A SUPER Birthday!

"Calling all super heroes:

throw on your cape fast as a flash!

Be ready to make a big splash!

Sam needs your help to celebrate

his 5th Birthday bash!"

Our only "boy" of the 4 Favorites - sweet Sam - turned 5!!!  When Valerie asked him what kind of party he wanted, he said a swimming super hero party...so, that's what we did!!  We can make just about any kind of theme work! :)  Valerie and the Cricut became the best of friends during the planning of this party - we even made the adorable invitations using the Cricut!  With me in the middle of getting ready for students in my new classroom, Valerie had to do a lot of the prep work on her own and then I helped her set up.  It turned out so cute!  

She made this city scene out of a black plastic tablecloth and yellow electrical tape for windows.  The little Super Hero boy and girl (that we even personalized for the party with their snorkels and goggles!!) were cut from the Cricut as well as the little pop word bubbles that had words like BAM!, SPLASH!, POP!, and CANNON BALL! on them.  

We even used the pop word bubbles to name the food super hero names like Batman Burgers, Super Dogs, Hero Beans, POW! Potatoes, and Super Power Chips! And, we used some of Sam's Super Hero dress up clothes - masks, capes, and costumes to dress the table...

Valerie made each child a felt mask and plastic cape to wear at the party - and, yes, even the girls LOVED the theme!!!  

 

Valerie even made tiny little masks for the youngest of guests - look at this little Super Hero cutie pie!!

And, of course a Super Hero party wouldn't be complete without a "villian" coming to try to break up the party...thankfully, all of these Super Heros were able to fight him off with their super powers!!

 

Valerie had each guest a beach towel to take home as a thank you gift for coming to the party - since it was the end of the season, she got them on sale!!  Great gift idea!

 Sam had a SUPER party - it was so cute, and the kids had a great time!!!

 Happy 5th Birthday, Sammy!!!  We love you!

Tangled Up In Birthday FUN!

This past weekend, Carolyne celebrated her 7th birthday with a Rapunzel themed slumber party!  She chose this theme months ago when she fell in love with the Disney movie "Tangled", and Valerie and I had lots of fun with the theme for the party :)  We braided what seemed like 100s of feet of yellow yarn for hair that we used all around the house for decoration!  I made this little sign to greet the excited girls at the front door as they arrived to the party.

We decided to focus on decorating the dining room since that would be where the girls would eat and do crafts.  I painted a tower, and we added lots and lots of moss and artificial flowers from the dollar store, and of course Rapunzel's hair!!

We wanted the party to be super girly, so we used pink and purple as the main color scheme, with touches of yellow (with the hair!!).  We covered the table in layers of purple and pink satin and tulle, and scattered flowers down the middle.  We also tied tulle bows around the chairs, and put little flower bouquets in the middle of the bows - so adorable!

For the food table, Valerie made the cute "Happy Birthday" banner with the purple pennants and yes, more "hair"! 

 Valerie had each of the girls a little crown to wear - they all look like little princesses :)

 

The girls made several crafts during the party, and one were these super cute chameleon party blowers (if you've seen the movie, you'll remember the little chameleon that was Rapunzel's friend)

 And, they painted canvases, and they all turned out absolutely ADORABLE!!  We had several templates to let them choose from, then we let them paint and decorate their canvas however they wanted...they are all little artists!!

We ended the night watching the movie, Tangled, of course!!

 The party turned out just perfect, and the girls had a fabulous time!  This age is so fun, and Carolyne was sooo excited about her Rapunzel party :)

Happy 7th Birthday, Carolyne!!!  I love you! 

Here I Am

Hey y'all - hope everyone has had a good weekend!  We have been CRAZY BUSY working in my classroom...I haven't shared with y'all, but I took a new teaching position in a different school system! *cheers*  It has without a doubt been one of the scariest, biggest leaps of faith I have ever taken but we know and trust the Lord opened this door for me.  I left every bit of my comfort zone - tenure, a job I have loved for 6 years, and some of my dearest friends that I also was blessed to work with - and went to a job that I know very little about and know very few people...BUT, it's a job that I'm passionate and excited about doing and have UNBELIEVABLE peace that surpasses all understanding!  Thank you, Jesus for this new chapter in my life and for new purpose!

This song has been on my heart so much this week, because of its relavence to my life right now...I wanted to share in hopes that it would speak to you as well. Enjoy!  :)



Sometimes your calling, comes in dreams
Sometimes it comes in the Spirit's breeze,
You reach for the deepest hope in me,
And call out for the things of eternity.

But I'm a man, of dust and stains,
You move in me, so I can say,

Here I am, Lord send me,
All of my life, I make an offering,
Here I am, Lord send me,
Somehow my story, Is part of your plan,
Here I am

When setbacks and failures, and upset plans,
Test my faith and leave me with empty hands,
Are you not the closest when it's hardest to stand?
I know that you will finish what you began.

These broken parts you redeem,
Become the song, that I can sing

Here I am, Lord send me,
All of my life, I make an offering,
Here I am, Lord send me,
Somehow my story, Is part of your plan,
Here I am

Overwhelmed by the thought of my weakness,
And the fear that I'll fail You in the end,
In this mess, I'm just one of the pieces,
I can't put this together but You can.

Here I am, Lord send me,
All of my life, I make an offering,
Here I am, Lord send me,
Somehow my story, Is part of your plan,
Here I am

My Favorite Place...

...is without a doubt to be at the lake.  Sleeping in late, playing in the water, riding the boat, grilling out...ahhhh, it doesn't get much better than that for me!!  Don't get me wrong, I L.O.V.E. the BEACH but the lake and mountains are just "in my bones".  Sitting on the dock looking out across the water is where my heart is most content.  This summer, Brad and I have taken FULL advantage of every possible free minute to be at the lake, going for weeks at a time (really, we have been there as much as we've been home!)  

 

And, Miss Ellie Jane is a "lake dog" - she knows when we pull up at the gate where we are, and immediately starts scratching at the window ready to get out :)  That's my girl!!

A couple of weeks ago we spent the week with Brad's family, and had a great time!  Our sweet friend, Vickie came down and took some family pics for us - thank you Mrs. Vickie!!

I'm so thankful for our families, and that their not just our family but our friends - we laugh and have the best time just hanging out!

 And, 2 of our 4 Favorites with our 2 MOST favorite fur babies - Nikki and Ellie!

It has been a very blessed summer, and one that I really hate to see come to an end!!  Teacher work days started today in our schools, and summer is official over for me :-/  But, I have lots of sweet memories of summer 2011 and I can't wait for next year!!