I'll admit that I kind of laughed when Ella told me she wanted a pinata at her party this year. I figure that since she didn't ask for very much we could certainly pull that off. I looked around on-line a bit and called some local stores, but I couldn't really find what I was looking for. Then I read this blog post and remembered this blog post. If they can do it, I can do it. Right? So I started with my computer, pinterest and a big cup of coffee in my favorite cup ever (yes it has a cross-stitched watermelon!), these supplies, and it doesn't hurt to have an assistant (even if he is a vampire -- remember on the vlog I was watching this while folding laundry? well i finished all three the next day during this little project). First, I cut out two large number fives and several ...
Birthdaypalooza: Pinspiration & Paper Products
To say that I got lots of inspiration from Pinterest would be an understatement. Although I didn't use every idea that I came across, I think I did a pretty good job of sticking to my color scheme and overall theme for the party. You can click here to visit my pinboard for Ella's birthday party. First up is always invitations. I was so proud of my idea this year, I was just worried that I couldn't pull it off! K took Ella's pictures against a white backdrop and I clipped the background out and cut her off at the waist. I illustrated the mermaid tail and other sea creatures in and around the invitation and could not be happier with how it turned out. We had them printed on a pearl cardstock, which really gave a sparkly and ethereal look to the paper suite. She was tickled to see herself ...
Birthdaypalooza: Party Time!
I knew that I wanted to convince Ella to have a pool party this year. She has gotten so good swimming and it's so HOT in Alabama right now! At first she wanted to have a Barbie party and y'all know I'm not a fan of character anything. I knew I could throw a tasteful Barbie party if I tried, but my ultimate goal was to steer clear. I saw this party and fell in love with the mermaid theme. When I rushed home to tell Ella my new idea, she was more than receptive. The idea of "being" a mermaid for her big day was so exciting. For the fourth year in a row, I was tasked with finding a new baker. I have always had great luck with the cake, but for whatever reason they are unable to do my next party. This year April "the cake girl" did such an awesome job recreating my inspiration image. The ...
The day I tore the tickets
So today was the first Bama football game of the season. We were planning to leave at 6:30 and head to Tuscaloosa in plenty of time to see the players enter the stadium... two hours before game time. I am always paranoid about tickets to any event. I'm worried I'll forget them or that they are fake or that I'll grab the wrong weeks' ticket. I joked with SD this morning while we were getting ready that I wanted him to double check the tickets before we left. He laughed and said... "Don't they say Kent State?" YES, of course they do. Not only did they say Kent State, but they said Game 1. STILL... I do not want to be responsible for being in Tuscaloosa with the wrong tickets. You wanna know what he said when he saw the tickets? These tickets are short. Wait, these are already canceled! I ...
friday phone dump.
{planter box update - my crepe myrtle blooms - new loropetalums out front} {SD cut some errant tree limbs - sophie helped with yard work - beemer gets a bath} {playdate - nap on the run - snow cones at school - CFA drive-thru for breakfast} {still enamored with my laminated labels - sophie in her "boy" pjs at the doctor with daddy} ...
It’s a list!
It's been awhile since I posted a weekly list. I have a couple of things to say (that are completely unrelated to one another) and I figured I could throw them all together in a hodge-podge post. Ready? 1. We are still soaking up summer. As much as I am ready for fall and cooler weather, I will really miss spending Saturday afternoons like this. Even when the girls aren't swimming, we're eating popsicles and reading Junie B. Jones poolside. 2. Dance is back in full swing. Today is the girls' third lesson this season and they are having so much fun. They moved up this year and are thrilled to be out of the "baby" class. They even learned a few hip hop moves last week and were eager to give us a preview (pictured left to right: Natalie, Kynnedi, Ella & Campbell). 3. If you read ...
in no particular order
I haven't had an iPhone for very long, but it's hard to remember how I survived before it. I still take my camera with me most places, but it's fun to capture quick moments that I might not otherwise remember. Ella & Sophie both like scrolling through the photo album to see what funny moments we managed to catch. So, in no particular order, some sweet moments from the last month. mommy got a new purse, sophie tried homemade orange sherbet, ella snacks on tomatoes new floral laces for our chuck taylors, sophie takes a swing, ella shows off her new seat a DP collection near my bed -- oops, an early morning text from sd & ella before school our french fry cooling mechanism, ella's new haircut, sophie takes a potty break ella on the way back from lunch (via my ...
Moo-Tow
I guess most of you know that I live in the country. And when I say that, I mean the COUNTRY. I never really thought it was strange or different growing up. I remember my sophomore year of college, my best girlfriend asked me what I did over the weekend and I said something to the effect of "I went to the barn at my grandparents' farm to see the baby goats." You can imagine her reaction. I am so glad that my girls will have the best of both worlds. They will know about shopping malls and movie theaters, nice dinners and weekend road trips to fun cities. They will also know how much better home-grown strawberries taste and that you don't have to rinse them off before eating them. They will know how to hop a fence and will learn to wave when the tractors roll by, it's most likely their ...