If you know our family at all, you know that every Friday night at our house is PIZZA NIGHT. Whether it’s just us at home or company is joining us, pizza (or some variation of it) will be served. Period. End of story. Over the years, I’ve had a lot of fun exploring the many different styles and flavors of pizza. When my older girls were little, a favorite for them was Upside Down Pizza. I made this anytime we had a backwards day or we just felt a little silly. I don’t know why I had forgotten about this one since it was once a favorite of ours. But it came to mind last week, and, much to my family’s delight, I decided to bring it back!! I think we’d all forgotten how wonderful it is! It’s ... Read more
Fluff the Nest Friday: The Aroma of Clean!
Around here, Friday is the day to "fluff the nest", which is just a much cuter way of saying "clean the house". Am I right? So my Friday posts are all about tidying up and getting the house fresh and in order for the weekend. Some weeks my nest-fluffing comes more easily than others. I need motivation each Friday. Good Friday morning! I'm just popping in quickly this morning to share one of my biggest motivators for cleaning. THE SMELL OF CLEAN! I am extremely motivated by my sense of smell! I love the fresh aroma of a spic-and-span house just after cleaning. It doesn't last long, especially once the dog makes her reentry. But while it does last, it's glorious! So to keep that fresh scent ... Read more
“Heavy Pasta” Birthday Dinner!
Hello, and welcome back! Yesterday I told how we planned, decorated, and pulled off the surprise party for Piano Girl. Today, I'm sharing the menu and recipes. A week before my daughter's birthday, I asked her what meal she would like for her birthday dinner. Now this didn't tip her off to our surprise because I always cook the birthday person a meal of their choosing. She just didn't know it would be for a group! Her reply? With a sigh and a far off gaze (literally), she said two simple words. Heavy. Pasta. So, we went Italian! I set out some water and Artichoke Spinach Dip for the guests to snack on while the garlic bread was in the oven and Piano Girl was recovering from the shock she ... Read more
Birthday Melodies
My oldest daughter, Piano Girl, is in her first year as a music major in a local Christian university. She is loving it, learning a lot, and making great friends! A while back, her little sister and a couple of friends started to talk about a wanting to throw a surprise party for her 19th birthday! With their help, everything came together without the birthday girl suspecting a thing! One of the girls attends the same college as Piano Girl so she took care of the guest list, scheduling, and inviting. This was a huge help since I had not yet met some of the new friends and didn’t know how to contact them. Country Girl helped with color and pattern choices for the tables. We purchased ... Read more
Monday Morning Hello
Good Monday morning! I missed posting last week! Let's just say, my hands were at work and there was little time left over. So, I just wanted to pop in this morning to say that I'm still here and will be back this week to finish up details about the last of the parties we hosted last month. I'll have some tablescape photos and recipes from Piano Girl's surprise party! On a bit of a housekeeping note, I had some friends tell me the other night that they had tried to subscribe to my blog with the "follow" button, but without success. If you've had the same experience, my apologies! Just shoot me an email at [email protected] and I will try to add you to the subscribe list ... Read more
Racers, Start Your Birthday Engines!
Today I'm excited to share a few photos from Incredi-Boy's eighth birthday! These days, this kid is so hot for Hot Wheels that a race car theme was the natural choice for his party. After years of raising girls and being immersed in little girl world for so long, I think people who knew me wondered how I would embrace my new role as a boy-mom. Well, while I have absolutely loved doing the girl-mom thing (sooo many sweet memories), I have to say that, overall, I just really love being a mom, period. So, I am very much enjoying and embracing boy-mom life as well! Incredi-Boy and I had a lot of fun planning this party! Oh, and with Joel having been a HUGE Hot Wheels fan growing up, and a HUGE ... Read more
Galentine’s Bash 2019
Last week the girls (and a few little brothers) from our small group got together for a little informal party on Valentine's Day. Our small group happens to be made up of other homeschooling families, so they are who we usually get together with for our "class" parties. It was an afternoon party so we didn’t need a lot of food. The day before, Country Girl and I spent some time in the kitchen making a few treats to serve. Let’s just go ahead and start with the most important. CHOCOLATE! These brownie pops are a recipe from the Pioneer Woman. They are easy to put together, requiring no baking, and are so decadent! Candy hearts, of course, are a must on Valentine’s Day. My girl cut ... Read more
Fluff the Nest Friday: Post Party Pickup
Around here, Friday is the day to "fluff the nest", which is just a much cuter way of saying "clean the house". Am I right? So my Friday posts are all about tidying up and getting the house fresh and in order for the weekend. Some weeks my nest-fluffing comes more easily than others. I need motivation each Friday. ***** Good Friday morning, friends! Well, yesterday we hosted our GALentine's Day party which means we moved our Friday cleaning up a day so the house would be clean for company. This makes me pretty happy today because the bulk of the weekly cleaning is already done! It was so nice to sit and enjoy a clean and decorated house after the party, and I'm hoping to keep it that way ... Read more