Weekend Snapshots

The wagon is back....

Tiny sprouts of lettuce in the garden...

(mild mesclun mix in the front, "Red Sails" in the middle & spinach in the back)

Tia Jenny, this one's for you. Since your last visit, I think of you every time I see irises....

Our newest friend, over for a visit...

Aahhh, Sunday brunch.

A Girl And Her Dog....

In my quest to clean up the mess that is our photos, I came across this image. It was taken at my parents house last Fall. Alain & Sophie had been playing in a huge leaf pile and they invited Hubbell into the fun. When I saw this photo, I couldn't stop laughing. This is Hubbell's life....in a nutshell. Poor guy. He's survived ten years and this is what his senior years are all about!!! Sophie really loves him but she SMOTHERS him with her love. He can hardly breathe. That photo above? I see it about 10-20 times each day. Lucky for us, Hubbs is the quintessential Golden. He is truly a saint! And we are so thankful....

We all love you, Hubbell!!!

My Nesting List

I am 25 weeks pregnant today. And, at this point, I am starting to panic just a tad because there is still so much left to do before this baby is born. I thought it might help to put my to-do list down on, well, computer. Let's just see how much I can get done in 3 1/2 months!!!

~ Go on mommy/daughter trip with Sophie (just the two of us!)

~ Finish Sophie's baby book (pathetic, I know, but it is what it is)

~ Finish organizing photos (before a gazillion new ones come flooding in!)

~ Finish organizing Sophie's 5th birthday party (because it'll be about 4-6 weeks after the baby is born....)

~ Finish organizing another secret/surprise project

~ Choose a name for the baby (which won't be shared until after the birth)

~ Clean out room that will be nursery

~ Have nursery painted

~ Finish decorating nursery

~ Wash baby clothes

~ Choose a birth announcement and have ready just to fill in details & possible photo!

{image via Martha}

The Birthday Carnival

Lately, I've had a few people ask me about the details surrounding the Carnival Party I planned last November. Things have been crazy since then and I totally forgot to post about it. The party was a HUGE success and I'm very proud to have been involved. The birthday boy had a wonderful time ~ the only shame is that he won't remember any of it (it was his 1st birthday party!). So, here goes....

For me, two of the MOST IMPORTANT party items (for any party really!) are the invite and the cake. They set the tone for the entire party. I believe they should go together like a good bag and great shoes. So I'll start with those. The invite was from Tiny Prints and my friend, Elizabeth, made the cake based on a photo I provided to her. Is she talented or what? I've never received that many compliments for a cake but it really was THAT GOOD. Tasted damn good too! Isn't it just perfection? Elizabeth also made the accompanying cupcakes on the stand behind the cake.

Invite was cropped by me to take out personal details of the party folks.

I also received tons of compliments on the wreath I made for the front door. I'd bookmarked the directions on how to make it from this site months prior and was so pleased to finally have an opportunity to use it. My fingers were really raw and sore after making the wreath but it was SO WORTH IT. This is an inexpensive and easy craft that would add a really nice detail to any event. This Mom liked it so much that she asked to keep it to hang it in her son's room after the party.

The kids attending really went wild over the PRIZE board. I was so happy because this was another of my favorite details and I had a lot of fun making it. Another easy and fairly inexpensive craft....

I wish I had a better, more clear photo of the Favor table. We had gumball machines and extra gumballs for the older kids and animal crackers for the younger bunch. I stacked the crackers on a cake plate I already owned and filled in around it with extra animal crackers. It looked so cute.... The gumball sets were tied with red/white twine and had little star cutouts attached with each child's name. Then I hand stamped the little signs with the star cutouts that thanked the guests for attending, etc...

I am no photographer. I wish I were. I tried to take a photo of the dessert table but it turned out so dark. And I worked SO VERY HARD on the backdrop. I'd never worked with PVC or PVC cutters before but I figured it all out pretty quickly. My friend, Jennifer, helped me to sew the fabric pocket to slide the fabric curtain on the PVC rod. Many thanks again, Jennifer! The backdrop worked out so well. I chose a fabric that complimented the red and white stripes on the popcorn bags.

The "Party Hop" bags hanging on the fence just awaiting the first game.

The cotton candy machine was a huge success....very popular!

The carnival tent pinata....

I made several flower arrangements in plastic Popcorn boxes (Dollar Tree).

I think one of my signature party decorations is some type of tree that fits into the party theme (we had ribbon topiaries for July 4th, felt pine trees for the camping party, etc). For this party, I made these little trees out of tickets. There were a few and they were placed around the house as decor.

I couldn't even believe my luck when I found these "Ferris Wheels" at Hobby Lobby. They were SO PERFECT for the dessert table. I had two, one of each side of the cake, and they were filled with candies. There were little bags available so that the kids could fill a bag with candy as an additional favor. Here, you can also see the very sweet little paper goods that we used for plates, napkins, etc (also a Hobby Lobby find).

The balloon guy made this crazy birthday hat for the birthday boy. Needless to say, it was too large for him. But we all had fun trying to wear it and balance it (it reminded me of the cool birthday party hat that the female poodle wore in the book GO DOG GO!!!). It was HUGE!

We had a face painting tent and this was our banner that we hung on the outside. My daughter, Sophie, shows off her face painting (she'd requested a green elephant)...

The birthday boy loves balloons. If he could talk and make a request, he'd probably have asked for lots of balloons. So we made sure there were plenty around. He was enthralled, of course!

(Note: I purchased those little star buckets - in photo below - at Ikea and they were on each food table, filled with peanuts.)

A party can be complete without a Photo Booth but it's certainly more fun with one.

SO, there you have it. I took my own photos so that's all I have. In hindsight, I wish we could've hired a photographer to take photos that day but it wasn't in the budget. There were many other details for which we don't have pictures. But you get the gist. I think we captured the more magical parts of the party. Feel free to email me if you want directions for any of the crafts, purchase details, etc. Glad I could share and thanks to those of you who asked for the details and photos!!!

Happiness is.....

~ Having my 24-week checkup with the doctor Monday morning and seeing my baby girl wiggling around on the ultrasound. Normally, there wouldn't have been an ultrasound during this appointment but my doctor had some concern because this baby girl hangs REALLY LOW, ALL THE TIME. The nurse had a hard time finding her heartbeat, even after I'd warned her that the baby was extremely low. As it turns out, everything is GREAT, GREAT, GREAT. This baby is currently in breech position, sitting on my bladder, and her feet are right around my hoo-ha (which is where I feel all of her movement and kicks). There is absolutely zero sign of any pre-term labor. Her heartbeat is very steady at 156 bpm. I was amazed at how large she's become and how she's starting to fill out my entire uterus. Wow. And I almost fell off the table when my doctor said we'll start the 2-week checkups after next month's appointment. WOW. This pregnancy is flying by and that was my wake-up call. So...very happy appointment!!!

~ Receiving a lovely, lovely handwritten letter/card in the mail, from my wonderful sister-in-law, Bianca. (I am blessed with two wonderful sisters-in-law actually and consider myself quite lucky!) She saw my blog post about the 52 week/52 letter challenge and decided to beat me to the punch by sending me a handwritten little sumpin', sumpin'. While she apologized for the picture on the front of the card, I LOVED IT. It made me giggle because I thought it was more than appropriate given my current "condition". What do you think?

~ Also, with regard to the 52/52 Challenge, I mailed letters #2 and #3 today! And, see, you thought I'd already forgotten....

~Fresh flowers in the hooouuuussseeeee. It's been my splurge lately. And it really does make me happier....

~ Planning our next family trip to New York City. I'm working on my current wish list (here's the wish list for my solo trip last August) and it makes me so very excited!!! I can hardly stand it....so much to do there and so little time always.

~ Watching and singing The Sound of Music with Sophie. Last weekend we planned a family movie night to let Sophie watch The Sound of Music for the first time. What a great idea! She LOVED IT and now asks to watch the "Music Machine" (a special feature showing all the songs from the movie) almost daily. It's very fun to watch and sing along with her. It's also so heart warming to listen to her sing and dance from the next room!

~ Sophie's art work brightening up the kitchen.

Icelandic Dreams....

Since college, I've harbored this big, audacious dream to visit Iceland. It's one of those top items on my Bucket List. Today, while doing my weekly read of A Cup of Jo, I watched a video of someone's birthday trip to Iceland. Oh my!!! To say that my desire to visit Iceland has been reinvigorated would be a HUGE understatement. Please take a few moments to watch this video....it'll be like a tiny little trip to Iceland in the middle of your day (how exciting!!!).

One thing I know for sure? I'll be having some serious Icelandic dreams tonight!!!

(Note to self: Please, please, please learn how to make a video like this one. I love it.)

I am The Ox!

Since I was small, I've had a curiosity about Chinese horoscopes. In the last several years, my dear friend, Helena, has peeked this interest. She'd always ask about my animal, my husband's, my daughter's....in order to get a better understanding of each of us. I wanted to know more. Well, I can finally cross this off my to-do list. Earlier this week, I stumbled across this book at the library....

For the past few days, I've been hungrily reading through the book. Via Helena, I already knew I was born in the year of the Ox; however, I didn't know much about the Ox. It's been interesting reading through the different chapters ~ seeing which parts are true for me and which don't necessarily apply. This is what I now know:

I was born in the year of the Ox.

My element is Water (-).

My ascendent is the Rabbit.

Image via Squidoo.

The ox symbolizes the attainment of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. She is fair-minded and a good listener. She may be stubborn. The ox lady is a no-nonsense type of girl. She's efficient without being fussy and protective without being too dominating. She is soft-spoken and confident. Overly concerned about details (yes!). An ox is known to nurture grievances for too long. She has a long and exacting memory and injuries are remembered down to the last detail. She may be overly sensitive where pride is concerned. The ox is no gambler. Risks and razor-thin margins unmove her because of a profound need for security. Sociable and relaxed when she feels secure. She is self-reliant and may have a hard time accepting aid. A rugged individualist.

As a child, the ox is tough but not very talkative, obedient and attentive. Privacy is a concession the ox demands. She will know how to be discreet, even secretive, at an early age, and can be trusted to keep confidences. She is the strong, silent type ~ not argumentative by nature. She may be deeply hurt and no one else will suspect it. The ox child is an exemplary student, responsible and reliable. A good leader and follower. With minimum guidance, she will take the initiative to perform to the best of her ability and prove her worthiness to herself and all who know her.

As a Water Ox, she is more realistic than idealistic. She is patient, practical and unrelentingly ambitious. She is reasonable and flexible. Slow and sure, she prefers to act independently. This ox is a dutiful and dedicated fighter ~ striving to reach great heights and conquer by sheer constancy and unfailing determination.

Due to the Rabbit influence, she is kind, diplomatic and discreet. She doesn't change her opinions easily. She dislikes disruptions or unforeseen delays and will seek to establish order and control. Appreciates music and the theater.

What doesn't apply:

The ox is systematic, adhering to fixed patterns and has great respect for tradition (I may be many things but I am no traditionalist!). May be criticized for a lack of imagination (never!). Has an uncluttered mind (definitely not me!). Overly concerned about punctuality (I wish but no). Harbors strong prejudices (not so much).

On the Western astrological calendar, I am a Taurus. A pretty strong one too because my ascendent is also Taurus. It was interesting to read about the similarities between the Ox and Taurus ~ they definitely share similar characteristics.

So there you are. Now I know. If you've ever wondered about your animal sign, I recommend picking up this book. It's quite fascinating....even if you're just an interested novice like me.