Posts Tagged: "gift"

Thanks A Million

Princess Diana - September 5, 2017 - Thank You

What can you give someone who goes above and beyond to show your deep appreciation?

My oldest son started Pre-K this year, so I’ve started paying a lot more attention to what is going on in our educational system.

I recently watched a video of the Oklahoma City Public Schools superintendent, Aurora Lora, giving her State of the Schools speech to the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.

I was amazed. Despite a bare bones budget, a teacher shortage, and numerous other barriers she faces on a day to day basis, she discussed the many improvements she and her staff have made to provide a better educational experience to students.

She faces an uphill battle, yet she gives it her all because she knows our children deserve better. And I’m so grateful to her.

Novelty Million Dollar Bill

I wrote Aurora a thank you card expressing my gratitude for her leadership and telling her how lucky we are to have her. I ended with “Thanks a million!”

Inside the thank you card, I inserted a million dollar bill. Of course it’s fake, but it looks very real!

Funny Books for Parents With a Sense of Humor

Princess Diana - August 29, 2017 - $20 or Less, Baby Shower, Father's Day, Mother's Day

I’m a parent with a twisted sense of humor, and I’m not the only one.

I think it’s actually healthy because I’m able to laugh at things that normally would drive someone crazy!

A sense of humor (twisted or not) will get you through the highlights and pitfalls of parenthood. For example, I have a child in diapers so every day is full of shits and giggles. Literally.

My friend Beth and I bond over our twisted sense of humor. I’m so excited she’s pregnant with her first baby!

When it came time to pick out her baby shower gifts, I knew what book I just had to give her!

Hilarious Books for Parents

It’s called Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach and Ricardo Cortés.

Sleep deprivation was one of the hardest things I dealt with as a new mom. When your baby just won’t go to bed, you do start to think, “For the love of God, go the f**k to sleep!”

Compact Car Jump Starter | Road Safety

Princess Diana - July 5, 2017 - Birthday, Business, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Gifts for Me, Graduation

My car battery died after work one day, and thankfully a co-worker came to my rescue.

He didn’t use jumper cables.

He used something even better called a compact car jump starter.

It’s better than jumper cables because you don’t need another car to jump you!

Peace of Mind on the Road

Think about it, your battery could die when no other car is around. Or you’re parked in a spot where another car can’t pull up close enough for the jumper cable to reach. In both situations you’re out of luck.

Every car should seriously have one of these! It gives you peace of mind on the road that a dead battery won’t leave you stranded.

A compact car jump starter is so small it can fit in your glove compartment, and it can be used as a USB charger to charge a phone or anything else with a USB cord.

Gift to Celebrate First Day at New Job

Princess Diana - June 27, 2017 - Congratulations

Starting a brand new job is an exciting time in someone’s life and a cause for celebration!

My husband was not only starting a new job, but he was also starting his first job in his new career. This was a big achievement and I wanted to mark the occasion with a gift.

Thoughtful New Job Gift

That first day of a new job is always a mix of excitement, anticipation, and nervousness. Kind of like the emotions we all had on our first day of school. I wanted my gift to prepare him to start his first day on the job and give him something to look forward to at the end of the day.

I bought a gift card to Dunkin’ Donuts just around the corner from our house and a bottle of his favorite liquor.

The morning he started his new job, I put the gifts on the kitchen counter along with this note for him to find.

Coffee to start your first day at your new job,
A drink at the end of the day to celebrate!

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.

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

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

Better Designed Inverted Umbrella

Queen Darlene - April 29, 2017 - Birthday, Business, Gifts for Me, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts

We’ve all experienced closing an umbrella while getting in and out of a car. What happens? We get wet no matter how fast we can close it.

How about giving someone a better designed umbrella as a gift?

I just happened to come across the video below that shows how an inverted umbrella design folds the reverse way to prevent the splash of rain as you enter or exit your car.

As you can see, your car door only needs to be open a crack for you to be able to open and close your umbrella.

A Better Designed Umbrella

Umbrellas are wonderful to keep you dry while opened but what happens when you close them? They drip rain water all over the floor.

The cool feature of the inverted umbrella is that it folds upward leaving the rain water trapped in the inward folds rather than getting your car floor or any floor wet.

It’s designed to self-stand upside down so it will air dry instead of leaning up against a wall which prevents the mess of rain water all over the floor.

Business Etiquette Book for Graduates

Princess Diana - April 25, 2017 - $20 or Less, Graduation

Helping someone to feel confident and knowledgeable so they can succeed. That is a priceless gift.

Many young adults graduate high school and college clueless about how to conduct themselves in the workplace or how to present themselves in business situations.

Not knowing business etiquette and the proper ways to behave can have real negative effects. It could result in offending someone or missing out on an internship or job opportunity.

Since knowledge is power, the right book can provide graduates with the information they need to succeed in the adult world and the professional world.

Setting a Graduate Up for Success

For these reasons, books on business etiquette or business manners make thoughtful graduation gifts.

Create Photo Art Using American Sign Language

Queen Darlene - April 6, 2017 - Birthday, Christmas

My paternal and maternal grandparents and my mother were deaf so my first language was American Sign Language.

Several years ago, my mother became ill and I took her to the emergency room. It was the beginning of dementia even though we were not aware of it yet.

The wait in the ER was F-O-R-E-V-E-R! and she became extremely restless.

To help keep her calm, I suggested we take pictures of her hand creating individual letters of the ABCs in American Sign Language (ASL).

She loved it and thankfully doing that passed the time.

We later printed out photos of the individual letters to spell out the names of my brothers, my mother’s cousins and her friends. We mailed them in “thinking of you cards.”

My mother enjoyed hearing from each one that they loved her special surprise gift. Sign language is beautiful and you do not have to be deaf to enjoy seeing your name spelled in ASL.