Category "Mother’s Day"

Cozy Fleece Photo Blanket

Princess Diana - August 15, 2017 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Family, Father's Day, Get Well, Going Away, Graduation, Housewarming, Kids, Mother's Day, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day, Wedding

Years ago, my sister, Julia, and her family moved to the East coast away from her parents and siblings.

It’s tough living far apart from family, but especially hard when someone has young children. Finding child care is harder, and holidays can be a bit more lonely.

My sister though experienced tremendous luck! She found an older woman in her neighborhood who ran a small in-home day care. “Miss Pat” has cared for my sister’s three daughters for 14 years now, and they have a very special bond with her.

She loves those girls like her own granddaughters, and they love her like a grandmother.

“Miss Pat” and her husband “Mister Pete” have become family.

Custom Photo Blanket

For Miss Pat’s birthday this year, my sister gave her a custom fleece photo blanket with a beautiful collage of her three daughters and Miss Pat.

The photos printed really well and show how much the girls have grown up since Miss Pat has known them. So many cherished memories gathered all in one place!

Miss Pat can literally wrap the girls around her any time, day or night! Continue Reading

Donkey Milk Soap & Skincare

Queen Darlene - August 3, 2017 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Business, Family, Get Well, Gifts for Me, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts

donkey-milk-soap-Dulce-de-Donke'-thoughtful-gift-idea

Moisturizing Donkey Milk Soap

My husband and I enjoy going out for breakfast on Saturday mornings. Lately, we have ventured to nearby small towns like Luther, OK.

We also like to shop and support local businesses. We stopped in the Urban Sixty-Six store. It’s a darling boutique with lots of unique gifts.

A display of natural and organic donkey milk soap called Dulce de Donké caught my attention. I was intrigued while reading about its beauty benefits and that it’s all the rage in European skincare. Continue Reading

Easy to Read Oversized Watch

Queen Darlene - July 20, 2017 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Retirement

I haven’t worn a watch in years. One reason, I can check my cell phone for the time. The other reason, my age!

When I got older, I always required my reading glasses to see the time. The thought of purchasing an oversized watch just never crossed my mind.

Oversized Watch Face

My friend, Susan, gave me a beautiful rhinestone Betsey Johnson oversized watch for my birthday. She knows I love bling!

I cannot believe how much I enjoy wearing a watch again.

I love the HUGE NUMBERS because I can see them so clearly!

Hummingbird Feeder | Backyard Entertainment

Queen Darlene - June 22, 2017 - Anniversary, Birthday, Experiences, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts

My husband and I really enjoy watching hummingbirds. These beautiful birds have become our favorite backyard entertainment.

Hummingbirds are small, colorful birds with iridescent feathers. They are fascinating to watch because they can hover, fly right, left, up, down, backwards and even upside down.

They flap their wings about 80 times per second which causes a humming sound. Continue Reading

Genetic DNA Testing & Analysis Kit

Princess Diana - June 6, 2017 - Birthday, Christmas, Family, Father's Day, Gifts for Me, Mother's Day

Imagine collecting a wealth of information about yourself, your relatives, and your ancestors based on your DNA.

Do you have to give a blood sample? Nope. Needles not necessary.

With the commercial genetic DNA testing and analysis services available, all you need to do is provide a sample of your saliva. Mail it in, and in several weeks receive a detailed genetics report based on your unique DNA.

DNA testing is very helpful in genealogy and ethnicity research. It essentially allows you to find your genetic family! If you choose, you can connect with the people in 23andMe’s database who share your DNA with you and message them.

DNA Testing Kits

I purchased for my father-in-law, Greg, a 23andMe DNA Testing Kit for Father’s Day. 23andMe based its name on the 23 pairs of chromosomes found in a human cell. Another popular kit is AncestryDNA.

Fancy Flip Flops a Mother’s Day Gift

Queen Darlene - May 12, 2017 - Birthday, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts

I have too many Fancy Flip Flops SAID NO ONE EVER! Or at least that’s what my sweet sister-in-law, Nancy, would say.

A few years ago for a Mother’s Day gift, I gave her fancy flip flops with rhinestones. Then again a couple of months later another pair for her birthday.

At the end of the summer, Hallmark had a sale on colorful flip flops so I purchased two more pair just to surprise her! There’s a reason they call her Fancy Nancy! She loves to dress “Jazzy”.

Even though I knew it was the same type of gift over and over again, I also knew without a doubt how much she would enjoy wearing them. Continue Reading

Magical 3D Pop Up Greeting Cards

Princess Diana - May 9, 2017 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Congratulations, Father's Day, Get Well, Graduation, Housewarming, Kids, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts, Thank You, Valentine's Day, Wedding

3D Pop Up Greeting Cards are so beautiful and mesmerizing, they are almost a gift in itself. And they’re definitely keepsakes!

When you open one of these cards, instead of seeing words, you see the card magically come to life as it POPS UP into a unique design. They are truly miniature works of paper art!

Send Someone a Pop Up Surprise

You can buy 3D Pop Up Greeting Cards in all sorts of designs for all sorts of occasions. Some of them are designed to hold a gift card.

Although, do you even need an occasion to send a 3D greeting card with a pop up dragon, a pop up pirate ship or a pop up rocket? Send them just because the cards are badass and you want to surprise someone!

My Favorite Ergonomic Drinking Mug

Queen Darlene - May 4, 2017 - Birthday, Business, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Me, Mother's Day, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Thank You

OK… my favorite mug is not advertised as being ergonomic. I just gave it that name.

The word ergonomic means well designed, usable, user-friendly and comfortable. All the adjectives that describes my favorite mug!

Several years ago, while visiting friends we made when living in Albuquerque, we played tourist by visiting Old Town. We had fun walking around the Square checking out each gift shop.

In one store, we watched pottery being made directly in front of us by artists. It’s truly amazing how plain brownish clay turns into beautiful colorful pottery. I like to think of it as usable art!

Better Designed Inverted Umbrella

Queen Darlene - April 29, 2017 - Birthday, Business, Gifts for Me, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts

We’ve all experienced closing an umbrella while getting in and out of a car. What happens? We get wet no matter how fast we can close it.

How about giving someone a better designed umbrella as a gift?

I just happened to come across the video below that shows how an inverted umbrella design folds the reverse way to prevent the splash of rain as you enter or exit your car.

As you can see, your car door only needs to be open a crack for you to be able to open and close your umbrella.

A Better Designed Umbrella

Umbrellas are wonderful to keep you dry while opened but what happens when you close them? They drip rain water all over the floor.

The cool feature of the inverted umbrella is that it folds upward leaving the rain water trapped in the inward folds rather than getting your car floor or any floor wet.

It’s designed to self-stand upside down so it will air dry instead of leaning up against a wall which prevents the mess of rain water all over the floor.

Holding Hands Photos | Sentimental Gift

Queen Darlene - April 13, 2017 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Birthday, Family, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day

I’ve known my friend, Sherry, for years and have had the privilege of meeting her parents on many occasions. When I recently attended a reception honoring their daughter’s achievement, I noticed they were holding hands across the table.

I asked if I could take a picture of them holding hands. Her parents smiled and agreed. I thought it was so precious and wanted to capture the sweet, tender embrace for Sherry.

Sherry’s parents are her biggest supporters. Their hands have held her, guided her, hugged her, loved her, and clapped for her and her awesome accomplishments. Continue Reading