Category "Birthday"

One-on-One Father/Son Time

Princess Diana - June 13, 2017 - Birthday, Experiences, Father's Day, Gifts for Him

Although my husband’s parents only live a few miles away, my husband doesn’t get much one-on-one time with his father.

They meet up for quick lunches here and there, but they haven’t spent more than an hour, just the two of them together, in quite a while.

I wanted to remedy that with a thoughtful Father’s Day gift – father/son time!

I thought my husband and his dad would enjoy the experience of going to a professional baseball game together. It’s a perfect outing that combines sports entertainment and plenty of time to chat, drink beer, eat peanuts, etc.

Genetic DNA Testing & Analysis Kit

Princess Diana - June 6, 2017 - Birthday, Christmas, Family, Father's Day, Gifts for Me, Mother's Day

Imagine collecting a wealth of information about yourself, your relatives, and your ancestors based on your DNA.

Do you have to give a blood sample? Nope. Needles not necessary.

With the commercial genetic DNA testing and analysis services available, all you need to do is provide a sample of your saliva. Mail it in, and in several weeks receive a detailed genetics report based on your unique DNA.

DNA testing is very helpful in genealogy and ethnicity research. It essentially allows you to find your genetic family! If you choose, you can connect with the people in 23andMe’s database who share your DNA with you and message them.

DNA Testing Kits

I purchased for my father-in-law, Greg, a 23andMe DNA Testing Kit for Father’s Day. 23andMe based its name on the 23 pairs of chromosomes found in a human cell. Another popular kit is AncestryDNA.

World’s Coolest Rain Gauge | Father’s Day Gift

Queen Darlene - June 2, 2017 - Birthday, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Teacher Gifts

Simply put, my husband enjoys his rain gauge.

Randy is not only curious about how much it rains, but he also finds it useful to know how much to water the yard and flower beds.

In a previous post for Father’s Day, we purchased Randy a new E-Z Jumbo Rain Gauge to replace his father’s old gauge that eventually became weather worn.

Well… after three years that rain gauge stem broke while inserting it into the ground.

Instead of replacing it with the same brand, I found the World’s Coolest Rain Gauge that features interesting science behind it!

Archimedes of Syracuse, a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer, discovered the principle of water displacement, and it is demonstrated in this unique copper rain gauge (aka pluviometer).

Plan A Surprise Party on a Holiday

Princess Diana - May 31, 2017 - Anniversary, Birthday, Going Away, Graduation, Retirement

My husband, Kevin, graduated with this Master’s degree this year. To celebrate such a major accomplishment, I decided to throw him a surprise party.

I schemed with his parents who was hosting the graduation party in their home. After checking with each other, the only date in May that worked with both of our schedules was Mother’s Day. Oh no!

That was my initial reaction. But after thinking about it, I realized there is NO WAY he would see this surprise party coming.

A graduation party on Mother’s Day? Who would do that?!

Planning a surprise party on a holiday provides the perfect cover story.

The Perfect Cover Story

I simply told Kevin we needed to go to his parents’ house because for a Mother’s Day brunch. He easily believed it. I didn’t need to concoct some elaborate story to get him there.

Do you have people coming from out of town? They can say they’re coming into town for the holiday.

Let Kids Camp Out Inside With Indoor Tent

Queen Darlene - May 25, 2017 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Kids

Kids love camping outdoors but sometimes the weather or temperature just doesn’t cooperate. An indoor tent designed for kids will do the trick!

My son needed a birthday gift for a four-year old boy. He knew little boys never have enough cars, super heroes and Legos, but he wanted to give something a little more imaginative.

Kids Indoor Tent

Dustin found the cutest indoor tent that would fit perfectly anywhere in the house. It’s perfect for play dates and sleepovers!

The Ozark Trail Kids Camping Tent is designed with pictures of the moon, stars, trees, a camp fire and a sign that says “Let’s Go Camping”.

The 5 ft. x 3 ft. tent also comes in a drawstring bag for easy storage. Continue Reading

Indoor Go Kart Racing | Adrenaline Experience

Princess Diana - May 23, 2017 - Birthday, Experiences, Gifts for Him

If you’ve followed my blog for a little while, you probably know I like to give my nieces experience gifts.

A few years ago, I took them on a limouisine ride to look at Christmas lights. This time when they visited during their spring break, I gave them a thrilling experience that got their adrenaline pumping – indoor go kart racing at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour!

Need for Speed

At Pole Position Raceway, as long as someone’s 48 inches tall they’re allowed to drive, so even my nine year old niece could do it.

My nephew joined my nieces and after receiving the proper safety training, it was go time! They put on their helmets, strapped into their go karts, and put the pedal to the metal!

Spell Child’s Name With Wall Letters

Queen Darlene - May 19, 2017 - Baby Shower, Birthday, Christmas, Kids, Uncategorized

As a child, I remember looking for my name on key chain racks in stores. Not once, did I see DARLENE.

At least I was in good company. My brothers, Harvey and Rodney, didn’t see theirs either. We were all so disappointed.

I was recently invited to a birthday party for a four year old named Evynn. The birthday girl’s name is so beautiful and unique that I decided to give her a personalized gift of her name.

Fortunately, there are many options for creating someone’s name using wall letters from your local craft store or alphabet letters from Amazon.com.

Wall Letters in All Shapes & Sizes

You can find every shape, size, font and color of wall letters to be hung in a room or leaned upright on a shelf. Continue Reading

Fancy Flip Flops a Mother’s Day Gift

Queen Darlene - May 12, 2017 - Birthday, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts

I have too many Fancy Flip Flops SAID NO ONE EVER! Or at least that’s what my sweet sister-in-law, Nancy, would say.

A few years ago for a Mother’s Day gift, I gave her fancy flip flops with rhinestones. Then again a couple of months later another pair for her birthday.

At the end of the summer, Hallmark had a sale on colorful flip flops so I purchased two more pair just to surprise her! There’s a reason they call her Fancy Nancy! She loves to dress “Jazzy”.

Even though I knew it was the same type of gift over and over again, I also knew without a doubt how much she would enjoy wearing them. Continue Reading

Magical 3D Pop Up Greeting Cards

Princess Diana - May 9, 2017 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Congratulations, Father's Day, Get Well, Graduation, Housewarming, Kids, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts, Thank You, Valentine's Day, Wedding

3D Pop Up Greeting Cards are so beautiful and mesmerizing, they are almost a gift in itself. And they’re definitely keepsakes!

When you open one of these cards, instead of seeing words, you see the card magically come to life as it POPS UP into a unique design. They are truly miniature works of paper art!

Send Someone a Pop Up Surprise

You can buy 3D Pop Up Greeting Cards in all sorts of designs for all sorts of occasions. Some of them are designed to hold a gift card.

Although, do you even need an occasion to send a 3D greeting card with a pop up dragon, a pop up pirate ship or a pop up rocket? Send them just because the cards are badass and you want to surprise someone!

My Favorite Ergonomic Drinking Mug

Queen Darlene - May 4, 2017 - Birthday, Business, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Me, Mother's Day, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Thank You

OK… my favorite mug is not advertised as being ergonomic. I just gave it that name.

The word ergonomic means well designed, usable, user-friendly and comfortable. All the adjectives that describes my favorite mug!

Several years ago, while visiting friends we made when living in Albuquerque, we played tourist by visiting Old Town. We had fun walking around the Square checking out each gift shop.

In one store, we watched pottery being made directly in front of us by artists. It’s truly amazing how plain brownish clay turns into beautiful colorful pottery. I like to think of it as usable art!