Circus Party-Details

I have tried to get this invite to post right but it is just not working...i'll have to call tech support (hubby). Anyway, I ordered it from etsy from this site. And where she was awesome, let me make as many changes etc. I found that by the time I had it printed (on heavy duty paper ) & bought envelopes, it was over $1.25/invite....not exactly a bargain for all the work. The design itself was $15 & if I didnt have to print 50 of them & special order envelopes then this wouldve been the way to go.

Ryan being silly with our props for the photo booth

The set up

My very talented friend Charlotte (from the W Group) & I came up with this idea for the cake table. I wanted to have bright colored candy in clear jars & she wanted to create a "big top". She used thick (3 in) ribbon & draped it over the fan then taped it to the table. I got the individual colored candies from party city (not cheap I might add).

I wanted the party to be fun & kid friendly (considering it is a kids party). I decorated with all things editable!


This was my first attempt at the tissue paper balls. I watched a tutorial on you tube on how to do them & I think they came out cute for my first ball. They are super easy...basically you just lay flat about 10 pieces of tissue paper & then fold it back & forth like an accordion then tie then middle with a piece of fishing line (long enough to hang later) then you just start fluffing each piece.

Wendy (Ryan's step mom) did face painting for the kids! Super cute & fun & the kids loved it!

Marshmellow Roses!

These were a lot easier than I thought they were going to be. I took plastic pop sticks from hobby lobby & stuck a big marsh mellow on it then I heated up red candy melts & dipped it in.

Another look at the candy table

Aww the cake....I found a pic similar to this online when i searched circus party themed blogs: This may have been my favorite thing! My friend, Amy Clark, who just makes these beautiful, delicious creations just for fun, made this cake for me for the party. I can't tell you anything about it but that it was delicious & I ate it for 5lbs (or one week)!

For the cake topper, I bought very thin, almost two inch, wooden letters at hobby lobby & painted them with a metallic paint. I let Audrey pick the colors.

Uncle Robbie with the birthday boy (they were actually both birthday boys, Robbie's birthday was on the 7th)

The Photo Booth was fun! The kids had a blast with this! Ryan literally (heavy duty) taped large pieces of cardboard together for the top & the sides & I hung a piece of fabric from the back (we actually stapled it right to the hardyboard siding).

Birthday Boy


Birthday Girl

Her little outfit is called a petite romper, I saw it on etsy from Ry Ry designs (she was easier to find on FB) for $14 I think (shipped)
The headband was from this etsy site she was super accommodating since i ordered it 5 days before the party & she made sure that it got to me on time. She even followed up with me to make sure I had gotten it.

A Few Pics from Today-Details to follow

I've learned

In the past month, I've learned:

No one will die if the dishes don't get done

I don't really need as much sleep as I think

My kids are growing up waaaayyy to fast

My husband was handpicked for me by God

Even when I think we are at max capacity, if we have to, we can handle more

Family is the most important thing

Time is of the essence


Long story short, my grandmother's (Mimi) health is failing (quickly) & we as a family have been trying to spend as much time with her as possible. The part that sucks is that all around me...life just goes on. All I want to do is be with my kids(and of course hubby) & spend any other moment with her. but school/work/etc will not permit....they just dont care. How is that? Why do we (as a society) not stop to mourn a life that is deteriorating & honor her? I want the bereavement now!!! I have mixed emotions about blogging about my time with her.

It has been precious
It has been emotional
It has been humiliating
It has been humbling
It has been exhausting
It has been frustrating
It has been fulfilling
It has been eye opening
It is just not enough time & she is slipping away

When she was first admitting to the hospital, I got the call....."mimi fell again"
Not said with aggrivation but just a statement..... a call I have gotten, lets just say, plenty of times! But she is Mimi, she has always been & she has always bounced back. This fall was pretty bad & left her needing constant attention (for her body, mind intact). We decided to place her at a living facility where they would know how to lift her & help her....she needed more than we knew how to do. I made it a point to visit 1-2x's/per week. Other than her body, she was the same ole Mimi. Almost two weeks ago, she was rushed to the ER where we found out that she had a hemorrhage in her brain (yes, i'm sure their is a more technical term). She has since suffered (at least) two strokes.
In the ICU (after the first 2 days) she was her normal self. tired. but my mimi. I spent hours with her having breakfast, reading to her, praying with her & just reminiscing over childhood memories. She talked to me with such a tenderness that it warms my heart. She told me about losing her mother at a young age about how her & my grandfather met & almost ran off & got married at a very young age. About her time in Germany when my dad was a child, about losing her twins (miscarriage) about how her & my grandfather decided not to have anymore kids. She talked about my mom & how she has been a daughter to her. We remembored about how after my grandfather died, one of us (kids) would stay the night with her & how we'd have blueberry waffles every morning before my mom would pick us up to take us to school. She told me (which I didnt remember) that as soon as my mom would pick us up we would start deciding who would spend that next night with her.
On Sunday, 9/25/11 we went down for a quick visit before we headed to the saints game. We brought the kids so we knew our time would be limited. She had been asking to see Audrey's new haircut & Audrey wanted to show her her saints outfit. (just as a sidebar, I am so proud of my little girl! throughout this whole process...the nursing home, the hospital she has been so helpful & so gracious. I can tell she is uncomfortable & doesnt totally understand what is going on yet she will still talk to mimi & love on her. She almost always remembers her in her prayers)
After the saints game, I decided to spend the night with her...like old times. Im so glad I did because that was the last time I have seen the "ole mimi". Since her stroke, she still understands you alot of the time but she is having a hard time communicating & getting words out. I thank God for the time & relationship that I have with her because it has prepared me for this season.
I consider it an honor to help take care of her, to sit at her bedside, to try my damnest to understand & help her, to just know her well enough that sometimes i already know what she needs, to watch her fight like hell & see how strong she is.
I have seen her frustrated & been frustrated with her. I have seen her angry & tried to soothe her. I have seen her downright out of it & try to see the "ole mimi". I'm just glad that for the time being, I still get to see her.
I guess this post is more for me than anyone else. I want to hold on to my most recent memories of her (even the sad ones). I don't know how long she will continue to fight or if she will improve. I rest in His promise to never leave us (Hebrews 13:5) I know that this life is tainted with sin & therefore we will have hardships but am encouraged by the fact that this life is not all there is for us.
2 Corinthians 4:16-15:8
16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits arebeing renewed every day. 17For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.