Happy birthday, John Paul!

Now it's JP's turn! 

Happy birthday to our sweet and funny John Paul!

 We had a lazy afternoon lunch and shopping 

for birthday presents, it was perfect!

I took this picture of JP being, well, JP.  And thanks to Pinterest, I scribbled some of the things he is all about right now at eleven years old.  I hope to do this with all the kids 

(and wish I had discovered it sooner!)

We came home and had a nice dinner with Doug's mom and dad and then dove into lemon LEGO cake.

I think the smile on his face says it all.

Getting ready for flu season

Instead of getting a flu shot this year, I am stocking the pantry with an arsenal of healing herbs and vitamins:

Mullein and garlic oil for earaches.

Dried mullein leaves for tea.  Mullein is great for respiratory problems such as bronchitis, colds, coughs, and sore throats. Mullein tea has anti-bacterial properties that can help to reduce inflammation and infection. It is also a natural expectorant that can expel excess mucus from the airways.

Honey and garlic are like antibiotics.  They carry multiple antiviral, antifungal, and antibiotic properties.

Elderberry syrup/tincture is an especially strong immune system booster!  We try to take it daily in a little juice.  Studies have shown that it is better at combating the flu than Tamiflu!

Astragalus root helps increase white blood cell count, stimulate growth of antibodies and elevate body’s resistance to bacteria and viruses.

And mega doses of vitamins C, D-3, and zinc round out our cold and flu arsenal.

I'll also be supplementing our diets with probiotics in the forms of kefir and apple cider vinegar.

We've done really well in past years using these remedies and I am hopeful that we'll be flu/cold free this season as well!

Our precious girl turns ONE!

Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated Mary Grace's first birthday with us!  And God bless our Mary Grace with many more happy birthdays!

First Haircut

 Before

After

And now my life is changed forever...

Live long and prosper.

 

A birthday party on the cheap

Mary Grace will be turning one in a little over a week. We always have a big first birthday party, but with finances so tight, I was beginning to rethink that idea. 

 Thank goodness for Pinterest!

After a visit to the thrift store, I was able to make two cake stands for a little less than eight dollars.

I found these two sweet plates for a steal at .75 each. They are nice, big, sturdy, and best of all vintage.  I used a candle holder for the base of one and a candy dish for the base of the other.  I glued them together using E-6000 epoxy.

After the glue dried, I spray painted them upside down with a matching yellow.

I also came across some additional fabric at the thrift store and made yards and YARDS of bunting to hang everywhere.  I used up most of my fabric stash for the bias tape and bunting and made out like a bandit ~ $3.00 for over 30 yards!  I don't think you could by streamers for that price.

 I'm not big on "themes" but I'm definitely sensing a vintage feel for this party.

Old plates and vintage fabrics...why not!

Mary Grace IS my daughter, 

surely she'll love them as much as I do!

More party projects to come, stay tuned.