Why I Love October.

If you've read my "About Me" page you know I love October. There are so many reasons why I feel it is superior to any other month. So in my opinion...
October is AWESOME because of some obvious reasons that most people can appreciate...

• leaves are changing colors
• cooler temps
• short sleeves by day, snugglie sweater by night
• football season is in full swing
• the world series begins
• HALLOWEEN and seeing our precious little peeps in their get-ups
• pumpkin patches are billowing with those gorgeous orange gourds

However, in addition to those, I have my own personal list...

• have you ever noticed the color of the October sky? A-MA-ZING.
• it's my BIRTHMONTH! (a shout out to my fellow October birthday friends...Holla!) and in my family, we seem to celebrate all month long
• it's MM1's birthmonth, as well as several other family members who I love dearly
• the SC State Fair (yes, I admit, I am a sucker for the fair)
• it's the month the Yard Man and I celebrate our anniversary of being together
• so many great theme parties to be had (I'm torn between 3 & 4 for this year)
• costume parties for adults
• costume parties for kids
• Halloween brunch complete with a Bloody Mary bar and Mimosas
• a pumpkin carving party
• a Harvest supper with friends (which could also be done in November)
• tailgate parties
• chili cook-offs
• and the list goes on...
• our visit to the pumpkin patch where we try to find the ugliest pumpkin and where the MM's pick out our "family"
• the Pine Island fall carnival and costume contest that my in-laws have been taking us to for years
• costume making with my uber talented mom
• I love to decorate for Halloween and fall in general and drag out my old trusty-rusty Halloween decor that the MM's love. I devoted a post to it several years ago.
• and finding new inspiration for projects, such as:
• my friend Shannon over at Bunco Belle who has some great links to ideas for pumpkin decorating
• a fall mantel---some awesome ideas from readers of The Nesting Place can be found here
• these great burlap wreaths by at Confessions of a Plate Addict and Loola-bee Simplicity (See pics below)
• making a fall outfit for MM3
• time change...there's something so so comforting about the sun setting early on cool crisp night and settling down with my sweet boys
• Boo at the Zoo
• Corn Mazes

I could probably think of a million other reasons why I love October so much but that's just an idea. So in the meantime, y'all check out the links and if you'd like, add to my list of reasons. I'd love to hear more!

Practically Yours,

Let's get this Pawty Stawted!!!

As I stated earlier...I love planning my children's parties! Fulton has requested an ice cream social. So I got my wheels turning and went to my favorite place for some inspiration...the Internet! I created my inspiration board from some other great blogs and websites.

Ice Cream Social Inspiration Board



Photo credits:
Red and Blue Tissue Poms http://sweetlittleparties.blogspot.com/2010/09/win-happy-birthday-to-me.html, Balloons http://www.simplybabystuff.com/brownblue.html, Invitations and Toppings http://katelandersevents.blogspot.com/2010/03/ice-cream-birthday-party-for-boys.html, Tablescape http://rufflesandbells.wordpress.com/2010/04/30/woodsy-poppy-red/, Take-Home Treats http://sugarshop.typepad.com/sugar_shop/2009/02/rice-krispy-treat-pops-tutorial.html, Cupcake Toppers http://thetwosavvysisters.blogspot.com/2010/06/new-party-collectionvintage-baseball.html, Ice Cream Tent http://www.dandydonsicecream.com/

I was blessed with S and F being born right smack dab in the middle of college football season. So we either have to do parties on "off" days or Sundays. So we chose the Sunday following F's birthday. I used my Mom Agenda planning section to get me started.

The Details
Date: 9/12
Time: 2:30-4:00
Where: Our house
Menu: Cupcakes, Ice Cream Sundaes, Toppings- sprinkles, jimmies, cherries, crushed oreos, chocolate chips, gummies, m&m's, sugar wafers, cherries, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, whipped cream, Beverages- bottled water, red and blue kool-aid
The Decoration Ideas
Color scheme: Red, white, light blue, and brown- fabric/tablecloths, paper pinwheels, tissue pom-poms, napkins, bowls, spoons
Games and Favor Ideas:
Pin the cherry on the sundae, cherry on the spoon relay; ice cream scoop, ice cream foam pop-gun, or rice krispie pop
(We actually decided against games because it was forcasted to be very hot and it was a shorter party. And party favors...Sometimes I think parents throw away plastic toy party favors as soon as the child goes to sleep and it ends up being a waste of money. So we went with the rice krispie treat pops.)

Ice Cream Social Event Board

(Click photo for larger view)

Left to right: cupcake tree, autograph mat (Each MM has one from every birthday. They are my favorite mementos and I hope they'll be theirs too.), treat basket and treat, personalized water bottles and kool-aid on ice, toppings, wagon with gifts, invitation by Letter Bugz, blowing out #5, cupcake toppers and ice cream tags, paper pin wheels lining the walk to greet guests, tissue pom-poms suspended from ice cream tent.



This is what we ended up with! F loved it and was so excited when he walked outside to see the staging. He said. "Wow! This is MY party!" I was very pleased with how it all came together.

 

Practically Yours,

An update

A simple equation for my readers:

+

+

=

I am a speech therapist by trade and a stay at home mom by the grace of God, the hard work of The Yard Man, and the little sacrifices we make as a family. In an earlier post I was struggling with how I could use my degree and still be at home with my MM's. I also want to still be able to use my talents and keep my creative juices flowing. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!?!

Which leads me to my update on a few things...

# 1- So I have been researching part-time speech therapy prospects and have a couple "in my pocket goin' jing-a-ling-a-ling". (Go on...I hear ya...sing it sista.---I loved that song.) The extra cashola sure would be nice and it would keep my foot in the do' for future speech gigs. Not to mention with these particular prospects I would be available for my little MM's. I just gotta keep praying one of them will work out.

# 2- I have been trying to revamp my business website Letter Bugz Social Stationery! I have decided to move away from stationery and focus more on my themed invitations with coordinating thank you notes, favor labels, and address labels, as well as photo cards. I will also be adding children's birthday party services soon. These will include a variety of services such as; custom invitation packages, inspiration boards, handmade decor, and full-service party planning for a WIDE range of budgets! I have been praying for a while now for God to help me use my talents in a way that others may also benefit and the LORD knows how much I love planning fun parties and entertaining! So, I am going to give this a shot and I am hoping He will give me the strength and knowledge I need to get this up and running. Word of mouth is the best advertisement, so I also hope I can count on your support and prayers as I dive in to something new.

# 3- On an organizational note: Daily I think about how much I enjoy planning parties and celebrating birthdays. But at least three times a year I am reminded exactly how much I LOOOOOOOVE it! Well it's one of those times of the year. Tomorrow, September 9th, is MM2's 5th birthday. I can't believe it! About a month or so ago, I asked MM2 what kind of party he'd like. He said he wanted an Ice Cream social! So I have been hard at work shopping around for specials on supplies for DIY decorations and all the party necessities! Details to come!!!
 I have been plundering through photos of the past 5 years to include in MM2's celebration of life presentation at school. This reminded me that back in the summer I began organizing all my printed photos from 1974 to present and got stuck somewhere in the early 2000's. I need to get on it again! I was on a mission and I have fallen off the wagon. But Hobby Lobby and Target have great stylish photo boxes for storage and I bought a few last time they were on sale. Organizing photos makes projects like this very easy...only MM2 was born in 2005 and I didn't make it that far in "operation photo organization".

Any who...just an update.

Practical Tip- I am trusting in the Lord. He knows me best of all and it will work out the way it is supposed to!

Practically Put- Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. -Proverbs 3:5-6

Practically yours,