DIY

To be honest, I had been thinking about Bradford's first birthday party for a long time (not in the obsessing kind of way, just excited about what it would be like, theme etc.).  I wanted to stick with birds and when I found this cake I knew!

Owls it was!  So I started on the invites and got the play on words off the internet.

Best owl impression

It definitely stressed me out trying to figure out who to invite, family and friends?  Where do you draw the line?  Are people's feelings going to be hurt?  After Andrew and I talked we decided since we have a lot of family that they would be plenty to have a rocking awesome 1st birthday party!  I am glad this is what we decided.  So with 18 people invited (all adults) I planned away.  My mantra was "Keep it Simple".  I slowly was able to mark things off of my "to do" list.  I saw the circle hangers at hobby lobby and made my own to hang in the living room and kitchen out of scrapbook paper I have had since high school!

The banner was the hardest thing to make.  I cut triangles so many times and no matter I did, I could not get them even so I finally decided they would just have to be all different sizes.

Last for decorations I made these little owls to go on the goody bags and made oatmeal drop cookies for everyone.  They are easy and no bake!  I decided they sort of not really look like owl pellets, but it's the thought that counts right?

So glad I made this chalk board!  I loved how it looked with everything,.  Morning of the party Andrew ran out and got a few balloons that added to the look of the festivities!

I was very excited about his cake.  I made it from scratch, but it was pretty challenging in the beginning.  It is supposed to be made using 4 Pyrex bowels and  some dowels to make it stand up.  I was nervous about it not falling over, or baby knocking over before he even blew out the candle etc.  After realizing it took FOREVER for the first bowel set to cook I decided I could make it look exactly the same lying down.  

In the original picture the eyes are Oreos with Junior Mints on them and the beak and claws are banana Runts.  In all the hustle bustle of running errands I forgot to keep an eye out for runts in the quarter machines before leaving any stores all week and they do not have them at the store.  I found chewy Jolly Ranchers instead and cut them into pieces to bend them to shape and worked out great!  I am not a huge fan of Junior mints and did not want a whole box of leftover candy that we wouldn't be that excited to eat so M&M's were the choice.  They also made for much better leftovers!  Here is the final product, I was very pleased with how it turned out.  I am so glad I did all of it myself it was a fun, learning, party planning experience.

Grandma Kinzie

On August 20, my grandmother turned 90, born in 1921.  When I think of how much time that is, I realize how much her eyes have seen over the years...what it was like growing up on a farm (jealous in some ways), having so many brothers and sisters, watching your three daughters grow up get married and start lives of their own, watching your grandchildren grow up and have their own children, sharing your life with the same person for 50 years plus.  Things I learned from my grandmother: vegetables taste better when you have grown them yourself, you don't want to get swatted with a fly swatter for fighting with your sister, ice cream cones on the front porch are always a wonderful after dinner treat, painting with water and watching the colors appear is a wonderful fun activity, 3 or 4 kinds of cereal layered in a deep bowl with blueberries, bananas diced four ways, and strawberries is the best start to your day, Russian tea is good in every season, a wood burning fire means home, what it looks like to take care of your family and give of yourself to others, you can get a lot of satisfaction out of working hard and doing things with your hands, her mom's recipe for pound cake is the best in the world, and you can't go wrong with blueberry muffins for breakfast.  I see how much she enjoys watching her great grandchildren play on the floor and the whole family being stuffed in her living room like sardines in a can.  I see how proud she is of all of us and hear her saying it in the notes she writes.  What an honor to be a part of such a wonderful woman who has served and loved so many of those around her.

Waving to the paparazzi before entering her limo

Grandma at the Homeplace

The Family attending

Waiting to eat

Grandma loving the attention, tiara and all!

The beautiful cake we were all to full to eat until the next day!

Brady in the arms of Nana

Four generations

Grandma my mom and aunts

Grandma and the grand daughters

The sisters

Pondering life

Great grandchild #3 of 5!

Balls, Books and Broken Glass

This little guy really loves balls, cars and books!  He can always be found crawling with one or two around the house.  I thought he was busy and used to get into stuff...oh no now it is double time.  In a normal day in our household you can find the kitchen floor covered in Tupperware and a happy baby sitting in front of the drawer, or maybe he has crawled into the bottom of the entertainment center and is crying for help because he has climbed in and doesn't know how to get out.  There is never a dull moment.  He walked three steps today and we often find him standing until he realizes he isn't holding onto anything.  It is hard to believe he is going to be one in a couple of weeks!

Brady with one of his balls

Experiment begins like this...

...and here is the result day one!

Same result on day 2!

A quiet moment

We have enjoyed being home the last couple of weekends going out for ice cream, going to the park with friends, playing in the little pool and just being together.  I made a chalk board for the kitchen, which I have wanted to do forever.  Along with other news the guy that does the lawn, Mr. Gus, broke our back door when the weed eater  regurgitated a rock!

Brady getting ready to help me spray paint!

Yay chalkboard!

Result of rock

28 and counting!

I just celebrated my 28th birthday Saturday.  What I have learned in a year...you can't get time back so live every moment with no regrets, nothing is more important to me than my family, becoming a mother has been the most fulfilling thing I have ever done, having a quiet time is a vital part of my day, I have gotten really good at being productive with my time (being productive, not just busy), you make new friends when you are mom because of the things you share in common, with true friends it doesn't really matter where you all are in life..it just works, I don't care that much about stuff for me as I do for that 20lb bundle of joy, I have learned to enjoy the quiet moments because there are not as many of them, I have learned how to utilize the time after baby has gone to bed to enjoy relaxing with my husband, I hardly ever watch TV but am still a romantic and my guilty pleasure is watching the Bachelorette (in bed on Andrew's I-pad...YES I am glad you bought it babe), and I love my dog but he definitely comes second, and family time with Bradford is my absolute favorite time!

Love my new necklace babe!

Love those curls!

Brady always with a ball!

Birthday Suggestions

With B's big number one coming up many people have asked me what they should get him!  Here are a few suggestions to give you some ideas, you may take them or leave them: Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Chair, Little People Alphabet Zoo, Little People Noah's Ark, books Sandra Boynton, Dr. Seuss (there were hardbacks for $5 at Barnes and Noble), I Spy books, books by Raffi, or Eric Carle books, Leap Frog Letter Factory DVD (have heard great things about this), Rody.  He is wearing 9 and/or 6-12 month shirts and 6 months or 3-6 pants and shorts so for fall/winter clothes probably 12 shirts and 9 or 6-12 month pants, shoes size 3!  The kid has big feet:)
We put together a wish list on Target.com or you can print it out at the store.  If you go to Target.com and go under Target Lists you can type in Bradford Bost or Caroline Bost and it will pull up Bradford's wish list! Looking forward to celebrating soon with you all!

Food and Friends

We signed up for an organic produce delivery called Backyard Produce.  You sign up for what size produce box you want, we did the medium one which equals up to 40 points.  Every fruit and vegetable has a different point value and you pick what you want delivered to equal your box's value.  It costs about $25 a week (we do about every other week) and that is about what I would pay in the grocery store or less!  The plus side is I have access to some produce I cannot buy organic at the store and it comes right to my door!  Also it is supporting local farmers as well.  I love it so far!  Here is this week's box, we got a honeydew melon, 2 mangoes, 4 peaches, 3 green peppers, 4 ears of corn and 3 cucumbers!  Yummy!

We have had some fun visitors lately.  My friend Lindsay that I taught with stopped by with Brynlee and her husband Jared  to play for a few minutes.  It is hard to believe this sweet girl is 6 months old! Isn't she a doll? Crazy hair and all!

Yesterday my Aunt Sandra came down from Salem with my cousin's wife Allyson and her 3 kids Faith 4, Benson 17 months and Davis 4 months.  It was fun watching them all interact and play together!  I don't think there has ever been that much fun in my house at once!  We attempted to get a picture of all of them at the same time but if Benson wasn't disappearing out of the view finder it was Brady!  

The best one out of six

Boys will be boys!

I weeded all the beds out front in preparation for mulch!  It took me two sessions but it was well worth it!  While weeding I found two snake eggs which I of course disposed of!  Here are the before and after pics.