Finnley's First Birthday in ONEderland

This past weekend we celebrated Finnley's First Birthday!  I went with an Alice in ONEderland theme and it was so cute.  I got lots of inspiration from my Pinterest board (and let me tell you there are lots of ideas on this theme) but ultimately had to do my own thing.

Let's start off with some of the pre-party shenanigans.  I worked some chalkboard art on our pantry doors and this has become my favorite way to celebrate!  Thankfully our girls were willing to take naps the day of the party so we could finish up last minute details (and get ourselves ready....I always leave that to the last 10 minutes).  The birthday girl woke up about 30 minutes before the party - she takes a while to warm up after a wake up and was a good sport about getting dressed.  It was so fun having a themed party and we all got into it.  I dressed as the Cheshire Cat, Thomas was the Mad Hatter, and Ellie went as a Pansy!  We took advantage of the calm before the storm and took some photos.

But first her invitations.  I ordered them off of ETSY and printed them at home.  There were so many options but I loved these the best.  Here is where I got them from.

my ears, tail and socks

Thomas hat

Finnley's dress (similar)

Ellie loves to take pictures with our phones and I love how she captured me and Finnley (laughing emoji)

she actually did a pretty decent job of the three of us...my bad for sitting right in front of the window...

Me and my girls

Our family of Four!!!

The girls got started on eating before anyone arrived and I love that Finnley is sneaking some of Ellie's chips ;)

Now on to the party details:

I used the banner I made for Ellie's first birthday and then got some balloons to frame either side.  I was hoping it would act as some sort of photo background but also a great spot for Finnley to have her cake!

Alice balloon, flamingo

I loved taking Finnley's weekly photos and since I knew what I was going to do with them for her party I am so glad that I was mindful of how I set them up each week.  I made a giant 1 from Ellie's first year photos that I knew I wanted to do it again.  Finnley's was a much more cohesive look and I can't get over how well it turned out.  Many of our guests loved checking it out and picking their favorite weeks, I'm tied between weeks 20 and 45 (strangely enough she is wearing the same headband...)

Thomas caught my creative bug and not only made the signs for the presents and guest book but also the sign for the front door!!

I grabbed a copy of the Golden Book's Alice in Wonderland and had the idea for people to sign it as a sort of guest book for Finnley.  *notice Finnley's cute little hand in the picture.

I made Finnley's cake, it's our traditional Strawberry birthday cake and it finally turned out right after a bit of tweaking the recipe the past 2 years.  I wanted to try and go for a naked cake and I think I did a decent job.

We actually saved the 1 candle from Ellie's birthday so I loved that we got to reuse it.  To make sure that the cake was on theme I used some Alice figurines to decorate the cake, along with some left over mushrooms from Ellie's second birthday.

Alice figurines, cake stand (similar)

I got some foam core poster boards and turned them into Ace's, I was contemplating doing some other numbers but since Finnley is only 1 I kept with the aces theme.  I think they were such a fun addition to the decor and really weren't that difficult or expensive to make.

jute rug

I tried to keep the table pretty simple and love the tablecloth I found for the party.  I used some more Alice figurines to decorate, along with a stuffed Cheshire Cat, and pansies as the centerpiece.  I got the cutest little cookie display cloches that were just perfect for the party, along with some cute little drinking vials, and adorable tea cup lollipops.

Cheshire Cat, cookie cloches, drinking vials, Alice figurines, plates, napkins, lollipops

On the menu:
Assorted Sandwiches from a local grocery store
Rice Crispy Treats
Chessmen Cookies
Chips and Salsa
Hummus and Veggies
Macaron's from our local farmers market
Cheddar Bunnies
Strawberry Cake
Assorted Wine
Assorted Beer

and how about my new stools?  I

Finnley is a shy girl and gets a bit overwhelmed when there is a lot going on.  She spent most of the party being held by someone in her tribe (mainly me) but as the party went on she got more comfortable and was quite into the present opening part ;)

The cake was delicious but I think this girl had more fun smashing it around than actually eating it!

My brother and his twin boys came down for the party.  They are only about 5 months older than Finnley and she is already taller than both of them!! Once she starts walking I don't think you'll be able to tell an age difference ;)

And this is basically how Ellie feels about babies, especially her sister!! Girlfriend is totes in her element.

And when you have great friends who dress up for your party!  When there is more than one Mad Hatter you have to vote for who wore it best!

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♥ Ashley

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Weekending - the last of April and a DIY Playhouse Update

Happy May Day!! 

I always associate May 1st with surprising friends, neighbors and family with flowers....although I always forget that it's May 1st and have yet to leave May Flowers on anyone's doorstep.  One year I will have my act together and will do it with the girls.

We had ourselves a super busy and productive weekend!! Don't you just love it when you feel so accomplished at the end of the weekend?  Technically my weekend started on Wednesday but I'm going to share starting on Thursday because it's just too great not to share.

 

Thursday:

We were up bright and early and ready to take on the day.  I had to run to Lowes before Ellie's ballet class to grab some Kilz primer so I could get started on our Playhouse project.  (see more details here).   So I got the girls ready to go and Finnley was all about standing and seriously how cute is her top?  Ellie was less than excited about taking a picture before leaving for ballet...and it turns out that was just her mood for the day.

We got everything we needed for the Playhouse makeover and made it to ballet with time to spare.  So I discussed our options about signing Finnley up to be able to take classes and now know what to expect...we won't be enrolling her until after July 4th.

Ellie had a great time in ballet and is doing much better at her routine.  Then she had gymnastics and was much better behaved than the last time...she did get to jump in the foam pit and that is always a winner.  Ellie wanted to have lunch at Jimmy Johns after her classes...clearly I was the only one excited about a Mama/Daughters date, haha!

We got home and I got the girls down for naps and then got to work on priming the Playhouse.  Since it's an old chicken coop I really want to make sure we seal in any and all of the potential chicken shit that's in there.  I primed all the studs as far as I could reach...I'd say it was a successful naptime project.

Friday:

The girls and I met my sister for coffee and cupcakes in the morning to meet her new baby boy.  Ellie was beyond thrilled to meet a new cousin, especially that he was a baby.  We had a great visit and then were off to get back home for lunch and naps.  When I finally got the girls down for their naps I headed out to the Playhouse and got to work priming the rest of the walls and the ceiling with the roller extension.  As well as the floor with a double coat because of chicken shit...

Finnley was already awake when Thomas got home and so we had some time just the three of us and then somehow I convinced Thomas to get out and prime the studs in the ceiling before I had to leave for MNO with one of my mom friends.

Finnley, Ellie and I had fun playing in the backyard while Thomas painted and once again Finnley was all about the standing...but is still super unsure about walking!!!

Thomas got most of the painting done before I headed out.  My girlfriend and I went to a Junk Show and then out to dinner and drinks.  I had three things on my list to look for at the show: a door knob (no such luck), a ladder (no such luck) and windows for the playhouse...I found two matching ones and they were the right size!! It was a new addition to the playhouse project that I had just decided about a couple of days ago...Thomas was on board and measured the spaces for me just to make sure the windows would work!  1 out of 3 isn't terrible and it's quite nice on my wallet ;)

I had so much fun shopping and looking around with my friend and then out for drinks and dinner after...it's been a while since we've been able to hang out without our girls and made it a late night out...I didn't get home until after midnight!! Eek

Saturday:

We got up early and Thomas headed out to the Playhouse to finish up the priming!! I can't get over how much brighter and cleaner it looks and feels...like I would almost let Ellie and Finnley play in there just as it is!! 

After he finished up painting Ellie and I headed to the farm store to get a load of hay and then back so I could get ready to go to my best friends house for a Cabi party she was hosting.  We had a fun time eating, drinking, and shopping (I didn't find anything I had to have but it was fun nonetheless).  Then Thomas dropped the girls off with us and he headed into Seattle to go to the Sounders Game.  Ellie, Finnley and I had so much fun at my friends house that we didn't get home until dinner time.  We had to make a stop at the store and then it was home for dinner and bedtime.

Sunday:

We had to run to Lowes to pick up supplies for the Playhouse floor and loft space...but first breakfast at Panera.  Finnley was all about the empty water cup and Ellie just wanted chips.

When we got home from our running around the girls had lunch and then down for naps.  While they were sleeping we worked on the Playhouse together.  We got the door cut to size...it will be a dutch door so it's not quite done but it was nice to visualize.  Then we got the floors laid down...they are much more sturdy now and there are no longer hazardous holes in the floor ;)  We were also able to problem solve and figure out how to get the beams up for the loft space and got that all installed and completed!! I was hoping to complete those two steps this weekend and am so happy we were able to accomplish that goal! I am so excited for the progress we are making on this and am anxious to get it completed so that the girls can start playing in it.

The project list is getting more detailed but things are getting crossed off the list and I am loving how it is coming along.

Finnley woke up just minutes after we walked in the door and we are officially DONE with the bottles and formula!! It turns out she is more of a straw sippy fan than a regular sippy and I couldn't be happier.  I love having my counter top back and that we no longer have to measure and mix formula.

We headed out to girl's cousins house after naps to celebrate her oldest cousins birthday. We had a great time and Ellie always loves to be with her cousins.  One of Thomas' brother's was unable to make it to Finnley's party so he brought her present along and she can't get enough of it!!

We had a busy full weekend but it was so much fun.

Here's to MAY!!!

♥ Ashley

Five on Friday - Things I've Been Working On

It's been pretty quiet here on the blog lately...that's because I have been super busy here on the farm doing some projects.  I am totally embracing my Word of the Year and crossing things off my list from left to right top to bottom!!  Thankfully I have a super supportive husband that encourages me to do all the things - and he even helps out!!

::ONE::

Adios 1989!!

I am working on a more detailed post...just waiting to finish cleaning up and styling Ellie's room and then the post will go live.  Hopefully I'll have it up next week ;)  I've been dying to replace the flooring in our rooms practically since before we moved in.  We finally did it!  We no longer have any carpet in our home and I cannot tell you how much cleaner I feel.  Minus the lingering dust from the construction I feel like our air quality increased substantially and I just cannot get over how much better and updated our home looks.  I still have to paint and install the new baseboard but seriously it looks a million times better! Here is a sneak peek:

::TWO::

Last weekend we hosted Finnley's 1st Birthday Party.  It was an Alice in "ONE"derland theme and it was totes adorable.  Finnley is a pretty shy girl and was a bit overwhelmed by the party and guests as a whole but once we got to opening presents she really embraced the whole "party" idea, I guess you can say she's a girl after my own heart ;)  I spent the whole week deep cleaning our house and prepping for the party.  I feel like the more parties I throw the easier and less stressful they seem to get.  So that is a bonus...so is keeping the decor to reuse from party to party when possible.

::THREE::

Since we had to move all of our furniture out of our bedroom for the new flooring I am now trying to sell our bedroom set so that we can totally start over.   Once the floors were finished we only brought two pieces back in; our bed (because we need somewhere to sleep) and our dresser (because we need somewhere to put our TV) and honestly I am loving how light and airy it feels.  I don't think I want to put much furniture in it when I redecorate.  I finally got a fresh coat of paint in our room, I went with white and I am so in love with it. I am just itching to get started on this room.  Just like everyone else I am going with the Farmhouse theme (have you seen my Pinterest board?) and am really hoping to get the set sold here soon so that I can start decorating and styling our Master....why is it that our master's always take a back seat to every other room in the house?? I mean Finnley and Ellie haven't been in our house as long as I have and their rooms look fantastic!   Meanwhile we still have the lighting fixture from 1989 in our room....

::FOUR::

Ellie's birthday is coming up next month and she has requested a Moana birthday so I am wracking my brain coming up with ideas for how to execute this one.  Check out my Pinterest board and let me know if you have any good ideas.  I have almost picked out an invitation and I better get on that soon so I can get them ordered and mailed out!!

::FIVE::

Finally, we made a BIG decision.  Ellie has been asking for a playhouse for nearly 2 years.  We've been waivering back and forth as to where we would put it and what it would look like. Well that is no longer an issue!!!  We are down to 2 chickens and have been kicked out of the coop.  Don't worry they are still in an enclosed area and are still thriving unfortunately even though they haven't laid an egg in over 18 months... So I got the bright idea to convert their coop into a playhouse!!  I have gathered all sorts of inspiration on Pinterest.  This is going to be quite the project let me tell you! 

Here is what entails in PHASE 1: The Interior

*First I had to do a deep clean to get all of the chicken stuff out of the coop

*Second I had to wash the entire inside - because I'm OCD like that

*Third I have to primer the whole inside of the coop: walls, floors and ceiling (finishing that up this weekend!!)

*Fourth we have to lay a new floor down because the existing one has some holes (eyeroll)

*Fifth  Ellie has requested an "upstairs" so we are going to build a loft

*Sixth we are going to insulate the walls (and maybe ceiling) and put up beadboard to cover, add in a dutch door, move a window and maybe add another window or two

*Seventh I have to paint the entire interior again including the windows and doors.  I'm thinking white walls and black windows/doors.

*Eighth we are going to put down linoleum for the floor, I found some that look like wood floors and I'm obsessed!  And also install some baseboards.

*Ninth we have to figure out how to install some sort of lighting option

*Tenth I get to finally decorate!!

I'm pretty sure that this to-do list is a bit long and extensive that the playhouse won't be done in time for Ellie's birthday but it's my goal to get as close as we can!!

PHASE 2: The Exterior

I'll share more on Phase 2 once I complete Phase 1 (oh and this can't happen until the chickens are no longer with us...)

So that's where I've been lately...working on my creative side a bit.

Happy Friday and Happy Weekend Y'all...if you need me you can find me painting ;)

♥ Ashley

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