Birthday Stuff!

Recently my oldest daughter, L, turned six. We don't have a big party with a bunch of kids every year, but we always have a family party with her cousins, grandparents, Aunts and Uncles. These are my favorite. We have a nice big magnolia tree in the front yard so it's a good place to have a kids party in the spring. To dress it up for the occasion I hung paper lanterns and other round paper things which L helped me pick out at a few discount stores and a party center. I think it came out really festive!

In my purse and shoe days (I call them that because they were the days before kids when I could spend money on purses and shoes) I trolled the vintage stores, thrift stores, antique malls and estate sales buying old table clothes. Now I use them, miss-matched as they are, for dinners and other family events. For the b-day party I used pulled out six or so for the tables rather than those disposable cloths I think they give even a 6th birthday party a more permanent feeling, and are more environmentally friendly! On that note, although we did use disposable cups and flat-wear we also employed our cafeteria plates which my husband and I picked up some 8 years ago for less than $1 each at Big Lots. All the soda cans (I got the smaller 7oz type) and the few water bottles we provided were all recycled. I was really happy with the lack of trash at the end of the day.  

Here is the yard the same evening with the afternoon sun beginning to set behind the tree. Although my children have asked to have the decorations left up they are already bleaching out from the sun and several have dissolved thanks to a few days of heavy spring rain. Oh well, it was lovely while it lasted!