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Yesteryear

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This weekend Jay moved over some old photos to our new computer.

Today I spent some time reviewing them.

And drying my eyes.

Where do the days, weeks & years go?

It kills me inside to look at these pics and almost {forget} them being this little.

{September 13, 2007 ~ 2 years, 4 months}

{September 15, 2007 ~ not quite 7 months}

A harsh reminder to CHERISH every day with them.

Time goes by too DARN fast.

UGH!

*****

On another note, I’ve been starting to meal plan more so I’m not left with those {it’s 4:00pm and I have no idea what I’m feeding my family for dinner} moments.

Here’s what’s on the menu for this week:

Monday: Leftover Pot Roast from the weekend {one pot meal since I add LOTS of veggies}

Tuesday: Leftover Chicken Enchiladas {recipe below} from the weekend & fruit salad

Wednesday: Mexican Lasagna & simple side salad with romaine, carrots, tomatoes, onions and cucumbers & dressing of choice

Thursday: Antipasto Chopped Salad

Friday: Leftover Mexican Lasagna w/ side salad

Saturday: Buffalo Chicken Salad

Sunday: Asian Turkey Meatballs w/ Lime Dipping Sauce

I stole this chicken enchilada recipe from my friend {and old neighbor}, Gina.

You’ll need the following: meat of one rotisserie chicken {shredded or chopped}, a 16 ounce container of sour cream, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, a small can of diced mild green chiles, black olives {optional}, grated cheese and flour tortillas.

Mix together sour cream, can of mushroom soup and can of chiles. Spread one side of a tortilla with the sour cream mixture, add some chicken down the middle, sprinkle cheese on chicken, add some olives at this point too, roll and place in your pan. Repeat until your pan is full. Spread the rest of the sour cream mixture over the rolled enchiladas and then sprinkle with more cheese and olives if you wish. Place in a 350* oven for 25-30 minutes. Makes about 8 enchiladas. Enjoy!

Thanks again, Gina! LOVE this recipe!

Vision

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There are oodles of fabulous party blogs out there these days. Between these blogs and Pinterest, inspiration has no limits.

I look at some of these blogs and gush over these parties and celebrations and immediately want MY next shindig to rival what I see. I guess you could say that the pressure is there to {compete} with all these magazine worthy festivities.

Yes, I do feel the pressure, but I know that I cannot, single handedly pull off the equivalent of these parties. I have no idea what the hosts budgets are, but I know that when I do parties, I must stick to my budget regardless of what other people’s financial situations may be.

I am OK with this, of course. I would rather throw a modest celebration that is perfectly thought out, carefully planned and executed rather than nothing at all.

I remember Ina Garten mentioning on her show once that all you need is simple, cohesive decor and not a huge, over the top tablescape. That school of thought has stuck with me.

Normally I hunt for party goodies year round and stumble upon trinkets here and there when I see them on clearance or reasonably priced. However, while planning my mom’s upcoming milestone birthday celebration, I have come up with a theme and the date is less than a couple weeks away!

That puts me in panic mode.

Last night Jay got home early and I headed out after dinner to fetch invitations to get them printed and in the mail by tomorrow. I headed to Home Goods, Party City, Joann’s, Target, Pier One and Ross. NOTHING to my liking. I had several options in-hand ready to pay, but was not 100% happy with any of them. I came home empty handed and knew that I had to make my 2.5 hours of alone time this morning fruitful.

{Pinterest via}

I decided to start at Michael’s and work my way down the strip mall until I found something that matched my vision.

I immediately found darling blank seashell note cards and coordinating ribbon for half off.

Went down to Ross and scored some gorgeous pieces, also on clearance.

I now have a solidified color scheme, invitations, menu and a head start on the decor.

Simple.

Classy.

Affordable.

That’s always my {vision} and I’m stickin’ to it.

*****

Happy Thursday, all!

Flip Flop Fiestas ~ Theme

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I decided to put together a little 5 part series on my idea of how to {plan the perfect, budget-friendly party}. I think some people are overwhelmed by planning parties and I want to try to make it {easier}. I only have experience with small, homespun parties that I’ve thrown for my kids, but in my opinion, those are the best kind!

Each day this week, I will talk about one of the FIVE categories of party planning in my book:

Theme, Invitations, Venue & Decor, Food, Activities & Favors

*****

Part 1 ~ Choosing A Theme

I prefer to come up with a theme WAY in advance. Partly because of my self-diagnosed OCD, but partly because it makes party planning easier in my opinion.

The theme can be something that your child is currently into like a character, book or movie. It can be inspired by an outfit or costume, or just something that YOU, the party planner, want to do {tip: the younger your kids are, the easier it is to choose the theme yourself!}

For example, Elliott’s 2nd birthday was a {Western} theme after I found a darling {le top} dress with horses and fringe down the sides. I used that as my springboard.

Holden’s 2nd birthday was a {Creepy Crawly Critter} theme because I found bug catchers and nets at Target for 75% off which I used as the favors!

The simplest of things can become inspiration for your party ~ your theme can be as simple as a color ~ a PINK or GREEN party, for instance. Once you’ve decided on a theme, sky’s the limit!

I keep my eyes peeled for anything that coordinates with my theme that is on sale or cheap and I pick it up and stash it away in the guest room closet. {shhhh, that is my secret hiding place} I shop the after holiday sales at Target for plates, cups, napkins, etc. that may tie in with what I’ve chosen.

Think outside the box. Your child’s favorite book can easily become the theme as seen here with this {The Giving Tree} party:

How darling is that?

And I LOVE this one from Beth over at Odd Girl Out?…{Harry and The Henderson’s} party:

C’mon now…I canNOT handle the creativity here.

{I haven’t even seen the movie and I’m in love!}

Proof that a party can be inspired by ANYTHING!

*****

Once you have your theme, you need to figure out your guest list and decide how you’re going to let them know about your celebration…

*****

Coming up tomorrow, Part 2: Invitations!