Events

Friday Favorites :: Thanksgiving Edition

November 13, 2020 by Michelle Filed Under: Events, Friday Favorites, Life Leave a Comment

Y’all I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is just TWO weeks away! So many people I’ve talked to in the last week have commented on how the first half of this year went by at a sloth’s pace – and seemingly got worse and worse as they days inched on, and now, we are less than two months away from saying “peace out, 2020!”
It’s really crazy. But, as the show must go on, so must the year!

This week’s, or month’s edition of Friday Favorites, I am sharing with you some of the things I love about Thanksgiving. Unlike some of you it is not my favorite holiday {don’t hate}. Christmas is my favorite holiday. However, I do enjoy a few things about Thanksgiving.

My Momma’s Pecan Pie. There’s nothing like it; not a bakery-bought one can come even close to the deliciousness of this homemade pie. A few years ago my friend Aimee shared a homemade Amish pie crust recipe and it totally took Momma’s Pecan Pie to the ultimate level of desserts. Message me and I’ll send you both recipes!

Our nephew loves this pie so much, I make one just for him.

2. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. There’s something nostalgic about watching the parade as our kids play in the den and the kitchen is brimming with the scents of Thanksgiving fare. It takes me back to when I was a kid and my mom would be in the kitchen with her apron on, with all the burners on the stove glowing…sweet memories.
According to the world wide web, the parade IS still happening this year {thank you, Jesus}, although I’m sure it will look much different than years past. Check your local listings, but it should start at 9am.

3. All things printable for my kids {and some adults ;)}. I love having activities for the kids to color and keep them occupied so they don’t argue as much and get all in my hair! Here are a few of my favorites for this year:
Gobble Gobble
Mad Libs for Kids
Placemat
Pilgrims & Native Americans

4. Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without shopping, right?! I could tell you all my favorite stores, like Anthropologie, Loft, Athleta, etc. or I could be a good friend and tell you to write out your list now of all the things you want to purchase and set a budget. I know. I hate budgets too, but they are a necessary evil. When making your list of family members, friends, neighbors, etc. along with the items you want to purchase, don’t forget stocking stuffers and all those ‘little’ things that add up to big bucks! Sometimes I feel like those little stocking stuffers cost as much as the bigger gifts! And since this is a Friday Favorites post, I’ll tell you that we like using Mint.com to keep track of our finances. Now go make that budget.

5. Okay now we come to family time. Some of you love this, and some of you….well, we’ll just leave it there.
If you are lucky enough to spend time with family over Thanksgiving, here are some of our favorite things to do either before of after the tryptophan kicks in…
Go for a walk. I love walking with my family members because there’s nothing else to do other than talk when you’re on a walk. And sometimes this is the only time you can get some people away from devices or other distractions to speak words! This is where you may have to put on your listening ears if you’re normally a talker…
Find a nearby park for the kids to play or don’t forget bicycles if you are travelling.
Corn hole, soccer, touch football, badminton, horseshoes, croquet, hula hoops, jump ropes, frisbee…anything that can keep you moving and laughing in your own front or back yard.
If it ends up raining where you’re going to be {check the weather a day or two before!}, snag some good movies, puzzles, board games, decks of cards and UNO! Store smaller sets in an accessible basket for easy retrieval.

6. To round off this Thanksgiving edition of Friday Favorites, how about some lock screens? I’ve had my eyes on a few of these for a while now, wanting to share them with you. I love a Fall theme and if there’s scripture with it, well even better. Enjoy these:
Natalie Hilton
FBC Columbia Women
Kaitlyn Bouchillon
Emily Ley

I hope you’ve found something fun and possibly useful in this post – I’d love to hear from you and if you want those recipes, let me know!

Until next time friend…

Eliza Jane’s Princess Party

August 31, 2019 by Michelle Filed Under: Being a Mom, Decorating/Remodeling, Events, Life, Party Ideas Leave a Comment

“A dream is a wish your heart makes…when you’re fast asleep…”

These are the first words of one of my favorite songs from ‘Cinderella’ my favorite princess from my favorite fairy tale, my favorite movie.

When Eliza Jane and I talked earlier this summer about her birthday party, I asked her what kind of party she wanted for her FIFTH birthday.
First of all, can we pause for a moment together and say, ‘how in the WORLD is she FIVE!?’ Remember when she was born and I shared her birth story? Seems like last year… I can hardly believe we’re now using a whole hand to tell her age. It’s so weird.

Okay, back to princesses and dreams and parties.
When we talked about her birthday, I had all sorts of fun ideas – fairies in a garden, a ballet with a small group of friends, all sorts of fun things were stirring in my mind, but when I asked her she had one, very simple response: PRINCESS!

Princess. We did a princess party last year.
I pondered it for about a day; How could we do another princess party this year, that would be different from last year, and certainly a GOOD party because it is her FIFTH.

What if….and my wheels started turning.
What if we created a castle. What if, walking into the living room, it was like walking into a castle.
I threw the idea at Andrew and shared some initial thoughts with him…I think he smiled and tossed his head back with, “This is going to get out of hand real fast, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Yes it is.” I said with a laugh. “She only turns 5 once…and last year her brother threw out the first pitch at a Fireflies baseball game, so…”

I got online and made a reservation for two princesses to join us for her party. This part would remain a complete surprise to her and her friends. I told a couple of moms, and swore them to secrecy. {I may have even threatened death to one…}. I was giddy with my secret…I knew my sweet girl would be over the moon to see two of her favorite princesses show up at HER house.

One night at ballet practice, my sweet friend Dana and I perused Pinterest, looking for ideas to help me figure out how we would bring this vision to life. The dream I had for her castle centered around a chandelier and canopy hanging over a beautifully set table, with golds and pinks and greens. Slowly, but surely I started collecting items that we could use for the party and to be completely honest, the outcome was so much more than I ever dreamed.

A few points I’ll make before you see the pictures: Eliza Jane LOVED her castle. She called me an artist the day I put up the castle…NO ONE has ever called me an artist {for good reason!}. The weekend before the party Reynolds came up with the idea to be a knight, to greet the princesses, so of course I ordered him a knight costume!
The princesses are from Once Upon a Princess and they were simply amazing. Completely in character the whole time, they told stories, sang and danced, and played games with the sweet girls at our party.
To say everything was a dream…it was a beautiful, beautiful dream.

The canopy belongs to our friend Brynn, who let us borrow it for this sweet party.

This tablescape was inspired by one I saw on Pinterest and was able to find all of the paper products from If It’s Paper; the flowers came from Lowe’s Foods and the chairs were rented. The chandelier came from a house we recently renovated!

The castle was created from craft paper purchased from Lowe’s (the hardware store), and I spray painted the bricks. The sconces are made from black construction paper and the fire is tissue paper.
These yellow wingback chairs were my grandparent’s and I had them reupholstered a couple of years ago. The fun hanging elements are from Michael’s (3 different party packs) and are hanging by fishing line, attached to the ceiling with clear push pins (my thumb is so sore!).

A big thank you to my sweet friend Dana, who dripped sweat with me yesterday afternoon trying to hang this canopy. We were absolutely determined to find a way to make it work, and succeeded! You can create amazing things with pushpins and small strips of ribbon!

This sweet little cupcake display was GIVEN to me by the manager at If It’s Paper. I went in one day to buy the envelopes for the birthday invitations and ‘happened’ to tell the lady at the register about our princess party. The manager overheard me and asked if I wanted this display…and she gave it to me stating she had been waiting for someone to come in for princess party ware, that she could give it to. Lucky me.

This small pink cake stand is from Anthropologie a couple of years ago and Publix did our cupcakes this year.

My sweet Reynolds being a complete gentleman. The princesses called him ‘Prince Charming’. His costume was ordered via Amazon.

“If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true”

We also had a small dress up area complete with several princess dresses, necklaces, bracelets, rings, wands, princess shoes and makeup! You can imagine the fun these girls had. We had several wardrobe changes, trading shoes and jewelry. It was such a joy watching these girls have so much fun today.
I’m so thankful for the friends who were able to come and celebrate with us – it was a day I won’t forget for a very long time.

Until next time sweet friends…

A Mother’s Day Memory

May 9, 2019 by Michelle Filed Under: Being a Mom, Events, Life 4 Comments

When I was a little girl, I can’t remember how old I was, but I know I was young…for Mother’s Day my mom and I both got corsages. I don’t know who bought them, my mom or my dad, but I can visualize the two corsages in the refrigerator the Saturday night before Mother’s Day.

I can also remember the conversation I had with my mom one year about these corsages, because the corsages were different colors. Mine was always red or pink and hers was a white orchid.
She told me that a lady who wore a white corsage showed that her mother was no longer living. A lady with a pink or red corsage, her mother was still alive.

For whatever reason, last year, I remembered these corsages and I told Andrew about them and made a request that this year Eliza Jane and I would start wearing corsages on Mother’s Day. Mine would be white, in memory of my beloved mother, and hers would be pink or red.

I went by Lowe’s foods the other day, because they still have a person that actually works in the flower area of the store, and asked about the corsages. The lady knew exactly what I was talking about and said that she had placed an order for ‘mothers’ orchids’. She asked me what colors I would need, either white or pink and I requested one of each. She took my name and number and said that she would call me when they came in, this Thursday.

Today I got a phone call from this sweet lady and the kids and I went to pick up our corsages this afternoon.

Aren’t they beautiful! {I left them in their packages so not to bruise their petals}

If you didn’t know about this old tradition, it is a sweet one. And perhaps you could adopt it into your own sweet family.

If you have the honor of being able to spend Mother’s day with your mom, I pray that it is a sweet day for you both. If, like me, your mother is no longer living, I pray for peace in your heart and joyful memories to flood your heart and bring a smile to your beautiful face.

Until next time dear friends…Happy Mother’s Day

Reynolds’ Birthday Fun!

May 10, 2017 by Michelle Filed Under: Being a Mom, Events 1 Comment

Oh my gracious! What a fun birthday Reynolds had!! It was nearly 3 weeks ago, but who’s counting!? It’s taken me quite some time to get all of this together with the kiddos, work and all the other whathaveyous, so I’m sorry for the delay, but I think this will bring some joy to your beautiful eyes tonight!

I just want to say, if your birthday starts off with homemade chocolate chip waffles, made with immense love by your momma, it’s going to be a really incredible day.

The first sweet picture of my “Captain”…anybody else think he’s huge? He’s huge. 44 inches tall, confirmed last Friday by his pediatrician, who looked at us and said, “So…he’s grown FIVE inches since his last check-up.” Then smiled with this, “I really don’t know what to say.” look on his face. HA!

The plan was for him to go to school for a half-day and then I would pick him up around 12:15 to go to the Zoo. “Surprises” were in store for him as we let him know in the morning. Mommy and Daddy had surprises for him, and we would let him know as they happened.

As I picked him up from school and helped him change from his camos into shorts I told him we were going to the zoo. His sweet face lit up and then he said, “is sister going with us?” I replied, “No….did you want sister to go with us?” Secretly hoping his answer would be “no” so that he wouldn’t be disappointed…

“Yes!” he said, enthusiastically…

“Well…she’s not coming, baby. Mommy planned for just you and me to go to the zoo and that way you can do whatever you want to do!”

Somehow that won him over and he was all smiles leaving school.

Kids and adults alike love to gaze at the lion..

His best tiger face.

I’m not kidding when I tell you that we stood here for 15 minutes watching those sweet sea lions swim in circles. He asked me questions like “why can’t I go swim with them?” and “where do they sleep at night?” It was wonderful.

The reptiles are my least favorite…I sort of have to stare at the dirty carpet as he searches for these fascinating creatures – are they on a branch, under a leaf, in the water…not my kind of hide and seek…

The shark led most of the kids to start singing “Baby Shark…”

We counted the Galapagos turtles I think eight times…just to be sure no one was trying to get away too quickly to hide..

I sent this picture out to a few friends with the caption, “Guess who is going to ride the pony on his birthday?!” I was giddy with excitement and nervousness that he would get up to the platform and somehow change his mind.

I literally stood in shock and awe that he just put his foot in the stirrup and hoped right on that sweet pony. I was completely amazed at how big he seemed…and was.

He was so happy, with his head bobbing up and down at the gait of this sweet animal.

I was nearly jumping up and down by the time he got off the pony and he had a massive smile on his sweet face. Proud and excited all in one four-year-old’s body…it was beautiful!

Next up was the train, and in the three years we’ve had a membership to the zoo, this was my first time riding in the little train! We had so much fun!

Oh, and if you notice the book “Farts in the Wild”…that was a gift we got for a friend. hahaha

Oh the carousel…we rode it twice…and the rhino was his favorite because he didn’t move up and down.

Because everybody needs a little ice cream on their birthday.

We went into the little bird sanctuary and he looks at me like, why don’t I have anything to give these birds, when all the other kids did. So I stopped and looked at him like, are you for real not going to scream and run when they all attack you for your two ounces of nectar? He said no…so we went out, back around to the front, paid the what ever dollar or two to get our nectar and back in we went.

This kid. He just kept surprising me. He held up his little cup and let them drink right from it. Not the least bit scared.

Of course he kept a safe distance, and was in his flight stance…but it was all good.

Then we ran over to see the gorillas…because there’s a momma expecting any day. And there was this sweet lady that kept saying (out loud), “that must be the pregnant one because she has the breasts.” So that was fun. And amusing.

After the zoo we went home for a little rest time and for daddy to bring Eliza Jane and Emory home. Once they arrived, Daddy got to tell R his last birthday surprise….a night at the baseball field with the Fireflies and Tim Tebow. You can’t see it, but on our row, there was a seat #15, which is Tim’s number, so of course that’s where he decided to sit.

We tried for a family selfie, is that called a famfie or something? But you can see that someone is missing…

Oh wait, there’s Eliza Jane…and now you see why she was missing. #breakdown. Reynolds was not amused…

Eliza Jane pulled herself together and we got one of the guys behind us to take a family pic for us.

Great memories for a really fun birthday.

Hope y’all enjoyed his birthday as much as we did! How do you celebrate birthdays in your home?

Thanks for reading this sweet post! xo,

A Night With The Princesses + Cinderella

March 8, 2017 by Michelle Filed Under: Being a Mom, Events, Life Leave a Comment

Last night was a night I hope not to forget for a long time.

Andrew got us tickets to the musical Cinderella, along with the additional ticket for the pre-party with Ariel, Elsa and Belle.

We were all so incredibly excited!

We had no idea ahead of time which princesses we were going to meet, but when Eliza Jane came around that little corner and saw that beautiful yellow gown…”My see BELLE! Momma! My see Belle!!” Her eyes and face were lit up with glee.

First we got to meet Ariel, and Eliza Jane was a little shy with her.

Then Elsa was next.

And then moment she’d been waiting for…a chance to hug Belle.

I have to say, I was really, REALLY proud of her for sitting and taking a picture with her!

After we met the princesses, they did a little etiquette class teaching us how to properly clap and say, “bravo”.

Side note, I didn’t have a safety pin with me so I had to use a bobby pin to hold her dress tighter…a new use for an old thing?

And then this is when Eliza Jane started crying because Cinderella wasn’t there and we’d built this up to be all about Cinderella and “other” princesses. It was nearly a #momfail but we pulled it together and got excited again about the anticipation of seeing the most beautiful of all princesses.

I told it over and over again to my girlfriends today how great Eliza Jane did thru the play last night. She sat on my lap, completely fixated on what was happening on the stage. Turning her head just so, so that she could get the perfect view of “My Cin-rella”. In those brief moments where Cinderella wasn’t on stage I heard, “My Cin-rella? Where my Cin-rella? Where my Cin-rella go?” And I would have to reassure her that the princess would return.

During intermission we took a break to watch Curious George with a sweet little girl sitting next to us. She told me she was four, and loved M&Ms. She even shared a few with Eliza Jane.

I tried to get her to laugh or even smile…but this was the best she would do. In my heart I knew she could make it through the second act, but I have to admit that I was a little nervous that a breakdown was just around the bend.

As the second act started, I said a little prayer that she would make it through to the end. Throughout the play I told her how proud I was of her – that she was doing great and hoped she was having fun. “Ummhmmm, my Cin-rella” was often her reply.

The play itself was fantastic. It’s been since I was a little girl that I saw this version of it, and not much did I remember. There was laughter and surprise! The creative “magic” was truly wonderful to witness.

I’m pretty sure I was more excited than Eliza Jane last night. The anticipation of seeing her face as she got to see princesses along with Cinderella nearly sent me over the moon. By the end of the play I was slouched down in my seat, with her head on my chest, but so that she could still see her “Cin-rella”. I imagined her loving it and I think she did. She talked about it on the way home and was so sweet telling her daddy all about the princesses once we were there. She even wanted to sleep in her princess dress, but we decided that there would be an overload of glitter in her bed if we said yes…

Today as I picked her up from daycare, her teacher said that they had called her Cinderella all day. I’m not sure if that’s because she talked about the princess all day long or what. But I sure hope she felt like a princess last night…

Hoping you have a wonderful evening…we’re half-way through the work week!

much love,

Most Memorable Birthday

September 5, 2016 by Michelle Filed Under: Events, Life Leave a Comment

I am officially four days late to the 2016 Blogtember Challenge this year! Although, I’m late, I think I came in on the best day!

Today’s post-prompt is “Most Memorable Birthday” and mine was definitely my 30th.

2010 overall was a very good year.

I got braces…for the second time.

I had my 30th birthday, for which Andrew threw a surprise party for me.

Andrew proposed in April.

And we got married in November.

So 2010 as a whole was completely amazing…save the brace-face part. But I had no idea three of the four things above were going to happen…

My most memorable birthday…Andrew had planned this whole thing out, and with a little help from Dana and other friends, he pulled it off greatly!

He rented out a space at Jillian’s for all of us to gather. Somebody had a cake and cupcakes there for us all. And the biggest surprise was that Andrew called in my college roommates – Ann and Allison, whom I love immensely.

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I’m pretty sure this ↑ is the picture of my face when I saw my Berry girls Ann and Allison. They made the trek from 3 & 5 hours away to surprise me that night.

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I really don’t know why we crouched down next to a pool table for this photo…

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My sweet friend Jennifer…who takes way too many pictures of me and my family.

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More friends!!!

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Because I have no idea where this hat came from or to whom it belonged…but everyone needs a #duckface photo on their 30th birthday.

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I love these dear friends.

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I do remember that this chocolate cake was amazing.

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The man who pulled it off without a hitch and told me I was going on a double-date with Dana and DJ…

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There are few times in your life when you feel completely and utterly like the.most.special.person. And this was certainly one of them.

Which birthday has been your most favorite?

10 Keys To Hosting A Summer Backyard Party In The South

June 20, 2016 by Michelle Filed Under: Events, Life, Outside, Party Ideas 1 Comment

Y’all read the title of this and you immediately thought of 3 things:

flies.
mosquitoes.
heat.

Well, we had all three last Friday evening with our annual ‘Welcome Summer’ party! Although, having had our yard sprayed recently for mosquitoes {I desperately want them all to DIE!! especially since I am pregnant!}, we still had a few. And the flies. THE FLIES. Pesky little varmints they are!

Addressing the three “issues” above, first, here are my 10 keys, tidbits, for hosting a great summer backyard party…in the south:

Use those collapsible mesh food tents – like these from World Market that I have! They also make useful fly swatters while people are actually fixing their plates! 🙂
Buy bug repellent and tell people you have it. Poor R ended up with three bites on his forehead of all stinking places!!!
We purchased a mister fan, but it didn’t arrive in time, so Andrew put up a misting hose along one corner of our home. Thankfully, that wild storm that blew through here Friday afternoon {and it was wild!} took care of most of the heat, and left us with mid-80’s temps instead of the sweltering 97 we were slated for. I asked a few people if we needed to turn the mister on, and they all said it was fine…so we didn’t even have to use it! We also had lots of shade under the massive oak tree in our backyard and had a couple of areas set up for people to sit under said tree.
KIDS. We had 21 kids RSVP’d on our guest list…the adults were nearly outnumbered! Kidding…we would never let that happen! But to entertain all these kids, we had a bounce house {with a slide}, and a smaller one that we own set up next to it, for the littles. We also had the two swings in full use {my heart was filled with joy to see kids swirling around on the one Andrew just put up for us!}, a hammock, and of course yard toys like R’s grill set.
We also had corn hole set up for the big people – and it was in constant use. I think a bag or two may have been swiped a few times from a little person seeking attention, but all in all, the bigs had as much fun as the littles!
For the adults, it was BYOB. Bring Your Own Beverage of choosing…That way, we didn’t have to please every people group, AND as many of you have done before, we weren’t left with 15 bottles of red wine that no one drank! We provided ice, cups, fun umbrella straws {which only my friend Najla used…}, sodas, bottled water and CapriSun Roaring Waters for the youngins!
FOOD: We served Little Pigs’ barbeque, hot dogs, potato salad, coleslaw, cantaloupe and a large bowl of mixed berries and grapes. Along with more bread than anyone could ever eat {Andrew, I love you!} – so if you need a roll or a hot dog bun for the next 2 weeks, let me know…we have lots of bread/buns left over!!!
For dessert I thought about tubs of ice cream or little single-serve sundaes, but opted for the Popsicles instead – fruit flavored and fudge! Most of the adults chose fudge…silly kids.
Everything was disposable, save some of my serving dishes, and we kept a trashcan outside so people could easily find it. My father-in-law got tasked a few times to dump and reload {what a great guy!}.
Lights!!! For when it gets dark outside. Our party was scheduled to end by 9:30 p.m. so that we could all get some rest…and it was dark by then anyway. We had lights up from last year and then I bought some fun “paper” lanterns in pink and orange that I hung from a couple of trees {I sure wish someone had a photo of me tossing my ball of twine up in the air hoping to score a branch at 6 a.m. Friday morning!}, and another area, along with stringing these lovelies {see photo below-below} under the inside of the umbrella I just got from World Market!

That’s it! Really…we go for the fun and relaxed sort of party/get-togethers and this one definitely was. I heard several dads say that it was the most fun family party they’d been to – which made me really thankful and appreciative for the blessing of our home and the people we have in our lives!!

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