Yes, it really has been now "months" since I last wrote. November was one hectic month!!! My eldest turned 7, my youngest turned the big 1 and my sisters and I threw a baby shower for our other sister. Plus I never posted pictures from Halloween! So this is going to be my 'catch up' entry!
First off, Halloween. So Briana got home from school on Halloween to tell me she forgot her owl mask at school. Of course. So I took some scraps and glued them to a ear muff head band and I actually liked it better than the fancy feather one!!
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| Charlie Brown and his little Owl friend |
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| I didn't make the Buzz costume because my middle child is super easy going and wanted to wear last year's costume! |
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| cheeeeeeeese |
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| just because he is so cute. yes, I made him. |
Moving forward, Briana's birthday was next. We decided to continue the owl theme and do owl invitations, and under the stars themed snack bar and a sleep under pajama dress up party! It was great fun. {and I totally deserved the glass of wine after my sisters deserted me with 16 screaming 6 and 7 year olds!} But before they left me (it's okay, I would have done the same thing to them!) they helped me set up and try to keep the girls entertained and playing nicely together. Beth *from Beth Kruse Custom Creations* made Briana's "7" banner and helped me set up the snack bar and Cathy was in charge of organizing, taping, sibling corralling and whatever else I could throw at her!
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| Snack Bar |
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| Owl Banner |
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| Popcorn and Candy section {BIG hit!} |
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| Cookie Dough Dips |
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| Briana's cake The following weekend was my youngest birthday party! Talk about being over booked. But I got through it, again with the help of my dear family!! Charlie loves bees. He had one in his baby mobile and has just been obsessed ever since. So his first birthday party HAD to be bee themed!! Again, it was only 'treats' on the table, but it was okay being in the afternoon. I made the bunting banner for his highchair with left over material from the '1' shirt I made for him! The all the food was yellow and white {and some black} and I made streamers with ribbon and circle and oval cut outs from my Cricut. Beth made the '1st Bee Day' banner that is also featured in Charlie's cake smash professional prints by Carrianne Photography.  Buzz. Vanilla wafer cookies  Beth designed these bees to mimic the bees on Charlie's walls!  brownie, marshmallow and wafer cookie skewers  Lemon mousse cups with cool whip   Charlie's smash cake  I even tried to make bee cake pops. Not perfect, but cute!  I loved this party!  Charlie sign currently resides in Charlie's room!  This will be used the following week for his photography pictures!  Up close view at the bunting banner Beth made  I loved making these! Charlie's month by month pictures framed on "onesie" paper and hung by cloths pins on jute  He has no idea what cake is....  ...thinking....  ...yea, that's the stuff! Smash Cake Photos. Yes, they are awesome. Some work went into them, but I am so so so happy with the results! I brought a few things you've seen from the birthday pictures so I will keep it short. He wore his number 1 shirt and the hat I made for his Charlie Brown costume for some of the pictures. And Beth's bunting banner was featured in the background of others. I made all Charlie's cakes because of his allergies but that worked better because I actually like how the 'bee hive' appearance turned out!  I recommend Carrianne to anyone in the Lake County (Illinois) area. She is a phenomenal photographer and she is amazing with children. I have been blessed to have four shoots with her in the year I've known about her and I have to say I shouldn't be surprised by how many wonderful shots she takes, but I always am when I get my CD! Thank you Carrianne for being so awesome!!!! Last but not least, we have Sarah's baby shower. Sarah is an avid gardener. She loves nothing more than being outside planting and pruning...well maybe her puppies. Oh, and she is pregnant, so I'm sure the babe will fit in there too! {hehe} So of course we did a Garden theme! There were cupcakes that looked like mushrooms, a garden of peas and carrots (on top of cupcakes), fresh fruit, doughnut holes that looked like acorns, cake balls that looked like heads of lettuce and potatoes.... So much more! I also made cakes to go in the mason jars that are on the table. Beth took care of all the arranging, artwork and designs and I helped her by baking. We are a good team! Cathy made these awesome candles out of artichokes and asparagus. I am so proud to be a "Stoeckel" and a part of the creativity that went into this day!!!  Our Garden Veggies  Fresh raspberries in November! How exciting!  Mushroom cupcake and mini pies  a variety of cakes in little mason jars   The acorn doughnuts  Pie Pops!  Beth's center pieces are beautiful!  Cathy's fresh veggie candles were really cute too!    And here is Sarah. Such a beautiful expectant mother!  My little one giving her little one a hug  Beth's girls giving baby Owen some love  This is my sister Beth. She never has pictures of herself in her blog!  My children and their aunt. What a great month November was! December has been full of sewing projects and Christmas decorating, so maybe by February I will have another post. {smirk} |
