Posts Tagged: "friends"

Teddy Bears for Kids Involved in Domestic Violence

Queen Darlene - September 18, 2014 - $20 or Less, Catch All, Kids

My BFF, Linda, decided to donate a big box of her never-been-used teddy bears she used to have displayed in her office. Yes, she was a collector. She did not start out that way but through the years friends and family started giving her bears for birthdays, Christmases and celebrations.

These teddy bears will be used by law enforcement to comfort children involved in domestic violence so they’ll have a best friend to hug and to hold.

Linda enjoyed her stuffed animals but thought of a much better use for them. Children who could use their own BFF – best friend forever.

That’s where my husband, Randy, comes into this story. He volunteers as a deputy for the Logan County Sheriff’s Office. He gives his time to assist fellow officers patrol the 750 square miles here in Logan County, and he loves it! Continue Reading

Birthday Card Blitz | 80 Cards for 80 Years

Queen Darlene - September 4, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday

httpvh://youtu.be/1d8n7zvNISs

My mother was turning 80 years old. After 80 birthdays, how could we make this a unique birthday for her?

I came up with the idea of family and friends sending her birthday cards. That’s nothing new, but for that thoughtful twist the goal was for her to receive 80 cards by her 80th birthday! My brother and I called family and friends to put the birthday card blitz in action.

If you have been following my blog, you know my mother was deaf and I’m all about giving her gifts that are visual experiences. Like the year I popped out of a box.

On another birthday, I treated her and several of her deaf friends to a local diner that cooked fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans just like her mother, my Grandma, used to cook. Afterwards, I took them all to the Science Museum Oklahoma for fun hands-on-experiences. Mom and her friends loved her birthday party!

Mom knew my boss and several of my co-workers so I purchased birthday cards ready with stamps so all they had to do was to address the envelope, sign the card, and mail it. I asked my co-workers, who my mother didn’t know, to wish Mom a Happy 80th Birthday anyway. So that there was a connection, I requested they write in the card they worked with me and something nice about me – anything that would thrill a mother to read about her daughter.

Matching Graduation Day T-Shirts

Queen Darlene - May 13, 2014 - Congratulations, Graduation

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhgrc9Xn4MQ&feature=youtu.be

My co-worker, Nikki, shared this wonderful idea that her family is doing for her son’s high school graduation this year. The family will wear matching Graduation Day T-Shirts. Just like a 5K race where a team wears matching t-shirts, friends and family attending graduation wear the same t-shirt in support of the graduate.

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Click on the photo to enlarge it

The front of the t-shirt can have the graduate’s initials and their very own unique signature. Printed on the back of the t-shirt can be the class motto, a favorite quote or a personalized message to the graduate. Continue Reading

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.

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

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

Art That Imitates Life

Queen Darlene - December 1, 2013 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Gifts for Him, Valentine's Day

My friend Janet and I enjoy visiting museums. One of our favorites is the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. There are literally thousands of paintings by artists of various time periods.

There we were walking from gallery to gallery when we came upon a painting that took up an entire wall. Although painted in 1879, the colors were still amazingly vibrant.

We both stared at the massive painting in awe when I said, “That’s you and me!”

It was a painting of two women – one with red hair and the other a brunette – living in a palace overlooking the sea. It was named The Favorite of the Emir by Jean Joseph Benjamin Constant. We laughed and joked of being pampered as royalty then moved on to the next gallery.

Let It Be Known That This is My First Blog Post Ever

Queen Darlene - November 28, 2013 - Catch All

Unlike Diana, I do not have a favorite holiday. New Year’s, Valentine’s, the holidays you are off work, Easter, Birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and everything in between are all equally wonderful to me.

My family celebrated on every occasion because it was deemed important that family and friends get together to share stories, have fun, laugh, give gifts, take pictures, give hugs and kisses and genuinely show love for each other.

You see, for most of my life the only way my family could communicate was face to face. My grandparents on both sides were deaf, as well as my parents. There were no computers, video phones or cell phones to text. You could not call to wish someone a Happy Birthday or Thanksgiving. You physically had to be there in order to communicate through sign language.