Category "Housewarming"

Bluapple Keeps Produce Fresher 3X Longer

Queen Darlene - May 13, 2016 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Gifts for Me, Housewarming

Wish I could have saved all the money wasted on throwing out my fruits and vegetables that went bad before I could eat them. I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Bluapple is here to “save the day” or should I say “weeks” of extending the life of your produce.

This amazing product absorbs ethylene gas that causes produce to over ripen.

I remember hearing something about ethylene gas in my high school science class. I probably thought it was something I would never need to know. Was I wrong!

The Bluapple is easy peasy to use. Just place the golf ball size Blueapple in your Crisper to keep your fruits and vegetables fresher three times longer!

Add Your Own Message to Hand Stamped Silverware

Princess Diana - April 19, 2016 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Congratulations, Father's Day, Going Away, Graduation, Host, Housewarming, Kids, Mother's Day, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day, Wedding

It’s fun to have our own special silverware to use for eating cereal, ice cream or dessert.

The mundane task of grabbing silverware out of the drawer gets a little bit more exciting as you search for your special spoon or fork.

Last Mother’s Day gift, I gave my mother and mother in-law custom hand stamped silverware with the message: A mother’s love is beyond measure.

Every time they use the spoon to eat with or to stir their cup of tea of coffee, I hope they’ll think of me and know how grateful I am for their love and kindness.

You can make your message sentimental like mine or pick something funny like Cereal Killer for a breakfast spoon.

For a wedding or anniversary present, you can give the gift of His and Her spoons with corresponding messages like: I love you and I love you more or Good morning handsome and Good morning beautiful.

A Gift Used Daily – A REALLY Good Kitchen Knife

Princess Diana - April 12, 2016 - Birthday, Christmas, Gifts for Me, Housewarming, Mother's Day, Wedding

For a task repeated often, the right tool means everything. It can save time. It can give you a better end result. In the kitchen, the most important tool is the knife. Think of the many hours people spend cutting, chopping and slicing.

A Wusthof Classic Nakiri Vegetable Knife is a must have in any kitchen.

A lot of people cook with poor quality knives that are often dull – making them unsafe and hard to use. (Yes, I’m talking to you – my sister Julia – who’s knife I couldn’t cut an onion with!) I told her the next time I visited I would be bringing my own knife, and I was being completely serious.

A high quality sharp kitchen knife provides greater efficiency and precision so that cooking a meal becomes a much easier, quicker and more enjoyable task. I would know.

My chopping experience changed when I bought the knife recommended by Pioneer Woman herself. Ree is my blogging and cooking idol so when she recommended the Wusthof Classic Nakiri Vegetable Knife with Hollow Edge and mentioned she used it almost exclusively, I had to buy it!

Easy Meals With Programmable Slow Cooker

Princess Diana - March 1, 2016 - Birthday, Christmas, Gifts for Him, Going Away, Graduation, Housewarming, Wedding

When my nephew moved into an apartment after high school, he felt the pinch of not always having enough money to make ends meet. He complained about sometimes having to eat Ramen noodles just to make rent.

He’s not alone in his experience. Many young adults with limited income face a similar situation after moving out of their parents’ house, and they realize how quickly their bills eat up their paycheck.

My nephew also shared his goal to a eat better and live a healthier lifestyle.

Listening to him tell me all of this information helped me come up with the perfect gift for him!

I decided to purchase him a Programmable Slow Cooker. After double-checking that he didn’t already have one, I told him why I wanted to get him one, and I explained all of the wonderful benefits. Let me summarize them.

Some Like It Hot, Some Like It Cold!

Queen Darlene - February 4, 2016 - Birthday, Business, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Going Away, Housewarming, Military/Veterans, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day, Wedding

Looking for a gift for your husband or boyfriend that will keep things hot (or cold) all day long?

Yeti Tumbler

Have you ever had a hot cup of coffee go cold because you were busy at work and didn’t have time to drink it? Or… your ice cold drink turned lukewarm because the ice melted?

If you haven’t heard or tried the amazing Yeti products, trust me, they would make a perfect Valentine’s Day gift.

My husband loves his 30 oz. Yeti Tumbler. It keeps his coffee hot from the time he leaves for work in the morning to throughout the day. If he happens not to drink it all, whatever is left is still warm when he gets home after 5 p.m.

We gave my brother a Yeti, and he uses it to keep his drinks cold. He drinks lots of water and loves it ice cold. The ice he puts in his Yeti Tumbler is still there even the next morning when he fills it up again.

Yeti Tumblers make wonderful gifts because they are made from stainless steel to keep drinks hot or cold and don’t sweat like plastic tumblers. My guys love ’em!

Give Aromatherapy With Essential Oils Diffuser

Princess Diana - January 26, 2016 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Condolence, Get Well, Host, Housewarming, Mother's Day, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day, Wedding

Use the power of aromatherapy to create an atmosphere of romance or relaxation in your home.

You can use candles or incense, but essential oils are much more effective and offer health benefits.

An Essential Oils Diffuser disperses essential oils into the air as a fine mist and transforms your living environment into a spa-like experience.

Bonus! They also double as a humidifier.

To add mood lighting, you can purchase an essential oils diffuser that rotates through different colors or that stay on the color of your choice.

Of the nearly 100 different types of essential oils, certain ones are known to set the mood for romance or relaxation or both! Perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Essential Oils for Romance

Passing Down Family Heirlooms

Queen Darlene - January 7, 2016 - Birthday, Christmas, Family, Gifts for Me, Housewarming, Mother's Day, Wedding

My husband’s job transferred him to Albuquerque in 1984. It was the first time either one of us had lived more than 10 miles from family. We were excited about our new adventure, and at the same time sad to leave our very close-knit family behind.

great-grandmother's-rose-bowl-thoughtful-gift-idea

Rose Bowl from Germany was given to my grandmother by her mother.

We moved into a new and larger home so I needed more wall decorations.

This was before we had the Internet so I visited several furniture stores, but had difficulty finding pictures I liked in my price range.

We lived several months without anything on the walls until one day I was making room to store old dishes passed down to me by my great-grandmother, grandmother and mother. Continue Reading

50 Shades of Green Money Gift

Queen Darlene - December 10, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, Graduation, Housewarming, Kids, Money

A paint can is a great way to gift wrap because kids and adults can never ever guess what’s inside it.

They’ll never guess what’s inside the paint can!

The “50 Shades of Green” money gift idea is perfect for the person who is difficult to buy for. Perfect because the color green (money) goes with everything!

Fill the paint can with crumpled 50 one dollar bills or one fifty dollar bill or any combination adding up to 50 dollars.

Create a label for birthdays, graduations, Father’s Day or add holiday decorations for Christmas.

No Bake Cookie Dough Inside Cookie Jar

Queen Darlene - November 12, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Food & Drinks, Going Away, Host, Housewarming, Money

Both of my grandmothers used their cookie jars regularly to store homemade cookies. Here’s an idea! Use a cookie jar not only for cookies but to surprise someone with some “dough!”

The “No Bake Cookie Dough” Cookie Jar is a yummy gift!

Just Google “cookie jars” and oh my… the selection is endless that you may have difficulty in choosing which one to give.

There are cookies jars that look like cupcakes, flowers, animals, houses, cartoon characters, superheroes, TV and even movie characters.

Also available are decorative, colorful and abstract design cookie jars. It’s amazing! My favorite are collectible or vintage cookie jars. I still have my grandmother’s jars on display in my kitchen.
Continue Reading

The Giving Plate | A Heartwarming Tradition

Princess Diana - November 3, 2015 - Christmas, Family, Food & Drinks, Host, Housewarming, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts, Thank You

No one likes to show up to a social gathering empty handed. After all, the more food the merrier!

Make a lasting impression by giving the host or hostess a gift called “The Giving Plate.”

The heartwarming tradition of The Giving Plate is that you bake a treat and present it to someone on the plate. The recipient could be a friend, family member, church member, neighbor, teacher or co-worker. Once the treat is gone, it’s time for the gift recipient to pay it forward by passing The Giving Plate to someone new.

The Giving Plate makes for an especially touching gift during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

You can find a variety of styles of The Giving Plate on Amazon.com or you can find other designs on Etsy.com. If you’re artsy, you can make your own using food-safe porcelain markers or paint pens on a blank plate or platter.

The Giving Plate I like contains this special message that explains the tradition in a beautiful poem.

The Giving Plate

This plate belongs to everyone
wherever it may go… with each new sharing
of its gift, the love and blessings grow,
So fill it up and pass it on to
family and to friends… to start
the circle one more time,
love’s journey never ends.