Allie's 3rd Birthday

Winning! Allison's birthday party was a huge success.  We had pony rides and fun games, a delicious menu complete with Strawberry Shortcake, and best of all... FAMILY!

4th of July Weekend

Sorry for the delay, but I just got all of the pictures from our 4th of July vacation at Lake of the Ozarks.  My parents rented a lake house, so we were there with them, with my sister's family, my brother Cy, and his friend Tim.  The Lake house was so nice and cool.  Our room was a little girl's Hello Kitty wonderland.  Allison could hardly believe herself.  She enjoyed playing with all the new toys, but mostly cousin Finn.  We relaxed by floating in the lake, but we also got to ride around in the boat and on the jet ski.  One night for dinner, we took the boat across the lake to a drive up restaurant called Bear Bottom Resort (a little humorous).  It was nice until a storm blew in so we had to ride back in the rain.  It was an adventure.  On the 4th, we went back to that same cove to watch the fireworks display.  There were so many boats.  All the stern and bow lights looked like stars in the water.  It was very magical!

Party Preparations

I'm really having fun trying to come up with creative ideas for Allison's Birthday Party.  This menu was so simple, but I think it turned out really cute...

Allie's birthday party is on Sunday July 31st at 1pm, our house 1537 S 36th St.  Hope to see you there!
Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my father, whom I love so much, and to my husband's Uncle Jerry, we love him too!

My Crafty Endeavor

Allie has desperately needed a hair bow holder for some time now.  On Saturday, I went to the store and bought a few things to attempt my hand at making her one.  Here's what I used:

Wooden board $2

Wooden letters $5

Scrap book paper $0.60

Paint $1

Mod Podge $4.50

Ribbon $2

Thumb tacks (I had these lying around)

Total cost $ 15 (approximately)

1.  Paint the wooden letters.  Allie had so much fun helping mommy with this.  She was covered in blue paint and ready for the next step.  

2.  Use Mod Podge to cover the wooden board with the scrapbook paper.  Allie used her fingers to help spread the glue around.  

3.  Spread more Mod Podge all over the covered board and attach the painted wooden letters.  You could use a stronger glue after the Mod Podge dries to attach the letters, but it works either way.  

4.  Cut strips of ribbon to attach bows and to hang.  I used thumbtacks to secure the ribbon on the back side.  

It took Allie and I about 30 minutes from start to finish.  I was so proud of our finished product!

Olive Mae Dress Giveaway at An Art Nest

This adorable dress was made by my super creative cousin Susannah Rodgers.  Check her out at An Art Nest and get ready to be inspired!

Photograph by Susannah Rodgers

Click this link:
{Olive Mae Dress Giveaway from An Art Nest}

A New Project?

Last summer, Tristan's great uncle passed away.  Now we are in the process of trying to purchase his home.  It is quite a bit bigger than our current home, with plenty of room for a little addition to our family. It has not been updated since it was built in the early 1970s, and comes complete with a vintage Frigidaire Flair.  Here's a sneak peak of the project that hopefully lays ahead...

It's going to need some help, and I'm praying that this will all unfold soon!

Ol' Santy Clause

This past Saturday was a VERY eventful day for our Allie Kate.  Her first surprise came rumbling down the road that morning...

She peeked out the door and said "[gasp] It's SANTY CLAUSE!"  She was so excited that he came to visit her, especially with Egon and Gigi.  She bounded out the door with daddy to see him while I gathered the camera to document the occasion.  (I just love this old BMW motorcycle with the side car my dad has restored.  It rarely goes unnoticed!)

In our haste, I forgot to put shoes on her so when her feet got cold, Egon took care of it...

Allie's second adventure came when she got to go to her friend Gracie's 5th birthday party.  We practiced singing Happy Birthday to Gracie all morning.  The party was a princess theme so Allie dressed up as her favorite fairy princess Tinkerbell...

 She got to dance with her friends...

 She got to put on make up and get her nails painted...

 And she made the most adorable princess crown!

It was such a fun time with good friends!  Happy Birthday Gracie!!!