Little Miss is 6!

I can't believe it's been six years already since I first held my baby girl. At the time I knew my life was about to change, but I had no idea how much! I knew I would love her more than anything, but I had no clue what that would look like. Now I have a small idea, and here are just a few things I adore about my Little Miss...

• She has a great since of humor; my favorite moments are when she cracks herself up and giggles uncontrollably.
• She snuggles better than anyone I know.
• Her imagination knows no bounds.
• She writes fantastic stories (and illustrates them!)
• She loves to learn.
• Her world is black & white...if it's right, it's always right, if it's wrong it's always wrong.
• She has a big heart.
• She is intensely loyal to all her friends.
• She is a deep thinker.

Happy Birthday, Little Miss! We love you!

Rapunzel Party

I'm a little behind in blogging...with moving, birthday celebrations, a special vacation (more on that in a later post), planting a garden, and end-of-sch00l-year festivities there's been a lot going on, and therefore a lot to catch up on. Even though Little Miss's birthday party was a month ago, I ran across so many fun ideas while planning it that I just had to share...

As soon as we saw the Disney movie Tangled, I knew we had found the theme for Little Miss's birthday party...Rapunzel. There was just one problem...in the three weeks between viewing the movie and having the birthday party, we were also purchasing a house and moving. To make things even more exciting, our closing was delayed for almost two full weeks. So from the time the movers showed up, I had exactly 9 days to plan a Rapunzel Party fit for a princess. Fortunately, a lot of the "idea work" had already been done.

As is often the case, budget was another factor. Since we had just purchased a new home, cash flow was at a minimum. So I began the search for quick, easy, and affordable ideas. I stumbled across new inspiration at SuperMomMoments.com. I loved her simple, yet elegant ideas and attention to detail.

Armed with Super Mom ideas, my own creativity, and a budding almost-6-year-old artist I set out to tackle the tower. While I loved the idea of the invitations at SuperMomMoments, my choice was clear when Little Miss impulsively colored a picture of Rapunzel in her tower one afternoon. What better to adorn our invitations than her very own creation? We scanned the picture, I added some fancy font work, and viola...an invitation masterpiece for all her friends.

Little Miss's original artwork

I kept decorations simple by making these cute little lanterns for the stairs leading to the party area (i.e., the basement). This was perfect since I don't consider myself particularly crafty...I bought some purple lunch sacks (purple of course being Rapunzel's signature color), borrowed a heart-shaped paper punch (I think a sun or moon would have looked better, but I had to use what I had!), and purchased some LED no-flame votive candles at Hobby Lobby.

I also found a template for this fun banner on SuperMomMoments. (For those who've seen the movie, you'll recognize the design from the town festival scene.)

Snacks were inspired by the town festival scene as well...crackers, cheese, and fruit. And what would a Rapunzel party be without pretzel braids? Speaking of braids...I found the idea for the adorable wig pictured above here. It was a perfect addition to our little princess. (Although, in the spirit of full disclosure, it didn't last through the party...remember the part about my not being very crafty? Let's just say my workmanship left much to be desired...but it was cute while it lasted!)

My favorite part of the party was this Wanted poster of Flynn Rider that my brother-in-law so graciously drew for me when he was in town earlier in the week. Three guesses where I got the idea...yep,SuperMomMoments to the rescue again!

The kids loved trying get pin the frying pan right on Flynn's nose. I'm not sure who had more fun, the kids or adults. (And to make it even easier, I downloaded the frying pan template here.)

I found so many amazing cake ideas online, but since I was running out of time and already spreading myself thin I knew better than to try to take on a tower cake. I ordered this one from a local bakery. The girls loved it, and it tasted yummy, too...win, win!

Everyone seemed to have a great time, and most importantly my Little Miss princess deemed it "the best day ever!" (Worth it all, right there.)

Moving Day!

My Least Favorite Thing to Do: Waiting

I've had to go back and read my last post several times in the last week as we have still not moved into our new house. Isn't it funny how our perspective can change from the mountain top to the valley? The mountain is the same size, whether you're looking up at it from the bottom or at the summit looking back over how far you've come. However, it seems so much more intimidating from the foot of the mountain than it's peak. And once you've made it to the top, that doesn't mean it's smooth sailing from that point...there's another one just around the corner waiting to be climbed.

That's where we are now...after a year and a half of waiting, praying, searching, and hoping, we finally found our house. We were not only on top of the mountain; we were on top of the world. It is a great house and we were getting it for a great price. Suddenly, we turned a corner and there was another mountain to climb. This one doesn't necessarily require much action on our part...it's simply more waiting. Waiting on others to do their part. Waiting on the process to be completed. You may not know this about me...I don't like to wait. I find it more exhausting and taxing than actually doing something.

But alas, we wait. There's not much else to do at this point. So here we sit....waiting and praying. I must continually remind myself what I wrote before about God's timing being perfect. I still believe that...it's just difficult to remember it. It makes it more difficult that our delay appears to be caused by negligence and oversight on the part of others. That makes it even more difficult to wait. But what else can one do.....simply wait. I've always loved this song, but it means more to me now than ever before...

While I'm Waiting
by John Waller

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience

While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord