Forget-Me-Not Day, November 10, 2009

I really enjoy looking up these unique and sometimes bizarre holidays or days of recognition.  There is simply no reason not to find a reason to send someone you know a special surprise.  I thought it very appropriate to have Forget-Me-Not Day and USMC Day on Tuesday, November 10th followed by Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11th.  We wrap up the week with World Kindness Day on Friday, November 13th.

I see next week as a week of remembering those we love near and far, those that are serving and have served, and simply spreading kindness to everyone you encounter.   So with that in mind I started looking at the different types of gifts I could send to some friends in Missouri and Tennessee as my way of celebrating Forget-Me-Not Day. Here is my top three choices.

All your favorite fall snacks are here in the Fall Snacks gift basket.  Everything to chase away the chill of autumn will warm your heart when this lovely fall leaves gift box arrives overflowing with sweet and savory snacks.  Your good wishes will arrive in beautiful style with the Fall Snacks gift basket.

A Fall Snack Chest full of fall splendor this attractive hamper is sure to make a great keepsake long after the treats are gone. The dark stain hamper with lid is filled with creamy vegetable dip, petite fruit candies, 2.5 oz gourmet snack mix, vanilla spice tea, Angela’s butter cookies, and 2.5 oz spicy tortilla chips.

All the Fall Splendor along with a scrumptious assortment of delectable treats are encompassed by a hunter green fall basket. Created with an upscale fall presentation this delicious gift will leave them remembering how thoughtful you were.

Now thinking of giving some special recognition to someone you know in the USMC or is a veteran then may I suggest you check out the wonder ideas at Surprise Arrivals. Gifts for Him , Gifts for her or Care Packages have some great gifts ideas that could be just right for that special person.  

How about just spreading some kindness around to someone you know that could use a boost in spirits. Candles are always a nice gift to send someone and these are my two picks this month. There is the Strawberry & Vanilla Cream Candle Assortment, these Ice Cream Candles look and smell so delicious you might just forget they are candles and try to eat them. Surround your special person in scents of perfectly ripe wild strawberries and the warm scent of creamy vanilla. How delicious!  Or enjoy the scents of the warm vanilla bean and cinnamon nutmeg with the Fragrance Retreat Candle Basket. Makes a thoughtful gift with reusable Willow Basket.

 Like I say there is never a good reason not to find a reason to send a surprise arrival to someone you know and love.

till next time. LB

A Visit from the Great Grandson

A visit from a two year old great grandson can be both exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. As it was for me when my granddaughter brought my great grandson , Brayden to see me last week.

When I saw both of the walking hand in hand, I thought to myself, how lucky I am to see this unfold before me.  Boy, how he has grown since their last visit.  When I admired his new glasses he was wearing and telling him how special he looked, brought out a great big smile on his face.

Once in the house, he was greeted by my dog Lola, a cute Shih tzu.  Once she realized it was Brayden, who just happens to love “her ” toys,  she immediately headed for under the sofa with only her little face and eyes exposed to see what was going to happen next.

Sure enough, off came the glasses with a swipe the hand and off he went after Lola. Between the barking of Lola and the “Sit Lola’s” from Brayden, I knew I was in for a busy visit.

Have you ever seen a 2 year old climb onto the sofa over to a counter stool and up through the pass through to the kitchen, well you have not lived  a great grandmother’s life yet. The little guy is quick and adventurous, of course, I would never know where he got that from.  All of this took place in just a matter of minutes of their arrival to the house.

Once retrieved by his mom, he was next to me on the sofa with flash cards, I had bought for him. That kept his interest for a full 5 minutes, then it was off the sofa and out to the screen patio.  He loves going out there to blow bubbles .  This kept him content till Lola decided she wanted to try and catch the popping bubbles.

It was back in the house for a treat of fruit cocktail. I learned that peaches are his favorite. I have lots of left over fruit cocktail minus the peaches, if interested.

After our snack, he was off to the surprise drawer, this is something I have done since becoming a grandmother for his mom, aunt and uncle. Lots of goodies from the Dollar store.  Out came the crayons and  coloring book.  Wrong choice, he was not interested in the crayons for coloring yet, so I quickly exchanged the crayons for  a piece of candy. Back in the drawer went the crayons for when he is a little older.  We, great grands are still in the live and learn game.

Off he goes again, walking around the house to see what else he can do.  He loves walking around and pointing at things and naming them. He has developed a great vocabulary.  Great Gram does not want to brag, but.  He finally stopped in front of the coffee table and off go the books to the floor. He proudly turned around with his hands up in the air and said “Sorry”.  He picked them up and place on table and off he went.

The pine cones, on display in front of fireplace, was his next victim. Each one was taken out of the display basket and counted “one, four, two, five” in this most serious voice. What a pick me up, for great Gram.

It had been about an hour and half when his mom Kim says “I have to leave now Gram. I hope you don’t mind we had such a short visit. We will try to come back next week”.  Back on go the glasses and hand in hand, they walk to the car. Lots of hugs and kisses  and they drive off.

I went back inside and directly to the sofa.  There I laid slowly slipping into a nice nap, thinking just how lucky I was to have grandchildren and a wonderful great grandson.  Lola was already snoring under the sofa as I drifted off exhilarated and exhausted.

For you lucky enough to have grandchildren and blessed to have great grandchildren, send them a surprise arrival from their favorite grandmother or great grandmother.  Gifts like the “Kids Just Wanna Have Fun Care Package“, a Crazy Crayon gift box, Play Doh, Cracker Jacks, Silly String and Rice Krispy Treats to list a few of the great items.  Another great gift is the “Crayola Kids Gift Box“.  Activities abound in this crazy Crayola gift box! Our designers have selected a unique variety of Crayola kids fun activities and snacks for this exclusive gift box. We’ve included a coloring book, crayons, Pez candy dispenser, bubbles and more. A great gift for kids of all ages!

Till next time, Ms. Honey.

Halloween, October 31, 2009

Halloween is absolutely the best holiday of the year. It is the favorite for many  of us, as there is no stress, no overload, and no “Holiday Depression” . It’s just absolutely fun.

Halloween has its roots in the Gaelic festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. The Day is associated with orange and black, and symbols like the jack-o-lantern.  Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, ghost tours, pranks and watching horror films.

 Okay,  as of this Halloween, I will be able to say I have celebrated a half a century of Halloweens.  Yes, my birthday is on Halloween and it is the big 50. I do believe, I mentioned this back in July in another blog posting about birthdays.  Well like I stated then milestone birthdays are to be celebrated and enjoyed to the fullest. 

The best part of having a birthday on Halloween, as a kid, everyone had parties and in small town USA it was when we, kids got to enjoy all the home made candies and treats.  Today it is more commercial candy and we have gotten away from the fun of Halloween.

Well not this year,  I have had the yard decorated for this wonderful Halloween since early October. There are ghosts and bats in the trees,  blown up yard decorations, like a 8 foot skeleton and Mr. Pumpkin Head (head rotating from happy to evil “Jack O Lantern”) and a ground fog machine in the flower bed adding more intrigue.

I plan to enjoy this Halloween  to the fullest and if I know my family and friends, it will be one that I will remember for years to come.  What pranks await me?

So this year send your little goblins a surprise arrival for Halloween.  Gifts like the “Halloween Care Package” which has a Black Gloss Gift Box, 14″ Plush Cat in a Pumpkin Outfit, Trick or Treat Bag filled with Candy Corn, Hershey’s Chocolates, Microwave Butter Popcorn , Reese’s Pieces  and more.

A “Hexes & Potions Halloween Care Package” is just another gift idea, a  Black Gloss Gift Box, Potions & Hexes Microwave popcorn, Potions bottle w/ nerds, 2 Miniature Hershey Bars, Reese’s peanut Butter cup, 2 bags of  Fun Shapes Jacks & Bats Pretzels, and Peeps Marshmallow Ghosts to list a few of the wonderful items.

Bring the family together for a Jack-o-lantern carving party by sending them a “”Jack O Treats” Halloween  Pail“.  This gift has  all your favorite Halloween treats  inside as well as a pumpkin carving set and a pumpkin flashlight for added safety on the big night.  A plush cat dressed as a witch arrives with this Halloween theme tub.

No matter how you celebrate this Halloween,  have a safe, fun filled day.  Happy Halloween !!

Mother-In-Law Day, October 25, 2009

I can’t seem to find any one source that can tell me how this day came into existence.  Most likely as a promotional  project for the gift card and flower companies.  No matter how it came to be, here is your chance to acknowledge the woman who was instrumental  in providing you with your spouse.  You hear horror stories about in-laws, so I guess it is appropriate for this day to be recognized in October and just 6 days before Halloween.  Then there are the most fortunate ones who are blessed with wonderful In-laws.

I am proud to say I was one of the fortunate ones to have had the best Mother- in- law. Evelyn was the sweetest person  and a “lady” in all sense of the word.  She was never one to impose on her children or their spouses.   She was, what my family would say, was easy company and I enjoyed every minute I spent with her. Evelyn may not be with us physically any longer but I know she is still watching over everyone.

It doesn’t matter what the circumstances may be in your relationship, celebrate the day by sending some special attention your Mother-in-law. Celebrate the day for  the woman that has given you the love of your life by sending a “Surprise Arrivals”.  “Mothers Are Forever Gift Box” filled with items such as “Mothers Are Forever Book Inspirational thoughts and love for Mom”, Sugar Pear Moisturizing Body Wash, Sugar Pear  Moisturizing Body butter, and a 3″ Aromatherapy Pillar Candle to name a few items, makes a great gift for Mother-in-law Day.

Or send a great Thank you to your mother-in-law for your wonderful spouse and give her a “A Grand World Of Thanks Gourmet Gift Basket” filled with Tomato Basil Crackers, Simply Grand Honey Roasted Nuts, Creamy Roasted Garlic Cheese Spread, A World Of Thanks Theme Bag w. Specialty Snack Mix, Fruit & Nuts Snack Mix and much more.

To all the Mother-in-law’s out there enjoy your day and thank you for being who you are.

Sweetest Day, October 17, 2009

Sweetest Day observed the third Saturday in October.  I frankly had never heard of this holiday till a few years ago.  I do a  great deal of research these days for the business, so I had to find out just how this day originated.

It is amazing how a simple search can lead to such interesting reading.  Now the most popular story is that Herbert Birch Kingston, a Cleveland, Ohio philanthropist and candy company employee started Sweetest Day. He wanted to bring happiness to orphans, shut-ins and under-privileged. His intent was to show these people that they were not forgotten.  In 1922, he started this holiday by giving candy and small gifts. He often used movie stars to distribute the gifts.

Primarily a regional observance celebrated in the Great Lakes region and the Northeast, Sweetest Day is gradually spreading to other areas of the country. Over the years, Sweetest Day has evolved into a time to express romantic love and also to show appreciation to friends. 

There also seemed to be those that feel the day was a concentrated marketing promotion sponsored by the candy industry. At the same time that Sweetest Day was being promoted in Cleveland, it was also being promoted nationally by the candy industry as “Candy Day” and “Sweetest Day.” Promotions were staged in New York City, Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago, Cincinatti as well as in Cleveland, Ohio.

I think it should not matter whether the day was created by one individual or an industry. It exists as an opportunity for you to recognize that sweet and special someone. It doesn’t matter who that person is, or what their relation to you. They just have to be “sweet” in order to get a little recognition.

Looking for a few ideas on what to give as a way of recognition, I like the following two items, but then again I am a chocolateholic.

13 pc Truffle-The perfect gift – chocolate!  These truffles will delight the receiver, so whether you are saying thank you, job well done, I love you or I’m sorry, this is the perfect gift for you.  Give the chocolate truffles gift basket today!  The Truffles gift basket is available in two sizes to fit any budget.

Chocolate Gourmet-The Chocolate Gourmet gift basket sends your good wishes in a way anyone would love!  Chocolate is the perfect gift for any occasion, so whether you need to make amends, make friends, or say I love you, do it with the Chocolate Gourmet gift basket!Ghirardelli Chocolate Bar .25 oz., 2 oz  Chocolate Peanut Butter Delight, Gourmet Treats Chocolate Brownies, Malta Bella Chocolate Cappuccino and more.

Remember the simple fact is it does not matter if you recognize the individual on Sweetest Day and you can make every day is Sweetest Day