School for the Deaf and stayed in contact with many of her friends throughout her lifetime. While growing up, I watched her write and receive mail from her friends from all across America.

I moved to Oklahoma from Texas on my 12th birthday. Mother enrolled us in school and instructed us to “go and make lots of best friends.” We did and she encouraged us to stay in contact with our old friends in Texas. I am forever grateful for her wisdom in keeping and making new friends. You can never have too many!

Nancy is my Oldest BFF (Best Friend Forever)! We met in second grade and have known each other for 54 years. WOW! That’s a long time. We have been exchanging birthday gifts for most of those years.

This year, I came up with the idea to have our hand prints together on a canvas. One problem – I live in Oklahoma and she lives in Texas. Continue Reading

Throwback Thursday | Framed Vintage Girl Scout Badge

Princess Diana - March 6, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Congratulations, Host, Thank You

I am long time volunteer of Girl Scouts because I love its mission of building girls of courage, confidence and character. I am also a member of Girl Scouts – Western Oklahoma’s young professionals group, GS Cornerstone.

It has become tradition that each year a board member of the organization hosts GS Cornerstone in their home. I helped plan our most recent event, and I was put in charge of the thank you gift.

I definitely wanted it to be Girl Scout related. But what to give our hostess – a very accomplished woman who seemed to have it all?

I brainstormed with Queen Darlene and we came up with the idea of giving her a vintage Girl Scout Hostess Badge. After all, she will have met the requirements after graciously opening her home to all of us!

Free Puppies with Puppy Chow

Queen Darlene - February 27, 2014 - Birthday, Family, Food & Drinks, Get Well, Kids, Party Favors, Thank You

For my father-in-law’s 85th birthday, we threw him a surprise celebration and made sure to include something he could share with the other residents at his retirement home when they stopped by to wish him a “Happy Birthday!” So we had Gramps give away “free puppies” with baggies full of puppy chow.

Of course, they were not real puppies and the puppy chow was a snack for his friends. I filled a large basket with various small Stuffed Puppies
and created a sign that said, “Free Puppies.”

Everyone was thrilled to look in the basket and choose a “puppy” to take home. The puppy chow made a wonderful party favor and the experience resulted in a fun way to celebrate someone’s birthday.

This birthday happened several years ago before my blogging days so I don’t have a picture for you but I’m sure you have a pretty good idea.

I have since replicated the puppy chow idea many times for all kinds of occasions. The latest one was for a United Way auction at my office. This time, I paired a stuffed dog with a dog bowl full of puppy chow.

Reusable DIY Buffet Food Table Signs

Princess Diana - February 25, 2014 - Birthday, Christmas, Family, Host, Housewarming, Thank You

Our friends Vernon and Katie hosted a Housewarming/Super Bowl Party. Like me, Katie loves to cook and entertain and the invitation said she was providing all of the food for the party and everyone just needed to BYOB. I wanted to give them a housewarming gift that was food related, maybe even something they could use at the party.

I remembered I had come across a blog that showed how to make your own reusable DIY buffet food table signs. I was going to make them for my next get-together but hadn’t gotten around to it just yet.

I realized they would make the perfect housewarming gift! Think about it – whenever you have a bunch of food spread out on a table, it’s inevitable people are going to ask questions about what’s what.

“What’s in this bowl?
“Is this salsa hot or mild?
“What’s this dip called?”
“What type of cheese it this?”

So by setting out buffet food table signs, you’re telling people up front what’s what and eliminating having to answer a bunch of questions over and over. Plus, if they’re cute signs you’re just adding to your table decor!

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

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.