Author: blogger

Holiday Gift Idea for a Birthday Party

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Last weekend I was invited to one of my friends birthday party. It was actually a birthday and picnic party combination. The celebration started at 3pm on Saturday afternoon out in one of the nicest local parks. This particular park has a water play area for the kids, a playground, a small lake with ducks, geese and so many other birds.

Since it was a weekend there were a lot of people in the park. Many young mothers were walking around the lake with their children and pushing the strollers getting fresh air for themselves and their babies.

Most of the guests arrived on time, still there were some who came a little late still everyone got to the party one way or another. Late or not the host didnt care, he started dinner as soon as the majority of the guests arrived.

The birthday girls husband received a brand new BBQ grill as a Christmas gift from his wife and was just ecstatic to show off his new toy. Since I knew ahead of time what his wife purchased for him for Christmas she told me – and I also know they just love camping, hiking and picnicking, my present for the wife for her birthday was an absolutely stunning wicker picnic basket for 4 with all accessories included and a lovely picnic blanket. You could just see the glow and joy on her face when she opened that present.

Because they had a camping trip scheduled for the following month for their 15th anniversary, she promised me they were going to take their new picnic basket on that trip. They were both so excited to go on this trip because grandma would take care of the children, so they would be free as birds for a whole week. Imagine, just the two of them, alone on a romantic anniversary camping trip somewhere in the back country.

While our dinner was cooking, the grown ups were talking, some telling jokes and the children got to play games, run around in the grass, splashing water at each other in the water park, and they had too much fun jumping on the huge bouncer that was rented just for them.

I got so carried away talking about these wonderful holiday gift ideas like a wicker picnic basket for 4 and the fun weve had that I completely forgot to talk about the food. Dinner included marinated grilled chicken, Cesar salad, grilled giant shrimp, homemade potato salad, hamburgers on homemade buns, pies and so much more. All was so fresh and tasty, the meats were juicy and the pies. Oh my! The pies were yummy! My favorite was the banana cream pie with the whip cream on top. Our birthday girl mother must have worked all night on those pies.

Our birthday girl was given so many presents and her husband was such a sport about carrying all those gifts to their car while we helped with the cleanup and the leftovers. The party was scheduled for about four hours but because all the guests had a blast it lasted much longer and Im glad to say, the park was left so much cleaner than it was before the event.

All in all it was fantastic! Everybody had an awesome time and the kids did not want to stop jumping on the bouncer even after the Sun went down. I am certain I will be back next year for this party if I get invited.

Send the Right Mother’s Day Message

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In more than fifty different countries, millions of people celebrate Mother’s Day, on various days of the year, in different ways, but they all celebrate this day with true love for their mothers and with beautiful flowers and gifts.

In the United States, Mother’s Day was loosely inspired by the British day and was introduced by public activist Julia Ward Howe after the American Civil War. The first flowers selected by Anna Jarvis were light pink carnations as the symbol of charm, purity and patience of all mothers. Pink, white, yellow and purple flowers are most common colours for Mother’s Day flowers. Each colour and flower has its own, unique meaning on Mother’s Day.

The most popular flowers given to mothers are wild spring flowers, such as tulips, daffodils, gerberas, sweetheart roses and chrysanthemums. With so many flower choices available today, there are no rules – it’s the feeling that gives the gift its meaning.

Here is a summary of the most trendy flowers and their meanings:
Alstroemeria: wealth and prosperity, symbolizes strong bond with another person
Pink carnation: a woman’s love, I will never forget you, mother’s love.
Pink rose: perfect happiness, please believe me
Daffodil: you are the only one, regard, rebirth, new beginnings, unrequited love; you’re the only one, chivalry.
Iris: wisdom, your friendship means so much to me, faith, hope, valour, and my compliments.
Orchid: rare beauties, love, refinement, beautiful lady, Chinese symbol for many children, mature charm, beauty, long life.
Azalea: love, romance and fragile passion, temperance. It is also the Chinese symbol of womanhood.
Gladiolus: strength of character
Lily: Majesty, wealth, pride, innocence, purity.
Stock: lasting beauty, bonds of affection, promptness, you’ll always be beautiful to me
Sunflower: a statement of pure love, longevity, and adoration
Tulip: pink caring, purple royalty, red – declaration of love, white forgiveness, yellow – hopelessly in love When choosing the right flower for Mother’s Day, think about a flower or colour that might remind them of a special event or moment in their lives. Whether your mother is just couple miles away or on the other side of the earth, it is easy to buy flowers with todays technology. The question is what would you like to say to your mom?

Best Gift for Mom and Dad, and for Son and Daughter

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Its holiday season once again and most of us are now living the happiest and the busiest season of our year. Just imagine how long your gift list is and you will realize that no matter how much planning you have put into your holiday gift giving, youll most likely still have to place a few more gifts under that Christmas tree.

Maybe the most difficult choice when getting gifts are the ones that you will be giving to your loved-ones. You know them really well and you know what they need, that is true, but with the many wonderful and novel gift options that you have, it is by far the hardest choice to make.

Your parents for instance, would most likely just ask you to be with them on Christmas for you to spend that special day with them would be their top Christmas wish. Oh, but what to wrap with a jolly Christmas wrapper and a cheery bow?

What do you think your parents need? Theyll most likely get clothes, accessories, and even food from other friends and relatives. The perfect gift has to be well-thought of, with your parents need in mind. Your Mom and Dad may be living on their own by now, without any of their children with them. Isnt the gift of instant communication with you and your siblings just the gift you can give them this Christmas? So, give them a mobile phone!

Now, dont be alarmed at the suggestion there are mobile units out there that your parents would be able to use with the least supervision.

Of course, you dont want to give them a gift that theyll “ooh” and “aah” over, then, with a look of utter confusion on their face, tell you, “but darling, we absolutely cannot learn how to use this thing properly!”

A basic phone is what they need a phone they can easily operate because if they cannot use the phone, you are assured that the unit will always be left in one of the drawers gathering dust and cobwebs. Get a phone that has an easy to read display, large buttons so that Mom and Dad dont have to squint to see them , clear and loud speakers (so you dont have to yell while you talk to them), and of course an emergency function that they can utilize during any urgent situation.

Thinking about it, a phone like this is also the perfect gift for your young son or daughter. A phone with just the basic, and most important, functions is the best starter phone you can get for your kids. You will be able to rest easy knowing that you can call and check on your youngster anytime, and they can also call or send you a message when they need you.

This Christmas, get your loved ones the best gift that money can buy the gift of mobile and accessible communication. In doing this, youll also be getting a precious gift for your self peace of mind in knowing that your precious family is just a phone call

Photo Frames as Wedding Gifts-Piecing Together the Old yet Fond Memories of the Past

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Once again a wedding party, a chance to prance around, regale on scrumptious foods and many more. But once again the thought of choosing perfect wedding gifts will drive you mad. You have to take time off your crammed schedule, head to the market, make your way through the crowd of enthusiast buyers and then pick just right gifts among so many wonderful items.

You feel bored of revisiting the same gallery times and again, you thirst for something with modern look yet conveying the same traditional message. Many a time you have bought conventional photo frames as wedding gifts. This time buy the same item flaunting a different design. Instead of presenting the simple frames, buy an opulent one with the signature of soaring imagination by designers. Many a creative personality is trying their hands at photo frame designing and molding them into the dice of their high-flying imagination. As a result, the market is teeming with a series of new photo frames with elegant and enhanced look. They will make just the right wedding gifts for the newly wedded couple.

Photo frames are the best way to preserve photos from getting crumpled and distorted. Apart from encasing memory, they dot the interiors with vibrancy. Memories of the bygone days will get cascading back with photos locked up in photo frames. Exquisitely beautiful photo frames as wedding gifts will make the onlookers envy the recipient.

Digital photo frames are also making their way to the gifts world due to their functionality. They are large reservoir to store a good number of photos. They make the ideal wedding gifts with their stylish look, enhanced elegance and high-end technology. Such items make the perfect gifts for any occasion.

Digital photo frames store images, songs and video clips in the internal memory. Availability of remote control system, built-in speakers, data transference from internet as well as digital camera or PC has contributed a lot to its soaring popularity. If presented as gifts, they will unleash the buzz of the fast-pacing techno world without much screaming. With everything wearing a digital look, it is of no surprise that digital frames will win the hearts of young generation. Young couples with such gifts will surely feel the thrill of stacking photos without taking the trouble of getting them printed.

An ideal photo frame should add zing to the look of interiors. Be it conventional or avant-garde digital frames, recipients will go gaga over such gifts as these will finely do up the recluse corner of the home with the much required oomph factor.

Give the Gift of a Good Kitchen Knife Set

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A kitchen knife set is a great gift, be it for a wedding, housewarming party, Christmas or a birthday. When it comes time to give gifts, people often overlook this great present, even though it’s a tool that is used almost daily in the kitchen. If you do decide to give this gift to a loved one, make sure you purchase a good set. That way, your gift will be remembered fondly every time they use the cutlery you gave them. If you buy a cheap set that falls apart quickly, it tells the person you bought it for that you really don’t care.

Unless you’re willing to spend between $100 and $200 on a set, it’s probably a good idea to look into other gifts. You can find other gifts like toasters and blenders for well under $100, and you’ll still be able to give a quality gift. There are sets of average knives on the market that cost less than $100, but they are few and far between. It isn’t until you get up over that mark that you start to see the real quality sets.

There are a number of manufacturers that offer high-quality kitchen knife sets for between $100 to $200. JA Henckels, Ginsu and Chicago Cutlery are established companies, and they all have offerings in this price range that would make a great gift. Anolon and Calphalon are relative newcomers, but they also offer good sets that fall into this range. Sets from any of the aforementioned brands will last a long time if cared for properly.

In order to buy the right kitchen cutlery as a gift, you have to know a little bit about the person or people you’re buying it for. If they are only passively interested in cooking, chances are they don’t already have a great set. Next time you’re at their house, take a quick look in the kitchen and glance at the brand of knives they have. If they have a cheaper set like Farberware, one of the mid-range knife sets would be a good upgrade idea for a gift.

If the person you’re considering giving cutlery to as a gift is an active cook, chances are they may already have a good set of knives. If you give them one of the mid-range sets, there’s a good chance you’ll be giving them a gift that they’ll never use or end up re-gifting later on down the road. If you want to give them a kitchen knife set they’ll actually use, you have to get them one nicer than the one they already have. This may mean spending anywhere from $300 to prices in the thousands of dollars for a set.

If you can’t afford thousands of dollars for a set (and who can these days?), you can instead opt for a gift set that contains only a couple of knives. These sets usually come in a nice wooden box and make for a nice looking gift that is functional as well. Shun offers a couple different gift sets that contain a knife or two.

For those of us who aren’t limited by price, there are professional chef-caliber knife sets on the market that anyone would love to have. Global offers a full range of high-end cutlery that looks great and works wonders in the kitchen. Nike chef’s love these knives, so it’s a gift that you can’t go wrong with. Shun knives look nice and are highly sought after, so they would make a great gift as well. Another highly sought after set is the Ginsu Kitana series, which are patterned after samurai swords and are extremely sharp.