Truck Party Details

B's party was a big success...and, surprisingly, not entirely too complicated. I love a good party. I really love a good party that's easy to clean up.

The two-year-old loves all things trucks, so we focused on trucks and construction.

Cake: Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting from Whole Foods. I decorated it myself with these little trucks, chocolate rocks from Hobby Lobby, a candle from Target, and some chocolate sprinkles. I cut out a big 2 (printed it out and cut out the # itself) to make a stencil. I laid the stencil atop the cake and filled in the chocolate sprinkles within the 2.

Serveware: Easy disposable paint liners from Home Depot, paint dishes, and small buckets. I used the metal mesh paint drip catcher thing to hold the rice krispie treat paint brushes. Also, I washed off some of the truck toys we have and put them to good use. The wheelbarrow was a great ice bucket! Plates, napkins, forks, etc came from Hobby Lobby.

Decor: I made these "Toddlers at Play" signs and hung them with painter's tape. So simple. You can download and print them, too.

• Spiral signs
• Caution tape - used this as a streamer curtain in the doorway, on the front door, as a runner on the dining table, etc
• Crepe paper: yellow, orange, and turquoise
• Happy Birthday banner from Hobby Lobby
• Straw toppers from Hobby Lobby

Games: Each kiddo got a yellow construction helmet, and we had a plethora of stickers for them to customize their own hat. We also had these inflatable hammers which were a huge hit--and nothing got broken or bruised! Bonus.

Favors: The turquoise & white striped containers are from Hobby Lobby, so are the little orange stickers I placed on the front. Inside them:

• Mini construction bubbles
• Truck tattoos from Hobby Lobby
• Lollipops
• Pirate's Booty snacks

B turns 2!

Today's weather and a pair of late nappers has afforded me the luxury to actually upload photos from the camera, edit them, and...wait for it...write a blog post. Indeed, Atlanta may soon freeze over.

So hard to believe this little guy entered our world two years ago.

We had a busy week. Gran came to visit to celebrate B's birthday, so we celebrated multiple times as any good family should do. This kid won the grandmother lottery.

After a cupcake celebration & early pick-up from school, the family celebration commenced.

Who doesn't love a dancing chihuahua card?

This little guy got a bike. And while he's probably disappointed that having his own means fewer trips to REI to try them out in-store, he was pretty stoked to have one to himself.

[Anyone know how to pause life right about here?]

As the cool temps drove us inside, it was time for the official Birthday Dinner. With ice cream cake, duh.

He's pretty proud of himself, I think.

With the family celebration under the belt, we took a few days off to recover and prepare for his official party. Today, he loves all things trucks, hence the party theme. What the truck? How can he be TWO???!?!

It's CAKE!!!! More cake!!!

So, what do you think, Lucy? I think it's pretty tasty.

 Peanut butter chocolate cake. Kid approved.

I'm afraid this is a glimpse into my squiggly boy's future...very few pics with Mom. At least he paused from cake eating to consider it, even if for a millisecond.

Thanks for everyone who made this birthday extra special. From the teachers who celebrated at school, to the grandparents who traveled near & far, to the friends who carved out a little of their holiday weekend to consume extra sugar amidst chaos.

For party details, read on....

progressive dinner in the n'hood

last summer, i got the idea to reinvent the progressive dinners i remember my parents attending with church friends. i mentioned it to two other neighbors, and we decided it'd be a fun way to meet more of our neighbors. we finally got around to it this past weekend, where each couple invited 2 other couples within our few-block radius.

we started at our house for cocktails + apps before walking the 2 blocks to SJ's. from there, we headed to Annalee's for dessert + coffee. we had a blast. even cricket, who wasn't sure about entertaining a bunch of people we'd never met, had a good time!

our theme
southern fare (it's just so easy)

the menu
apps: caprese skewers, melon + mint, and pimento cheese pinwheels (stay tuned for that recipe. easy & delish!)
cocktail: john daly (firefly vodka + simply lemonade)
i gave everyone a plastic tumbler to keep as their "roadie" for the evening. the cups were color-coded by couple so we knew who "belonged" with whom.

main course: chicken + pulled pork sliders with slaw + veggies. SJ was able to cook these in a slow-cooker so they would be safely cooking while we were at the first house. YUM!
cocktail: pomegranate punch

dessert: banana puddin' (with nilla wafers, duh)
cocktail: coffee bar with all your fave libations

the neighbors
at first, i felt like a total slacker because i didn't have anyone to invite. why? because i don't know my neighbors. all the more reason to host this party. but who should i invite? well, i hand-picked two houses on our street, where we've seen the neighbors & think we could get along with them for some reason or another. so, i left handwritten notes in each of their mailboxes, addressed to "neighbor" for lack of a better name. i didn't hear back from either of them so i was afraid the mailman stole my invites. i was a little disheartened that none of my invitees were going to attend. but then, eureka! i got a call Friday afternoon to confirm two attendees from across the street. YAHOO!! we CAN make friends!

we had a great group of people, including a last-minute add-on who closed on his new house in the hood the day prior. hopefully he's not regretting his new mortgage after a night with the resident lunatics.

the verdict
a roaring success!! we spent about an hour, to hour and a half at each house. at least until the late-night. we met new couples who we'll actually recognize on the street. and now we know our neighbors!!!

Thanksgiving Table

i'm linking up to the tablescape party sponsored by Homegoods, so here are the up close & personal details of our turkey day tables:

history: thanksgiving has long been a holiday staple in our family, often having 40-65 cousins gathering in south arkansas. i think when i started dating j, i told him he'd have to agree that my family would always get thanksgiving! i'm pretty sure my cousin and i made a pact when we were 12. over the past few years, we moved the holiday to Texas but it's remained one of the most important holidays to me. as the families grow, new traditions start. so this year was our first year to start a new tradition of our own.

guest list: my newlywed sister was finally within driving distance (she's been on the west coast and unable to join us for the past 5 years). better yet, her husband is from nearby Athens, GA, so his family was able to join us too! my mom was coming from Arkansas, my dad & his new fiance too, my in-laws, and even some hometown friends who are now neighbors got to join the fun (being the BFF of my baby sis, she was a great stand-in for the sister who had too many papers to grade!). all in all, we had 13 folks at the table.

theme: i wanted something a little different than the traditional fall colors, so i drew from the rich palette of cranberries & pomegranates: purples, fuchsia, and metallics. i wanted the table to have a festive and elegant feel (we didn't have any kids attending, so it was safe to keep it "adults only"). this was the first time we were using the china we received when we got married (yes, 2 years ago), so we wanted it to feel special all around! it was also the first time several of our family members had seen our new house, so it was a big occasion.

flowers: i scored some amazing fuchsia peonies at the grocery store, and arranged them in vintage silver serving pieces i thrifted. i complemented the peonies with hot pink & burgundy pom mums, solidago, and other burgundy safari sunset blooms.

linens: the tables were each dressed with flax-colored hemstitched linen tablecloths. the main dining table's square linen was off-set to feature the rich grain of the hardwood table, while the additional folding table's linen hung to the floor.

accents: a pair of thrifted brass candlesticks with cranberry candles were lit in the table's center, while mercury glass votives added extra sparkle. a cranberry metallic ribbon with gold trim weaved its way along the table.

in lieu of wine charms, we tied combinations of plum, cranberry, and gold ribbon to the wine glass stems for easy identification. 

placesettings: alternating gold & silver chargers served as the placesetting foundation, which were topped with china dinner plates from the Vera Lace pattern. a deep plum napkin was placed atop each dinner plate, topped by the salad plate. placecards were displayed in pecan pods i found in the backyard!

serveware: the food was served in a collection of silver serving dishes. my latest Homegoods score, the silver casserole dish, was perfect for the wild mushroom dressing. and my le creuset crock steal from Homegoods matched the sweet potatoes to a tee.

i linked up to centsational girl's the tablescape party/contest.