Couples Shower Fun: Hartleywood Game Night!

There are few things I love more than hosting people in our home. Ever since I was a young one, I've loved to entertain and be a hostess. 

When we had an opportunity to host a couples shower for two of our very great friends who will be getting married in November (friends who helped us tear down wallpaper I must add!), I volunteered our home immediately! 

After brainstorming a bit with the bride and groom to be, they both suggested a game night! After some pinning and punny conversations with my husband, we hatched the idea to host, "Hartleywood Game Night" in honor of the future Mr. & Mrs. Hartley! 

As usual, I reached out to my super talented design friends and ask them to whip up a few things for the party. My friend Maggie (you may remember her talents from our wedding) created the Price is Right sign with the future Hartley's hashtag and a graphic for our Family Feud game! I was able to decorate the house with the amazing game show style signs! 

Our first game of the evening was... you guessed it... The Price is Right! We had guests at the par-tay shout out prices as the bride and groom competed to win each of the household items. 

The Handsome Game Show Host! 

Our second game for the night was Family Feud! Thanks to Youth Downloads and his amazing Family Feud PowerPoint, we were able to play Family Feud - wedding style! Did I mention we had a pretty handsome host too?

We split the room into Boys vs. Girls and let the games begin! 

It. Was. Awesome. 

Another one of my oh-so-talented best friends made these adorable Wheel of Fortune inspired cupcake toppers! 

Kudos to Abby Graves!

Guests were invited to leave well wishes and advice for the happy couple on a Jenga block. At the end of the party, Elyse and Tyler took the game home! 

Jenga!

The kitchen was full of yummy treats, but among the deliciousness was the WORLD FAMOUS Dicus BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders and homemade BBQ sauce! 

I couldn't get enough of Maggie's amazing game show graphics, I stuck one on each of the food labels as well. 

No Leftovers Here!

A great night spent with great friends! 

How cute is this happy married couple to be?

We Can HARTLEY wait until November 7! 

Soaking Up the Last Ray - A Bachelorette Bash!

A few weekends ago, I had the great honor of hosting a bachelorette bash for my best friend and SOON to be Mrs.! And I thought....

Thanks to PrettyPaperParties and her adorable Etsy shop, I was able to get the word out about the par-tay back in April. I highly recommend working with Brooke while party planning. She was great to work with and very flexible when I forgot a thing or two...

After what seemed like an eternity (yes, I'm mildly dramatic...) it was finally bachelorette weekend! Before Abby arrived, I decorated the house with a few bachelorette goodies including this banner:

Using free templates... YES FREE! .... from PrintablePartyDecor.com, I printed the backdrop for the banner and topped it off with letters cut from my Cricut. Notice anything missing? Yes, a few rings and the word the didn't make the trip across town. Oops! I had time to fix it. 

Waiting for Abby when she arrived into town was a little gift bag with a personalized t-shirt from DearAddieWomen's Etsy shop. It was the perfect gift to kick off the weekend! Plus, she shipped the shirt within a few weeks to me - talk about great service!

On Friday evening, we started off the weekend with a Mexican-themed Honeymoon Shower. All of the ladies showered our bride-to-be with honeymoon themed gifts and a rousing game of Bride Scattegories. It was fantastic! Plus we had a piñata and delicious bikini cookies... 

Another Etsy favorite was Rachel Carl's shop. (Visit her Etsy shop here) I ordered these adorable, and personalized, straws back in April and had been anxiously awaiting their debut! 

The banner looked even cuter with the bride-to-be (and the word the... oops) posing in front of it!

#lastray

The rest of the weekend was spent soaking up the beautiful Missouri sunshine at the Lake of the Ozarks and a delightful night out on the town. 

A great weekend - one for the memory books to say the least!

A Glass of Warmth & Holiday Cheer

There is one drink that is sure to remind me of family and the holidays: wassail! Last night, I jumped the gun a bit and made a batch for my bf and I. It was the perfect treat on a Sunday evening. Here is the recipe my family has grown to love!

You'll Need:

• 4 C Apple Cider
• 1 C Orange Juice
• 1 C Cranberry Juice
• 1 C sugar
• 1/2 t whole cloves
• 1/2 t all spice
• 4 cinnamon sticks

Make it!

• Combine all ingredients in a crock pot or kettle of your choice. Let sugar and spices dissolve. 
• Grab your favorite mug of the shelf and enjoy curled up under a blanket!

A Disneyland State of Mind

I was born and raised in a world revolving around Walt Disney. Besides the (awesome) fact that Walt himself is a famous Missourian, my family eats sleeps and breathes Disney. I'm almost certain that my blood type is Disney Positive. If you happen to visit my childhood home, you'll find this gem hanging in the hallway to this day. 

My family just wrapped up a vacation out west to Disneyland. Since I've been singing along to my favorite Disney classics all day, I thought it would be a great idea to share my Disneyland recommendations. Before I begin, please remember that these are based on mine and my 4-year old nephew's opinions. Someday I'll post my top picks for a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  A truly magical place that everyone should experience once in their life. :)

My Main Squeeze, July 2013

Fact: There is no age limit in Disneyland. Just ask my 81 year old grandma who dressed up two years ago and went trick or treating there. I'm 25 and still woke up every morning soaking up the magic of Disney. 

The benefit to Disneyland is its size. Compared to Disney World, it's a fraction of the parks in Orlando. We stayed at the Grand Californian which is built right off of Downtown Disney. From our hotel, we had an entrance to California Adventure and easy walking access to Disneyland. For the five days that we were there, we didn't have a car or even leave Disney property. Because of both parks (California Adventure and Disneyland) and Downtown Disney, there was plenty to eat and keep us more than entertained. 

The MUST List For California Adventure:

Cars Land 

I was blown away walking through the brand new Cars Land. I felt like I was walking in the actual town of Radiator Springs. The hot ride is Radiator Spring's racers. While we were there, fast passes would sell out by roughly 11:00 AM. I would get to this ride FIRST or at least get your fast past quickly. My bf and I wanted to ride so we stood in the "Single Rider" line for about 20 minutes opposed to the 120 minute wait in stand by. I even caught myself saying, "Wow! This is cool." outloud... Oops! 

World of Color (show)

Hint: If you dine at Ariel's Grotto (or other restaraunts at the park...) you get a "Preferred Viewing" ticket for the show. We had the best seats in the house and definitely should have packed ponchos. 

Tower of Terror

Soarin' Over California 

A virtual simulation ride over California. Feels just like you're in a hang glider!

The MUST List For Disneyland Park:

(Top 3 According to BDE, 4 years old)
Pirates of the Caribbean 

A new addition to the Pirates ride and New Orleans Square is the Blue Bayou restaurant.  The restaurant sits inside the pirates ride and you can see the boats and (sometimes) hear screams as riders plunge into the depths of the world of pirates. Why not dine with the pirates? It was a big hit with our family, plus the food was excellent. 

Haunted Mansion

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

You can't go wrong with those three attractions, and here are a few of my favorites:

Space Mountain

Splash Mountain

Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln 

You may be familiar with the Hall of Presidents in the Magic Kingdom, but this animatronic show focuses on Abraham Lincoln and the entire hall is filled with the history and development of Disneyland. 

Last but not least, a few tips and fun things to do around Disneyland:

Pull (or try to) the sword from the stone.

Visit Mickey and whole gang in Toon Town. You can even walk through Mickey's house!

Visit Disneyland around Halloween. The entire park is transformed into a spooky and autumn scene that is truly magical!

Plus, all of your favorite characters are dressed for the season as well. 

Whew! Well, that's all I've got for today. Share your Disneyland favorites below as well!

Wanderlust

Created with Padlet

Did you know you can embed Padlet (formally Wallwisher) into blogs? Thanks to smart friends, I know this fun feature now too! 

Sprucing up ABC Blocks

Anyone who follows my blog knows that I'm slightly obsessed with my niece and nephew. They are the peanut butter to my jelly. Before my nephew was born, I made him a baby blanket (with LOADS of assistance). I wanted to give Libby a handmade gift as well, but I wasn't sure what to create for her. On Pinterest, I stumbled upon an idea to spruce up baby blocks. Check it out here. I loved the idea of using Dr. Seuss images, but I wanted to make things a little more personal. Libby loves looking at pictures, so I put pictures of family members on the ABC blocks. Very personal and modge podged with love!

Before:

 After:

Heres'a close up of big brother BDE on the "B" block. 

To make the blocks, I downsized images of family members to fit on one side of the blocks. I put a layer of modge podge to glue the image down. After it dried, I put two more coats of modge podge on top of the image. I allowed for plenty of time in between coats. I didn't want the pictures to smudge. 

She was a big fan of the blocks at the party!

Let's just say, Libby was a big fan of everything at the party. Her mama is quite the party planner!

Have a great Thursday!

Summer

The past week was filled with many emotions and oodles of hugs. On Thursday, I wished all of my students a happy summer and made them promise to come back and visit. For the time being, my alarm has been shut off and I'm going to take full advantage of what summer brings. :)

Enjoy the end of your school year teacher friends! 

25

Do you hear that? Listen closely...

It's the sweet sound of the END of state testing! When school resumes tomorrow, things will go back to normal - well, as normal as they can be during the month of May. 

Last week I celebrated my 25th birthday. Are you familiar with the movie Miss Congenitally?  My birthday's claim to fame is a line from that movie!

(Pardon my screenshot from my iPhone - oops!)

Since it was my golden birthday, turning 25 on the 25th of April, my sweet boyfriend made me a golden cake to enjoy! It was even polished off with gold sprinkles. 

All day long I received lots of sweet messages, cards, and goodies from my friends and family. I was certainly spoiled on my birthday as well as the entire weekend. 

To round out the festivities, we celebrated with my family in my hometown. My cute (almost) 4 year old nephew was more than willing to assist in the candle department. 

... as you can see, I didn't quite think that one through. The look on my face, my Dad's face, and BDE's face cracks me up. 

Now that we're doing with the MAP test, my creative juices are flowing again. Tomorrow we're starting THREE brand new units in Social Studies, Communication Arts, and Science. For a few weeks, I felt like I was swimming in a pool of test prep - not anymore! 

Happy Monday :)

A Moment

My 5th graders and I are completely captivated by Wonder. I had so many bloggers share their experiences while reading this story with their class a few weeks ago. Today, I had a "moment" with my students.

Let me paint the picture for you, my students were chomping away on their birthday cookie cake and I was reading aloud from the front of the room. I begin reading about Auggie's first Halloween at Beecher Prep. If you're familiar with this story, you know what part I'm referring to. I won't spoil it for everyone else. As I read about Auggie's heartache, I looked up and realized I had 21 sets of eyes locked on me. Eyes that were wide open with horror, amazement, and empathy.

I closed the book to stop reading for the day - gosh I'm mean - and looked up at my students. All eyes and voices were begging me to continue and I said, "Doesn't that just break your heart?" In unison I heard a sympathetic "yessss!" in reply.... and one, rather loud, "NO." I was a little taken back and I asked the student, "what makes you say no?" He responded simply, "It's fiction. He isn't real."

Being the reader that I am, I wanted to hop on my soapbox and say, "YES HE IS! YOU BE NICE TO AUGGIE! HE DOESN'T DESERVE THIS."

I refrained. Instead, I hopped on another soapbox, one about the power of fiction writing. I told my little naysayer, that yes he was right - it is fiction and Auggie isn't real, but what Palacio has done for us is create a character that is so lifelike and relatable that we can't help but feel emotions for them. Powerful writing holds your attention and makes the characters (real or imagined) feel as if they're sitting in your living room. I asked my students if they've ever thought about the characters while they aren't reading? I asked my students if they've ever put themselves in the characters position? Suddenly, I realized that my little naysayer has sparked a beautiful conversation in my room about the power or storytelling and reading. I shared personal experiences with my students where I, too, had worried and wondered about the fate of characters. I asked a gentleman who is in book three of the Harry Potter series if he thought of Harry and his pals outside of the book and he quickly nodded his head in agreement.

This little incident only lastly about seven minutes, but it was probably the most important and most authentic conversation we had all day. I realized that my students were reading (and listening) because they truly enjoy stories. They aren't reading for the sake of levels or because they have to, they're become life long readers and I wish nothing more for them.

Smash Book!

Currently, I'm blogging from the comfort of my warm and cozy home. You're probably thinking, "Oh! She has the flu!" No no... my health is in prime condition, instead I'm stuck inside my house because of the SECOND snow storm to hit the midwest in less than a week! I've continually checked for snow totals, but let's just say... we're getting dumped on. 

While perusing the isles of JoAnn's last Thursday, I stumbled upon their Smash Book section.  I picked one up and started making one of my niece and nephew. I grabbed their birth announcements, cards, letters, holiday cards, invitations, and my favorite pictures and started sticking them in. The book I bought was specific to babies/kids, so it had pre-made pages that went with a theme. Here are a few of my pages:

I plan to pick up another book before my family jets off for vacation this summer. If you feel overwhelmed by scrapbooking (like me!), I would recommend a Smash Book!

Now, what shall I do with my snow day? Last week I watched a record number of movies. Maybe today I'll top that. Netflix... here I come!

Alexander the Great

A few days ago, a friend of mine reached out to several of her Facebook friends asking for stories about their pets for a social media campaign. I jumped on the chance to write a little story about my favorite and most believed pooch of all time, Alex. 

After writing it, and wiping my tears, I wanted to share it with you fine people - because I know I'm not the only dog lover around these parts. 

Enjoy!

There was no question who ran our household. A four pound fluffy black-haired little pooch ruled the roost in our home. I will never forget walking home from school in the third grade and seeing my mom relaxing in the living room. My sister and I both titled our heads to make out the little fluff she was holding. Eventually, we both discovered an adorable Yorkshire Terrier waiting to be loved and adored by two sisters. He was the runt of the litter and found a quick way to our hearts. He was given the name "Alex" because he was the son my mother never had. The name stuck because of his human like qualities including, but not limited to: snuggling, sitting at the table, taking trips to the lake, waking up the family, and visiting college - to name a few. I could sit for hours and recount all of the memories that I hold with Alex. It's incredible how a four pound creature not only takes up a little space in your house - but eventually consumes your entire heart and sweeps your family off their feet. Any dog (or cat) owner can feel exactly what I'm referring to. Not only did I love Alex, and the way he greeted me every time I came home, but my friends adored him too. During my freshman year of college, as Alex has turned into a grayer version of himself, he found my dorm room quite cozy for weeks at a time while I snuck him in and out of the doors. My friends would pop over to visit my little pooch.. He was our best kept secret! His favorite spots were in the sunshine and cuddled up in your spot underneath the covers in your bed. Many mornings I was woken by Big Al staring at me in the face with a squeaky hamburger reminding me that it was time for him to take care of business and I needed to move it. 

As any pet owner can agree - there comes a point when a dog becomes more than a dog. The same could be said for cats... if you like cats of course. From the moment I met Alexander the Great (a dog with many many names) he would forever be a part of my life. As Alex grew older, his heath couldn't keep up with his outgoing spirit and spunk and sadly his time came. Since that afternoon in third grade, a four pound little pooch left an impression on my heart that will forever be imprinted and stitched with love, fur, sweet memories, and precious snuggles.