Posts Tagged: "mother"

Silhouette Paper Portraits Make Classic Gift

Princess Diana - January 5, 2016 - Birthday, Christmas, Family, Father's Day, Kids, Mother's Day, Pet, Valentine's Day, Wedding

A custom silhouette paper portrait is a classic gift that will be cherished for years. The one I had made of my son melts my heart every time I glance at it.

Parents and grandparents especially love this type of gift!

It used to be you had to visit a silhouette artist in person, but these days you can simply email a photograph and receive your beautiful custom silhouette in the mail. Easy peasy!

You can have custom silhouette paper portraits made of children, adults and pets, either upper body or full body. They can also be done of siblings and couples. A silhouette of a couple makes for a lovely wedding or Valentine’s Day present.

“Love You Forever” | The Perfect Book for Mothers

Princess Diana - April 21, 2015 - $20 or Less, Baby Shower, Mother's Day

I read a book in which the author recommended the book called Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.

The book “Love You Forever” makes a wonderful Mother’s Day gift.

When I read it for the first time, it made my cry three times. Each time I started to cry I put down the book to catch my breath only to continue crying once I started reading again. Let me mention, the book ONLY has 14 short pages of text!!

This timeless story of a mother’s constant and enduring love for her child puts into words the emotions that mothers feel.

I say it’s the perfect book for mothers because if I had read “Love You Forever” before I became a mother, I know I would not have reacted to it the same way.

Birthday Card Blitz | 80 Cards for 80 Years

Queen Darlene - September 4, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday

httpvh://youtu.be/1d8n7zvNISs

My mother was turning 80 years old. After 80 birthdays, how could we make this a unique birthday for her?

I came up with the idea of family and friends sending her birthday cards. That’s nothing new, but for that thoughtful twist the goal was for her to receive 80 cards by her 80th birthday! My brother and I called family and friends to put the birthday card blitz in action.

If you have been following my blog, you know my mother was deaf and I’m all about giving her gifts that are visual experiences. Like the year I popped out of a box.

On another birthday, I treated her and several of her deaf friends to a local diner that cooked fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans just like her mother, my Grandma, used to cook. Afterwards, I took them all to the Science Museum Oklahoma for fun hands-on-experiences. Mom and her friends loved her birthday party!

Mom knew my boss and several of my co-workers so I purchased birthday cards ready with stamps so all they had to do was to address the envelope, sign the card, and mail it. I asked my co-workers, who my mother didn’t know, to wish Mom a Happy 80th Birthday anyway. So that there was a connection, I requested they write in the card they worked with me and something nice about me – anything that would thrill a mother to read about her daughter.

Carry Your Memories With You | Coin Purse

Queen Darlene - July 15, 2014 - $20 or Less, Condolence

Mother passed away in 2012 at the age of 84. She was a very important part of my life. We spoke daily – using email or telephone relay service since she was deaf.

Mother was instrumental in developing my creativity. Ever since I was a little girl, she would ask me to think of ideas for gifts or games to do for birthdays, anniversaries or family gatherings. (Now I’m blogging about those ideas she encouraged me to come up with. Thanks Mother!)

When she died, I felt lost and missed her terribly.

Worth Every Penny | Pennies From Birth Year

Queen Darlene - July 11, 2014 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Birthday, Money

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t6sQPaj8x8&feature=youtu.be

On my 50th birthday, my dear friend, Susan, gave me 50 pennies all made in 1952 – my birth year!

The pennies came in a small heart box. I cherish that gift because it was so unique and thoughtful.

I have used the penny idea many times for birthdays and anniversaries. I use the pennies on significant birthday years such as 30 – 40 – 50 – 60 year old and up.

By the time a couple has been married for 50 years or more, what can you give that they do not already have or that is unique? Fifty pennies from the year of their wedding placed in a heart box is a for-sure-keepsake gift! Especially seeing and remembering those wheat pennies! They bring back the memories of simpler times. Continue Reading

House Cleaning Services Gift Certificate | Baby Shower Gift

Princess Diana - June 24, 2014 - Baby Shower

httpvh://youtu.be/63PN-gkZKJI

Who deserves a vacation from house cleaning the most? New mothers.

house cleaning gift certificate with baby bath time gift set

Pair a housing cleaning gift certificate with baby bath products for a baby shower gift that will truly be appreciated!

They’re so busy taking care of a newborn baby who depends on them for E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G they don’t have time for anything else!

Here’s the reality though. While new moms get that cleaning is not their highest priority at the moment, they still stress about needing to clean. It seriously weighs on their mind.

Here’s what’s probably going through their heads:

The piles of laundry just keep getting bigger and bigger. Make it stop!

Is that food crust on the floor from the spaghetti we ate two weeks ago?

What are people going to think when they come over? I hope they understand this is not how we normally live.

Thanks honey for cleaning the house but why does it still look so dirty??

Unique Money Gift for Graduates

Queen Darlene - May 15, 2014 - Graduation, Money

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jqcl8XOzKU&feature=youtu.be

Face it. Kids want money. Even though most people want to give a memorable gift, many times they end up giving money in a blah graduation card. I’ve come up with a fail proof “you will remember this money gift above all else” high school or college graduation gift.

Purchase the latest issue of Money Magazine which gives advice on how to save, invest and make money. Hide multiple crisp dollar bills (or higher!) within the pages. Now roll it up with tissue paper and tie it up with a ribbon like a diploma.

It never fails. When they open it, they say…”oh, thanks”… and this is where your part comes in.

You say something like, “There is a wealth of information in that magazine about how to manage money wisely. Now that you have graduated and you’re an adult, it’s important that you learn this skill.”

They usually say thank you and place the magazine to the side – without even opening it.

This is when you enthusiastically encourage them to open it and find an article to read. They will oblige but unwillingly. (I have yet to have one person open a page with a dollar bill showing. I have no idea how that happens!)

They usually have to thumb through and when they discover some of the cash money, they’ll quickly flip through page after page to look for more and when they do that’s when you’ve done it! You’ve made them smile really big. (And that’s hard to get teenagers to do you know.)

Then they’ll get smart and go back to the very first page and methodically turn each page looking for more dollar bills until they’ve found them all. This gift is as much fun to give as it is to receive! The only way this gift gets a backseat to any other graduation gift is if the graduate gets keys to a car!

The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket. – Frank Hubbard

Life Lessons Learned From My Mother | Custom Book

Princess Diana - May 7, 2014 - Birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day

So much of who we are we owe to our parents. Through their words, through their actions, through their examples, they taught us life lessons both large and small that influenced us as children and still influence us as adults. Can I get an “Amen?”

I contacted all of my siblings and asked them to email me the things they learned from our mother growing up. I told them it could be anything as long as it made an impact on who they are today or how they live their lives.

I told them I would use their answers and mine to create a custom book titled “Life Lessons I Learned From My Mother” that we could give to our mother as a Mother’s Day present.

Collaborating with my brothers and sisters on what to include in the book made the present even better because we each came up with life lessons that the others totally agreed with but forgot about. Through teamwork, we really nailed it!

Jump Out of A Box – Surprise Mother’s Day Gift

Queen Darlene - May 6, 2014 - Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Mother's Day

I lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the late 1980s for almost five years. That was the only time I lived more than a few miles from my mom, and I missed her so much. One year I wanted to surprise her for Mother’s Day by coming home to visit. I wanted to do it by jumping out of a box for Mother’s Day because being me – Queen Darlene – simply walking through the front door is just not how I do things.

My brothers, Harvey and Rodney, got a washing machine cardboard box, wrapped it and left the bottom open so I could crouch inside. My brothers told our mother and grandmother that they were bringing in the gift and that they needed to stay in the bedroom until they were called. That’s when I slipped into the box.

My brothers and I talked about how they would signal me to jump out. All the while my mom and grandmother were in hear shot but being deaf they couldn’t hear us!

Harvey brought them to the den as Rodney filmed the whole thing with his video camera. Harvey thought it would be a great idea to wrap a box of Tide detergent to give Mother the impression she was getting a washing machine. But before she began to open the small gift, my brothers started talking out loud and signing with our mother and grandmother telling them that before Mother opened her gift it would be a good idea to go out to eat first so they could miss the church crowds.

I heard my brothers and started yelling, “You better not leave me in this box while you all go out to eat!”

Mother & Me | Copycat Photos

Queen Darlene - April 24, 2014 - Birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVM-NRryU84

Mother was a very visual person. She was deaf so her eyes were truly her window to the world.

She loved to look at everything and she filled her home with lots of beautiful and unusual things! There was not a spare inch on the bookshelves, hutch, desks, cabinet counters, windows sills or walls. She even collected more than 10,000 owls! (But that will have to be another story.)

Pictures were important to Mother. My brothers and I learned to stop whatever we were doing right then and there to take a picture if Mother wanted it. It was just easier to get it over with than to fuss with her. (Funny how history repeats itself. My boys stop and turn on the smiles for me – click – then they are off and on their way).

Mother cherished her pictures, and they brought her much happiness.