Birthday Weekend

First, I have to say that I hate myself because I didn't take ANY pictures of this wicked fun event!  I really cannot believe it.  So I will just have to tell you all about it.

Dave put together an amazing 30th birthday party for me this past weekend.  Family and friends were invited and it was held at Mt. Pisgah arboretum - a beautiful setting.  Here is a picture of the pavilion where the party was held (it is not with the decorations for the party but similar, the Japanese lanterns were there).  It was in the evening in January and as you can tell the pavilion can open all sides, so it isn't made to hold heat in.  Dave set up lots of heaters to get the place warm but we still ended up needing to wear our coats and some an extra blanket - but still fun!

Dave had purple iris and white gerbera daisies on the tables.  Lilac and pearl colored balloons all over as well.  And the road leading up to the pavilion was lit with twinkle lights and torches.  You get the idea . . .

The food was AMAZING!  He got a TON of king crab, shrimp, Outback bread (which I LOVE), chowders, salmon, a vast array of cheese and crackers, Martinelli's, smoked salmon, Pork tenderloin, burgers (for those non-seafood lovers), homemade fries, mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, delicious fruit salad, (I am sure I am forgetting something, there was a TON of food) and for desert 6 different kinds of Cheesecake Factory cheesecake!  It was WONDERFUL!  Of course he had to embarrass me with a "how well do you know Teresa" game and a slideshow (yikes!).  Other than the embarrassing me thing and it being not so warm, it was so much fun!

Dave also set up babysitting for those who needed sitters.  He commissioned several of our nieces to be the babysitters (they range in age from 18-13) and our home to be the babysitting location.  I thought that was a brilliant idea as finding sitters can be extremely difficult and our nieces are the BEST!  Even our nephews helped in entertaining the young ones.  So great!

I know Dave had A LOT of help from my sister, Debra, and her family and, of course, Stephanie Sasser whose family came down from Seattle just for the event!  Dave really couldn't have done this without Stephanie and Debra so a BIG thank you to you WONDERFUL ladies!!!  And a big thank you to all of you who helped and celebrated with us, it was amazing!!  I go forward with not as much trepidation to the my 30 + years.

Dave, I love you, you are amazing and wonderful!  How did I ever get so lucky to land you as my forever companion and soulmate?!  I love you and thank you for loving me too!  Thank you for putting this all together for me!!  I LOVE YOU!

Project Time

 Lately I've really been in a crafting mood, at least when I can break away from being a mommy and a housewife long enough to do anything.  Here are some projects I've been working on:

A Christmas wreath.  It is amazing how easy these are to do!

Dave and I saw similar ideas in Hawaii for these signs and figured we could make them ourselves at home, so when we got home we got started.  Dave and I both worked on these and we are pleased with the outcome.

I've always wanted to make a quilt and I've always been to afraid to do it.  While Dave's mom was here helping me with pretty much everything, she made Grayson a quilt and I watched her some and figured I might be able to do it . . . just not nearly as good.  Anyway, I wanted to make Grayson a play quilt, one with lots of colors and just super busy so he would have fun looking at it while doing tummy time and rolling around everywhere.  This is what I was able to come up with.  It really looks like a 4 year old did it, but I am proud of it!  He received it for Christmas :)

I also thought it would be fun to just have a fun cuddle blanket full of soft goodness for Bella.  You can't tell by the picture but the Hawaiian flower blanket is SUPER fuzzy and soft, better than any fleece.  I also thought it would be helpful to make Grayson a fleece blanket since the boy is 7 months old and still sleeps better swaddled.

These are the projects I've been working on as of late.  I thought the blankets were important to have for the kids so they would have something made by their mother.  I'm happy with the fact I've been able to do them all even if they aren't perfect.