Category "Father’s Day"

Personalized Man Cave Photos for Father’s Day Gift

Queen Darlene - June 10, 2014 - Birthday, Father's Day, Gifts for Him

Men love their Man Cave – whether it’s in the garage, basement or a room in the house. When Mom passed away, my brother, Harvey, moved in to help care for our step-father Paul who has been deaf all his life and has macular degeneration.

To talk to Paul, who’s nearly 90, you have to sign real close to his face so he can see. Paul still cooks all of his meals but needs help with mowing the grass and driving to the bank, grocery store and the deaf club.

I’m so very grateful that my brother has taken on this task to help our step-father live his life as close to normal as possible. Paul is grateful too because otherwise he would be living in a nursing home without anyone knowing how to speak to him in sign language.

It has been somewhat challenging for two grown men to live together. They have their own ways! Know what I mean?

Their den sits right in the middle of the house, and you have to walk through it to get to the kitchen from the bedrooms. The den also contains the door to the backyard, which gets used constantly because of their little Chihuahua, Mickey.

Don’t kid yourself to think just because people are deaf that they are quiet. They are NOT. As a matter of fact, they are probably noisier because they cannot hear how loud they are! Well, Paul makes a lot of noise. My brother always has to turn up the volume on the TV to cover the banging and clanging in the kitchen and the slamming of the backdoor.

While Paul is happy to have someone in the home so he doesn’t feel so lonely, both men feel a loss of privacy. So to solve both problems of noise and privacy, my brother and I came up with a plan to convert the front room into Harvey’s Man Cave! Continue Reading

Beers From Around the World Gift Basket

Princess Diana - June 5, 2014 - Birthday, Christmas, Family, Father's Day, Food & Drinks, Gift Baskets, Gifts for Him, Housewarming

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I have to give credit where credit is due. This gift idea came from my husband Kevin. It’s an awesome gift that men will love!

Buy a selection of beers that are made in different countries from around the world. Stick them in a tub, basket or bucket, then use whole-in-shell peanuts as an edible filling.

If you buy a dozen beers, you can create a tag that says, “Around the World in 12 Beers” to go along with the gift.

Here are the beers from around the world (imported beers) that are commonly found:

“Mighty Fine” | Remembering Gramps’ Personal Saying

Queen Darlene - June 3, 2014 - Birthday, Father's Day, Gifts for Him

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My father-in-law, Gene Drew, was a very kind and quiet man who would sometimes surprise us with his humorous wit. I always thought my husband got his wit from his mother but he also got it from his dad. Randy even laughs like his dad. There’s no denying it. We are our parents!

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When Gene spoke, the message was plain, simple and always thought through. There was never misunderstanding what he said.

He was a WWII Veteran and like so many of his time, they did not talk about the war. Instead, they got busy workin’, raisin’ families and livin’!

Gene could fix anything. Cars, motorcycles, lawnmowers – you name it, he repaired it! He could make anything out of left over stuff. He made a work table on wheels once out of an old air conditioning unit. In his later years, he helped his grandchildren make science fair projects. He was amazing!

Gramps, as we all fondly called him, passed away in July of 2011 just shy of his 90th birthday. At his funeral, his youngest son Kyle gave the eulogy. He spoke about all of the wonderful things he instilled in his children not by doing so much talking but by his actions.

When he did talk, Gramps had a personal saying he always used for anything good – “Mighty Fine.” Kyle reminded us that when he learned to ride his bike or came home with news of getting on the baseball team, Gramps would always say that’s “Mighty Fine.”

When as a kid he asked, “Dad, what do you think about Jesus returning?” Gramps slowly took his pipe out of his mouth and said, “I think it would be mighty fine!”

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!

The Gift of Song | Family Recording Studio Session

Queen Darlene - December 24, 2013 - Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Family, Father's Day, Kids, Mother's Day

When Judy, a co-worker of mine, had her grandchildren visit her, she planned all sorts of events for them to do. One of them was a private recording studio session at my oldest son Dustin’s recording studio. He had just started his home recording studio business at the time.

Gift of Song Family Recording Studio Session Gift Idea

Dustin hangs out in his recording studio.

Judy’s granddaughters had the time of their life recording in the studio, singing into a mike with headsets on, and making a real CD. They thought it was the coolest experience ever! What a story to tell their friends and family back home. They gave a copy of their newly released CD to their parents who cherished such a unique gift!

The idea of recording a CD led another co-worker, Tiffany, and her family to record Jingle Bells for their grandmother who lived in a different city. Practice began at the studio because there were lots of starts and stops, goofs and giggles, and funny family fodder during the recording session.

Nostalgia of Owning a Volkswagen Bug

Queen Darlene - November 30, 2013 - Anniversary, Birthday, Business, Experiences, Father's Day, Gifts for Him

My boss Dennis and I have compared many stories of our Volkswagen Bugs we drove during our college years. There was no better car for poor college kids. They were inexpensive to buy, inexpensive to maintain, and inexpensive to fill up with gas. The key word here is inexpensive! And when other fancier vehicles were stuck in the snow, the Bug could travel on by.

My boss Dennis gets ready to drive down memory lane in his Volkswagen Bug rental car my co-workers and I bought him as a Christmas present.

The nostalgia of owning a VW Bug is a strong and wonderful feeling. Imagine giving someone the gift of reliving such a feeling!

We did just that for Dennis. Last year for Christmas, my co-workers and I gave our boss a VW Bug rental car for the weekend. After locating a rental car service that had a VW Bug, we had to be flexible with the timing.

You can rent a car anytime, anyplace but asking for a particular vehicle, you may have to wait for availability. Thankfully, a couple of weeks before Christmas, the rental car service called that a VW Bug had become available. Perfect!