A Summer Party {and where to get Tissue Paper Flowers on the cheap!}

So if you're interested in having your own summer party, you might like to see how I did my Spring birthday party.

I had a color palette I worked from, with a few slight modifications. :D

I added a little lemony yellow and hot pink to the soft peaches and creams and light pink.


Here's my list of party supplies:

Hanging Tissue Paper Flowers and Lanterns

Mason Jars for drinking glasses and lights

(already had those on hand!) 

With lids and pink-and-white striped straws.

And I found those at JustArtifacts.com! 

If I were a proper blogger I'd be getting some kind of compensation for telling you about this website, but nope, I am just sharing a great resource with you because I'm nice like that. :D 

So here's what it looked like!

We decorated our carport with the tissue paper flowers and lanterns and set up tables all around for the guests to sit at and enjoy the party food. Later we cleared them out of the way for the games. :)

The Lemonade Stand! :) My dad helped me make this a cute photo booth! We used scrap wood we already had, a plastic folding table, a plastic tablecloth and chalk from the dollar store. :)

Here's one of the flower bouquets on the tables. I got the silk peonies and roses from Hobby Lobby.

The set-up...

Already having fun serving ourselves some yummy punch and strawberry lemonade!

Here's what the glasses looked like - super adorable.

Since I have a bajillion beads on hand, I made a little game with some that matched the party colors.
Any idea as to how many there are? Oh all right - there were 224 beads! The closest guess was 235 and the guesser won a prize of a big box of starburst candy. :D

The photo booth was really cute. The backdrop is a vintage sheet I found for $5 at a little shop in town, and the photo props I found on sale at Hobby Lobby and customized myself. :)

There's Victoria!! She was invaluable as my set-up assistant, could NOT have done it without her! :)

My cake! The candles are from walmart (as is the dotted tissue paper beneath the cake stand) and the cake I bought from the deli in town - it's strawberry, my favorite! And it was so delicious. Totally worth blowing my THM plan for, just this once. :D

The strawberry lemonade and the fizzy peach-lime-kiwi punch were a big hit! 

Mama and Mark helped light all my two-dozen candles and then I blew them out in one breath. :D

Besides the cake, we also served:

• Mini Quiches
• Lunch Meat & Cheese platter, and bread & sandwich condiments
• Pasta Salad with cherry tomatoes

It was all very tasty! :) I was having so much fun that I didn't take as many pictures as I should have, but the memories will last forever all the same. :)

Hope you enjoyed that little glimpse! Do you have any plans for parties coming up this year?

The Atlanta Homeschool Expo 2011

Today my whole family and I drove alllll the way up to the Cobb Galleria centre to "spy" on the Homeschool Expo. ;) We've been vendors at the GHEA convention for the past 3 years and wondered if it might be worth our while to try out the homeschool expo too. (we decided we'll probably try somewhere else... possibly the big FPEA convention in Florida).

Originally we were going to visit on Friday and then hit Friday Frisbee on our way back home, but we decided (fortunately, in my opinion) to do Frisbee and the convention on separate days. So we went today, Saturday.

We had great difficulty finding a parking space when we arrived just after noon, but we made it and then traversed a partially underground tunnel (cool!) to get to the convention center itself and the exhibit halls.

While Mama asked about using a wheelchair (her ankle has been bothering her with flare-ups recently with her RA - please keep her in your prayers) my brothers and I gawked shamelessly like country bumpkins at the shiny marble floors and huge, high, circular ceiling in the entryway of the convention center. It was most impressive and living in a small town like we do, we don't see much of the like very often. ;)

I have almost no pictures of our day except for the striking bouquet of artificial flowers in the foyer (see above)

And the stairs & escalators going up to the second floor (see below)

Because once we signed up at the registration booth I heard about this 'scavenger hunt' the convention was doing. My ears perked up when I heard about the prize.

An iPad.

Uh-huh. That's why I decided it might be worth a shot doing the little scavenger hunt thingy. I actually won my first iPod Shuffle (that, sadly, found a watery grave when I left it in the pocket of the hoodie I wore at the gym and it went through the washing machine) - in a contest a few years ago at my orthodontist's to see who could get the most words out of the letters in "I LOVE MY BRACES". My total was over 780 words. (Including things like "Cobra" and "Olive") :D Yeah, it took me 3 days.

So... I sort of had some luck winning Apple products in the past so I have a wild hope that I might win one this time.
But get this - I only had until 3:00 to turn in the scavenger hunt list! So I buzzed around the exhibit hall and, booth-by-booth, asked people if they were on the list. There were clues about each vendor you had to write down, but it was faster to just go down the rows and ask people. Some people were very helpful and just signed their initials and vendor name right away and some made me discover which clue went with their booth.
It would sound like this... I would walk up to a booth and ask "Are you on the scavenger hunt list?" And they would either say yes, or no. If yes, I continued "Great! Do you know which one you are?" Handing them my list of clues. Some people said yes and proceeded to add themselves to the list, and some people replied "Do YOU know which one we are?" And made me figure it out on my own.

What is it about people giving pretty girls a hard time? Especially the young guys running the college booths and various bored old men with odd senses of humor??? :P *sigh*

And then after I'd found about 43 of the people on the list (out of a possible 60 or so, I think?) one vendor helpfully told me that you only needed 30 to submit your list! And lo and behold, I checked the top of my sheet of paper where some stuff was listed in fine print... and it was so. *facepalm*

The end of the story is that I got the scavenger hunt submitted by 2:45 PM, nicely before 3:00! Yay. Now I just have to pray that my sheet gets randomly drawn as the winner. If I win, the iPad will become our family iPad and all will share it equally.

But guess what - I heard from the man running the registration booth that they only had about 15 people turn in scavenger hunt sheets. So the odds are pretty good!

~*~

I'm pretty exhausted from my busy weekend, and glad that we are planning on staying home tomorrow and doing some Bible study on our own (Daddy is teaching to us out of Hebrews, chapter by chapter). Frisbee really tuckered me out this week and although some of the stiffness got worked out in walking around the exhibit hall this morning ... I'm still achey and sore and just. plain. tired.

So this is what I hope the rest of my evening will be - Quiet. Relaxed. Peaceful. Perhaps finishing my Jane Austen novel by the light of a cozy lamp. That's what I'll be doing. :)

How was your weekend? What have you been up to? I'd love to hear about it in the comment section. :)

Have a blessed Sunday!

UFO- Ultimate Frisbee Obsession

Last Friday, we drove an hour away to the Frisbee field, where we had a most stirring game of Ultimate Frisbee. The temperature was a balmy 90-something degrees and the air was so humid that it felt pleasantly like thick pea soup against your skin. (:P) The sun gently toasted our faces and made us radiate the heat back in return. By the end of the game all our T-shirts had gone a shade darker with perspiration.

But it was so worth it.

Ultimate Frisbee? Bring it on! :D

A view of the frisbee players walking back after a point had been scored. If you know me you can probably spot me in this picture.

The opposing team waiting for the throw-off to start the next point. Boy, there were some really awesome players there this week! Look at all the tall, lean guys.

A leaping catch by 'Frisbeeman'. See the little guy in red on the right? He was awesome - he caught like 4 or 5 points!

V. leaning into his throw, and making sure he gets it off before Sky can get in his way. (There's my brother Steven in the background. )

The frisbee flying down into the end zone with little D. in hot pursuit!

The frisbee zooming towards the knot of players in the end zone again. (Note the water bottles near the orange cone marking the corner of the end zone... a very necessary part of Ultimate Frisbee in the summer)

Everyone relaxed but alert, waiting for the girl in yellow to throw a pass. (I'm in this picture too. Hint- I'm wearing pink) The tall guy in cutoffs in the middle of the shot is my brother Mark.

B. making a catch just before M. can jump in to block her.

Best shot of the game - Frisbeeman himself about to throw with Mr. T ready to block him if he can. Look how excited all the players in the background are... ;)

End zone - Lil' D. is reaching up to catch but I think the man behind him blocked this one.

Me getting ready to throw behind the zealous attempts of Sici to block the pass...

Oooh, I wish this pic could have been a few seconds earlier. M. and Frisbeeman went up for the frisbee in the end zone but M. yanked it into his grasp before Frisbeeman could get to it... here they are coming down.

A cool (If slightly blurry) shot of one of the girls about to catch the frisbee.

Mr. H. about to catch the frisbee. Sky is trying to thwart it but Mr. H. got in front and made this one, despite his broken hand!

Uhh - not sure exactly what's going on here, for the frisbee is almost certainly behind someone, but it must be exciting 'cause I'm running. So glad I put my hair in a bun for this game... it was hot enough already without wearing what feels like a long fur scarf down your back! ;)

Here's Steven getting ready to throw off a long bomb.

Arrrgh! I could have maybe made this catch IF I had dived for it, but I've never done that before, and wasn't confident enough about it to attempt it in the split-second I had to make the decision. Plus I sorta didn't feel like getting grass stains all over my Guy Harvey T-shirt. ;) Sky (on my right) almost had it but the frisbee ended up landing smack dab between us. Rats. :P

I guess you could say I both won and lost... for the first 1/3 of the game or so I was on the team that ended up losing, and then I got traded to what ended up being the winning team for the last 2/3rds. :) My brothers were each on one of the teams, so at least I got to play with both of them. :D I love playing Ultimate Frisbee, regardless of the outcome - but it's fun when you have a hand in the win. :D

If you live in Georgia and like to play Ultimate Frisbee, you should hop on over to Frisbeeman's blog and read about the games that go on almost every Friday.

Have a wonderful week!

Yesterday I did 30 Sit-Ups

...in a row. :D And the best part is I'm not sore today! :) I also did 20 push-ups. I'm working on doing some reps every evening, and that's been very good for my stomach muscles and biceps. :) I've also been riding the excercise bike faithfully and continuing my diet, which I now prefer to call my 'lifestyle'. :)

***Anyway.....***

Hi everyone! :)

Just a quick update to let you know that so far I'm having a wonderful birthday! I got several sweet e-cards, birthday cards, and hugs from loving family members. :) Mama made French toast for breakfast (yum!) and we're going to make a strawberry-vanilla checkerboard cake possibly around noon. :) Hopefully, if the weather cooperates, we'll be heading up to play Ultimate Frisbee with our home-church group - such nice people! :) I hope it doesn't rain!! It's supposed to be "Stormy with large hail". ACK! Not very good frisbee weather! :(

Thank you for all the sweet comments! :) You're all so wonderful. :)

Home from the Vision Forum 2009 Father Daughter Retreat!

***Note: This post has a vast quantity of pictures***



The first thing I want to say is I had such an inspiring weekend at the Father/Daughter retreat! If you have never been to one of these lovely events, I recommend that you sign up for next year's retreat as soon as possible.

My father and I had the privilege of hearing encouraging, convicting, dynamic and instructive messages from Mr. Doug Phillips, Mr. Scott Brown, Mr. Geoff Botkin, and Mr. Voddie Baucham. Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin also gave a wonderful talk on what their father taught them about boys, which was something I enjoyed listening to very much.

Now, for the pictures that some of my dear friends have been clamoring for. :)

An artistic shot that I somhow managed to take in the hotel room mirror...

The Lobby of the Mountain Creek Inn, where the conference was hosted and all the guests stayed. Our room was on the third floor of the back building, seperate from the rest of the hotel, and to get to it my father and I had to climb up no less than 72 stairs. (Yes, I counted them) :P Perhaps next year I will not plan on wearing shoes with high heels.

Unfortunately, due to the rain, the Father-Daughter Unity Games on the grand lawn were canceled, but my father and I took the opportunity of the extra free time to visit the Overlook Garden, which to our delight was nearly at peak bloom.

It was raining just a little bit, but with our warm jackets and umbrellas that my very wise mother suggested we bring with us, my father and I spent a very enjoyable hour and a half walking through the garden, taking pictures.

There's me!

I particularly like this shot of Daddy.

Me and my umbrella, by the gorgeous native azaleas. My favorites are the pink ones. :)

Well, we returned to the hotel with plenty of time to attend the picnic dinner, which was inside this year. :)

I met some dear blogger friends and a few new ones as well! Here I am with Hannah from Waiting-Rose, Breezy and Emily Rose, and Cassie! :)

We were served delicious coleslaw, potato salad, hamburgers, hotdogs, fried chicken, pulled pork, and all the fixins. :) I decided on the Fried Chicken.

Here's the main conference room, all spread with checkered tablecloths. This is where we heard the messages and teachings from the speakers. I took this shot from the front of the room, close to where our table was located. Some dear friends of ours saved us some excellent seats in the front row.

The next day we got up early, had a delicious breakfast at the plantation room restaurant, listened to some very good messages by Mr. Voddie Baucham and Mr. Scott Brown.

Then it was time for the Victorian High Tea! Here's our table:

Here are Daddy and I at the table... I'm taking this one with my left hand...

The food was delicious and much more plentiful than last year - something I was grateful for, as it meant Daddy and I didn't have to go get lunch somewhere afterwards! - When I got to the rainbow petit four I decided to take a picture. :D

Left to Right, a Raspberry tart, a lemon square, a strawberry/vanilla petit four, and a chocolate/rainbow petit four. As well as these we were also served several varieties of sandwiches, fruit, scones, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, and of course, jellies and cream to spread on our scones and biscuits. It was very good. :)

After the tea, I had such a wonderful time talking to the Botkin sisters and their mother in the hallway. My Dad also enjoyed speaking with some other fathers while I and several of my friends had some good conversations with the Botkin ladies. :)

Here are some of the delightful young ladies I was fellowshipping with... Breezy, Rebekah, and Emily Rose.

Then, as we were heading out the door to go spend our free time, we ran into Jasmine Baucham and she very graciously signed our copy of "What He Must Be", and even let me get my picture taken with her! :) It was awesome to finally meet you in person, Jasmine! :)

Daddy and I visited the Azalea Bowl, and unfortunately all the rain had muddied up the lake and the Azaleas weren't quite all blooming yet, but nonetheless, we found things to photograph. :)

Ferns ~

Cherry blossoms ~

And oh, was I thrilled with this Lady Banks Rose! It was beautiful....

...And tiny!

Here are some of the azaleas that were blooming.

Daddy purchased some stunning flies for his fly-rod down at the fishing center by the lake...
Then it was back to the Plantation Restaurant for a mouth-watering Italian Buffet. Mmm!

I was very impressed with the Dessert Buffet... especially the chocolate eclairs.
After a very encouraging and interesting talk by the Botkin sisters about how to behave around young men and a convicting, inspiring message from their father, Mr. Geoff Botkin, about how Hollywood is infiltrating our 'christian' society, we had some fun and games. :)

First 8 fathers serenaded their daughters a cappella, then there was a contest of how daughters could help their fathers 'get ready for work', by combing his hair, tying his tie, putting on his shoes, and the best part... 'shaving' him with shaving cream and a plastic knife.

Daddy and I got to bed late but stayed up talking about things like marriage, children, and... fishing. :)

And breakfast the next day only raised my opinion of the food they serve there at Callaway.

After church, A large group of young ladies and I had our picture taken in the patio... I'm the one in the back wearing blue. I'm actually right next to Mckenzie, (She's also in the back, on the left) a dear girl I met last year at the 2008 Father/Daughter retreat!

Sorry about the delay in posting, it took me a bit to adjust back into normal life! Thank you all for the encouraging and sweet comments you've left me! :)

Love and Blessings,

p.s.

In case some of you are wondering how well I'm doing on my diet, ;) I only gained 2 pounds over the weekend and I'm going to work that back off during the next couple of days. :) In my opinion, it was well worth it! :)