Hula Hula!

So I can't seem to throw a party without a theme... like... EVER...

  

I L.O.V.E. to decorate for parties- I love to create a magical/extraordinary feel out of ordinary things.  I Challenge myself to up-cycle what I already own or can pick up on the cheap/chic second hand or with some thrifty shopping.

{This is where places like Oriental trading, Ebay, Dollar stores, 

Buy/sell/trade sites and 2nd hand places come into play.}

Gabbi wanted a Luau/Hawaiian theme for her birthday party this year- so I went big on color... 

without going big on the pocket book....

I made our cupcakes and used come crazy colors and flavors {Blue velvet cake with  green Key Lime frosting & blue sanding sugar and Vanilla cake with Orange cream frosting with pink sanding sugar.  Add some polished rocks to the bottom of the bowl and nestle three cake plates that I already owned and added  some tropical silk flowers that we pulled off their stems... created the center piece on the kitchen island.  I scored on the mini sand buckets that we filled with a variety of candies to go on the ice cream sundaes later.

Candles and twinkle lights, and paper lanterns turn even a snowy evening- into a warm party feel- 

so we sprinkled them everywhere!

The bad ass Tiki God centerpiece???  Two flat wall hangings that I glued together, nestled into a banana basket from the studio, filled with oranges and candles and more hibiscus blooms.

The treat bags we gave to her friends at the beginning of the party so they could wear their leis, hibiscus hair pretties, shades, temporary tattoos, tropical colored fans and neon nail polish all night long. 

I like to do a little display somewhere in the party area of a then and now of the girls so that their friends can see what their school chum looked like as a baby- it's always fun to look back!

The girls munched on pizza and went swimming at the pool for a couple of hours and then came home and ate more pizza,  opened gifts and dove into the volcano of cupcakes and ice cream sundaes.

Gabbi was so lucky to spend the evening with friends!

Thanks to those who joined her!

Birthday Wishes

On the eve of her birth I sing.......Happy birthday to you.... happy birthday to me...... Happy birthday to us...... Happy birthday dear Gabbi.... Happy birthday to you!So here I am again-  two weeks later- wishing my youngest daughter a happy 12th birthday!!!  It's super cool that my girls'  birthdays are so close together- and so ridiculous that they are so close together... what WERE we thinking???  It's cool because I'm in party planning mode for two birthdays and the Super Bowl all in the same week... to that end- I'm insane and totally exhausted!I know that everyone says that they can't believe that their kids are growing up so fast... but it's really the truth.  I see her underfoot everyday as we dash to school and sports, and scrap over chores and responsibilities... and then I look across the island and wonder who the beautiful woman in my kitchen is  who's cooking dinner!  Gabs is funny and creative- athletically gifted, kind and smart- with stunning looks years beyond real age.We're so proud to be her parents and are so grateful that we were chosen to be her parents!  

{ Here's a movie I made her a couple of years ago if you want to see some OLD photos...}

http://didi-mycrazycrazylife.blogspot.com/2011/02/brithday-baby.html

Vikings Majors Regular Season

 

Vikings Regular Season

 

 

I know that most people think that my husband and I have fallen off of the social planet the last 12 months.... because he's on the board and coaching.... we are never home it seems, rarely throw any great parties any more and can't seem to make it to anyone else's great parties either. 

We seem lame. 

I know we do. 

Our life seems to run completely around the Little League calendar and we seam to be running in fast forward any more- we're stunned  at how fast the days go by chasing our girls who are on a fast track to grow up on us. 

 

We want them to play as many sports and experience as much as we can give them because we're going to blink and they'll be grown ups.

 

I joke with my girls that the reason I take so many photos of them- is that because if I were to die tomorrow- they would have photo proof that we were there every step of the way and that we thought that that everything they did was amazing! 

{I'm sure they'll appreciate it later- even if they scowl at me now}

 

The math really doesn't add up this year:

2 girls + 3 sports = 5.5 schedules this year......

It's been one hell of a ride!!!

Blaze

 

My girls had the opportunity to play ball together this year on their select/club ball 12U Blaze Pride team.  I love that numbers still remained 9 & 11 and that when they work together- they spell 9-1-1 = emergency/trouble for the other teams... they hit clean-up for each other and when Gabs is pitching and Oni on first- they can turn a mean play :)