Amber's School Themed Bridal Shower

I've been sharing bits & pieces from the bridal shower that my cousin & I threw for my sister and now I'm finally ready to share photos from the whole thing! It seemed like the perfect theme for someone who is engaged to her highschool sweetheart (and who also happens to be a teacher) :)


I stacked these books on each end table, to give guests a hard surface to write on for a game we'd be playing- they were a good last minute addition to the decor, too :)


I also decorated with garlands made of photos of the engaged couple over their years together & their engagement photos.


These are the invitations we delivered ahead of time (more about them here).


Above the food table, there was another garland of photos of the bride-to-be with each of the shower guests, throughout her life.


The food table which included:


Berry Parfaits



Oreo Cheesecake Truffles (in the shape of apples)

Games & activities included:

"Toss the Bouquet" (my cousin made little flowers out of candy sticks for each person to toss and attempt to get into the hat)


"He Said/She Said" with little hats for people to hold over their heads to indicate their answers. (Inspired by this)


How well do you know the bride- a quiz




...and what would a shower be without advice from the guests? ;)


Of course we unwrapped gifts.


...and here are the little chocolate apple thank yous that I made for the guests.

It was so fun to do this project for my sister! I loved searching the web for ideas and coming up with my own spin on a few things. I'm already getting excited about planning Katrina's birthday party- and that's not for another 3 months! ;) (I do not know what happened to me- I never thought I was crafty before- and I used to think spending time on something like this was a bit of a waste- now I see how much fun it can be & how nice it is to do something thoughtful for someone you love and have them see the work & care you put into it... and I guess anyone can be crafty (if you choose the right crafts ;)... there were some I wanted to do but had to take off my list b/c they were too complicated or time consuming!

Talia's 4th Birthday Party (A Mess of Balloons)

It's been a couple of months since Talia's birthday & I'm finally blogging about her party! Someone asked me how I was going to top her 3-Year Old party (A Fairy Princess Tea Party), and I wondered the same thing- I loved that party! I didn't have to come up with an idea this year though, because after blowing up balloons for other birthdays before hers, Talia requested "a mess of balloons" for her birthday party. So, a mess of balloons, we set out to create!


I had visions of filling the living room with balloons to the extent almost of a ball pit, but it didn't end up that full (and a lot of balloons popped in the night before the party!) I think our little birthday girl was happy anyway ;)

Here's the party table set up with a balloon centerpiece:

Here's what the lunch table looked like:

They made their own party hats, name tags, and bracelets (I found a set of foam kits at the dollar store for this!)

We had balloon games (led by Daddy), but they definitely seemed to enjoy balloon freeplay the most ;)

We also had punching balloons, and balloon animals (also made by Daddy)

Lunch included heart shaped sandwiches and wouldn't be complete without pink milk!

Talia's 3rd Birthday Party

I'm finding lately that I really enjoy running around at events, capturing the meaningful moments and the special details.

Back in January, my daughter Talia turned 3. I planned a "Fairy Princess Tea Party" for her and a couple of her little friends, and took pictures of it all.

If you're on my personal facebook, then you may have seen these back then, but I thought they might be worth sharing on here as well. They're another example of a type of event that could be covered with photography.



Talia's Fairy Princess Tea Party
January, 2009

Talia and a doll, before the 'real' guests arrived.


At the end of a treasure hunt around the house, they found their treasure (chocolate coins, bracelets, and crowns) in the chest, along with their own tutus.


I made the tutus & bracelets! I felt so "Martha"! ;)


Each guest had a little bag of "pixie dust" to sprinkle on her cupcake


This one was taken by my husband- one of the rare pictures featuring me :)


Frosting was by far the most popular part of the cupcakes ;)

I have to give credit to No Fuss Fabulous for some of these party ideas- check out their website for more fun ideas! :)

Wanna see Talia's 4th Birthday Party? Click here to check it out! :)
Click here for other party posts.

Relay For Life 2009

In January of 2005, my little sister Amber (then 18 years old) was diagnosed with Cancer. 6 months later, she completed Chemotherapy. A few months after that it was confirmed that she wasn't going to have further treatment. It was quite a ride for her, and for those closest to her. I'm so grateful that she was able to get through this experience and come out on top!

Last night, I was able to attend the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay For Life in Brant that took place at the track at the Burford Fairgrounds.

It was pretty cool to find out when we got there that Amber had been asked to carry the flag for the Survivor's Victory Lap!

There were teams that ran or walked the relay overnight together (the relay is 12 hours long- from 7pm, to 7am).

This is Amber with her team, "A Step In the Right Direction":

I didn't catch all of the team's names, but there were certain teams you couldn't miss- like "Alice's Aliens" and "Candace's Angels" :)
(I have to add that I just found an article about Alice Wood who, at 96 years old, is the disease's oldest survivor!)

Here are just a few of the teams:

It was touching to see the different groups and to know that so many of them (and so many of the people there to support them in the relay) had personal reasons for being there, and were there to support a special person in their life who is facing or has faced a battle with Cancer.

The place was packed with "survivors" in yellow tshirts with blue ribbons that showed how long they'd been surviving and the track was lined with luminaries representing those who had fought the fight against cancer.

Here we are: (My mom, niece, sister & I, with Amber)

My heart goes out to those who have faced or are facing the fight against Cancer and I am so appreciative of those who supported the Relay for Life this year!

Brittany's Bridal Shower

Just over a week ago, I attended a bridal shower that my aunt threw for my cousin's fiance. She's a super-cute girl who's always smiling and totally nice. At the shower I learned (and I'm not surprised) that she's also a great sport. Here are a few pictures from the shower. We're glad to have you joining the family, Brittany!


Brittany's Bridal Shower
March 30, 2009

What bridal shower could be complete without a good game of Toilet Paper Bride?






Apparently Brittany insisted against the traditional bow-hat for her shower. So at the end of the night, she was greeted with a lovely wrapping paper bow bra :)