Ahoy!!! Big Boy is 1

Ahoy! This big guy turned 1! We planned a nautical themed party for him. I thought it would be perfect for spring (when I was planning in January). However, apparently the weather was not on my side!

Outfit from Gymboree

 

When it comes to weather for parties, if I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all. I was optimistic two weeks before the party. The extended forecast for party day was 63 and sunny! A beautiful day in April in the Chicagoland area. However as it got closer to the party, it was looking grim. Turns out the weather man was wrong! They were saying 32 and snow! So we had a back up plan...

Yes! that is snow on the bottom right!


 A tent. Thankfully my mom came up with the idea and the funds (best mom ever)! So then we had to re-plan the set up of the party but I think it turned out well!


 

photo wall and appetizers.

I created this photo wall from all photos I took from Wyatt's 1st year. Each one had a title card, his monthly chalkboard picture and then some of my favorites. The appetizer table was placed right when people walked in and all were "sea" themed snacks. We also had themed tables for dessert and drinks.

 

 

 

Centerpieces were a work in progress. The buckets were used from my son's Baptism and I repurposed them by tying a sailor's knot out of twine. The picks were pieced together from items I got at either JoAnn Fabrics or Hobby Lobby. I learned the hard way after the baptism, that you need to add sand or the tip real easily.

 

 

Birthday Boy loved his cake. His father gave him utensils to really dig into the cake. I made the highchair decoration from ribbon I got a Hobby Lobby!

 

 

Happy Birthday Big Boy! I cannot wait to celebrate another year with you!

 

Pink Lemonade 1st Birthday Photos

Once again I cannot say enough about our friend and photographer Jake Pakosta. He always does such an amazing job! Not only are his pictures beautiful, but he puts up with me and all of my crazy ideas! 

 I think this picture above and the one below capture her personality so much! She is always making that face or throwing up her arms like "mom I do not know what you are talking about!"

Dress Gap Kids - Hat Etsy

 The ribbons that are hanging are actually the high chair decoration that I made for her party. It was a last minute decision to pin it to the fence but I am glad we did! The letters are cardboard letters that I bought from Jo Ann Fabrics and just painted with acrylic paint.

shoes -freshly picked

necklace -Etsy

I think that this last picture sums up what my daughter actually thinks about getting her picture taken over and over again! Over all she was pretty good about the whole process!

The 1st birthday party

Have you ever looked at pictures you have taken after an event and wanted to kick yourself?!? Well that is where I am right now. In all the craziness that was the party, I did not taken very good pictures to show what the party actually looked like. Seriously ... Epic fail.

This is what some of the decor looked like. I took plastic tablecloths and decorated the side of the garage so it was a good backdrop for the smash cake and presents. However this is the best picture I can get and it looks not so great. Note to self: take pictures! 

I also made this high chair decoration from ribbons. It matched the ribbon topiary that I had as center pieces on some of the tables.

 I did manage to take some pictures of the sweet table. It was also all pink and yellow. Thankfully right before the party was Easter and they had all kinds of pastel colored candy from the major candy companies. However, it did mean that I had to separate each bag. It then lead to the issue of major overload of blue, purple and green candy, which I brought to work and gave to my students. I got the treat bags and other candy that I couldn't get from Easter at Party City or the Ferrera Pan outlet store. I was surprised on how reasonable the prices were!

In addition to candy, we had lots of baked goods, I made pink lemonade cupcake in both regular and miniature size. Tons of other goodies like chocolate covered pretzels of course with pink or yellow sprinkles. We also made Rice Krispie treats and dipped it in yellow or pink candy melts.

I also made a small smash cake... Chocolate of course.

The napkins and plate are from   Target. I saw them at the store and loved them immediately! I am waiting for a friend to send me the pictures that he took and hopefully there will be better ones of the decor!

Sweet Baby Girl Turned 1!

Our sweet little girl, Violet Grace turned one on May 31. I cannot tell you how bittersweet it was! I am so sad that she is no longer a baby  but excited to see all the new things she is learning and can do!

If you already read my blog you know my obsession with a themed party. In that case, for her 1st birthday it had to be great. I started planning in January. I do not know if it was because it was so cold in Chicago, polar vertex and all,  but nothing sounded better than sunshine and lemonade.

The first thing that I did was go to pinterest to be inspired and that I was. I began pinning a million things to my board. Then it was to the craft stores I went. Thankfully I had something to do to keep me entertained after the holidays while being locked up in the house all winter!

Of course I went nuts! I think I may of went over board but it was all worth it in the end!

 Here are the envelopes that I addressed for the party. Nothing is more fun that getting pretty mail! I do not know if it is just me but I love it!

The centerpiece that I made where either these topiary made from ribbon or the picture cubes. I think the cubes took the longest to make because I had to assemble all the boxes, scrapbook the top of them and then add the pictures. I think I may of spent more time on looking at the pictures because I cannot believe a whole year went by!

These are one of the two treat boxes that we had at the party.  I am pretty sure the adults liked them as much or more so than the kids. The boxes where from Oriental Trading and the sticks my father printed for us!

More on the actual party later!

Fall Theme ... part yum

When thinking about the food that goes with a fall theme, I could not help but think about comfort food. That is what the menu consisted of:

Pulled Pork

Fried Chicken

Top-your-own chili bar

Mac and cheese

Pasta Salad

Corn Bread

Garden Salad

Corn Fritters

Majority of the food was home made! I made the most of it with the help of my mom. My cousin made the amazing mac and cheese. We cater the chicken because there was no way I can deep fry 70 pieces of chicken. Lucky for us, the place threw in the corn fritters (think funnel cake  with a kernel of corn in the middle).

However, what I feel our family is most known for is our desserts. Although I love to bake, I could not of done it all without the help of family. Between my mother and I, and then my husband's aunts  and mother, we had a killer spread of desserts!

Whenever I host a party, I always like to label things, probably the teacher in me. My husband use to make fun of me for it but after all the positive comments we received on it, he now encourages me. Of course, as I throw more parties the labels get more extravagant.

Fall Themes...

       I don't know about everyone else, but I love a party with a theme. Now that I have a daughter, I am so excited about all the parties that I get to throw and of course with themes! This past weekend we had my daughter christened. When I was talking about the plans with my mother and telling her about the theme, she was confused. She was like isn't the theme, the christening. I said absolutely not! I am having a fall themed christening.

      I worked my butt off to make it as nice as I possibly could. It is hard to do this with a very limited budget, an infant and a only a backyard but I think that I pulled it off.  Of course, we had pumpkins and acorns in some the centerpieces that surrounded mason jars with flowers but others were made of white birch logs that I drilled holes to hold tea lights. In my mind it I would light all of the fall scented tea lights and it would smell like fall... However the wind did not cooperate and kept blowing them out!

 

      For some reason, when I thought fall, my mind kept going to mason jars. I am not sure if this is because of the fall harvest or the fact that they are everywhere! So of course we had to have them with fall colored paper straws. We made homemade lemonade for the kids and for the adults Honey Crisp Apple Sangria! It was a huge hit.

 

 More later on the food!