Once upon a time, the sweetest girl named Hady, turned 1 years old! ....and she lived happily ever after! Ha!

This weekend we had a celebration for my youngest nieces 1st birthday. My sister and I have been calling it our swan song. It was the last first birthday for our kids. Its crazy to think that its been nearly 15 years since I threw my first 1st birthday party for my own son! His wasn't nearly this elaborate, but then again I was 23 and Jeremy was deployed to Iraq. The sentiment was the same though...enjoy this baby who has brought so much joy to our lives during a difficult season.

Near the start of the year, my sister came to me with the idea of having a ONE-derland (Wonderland) themed party for Hady. My mind immediately went to photos that a friends wedding venue had shared of a garden themed, tea party style, event. Everything was dripping with greens and muted colors. There were tiny sweets and fun drinks. I knew this would be the basis for her party. Then we found the cutest tiny plates at Michaels with little pink and blue flowers. There it was. The perfect color scheme for her celebration. 

Over the last few months, I collected pieces together as I shopped to use for her party. I also started setting aside or making notes to bring pieces of my own. This included some tiny spoons that I inherited from my Great-Grandmother and flowers I use in my own decor. My sister even managed to find a vintage highchair at a garage sale for $10! 

The plan was to have it outside, under one of my sisters Magnolia trees. Well, mother nature had other plans. It stormed and rained all weekend. On Friday, we knew that we would have to move the party inside. Even if it was dry during her party, the yard was going to be a muddy mess after 3 days of rain. Mud + young kids + pretty decor = a monstrous mess. So, we crafted a plan of how we could switch around her furniture to accommodate the extra leaves in her beautiful table, and still leave room for people to easily sit or mingle. Swapping the table with a loveseat & ottoman was the only way we could make it happen inside. It worked so well that my brother-in-law was trying to figure out how in the world to keep it without sacrificing having a TV on the main level! 

This was definitely a labor of love, but it was so worth it. 

Isn't it dreamy?

Some of my favorite items that we found were the foil edge plates from Michaels, the banner from Party City and of course the cutest favors ever by Becca by the Book. How cute are these bookmarks!? They perfectly matched the images on the banner and really sealed the vintage vibe for the whole look. Her bookmarks inspired me to create the tags on the bottles & mini cake stands.

Mother Nature may have tried to throw us for a loop by forcing us inside, but it turned into a great day. I am so happy with the way this turned out and I hope you find inspiration here to create your own little Wonderland.

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Wonderland Banner  -  Teapot Cake Stands  -  Mini Cake Stands

5oz Bottles  -  Bookmarks  -  Mini Foil Plate  -  Pink Foil Plates  -  Blue Foil Plate

Peace and Joy

My prayers the last few weeks have been unfamiliar. Change is coming in our life. Some of it was expected (like school), while some is new and more challenging (like saying goodbye to our dog Bailey). I don't like change. I don't like going through hard places. I hate the unknown. I am tormented by the thought that everything could be gone in the blink of an eye.

Its what anxiety does. It takes a small thing that you think you understand and asks you so many questions about it that the small thing begins to unravel. You begin to wonder how you could have ever trusted that small thing, that thought, in the first place.

And when you couple anxiety with depression you get a slippery slope of doom. Think Wipeout obstacle course, but in complete darkness. You never know what new thing is going to send you spiraling towards the icy water.

I'm incredibly grateful for the gift of being able to see my anxiety and depression for what they are. I can identify them and reach out to those who I know can help hold me accountable for my actions.
I can reach for truth and grace and find my footing again; I see the small lamp that lights the very next step.

Right now the next step is an MRI of my hip next week.

Me waiting for-ev-er at the doctors office

I may have a torn labrum (the part that holds your femur into your hip). A fall at camp in July only further aggravated the discomfort I had been having all summer. If I am up and around too much it begins to bother me. I never know when certain movements will cause sharp, shooting pain and make me want to scream bloody murder.

Seeing the doctor about my hip was a "small thing". It knew something was wrong but it had taken me most of the summer to be seen about it, 2-3 weeks after my fall even, because I didn't think I was hurt that badly. It was supposed to be something simple. Instead it unraveled and turned into a meeting with the orthopedic clinic, x-rays, an MRI, a meeting with the surgeon, and physical therapy for the foreseeable future. I am facing the possibility of surgery and a difficult recovery, depending on the severity of my injury.

I have had to put all of our current plans for the fall/winter on hold until I know for sure how bad it is. The anxiety of not knowing, of not being able to plan, worrying about all the possible bad things that could happen in surgery, how will I take care of my family, not being able to commit to anything, how will I ever finish all the things that need to be done at the house...... Its eating me alive.

And of course, because I have depression, its like the wind got knocked right out of me. I'm angry. Its how my depression comes out. I'm not a sad, crying mess all day. I get out of bed (although I don't really want to), but I am not all sunshine and roses. I'm pissed off at everything and everyone for basically no reason. The slightest things set me off, and make me just want to crawl back into bed. I have good moments too. Ones where you would never ever know that I even battle depression. I'm so grateful for them because it means that I still have hope.

I am so happy I am a part of Dauntless Grace Ministries.

Hope is what drives me. It keeps me from going completely under. It allows me to take my thoughts captive and rein them in; it gives me a chance to choose peace and joy. I love hope.

So for today, I am choosing

Peace & Joy. 

Because with all the changes coming our way in the next few months, I need God more than ever. His love, that perfect love, brings me peace and joy in a way that I could never duplicate.

Jesus said to his disciples,

 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." -John 14: 27 (NIV)


Here is to a new season of hard things that are only going to make me stronger.
I'm are going to need lots of coffee.




*All opinions and images are my own and may not be used without express written consent.*