Menu Wednesday

 

Hi all!  What a week it has been already.  Here are our weekend highlights-

Before I take you back to our weekend, I have to take you back a little bit further.  Last Thursday we met up with our friends Kamrin and Leigh (Ferg) and their families at a local park.  Leigh , her hubby Kevin and their two boys were in town for the weekend and we couldn’t wait to get all of the kiddos together (not to mention catch up with each other!).

 

Keltin (5), Tyson (4), Palmer (3), Jackson (2), Everett (1)

 

The kids had SO.MUCH.FUN; as did we.  We feasted on 4 Rivers BBQ and let the little ones play way past their bedtime.  The weather was gorgeous and the company was my favorite.  All in all a spectacular night.

 

Kamrin (Rollins ‘04), Lane (Rollins ‘03)

and Leigh (Rollins ‘02 ‘04 MBA)

Keltin (who is also my Goddaughter) was such a good caretaker of E.  She was so sweet and wanted to carry him everywhere.

 

The weekend was filled with lots of hanging out.  My dad and his wife Vicki came for a brunch visit on Saturday and then we ended up meeting up with E’s girlfriend Kennedy and her parents for an impromptu dinner date (this all happened while monitoring every minute of March Madness).

Sooo big!

 

I don’t even think that any of us made it out of our pajamas on Sunday and it was amazing.  We did lots of chilling out and it was much, much needed.

This week is not only half way over, but has been so busy already.  I was in Starke on Monday night to celebrate the life of one of my favorite guys in the world, Rick Stephens.  He is the father of one of my best friends from high school, Macy, and lost his battle with cancer last Thursday.  I don’t understand why, and I won’t, but I do understand that he was one of the funniest and most supportive men I have had the pleasure of knowing.  He will forever be in our hearts and I would ask that you please keep the rest of the Stephens family in your prayers.  They are so near and dear to my heart.

 

M:  Leftovers

T:  French Dip Paninis w/ Sweet Potato Fries

W: Chicken Pesto Pizza w/ Feta Cheese

Th:  Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

F:  Egg and Cheese Quesadillas w/ Black Bean Soup

Sa:  Meatloaf w/ Veggie Cous Cous

Su:  Chicken Parmesan w/ Chopped Salad

 

(Rollins Graduation May 2003)

In Loving Memory of Rick Stephens

#ihatecancer

The Big One

 

Although E is official 13 months and counting, I did want to share his first birthday party with you all!  It was a simple backyard celebration with homemade cake, warm Florida February weather and even a pool.  E was surrounded by our close friends and family and seemed to have a great time (he LOVED his cake, too!).

 

All of the garland and banners I made by sewing strips of paper (and different letters for the banners) through my sewing machine.  If you haven’t tried this – it’s an amazingly simple way to personalize any party or event…and SO inexpensive!!!

 

Balloons!

 

I found his onesie at the Gap a few days after Thanksgiving on super sale.  I think I paid $3!  I loved that it was “theme-y” without being silly.  Gap is the best (especially on sale)!

 

The inspiration for the sprinkle cake came from, where else; Pinterest (see below), but I loved the fact that the final result was so simple and I could make it myself.  I just used a boxed cake mix, store bought frosting and sprinkles. I also made a few cupcakes for the kiddos to grab and go.   Fun and festive!

Inspiration cakes via Pinterest

I also found a great way to sprinkle the sides only and it worked beautifully!

I was debating on whether or not to go with chocolate or vanilla and then thought about all of the pictures that would be taken…vanilla cake smeared on a face looks a lot cleaner than chocolate cake smeared on a baby face (he would have looked like washed his face in a pile of mud or even a pile of you know what!) – so we opted for vanilla.  He loved every.single.morsel.

 

His “smash” cake was just a cupcake and was just enough to get him totally messy.  Cake was everywhere, but especially in his hair!

 

The inside decorations were simple, mostly consisting on handmade banners as described above.  Mike and I also made a huge light up number 1 (by following this tutorial) out of foam board, poster board, spray paint and globe lights.  It turned out to be so cool (and VERY inexpensive, especially since we already own a ton of globe lights). 

(Photo Credit: You Are My Fave)

Click on the picture above for the number 1 tutorial from the blog O Happy Day.

 

I also loved the idea of the hanging ones shown in the tutorial picture and decided to make my own (again by sewing them through my sewing machine) and hang them from our light fixture.  I used all different patterns and colors and loved the final result (they are actually still up a month and a half later…oops – they are just so fun!).

The menu consisted of:

• Baked Potato Bar with all the fixins
• Veggie Tray
• Fruit Bowl
• Hot Ham Sandwiches
• Cake/Cupcakes
• Beer/Wine

 

 

 

Luckily the weather cooperated and we partied outside all afternoon with sack toss, swinging and swimming.

 

As the sun was setting everybody moved inside to open presents and get ready for the Super Bowl.  Since my water broke during a Super Bowl party last year we thought it would be fitting to have his party on Super Bowl Sunday!

 

 

Good times with great people.  Thanks to all who celebrated with us!