It's all in the details

One of my good friends requested a post dedicated to the party details. So here it is! I had so much fun planning Devyn's birthday party last week! It was a princess flamingo theme. I was originally going to go with Alice in Wonderland, but decided all the precious Pinterest tea-party  birthday ideas had to be saved for when she's older. (Gives me time to collect vintage teapots!)

 I started about 6 weeks out keeping my eye on Pinterest, craft stores, Target (of course!) and party stores.  I previously posted about the feather boa birthday wreath, so if you want to check out the DIY tutorial, click here!

I came across the pink polka dot balloons at Party City. They were sold in a pack of 20. I grabbed some of the teal (or Tiffany blue, whatevs!) balloons at the balloon counter. In the background, you can see the birthday bunting I made. I collected pics from Devyn's first year from 0 months to 12 months that I took on the lambie play mat. Each month I took a picture of her with a paper birthday cake that said how many months old she is. I opted to go with the prop instead of the onesie sticker shirts because I wanted a collection of photos in my favorite of her outfits from the first year. I glued them to bright pink, light pink, teal, and lime green scrapbook paper border and used double stick tape to affix them to the bunting triangles. I also numbered each triangle and hung them in order so guests could see her grow. It was my favorite decoration, and definitely the most time-consuming to make!

We served Devyn's favorite foods. Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets (with Polynesian sauce for Mommy!), fruit salad, a veggie tray (with strawberry shortbread thumbprint cookies), broccoli salad, pink cookies, mini chocolate cupcakes, and chicken salad. 

Her cake was white chocolate ganache with buttercream icing. Her cake sweated a little bit (come on, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software, get here now!). We ordered it from Kroger, custom colors for her party. The design matched what we ordered for Cade's first birthday.  It's seriously one of the most delicious cakes I've ever had! And I loved that it looked like fondant but had that scrumptious buttercream taste!

I made tissue paper flower poms and hung them from our chandelier over the food table. Devyn loved them!

I did a birthday photo shoot at the park with Devyn. We used this photo on her invitation that my brother custom designed for us. We had a fancy flamingo princess themed party, so the gift baskets had a Grow-Your-Own-Flamingo egg (Dollar Tree), glow stick necklaces, shiny bead necklaces, and bubbles. All from the Dollar Tree and Albertson's.

I was so happy to come across the  yard flamingos in the Target Dollar Spot. I literally squealed and did a happy jump dance with my mom when I found them. I drew the flamingo my  brother created for the invite on pink posterboard and added glittery tiara, ring, and necklace accessories. I put one on the front door and another on the living room window above the kids' table.

I bagged popcorn favors for all the guests. Movie Theater Butter + Pink Vanilla = yumminess! Popcorn was from Pop It! in Plano.

Her bib is custom order from Etsy. Pink flamingos on Tiffany blue backing. The cupcake tiara is from Little Lam Boutique in Richardson.  Her smash cake is an oversized cupcake with custom icing to match her birthday cake, also from Kroger.
Devyn was right, it was too pretty to smash! The big kids at the party helped show her how to dig in!  More pics of the party itself to come.

DIY Feather Boa Wreath

 

Like all great ideas, I came across this one from Pinterest! I just had to make a fabulous birthday wreath, so I collected ideas on my "Let's Party, Y'all!" pinboard and decided on this wreath.

Estimated total cost $35. You definitely could do it for cheaper if you found the boas at an online wholesaler, or a drag queen's garage sale. Whatevs! I was in a crunch and had to get it done ASAP, so I didn't have that luxury. When you do hit up the craft store (I used Michaels and Hobby Lobby), do NOT go without your smart phone loaded with the Michaels app, and Hobby Lobby website with coupon pulled up. Both stores will scan the coupons from your phone.  Michaels take competitors' coupons, as does JoAnn Fabrics, Hobby Lobby does not. Definitely go prepared. The boas can make this project tres expensive if you're not prepared.

Materials: 
Foam pool noodle - Dollar Tree - $1
Duct tape or clear packing tape - about 2 feet worth
Grosgrain ribbon - to hang from door/wall - $1.99
Thinner grosgrain ribbon - to hang your letter initial - $0.50
Glitter paint
Wood letter - Hobby Lobby - $1.29
4 feather boas - Hobby Lobby - $8.99 each (but look for cheaper online!)
Floral pins - less than $2

First tape your pool noodle into a circular form. This is the base of your wreath!

Next tie your ribbon. Head to the spot where you'd like to hang your wreath and measure the distance you'd like it to hang. I did this about halfway through (pic below) so I could see how fluffy the wreath would be. I'm super visual, so this part helped me out.



You can hold your wreath as you work or hang it, whichever works best for you. I did a little of both. Wrap your boas around and around the noodle. You can leave a little room between wraps or pack them tightly together. Mine are pretty tight. I started off looser, but it wasn't as lush a look as I wanted. About every 3 wraps or so I would use the floral pins to tack the boas onto my wreath form. I love not using hot glue! It was easier to work on this project in between juggling kids' needs and pick back up later without worrying about leaving a hot glue gun laying around. ALSO you can re-use the boas this way.


This is a pic of the pins I chose to use. They worked really well! My boas are super secure, but they were easy to reposition. For the wood letter I started off with Krylon glitter spray. I, apparently, am some sort of jackass because it globbed up on me. Try doing short bursts and shaking the can frequently to avoid globbing if you go this route! I happened to have a silver Sharpie paint pen, so I opted to paint pen the other side of my letter and use Tulip glitter paint on top once the paint pen dried. The effect was as disco-ball as I was hoping for! I used a sparkly translucent thin ribbon to tie my "D" to the larger teal ribbon loop I used as the hanger. 

The effect was super cute. I hung the wreath on my front door for my daughter's fancy flamingo first birthday party! I'm going to hang the wreath in her room post-party as decor. It might make it's way to my classroom if I can't resist stealing it from my little diva!  It's too fabulous not to show off!

Other options would be finding some jewel floral picks to stick in to add some bling.
I saw some other cute ideas on Pinterest. One lady had made her wreath from orange boas and added a giant black spider for Halloween. Another person had used white boas and glittery snowflakes for the holidays. I came across boas that were purple, yellow, and green feathers and thought it would be a super-fun Mardi Gras wreath for you Louisiana fans!  It would be a cute springy wreath with little Easter bunnies and glittery foam eggs.  Seriously, I think there is at least one more feather boa wreath in my future.

A day at Nascar

A few weeks ago my dad cashed in on his birthday gift, the Mario Andretti Racing Experience at Texas Motor Speedway.  I had come across a Groupon and thought this would be a perfect gift for dad. Aren't Bucket List gifts the greatest?!  He chose to do the Formula 1 race cars, which were WAY faster than the Nascar cars.  Kudos to Dad for being the bigger badass of the group of men there that day! 

I have only been out to Texas Motor Speedway once. I thought it was fun to dress White Trash (hehe) and have beer brunch (AKA tailgating) at 9:00am. This time I was pumped to be in the middle of the track.  And armed with my camera. And some knowledge from many Google searches on how to best photograph race cars.   I think for my first time doing any type of "sport" photography, I came away with some cool pics. I was totally going for the sharp car but blurred stands in the background to capture the speed.

 

 

They do drag racing too. We watched for a bit before we drove out. I think it'd be a fun day trip to take the kids out to watch drag racing when they're a little older.

Here he is suiting up.

 

All the men were walking around like total badasses. As soon as they got into those racing suits they all had a swagger about them. Totally hilarious. Especially the dude next to us who wore dress shoes and brought along his shih tzu, Sophie, and "arm candy"/"trophy wife" Betty. 

So glad my dad had the sense of mind to wear tennis shoes. Here is giving his pre-race thumbs up.

Lap #1, that's my Dadio, notice the thumbs up! Pretty impressive considering the G-force.

 

 

It was a totally great experience. Fun for him to race and fun for me to photograph!!

Tomorrow

I am so exhausted, but I don't want to sleep. Because when I wake up my darling baby girl will be one year old. This time last year I couldn't sleep. It was like Christmas Eve. This year I am so proud of her to be turning one. Isn't that silly? But proud accurately describes this emotion. The amount of information a child receives their first year of life is truly amazing. Learning about and adapting to this world are huge things. I'm proud of us for surviving sleepless nights, teething, breastfeeding, first fevers, daycare, all of it! I'm trying to recall my fears and worries a year ago. One was, how can I possibly have from in my hear for another child? (don't worry Devyn, I sobbed before Cade was born because I loved our lhasapoo Izzy so much and just couldn't fathom how I could love a baby boy!). As soon as you were born darling girl, I was head over heels for you. Each new face you make and word you say and thing you do stretches my heart even more. You make strangers fall in love with you everywhere we go, of course your momma is totally smitten with everything you do. (except that diaper last night, that was nasty something fierce!!) I love you, Devyn. So so much. Another fear was am I cut out to mother two kids? Somehow I have to toot my own horn, because I am mommy to both of you, and sometimes I flat out rock it. Other times I fake it, and other times I fall flat on my face. But I am learning and loving it! Having baby number two was the decision that completed me. That little ache in my heart for a baby girl that I've carried my whole entire life was soothed by you little girl. You amaze me and I love you. I wish to be your best friend one day and I know we will learn so much from each other. I can't wait for you to teach me some things. I am trying so hard to pull together a beautiful first birthday party for you. We have pink tissue paper pom Pom flowers hanging through the house, a pink feather boa in our front door with a glittery D hanging from it, pictures from your first year strung from ribbon and pink and real scrapbook paper, and more surprises to come! I hope you love your special birthday. I have agonized about every single detail. Cupcakes or cake balls or cake? What kind of icing? What type of tutu should you wear? Where can I find THE perfect birthday shirt? Why can't I find that one little white sandal??!!! I want you to have proof when you are sixteen and hating me that I would give the world to make everything so perfectly beautiful for you. Just to see you smile and laugh and clap your sweet little hands is all I want. Time to go put on some Tim McGraw, watch your photo slideshow another time, and wrap some gifts. I love you Devy Doo. Love, Mommy

Fourth of July

Our Fourth in pictures. God bless America!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I heart Chick-Fil-A

Author's Note:  I struggled with even posting this, because I know a bunch of people out there who feel like Chick-Fil-A is Anti-Gay. I am Pro-Equal Rights, so I don't want to be bashed for being a hypocrite. (please?!) After doing some Google-research I don't think Chick-Fil-A and everyone who works there is 100% Anti-Gay. Sure, the CEO might be against gay marriage, but there are thousands of good people working at Chick-Fil-A who may or may  not support that opinion. This is a man who is a Christian first and donates to Christian organizations. The organizations he is giving money to for the most part just support Christian beliefs, they are not 100% anti-gay organizations. I don't think they've done anything extremely hateful towards gays,  but if I'm wrong I welcome you to let me know my posting a valid link in the comments. I'm also a Christian, and I also think business owners can operate however they wish as long as they are truly fair and kind. I would hope my news sources would report any gross acts of discrimination otherwise.

As I've said before any opinion-y posts, this blog is just my story as a little momma to my lovely lambies. If you don't like it, click on. This post just happens to be why I heart Chick-Fil-A.

Confession: Until today I've been spelling Chick-Fil-A as "Chic-Fil-A". It is chic chicken, so I'm not completely wrong. Right? Black and white? That's chic. Animal print? Chic.
 I do love this fast food chain for several reasons. Here we go:


1. I love those damn nuggets. They are addicting as hell. As a freshman living in Mosher Hall at Texas A&M (whoop!) we had a Chick-Fil-A in our commons area. And it was free!!! Okay, not really. But to my 18 year old self armed with a Aggie Bucks card it sure beat the hell outta cafeteria food! And hell, I'm an Aggie, I'm all about tradition. Freshman 15 were probably at least 8 lbs of Chick-Fil-A Combo #5 with a tank of Diet Dr. Pepper, plus 4 lbs of Lite Beer and 3 lbs of liquor + cafeteria food.

2.  It's fit for kids.  Their kid straws BEND, they are in white wrappers so kids can find them themselves, they have those plastic little mats with tape sides so you can have placemats for your babies, they have white milk and chocolate milk in little kid-sized jugs, they have fresh fruit that is LEGIT fresh (not canned), their play area is against a huge glass wall so you can pretty much see your little ones at play if you're lucky enough to score a close table. (Although Good Mommas supervise their children, another blog post all together- big sigh.... jjjjjeeeez!) OMG, and their bathrooms sometimes have TWO diaper changing table thingies. Shut the front door, right?!

3. "It's my pleasure."  I never noticed this before a year ago, when a friend pointed out that they don't say "You're welcome" they instead all say "It's my pleasure" I felt so adored and taken care of. Then I started to feel guilty. (I know, it's what I do. How many posts have I used the word "guilt" in? I hate guilt! Go away, Guilt!)  But for real, I feel all bad. It's not always their pleasure. Wouldn't it be their pleasure to sit down in a comfy booth and stuff their faces with nuggets and waffle fries that NEVER disappoint?!  It can't always be their pleasure, but every f'ing time they are so sincere when they say it and I love them all for it!  One day a few weeks ago the manager MANAGER said "You're welcome!" and she was so sweet and helpful but I felt like I found the golden ticket! I wanted to point in her face and say "Yessssssssssssss! You didn't say 'my pleasure', I AM Welcome! hahaha!" but for whatever reason I found restraint.  The staff is always so damn nice though. They always understand your order, they come to your table and ask if you'd like a refill --- even if you're in a mall location! They help carry your food to your table, which is SO appreciated as you juggle diaper bag, sippy cups, an infant and preschooler and high chair! I love the friendliness, I can't say that I always get that at Taco Bell or McDonald's or Chili's.

4.  Their salads use Romaine too!

5. They have Cow Appreciation Day. Today was that day. Come dressed as a cow and kids get a free kids meal and grown ups get a free entree. You only have to pay for your fries and drink!  Saved me $6 today! And it only cost $5 to make costumes. We used a plain white onesie we already had, bought shirts for Cade and I, and used felt and fabric glue to make our cow shirts. I used black and green poster board to make his cow ear headband, I used bobby pins to pin in my ears. I used a black bow headband of Devyn's to tuck in her tiny black cow ears. Super easy! We even cut felt tails for the kids. (Side note: I stupidly was Creepy Perv when I told a little girl who had a cute braided yarn cow tail, "Nice tail!"  Groan...as soon as it left my lips I wish I could have re-worded the compliment. Jeeeez.)

6. Polynesian sauce. The one sauce you should avoid at all costs because it's like 99% High Fructose Corn Syrup and 1% red dye.... again, it's crack cocaine. I love it. And I used to be a straight honey girl.

7. Waffle fries NEVER disappoint. Think back, have you ever had a soggy or burnt waffle fry? No. Do waffle fries taste good dipped in all of their sauce and milkshake options? Yes. So damn good.

8. Their milkshakes. Maybe a once a year treat for me. But they use proper whipped cream and a cherry on top and their Oreo goodness is to-die-for. So amazingly scrumptious. Ever had a bad day? Go get yourself their oreo shake. You'll feel better. I say, at least 40% better. (I also apparently heart %ages today)

9. Their high chairs. Their high chairs always have BOTH straps, and they're on wheels that ACTUALLY ROLL. This is a good tip I learned from a savvy g-ma. Carry in your tiny tot, pop them immediately in their high chair and push them thru the order line and to your table. SO MUCH EASIER than doing the hip-juggle dance!  Plus, your tot will enjoy the ride and thus, love their high chair and stay the F in their seat. Can I get an f-yes?!

Chick-Fil-A, I love you for all your chic-ness. Now play nice, I'd hate to have to boycott you!

Chihuily at the Dallas Arboreteum

Flashback Post!!! Back in May my friend Crystal & I took the littles to the Dallas Arboreteum. They were putting the finishing touches on the fabulous Chihuily art exhibit in their many gardens.  We were blown away by the blown glass, it was truly spectacular! They light up at night, which I'd love to see. Unfortunately a huge hail storm blew through and damaged some of the pieces, but they've been restored and are in still at the Arboreteum, so if you haven't made it down yet take yourselves!

Here's our arboreteum story. Cade is all about pulling the wagon. Thank goodness because with the diaper bag and snacks and my camera bag we had little room!

Seeing all the butterflies was so fun.

Emphasis on the WAS. Yes, that's Cade grabbing a butterfly. No butterflies were hurt in this process!

 

Cade was all about this gorgeous exhibit in the Women's Garden. That's White Rock Lake in the background. It's so picturesque!

 

And then my child proceeded to talk about going swimming in there to get the "balls and swords". He scared all the other families, I waited with Devyn and trustingly got the shots of him plotting his swim.

His favorite part of the Arboreteum? The huge lush green lawn!  It's perfect for running, doing somersaults, and rolling around.

 

Oh, and finding a good stick = every little boy's mission in life.

Devy Girl was feeling sleepy. Zombie baby pic!