Tea for... 40!

Thanks to sweet, sweet family and friends, Matti Hamlin's first birthday party was wonderful. The afternoon weather was perfect and the fun even better! We dressed up, nibbled on our favorite foods, played croquet & horseshoes and just enjoyed the company of those we hold dear. We are so happy to have had the opportunity to share this precious milestone. We love you all.

Phase One of Party Preparation...

Matti Hamlin will be turning one this month. After months of ideas and excitement, it'll all coming together and I am so excited. Let me fill you in on what we are working on...

The Menu:
We thought it would be sweet to honor all of the grandmothers by serving one of their signature dishes: "Yaya's Lemon Icebox Cake", "Mama Kathy's Pink Punch", "MawMaw Pat's Pineapple Goulash", "MawMaw Nations's Tea Cake Cookies" and "Granny's Chicken Salad". This pretty much molded our menu but we added the following to round things out: Pork Loin on sourdough with Jezzebel Sauce, pasta salad, fresh fruit skewers, baby veggies with ranch and PB&J sandwiches for the little ones. Quite a spread for an afternoon event, but we are southern - eating is what we do!

The Partyscape:
We chose a vintage tea party inspired theme utilizing soft colors and spring time attributes. From our grandmothers and thrift shops, we have gathered a bookoodle of tea pots, milk glass, crystal and silver pieces. I wanted the table to look almost cluttered: think Alice in Wonderland-ish.

Project! I recently happened upon many vintage Coca-Cola bottles at a friend's yard sale. Thank-you, Mrs Carla! I purchased two dozen, bought some pretty ribbon, wrapped the smooth party of the bottle and added a tie with a party circle that came from the party pack I purchased on Etsy.com. These little pretties will be filled simply with baby's breath and then situated in a row down the Tea Table.

Activities:
Being that we are only turning one, the birthday party will be filled mostly with adults but who said adults don't like to have fun too? Near the gate leading to the back lawn, our guests will find a very vintage trunk (yet another yard sale find) filled with items to help them "Dress for Tea". It has been filled with everything from vintage hats and feather boas for the ladies to old ties and top hats for the gentlemen.

To accompany our dress up trunk, there will be a "photo booth" for our guests to take pictures that we will later use in our scrapbooks. It will simply consist of a decorated exterior wall and a few disposable cameras. Simple but sweet - and what fun memories once we have the photos processed.

We will also have a croquet court set up and waiting for any one to pick up a mallet and play.

Listed below are links that will lead you to the sites I used in preparation for our Tea Party. Enjoy!
Party Packs: http://www.etsy.com/shop/paigesofstyle?ga_search_query=Paiges+of+Style&ga_search_type=seller_usernames
Food Containers: http://www.smartyhadaparty.com/
Croquet Sets: http://www.croquet.com/croquet-sets/for-the-family/recreationalcroquetset.cfm

Weekend renovation...

For those of you who don't know, Wesley and I have been enjoying a "new" home since November. Up until last weekend, we had basically just moved in our things and lived. Being that we purchased the home from my mother's best friends, I found it difficult to change anything. Each time I considered a paint color or new window treatment, the notion just did not sit well.

Last weekend, we decided to dive head first into a project: the kitchen. There wasn't a thing we didn't like about it. The charming blue wall paper and white cabinets just did not represent our tastes well, however. On a whim, we made a trip to Sherwin Williams. Now, I am happy to say that we have Sable walls, antiqued cabinets, green knobs and window treatments in the making! It was an exhausting two days but well worth it. Now that we have knicked the surafce, there are many projects in our future!

Wipe the counters and light the candles...

Have you ever woken up and almost been immediately annoyed? I had one of those days today and bless his heart, my husband felt the brunt of it. I am not sure what prompted my ill mood but pretty certain it was pushed into a nagging frenzy about the time I tripped and landed so hard on my kitchen floor that I felt the need to make sure I hadn't cracked one of the ceramic tiles. Soon after that, I had to call the local post office to ask if shipping a shot gun was legal. (It's not by the way.) You see, my hunting husband is in Pennsylvania and for whatever reason, his shot gun is in his truck. With it almost turkey season, that's just a near crisis for Mr. NWTF himself. After realizing that shipping the gun home was not an option, I then turned to Delta Airlines. They will be happy to check Wesley's gun for him before his flight but it's a $136 baggage fee. Really? Needless to say, Mr. Waycaster will be turkey hunting with a different shot gun that is patiently waiting here in Mississippi. It's not his "turkey gun" (???) but it will do.

Shortly after the shot gun dilemma, Matti Hamlin threw up grits all over the freshly mopped hardwood floors. Lovely. Ever tried to get wet grits out of a crack in a floor? Impossible. My day just continued to spiral out of control with each little hiccup. I think I can safely state that today hasn't been the best day. 

My mom stopped by later in the afternoon on her way to pick my youngest sister from school and I seized the opportunity to get out of the house. On the quiet journey to the school, I decided that I deserved an indulgence in one of my guilty pleasures. Not one but two extra large Limelight scented Tyler candles later, and I'm finally finding my happy place. There's just something about a lit candle that makes me smile. It just makes a house feel like a home. For as long as I can remember, it did not matter what was going on in our worlds, my mom always had her kitchen counters wiped and a candle lit.... always.

I called Wesley just to tell him that I loved him earlier. He just laughed and I responded, "Yeah. Mama wiped the counters and I lit the candles."

The shi-tzu and the baby...

We have a white shi-tzu named Lola. Wesley and I bought her not long after we started dating. She lived in the sorority dorm with me at Southern Miss for a few months as a little bitty puppy. She came into my life and was instantly loved by 200+ Kappa Deltas. Lola then spent the summer of 2006 with me in sunny Sandestin... she ate sand. All in all, Miss Lola Grace has had quite a life and in turn is quite full of herself. As my grandfather would say, "she's just full of piss and vinegar."

Matti Hamlin, our daughter, will be one next month. She has slept all night since she was six weeks old. The older she gets, the more she loves quiet time in her bed. The child lays in bed, awake, talking to teddy bear every morning until 9:00 or later. Mommy jackpot? I believe so! I usually get up around 7:30 and do the things that are more difficult when I have "help." It is time I have come to cherish.

Imagine my level of upset when this morning, while talking to my mom, I hear a bark. Lola was at the top of the stairs, barking at Matti Hamlin's bedroom door. Then I heard a cry. I was infuriated... at the dog. Then I realized that Lola was just pleading to the next thing with thumbs to let her outside. I had been ignoring her request because after yesterday, she can no longer be outside unsupervised.... You see yesterday morning, we had a little episode. I heard Lola barking, walked outside and caught her in quite the vocal match with my next door neighbor. (We are still somewhat new to the neighborhood.) This morning I thought it would be best if I went outside with her to manage her exploring. I opened the door and she darted. Each time I called her name, she ran a little faster. Tomorrow, Miss Lola Grace will be leashed. That should be interesting.

Booking flights! Cleaning House! Stocking the fridge!

       For those of you who do not know, Wesley is in the natural gas industry and works primarily in Pennsylvania. Due to lots of snow & cancelled flights, he has not been home in eight weeks. Yesterday, I was informed that he will be flying home on Monday and staying home for a month! We are so excited. There is a lot of prep that goes into getting Wesley home, however. I know that probably sounds silly but it is true!
       First there is the flight booking. Sounds easy, right? Well it involves checking numerous websites to find the best price, departure & arrival times, layover times, connection locations and other factors. Perhaps it has been made difficult by the traveler and his requests but he's worth it.
       Then there is the cleaning frenzy that happens. I am one of those guilt driven housewives. You know, the kind that has always had a full time job and suddenly doesn't. I am a little terrified of giving the impression that I play all day while my husband works hard to support us. Although I do clean my house daily, when I know Wesley is coming home it turns into a slight obsession. Sad part is, he could care less so I'm working my fingers to the bone due to my own issues!
      The grocery shopping. Eeeek! When Wesley isn't home, I live off of cereal, lean pockets, oatmeal and salad. Literally. That's all I have in the house. Cooking for one is by far the most ridiculous notion on the planet to me. From the dirty dishes produced to the leftovers, I am not a fan of the whole process. Cooking for two - now that I can handle!
      So for the rest of the week I will be flight searching, analyzing & booking, house cleaning, laundry washing & yard beautifying, and meal planning, list making & grocery shopping. Reward? An entire month with my family in the same state! Excited!

New Loves

In the process of planning Matti Hamlin's birthday party, I've come across quite a few new favorites. What kind of blogger would I be if I didn't share those with you??? Here we go...

Have you heard of etsy.com? I realize it has been around a while but I am a total newbie! To those of you who, like me, have not had anyone to inform you - etsy.com is every thrifty, crafty, unique lover's dream! Imagine a virtual super center filled with all things handmade and vintage. It's a-mazing!

How about ruelala.com and ideeli.com? Been there? Well thanks to my sister, Erica Jo, I am an addict. Both sights offer daily deals on everything from designer clothing and shoes to vacation packages. Those cute riding boots you locals will see me sporting, uh huh ruelala.com purchase (birthday gift. thanks mother-in-law!) at a jaw dropping 75% off. Addicted.

For you event planners, smartyhadaparty.com has everything anyone needs to plan a party. Little extra bonus: your shipment will come topped off with smarty candies. Made me smile.

Last but not least, I have been a fan of That Special Touch Bakery in Pearl, Mississippi for quite a while. They made the cakes for both my engagaement tea and baby shower in the past. Their creations are a big hit in our area... big enough to drive almost an hour to pick up orders! Having my heart set on cupcakes for Matti Hamlin's party, I called in hopes they could make their infamous almond, lemon and strawberry flavors for me. Not only were they happy to do so, but they stayed on the phone with me for thirty minutes making sure I got just what I was imagining. I had no idea there were so many options in cupcakes! I ordered an extra dozen just to ensure that I got a taste of all three. So excited. So appreciative. So impressed! For simple, delicious cakes OR cupcakes, That Special Touch gets my vote!