I'm not sure why I think that the beginning of March should automatically herald the arrival of spring. I think I expected it to warm up and get cheerful on the day we turned over the calendar. Not so. Instead we had a cold wind and a few snow flurries.
But since we were hosting a flower-themed birthday party for Brian's mom on Saturday, the winter decorations trickled out during the last week of February and were replaced with a few spring touches.
But since we were hosting a flower-themed birthday party for Brian's mom on Saturday, the winter decorations trickled out during the last week of February and were replaced with a few spring touches.
Party preparation was a family affair. Brian finished up a few home improvement projects in the girls' bedroom and moved all his tools back out to the shed.
Gavin and I made a party banner for the wall the week before the party. We dyed the edges of coffee filters with food coloring. There was a learning curve and it took some experimentation with the amount of dye and the technique to get the filters to look the way we wanted. After the filters were dry, I cut them into the shapes of flowers and strung them with embroidery floss. (I like it so much I think I'll keep it up through the spring.)
Gavin and I made a party banner for the wall the week before the party. We dyed the edges of coffee filters with food coloring. There was a learning curve and it took some experimentation with the amount of dye and the technique to get the filters to look the way we wanted. After the filters were dry, I cut them into the shapes of flowers and strung them with embroidery floss. (I like it so much I think I'll keep it up through the spring.)
Maddie and I baked vanilla cupcakes and made flower designs on the tops with mini-jelly beans.
Some of us even attempted to dress to match the theme (although she ended up having to change before party time!).
We all gathered in the evening for food (including homemade salsa which was to die for!) and family time. All but two members of Brian's family were able to join us.
After we ate and opened presents, the 12 kids retreated to the bedrooms. The girls played Barbies and the boys played war. The girls' room was quiet. The boys' room sounded like it would come crashing down. The adults, meanwhile, enjoyed a bit of reminiscing in the living room and laughed until we were giddy.
The party ended with one guest getting their vehicle stuck in our rain-saturated yard (not the first time that has happened!) which included a 10 o'clock run to Walmart for a tow rope. The kids were happy because it extended the party another hour. They played Operation, Angry Birds Jenga, and a Five Little Monkeys board game and celebrated a late bedtime.
And that is why I was too tired to write this last night.
And that is why this Saturday post is going up on Sunday instead.
What did you do this weekend?
What did you do this weekend?
I love big family birthday parties...or get togethers of any kind! Sound like you guys had a great time.
ReplyDeleteWe spend most of the weekend unpacking and bringing the rest of our things to the new house. Tim also got the old house cleaned while I got all the essentials unpacked and put into their new places. We even squeezed in a family meal with my parents, brother and sister joining us for lunch at our new house on Sunday. thankfully, my parents brought most of the meal :)
Your party looks great!! I love how those coffee filter flowers turned out!
ReplyDeleteWe'll be celebrating a Strawberry themed birthday on Thursday for my Sweet Pea (turning 5). I have all sorts of ideas "pinned" for the occasion. Now I just have to work on implementing them! Hopefully I'll get around to posting about it next week.