DIY Sesame Street Birthday Party {on a budget}

Levi is 2!

I can hardly believe it!

And so far....2 has been absolutely terrific.

I LOVE this age!

We celebrated Levi's birthday with a Sesame Street birthday party.

With a very low budget, we were able to pull off a cute and fun party for Levi, family and friends!

Here's some pics with a few tips to keep costs low!

We used our church to hold the party.

Our home is small and we had about 25 people invited.

This cost us nothing to use (just had to clean up!)

and allowed us access to a full kitchen and gym for the kids to play in

No need to feed a full meal!

A few snacks that are toddler friendly, something sweet and a drink is plenty!

And we skipped the ice cream...just another mess and expense!

Check Dollar Tree and Target's Dollar Spot for favors!

{and favors are totally optional too!}

We included a Sesame Street cup and an Elmo book with included CD.

Each goody bag was $2 each!

 and a few extra pics of the day

Levi thoroughly enjoyed his party and our whole family just got to have fun and celebrate together.

It was a perfect way to celebrate our big 2 year old boy!

The ULTIMATE List of Toddler Stocking Stuffers

                        

TOYS

Play Dough

Finger Puppets

Masks

Little People

Small Doll

Bubbles

Blocks

Bath Toys

Bath Crayons

Egg Shakers

Toy Balls

Matchbox Cars

Slinky

ENTERTAINMENT

Books

DVDs

CDs

Tickets to Local Event

ART SUPPLIES

Markers

Do A Dot Markers

Coloring Book

Crayons

Paintbrushes

Washable Paints

Art Smock

Stickers

PRACTICAL

Sippy cups

Utensils

Bibs

Fill Yourself Food Pouches

Bowls

Plates

Snack cups 

Stickers

Washcloths

Cloth Wipes

Bath Soap

Lotion

CLOTHING

Socks

Slippers

Scarves

Hats

Mittens

Tights

Leggings

Headbands

Festive cloth diaper

Play Jewelry

Play Purse

FOOD

Applesauce Pouches

Goldfish

Granola Bars

Dried fruit packets

Apple

Orange

Do you have anything you'd add to the list?

Holiday Home Tour: Part 1

 We decked the halls over a week ago, but I am just now takin' some pics of it all.

So, welcome to Part 1.

Here's a few shots of our living and dining area.

We went much simpler this year, since we now have a mobile baby. No pretty glass containers full of glass ornaments on the coffee table.

Our coach got a festive little red quilt over the back, and a cool vintage red lantern was added to the coffee table (found it at a thrift for $2!)

 {I wrapped a little twine around it to give it even more *charm*}

Our tree is a little guy. Only 6 feet tall. But, our home is small and it works perfectly for us.

Our upstairs is tradition red and white with a few hints of green.

{if you've noticed...our living room is evolving....I'll be doing a separate post on it's "mini makeover"}

 

This year, I've taken a little more time to make the presents perdy.

I absolutely love this red houndstooth wrapping paper.

It is from Hobby Lobby and it's amazing quality.

I used that, and brown kraft paper with ribbons.

I made our stockings as part of my "Semi-Homemade Christmas".

I love how they turned out!

I can't wait to use them year after year!

 The stockings are hung by the TV with care....

We have no fireplace : (

This is the best we could do...

And surprisingly enough, Levi hasn't messed with the stockings or the tree!

{the red bucket is full of Levi's toys for him to play with when we are in the living room....but usually his favorite toy is Roomba...}

On our little shelf I added some green garland, red ornaments in my milk glass, and Mr. Free hand painted the "Merry Christmas to All" on the chalkboard. I love that little touch! 

In the dining room is our nativities and advent calendar.

 The hutch has some cookbooks, our carved Santa's from Mr.Free's grandparents and another nativity.

So that's it for Part Uno.

Have you decorated your home now that it's December....or waiting a little longer?

Semi-Homemade Christmas: 2 more projects

I've got two more projects accomplished as part of my Semi-Homemade Christmas.

The first, was stockings for our family.

We used to have generic, store-bought stocking.

But this year?

We needed Mama-made stockings.

The top stocking is Levi's, middle is Mr. Free's and the bottom is mine.

Of course, Mama's has ruffles and fabric on hers.

Unfortunately, I got way too excited and didn't take any pics of how I made them.

Sorry : (

But....they are available in my Etsy store if you'd like to buy handmade stockings!

Also, this morning I whipped up a toy for Levi.

It is a large, 7 inch plush cube covered in ribbons. 

I got the idea here.

You can follow her tutorial if you'd like.
It's really easy and adorable!

I love how this toy turned out! It is made from scraps of my fabric fabrics! And Levi loves ribbons!

Can't wait to give it to him for Christmas!

Anyone else hand making gifts or decorations this Christmas? If you are...please share your ideas! I'd love to hear them!

Making Memories

Now that I'm a mom, it seems like holidays and celebrations mean so much more.

I just want things to be magical for Levi.

I want him to look back on his childhood and know how much he was loved.

That he had so much fun.

That we had so much fun.

 That his parents may not have had the most money, or nicest things

But that we spent quality time together.

And made traditions.

That we laughed .

We created.

We cherished.

That his Mom and Dad did the best they could.

That we showed him how much his Creator loves him.

And his family loves him.

And how special each and every day is.

Basically, I just want to make memories.

Happy 5 Years!!!!

It's mine and Mr. Free's anniversary today! 5 years!!! 

In the Fall we will have been together 10 years!

Life is going WAY too fast!

Happy 5 years babe!

I love you more each and every day!

God has blessed us so much and I can't wait to see the rest of the journey He has in store for us!

LOVE YOU!!!!

Baby Talk Tuesday: Mama's Day

I had SUCH a great and blessed Mother's Day.

I was thinking the night before how a year prior, I felt so broken. We had lost 3 babies and had just begun fertility testing. We were unsure if we'd ever be parents at all.

This mother's day, we have our precious baby boy and he was dedicated in our church.

Such a great moment I will treasure. My heart was so full.

It was such a blessing to have my boy dedicated at our church.

This is where Mr. Free and I met, and grew up.

This is where our best friends are.

This is where we were married.

This is where so many older women hugged me and prayed for me as we struggled to become parents.

This is where so many rejoiced the day Levi was born!

This is where so many of his great memories will happen and friends will be made.

This boy is so loved by this church and I pray that he loves this church in return!

The boys and my mom chipped in and got me a Nook Tablet for my first Mother's Day.

I was floored as it was NOT in the budget.

I absolutely LOVE it! It's amazing!!

I am so thankful God has allowed me to be this amazing boy's Mama. I am truly blessed.

Baby Shower: Mission Accomplished!

Last Saturday I had a baby shower for my sister-in-law and her soon-to-be twin baby girls!

The them was

Sugar and Spice, Twice as Nice!

The colors were pink and green as it matched the colors in the hall perfectly!

It all was a success!

She was showered with many wonderful and cute things!!!

Here's a few pics from the shower:

The centerpieces were Aldi flowers in short Dollar Tree vases, on a burp cloth. The mommy-to-be got to take all the burp cloths at the end!

Gotta love Aldi flowers!

Spice cupcakes and candy!

Pink punch, chips and salsa, pretzels with spicy dip along with the cupcakes and candy. Tried to stick with the 'sugar and spice'.

Presents!!!

Me and my sister-in-law. She is so tiny! Especially for twins! 9 weeks left until our little nieces will be here!

We are definitely moving into a new season of life! The last 5 or so years have been bridal showers and weddings....now we are moving into the baby shower season! Seeing God's goodness in new life is such a blessing!

Happy Saturday everyone!!!