A Little Post About Gift Giving

Good Morning Friends!

I thought I should come on today and redeem this space from my sad birthday report a few days ago. The good news is that I'm feeling much better. The other news is that I still look like I have hives. But, I'm on the mend and that's what counts.

However, in other birthday news, I wanted to share some thoughts on gifts that I received and what a blessing they have been this week. 

I've learned, as I've gotten older, that when someone asks what I want for my birthday, I would rather tell them what I want, instead of having them waste their money on something random. This works out for everyone. I also prefer to ask my kids what they want, because then I know I am truly blessing them with something they might not buy for themselves. 

So this year, when my kids asked what I wanted for my birthday, I told them I really wanted a subscription to my favorite magazine...Daphne's Diary. 

Every so often I go to the book store and look for the latest issue, but you just never know if you will find it. Sometimes the store has plenty, and sometimes the store is late on getting the next issue on the shelf. 

The subscriptions are expensive, due to the content of this magazine, so I've never bothered buying a full year's worth. But if the kids wanted to go in halves on my gift, it would be the perfect gift and very affordable.

Last week, when we had family dinner, we celebrated and they gave me exactly what I wanted - money to pay for the subscription. What a great idea! 😉

The next day, I wasted no time before getting online and ordering the magazine. However, as I was looking around, I realized that the back issues were about half the price of the upcoming issues and that I could buy all the 2024 issues I had missed, for the same price as the next year's subscription and they would all come at the same time. Plus, I had enough money to include one of her fun activity books too. 

So that's what I did and was pleasantly surprised when they came in the mail this week!

Now I have a year's worth of magazines to read and work through (they are full of activities and crafts) and I don't have to go looking for them at the book store. 

This turned out to be one of the most fun gifts I've received!

Likewise, when my mom asked what I wanted, I told her about a puzzle I had saved on my Amazon Wish List and a few days later, it arrived in the mail. Thanks mom!

Find Puzzle HERE

I know some may think this kind of gift giving spoils the element of surprise, but I think it's a win-win for the gift giver and the recipient. 

Have you ever bought something for someone (after agonizing over the entire thought process) and watched as they tried to pretend they liked it? 😅 It's painful for everyone!

If someone is taking the time to ask for ideas, give them a few honest answers and let them choose. This makes gift giving fun, instead of a dreaded task of guessing. You're still surprised when you open your gift and see the thing you've been wanting. In fact, it's so much more fun to see something familiar, than something random. Or at least those are my thoughts.

How do you feel about asking people for ideas? Do you do this or would you rather just do your own thing and hope it turns out to be something they like? (I'm kind of scared to hear your answers 😅)

Well, that's all for today, friends. 

I hope you're having a blessed week, so far. Mine is getting better and better and for that, I am so thankful. 

Until Next Time...

Blessings! 

The Flower Letters

 

I've been so excited to share this post with you, but I had to wait until it finally came in the mail.

Let me introduce you to The Flower Letters!

This past Christmas, when trying to think about something unique to buy for my mom and aunt, I remembered seeing The Flower Letters advertised on Instagram. I thought it was such a fun idea, so I went to their website and ordered a subscription for my mom, one for my aunt and somehow, when it was all said and done, had accidentally put my name and address in the slot for my aunt's order, which ended up meaning that I got one too. But that was ok! I thought it would be fun for all of us to have one and compare notes each month.

By now you're asking "what is it?"

Well, The Flower Letters is a subscription to a year's worth of snail mail letters that tell a story over the course of the year.

When you go to their website, you can choose between 3-4 storylines and whichever you choose, that will be your story for the entire subscription. 

I chose the Lily Clara collection, which tells of a young lady answering a mail order bride advertisement, which moves her to the Utah area, where she encounters some outlaw happenings. It has all the elements of a western mystery, which I thought would be great fun for my mom, aunt and myself. 

We all received our first letter this week and it was fun to know we were all reading it on the same day. 

Even in just the first bit of correspondence, there was an air of mystery, which was so intriguing. 

The letters come twice a month, so we'll have to wait for the next letter to see what happens after Lily answers the matrimonial ad. 

Each letter fits perfectly in this decorative tin and becomes a complete collection by the end of the year. 

Who knows? This may be something we do year after year, with a new story each time. 

One year I bought all three of us the same book and we had fun reading it at the same time and comparing notes as we got to certain spots. When you live hours away from family, these are some of the things you can do to have a good time with one another. 

So, if you're ever looking for a unique gift to give someone special, this would be a great consideration.

I'm not affiliated with them. I just wanted to share 😀

Have a great weekend!

Until Next Time...

Blessings!