News Taffy

Hello all! So the big event in our life this week has been a certain little girl's 1st birthday. It feels like I was just telling you about making Story's baby food and now, here she is a toddler. I had big ideas on making more decorations for her party like I did for London's, but things got so crazy with school, getting books, and the like that I did less for Story's.

We went with a Story's a Growing Girl kind of theme with spring type decor. I made a centerpiece out of flowers I got on sale at Hobby Lobby, had around the house, and pulled out of old arrangements. I shoved them down into holes cut into the plastic lid of an oatmeal canister, and then I just wrapped the canister with the paper the Hobby Lobby flowers were wrapped in and taped. Lazy, yes. Pretty, yes. We also had some fresh flowers in water in a mason jar and some floating in water in little green buckets. My favorite of the decor was the balloon garland. I saw the idea online first, and it's positively genius. Instead of taping balloons to different areas, only for them to slowly fall down one by one and need to be taped again, you tie them all to fishing line, and then hang it wherever you want!

I also bought some plain white paper lanterns at the Dollar Tree, and we cut out some little butterflies drawn onto scrapbook paper and taped them all over them. I also painted a small canvas, and then used Story's footprints to make a butterfly and bought letter stickers to write something on it. (I can't paint anything but a solid color. No letters. No pictures. Nope.)

I also bought small terra cotta pots to bake the cupcakes in. I then changed to baking them in the regular liners when I found out they could fit inside the pots. However, I then decided to melt down some wax and add oil and a wick and make candles. I picked out a sugar cookie oil from Hobby Lobby because I thought it smelled like birthday cake. Did you know there are tiny holes at the bottom of those pots? Yeah, makes sense...but as soon as I opened them, I realized I was going to have to go with another plan. I tried to line them first with aluminum foil, but my crock pot still had wax all in the bottom of it. Luckily, I can scrape it out and use it again. Fail. It was the creative thought, right?

The night ended with pizza on the grill and some cake pops London and I bought that morning at the Farmer's Market. Once the girls were in bed, I went to my computer to type up Story's letter. I journal to my girls here and there. It's one of my favorite traditions. I may write after a long day, a special memory, or just because, but I always write to them on their birthday.

 It was a small affair with just close family and friends, but it was such a special day in our lives. Funny how you can't see while expecting a little one exactly how perfectly they fit a need and hole in your family you never knew was there until they filled it.

Until next time,
Heather