I was featured!

I follow a lot of blogs, mostly of people I know, but while looking for ideas for Rhett's birthday, I stumbled across many a party planning blog and they are FABULOUS! Some of them will allow you to submit ideas for parties, and so I did precisely that, and was chosen to be featured over at Everyday Celebrating! Most of you who read this blog have already seen Rhett's party pics, but still, go on over and take a look. You might be inspired with some of her party ideas for yourselves, too!

One Year Pics

We recently had Rhett's One Year Portraits taken, and the proofs are up online at JJBarrettPhotography if anyone would like to see. Click on proofing, and the password is rhett.

Good News!

A few days after our car was broken into, I received a notice in the mail of a certified letter from the city where the incident occurred. I wasn't home at the time, and the notice said they would try to redeliver. Well, life quickly got very hectic that week, and one thing lead to another, and I never received the letter, nor did I make an attempt to drive to the post office to pick it up. So, Rhett's party came and went and then we had pictures, and my mom was in the hospital and had surgery, and Rhett had swimming lessons (another post) and I could go on and on. I had been trying to fit all of these crazy things into my day and whining to Jeremy about continuously forgetting to pick up the letter. He said that the letter was probably some standard form letter that the city sends out to all victims of a crime, or maybe a ticket or something, and not to stress about it and pick it up when I had time. But, I finally made it to the post office with my green ticket in hand about a week and a half later. I opened the letter as soon as I got back into the car, and it was from the police department. It said that they had recovered personal property of mine due to burglary of a motor vehicle. The letter didn't elaborate on the exact contents they had recovered, just gave a number to call and the hours that I could go and pick my things up. The best part was, the letter was dated June 8, 2009. The very next day after our car was broken into. What in the world was I waiting for?!? I couldn't believe that I had hesitated picking up that certified letter. I could have kicked myself. So, to make a long story short-er, everything was returned to me except $3, a check that my mom had written me, a Tide pen (must have had a stain), and my wallet. The criminal dumped everything out of the wallet, and kept that. So, my license, credit cards, checks, voter ID card, EVERYTHING was returned to me!!!! I was so thrilled! Apparently the thief broke into another car a couple of blocks away and dumped my things near that break in. The weirdest part, the 2nd victim's last name was the same as mine, except for the first letter. Her name started with a G, but all of the other letters were the same. Weird, huh!?!

I am so thankful to have most of my things back and in one piece! Thank God for small blessings! And, lesson learned, no visible bags left in the car EVER AGAIN!

Over The (Big) Top

Rhett's first birthday was a carnival themed party. I love a good party, and I really had so much fun planning this one! I will admit, I came up with the idea before he was even born. So, I had a long time for it to marinate and come to fruition. There were still things that didn't happen that I had planned, but all in all, I think it was a great party. It was a crazy hectic week leading up to the big day, but we made it none the less, and now my house is back to normal, with a whole lot more toys! Thank you to my friends and family that helped get set up! Enjoy the pics (LOTS OF THEM!) Thanks to everyone who helped celebrate the big day! We love you all so much!

The Food:

We had Snow Cones...

And Pretzels...

And Pickles...(We made labels for some of the food in a carnival theme. My mom was pretty good at designing them!)

And Peanuts...(More Labels)

And Lollipops (w/ More Labels)...

And Hot Dogs...

And Lemonade...(With cups seen on HWTM)

And Cotton Candy...

And Caramel Apples...

And Miracle Youth Tonic...I saw this idea on Party Perfect Orlando and went a step further. My mom put my dad's head on Rhett's body. They were a big hit!

And Cookies...

...And Cake!

(My ever-so-talented friend, Betsy, made the cakes and cookies for the party. She is amazingly talented! They could not have been more perfect!)

LOTS of Cake!
(I made this circus stand by turning a beverage tub upside down and painting triangles on it. Pretty cute for a cake stand!)We also had popcorn, frito pie, and roasted corn on the cob (not shown).
We had Carnival Games:The Decor:

(My brother made this for my niece's birthday and let us borrow it for Rhett's.)Bubbles w/ Rhett's picture on them

I made this ticket to welcome guests in the front door. The numbers on the sides are Rhett's birth date.The "Throne"
The sign in table

I found these unfinished wooden pennants at Michael's, and thought they could be carnival-like. I painted them and added new ribbon and Rhett's name and hung it over the cake table.
No carnival is complete without a kissing booth. And what a cute kisser too!
I framed pictures of each month of Rhett's life all around the house. I took each picture on his monthly birthday, the 13th of each month.I wrapped the silverware in napkins and then used tickets as napkin rings. I also got this idea from HWTM.
The Party Favors:

Because everyone wins a goldfish at a carnival! These were so cheap too! I paid $0.49 a piece for the glass containers and $0.13 a piece for the fish. Not a bad favor for a total of $0.62!


The Invite:
These invitations are by Julia D. Azar. I found them for around $2.30 a piece at a local stationary store. I decided that was a little pricey and looked around the internet for a cheaper invite. I found a lady who had them marked for $1.10 a piece. I couldn't believe my good fortune! She later e-mailed me to tell me she had them mis-marked. They really should have been $2.10 a piece, but since my transaction had already gone through, I could still have them at the lower price. What a steal!

Enjoy more pics of our little man on his big day:

Last one... We had One Year Pics taken on Sunday afternoon. This is the sample pic from our session. I hope they are good!

(source)

One

Today, Rhett turned one. I write this post with mixed emotions. On one hand, I am so happy that he is growing and healthy and strong. He is learning new things every day, and that is wonderful. One the other hand, he is no longer considered a baby. Now he is a toddler, and he proves that daily with all of the advancements he makes. He is becoming more and more independent and needs his mommy less and less. I CANNOT believe that I have been a parent for one year! And what a year it has been, but it all has gone WAY too fast. I wish I could just bottle him up and keep him this way for a little bit longer. Exactly one year ago today he had just made his way into this world, having trouble breathing, losing weight. Now, he is a HUGE, healthy, strong one year old that loves to eat, loves to play, loves to swim, loves to jump, loves his dogs, and loves his parents and grandparents. He is the absolute sweetest baby in this whole world and I love him dearly. We had a party for him today, and I will post pics when I have energy. For now, Happy Birthday to my Sweet Boy! You are the most wonderful thing that could have ever happened to us, and we love you so much!

A Very Special "Graduation"

Last night, we celebrated a very special "graduation". My Mother In Law graduated, and we are so thrilled. I know that all graduations are special, but this one is extra special, especially to her family. She didn't graduate yesterday from college or attain a higher degree. She didn't get a GED yesterday or graduate from a trade school. No... yesterday was her last day of radiation therapy and chemotherapy treatments for colon cancer. We are all so thrilled that this hump in the road is behind her and she can now focus on surgery and getting better! If you know my mother in law, you know she is the life of the party and one of the most laid-back, happy-go-lucky people that exists. She has such a fun-loving spirit. In April, she was diagnosed with colon cancer, and her family's world was quickly turned upside down. She has shown great strength throughout this trying time. She makes friends wherever she goes, and I know she befriended a nurse or two at the Cancer center where she had daily treatments. I know she also befriended some of the other patients. While I am sure she is a little sad that she won't be seeing those people on a daily basis, I know that she (and we) are over the moon happy that she doesn't have to go back to get any more of those treatments. They were really, really rough on her body. So, yesterday being her last day, and being the fun-loving and caring person that she is, she wore a graduation cap and gown to her treatment. The nurses saw this and before she could come back, they played the "Pomp and Circumstance" song for her. I doubt this has ever been done before. She is just a special person like that. She also made all of the nurses some homemade banana pudding. She is always the type to put others above herself.


Last night, her family gathered at her home with a little surprise celebration for her. I made these graduation pops that I saw on Bakerella. Of course, Bakerella's are way cuter. I couldn't find some of the things that she used. But, I do think that my version turned out pretty cute. I didn't have a way to transport them and keep them standing up, so I got inventive and put them through the holes of a colander inside a stock pot. They all made it there safely in one piece and were pretty tasty!
I don't think I have to tell you all how highly I think of my Mother In Law. It is pretty obvious that I have a one of a kind, very special Mother In Law! I consider myself pretty lucky in that department.