Church Capital Campaign Kick Off Celebration

I was asked by my church pastor to head the hospitality committee for the major capital campaign  we have undertaken this year.  In addition to other smaller functions and duties, the Kick Off Celebration was the major event I had to plan.  It all came together with the help of wonderful men and women, young and old, who all care deeply for good ‘ol Immaculate Conception Church. Here are the wonderful kids that helped set up a sparse gymnasium into a fun party!  I made a cor-plast silhouette of church and the kids taped twinkle lights to dress up the front of the gym (I chose the church silhouette as the decoration theme as it is a local icon of our city as it sits prominently at the foot of Garrison and Rogers Avenue in down town Fort Smith.)  They followed directions well and pulled the room together in 2 hours. 

The kids and moms arrived at 9:00am on a Sunday morning to set up, decorate, bake and cook…here are the “church ladies!”  What would churches around the world do without the help of church ladies?!!  They are priceless!

Here’s the gym before the crowds…

   

and here we all are enjoying an evening of great fellowship and food!

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Finally getting Crafty with the Boys

I always wished that at least one of our boys would have some interest in art…or crafts…or Scout crafting…or anything remotely related to my passion for artistic creativity.  But sadly, no.  It would be someone wanting me to be interested anything involving math and numbers.  We just don’t mix.  So imagine my glee when Patrick said he had a big AP Psychology project due that required some of my crafting ideas and help.  He and his project partner described the assignment to me and projected their ideas.  They needed to construct a diorama of a diner and label how it functions like the human brain.  Cool assignment!  With my suggestions on how to design on a computer and physically build it, they put it all together.Final assembly with a cardboard box base, glue gun and all of their clip art cutouts.  I suggested they include themselves in the diner activity to make it personal. 

And don’t you know how much I loved it when they asked me for ideas to make and construct the little mini booths and tables, counters and check out counter?!Patrick posing for his waiter and cook action figure.  And here he is serving up burgers and fries…sure hope this doesn’t come true in real life!The interior and exterior of the “Brain Train” Diner. They made the second highest grade in the class!

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Hot Color at the River Valley Life Teen Fundraising Dinner

I love decorating tables for fundraisers!  The whole point of it is to do something that is pretty and interesting without spending a lot of money…and this year was no exception.  I chose a palette of hot colors on craft paper and fresh rosemary sprigs and sliced citrus.          

The Sweet Sixteen Scene

My sweet friend Jill was telling me about her plans for a sweet 16 party she wanted to host for her daughter’s  big day. Jill is very talented and always entertains with a beautiful sense of style, so I knew this was going to be a fun party for  her daughter and 24 of her friends.  She had a few craft ideas she wanted to know what I thought about, so I asked her to come to my house and we talked about her plans…then raided my stocks and supplies and began to create what she had been toying with.  Jill had purchased invitations, papergoods and fabrics that she wanted the party to be coordinated with.  We got to work and here are the results…

Jill wanted to line her walkway with candles and she liked the idea of mason jars, so we wrapped the jars with strips of paper and added her daughter’s monogram in the middle.

Here’s the adorable chevron fabric that she based the color scheme for the party.  Love that gorgeous urn on the right…she filled it with ice and drinks.  Jill had a ball planting all of her pots and window boxes…look at this beauty! 

I love the rectangle dinner plates!  I took more of the paper stock and made food place cards and a pennant banner.

Behold Miss Berkeley, the family’s 6 month old Welsh terrier who loved having her family outside with her getting ready for the party! 

I painted the autograph below to coordinate with her daughter’s bedroom.  Her friends and family signed the banner at the party and now she can hang it up in her room and enjoy it.  I made a stuffed canvas birthday hat with burlap trim for Jill to hang up for all the birthdays in their family.

The dining area was set up in the carport because the weather report called for rain…Jill used boxwood bushes as centerpieces and put a big monogram on each pot.  

I made the party favor purses to hold custom cookies that Jill had ordered for the guests to take home. Using the fabric that Jill bought to decorate the party tables, I scanned the fabric and added the monogram.

 

Jill hung the party invitations to tree branches and later added pictures of her daughter. 

A close-up of the wonderful cookies…monogram and the black flower from the party invitation, and the paper party favor purses.   I’m so glad they had a great time at the party…and that the rain stayed away!  Great job, Jill!

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Flashback to the Past

I haven’t taken my boys to the doctor’s office together for years…not since they were little!  They both needed sports physicals completed so we scheduled them at the same time.  They will kill me for this post, but it just took me back about 10 years to when they were little guys!

Secret Snacks

 

I’ve been trying to eat a healthier diet for the past 10 months and have two favorite snacks that have really helped me get through the snack attacks.   Because I have chosen to eat a diet higher in protein and cutting out all processed sugar, I enjoy the heck out of my edamame/almond/dried cherries or cranberries mix…it is sweet and salty, crunchy and chewy and packed with protein to keep my tummy satisfied!

Blueberries, Cuties and grapes help with the sugar cravings…but I try to go for the blueberries when I can because of the lower sugar count.  It’s a super food and good for me!

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Mom’s 80th Birthday Party

My sweet Momma recently turned 80!  She has had several birthday celebrations and this was the one we held for her on Easter Sunday for family (her big day was the day before) at my sister’s house.

I usually hang pennant banners for parties, but wanted to do something special for Mom.  I cut out pictures of her throughout the years and made party hats this time…it was a hit!  Look at how adorable she is!

Mom and I seem to be color coordinated with each other and the banner…

   

I added some party color to the living room by adding paper lanterns on the armoire…

and hung more party hat pennants over the bar on the porch…

I made party hat cake pops and truffles and sent them home with family and friends in my ever handy party favor purses…

We all hold our glasses up high in your honor, Mom!  A very happy and healthy 80th birthday!

   

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