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Queen Darlene

Thoughtful Business Appreciation Gift – Calendar

Queen Darlene - March 4, 2014 - Business, Host, Thank You

Appreciation. The dictionary defines appreciation as gratitude and thankful recognition. Recently my boss was selected to be on a national executive committee and yet I was the one being recognized. What a wonderful surprise when an envelope arrived at the office for ME! It truly made my day!

My counterpart in the national organization in Washington, D.C. sent me a lovely See America and our National Parks calendar as an appreciation gift.

In all of my working years, I have never received a gift from an organization that my boss served on so this was quite a memorable surprise. The note was very thoughtful too!

Darlene,
Just a token in advance of my appreciation for our work together in the coming year with Dennis on NCSHA’s Executive Committee.

Best,
Cary

A thoughtful business appreciation gift for work I had yet to do. Now, that is unique!

This is going to be one of those “pass it forward” ideas to use not only within my own work place, but with others who work in other organizations when I want to show my appreciation for their help – whether in advance or afterwards!

Thank you, Cary! Your thoughtful, heartful gift of appreciation is the best!

We must stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives. – John F. Kennedy

Free Puppies with Puppy Chow

Queen Darlene - February 27, 2014 - Birthday, Family, Food & Drinks, Get Well, Kids, Party Favors, Thank You

For my father-in-law’s 85th birthday, we threw him a surprise celebration and made sure to include something he could share with the other residents at his retirement home when they stopped by to wish him a “Happy Birthday!” So we had Gramps give away “free puppies” with baggies full of puppy chow.

Of course, they were not real puppies and the puppy chow was a snack for his friends. I filled a large basket with various small Stuffed Puppies
and created a sign that said, “Free Puppies.”

Everyone was thrilled to look in the basket and choose a “puppy” to take home. The puppy chow made a wonderful party favor and the experience resulted in a fun way to celebrate someone’s birthday.

This birthday happened several years ago before my blogging days so I don’t have a picture for you but I’m sure you have a pretty good idea.

I have since replicated the puppy chow idea many times for all kinds of occasions. The latest one was for a United Way auction at my office. This time, I paired a stuffed dog with a dog bowl full of puppy chow.

Funny Glasses

Queen Darlene - February 20, 2014 - Family, Kids, Party Favors

Since my mother passed away, my brother and I have been going through her many boxes of letters. She kept everything. I found a Christmas letter dated some 30 years ago from my great Uncle Champeau in Florida to my mom. The letter outlined family historical information so I decided to mail it to my cousins, Uncle Champeau’s daughters.

I also decided to send a “just because” package along with the letter. I sent chocolate covered pecans, a cute note pad, and some Funny Glasses. I placed a sticky note on the funny glasses that said, “Try them on and strike a pose!”

Never in my wildest dream did I know what was going to happen next. When Judy, Denise and Margie received the care package, they put the glasses on and did what I told them – they struck a pose! Continue Reading

Will You Be My Valentine?

Queen Darlene - February 11, 2014 - Valentine's Day

Remember when we were kids making Valentine boxes with the slit in the top for the upcoming class party and placing your Valentines in everyone’s boxes? I couldn’t wait to get home to look at every single one and see who had given me a Valentine. Very sweet memories.

It was Valentine’s Day when I visited my friend, Orean, who lived in an assisted living center. I brought her a heart shaped box of chocolates. I also brought her other Valentines I had made to share with her friends.

Orean said, “It has been a very long time since I handed out Valentines.”

After Orean read the Valentine attached to the heart shaped lollipops, she couldn’t wait to hand them out. She was on a mission as I watched her walk the halls into the dining room handing them out along the way and asking, “Will you be my Valentine?” Continue Reading

POP the Question Wedding Proposal Idea

Queen Darlene - February 6, 2014 - Experiences, Valentine's Day, Wedding

Survey says….six million people are planning or expecting a marriage proposal for Valentine’s Day. Ohhh…..the pressure of how to propose? Ask the love of your life to marry you in grandiose style? Or just pop the question?!

Every girl has the “dream” of how the proposal will happen and it is never what we expect when it does. My husband, Randy, and I had many talks about getting married one day. We even looked at rings at the mall jewelry stores where I showed him my favorite.

But we were broke! Randy had one more year of college. I was graduating high school and planning to attend the same college. So I was not expecting a ring any time soon.

Valentine’s Day Gift – Mail a Handwritten Love Letter

Queen Darlene - January 30, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Gifts for Him, Valentine's Day

We email. We text. We phone. Everything is short and to the point. Many of us think we have lost the art of writing. I think we just need a little practice.

I remember in elementary school we would write and pass notes that would say, “I LIKE YOU.” In junior high, the note writing would become a little more sophisticated to something like, “I LIKE YOU VERY MUCH!” And in high school my boyfriend would write a three page love letter detailing how pretty I was, how he couldn’t wait to see me after school, and of course the three words I always wanted to hear, “I LOVE YOU!”

Well… your perfect opportunity for writing a love letter is coming up – Valentine’s Day! This year, don’t spend 30 minutes in the card aisle at the store looking at Valentine’s Day cards that most of the time don’t say what your heart would say anyway. Instead, spend that 30 minutes writing a heartfelt love letter.

How to Make Sure Your Man Never Disappoints You With His Gifts

Queen Darlene - January 21, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard my female co-workers, friends and family members say things like, “He better remember it’s our anniversary (or my birthday, etc.) and have a gift and know what I want.”

Ladies – don’t set up your husbands and boyfriends for failure! Do what I do. I learned early on to help my husband with picking out my gifts and in doing so I’m never disappointed with my gifts!

I’ve been married 43 years and the first gift Randy gave me after we were married was an electric can opener. Yes, you read that correctly.

I blew a gasket! Seriously? A plug-in appliance? I cried, screamed and told him I could NOT believe he thought such a thing could be considered a GIFT. What was he thinking??

In his defense, many months later when he felt safe to talk about it, he explained that the hand held can opener that we received for a wedding gift was cheap, dull and difficult to turn. So he thought it would be nice to make my life easier by getting an electric can opener.

Awwww… but still there is NO EXCUSE to give your wife, girlfriend, or significant other any sort of appliance unless she asks for it as a gift. Period. End of story.

My girlfriend’s husband once purchased her an electric weed eater. Believe me when I say that’s much worse!

So ladies – how do you make sure your man never disappoints you with his gifts? What is the secret to making sure you love the gifts you receive for Valentine’s Days, birthdays, Christmases and anniversaries? Continue Reading

1 4 3 – Secret Code for I Love You

Queen Darlene - January 16, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Wedding

I love surprises, unique gifts and secret messages that are just for me. The best part is my husband, Randy, knows it!

Several years ago, my husband had a necklace made for me for Valentine’s Day. It reminded me of the “drop” he gave me when we began dating. That’s what they were called in the 1960s.

This time, it did not have his initials RED. It was 1 4 3. I was puzzled.

“What is 1 4 3?” I asked Randy. He told me it’s a secret code. One is for I, four is for L-o-v-e and three is for Y-o-u.

So sweet! It was a great surprise with a special unique message and now you know our secret code! Feel free to borrow this gift idea for your loved one this Valentine’s Day.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. – Elizabeth Barrett Browning

A Baby Lamb – Condolence Gift Idea

Queen Darlene - January 7, 2014 - Condolence

My son’s childhood friend passed away just before Thanksgiving. Travis was only 33 years old. The boys were best friends in elementary school when we lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They spent a lot of time together at each other’s homes until we moved to Oklahoma when the boys were eight years old.

Travis’s grandmother, Helen, and I kept in touch these past 25 years. When she called with the news that Travis had passed away, my heart broke. We spoke for a few minutes and hung up. It can be difficult to find just the right words to say when wanting to express your heartfelt sympathy and to give comfort to someone who has experienced death in their family.

Even standing in front of the sympathy cards section, reading and trying to find the right healing words is not always easy. It just so happened I was in a gift shop and I saw a baby lamb stuffed animal with a cross on its hoof. I immediately knew I had to send it to Travis’s grandmother. In the sympathy card, I explained when she felt the need to hug Travis to hug the baby lamb for comfort.

Repurposing Christmas Cards as Gift Tags

Queen Darlene - January 2, 2014 - Christmas, Family

The gifts have been opened, there are leftovers in the fridge and we begin thinking about putting up the Christmas decorations. As part of my decorations, I display the beautiful Christmas cards we received. They are on the mantle, book shelves, dining room table, etc. One year, I placed them on a string similar to a clothes line and hung them on the wall. Sorry, I do not have a picture. Who knew I would be blogging gift ideas some 20 odd years later?!

Now, what to do with those pretty Christmas cards after the holidays? Throw them away? Oh…HO HO NO! I save them for next year. Not to decorate – there will be new Christmas cards for that. I use them as my gift tags on Christmas packages.