Part of the wonder of gift giving is that you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to be thoughtful.  Little things that are meaningful and sweet can have a huge impact.  Now, I would say that this falls under the category of “surprise” more than “present” but both surprises and presents are something given to a person to show you care (a.k.a. GIFT!). Note: when I say “surprise” I mean a token gift – not like a surprise party or startling someone!

I found these cute little conversation hearts, otherwise known as Sweethearts at, where else?, my local Paper Source.

Of  course Sweethearts are readily available at most grocery stores, convenience stores and anyplace else that is usually well stocked with Valentine candy at this time of year…but …read more

A few days ago I blogged about thinking ahead and preparing for the holiday season. I think some preparation goes a long way to making gift giving less stressful and more enjoyable. But, it isn’t all about the future is it? You can’t plan for everything and sometimes you just need to step back and focus on the present in order to be a good gift giver. Just like everything else in life, gift giving requires balance.

Let me explain. Focusing on the here and now will make you more aware and a better sleuth when it comes to noticing things about your friends and family – the people at the top of your gift list!

Like many of you, I have a limited budget so I have three categories of gifts – presents, surprises and thoughtful things.

* Presents are the things I try to plan …read more

Today I had a surprise birthday party for my boyfriend and I think he had a pretty wonderful time. His birthday was actually last weekend, but he was in a more reflective mood than a celebratory mood and, although I really wanted to celebrate his life and show him how happy I was that he was born, I also wanted to respect his need for a quieter birthday.

We had family and friends over and it was a low-key affair. We celebrated outside on a roof deck and the day was perfect!!! I had help decorating with birthday garland, “Happy Birthday” banners, balloons, festive colored table cloths, table cloth weights, pretty napkins, etc. His brother helped in a huge way by getting him out of the house and occupying him until everyone arrived and we were all set up.

He was definitely surprised and …read more