Olive's Birthday Favorites

Olive had a specific vision for her birthday party this year - cute mice, pink and red.  There aren't many options for decor that matches her criteria so we had to DIY her party.  That's my kind of challenge. We found the cutest gingham stuff at Dollar Tree, vintage mice, HomeGoods and Amazon, too.  Everything turned out really cute!  We celebrated with her friends, my family, Kevin's family and then her actual birthday.

My mom has always loved mice so she gifted Olive her mouse collection.

These sweet cousins are all the same age for a few weeks every year.

Kevin grilled and my mom made fried ice cream for dessert.

All of her favorite things in one picture.

A yes day to all of her favorite places.

She needed a shark costume for the cats.  She loved it.  They did not.

We had so much fun celebrating our favorite girl.

Her BFFs.

I made bundt cakes for one of her parties.  They turned out so pretty and delicious.

This strawberry vase is one of my favorites!

She got lots of new Jellycats.

A really cool new bookshelf for her room.

Happy 13th birthday, Olive!  We sure do love you!

And that's a wrap on our March, April, May kid birthday season at our house!  So fun!  So busy!

I'm taking the next week or two off of blogging to enjoy some extra time with my family this Summer!  I'll check back in around the middle of June.  Thanks for being here!

Slow Down

I was given a good reminder at the grocery store recently when I was navigating the busy store with all three of my kids.  We were going up and down the aisles grabbing food for the weekend.  We got to a particularly busy section and I was gently urging my kids to quickly make their selections and move on.

An older man smiled and said to me - 

There is no rush.  Let them look.  They grown up quick enough.

It made him happy to see the kids browsing the ice cream aisles looking for the best ice cream possible and he was in no hurry.  I loved his message and left the store with a big smile on my face.

Slow down.  There's no rush.  That is my motto of the Summer.

I'm a really efficient, organized person.  I plan our outings in a way that is efficient to pack in the most fun, the errands and the tasks we need to get done.  I don't always think about slowing down and enjoying the process.

So this Summer I'm trying hard to slow down.  I'm saying yes to looking at something or doing something that wasn't on my radar.  I'm agreeing to going fishing even though there is work to be done.  We are sleeping in, trying new recipes, watching movies in the evenings, we didn't sign up for a lot of things this Summer and we are working on a fun Summer to do list.  We are crafting, reading good books and hosting so that we can slow down and enjoy our Summer.

I challenge you - slow down and enjoy your Summer!

Summer Book Club Ideas

I have loved being in a book club so much!  My neighbors make the best book buddies.  We take turns picking a book.  Choose a local restaurant to meet at each month.  We text a little about the book throughout the month.  There have been anywhere from 4-6 ladies in our group.  We all look forward to a dinner out at a favorite local spot.  It's easy peasy.

This month we read The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff.  It was very good.  

The characters were so interesting and compelling.  You grow up with some and grow old with others.  There were tons of twists and turns and things that catch you by surprise.  You find yourself rooting for all the characters to be their best selves in spite of the things life throw their way.  Your heart breaks as they experience the effects of alcohol, divorce, untimely deaths, tragedy, miscarriage, marriage, moving, job loss and all the high highs and low lows that come their way.  It's very well written and a quick read.  It's hard to believe that it's the debut novel for Sarah Damoff.  Well done, Sarah!

So what should we read for June??  

It's my turn to pick and I need your help!  What is a book that you have read and loved??