Category "Valentine’s Day"

Just What He Needed – A Plastic Flask

Princess Diana - January 23, 2014 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Gifts for Him, Valentine's Day

My husband Kevin loves his whiskey and Coke.

So sometimes when he goes out with his buddies he takes a flask of whiskey with him.

He uses a flask I bought him as a present in college. It’s black leather and stainless steel and has his Delta Upsilon fraternity’s Greek letters engraved in the top and the words “To the Best Ever…” engraved on the front. Obviously, it has sentimental written all over it, and we (okay, probably just me) would be terribly upset if he ever lost it.

Well, Kevin told me that a security guard at an Oklahoma City Thunder basketball game almost confiscated it. He had the flask in the inside front pocket of his blazer when he got wanded!

But thankfully, the security guard’s wanding skills were about as good as Dwight Howard’s freethrows and the wand never beeped. Whew!

How to Make Sure Your Man Never Disappoints You With His Gifts

Queen Darlene - January 21, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard my female co-workers, friends and family members say things like, “He better remember it’s our anniversary (or my birthday, etc.) and have a gift and know what I want.”

Ladies – don’t set up your husbands and boyfriends for failure! Do what I do. I learned early on to help my husband with picking out my gifts and in doing so I’m never disappointed with my gifts!

I’ve been married 43 years and the first gift Randy gave me after we were married was an electric can opener. Yes, you read that correctly.

I blew a gasket! Seriously? A plug-in appliance? I cried, screamed and told him I could NOT believe he thought such a thing could be considered a GIFT. What was he thinking??

In his defense, many months later when he felt safe to talk about it, he explained that the hand held can opener that we received for a wedding gift was cheap, dull and difficult to turn. So he thought it would be nice to make my life easier by getting an electric can opener.

Awwww… but still there is NO EXCUSE to give your wife, girlfriend, or significant other any sort of appliance unless she asks for it as a gift. Period. End of story.

My girlfriend’s husband once purchased her an electric weed eater. Believe me when I say that’s much worse!

So ladies – how do you make sure your man never disappoints you with his gifts? What is the secret to making sure you love the gifts you receive for Valentine’s Days, birthdays, Christmases and anniversaries? Continue Reading

1 4 3 – Secret Code for I Love You

Queen Darlene - January 16, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Wedding

I love surprises, unique gifts and secret messages that are just for me. The best part is my husband, Randy, knows it!

Several years ago, my husband had a necklace made for me for Valentine’s Day. It reminded me of the “drop” he gave me when we began dating. That’s what they were called in the 1960s.

This time, it did not have his initials RED. It was 1 4 3. I was puzzled.

“What is 1 4 3?” I asked Randy. He told me it’s a secret code. One is for I, four is for L-o-v-e and three is for Y-o-u.

So sweet! It was a great surprise with a special unique message and now you know our secret code! Feel free to borrow this gift idea for your loved one this Valentine’s Day.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. – Elizabeth Barrett Browning

The Most Romantic Present A Guy Can Give to a Girl

Princess Diana - January 14, 2014 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Birthday, Valentine's Day, Wedding

Men – read closely. This Valentine’s Day gift I am about to reveal is THE most romantic present a guy can give to a girl. I’m not joking.

When my husband Kevin and I met in college, he gave me a Valentine’s Day present that completely melted my heart and made me fall in love with him all over again. Here’s what he wrote in his Valentine’s Day card to me:

… The box is the most special present. Inside it, there are 67 cards, one for each week we have been together. The blue ones are special memories, the red ones are things I love about you, and the blank ink ones are quotes, some of which are from yours truly. Also, there are give coupon cards which are special surprises. I hope you like them all, and may the future hold many more amazing memories together.

Your lover,
Kevin

Sign With Favorite Saying or Quote

Princess Diana - January 9, 2014 - Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Condolence, Congratulations, Gifts for Him, Graduation, Housewarming, Kids, Valentine's Day, Wedding

Starting www.SunburstGifts.org from scratch has been such an exciting and rewarding project. It’s like I’ve given birth to a second child without the nine month wait and the whole alien-taking-over-my-body thing.

I definitely get even less sleep now because I stay up writing blog posts but I’m having a blast watching our subscribership grow each day!

Joining me on this incredible journey is my blogging partner Queen Darlene (Darlene Drew). We seriously go together like chips and salsa (my favorite snack btw!).

We have so much fun sharing our passion of giving thoughtful gifts with the world that working with her on our blog is not “work” at all. I wanted to celebrate our new blog and partnership by surprising her with a – you guessed it! – thoughtful gift.

Premium Olive Oil and Vinegar With State-shaped Cutting Board

Princess Diana - December 19, 2013 - Anniversary, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Congratulations, Family, Food & Drinks, Gifts for Him, Host, Housewarming, Thank You, Valentine's Day, Wedding

My boss Holley and I are kindred spirits in that we both looove to cook. We like to tell each other about the new recipes we’ve tried and if any are rock stars we share them. Well, what do most recipes start with?

Extra virgin olive oil. So I thought I’d get her some premium olive oil this year for Christmas, along with some aged balsamic vinegar and a State-Shaped Cutting Board. OKLAHOMA of course! Represent.

I visited a store that specializes in premium extra virgin olive oils and balsamic vinegars and man was my mind buh-lown! They had their oils and vinegars infused with all sorts of fantastic flavors – chipotle, jalapeno, lavender, espresso, chocolate and on and on. They even had butter infused olive oil. Perfect for drizzling over popcorn. Mmmmm.

It gets better. The store allows you to sample all of their flavors, and they even provide the bread. I was like a kid in a candy store!

Art That Imitates Life

Queen Darlene - December 1, 2013 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Gifts for Him, Valentine's Day

My friend Janet and I enjoy visiting museums. One of our favorites is the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. There are literally thousands of paintings by artists of various time periods.

There we were walking from gallery to gallery when we came upon a painting that took up an entire wall. Although painted in 1879, the colors were still amazingly vibrant.

We both stared at the massive painting in awe when I said, “That’s you and me!”

It was a painting of two women – one with red hair and the other a brunette – living in a palace overlooking the sea. It was named The Favorite of the Emir by Jean Joseph Benjamin Constant. We laughed and joked of being pampered as royalty then moved on to the next gallery.

Books of Significance & Meaning

Princess Diana - November 30, 2013 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Condolence, Congratulations, Family, Get Well, Gifts for Him, Graduation, Thank You, Valentine's Day, Wedding

Earlier this year, my husband Kevin, our one-year old son Aiden, and I all flew to Boston. Kevin is a pedorthist – a pharmacist for the feet – and his colleagues from all across the country were gathering in Boston for their annual foot conference. (Foot fetish, anyone? Just teasing, honey!) I better call it the event by its proper name- the Pedorthic Footcare Association’s 54th Annual Symposium and Exhibition.

While Kevin worked, Aiden and I entertained ourselves one day by taking the subway train to Cambridge to tour Harvard University. (*ahem) I mean Haaahvard.

It was raining when we got off the train so we ducked into The World’s Only Curious George Store. Aiden didn’t own a single Curious George book so I looked through all of the different titles looking for just the right one. And I found it. Curious George Takes a Train

Oh, the Places We’ll Go! (And Been) | World Travel Map with Pins

Princess Diana - November 29, 2013 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day

When my husband Kevin and I were dating in college, he studied abroad in Costa Rica for five weeks so he could learn Spanish via language immersion. One day, I opened up my email and read, “When I’m finished with my classes, why don’t you fly down here so we can travel the country together?” How totally romantic!

Kevin and I hike the rainforest in Costa Rica in 2003.

But so last minute. He was talking about a date two weeks away and I had an expired passport!

I made it happen – but barely – because my passport literally arrived in the mail the day before I left. My plane landed in San Jose where my very tanned Spanish-speaking boyfriend met me.

We traveled for nine days together staying in beach towns, zip lining through the rain forest, and eating fresh papaya and drinking mango juice for breakfast. Traveling with my personal translator, we avoided touristy areas so we could experience Costa Rica culture up close and personal.

Being half Filipino, I am often mistaken for being Hispanic so locals would sometimes just randomly start speaking Spanish to me. When they did, I would get this embarrassed I’m-sorry-I’m-your-typical-spoiled- American-who-only-speaks-English look on my face. Then I would politely say, “No hablo espanol” and then quickly point at Kevin – “El Gringo” (you know, Spanish for “The Gringo”).