Backyard BBQ Couples Shower

If you know my parents or my family at all, then you know that two of their favorite things are having people over for a party and cooking BBQ. My Dad is the grill-master of ALL grill-masters and my mom happens to be an amazing hostess, so when they decided to host an Backyard BBQ Couples Shower for my cousin, I immediately asked if I could plan and execute the decorations!

My mom and I were so happy with the way everything turned out and we really had a lot of fun. Most importantly, my cousin and his fiancee and their families had a great time!

Almost all of my ideas came from either Pinterest or Southern Living-esque publications-- here are a few pictures of the day:

 First things first, the iced coffee fairy arrived. (necessary to a successful party.)

My super talented Mother made individual home made pies in mini mason jars-- 

Peach, Blueberry, Apple and Cherry. So fun!

 We originally planned to rent a tent because of the heat, but I'm so glad we did--because of the ridiculous amount of rain that week! We used tablecloths similar to these but in yellow from Target, they were disposable but the looked and felt like cloth. With Burlap runners and Mason Jar (of course!) Flower Arrangements. 

See? Ominous Black Clouds would have really would have been a "damper" had we not had the tent. 

Quart Size Blue Jars for the Arrangements

(Jars: World Market)

 An Old Wagon lined with a small quilt was perfect for plates. It would be even cuter with real, mismatched china plates! 

Also, that chalkboard is from Hobby Lobby. I purchased Chalk Board Markers (also from Hobby Lobby) to write the menu and a cute saying on the other side. And guess what? The CB Marker will NOT come off. HA! FAIL. Guess who is going to be re-painting the chalkboard with chalkboard paint? Oh. Yeah. 

 Silverware buckets

(From Ikea)

Beverage Table. We served Sweet Tea, Unsweet Tea and Lemonade and then had Ice and water bottles in a cooler underneath. Apparently I never got a picture of the table "finished." It was so cute with everyone drinking from Mason Jars though. Does anyone know I love Mason Jars? 

I do. I truly do. 

(Clear and Blue Mason jars from Amazon

Striped Straws from Target

Beverage Dispensers from SAms or Costco)

This is an old wheelbarrow which we were originally going to fill with ice and water bottles, but when it started to rain, we brought the presents in from that other picnic table and put a quilt under them. It turned out pretty cute. 

Cute little tags with ribbon for everything that needed explanation 

(Tags: Hobby Lobby)

And yes, I did take time for pie. Wouldn't you?  

I could not have done any of this without this girl. My mom and I were both so busy and I asked Courtney and Mike to come help me watch the girls and she ended up doing SO much more than that. She's a wonder I tell you!!! She REALLY alleviated my stress level. 

Everybody needs a friend like that. 

Moving Tips

So, first of all, No, we are not (at this time) moving. At least, not that I know of, not this month anyway. You never can tell and I've learned NEVER to say never.

(A very dear friend of mine is. In fact, she was my first friend here when we arrived 2 1/2 years ago. We Stuckeys were quite alone and went for several months feeling that way. That January, we joined a new small group and I *bravely* went to a Tues. night Bible study. That night I met her and we ended up bonding for about an hour afterwards as we shared how we had both gone through miscarriages around Thanksgiving. We immediately learned that we moved here in similar circumstances around the same time and that our husbands worked together and had already met!  Lance and I have both said time and again how much they mean to us. God, in His faithfulness and perfect timing has provided a wonderful promotion and fresh start for her husband and so as we hate to see them go, (Oh, how we hate it) it is a great opportunity for him.  So, they will be leaving us soon. )

As they have to move somewhat quickly,  she and I were talking about moving and I've been trying to remember all the things that we learned when we moved here-- so I thought I would write them all down here and you can feel free to comment with any of your tips!! Some of you have moved A LOT!!!


When preparing to move:

* LABEL, LABEL, LABEL. Don't just write what room, list some of the contents (if not all!) It will help you immensely in those first few days. We wrote on index cards and then packing taped them to the boxes. Number your boxes for any room which you have multiples, such as the kitchen.

* Don't be afraid to donate and throw out when preparing to move. It really doesn't take all that much longer and you will most likely be "paying" to move every little thing, so if it doesn't serve a purpose (and if not sentimentally important) get rid of it!!!

* Use all your space! Use space in dresser drawers, pots and pans, (for small kitchen tools and spices)
*Get some of those colored dot stickers from the office supply section and devote one color to each room/ area of the house-- then mark the boxes that way.

*Have a supply of cheap zip-top bags in varying sizes. They are indispensable for collecting small things like the magnets from your fridge, cleaning out your medicine cabinets, removing all child-proof locks, etc. Also, when you take things down and apart--such as drapery rods-- just put all the small pieces, screws and such inside and tape it to the curtain rod.

To make the transition easier for all of you:
* Make a cleaning bag that rides in the car with you and you can take in first. Obviously, most places will be only surface clean and you will probably want to wipe down bathrooms, kitchen sinks and counters, etc before using them.  I used a canvas 31 bag with lots of pockets. I had paper towels, windex, basic all purpose cleaner, magic erasers, dust cloths and I stuck a roll of garbage bags and a couple rolls of toliet paper down in it. You don't want to have to search for these.

*Pack a suitcase (if moving several hours away) with your pajamas, extra clothes, toothbrushes, contact lens cases, etc. so you don't have to search through boxes.

*To make the transition better on little ones, especially toddlers, make every effort to set up their crib right away and have their linens clean and all ready to pull out of a clean garbage bag and put on their bed. Make sure you have their favorite toys close by for bedtime to make the difference bearable. I avoided changing any other major things for several weeks prior to or after. I would not recommend encouraging any major transitions during this time, i.e. crib to toddler bed, bottle to sippy cup, etc.

*Unpack your basics in the kitchen within the first 24 hours. Once you have your kitchen set up, you will feel much more able to tackle everything else, and it works as a great command center.


 These are things I've noticed on Pinterest that seem to be great ideas and I'll try to give proper credit.

This Post contains many tips and a printable moving checklist!

We did the garbage bag thing over hanging clothes and the styrofoam plates between breakable plates tip is genius!!

Also, Check out these Great Moving Tips HERE

**Please share your own moving/ packing tips in the comments!!**

She is definitely my daughter

Abby has had a little bit of a runny nose this week and hasn't quite been her usual happy self, post VBS. We are all still trying to recover honestly.

Sunday morning, Father's Day, we had a nice breakfast together and she kept wanting my Iced Coffee. (In retrospect, I realize that maybe she thinks anything with a straw is a smoothie. She takes her smoothies very seriously.)

We took the following pictures of her reaction when we told her "no."

so unhappy. poor kiddo.

Then we thought we would be really funny and take a video of her reaction. 

Then we got this: (serves us right, by the way! )

(Sorry the video is such poor quality. Still trying to figure it out!)

Sad.

And for all of you out there who think she just wanted cheerios, a spoon, or her milk.. (namely my Mother!) I can assure you she did not. She had eaten plenty of breakfast and had a whole pile of cheerios on her tray. For some reason, she really wanted the coffee! I love that kid. 

A Birthday Tea Party

For Lucy's 4th Birthday this year, we had a Tea Party with a small group of her little friends. 

Here's a few pictures from that fun day! 

The entire party took place on our front porch, so since outside is so naturally pretty, I kept it simple with the decorations. We took a Shabby Chic approach to the Tea Party, which was not only girly, but also allowed me to use so many things I already had. (Money Saver!!)  

We made this bunting/ banner from scrapbook paper and twine-- it's probably going in the girl's room. 

The Tea table for the little girls. Yes, I used my real dishes. The cups and saucers were perfect sizes for their hands and they were all perfectly careful with them. After searching ALL over for metal or plastic cups that would be foodsafe and also pretty, I decided to use what I had, as it was really the theme we were going for. 

We had Tea Sandwiches (PB&J and just PB)

Mini Scones: Chocolate Chip and Strawberry

Mini Chocolate Muffins

Decorated Sugar Cookies

 (all three of which I baked ahead and froze)

Strawberries and Grapes

Goldfish (of course!)

Chocolate Cupcakes with Pink Buttercream!

I also put Pink Raspberry Lemonade in a Tea Pot and served them from that. 

They all LOVED it and were perfect little ladies. 

And as I am never one to miss an opportunity to entertain, I did a separate "Mom's" Table and I'm so glad I did. It was lunch time and that way they could wander down the porch, grab a little plate and enjoy the party too. We served:

Tea Sandwiches (this time pimento cheese and egg salad)

Cream Cheese and Red Pepper Jelly with Triscuits

More Scones and Sugar Cookies

Fruit: Berries and Grapes & Cheese

Chips and Salsa

Chocolate Cupcakes with Pink Buttercream!

Beverages: Peach Tea, Unsweet Tea, Lemonade and Spa Water. (It was WAY too warm for hot tea!)

See these Mason Jars? They are limited Edition Heritage Ball Jars (apparently the color was only made 100 years ago, so they are remaking them for limited distribution) You can get them here but I did find these at my local Target. I LOVE them and have enjoyed using them for drinking. 

I found this chalkboard easel at Hobby Lobby-- LOVE!

a Little view of the side where the girls sat. 

 Our Birthday Girl!

 Sweet!

 So glad my parents could come!

And of course, Fresh flowers in a Mason Jar were a must! These flowers came from Publix and I was so pleased with them. 

Her face cracks me up!! 

"Happy Birthday to Lucy, Happy Birthday to you!"

Cheddar Zucchini Cornbread

I saw a recipe on Pinterest for Cornbread with Cheese and Fresh Zucchini and it prompted to me bake my mother's recipe for buttermilk cornbread (the best I've ever had!!) and add these two things to make it extra special. It was delicious and the kids even liked it. (Hidden Veggies--YES!)

It would be the perfect addition to a meal of veggies, or a chili, a soup or really anything! It would also be a great potluck item, as it makes a ton!!! I bake it in a 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet, but you easily make 2-8inch cornbreads and still have plenty. Or muffins! It would make great corn muffins. Just bake it a little less and check it sooner. 

Cheddar Zucchini Cornbread

Preheat oven to 375' and place cast iron frying pan with 2 tbs. of vegetable oil to heat while the oven heats. 

Combine: 

8 oz. shredded zucchini, drained and slightly pressed of excess water

3 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 sour cream and 1/4 cup of water if you don't have buttermilk)

3 tbs. sugar

1 cup of Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Combine together in a separate bowl and then add to other ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Self Rising Flour

1 1/2 cups of Self Rising Cornmeal

Mix well and pour carefully into the hot skillet. Bake at 375' until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes. Test for doneness with toothpick. 

Recipe: by Cynthia M. Stuckey, modified from Linda Blythe (My Mama!)