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Cars themed party from the Path Less Traveled
a little boy Cars party {sneak peek}

a little boy Cars party {sneak peek}

Well, as you’ve heard, our little boy had a birthday {he’s 3!} which, of course, means that we had a party :)

Emma Grace loves parties, and being the awesome big sister that she is, she took on helping Ian “plan” his party months in advance – “So, Ian, you like cars? Hm, you want a Cars party?!” To which he {of course} replied, “YES!!!” So we’ve been talking about the Cars party for months.

For planning purposes I had been putting the ideas I’d found all over the interwebs onto a Pinterest board, and then {just like for Em’s party} closer to the day I narrowed down what might be feasible. Here is a quick peek at how it turned out!

Cars themed party from the Path Less Traveled some DIY signage over the snack/dessert table – and lots of cars and stars!Cars themed party from the Path Less Traveleda view from the front room to the back of the house: we chose to have an evening party for family, so the kiddos needed to have a light dinner before everyone arrived – they really enjoyed waking up from their nap to a decorated home and eating dinner at the “road” table!Cars themed party from the Path Less Traveled

the back yard – we had a few showers, but all in all in was a beautiful evening for a party. I’ll be showing you a full tutorial tomorrow on how I made the balloon garland over the inside table – be sure to check back!

All in all, not too shabby for a 3rd birthday party! Especially considering that the mama had rolled in late the night before from the Hobnob Summer Market, and most of the prep happened on the morning of the party. :) I love it when a plan comes together!

Have you had a chance to enter the Red, White and Blue Giveaway yet? I hope your Monday has been lovely, and I’ll see you here tomorrow,

 

<3

making mini crowns
her pink princess party

her pink princess party

Ah, little girls. When they love something, the LOVE it, all the way. And our little princess Emma Grace LOVES pink and princesses and parties. {when asked who her favorite princess is she has no answer – they’re all her favorite!} She doesn’t really care if they’re Disney or otherwise, but if it’s a princess or pink, she is in LOVE. :) The only thing better is when it’s a pink princess – Sleeping Beauty? Score! Arielle, who wears a pink dress and has “orange hair like me!” is quite wonderful, too :)

And so, when we started talking about her birthday a few months ago, just about the first thing out of her mouth was “princess! pink princesses” {and none of us were surprised :)}

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– a tiny gold tiara for our 4 year-old princess –

I made up a Pinterest board with party ideas, and the ones she liked best were {can you guess?} PINK and had princesses in the photos. I’m not a huge fan of licensed characters, so we picked out lots of things that were more “princess-ey” than Disney-ish to try. Out of her favorites, we picked a bunch of ideas, and a few of them actually got done :)

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-a tiny gold crown adorning one of her baby photos and the crown I made for her to wear-

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– lots of pink! the ceiling pouf idea {tutorial here} came from {this} pin, the materials from Dollar Tree and the tissue poms from the kids’ room –

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– ribbon and bell wands {our Emma Grace loves these} with lots of soft colors, and enough pink to make her very, very happy –

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– the dessert table –

pink lemonade, punch, {these cookies} and {these rice crispy treats}, the princess poster is from Dollar Tree

We decided to celebrate her day with family and as we were scheduling, realized that the best thing for everyone would be to gather on the evening of her birthday, a Tuesday, for desserts and cake. I did my best to make things ahead and then set aside her birthday to love on her and get the party ready, but ah, the best laid plans :)

We did lots of loving on her {each time I would snuggle her and say “happy birthday! you’re 4 now!” she’d say, “awe, thanks mommy” with the sweetest little smile :)}, but by afternoon nap time I was running a bit behind! My sweet sister-in-law came over to help me pull the loose ends together {thank you again, Sarah!}, but one of the things I forgot was to charge the camera battery – hence some of the detail photos {like of the desserts, the piñata before it got smashed …} didn’t get taken. You’ll have to use your imaginations. :)

the Path Less Traveled: cute little Princess

All in all, it was a very sweet party to celebrate the sweetest four year old princess ever – and she was delighted. Which was the entire point of the party!

She had soooo much fun “helping” to set it up {we are still enjoying some of the decorations – I’m kind of loving the extra pink in our house :)} and I enjoyed making the things and “shopping the house” to find the decor {I actually only spent about $9 on the decorations – can you believe that?! the rest we already had around the house – score!}.

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– favor bag tutorial {here} –

I have a few how-to posts planned for some of the decorations, so stay tuned! And I’d love to hear how you and your families do birthdays – do you go all out on themes? or sweet and simple with just a cake {or birthday person’s choice of dessert}?

looky looky!

looky looky!

We’ve got something new in the shop!

 These little bags (5″ tall from the top of the handle to the base, 2″ deep and 3 3/4″ wide) are just the right size for giving small gifts, sending home party favors, serving treats and displaying party goods. I’d love to package up a bunch of cupcakes in them, wouldn’t you?

They can be made in any color or pattern and in any quantity. And, soon, I’ll have a hand-stamped version available to coordinate with the stamped cupcake toppers.

In the next few days and weeks I’ll be posting photos of ways that they can be customized, too! There are so many ideas running around in my head …. these will be so much fun! : )

a little boy’s cowboy party, part 2 – decor and party

a little boy’s cowboy party, part 2 – decor and party

Here’s the rest of Ian’s cowboy party (the first post is here)!
 
I used some of the blue jars to hold the silverware, and the plates were a bit of serendipity from Hobby Lobby (clearance! ye-haw!)

At the beginning of June I was 3 1/2 months pregnant and finally had my energy back. I had a bunch of ideas from my Pinterest idea board that I wanted to do – and actually got most of them done! Looking back, I should have taken more photos of the details (like cactus on the front door to greet our guests or the little cows and horses we dug out of the toy bin to scatter around the room), but these give an idea. :)

the view from our front door (can you spy the cactus? there are a few against the half walls)

looking from the table to the drinks bench, kitchen and the “chuck wagon” – I’ve added the red, white and brown star garland to the shop if you’d like one for your own cowboy :)

red, white and kraft stars
the red were from the dollar store, originally gold and silver foil from Christmas that I spray painted (and I think I like them better this way – can use them for the 4th and Christmas, too!) and the white and kraft are from this tutorial.
 
Cowboy Ian!

He and Em loved running back and forth under the “wagon”. It was simply a small folding table with a cloth, and John attached the cardboard “wheels” to the corners with twine.

What Western themed party would be complete without some “snakes”? :)

and of course, some silly stick on mustaches!

the cutest little buckaroos, ages 3 and 2 (the backdrop idea is from here), so excited for the party to start!

 he wasn’t too sure about our family birthday hat, though. :)

His favorite gift was the lawnmower. It was also the first to be opened – he was so enamored with it that we almost didn’t get to the rest of the presents!

Darling boy, we love you so much. You are all boy, but also a bundle of love and tenderness. This next year is going to be wonderful!

Sweet Hearts

Sweet Hearts

I just added a new item to the shop – Heart Cupcake Toppers!

They are so sweet, and would be darling to use for birthdays, weddings, baby showers, a special tea with friends …. or just to dress up your morning muffin. : )

I have plans to add ones made from music paper, red ones and maybe more – I’ll keep you posted!

Thank you so much for following along with me here on the blog. I haven’t been the most regular of bloggers – leaving you hanging for weeks on end sometimes – but I do deeply appreciate all of you who click over and read occasionally. : )

Also, the shop has had almost 300 orders (I can barely believe it! God has been so good.) and to thank the person who places the 300th, they are going to get free shipping on their order! (the shipping fees will be refunded once the transaction has cleared)
Please feel free to share the news with your friends! :)

dinner guests

dinner guests

Evan, Sarah, Leah, Elizabeth and Esther stopped by for the evening yesterday. It was awesome to have people over!
We took them to church with us (we went last night because John had to work today) and stopped to pick up groceries on the way home. John BBQed some burgers and hot dogs (he is really starting to enjoy the charcoal grill!), and I made up some guacamole. John and I decided that we really enjoy having our family over. Mhmm.
The girls gave us a housewarming gift!

Oh, as they were about to leave I remembered that I had a cheesecake in the refrigerator that I had made up the day before (just because I felt like it). So they decided to stay a moment longer to partake. The recipe looked rather mundane, and the cheesecake itself rather resembled a wheel of Brie cheese, but once you bit into it (with some blueberry coulis on top), it was heavenly!
Sour Cream Cheesecake
Joy of Cooking
Crush or grind fine:
1 1/2 cups graham crackers
Stir into the crumbs until well blended:
1/4 to 1/2 cups powdered sugar (if substituting granulated, use 1/4 cup)
6 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
Pat into a 9″ springform pan. Chill.
Mix well, then pour into the crust:
2 well beaten eggs
3/4 lb. soft cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice or 1/2 tsp vanilla (I used vanilla)
1/2 tsp salt
Bake about 20 minutes in a preheated 375 oven. Remove from oven and dust the top with cinnamon.
Let cool to room temperature.
Mix well and pour over the cake:
1 1/2 cups thick cultured sour cream
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
Bake about 5 minutes in a 425 oven to glaze the cheesecake. Let it cool, then refrigerate from 6 to 12 hours before serving.
Blueberry Coulis
Cook’s Illustrated, May/June 2003
12 oz fresh or frozen thawed blueberries
5 (scant) tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon juice
In a medium saucepan, bring berries, 1/4 cup water, sugar, cinnamon and salt to bare simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally; cook until sugar has dissolved and berries are heated through, about 1 minute longer.
(I skipped this next step) Transfer mixture to blender or food prcessor; puree until smooth, about 20 seconds. Strain through a very fine-mesh strainer , pressing and stirring to extract as mush seedless puree as possible.
Stir in lemon juice.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, as least 1 hour.
Happy Birthday To Daddy, Happy Birthday To You!

Happy Birthday To Daddy, Happy Birthday To You!



He turned 50 today!!!!!!
Wow, that’s old! Or young, it just depends on your perspective.

We had a party this afternoon, to which some of Dad’s oldest friends (or at least, the oldest local ones) were invited.
The main event was a BBQ, and included hot dogs and kosher Polish dogs (with sour kraut), two kinds of hamburgers, and salmon.
Some of the favorite recipes from today were Ambrosia (otherwise known as “5-Cup Salad”), Chocolate Spice Cake and Lemon Meringue Pie. Yummy!

Ambrosia
1 cup flaked/shredded coconut
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mandarin oranges
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 cup miniature marshmallows
Combine everything, and let it sit overnight in the fridge. You can mess with the proportions as much as you want (I like to triple the recipe and put in 4 cups of mini marshmallows). Best served chilled.


Chocolate Spice Cake
Grease and dust a 9×13 sheet pan.
Sift together:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
Combine and bring to a boil:
1 cup butter
1 cup water
4 tbsp. cocoa
Pour this over the dry mixture and mix in:
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
Bake at 400 degrees, 20-25 minutes.
Icing
Heat:
1 stick butter
4 tbsp. cocoa
6 tbsp. milk
Add 1/2 – 1 box powdered sugar to achieve desired consistency and 1 cup pecans (optional). Spread on cake while hot.

Lemon Meringue Pie
Combine
3 tbsp. cornstarch with
1 cup (scant) sugar in the top of a double boiler. Add
grated rind of 1 lemon,
4 tbsp. lemon juice,
1 tbsp butter, and
3 beaten egg yolks. Mix well, then add
1 1/2 cups boiling water slowly.
Cook over hot water until thick (should coat the back of a spoon).
Pour into pre-baked pie shell.
Meringue
Beat until foamy
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
5 tbsp sugar (beat in slowly) until stiff and glossy.
Do NOT under-beat.
Heap meringue onto hot pie filling and spread – carefully sealing edges to prevent shrinking or weeping.
Bake about 10 minutes at 400 degrees, or until delicately golden-brown.
Cool gradually to prevent shrinking.

It sounds as if all we did was eat! Not so …………….. There was a lot of talking, laughing, and remembering!
We had a wonderful time celebrating Dad and all that he has meant to us.
I do not think that it is possible to overstate the blessing of having a father who loves God, a father who seeks to know God ever better and deeper. Even more, one who prays for his children every day.

Thank you, Daddy, for teaching me about the Lord of your life and the world He so lovingly created.
I love you Dad.

A Party For Julia – and Grandpa’s birthday

A Party For Julia – and Grandpa’s birthday


Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!

Today was Grandpa’s birthday! He turned 81, a very young 81.

Julia had a birthday party this afternoon, and Grandpa and Grandma came over as well.

There is a verse in Proverbs somewhere says that something to the effect that “children glory in their fathers”.
I was thinking about this verse in respect to Grandpa. His children and grandchildren do “glory” in him. He has lived a life of that we desire to emulate, and he continues to do so.
Grandpa taught his sons to be men of God, and now we, his grandchildren, can “glory” in our fathers. None of them are perfect, nor will they ever be, but they serve a mighty God and desire to bring Him glory and praise.
God has indeed blessed our family.

Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!