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Breaking the Turkey Wishbones | Thanksgiving Tradition

Queen Darlene - November 13, 2014 - $20 or Less, Experiences

If I close my eyes, I can still remember Grandma’s house and the delicious aroma of Thanksgiving dinner filtering from her tiny kitchen. Like so many other families, every year there was discussion of who would be the lucky two people to break the turkey wishbone.

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Queen Darlene & Jody making a wish!

It was a big event at the end of the meal to watch who would win the biggest part of the bone and declare a wish!

I had no idea of why we did this ritual of breaking the wishbone, so for this post I researched it. Did you know that the Thanksgiving tradition of breaking a wishbone dates back over 2,400 years?

The Etruscan people believed that fowl could predict the future and the chicken’s collarbone was thought to be sacred. Seriously?!?! Wishes were made by rubbing on the bones in hopes of bringing good luck. (Maybe I should try this on my next lotto ticket purchase). Thus, the “wishbone tradition” began. Continue Reading

Coach Barry Switzer | A True Story

Queen Darlene - November 12, 2014 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Experiences

My step-father Paul’s birthday falls in November, and he will turn 90 years old. He loved two things his entire life, my mother and University of Oklahoma football.

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Step-father Paul, Coach Switzer & Queen Darlene

Since Mother passed away, there’s just not a lot of moments he gets real excited about except OU touchdowns and a WIN, of course. I wanted to do something really over the top for his birthday and Coach Barry Switzer would fit the bill.

I wrote Barry a letter and here are some excerpts. For a thoughtful twist, I wrote the letter in a thank you card.

I’m thanking you in advance for a favor. Our step-father Paul will be 90 on November 10. He was born in Norman and feels lucky because that is the home of OU. Every positive adjective I could come up with is not enough to describe his love of OU football. He never misses a game on TV. Continue Reading

American Flag Flown Over the Nation’s Capitol

Queen Darlene - November 11, 2014 - Birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Military/Veterans, Retirement

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As my husband cleaned the garage, he came across a box of items that belonged to his parents. He found the American flag that had been flown over the nation’s capitol in Washington, D.C. in honor of his father who enlisted in the Army and fought in WWII.

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A thoughtful gift for Veterans Day

My husband’s father was a proud red-blooded American through and through. He loved his country! I never heard him complain about paying taxes and he made sure to vote in elections. He felt it was extremely important because so many died for us to have that privilege.

For a thoughtful gift one year, we requested to have a flag flown on his birthday, December 2. The flag was mailed to us in time for Christmas. The flag came with a personalized certificate of recognition and authenticity to reflect the occasion. Continue Reading

Off to Boot Camp | Going Away Present

Queen Darlene - November 6, 2014 - Birthday, Going Away, Graduation, Military/Veterans

Have you ever had a lump in your throat and eyes get watery with hot tears? That’s exactly what happened to me when I read an invitation to attend a surprise party for Jonathan before he goes off to boot camp.

Jonathan’s Birthday Celebration

Many years ago when our children were little, the Ridge family moved in next door. Cindy was pregnant and within days of being our new neighbors, Jonathan was born.

He was always the baby of our neighborhood block and his siblings, Jayson, Jenifer, and Justin became my children’s best friends.

“Jon,” as we call him, turned 22 years old in September, and all he has ever wanted was to be in the military. As a kid, his birthday cakes were decorated with army men, tanks and trucks. Now the time has come.

Our families have stayed close even though we have not been neighbors for years. When I read the party invitation, it was like my own child had grown up and became a man overnight. How does that happen?! Continue Reading

Thank You Card Using Photo of Your Child

Princess Diana - November 4, 2014 - Thank You

Do you have a photo of your son or daughter that you know will get people to say, “Awwww… so cute!”?

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Glue a cute photo of your child to the front of a blank note card for a thoughtful thank you card!

That’s exactly what you’ll need for making this thank you card using a photo of your child.

When my son turned two years old, I wrote thank you cards to everyone who gave him a gift. Even though my son isn’t old enough to make or write his own thank you cards, I still wanted his thank you cards to be representative of him and his Oklahoma City Thunder basketball-themed birthday party.

I purchased blank note cards in the Thunder’s team colors, blue and orange, and made multiple 4X4 prints of a close-up photo I took of my son at his birthday party. In the photo, he is wearing his Thunder basketball jersey.

Not only is the photo adorable, but it will remind everyone of his birthday party!

Glow-in-the-Dark Stick Man Halloween Costume

Queen Darlene - October 30, 2014 - $20 or Less, Catch All

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Ever wait to the last minute to figure out what costume you’re going to wear to your friend’s Halloween party? How about dressing up for work on Halloween but need to wear something office appropriate? Well, I’m here to save the day!

I give you the Stick Man! An easy-to-create-in-15-minutes Halloween costume!

Being comfortable in a Halloween costume is always #1 in my book and this certainly will be. Here are the items you will need. Continue Reading

Easy Peasy Oreo Popcorn Recipe | Edible Gift

Princess Diana - October 28, 2014 - $20 or Less, Christmas, Food & Drinks

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I discovered something at the age of 32. No, it wasn’t the secret of life. But close! Oreo popcorn.

I’ve tried many different flavors of popcorn in my life, but never this. My mother-in-law brought some home from a party she attended, and my life has never been the same since!

I obtained the name of the store that sold this tasty treat because I planned on buying some for my son’s birthday party. Then I thought, “Waaaaaaait a minute. They can’t be that hard to make!”

I was right y’all. All it takes to make them are three ingredients. Easy peasy!

Halloween Monster & Zombie Spray

Queen Darlene - October 23, 2014 - $20 or Less, Kids, Party Favors

Older kids love dressing up in scary Halloween costumes like monsters or the latest craze – zombies! But the little ones often hate scary costumes and anything to do with monsters.

I have a fun gift idea that will help younger children get rid of any scary monsters and zombies. Monster & Zombie Spray! It’s like bug spray that gets rid of bugs but this special formula gets rid of monsters and zombies instead! It also smells good and doesn’t harm the skin.

I know, Halloween is not a typical gift giving holiday. I mean purchasing the kids’ costumes and candy is a gift in itself, right?! But… this gift is just too fun not to give!

HOW TO MAKE MONSTER & ZOMBIE SPRAY

Safety LED Lights Keep Children Visible on Halloween Night

Princess Diana - October 21, 2014 - $20 or Less, Kids

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When the sun goes down and sky turns black, the real thrills and chills of Halloween begin. I love a good scare and that’s why I pay people to scare me… at haunted houses.

On the other hand, I hate a bad scare – like a car almost running over your child while trick-or-treating because his dark-colored costume made him hard to see. Halloween is supposed to be scary, but the thought of something like that happening to my child is terrifying and sends chills up my spine!

According to SafeKids.org, children on average are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year.

Let’s be realistic, kids won’t be the ones to think about their own safety on Halloween night, so it’s up to us adults to make sure they stay visible to cars as they walk up and down the neighborhood streets trick-or-treating.

Parents and family members can make sure this happens with this thoughtful gift idea for Halloween – Safety LED Lights that blink and come in different colors and shapes so kids will think it’s cool and fun to wear.

Easy & Clever Halloween Costumes

Queen Darlene - October 16, 2014 - Catch All

We have an annual Halloween costume contest at my office and some very clever and creative employees who participate. My favorite type of costumes are the ones that use a play on words.

One year, Mary wrapped herself with fake green ivy. She even crafted a headpiece out of the ivy.

When she approached another person, she would extend her hand and say in a sexy voice, “Hi… I’m Ivy… Poison Ivy.” while the person was shaking her hand.

Every time, they would jerk their hand back. Some even screamed, “Eeeekkk!” I did!

Another year, Kelly wore a blue sweatshirt and cut out white felt material into several cloud shapes and attached them onto her shirt. She also made a headband that looked like the sun and carried a spray bottle full of water.

When someone asked her what she was dressed as, she would reply, “I’m partly cloudy with a chance of rain” and sprayed them with water. No one expected that response!

One year I wore a prison striped costume with red necklaces, red earrings, Valentine heart pins and a black wig. I called myself “Prisoner of Your Love.”