Nashville Wife

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Party Planning

Buck or Doe?

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Earlier this month, we shared the news that our baby is a boy. To tell our families, we did a gender reveal party. Mr. Handsome actually came up with the idea and the theme, which was both shocking and very sweet. His sister helped with the decorations, and we pulled it all together in just a few days. It was a small group, with just family, but we had a great time.

Mr. Handsome initially wanted to buy one of those pink or blue exploding tannerite targets that you see at outdoor stores, but I told him that Little Buddy wouldn’t like the noise. So he came up with the idea of using his bow to shoot an arrow at a balloon filled with blue powder. Our theme was “buck or doe.”

Strawberry Shortcake Themed Children’s Birthday Party

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It has been a while since I have posted photos from one of Anne’s parties. That’s because it has been a while since she has hosted a party. Well, if you consider eight months to be a while, that is.

Longtime followers of my blog have likely seen a number of posts with snapshots from one of my sister-in-law’s themed parties. She’s an absolute party planning pro and goes all out with decorations and food. This particular party was a very “sweet” occasion.

For the past few years, Anne’s daughter, who just turned six, has chosen her own birthday party theme. This year, she picked Strawberry Shortcake. If you have no idea what that is, you’re not alone.

Mr. Handsome thought the them meant that his niece likes strawberry shortcake and wanted to have it served at her party. Little did he know that there is an entire book series, and now a TV show, centered around a character known as Strawberry Shortcake.

The party was a lot of fun. It was outdoors on a hot day, and the invite list was limited to mostly family and a few close friends. Everyone was very respectful of each other, and the party did not go against the guidelines set by the state for gatherings.

Anne and her husband just moved, and their new house has a pool. They went back and forth on whether to keep the pool or fill it in, but the ultimately decided to keep it, which is great news for us! All the benefits of having a relative with a pool but none of the upkeep.

The few families with little kids swam in the pool before eating pulled pork sandwiches. It’s a surprisingly large pool, so families were able to stay in their own little corners.

Let’s get one more look at the cake. Anne made a “naked cake,” a term that I have heard many times but one that is new to Mr. Handsome. Let’s just say that he had a numer of new experiences at this party. It was also his first time eating a cupcake with pink frosting. I guess it was good preparation in case we ever have a daughter.

Curious George Birthday Party for Kids

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My party-planning sister-in-law has been at it again. Now that she has two little boys whose birthdays fall within a few weeks of each other, she has started doing joint birthday parties. It has been a while since we have been able to make it to one of her gatherings, so we were thrilled to be at her recent Curious George birthday party for the boys.

The decor was adorable, and I love that this birthday party theme can be used for both boys and girls.

Curious George books proved to be great decorations for the tables.

In addition to chili and hot dogs, my sister-in-law made Curious George cupcakes, banana muffins, and banana splits. I couldn’t remember the last time I had had a banana split, but it had been long enough that I had forgotten how good they were.

Outdoor games and activities included pumpkin decorating, Feed the Banana to George (also known as cornhole or bags), and Pin the Tale on George.

Valentine’s Day Bridal Shower

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Valentine's Day bridal shower

Anne just threw another themed bridal shower! When she mentioned several months ago that she had been chosen as the maid of honor for her husband’s sister’s wedding and needed to throw a shower in February, I suggested she do a Valentine’s Day theme. So technically I came up with the initial idea, but Anne ran with it and made it into something truly lovely. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this wedding shower because I’m still trying to limit germ exposure for myself and Mr. H Jr, but everything looked so beautiful that I wanted to share photos. Happy Valentine’s Day! Visit my Bridal Showers and Party Planning pages for more ideas.

First, the decor…

Valentine's Day bridal shower

Valentine's Day bridal shower

Valentine's Day bridal shower

Valentine's Day bridal showerThe food looked delicious…

Valentine's Day bridal shower

Speaking of chocolate fondue, when Mr. Handsome and I were dating, he made a Valentine’s Day meal of steak and chocolate fondue. The steak was perfect, but the chocolate tasted a little burnt. He insisted that it was a fancy type of chocolate that has a different taste to it. I knew better but since he went to so much trouble, I decided not to say anything. He told me the truth a few weeks later, and we had a good laugh….

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Baby Shower with Old Friends

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diaper cakeOn my Facebook page, I mentioned that the ladies in our church small group threw me a baby shower, and I posted a few photos. I also had two family showers. Both were in the same weekend and required travel, so it was a busy three days for Mr. Handsome and me. And just as we were leaving to return to Nashville, Mr. Handsome’s sister Anne delivered her third child, so we were able to visit them in the hospital before driving home. The perfect ending to the perfect weekend!

The first shower was hosted by my mom and sister-in-law (my brother’s wife). It was a ladies’ tea, and they had a bunch of delicious finger foods and desserts. Everything was served in plastic cups to make it easier for guests to eat while chatting.

There were cups with fruit kebobs, cups with vegetable kebobs…

fruit kebobs in a cup veggie kebobs in a cup

…Cups with egg rolls that had a tablespoon of soy sauce at the bottom, and cups with meatball kebobs that had a tablespoon of marinara sauce at the bottom……

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A Little House Birthday Party

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Little House on the Prairie birthday party

When I posted photos from my nephew’s Choo-Choo I’m Two birthday party and mentioned that his sister had had a Little House on the Prairie party for her fourth birthday, several readers commented and requested that I share snapshots. Here they are! As always, my sister-in-law put in a lot of work to make the event festive and fun….

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Choo-Choo I’m Two!

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choo choo I'm two children's birthday party

My sister-in-law Anne has been at it again. Her son is about to turn two years old, and she planned another extremely creative, themed children’s birthday party for family and close friends. We weren’t able to attend, but she sent photos, and I thought they were just too clever not to share. The theme was trucks and trains–“Choo-Choo I’m Two.”…

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Welcome, Summer Baby!

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Summer flower arrangementMany of you know that Mr. Handsome and I have a niece and a nephew. They are the children of one of Mr. Handsome’s sisters, who is due with her third (it’s a boy!) this fall. Another one of his sisters (he has four, but only two are married) is expecting a baby in the next few weeks. She didn’t find out the gender and is keeping her name ideas a secret, so we are all eager for the child to arrive.

A few weeks ago, we threw a baby shower for the sister who is pregnant with her first. The theme was “You Are My Sunshine,” since it will be a summer baby, and the mom-to-be loves the color yellow….

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Stars and Stripes and Sleepless Nights Gender Reveal Party

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gender reveal partyEarlier this week, I shared photos from my sister-in-law’s early 4th of July picnic. (If you need ideas, the post has some great suggestions.) She’s big on themed gatherings, but this get-together was more than just a patriotic party. It was a gender reveal for her third child! Her daughter is almost four, her son is 20 months, and Baby #3 is due in late fall.

As she did at the gender reveal party for her second child (you may remember the photos I posted to the blog), Anne had each of the guests make their guess known by wearing a pink or blue clothespin. She enjoys decorating with chalkboards, so she used a few at the party.

“He or she? What will our little firecracker be?”gender reveal party…

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4th of July Picnic Ideas

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4th of July American flag vegetable trayJune will be over in a jiffy, which means that my American and Canadian readers are scrambling to prepare for 4th of July and Canada Day. If you’re planning a picnic or backyard BBQ, I have some ideas to get you started. And if you don’t live in the United States or Canada, don’t worry because these suggestions will work for any outdoor party. Just swap out some of the red, white, and blue (or white and red for Canadian readers) for other colors.

Last weekend, Anne (one of my sisters-in-law) threw an early Independence Day party for family and friends. Mr. Handsome and I were unable to attend, but we loved seeing pictures. Anne has a knack for party planning, so she went all out. There was a particular reason that she hosted the party a couple weeks before July 4th, but I’ll share that in my next post. Hope these suggestions are helpful as you plan your outdoor gatherings. …

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