Hope you all had happy Halloweens, friends! Before I share my November goals, I thought I’d pop in with a quick post on our DIY family Halloween costume – the weather!
Most people who know John know he is an amateur weatherman. It is probably his main hobby – researching weather, looking at all the apps and websites, listening to podcasts and periscopes, following weather people on Twitter. Obviously, he is the go-to guy for any weather-related questions in our circle of family and friends! So when it was time to choose a family costume this year, this was a perfect pick.
But it took us a bit to land on it… June’s first suggestion for our family was the Frozen cast. I know it’s a popular one, but I didn’t feel like we had a strong-enough connection to the movie for it to be meaningful for us. When I gently explained this to her, she said, “Oh, that’s okay. I know: we can all be My Little Ponies!!” Oops, ha.
In order to not subject Shep to dressing up as Twilight Sparkle, I knew I had to come up with something good. Weather popped to mind – I had saved this costume concept from Studio DIY years ago because I knew it would be a good fit for our family – and when I dangled a rainbow costume in front of June she latched on hook, line, and sinker. And the rest unfolded from there! If you’d like to try your own weather costume in the future, here are a few details!
DIY Rainbow Halloween Costume
This was probably my favorite of the bunch – I was so happy with how it came together! We started with a rainbow dress from Hanna Andersson and added a rainbow sash to the top. For the sash, I bought tulle in a rainbow of colors, cut it into strips, and stitched them on (I just cut the stitches at the end of the night to turn it back into her normal dress!). She wore pink leggings and pink sparkly shoes she already had. We did her hair in two high buns and pinned in some white cotton stuffing for “clouds.” The final touch? A rainbow of face glitter (her favorite part, for sure!).
DIY Lightning Halloween Costume
For the most part, I like to keep it simple for the parent costumes. I used yellow reflective tape to make lightning bolts on a black shirt, and John wore gray pants he already owned. He played a noise loop of a rainstorm with thunder and lightning on his phone all evening as we walked around, ha!
DIY Rain Cloud Halloween Costume
I wore this white shirt, this light blue dotted skirt, and navy shoes – all items I already owned. My biggest moment was carrying a clear umbrella studded with felt rain drops, including ones suspended from the rim with fishing line.
DIY Tornado Halloween Costume
No costume could be more perfect for a three-year-old boy than a tornado, amiright? :) Shep’s costume was definitely the roughest of the bunch – I wasn’t positive I could get him into it if I created it beforehand, so I opted to construct it on him… and then I remembered little boys don’t like to stand still, and then we were running late, and then I ran out of hot glue AND staples in the course of making it (!!).
The basic construction was a tomato cage with one rung cut off with duct tape straps across the top to rest on his shoulders. I wrapped strips of cotton batting and gray tulle from top to bottom. I was planning to taper the shape more and twist it off to the side to create more of a funnel, and add little farm animals with hot glue, but alas, supplies and time were not on my side.
In the end, it was tough for him to move in and the metal was banging into his shins, so we shed the cage midway through the night and just wrapped the tulle over his gray shirt and joggers to turn him into a storm cloud :)
And of course, twisting up his hair with a little paste to mimic a stiff wind was the best part.
DIY Sunshine Halloween Costume
Sweet Annie, the very epitome of sunshine, joined us in a yellow onesie (I hot glued on an orange heart!) and yellow leggings. I bought a half-round foam circle from Joann, painted it yellow, hot glued on triangles cut from stiff yellow and orange felt, and hot glued the whole thing onto a headband she already owned. She could even wear the ensemble in her stroller!
There you have it – hope the weather is fine wherever you are today! :)
I thought I’d share a bit about our inaugural back-to-school dinner, for those who might be interested! Many others have hosted these before me: Merrick has shared some details, Stephanie’s are legendary, and ours was inspired by the Clarkson’s Family Day, too.
I would not classify our 2021 dinner as legendary – it was quite simple and low-key. I anticipate it will be a family tradition for many years to come, though, so there’s plenty of time to build on what we’ve started! While our decorations were fun (June declared them “fancy!” when she saw the candles lit), our kids are still VERY young and were mostly not interested in our introduction of the family scripture theme, ha. Banking on that part coming with time!
So why have a back-to-school dinner?
First, I’ll take any chance to make some everydaymagic. And a fresh school year is certainly something to celebrate!
Some years, a special dinner may be needed to bolster a kiddo who feels nervous or reluctant (definitely not the case for us this year – June was PUMPED).
But mostly, I think a well-timed dinner like this helps to ground our kids in our family culture, family values, and family unit before they’re sent back out into the absorbing and sometimes cold world of school. It’s one more opportunity to remind them they’re loved, they’re liked, they’re valuable, and they’re capable.
Our back-to-school dinner decorations:
Table decorations may just seem like fluff, but as I so passionately argued for years in the wedding space, the setting sets the tone: it tells the attendees this is an out-of-the-ordinary night. It tells them they’re worthy of some fun and fanfare. And it makes the evening more memorable by being unusual.
This year, I set the table with our gray gingham tablecloth (bought many years ago and still going strong!) and everyday placemats. June contributed the place cards, we sprinkled some sequins and star confetti, and I added tea lights in mini mason jars we had on hand. The piece de resistance was the centerpiece: flowers from our yard in a pencil-wrapped vase.
To make the vase, I bought a mega pack of pencils and stuck them onto a simple glass vase with double-sided tape, then tied on the satin bow. Pro tip: I was worried the tape wouldn’t come off the vase, but if you dab it with water, it peels right off!
What we ate at our back-to-school dinner:
I was prepared to cook a family favorite, but the kids requested our beloved Chinese takeout, so that’s what we did! We had build-your-own ice cream sundaes for dessert (Neopolitan ice cream, peanuts, hot fudge, caramel sauce, sprinkles, whipped cream, cherries) and June talked for days leading up to it about how she was going to make her OWN without any HELP, ha. These little bowls were perfect and we’ve been using them daily for after-school snacks, too.
What we did at our back-to-school dinner:
Mostly, we just chatted and enjoyed each other’s company! Such as it is with a five year old, a three year old, and an infant :) We also introduced our scripture theme for the year (Matthew 22:37-39). I feel like I fumbled through this as I do explaining many things about faith, but reminded myself it’s the effort that counts – hopefully that encourages you if you feel this way, too!
The goal is that we would all memorize these verses and be more likely to bring them up in conversation and teaching moments throughout the year. To help with this, I printed out a copy for each of the kids and let them paint simple wooden frames to display them in their rooms. This turned out to be very popular, and they did such a good job! As for memorization, we’re just planning to recite the verses together before bed for as long as it takes! :)
Other than that, John and I told them about some of our memories from kindergarten, and we talked again through how the next day would unfold.
In future years, I would love to include more words of affirmation between parents and kids and between siblings – either in written notes or just going around the table and encouraging each other in a specific way! I also think a back-to-school/first day outfit fashion show and/or dressing up would be fun additions.
And that’s it! Aside from the little bit of decoration prep (my love language), it was really very simple, but a lovely evening to mark a big milestone. I’m looking forward to seeing how this tradition evolves in the years to come! If you have any back-to-school dinner or first day of school traditions, I’d love to hear.
Earlier this year (probably a few weeks after we realized we were having babies two weeks apart!) I floated the idea of hosting a joint garden party to Nancy. I wasn’t picturing a baby shower per se – certainly not in the traditional sense of a guest of honor, gifts, and games – but the opportunity just seemed ripe to celebrate spring, new babies, access to vaccines, and a new season of life with COVID on the wane here! Nancy was game, and we quickly roped in our friend Sam, too. She completed the pregnant hostess triumvirate: three summer babies in six weeks!
After much back-and-forth on dates, we eventually settled on a Wednesday in early June. We were aiming for a weekend night, but I’m actually happy we landed midweek – I think we got a lot more “yes” RSVPs that way, and it was something special to look forward to! Nancy agreed to host us in her backyard, and I happily took the lead on all things planning: after a year and a half with no group celebrations, I was thrilled to have an excuse to put together an inspiration board and pull together details.
Of course, John’s injury threatened to throw a wrench in the plans, but thanks to keeping things as simple as possible and lots of help from my parents on the home front, we pulled it off! We ended up having the sweetest evening, and I’d love to share a few photos and details, if you’d like to see.
After choosing a date, our first order of business was putting together a guest list. This was one of my very favorite parts of the whole celebration: with three hostesses, we invited three interlocking friend groups whose edges were blurred in the most delightful way. Even though I didn’t know all of the guests well before the party, I knew they’d all be lovely people if they were friends of my friends! It was neat to see gals who had never met mixing, mingling, and getting along famously.
We used Paperless Post for an evite (asking friends to wear their favorite floral dress or garden party attire!), and I kept track of details and to dos in a Google Doc so we could all access it easily. The evening itself was very simple: we gathered at 6:30pm, had a 45-minute or so “cocktail hour” of chatting with drinks and a charcuterie platter, and then sat down to dinner. We didn’t get up again until 9:45, when I looked at my phone and realized we should probably start packing it in! I had originally considered incorporating an activity, like planting pots to take home, but should have known simple conversation with friends who hadn’t gotten together in so long would be more than enough to fill our time.
To seat everyone, I used a folding table of mine and borrowed two from a friend. We did rent 16 chairs from a local company, which was totally worth it at $45. The tables were covered with these block print linens – I already had one, and purchased a second (which I plan to gift to a friend on some future occasion!). Since it was a garden party, I splurged and ordered two centerpieces from Wylde, then sprinkled in potted plants from our favorite nursery (they all got planted in our yard post-party!), lots of tea lights and candles, and a few piles of limes and clementines. My friend Katie (who just opened the SWEETEST citrus-themed Etsy shop!) contributed the orange garlands and place cards.
You may even be able to spot a brand-new product (THAT I LOVE) from Cultivate launching this fall – I got permission to test it out with this crew, and it was a big hit! EEP!
For the place settings, I went with plastic plates in aqua and green, pale pink plastic bowls, pastel flatware (also in green and blue), and patterned paper napkins. At $.50 each, the plates and bowls were almost cheaper than a paper or flimsier plastic version, and now our family has an outdoor dining set to enjoy! We avoided the need for cups by serving sparkling canned drinks like LaCroix.
Food-wise, we also kept things simple by ordering three family meals from Cava, a Mediterranean chain. Guests were able to mix their own greens or grains bowls, adding in things like hummus, tzatziki, cabbage slaw, tomatoes and cucumbers, and pickled red onion. On the side, we had plenty of pita (actually, a laughably large amount) and fresh fruit. We re-plated everything into our collection of serving bowls and stands, and it looked cute grouped together on the table! And tasted delicious, too.
For dessert, we passed around Tillamook ice cream sandwiches (YUM!) and also cut into a small cake and sang to Sam – it was her birthday the day before!
Though we kept things as simple as we could, the logistics still felt like a lot at times. There’s one thing I’m really grateful I did, though: I used vacation time to end work a few hours early on the day of the party. Instead of frantically running out the door, I was able to get to Nancy’s in plenty of time and enjoy a leisurely set up before our guests arrived. As I’ve gotten older and wiser, I’ve realized the beauty of prioritizing this buffer time, even if I would have previously resisted using vacation time for it!
All in all, it was the sweetest evening. “My” guests included five of my dear girlfriends, some of whom knew each other and some who did not, but all who got along famously. What a treat to enjoy their company all together on a beautiful evening on the cusp of welcoming this new baby into our lives! I’m so glad we prioritized it and grateful we could pull it off.
I’d love to hear: have you had any memorable celebrations since the pandemic eased? Or the fun experience of hosting with friends, resulting in a mixed group of guests?
Filling Easter baskets for our kiddos has become one of my favorite springtime traditions! As someone who didn’t grow up with them, I’ve really grown to love the opportunity they give me to highlight an important holiday in our faith, support small businesses, replenish basics at the turn of the season, and create some magic for my little ones. And personally, as a creative person, they’re just really fun for me to collect, curate, arrange, and fluff!
This year, we’re doing Palm Sunday baskets as opposed to Easter baskets. I agonized over this decision, but so many of the items I’m including will be used on spring break, and our break falls before Easter. It didn’t make sense to withhold the items I’d planned to include and buy extra things simply to fill their baskets. Plus, these baskets will double as road trip goodies – which is why they’re a little more stuffed than usual!
(If you’re curious, I’ve written extensively on my feelings about Easter baskets in the past – this post from last year captures why I love them and feel they’re an important part of our faith tradition! This post covers some of my tips for keeping baskets budget-friendly.)
Onto the stuffing! Before I get into the 2021 specifics, here are a few things I consider including each year:
— Pajamas. These usually come from Hanna Andersson or my favorite consignment sale (which sadly has been canceled three times in a row now due to COVID, sob!).
Knowing that not everyone chooses Easter baskets as their big parenting moment (ha!), I would love to hear something you are “extra” about celebrating! (Or that was celebrated big in your family growing up!) The less traditional or expected, the better. The first day of school? The first day of summer? The tooth fairy? Tell us below!
