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Queen Darlene

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!”

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things | Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

Queen Darlene - May 1, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Gifts for Me, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day

This Mother’s Day gift idea came from my boss, even though it did not start out as a Mother’s Day gift. He asked me and several other female co-workers, “If you only had one item to choose as your favorite product, what would it be?”

I asked him, “What do you mean? Clothing? Jewelry? Makeup? A book?”

He just said, “It doesn’t matter. It can be anything.” He was going to use our best products to choose gifts for his wife’s birthday. Awesome idea!

I had to think about it for a few minutes and decided it was my eye makeup remover. I have used several different kinds through the years but this one is by far the best in removing my mascara. No fuss, no mess! Dab it on a cotton ball and swoosh your makeup comes right off!

I have given the makeup remover as a gift many times since that experiment with my boss. Just never really thought about it as a gift idea until then. Everyone that I have given it to has loved it as much as I do. Continue Reading

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.

All Day Flower Deliveries

Queen Darlene - April 22, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day

My mother-in-law Betty was turning 80. Seriously, what do you get someone who has everything?

Betty loves roses so I decided to get her a LOT of them.

We found a flower shop willing to make deliveries to her home every two hours on her birthday. Each bouquet of roses was delivered with an “original” poem from a family member.

Don’t let the poem part stress you out. They were simple. Like this one.
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Happy Birthday
and We Love You Too!

The first two deliveries were a dozen roses. The next four deliveries were 14 roses each to equal 80. One was from my father-in-law, three from each of her children and their spouses, and the last two were from her grandchildren.

Her living room looked like a flower shop there were so many different colored roses everywhere!

What NOT To Do – Easter Birthday Party Gift Favor

Queen Darlene - April 17, 2014 - Kids, Party Favors

My brother-in-law Kyle is 20 years younger than my husband Randy. Kyle was a late-in-life baby and born before Randy and I got married. When Randy found out he excitedly asked his best friend Curtis, “Guess whose pregnant?” Curtis thought Randy was talking about me and when Randy realized this he said, “Oh no…it’s not Darlene. It’s my Mom!”

Darlene & brothers holding live baby Easter chicks in 1960.

At the time we had been dating for almost four years when I asked Randy, “What did you expect him to think?” We have laughed many times over it. With all of that said, Kyle became my “practice kid.” I helped with the fun part of raising a child, the parties, games, gifts and party favors – the gift you give away to your guests when they leave your birthday party.

Easter Bunny Footprints & Baskets

Queen Darlene - April 15, 2014 - Experiences, Kids

Easter baskets have come a long way from what my brothers and I used to get. Ours would have stuffed animals, such as a small bunny, duck or yellow chicks, and chocolate candy. When my children were young, they also received stuffed animals but they were parrots, dogs and one time a seven foot snake. What can I say? They thought the Easter Bunny was awesome!

As they got older, their Easter Baskets contained video games, basketballs, t-shirts of their favorite sports teams, and of course the traditional chocolate candy.

One Easter morning when my boys were little, I woke them up by saying, “Hurry! Get up and come see the Easter Bunny! I saw him leaving your baskets!”

By the time they got to the baskets at the front door, the Easter Bunny was gone but we knew he had been there because we saw his footprints going down the sidewalk.

Nighttime Easter Egg Hunt With Flashlights

Queen Darlene - April 10, 2014 - Experiences, Family, Kids

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31SsjwrSnM0

I grew up in the 50s and 60s with the traditional Easter egg hunts at our church or in the backyard. My mother would hide the real eggs that my two brothers and I had decorated. (At the time, there was no such thing as the plastic eggs with treats.) We loved to hunt for Easter eggs and could do so for hours!

If the weather did not cooperate, we would hide the eggs in the house. Mother always made us count the eggs to be sure we had them all. I remember not being able to find one egg for about a week. We eventually realized it had fallen behind my bedroom dresser. I can still remember that hold-your nose-awful-smell of that rotten egg! PHEW!

I followed the same tradition of Easter egg hunts with my children. I’d hide real and plastic eggs throughout the backyard and inside the house and my children never tired of searching for them.

Time is the Best Gift of All

Queen Darlene - March 27, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Gifts for Him, Valentine's Day

Time is the best gift of all. When I was 21, my 16-year old brother and I were on our way to the gym when we decided to visit our deaf grandparents. I asked them if they would like to go and exercise too.

Grandparents-Time-Best-Gift-of-All-gift-idea-sunburst-gifts

Walter & Julia Cleaver in the 1970s.

They had no workout clothes so when Granddaddy came out in Grandma’s baby blue shorts, sleeveless undershirt, black socks and black street shoes, my brother did not want to take them. When we arrived at the club, the walk from the parking lot was the longest walk ever for my humiliated brother.

Entering the gym, we had to fill out guest forms for them. Putting their birth dates of 1896 and 1902 raised eye-brows. We wanted to take our grandparents to the exercise room on our own, but the club insisted a trainer take them for their first visit. When the big, muscular trainer came in, he was shocked at the age of his clients – ages 77 and 71.

Grandma’s trainer soon had her doing sit-ups and leg lifts, riding a stationary bike, and relaxing in the sauna. We finally made it to the pool.

Kleenex Tissue Flower Bouquet for a Sick Friend

Queen Darlene - March 20, 2014 - $20 or Less, Condolence, Get Well

Flower vases – we have them stashed everywhere in our kitchen just taking up space. We occasionally – more like never – use them for flowers but mostly they sit hidden with no future and collecting dust!

Here’s a gift idea for your round or square vases. Colorful vases work really well. For plain clear vases, I like to bedazzle them with rhinestones!

Use your imagination when decorating. Try all one color or multicolor. Create a heart shape or place them at random. Rhinestones and glue are all you need. It’s easy peasy as Princess Diana likes to say!

Purchase facial tissues in the small square box, pull them out all at once, and place them in the glass vase. Take a single tissue from the center and pull it up. The tissues are also available in different colors too!

Hand Prints on Canvas Best Friends Gift Idea

Queen Darlene - March 11, 2014 - Birthday, Business, Christmas, Experiences, Kids

I am blessed to have life long friends. It’s a trait I copied from my mom. She attended the Oklahoma School for the Deaf and stayed in contact with many of her friends throughout her lifetime. While growing up, I watched her write and receive mail from her friends from all across America.

I moved to Oklahoma from Texas on my 12th birthday. Mother enrolled us in school and instructed us to “go and make lots of best friends.” We did and she encouraged us to stay in contact with our old friends in Texas. I am forever grateful for her wisdom in keeping and making new friends. You can never have too many!

Nancy is my Oldest BFF (Best Friend Forever)! We met in second grade and have known each other for 54 years. WOW! That’s a long time. We have been exchanging birthday gifts for most of those years.

This year, I came up with the idea to have our hand prints together on a canvas. One problem – I live in Oklahoma and she lives in Texas. Continue Reading