Our Wedding: Yummy Cake Tasting!

In planning this wedding, the kids have heard all sorts of our planning details and yet haven't really been involved in anything. So when the opportunity came up for us to try some of the cupcake flavours from our cake decorator, we decided to make it into a family activity.

First, we picked up our order. We had two each of three flavours included for free and we chose to pick another three flavours for an extra $10. This business is a local home-based, mainly word of mouth type and we were happy to spend the extra.

Clockwise, from top left: Carrot with Cream Cheese Icing, Cookies and Cream, Vanilla with Chocolate Icing, Chocolate with Chocolate icing, Vanilla with Vanilla Icing and Lemon with Vanilla Icing.

We cut each cupcake into thirds (there are six of us!) and tried each kind together.

I had made a scoring sheet for everyone to decide which ones were their favorites. Everyone scored with a different scale, but that didn't really matter. We chose to score them on the way they looked, the taste of the cake and the taste of the icing.  

James with some of his cupcakes. He was a champ at tasting just the icing!

Owen took his job very seriously, though he really only liked one kind.

In the end, the kids all preferred the cookies and cream. Jason and I liked the Carrot with Cream cheese icing and I really liked the lemon. We'll definitely have the first two at the wedding, along with a simple chocolate option and I was able to ask my maid of honor to order the lemon for my shower cake as we're using the same company.

Pizza Party: Photo Op

One thing I've wanted to do with many of our past parties is a picture board thing. I have no idea what these are called, but I think they are so cute!

Jason was able to grab a piece of scrap wood and make a simple frame so that it would stand up. Once I decided what to paint onto it, he cut out the hole for the face and gave it a good wipe down.

I searched online and found a few inspiration pictures, but really, I just improvised. I had drawn a similar picture in pencil first to get an idea of proportions, but it was really just a matter of 'let's see what happens!'

Coupled with the moustaches, I think it turned out completely adorable. In the end, the materials were free and the painting took about 5-6 hours total. For such a neat little party activity (as well as a piece of decor) I feel it was well worth it. Plus, the other side is still blank and can be painted however I want for the next go!

All pictures are by Enlightened Photography

Noah's Pizza Shop

Picture by Enlightened Photography

When Noah finally chose his theme for his eighth birthday, we were only four weeks out. For a planner like me, that was tough. But we pulled it all together and though I'd like to have had a few more elements, it went really well! As you may guess from the picture, Noah had a pizza theme. It wasn't just any pizza party though, it was an Italian Pizzeria!

Ill be talking about each area of the party from the invitations to why I chose to hire a professional photographer all week. Until then, feel free to follow the link where you can check out a few choice pictures of the event.

yes it has been a month, thank you for noticing

Ok, so March was absolutely a busy month; but so was April (so far).

Noah chose to do a pizza themed party for his 8th birthday and since Im a little crazy, I designed and planned that party in less than a month. Ill be recapping that this week, so stay tuned. We also completed our pre-marital counselling, celebrated my 29th birthday, finished up our registries and booked a few appointments.

I also had my first bridal melt-down, but we wont mention that.

All in all, I feel a little worn out and put off from further wedding planning. The initial excited rush to get things done has subsided and we're now in the phase that just sucks the life out of you. Or maybe just your money. Whatever.

But all is not lost! (Why does that make me think superheros?) My bridal shower is scheduled for less than two weeks from now and my parents are flying in for a week. Ill finally buy my dress during their visit and start actually celebrating this wedding, instead of just envisioning everything. I'll also get the chance to really share some of the plans with my mom. She's been kept informed by phone so far, but hasn't actually seen anything. Im looking forward to visiting the reception location with her, showing her the tablescapes I have planned, buying my dress(!), showing her the mock invites I've created and being able to chat for more than a few minutes at a time.

I have big plans to keep this blog updated daily between then and now because I can't promise Ill have the time during their visit. What do you think my odds are on that? HA!