Gifts For Grads, Better Than Cash

by AmyNo Comments
Cash as a gift is nice, but it takes zero effort. You throw money in a card and done. You don't have to think about the person receiving the gift at all, but on the flip side, they probably won't think about you either when they spend it. If you want to give the graduate in your life a gift they will love and love you for giving. Make your gift more memorable with these ideas. 1. Travel accessories- Many new graduates have travel on their mind and would appreciate a new travel bag, journal and travel books. Depending on your budget, this could range from a full luggage set to a small carry-on bag. To be really budget friendly, you could give your graduate a passport cover, travel journal and travel book for one of the places they want to visit. 2. A stack of restaurant gift cards. Dorm food gets old after a while, it would...
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Inspire Tears of Joy with these Mother’s Day Card Messages

by AmyNo Comments
Writing a beautiful message that’s completely personalized doesn’t have to be difficult. Sometimes you just need a jumping off point. 5 Mother’s Day card prompts that will bring tears of joy to her eyes. Pick one prompt and start writing. 1. Write down 2-3 things you learned from her that made a big impact on who you are today?  2. ‎Write down 3-5 reasons she is rocking motherhood, or reasons why she is the best grandma or aunt, bonus mom. Here are some examples about my own mom, she played with us when we were little, taught us to be polite and kind people and she is an extremely hard worker. 3. ‎Write down what you think her best qualities are, what are her superpowers? List at least 3 and why? Do you admire her great style, does she have the best smile or laugh, does she bake the most amazing cookies? 4. ‎Write about favorite childhood memory of your mom and what it means to you....
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Birthday Cake Flavored Recipes

by AmyNo Comments
Normally, I am a chocolate fanatic, see my post on  molten chocolate cake!!! But since February is my birthday month, I’ve been thinking a lot about birthday cake. But just the flavor, not actual cake.  I just love the flavor of “birthday cake”. To me birthday cake flavor is buttery, has a prominent vanilla flavor with a smidgen of something else and sprinkles, lots of sprinkles.  Birthday Cake Recipes that aren’t cake! These recipes don’t use any boxed cake mix, but I think they really have that birthday cake flavor. They are fast recipes, taste great and are maybe even more fun to eat! One of the first recipes I found was a recipe for Cake Batter Puppy Chow. I found it on freshaprilflours.com. Lynn the author of this website loves Puppy Chow recipes so much that she created an entire cookbook featuring her Puppy Chow recipes. Talk about finding a niche market. I have made Lynn’s Cake Batter recipe several times and it doesn’t disappoint. She has a great how-to video. So delicious, it's hard not to...
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Celebrate your Girls with a Galentine’s Day Party

by Amy2 Comments
I love Amy Poehler and I love that her P&R character Leslie Knope created Galentine’s Day. Galentine’s Day is Feb. 13th. It’s a day to gather with your favorite ladies and celebrate your friendship, preferably with sweet brunchy food.  5 tips for throwing an Awesome Galentine’s Day party Plan your celebration early! If your girls are crazy busy like mine, then it is best to start planning your Galentine’s Celebration in early January. Get your date coordinated and on everyone’s calendar. Find a location that inspires conversation Nothing is worse than wanting to catch up with your friends and being in a spot that so loud you have to yell everything. Be mindful of location. Could you have your celebration in the comfort of your own home? Does your favorite restaurant have a room you could rent? Or is there a bakery in town with ample seating? Have a fun but simple activity I love to just visit with friends, but it is so much fun to have a little something to do while catching...
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The Most Powerful Card to Send

by Amy1 Comment
What is the most powerful card you can send? I bet you thought I was going to say a birthday or a thank you card, but my answer is the Thinking of You card. It is an under-utilized sentiment but a powerful one. For the recipient, it’s unexpected, and it demonstrates to them not only do you think of them when they aren’t with you, but you took the time to take those feelings and put them in a card or letter. Think about how you feel when you get a letter or card from someone you know in the mail? If you are like me, you feel pleasantly surprised when you see the sender’s handwriting on the front of the envelope and open it excitedly anticipating what the content of the note could be. When you read the card you probably feel loved, appreciated, cared for, all kinds of warm feelings and I bet at the end of reading the note, you feel grateful....
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