Kids Birthday Party Teaser

My kids both have birthdays in the month of May, so we're doing a joint birthday party this year. It's something I said I would never do before I had kids.

But hey, now that I actually have kids and know how reality works, we're going to do it.

To make myself feel a little better, I figure they're still young so they don't care that they have to share. When they're older that may change, but we're taking advantage of this now! I'm thinking the parents of the kids' friends probably appreciate that, too...but I care more about how my kids feel than they do so that's not really a deciding factor more a delightful consequence.

So, we're having the birthday party at our house and it's a Thomas and Friends theme.

I've made the invitations to look like train tickets (pictures coming soon!) and we'll have all sorts of Thomas and Friends decorations. Some will be handmade and others will be purchased. I'm not going to lie about which is which either. :)

More to come soon.... (That's the teaser part of this post. Muahahahahaha!)

Happy Mother's Day!

I have been saving these for Mother's Day so the surprise wouldn't be ruined.

This year was a homemade kind of holiday.

Here are the presents before I wrapped them up:

My mother got her ninjas
(and a picture frame like my grandmother's below)

My grandmother got a picture frame with a picture of the kids and some of the batik fabric that they painted and a necklace with their names in shrink-a-dink. 

Sorry no pictures of the necklace--I made it about an hour before we left for lunch on Sunday. 

And since my sister's birthday is May 10th, I brought presents that I made for her, too!

Mushroom in her favorite color: purple

 

Credit card case made out of the tester batik fabric
(the other one is for me)

Everyone was very happy with their gifts. Surprisingly happy, if you ask me.

Is anyone else ever surprised at the appreciation your family shows about receiving your handmade gifts? I don't know why, but I always doubt my presents until the recipient actually opens them. It's weird. I love getting handmade gifts so why wouldn't I expect others to love getting mine? I don't know, but it makes for some sweaty palms until the gifts are opened! That's for sure.

How did you show your mother how much you love her?

More babies? More mushrooms.

There were a pair of babies born into our circle of friends and another friend's child turned 2 years old in the last couple of weeks. So I went to my go-to young child design and personal favorite: The mushroom.

Have you made anything fun lately?

Bob Marley Mushrooms!!

Late on Sunday night, it seemed like a cool idea to crochet a rainbow patterned mushroom.

Then it seemed like a good idea to make a reversed rainbow patterned mushroom.

So I did. (Yay for insomnia?)

I didn't realize that they remind me of Bob Marley until the next morning. Especially the reverse rainbow patterned one pictured on the right.

And with all that color, they're perfect for a post on Cinco de Mayo!! Don't you agree? :)