Posts Tagged: "birthday"

Photoshoot for the “Young at Heart”

Princess Diana - August 20, 2021 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Retirement

A person can be young at heart no matter their age. It’s a feeling, an attitude, and a mindset, and it’s golden when it’s caught on camera!

photoshoot-young-at-heart-elderly-senior-citizen

The sparkle in their eyes and their fun and youthful personality should be celebrated and remembered.

You can do both by giving a photoshoot to someone in their golden years that really lets them shine! It’s an experience they won’t forget because they’ll have print and digital photos to remind them.

Once you’ve gifted them the photoshoot, help the person brainstorm ideas for the theme, location, outfits to wear (or have fun with costumes!), and props to use. Planning it can be as fun as the photoshoot itself!

Just IMAGINE photos of great-grandpa, great-grandma, grandpa or grandma, etc. getting their photos taken and…

MasterClass.com | Online Classes From Famous Celebrities

Princess Diana - November 15, 2019 - Birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Me, Graduation, Mother's Day, Retirement

I’m sure at some point everyone has probably dreamed of getting the inside scoop from a famous celebrity to learn what makes them so good at what they do.

We all want to know the secret to their success!

What can Helen Mirren teach us about how to be an award-winning actor? Or Serena Williams on how to become a tennis superstar?

Wouldn’t it be great to have the opportunity to learn first-hand from some of the world’s greatest minds?

Well, you CAN! MasterClass.com gives you that type of ACCESS and knowledge.

Online Classes From the Best Minds & Talent in the World

Learn how to become a better writer from James Patterson, Bob Woodward, R.L. Stine and Judy Blume.

Learn how to become a better cook from Gordon Ramsay and Wolfgang Puck.

Website of Weirdly Awesome Gifts

Princess Diana - May 8, 2019 - Birthday, Christmas, Food & Drinks, Kids

Have you ever been clicking around on the Internet and accidentally stumbled across an amazing website? That happened to me recently, and I thought to myself, “Jackpot!”

The website, www.Vat19.com, sells all kinds of weirdly awesome gifts you would never find anywhere else. You have to check out for yourself the unique gifts, food, toys, home decor, clothing, and gifts they sell.

If you’re looking for weird or awesome gifts for children and adults, Vat19.com has something you’ll think is perfect.

Food Gifts

Let me give you a taste…

They have the World’s Largest Sour Gummy Worm weighing in at 3 pounds and a Gigantic Lollipop that is 65 times larger than a normal sucker. They also sell Bacon Popcorn!

Novelty Games

The website sells the Human Slingshot which turns human bodies into bouncing pinballs inside a giant stretchable band. Not crazy or wild enough for your needs? How about the “What’s That Smell? Party Game” that includes scents of toe cheese, diaper blowout, B.O., and hot chunky vomit. I dare you to play that game!

Home Decor Gifts

The Gummy Bear Chair is an inflatable arm chair that looks like a gummy bear, and the Hatching Dinosaur Candle melts to reveal a baby velociraptor.

Prank Gifts

They even have prank gifts like the “Prank Thank You Card” that plays music that can’t be turned off. The music plays on for 3 or more hours until the battery dies. For a tricky twist, if the person tries to rip up the card to get to the battery to make the music stop, a hidden glitter bomb inside the card will explode in their face.

The Stank Prank Candle also has a tricky twist. It starts off with a wonderful scent of sweet apples and then a few hours later it smells like farts.

Can’t decide on just one weirdly awesome gift? Then go with the Mysterious Box of Mystery!

Whether it’s something one-of-a-kind for him, her, or the kids, there’s a gift for everyone at Vat19.com.

Weird is a side-effect of awesome.

The ONE Thing | A Life-Changing Book

Princess Diana - February 20, 2019 - Birthday, Business, Graduation

I read a lot books, both fiction and non-fiction. This book in particular stands out as one of the most life-changing I’ve come across.

“The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results” by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan makes it crystal clear everything is NOT equal in life. We must spend our time focusing on the things that matter most if we want to achieve the things we want in our professional and personal lives.

This quote from the book says it so well… “Success is about doing the right thing, not about doing everything right.”

I’ve always been a big to-do list person, but this book made me realize the dark side of to-do lists. Since to-do lists aren’t prioritized by what’s important or what matters, we end up spending our precious time on trivial tasks that don’t get us any closer to achieving our goals.

Instead, the book talks about creating a success list–a list based on creating extraordinary results. To-do lists are long, but success lists are short. Then, it challenges you to pick the ONE thing that goes at the top of your success list.

So how does a person determine what the ONE thing is? By answering this very important question…

How to Determine “The ONE Thing”

Personalized Toy Basket

Princess Diana - March 6, 2018 - $20 or Less, Kids

Toy baskets are a parent’s best friend…

Because they spend so much of their time picking up toys off the floor. Again and again and again.

Someone has to pick up those 50 Hot Wheels cars and those 150 pieces of Mega Bloks. Yes, I make my kids help me a lot of the time but sometimes it’s just faster and easier to do it myself.

Toy baskets make it easy for parents (and kids) to clean up from room to room and the pretty baskets make cute storage space.

Their open top makes it simple to take things in and out, and they’re light enough even the kids can move them around. They can be filled with anything from large wooden toys to soft stuffed animals. They are just so convenient!

Life with children is a beautiful mess and toy baskets make it cleaner and more organized.

DIY Personalized Toy Basket

A gift I like to give for baby showers and kids’ birthdays is a Personalized Toy Basket with a child’s name on it. I make them myself and you can too!

Vintage Golf Throw Blanket & More

Queen Darlene - August 31, 2017 - Birthday, Business, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Retirement

When my friend Jeff invited me to his birthday/retirement party, I knew immediately what gift to give–anything golf related! He loves the game!

Other friends were giving him golf shirts and golf balls, but I was on a mission to find something a little different.

Cool Golf Gifts

If you Google golf accessories, endless items will pop up. I have saved you some time by putting together a curated list of some pretty unique and cool gift ideas.

My favorite is a Vintage Golf Tapestry Throw Blanket Made in the USA. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I favor Made in the USA products! Continue Reading

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

Keep It Simple | Office Birthday Gift Ideas

Queen Darlene - January 19, 2017 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Business

I work in an office of nearly 100 employees and someone is having a birthday just about every other day.

Birthdays are listed on a monthly employee calendar which make it easy to send a birthday wish by email. But there are times when you want to recognize a co-worker’s birthday with a birthday gift.

Even though there are five different departments at my place of employment, we all work together from time to time and get to know one another’s likes and dislikes.

Favorite Cereals

This year, Jody came up with a great idea for Tiffany’s birthday. Tiff LOVES cereal and eats four bowls a day!

On the way to work the morning of Tiffany’s birthday, Jody picked up two boxes of Tiff’s favorite cereals, Froot Loops and Frosted Krispies, with a half-gallon of milk.

Jody tied it all together with a ribbon and when Tiff saw the gift sitting on her desk, she was thrilled! Continue Reading

7 Gifts to Give Children at Christmas

Princess Diana - November 24, 2016 - Birthday, Christmas, Kids

Have you ever heard of toy hangover? Kids may not recognize it, but parents sure will.

Toy hangover occurs the day after Christmas or a birthday when kids are walking around dazed and confused after consuming too many toys in a short period of time.

Instead of dazed and confused, parents feel stressed and overwhelmed.

Where is all this stuff going to go?

I came across a toy hangover cure I’m going to start this year. It’s an easy solution to how to shop for children at Christmas (or birthdays) so you end up with quality instead of quantity.

You are limited to seven gifts for each child. Don’t freak out on me. Having a limit is a good thing.

By having a a set limit, it forces you to think very carefully and thoughtfully about what those seven gifts will be.

These seven gifts are from the parent(s)/Santa. If you feel like you’re being Scrooge-ish, just remember your kids will receive additional gifts from family and friends.

There is a more important reason than preventing toy hangovers as to why I want to decrease the amount of Christmas gifts my kids receive. I don’t want the primary focus of Christmas to be gifts. Yes, gift giving is a fun holiday tradition but it’s not the reason for the season.

Jumbo Airwalker Balloons

Princess Diana - November 8, 2016 - Birthday, Kids

If you’ve never seen Airwalker Balloons, they’re jumbo size balloons that stand on the floor instead of float in the air.

They’re bigger than most kids!

For my son’s 4th birthday party, I purchased the Chase PAW Patrol Airwalker Balloon. The puppy-shaped balloon stands 54″ tall!

Talk about an attention getter!

All of the kids and adults couldn’t believe how big Chase stood. Not only was it the best piece of decoration at the party, but it also entertained the children, AND created the perfect photo prop!