Category "Birthday"

Grandparents & Grandchildren Photo Session

- - Birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, Mother's Day

There’s nothing like going to visit Mimi and Papi!

When I tell my kids I’m taking them to their grandparents house, they whoop and jump around as if I’ve just told them I’m taking them to Disney World.

Grandchildren have a special bond with grandparents that is unique from the parent/child relationship.

My two young boys are lucky to be growing up with their Mimi and Papi living only two miles away. Since the day each of my sons were born, their grandparents have been a huge part of their lives.

They are there for the big moments–holidays, birthday parties, and soccer games. As well as the small moments–learning a new game, trying a new food, or kissing a boo boo to make it feel better.

I know one day my sons will look back on their childhood and realize how much their grandparents influenced the men they became.

Capturing Precious Memories of Grandparents With Grandchildren

As uncomfortable as it is to say… grandparents won’t be around forever. Before time slips away from us, I wanted to capture this moment in their lives so my husband and I gave his parents the gift of a Grandparents & Grandchildren Photo Session.

Mimi, Papi, and my two sons had a photo shoot just for them!

Look at these precious moments so artfully captured! We will treasure these keepsakes forever.

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Macarons Gift Boxes & Bouquets

- - Birthday, Business, Food & Drinks, Host, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts, Thank You, Valentine's Day

Is it macarons or macaroons?

macarons-gift-box-edible-cookieI found out recently there IS a difference between the two besides the spelling. A macaroon is coconut based.

For this gift idea, I’m referring to macarons, which are meringue based and come in a wide range of colors and flavors.

There are SO many colors and flavors to choose from which makes it fun to give someone a variety!

If you’ve never had a macaron, it’s a delicate cookie with two thin crusts and a filling made of either ganache, buttercream or fruit jam.

It’s also full of contrasts. A macaron packs huge flavor into a tiny baked goodie, and it’s somehow both rich and light at the same time.

They come in delicious flavors such as mint chocolate, cookies and cream, mojito, honey lavender, lemon tart, and piña colada. Is your mouth watering yet? Because I’m just scratching the surface on the different types of macaron flavors out there.

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Garage Door Fishing Rod Storage Solution

- - Birthday, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Retirement

When I say my husband loves to fish, I mean he LOVES to catch fish.

Over the years he has collected many fishing rods but there’s a problem.

He has so many that he can no longer store them in the corners of the garage. Sometimes it’s a mess because they get tangled up with the hooks.

Randy had purchased other wall racks only to find they were poorly designed. He continued his search and found an innovative fishing rod storage rack, the Cobra Racks, that fits on the back of the garage door.

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Cubcoats | Stuffed Animal Turns Into Cozy Hoodie

- - Birthday, Christmas, Kids

Remember PillowPets? A stuffed animal that can also be used as a pillow?

The new hot item for kids are Cubcoats!

What are they? Cubcoats are stuffed animals that transform into soft fleece hoodies. They’re super adorable!

One of my good friends recently bought them for her two young children and loves them so much I had to write this post.

She said when her son unzipped his Spider-Man Cubcoat, he said, “Wow!! There is so much inside this little guy! I didn’t even know all this was here!”

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3-D Mirascope Hologram Maker

- - $20 or Less, Birthday, Kids, Teacher Gifts

I’m always looking for a unique, fun gifts for kids and adults to enjoy. It’s like one-stop shopping and if it includes magic or illusion… BAM! I get excited!

The 3-D Mirascope Illusion Maker is a 2019 Toy of The Year Award Winner. It creates a holographic image from small objects placed inside, such as the plastic frog that is included.

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How Does the 3-D Mirascope Hologram Work?

The 3-D illusion maker uses special parabola mirrors to capture the light of an object and then projects it as a three-dimensional image.

The frog seems to be sitting on the top of the dome and looks like you can touch it but you can’t. It’s an illusion!

Ever heard of parabola? Me neither! They are mirrors that have a special shape and reflect light in a very unique way.

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The ONE Thing | A Life-Changing Book

- - 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”

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Pillow Talk Celebrates How Couple Met

- - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Wedding

Where did your love story begin? Have a “pillow talk” that celebrates the start of something special. 

I was 13 years old when I met my future husband. He was 16 years old and rode a Yamaha 55 motorcycle. (The motors were small back then).

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Celebrate the Beginning of a Couple’s Love Story

He was visiting his cousin and gave all the boys on our block a ride on his motorcycle while I watched from my front porch.

I decided I wanted a ride too so I walked across the street and asked if he gave girls a ride on his motorcycle.

He, of course, said, “Yes!”

When we returned from our ride all of the boys including my two brothers were complaining Randy gave me a longer ride.

What Randy said next made me swoon. “She’s prettier than any of you!”

That was in 1967. We married in 1971 and will celebrate our 48th wedding anniversary this year. 

Personalized Pillow for Valentine’s Day and Anniversary Gifts

Personal Creations will personalize a pillow that brings back sweet memories of how a couple met.  

Our pillow reads…

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Clever & Comfy Men’s Underwear for Valentine’s Day

- - Birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is mostly about girlfriends, wives, jewelry, flowers and chocolates. That means the guys are usually left out.

How about a package for their package?!

Yep! I can’t believe I just said that! I’m talking about men’s underwear, people! And not the boring white cotton briefs either.

My husband, Randy, and I were looking for men’s workwear clothing in Duluth’s Trading Co. when we came across some men’s underwear.

I started reading the names and descriptions of the underwear and started to giggle. The giggle became a laugh and eventually turned into an all-out snort-filled, eyes crying, bent over laughter extravaganza!

My husband just stood there acting like he didn’t know me.

Judge for yourself whether these are as funny as I thought they were.

Underwear For Him That’s Too Funny

Buck Naked Underwear – Like wearing Nothing at All.
No Pinch
No Stink
No Sweat
The next best thing to working in your birthday suit! Drop your drawers and go Buck Naked!

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Rockabye Lil’ Biker Motorcycle Rocker

- - Baby Shower, Birthday, Christmas, Kids

This is not your parent’s rocking horse rocker they grew up riding because today’s rockers are soft and waaay cuter!

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Rockabye Lil’ Motorcycle Rocker

It’s been 14 years since we’ve had a baby in the house for our family’s Christmas Eve gift exchange.

I was looking for a Christmas gift for my great nephew, Rogan, when I found the Rockabye Lil’ Biker Motorcycle Rocker. I looked no further!

My excitement just couldn’t wait to see him on the rocker, even though he’s not quite six months old yet!

The soft plush fabric feels like velvet to the touch so little Rogan will never get hurt if he ever bumps his head on the motorcycle dashboard.

The Rockabye Lil’ Biker Motorcycle Rocker features four educational songs that teach ABCs, 123s, colors and more. Today’s toys certainly make learning lots of fun!

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Create Your Own Comic Book

- - Birthday, Christmas, Kids

create-own-comic-book-kids-giftOne of the most wonderful things you can do for any child is to nurture their creativity and allow them to create.

Superheroes and their incredible powers make us imagine what could be possible IF…

Many children and teenagers are obsessed with Marvel and DC comics and superheroes. They read the comic books and/or watch the movies.

But what if they could come up with their OWN superhero? Or villain? What would it look like and what are his or her supernatural powers?

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