Sweet Pea's Tea

At Eliana's Tea...

everyone was required to wear hats.

Fortunately, there were several to be had.

But if you happened to leave yours at home or just wanted to try a new look, she provided plenty of other options for you.  And, of course, a looking glass to check out your new style.

There were teapots brimming with flowers.

But there were plenty filled with tea, too!

And of course, there was food!

And, let's not forget cupcakes.

Her mami's favorite part was the photo booth- complete with her great-great-great aunt's crazy quilt. (Family photos in front of a family heirloom.)

The birthday girl was of course in high fashion.

And her lips are sealed as to just exactly what she wished for.

Her cousins were glamorous but didn't mind sitting at the kiddie table to spend some special time with her.

 

And a vintage parasol and pram were soon opened and paraded through out the house. 

(Because every good tea should include a parade.)

Thank you everyone for coming and making Eliana's day so special... we love you all!

Sunday Afternoon Snapshots

My great-grandmother, Carrie's china... it's been packed away now for almost 6 years now, but we broke it out for Eliana's tea party yesterday. Not a piece was broken at the party! Is that a record of some sort?

We had hail this afternoon... this is some of the roof now on our pavement.  Looks like I'll be calling the insurance guy tomorrow.

Eliana with the vintage perambulator she received as a gift from my mom and dad.  She loves it!

(It is pretty super!)

Hope you've been happy this weekend. Have anything special planned for this next week?  (I'd love to hear!)

Phew! Glad it's Done

But it sure was fun while it lasted! Today, we had Eliana's birthday party. It was a lot of work, but I had the best help ever:

My momma, who says doing the dishes is her spiritual gift. I'm so glad it's hers cause it certainly is not mine.  If I hadn't had her, I would still have a mess in the kitchen and probably would for several more days.  (Heck, I might not have had a party at all because I had so much work to do and certainly could not have accomplished it all without her.)

My sister, who was the one who took all the pictures for the afternoon and assembled a  bunch of sandwiches.  She made her hat.  Incredible, isn't it?  She's a pretty gifted gal and I'm glad she's willing to help so much.

My brother-in-law, who vacuumed my carpets helped hang decorations, and owed me one because we trade out help with our girls' birthdays. ;)

And last but not least, my boyfriend.  Who even after all these years of marriage and seeing the craziness and last minuteness (is that a word? probably not.) of putting on a party allows me to do them anyway, helps me put things together, wrangles kids, and does it all with a smile.  (Even though, he's never been a big "party person.")

I love you all and thank you, thank you for helping make Eliana's big day special.  (More pictures of the party on Monday!)

And Now She's Three

Today my little girl turned three. She's smart and a bit sassy.  She can be contrary, but loving.  She likes to snuggle, as long as it's on her terms.  She's learning letter sounds and loves to sing "Away in the Manger"... even though Christmas is long gone.  She adores her big brother and loves to help with her little brother.  She's definitely the princess of the family. She loves to wear dresses and twirl. She wants to pick out her own clothes and has recently become interested in accessorizing her outfits. When she looks in the mirror, she says: "Jesus made me beautiful!" And He did.

Thank You, Jesus, for Eliana.  We weren't expecting her when we found out she was coming, but she's brought more joy to our lives than we could have imagined. We are thankful for the way she blesses us and stretches us.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Pea. We love you!

(Thank you, my wonderful sister, for the the photos!)

Today's my Sister's Birthday

I'm so blessed by my little sister who used to give great dance performances with me on our front porch for our entire neighborhood to see.  That porch made a great stage!

Have I ever mentioned that we were home schooled? This may be why. We're nerds!

But I love nerds. In fact, I truly believe that the word nerd is a term of endearment.  So, if I ever call you a nerd or your baby a nerd-child... please don't take it wrong.  (It just means I have a whole lotta love for someone who's not afraid to be who God made them!)

And speaking of home schooling- here's our old home school group: The Lighthouse Fellowship. (Our families were educational pioneers- no one had heard of home schooling back then, much less believed it was legal!) We had been studying the Middle Age and Renaissance periods and this was our end unit party... which just happened to be on Elisabeth's 6th birthday.

Hehe! This makes me laugh! I have a bunch of fond memories with this group.

Happy non-sixth birthday, my nerd-child sister.  And thank you for the years of dances, dress-up, laughter, and creativity you've shared with me!  I love you.

Eliana's 2nd Birthday

Since you've seen Eliana's room, it should come as no surprise that I would at some point choose an Asian

theme for her second birthday party.

For invites, I handmade huge fortune cookies with the invitations printed on paper strips inside.  I picked up Chinese takeout boxes and customized them with our "restaurant" information.

This sweet Chinese brocade outfit was the main reason I chose an Asian theme- see, once again, clothes dictated the theme of a party.

I baked Crab Rangoon- a healthier (but not quite as yummy) option.

My friend Eelinh's mom made these wonderful sesame balls for the party. Eliana loves them.

See? I told you. She ate about 5 during the party and kept hoarding them in her shopping cart.

I made chai cupcakes... a Martha Stewart recipe.  I thought the cake was too dense, but the frosting was pretty awesome. (This plate and matching napkins on clearance at Pier One pretty much sealed the deal on a Asian theme party.)

Most of the cakes had parasols on them.

I've found that the cake table is the easiest to decorate.

This guy was hanging above the table.

I placed wallet sized photos in a pair of shoes so our guests could help themselves.

Even some of the wrapping and some of the gifts were Asian themed.

Side note: Diego, more often than not, gets sick for parties, birthdays, or anniversaries. I'm half convinced it's nerves. Here he is in his vintage pj bottoms sneaking a peek at the party fun.  (He's standing behind the kitchen he helped his papi make for her birthday gift.)

I sure love this girl and can't wait to celebrate another year of her life this Saturday!