Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Rachel's Birthday!


Rachel turned nine last week! Initially she wanted to head to a water park and invite a few friends but after considering many many things - we opted for a local pool instead. Closer, less expensive, easier, etc... As a local weather site said, the heat index here has been in the triple digits - so we definitely needed to cool off!

We decided on an ice cream theme to go along with her pool side party. The above photo is a tray of inspiration we were working on a few days before the party. Rachel was very opinionated about being involved in picking most of the details on this party! And, both Emily and Rachel chipped in and made parts of the decor.


But, let's back up and start with breakfast! Our b'day girl requested Poppy Seed Bread made by Emily! We were happy to oblige as we all like it! I added some little fabric flags {inspired by Natalie Creates} and a couple of paper doilies and voila - a breakfast picnic!

During breakfast, we read Proverbs 22 {July 22 is her b'day} and I shared some things I'd written out a few years ago about things I pray for her from this Proverb. 

Two tiny little hydrangea blooms were hiding down underneath the bush in the shade so their color has not faded like the others yet!





After lunch, we headed to the pool! I will admit that having a party away from home has both its ups and downs. Our pool does not let us reserve tables, so we got there a couple of minutes before they were scheduled to open for the day to start setting up and grab a table - I had prayed often about this and while it appeared occupied when we got there - it did work out! Also, we prayed for no rain during the party and that was answered too, humbling and a good reminder that God cares even for the little details!



For most of the decor, I shopped my house for things that would fit the colors and space. By His Stripes garland and fabric flower garland have both been around a while! A quilt flipped over to its solid side provided a neutral background for the table. A peek at my Pin board for this party will show where our inspiration was gathered! Pink and orange were her self-declared color theme!

Paper goods are from Shop Sweet Lulu - picked out by Rachel! Yarn balls are left from Valentine's Day and these two baby showers hot glued onto stale ice cream cones from my pantry inspired by this. We made the little favor bags {inspired by this} out of things laying around the house - contents were curated by Rachel from a trip to the Dollar Tree {flip flops, a puzzle, fun rainbow pen, etc...}

Free ice cream printable garland. Ice cream cone marshmallows {we found ours at Wal-Mart} Watermelon pops. No glass at the pool really cramped my style as I don't really do disposable/plastic that much. But, in the end I'm pleased with what we figured out {some at the very last minute!}






















We served build-your-own ice cream sandwiches, goldfish, watermelon and lemonade/water.

Years ago, I sort of imposed a $50 party budget for b'day parties. I have not always stuck with it and just added up that this party was around $75 including pool entry fees, paper goods, party favors and food. I attribute part of the higher cost to my lack of planning ahead - with a lot of traveling this summer, a lot of this sort of waited until the last minute and especially for the favors, I could've done better by planning ahead more. I also spent more on paper goods which are important in our house for the cute factor and what they add to the table!

We celebrated as a family in the evening with Rachel's requested foods and a repeat of last year's ice cream sandwich cake. There are tons of ideas on Pinterest but this is what I did:

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Line a bread pan with parchment paper. Create a layer of ice cream sandwiches. Spread homemade icing over the top and then cover with chopped Birthday Cake Oreos. Repeat. Finish with a layer of frosting and a few sprinkles. Freeze.

Homemade Choc Chip Frappucinos

Miss Nine also requested frappucinos to be served at her party - she picked out the above recipe and I made them ahead and froze. However, they stayed frozen throughout the whole party so we were not able to serve them after all.

Happy Birthday, Rachel! We love you so much!

5 comments:

Grammie said...

What a sweet, fun party for a sweet, fun girl! :)
We love you, Rachel!

Unknown said...

You are so creative!I love seeing your parties! It lots like fun and Rachel sure has a big smile on her face!:) Way to go!:)
Christina

Shelby said...

Love it Monica, what a great party that looks like and attention to detail is beautiful:) Happy Birthday Rachael.

angie said...

When you are able to bring your personal touches to a party outside your home, it is the best of both worlds. July birthdays can be tough to do at home because so often, the heat prevents the partygoers from celebrating outside. I love that you were able to use the pool without being obligated to buy their food/cake/rent a party room.
My favorite decorations were the yarn ball and stale cones (ingenious!) and the marshmallow garland.
You inspire me to create beauty on ordinary and special occasions.

*carrie* said...

Another wonderful celebration. Love all the fun touches, and so cute that Rachel was so involved in the planning.