They're 5! We Gotta Have a Party!

What?? It feels like a short time ago, Glen and I received the news from our doctor that we would be having not one, but two babies! I walked around for the rest of that day in some sort of haze. It was like seeing double. I kept thinking "two, two cribs, two carseats. two." Other moms of multiples would smile and tell me the first few years would be a blur anyway. No doubt, year one and two were all about surviving with cuteness thrown in between. However, I have been gripping year 3 and 4 to no avail. They still turned 5 on me.

We decided that "5" calls for a real party - with friends and all. I came up with the theme when I happened upon red and white striped straws in our garage. A carnival. We would throw a mini-carnival. Easy, right? Says the girl who doesn't host parties. How hard could it be? I already had straws and a bouncy house!  Those of you who have done this before are smiling right now, aren't you?? And so the adventure began...

I spent a day and a half shopping around, while trying to remain frugral. It took an entire evening to ready decorations and games. And of course preparations began early and continued until guests arrived (even with the help of my mom!).

We had a prize basket,  a favor basket, jelly bean jars and rainbow lollipop jars to name of few things.

Sitting in our garage were 8 brown, medal folding chairs awaiting spray paint. Hey! Why not paint them the day before the party?? The colors totally go with the theme.  So we spent the day before cleaning up the yard AND spray painting folding chairs. My husband loves me. hehe

With little experience at hosting events, I'm afraid I was too busy to capture many pictures of the tables, etc. However,  my niece took over the role of photographer and captured memories of the kids at play. That's what really matters, right?

My sweet brother popped popcorn and stuffed individual bags. My hubby hung balloons in groups of 3 from the trees and we set out tables for our carnival/picnic food. NO PIC - BOO! There were corn dogs, deviled eggs, regular hotdogs, fruit, animal crackers, etc.

I wanted to turn our camper into a sideshow or freakshow. Glen nixed the idea and I ran out of time anyway. NEXT time!!

An After Hours Event

For a night out...how about an after hours event at a clothing boutique? And then why not see if a friend can accompany you (or in my case, help get your tired booty out the door)?

What I wore ...

Cardigan: Loft/ Ruffle Top: LOFT/ Belt: LOFT/Boyfriend jeans: GAP/ Shoes: WHBM

I am getting spoiled by the relaxed, comfortable feel of boyfriend jeans. The temptation to acquire another pair in a darker denim is growing. Do you think they have boyfriend shorts?? Wearing the jeans with heels helps add a feminine touch to the masculine cut. By the end of the night I did wish for some flats with lots of lace or something cuz the burn began in full force after waltzing up and down the streets of downtown Athens.

My beautiful friend, who just entered into her 3rd trimester. :)

LOVE those shoes!!

A Little Grub

Heirloom Cafe in Athens, GA

Before shopping one must eat...Thanks to the gentle prodding of my friend (After a long day I was ready to grab a sandwich from the house and go - glad I listened.) we checked out an adorable restaurant that serves farm to table, fresh foods but by no means do they sacrifice on some good 'ole fashion southern comfort. And if you sit outside don't be afraid to pluck a mint leaf or two from the herb planters. That's what I did. Nice touch for my water. 

Serving up Fried Chicken and Waffles...

The sauce you see on the top is their very own pepper jelly, which added just the right bite to this traditional savory sweet dish.  I ate almost every bite, but held back and saved the leftovers for breakfast the next day.

AND...for those coffee drinkers, they serve coffee that is fresh roasted from a local coffee company. Good stuff!

Time to head to the shop...

Here I am with, Mz. Savvy Style, one of the hosts of the Sip & Shop held at Encore Boutique in the college town of Athens, Georgia. She was so sweet and adorable. I definitely felt under-dressed! (You can check our Mz. Savvy Style's blog HERE.)

They had lemonade, cookies and 20% of any full priced purchase in the store. I played around for a bit, tried on a few dresses and hit the clearance racks last. Of course that is where I found my first clothing purchase of 2014.

Encore's prices varied enough that the pockets of most shoppers would be accommodated, especially when you can take an extra percentage off.  

Just playing around with options..Posts on how I wore this shirt to come.

Have you ever been to an after hours event? Did you find good deals?

DIY: Crafting??

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before or not, but I am craft challenged.  My attention to detail is lacking and I have little patience with tedious projects where I need to read instructions on how "to do". However, the completion of our small home addition has motivated and inspired me to try.

Adding to the need to "fill" the walls, the construction of the sunroom has also left me with some good, usable wood (we had to tear down the existing deck). Now before you get all excited, I must tell you that I'm starting at the beginning! The wood pile shall remain stationary til I build some confidence, get some help or just feel straight up crazy!

First Project: Memo Frame

This frame sat untouched for the last several years in our building out back. The glass was cracked and the picture was stained and rotting.   So, I went about the simple task of kicking out the old picture. That was easy. Crafting might be fun after all.

Now for the twine. With my broken staple gun I proceeded to staple my dearly loved twine (I use it on most gift wrapping as it seems to make the most haphazardly thrown together package look cute.) and staple it to the back of this frame. Here's where I get all exact and stuff. I took my tape measure and marked off where the twine would be level - wow! Yes, I am making fun of myself here. But it's true. I was proud of myself.

So here you have it. Project one complete. Thank you pinterest.

BTW, I did not paint the little sign. That was last year's birthday gift from a friend.

Cost Breakdown:

Get pics printed: $1.50
Mini-clothes pins: $2.25
Total: $3.75

Second Project: Memo Board for Boys' Room

I found this Pottery Barn memo board at GoodWill a couple of months ago with no real idea of where or how I would use it.

I spray painted it grey and then made pinwheels with twine (oh, I just love twine!), jute and hot glue. (I actually own a glue gun!)

I was going to stencil "Brothers", but a sweet friend offered to cut them for me on her cricket. Yes! A quick trip to Costco for prints and I was ready to hang the finished product.

Cost Breakdown:

Board: $3.50
Spray Paint: $3.75
Prints: $1.50

Total: $8.75

It would seem silly to blog about simple pieces such as these, but there may be others like myself who are less than confident when it comes to making your own art, etc.  I must admit that it felt great to not only save a few dollars, but that the pieces are somewhat unique. Of course my confidence has grown a notch and I feel ready to try again. Next project may be painting the brown medal folding chairs, as I'm still not sure I'm up for the woodpile.

Are you craft challenged? Or do you have some great tips to share with a beginner such as myself?

Chrissy