Summer Parties

Hello there Glitz fans! With summer in full swing we have been crafting decorations for my daughter's 14th birthday party. I can hardly believe that she'll be a high school freshman in just a few months! Time continues to march on! 
 

My daughter asked for a up-to-date version of shabby chic decor. As the hostess of the party, I wanted to keep things simple and fun. The invitations were made by sewing a sequins filled vellum pouch, then layering a variety of "Brightside" papers from the 6x6 paper pad. Cutting strips allows for making several invitations with the same design but different patterned papers. 

I added a few party supplies by adding washi tape flags to straws, wrapping a little patterned paper around a favor box and taping a sentiment to a framed mirror. The garland included pom-poms constructed from white cupcake wrappers, and die cut butterflies. In just under an hour I was able to make all of the decorations we needed for her party.

"Modern Shabby-Chic Birthday Decor" supplies:

Glitz Design "Brightside" paper: Plaid, Chunky Chevron, Bits & Pieces

Glitz Design "Brightside" 6x6 paper pad

Glitz Design wash tapes - mint chain & cherries

other: kraft card stock, vellum, sequins, baker's twine, mini clothes pins

three days

I've been on and off the technical world with my internet in and out the past several days. I'm not sure if we'll lose it again tonight, so I'll do my best to get this photo heavy post up.

I went to another funeral today. Another friend who lost her mom. I read a beautifully written post by a mother who is losing her son at this very moment his life is slipping away from them. She opened her thoughts with this statement, "This prolonged goodbye offers us an advantage, but at a price." We have these times to say the things we otherwise may have let slip by unsaid. But it comes at a price. I've been thinking about the people around me, and whether I am saying the things that ought to be said everyday. People are so valuable, every last one is a gift from God, even when it's hard to see. I pray that I have the courage to love fully everyday, and not let the moments slip away.

Taking time to write love notes.

St. Valentine's Day

Little morning teaties for my sweeties

Stopped by the old Thrifty Foods because I love the color of their wall, and as an added bonus it matched the bands on her braces. As we were walking back to the car, I got clever with the "No Parking" turning it into NO L. 

As in a mirror darkly... reflections in an old window.

Fridays for us always mean a holy hour of prayer at Church, and during Lent we add Stations of the Cross. (We made Emma's hair into a cross for the occasion.)

The morning Emma came down with a stomach bug. Stan kept her company while Torrey and I were at the funeral. The rest of the day needed a warm fire, a good book and a little time just to relax. 

‎"WHAT was wonderful about childhood 

is that anything in it was a wonder. 

It was not merely a world full of miracles; 

it was a miraculous world."

~G.K. Chesterton: 'Autobiography'

{eleven}

Today our sweet baby girl turned eleven. The past year brought many heartaches, growth in body (7 inches) and in spirit, blessings and moments that reveal the soul. She has a simple, pure heart and self-giving love that is truly beyond her years. There are few greater honors than to be blessed to say that I am Emma's mom. Happy birthday baby girl.

“Youth is happy because it has the ability to see beauty. 
Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”
- Franz Kafka

deLIVER us from evil

Yesterday we celebrated my dad's 60th birthday. The day after my dad got out of the hospital, and began the informed fight against liver disease (autoimmune hepatitis), my sister and I decided we should order shirts for his party... yellow being the natural color of choice. I got to work thinking of a clever logo for the party. Then it struck me... the Lord's Prayer - deLIVER us. By way of prayers, it's the best and it gets to the heart (and the liver) of the matter. I came up with something quick in Photoshop, uploaded it to my favorite T-shirt printer, CustomInk, and called to put a rush on the order. After talking to the kind customer service lady who shared about her own family's battle with liver disease they were off and running. We surprised Dad on Saturday with a sea of yellow shirts, a lot of laughs and a delicious and authentic sodium-free Mexican feast. (Thank you Brother Leonel!) Happy birthday Daddy! We're here for you every step of the way. I love you.

Pa and the grand-girls

my mom & dad

The 366 shot from Friday was from a quick stop on the way home, catching the golden hour of a perfectly sunny winter day.

Chesterton Quote of the Day

“The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost.”

-G.K. Chesterton

Home Sweet Home

i hope you're ready for some gushing about just how thankful and grateful i am to have my handsome husband back home. i know i am!

three weeks ago today, stan's plane touched down and he was home... finally home, and we'd made it through deployment number six. it is one crazy life, filled with blessings and hardships all its own. but then, no life is immune to hardship any more than it is immune to blessing. so i am ever grateful for this life i have. and especially grateful for my big brawny man being back home!

i already posted these pictures, but they were my choices for my 365 project, so decided to post them again. there is nothing quite as exhilarating as a homecoming... complete with tears and overwhelming joy. stan's plane pulled right up to the hanger, and the girls and i ran for it. (i was a little behind with the camera, for the pictures and for letting the girls get that first piece of daddy.) boy did those girls need some good strong daddy-lovin'. there is just something about a dad's love that little in the world can replace. 

we headed home along country roads "littered" with "welcome home stan" signs & "dad you rock" signs. (thank you eric & rob for your help getting them all up and down for us!) when we drove onto camano there was the first big 4'x8' banner.  (thank you action potential chiropractic for letting me borrow a section of your lawn... and THANK YOU cascade lumber for the steaks! you guys are a true blessing to our family!) then, of course, we pulled into our house strewn with flags and banners reminding our sweet hero just how much we appreciate all he gives up for us.

one of the things the girls look forward to most is a hearty dad-cooked breakfast when he gets home. bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, pancakes... the works! when he's home, stan always cooks breakfast on saturday mornings for the family. it's one of those little moments of family tradition that stick with you for a lifetime. (emma even made stan a welcome home card with a picture she drew of him cooking breakfast.) ah, the sweet normal-ness of home!

lucky for us stan got a full four days off when he got home this time! of all of our homecomings this was the longest bit he's had off after a deployment. we had all of our meals together, walked the beach, had picnics, snuggled on the couch, had pillow fights and laughed until we were all in tears.

then back to school for the girls to finish out the last week. as a right of passage for the 4th grades, they get to build rockets out of 2L bottles and have them launched across the school yard. torrey and i had worked on her rocket, and were just hoping that it wouldn't flop. (our aviation man wasn't available yet!) it didn't go the farthest, but it made a very decent showing for itself! hurray for the internet. :) this was one of the most fun school activities i've watched... ever!

i found this super cute skirt made from a vintage table cloth at this cute little store in snohomish... and it was according to emma, "just my style."

at last... the last day of school!!!

so now i'm getting a little distracted while i try to get this blog post up... so i think i'm just going to do quick notes and get it up... then if i'm motivated i'll update it more. (mostly because torrey is standing right behind my head planning out her birthday party on friday.) so here goes... we had stan's big welcome home party with loads of yummy smoked ribs (thank you eric... again) and lots of friends to share the day. there are more pictures here.

father's day!

day at the new community park 
love that everyone worked together to raise the money and to build the park. how cool is that.

more daddy/daughter navy sweetness here

the mock theme song of our house is the song little girls from the movie annie. "lucky me. lucky me, look at what i'm dripping with... little girls" i'm pretty sure this guy isn't complaining. :)

emma started vision therapy this past week to help with focus and tracking. it always amazes me the things that these clever groups of people find to help people! we're already been able to see some of the areas of struggle, and can see buds of improvement... and definitely in emma's confidence, and it's only been one week! yahoo. i'm sure we'll have updates along the way of how it's all going.

we went on our first camping trip of the season this past weekend, and on a dry run for our big camping trip through several national parks starting next week. we camped in our favorite close-to-home spot... camano island state park. ahhhhhh, i love that place. one of the bits of fun we love about the state park is that my parents come out and have dinner with us. at least one night we always have marinated flank steak for dinner... and i'm pretty sure they've rarely missed an opportunity to join us. seriously, with a grum & pa (grandma & grandpa) this fun, how could you not want them to join you every second possible!

i'd intended to write so much more, to thank everyone for the deployment & homecoming prayers, to be clever and witty, to be much more caught up with posting along this homecoming season. but alas, i've been true to my slightly behind self. but i would like to say thank you from the depths of my heart for all of your prayers, encouragement and love through this past deployment (and those that came before it)... i thank God each day for this blessed life.

now off to the grocery store with torrey to pick up the party goods for friday! :)

xo. noel joy