A Last-Minute Gift for a 99 Year Old

I've mentioned before that my Nannie is a very difficult lady to choose gifts for. What do you give a 99 year old who has everything or had it at some point in her long life?

I pondered this as I wandered the aisles of Siler City's Wal-Mart on Saturday morning. Siler City, North Carolina is where my Nannie lives and if you can't find it at the Wal-Mart, then it's probably not worth looking for.

Also, there's really not anywhere else to shop unless you like tractor parts.

I ambled past a scrapbooking display when I had what Oprah calls a "light-bulb moment."

I remembered that my mom and I wrote "no gifts, please" on Nannie's party invitation, so I thought it might be nice to create a gift that all of the party guests could participate in...a memory journal.

Nannie loves to talk. About herself. Let's be honest. If I make it to 99, I'll probably want to talk about me too. So I was betting on the fact that she'd enjoy reading a little book filled with happy memories from friends and family.

I grabbed some cute flower stickers (Nannie loves her garden), the closest thing I could find to a journal, and some markers.

When we got back to the house, I plied Natalie and Michaela Byrd with crackers so they wouldn't notice the markers and stickers. Then I sat down and embellished the front with my stickers...if I had not been distracted by the fight in the living room over the Polly Pockets I might have had the foresight to add some ribbon to the front of the journal. I also added a sticker or two every couple of pages in the book to add a little pretty.

I used markers to write a cute "Happy Birthday" message for my grandmother and a pen to add a nice note with a few of my favorite memories of her. We had around 50 guests at the party, and many of them signed their name or shared a story in the book.

I wish I had a photo of it, but here's an example of something similar my sister's Maid of Honor put together for her bridal shower:

Other variations?

• Get a plain photo mat and have friends and family of a bride-to-be, expectant mom, birthday girl, etc. bless that person with a short message or words of advice. Frame a picture of the guest of honor with the mat and present it as a special gift.
• If you have plenty of time to plan, send matching notecards to guests with their party invitations and have them bring their best marriage or parenting advice to the bridal or baby shower. Insert the notecards into an embellished binder for the guest of honor.
• Have guests sign a onesie for a new baby, an apron for a new bride, or a "grilling apron" for a groom. Someone planned that at a cook-out for my sister and brother-in-law and they just loved it!

Really, it's the thought that counts. Nannie seemed pleased with her cards and the book, but I think she was most excited about seeing some of her family:

{Do you have any great gift ideas for people who are particularly hard to buy for?}

Linking to Kimba's DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land.

Reminder: The next Decorating Dilemmas Party is coming up next Wednesday, May 26th!

Start looking through your homes now for dilemmas you'd like some feedback on...anything in your home or garden is acceptable as long as you come ready to offer some helpful ideas to other partygoers. Don't have a Dilemma? Then feel free to share a Solution. You can see the last party here if you're curious. I hope to see you here partying!