Hollimade Gifts

On July 14 I threw a Barbie party for my best friend's little girl, Brooklyn.  At the beginning of the whole process I had all sorts of ideas on how this party would be PERFECT!  Well folks, every party is NEVER perfect!  The perfection literally stresses me out to the max, then the day of the party I look at everything and say, "I love to do this and at this point the party will happen no matter what!"  The show must go on....as they say.


At first, I was just going to "help" Stephanie with all of the decorations, however she and Brad asked me to plan the entire party instead (big shoes to fill people)!  It allowed me to really put time and effort into what I love and I can't thank them enough for that.  This experience has given me even more courage to conquer the party planning business...one party at a time!

I kept pinning items on Pinterest wondering if I would ever be able to make them happen.  I talked about making a life size Barbie box but the closer we got to the party the more unrealistic that became.  I kept wondering how I would make it look exactly like I had imagined in my mind.  If you don't know anything about me, I will enlighten you....if things don't look exactly how I have them planned in my mind...I have a tendency to drop them altogether! With decorations anyway (the rest of life is just too much craziness to control)!  As we got down to the wire my super great husband stepped in to help me and the results of the party were phenomenal. 

Together we were able to make Barbie plates, a banner for Brooklyn, cupcake toppers, confetti, table toppers, Barbie silhouettes, a Barbie Box, and the Barbie logo for decorations. I have included some pictures to show just how much fun everything was:



These were most all of the decorations we used!

Sweet Barbies!

The cupcakes and goodie bags

Close up of the goodie bags

Barbie logo table topper

Barbie Silhouettes

Barbie, Barbie, Barbie

Cupcake toppers

Confetti made by me

Plates (these were so much fun!)

The entire table 

Next up is my brother's Welcome Home from Marine Boot Camp party, then I will be full force on The Avengers themed party for my sweet nephew Brynden and the Minnie Mouse Party for Mia Mia!  They are the same weekend so wish me lots of luck!

Once again, thank you Stephanie and Brad for letting me plan Brooklyn's Barbie birthday. I had a blast and I hope you did too!  Stay tuned for next week....

P.S. still no name for the company!  After this last party my idea was....It's all for the Party!  Any thoughts?!

Tonight we pick up our girl from Aunt Steph and Uncle Keith's house.  She has had the best two days of sleepovers, and feels so big!  I can't believe that she is already old enough for sleepovers!

Rhylan loves Carson!

Rhy and her sweet boy cousins!

Meanwhile, Ryan and I have been home working, and packing.  Packing boxes, packing storage units and moving to my Mother in love's house for a few short months!  Talk about CRAZAY!

I am also trying to get my party business off the ground.  I have several engagements I am working on and I feel so blessed to be able to make money doing what I love with my free time!  I have toyed with some names and thought Once Upon a Party was the one, but it seems that someone else has a really cute blog with that title and does the same thing I do!  I want something original!  I am open to any ideas anyone can throw at me. 

Brooklyn's Barbie Party is going to be super awesome!  I have lots of cool things in store for the kids to do including crafts and dress up with a photo opportunity!  I think it's going to be a party to die for, but I am a little biased!

...pictures to come from the fun shindig!


Rhylan starts Kindergarten in less than two months and I am beyond thrilled, nervous, excited and any other emotions you could put out there!  She has grown so fast into an amazing little girl that I am so proud of, yet it makes me miss the little bitty baby that she once was.  However, this is not the time to dwell on that, we have adventures to take care of!  Rhy asked me the other day if she could work for my business when she gets older, melted my heart that girl!
 
I will leave you with some pictures, Rhy is getting bigger every week and I feel like each new picture is documenting her changes, which I wish I could do every second of every day.  My little diva is growing into a big diva faster than my mind can keep up.

This obviously isn't Rhy, but it is her handy work!

These poor dogs, they make the best of friends though!

Rhy helping her Mama at the grocery store!

So, I decided to start my own side business. Huge for me! I have always wondered what it was that I wanted to do when I grew up. If I hadn't had Rhylan, I am not sure I would have ever known. That girl has shown me just how creative and artistic life can be! I (that's right ME) am starting a party planning/decorating business! It will be lots of fun for me as that is my ABSOLUTE thrill! Rhylan loves crafts too, so this is just another bonding experience for the two of us over the years. She is my little helpful assistant.

It has been awhile since I have written and life has been ever so hectic. We have been painting the inside of our house getting it ready for new carpet and the market. Lord knows, once we finish this project it will be worth it and we will be so proud, but right now I am really kicking myself in the butt for buying this house in the first place. Which makes me classify myself as a renter as soon as we get this house situated!

Rhylan is so ready to start Kindergarten and she is learning to read more and solve harder math equations every day, pretty soon I am afraid she might be smarter than me, wait that day is here! I have included some pictures this time and hope to write more often! My next post will be after Brooklyn's Barbie Birthday Party!

My beautiful girl and me

Rhylan as a flower girl in my best friend's wedding

Love my family!

I am a little bias, but she is gorgeous!

My best friend Amanda looking beautiful!

Love!

One of my favorites from my family photo session!

My lovely husband and me!

Today as I recover from a torn muscle near my rotator cuff,I am left in bed to contemplate the true meaning of motherhood. Yesterday I posted a quote on Fb, "The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.” - Rajneesh, this got me to thinking. I think this quote is special and sweet and all things nice and most of us mothers can relate. But what about the mothers who were never asked to be mothers but do it day in and day out gracefully. These are women who have married men with children or women who have stepped in to raise children whose parents no longer can. And they are usually called mom. We don't have special days just for them, but they should be celebrated just the same. My mom is a wonderful step-mother and I a also have one that is wonderful. Step isn't usually a word I use. I have two sets of parents and six brothers and sisters. People look at me like I'm crazy (or my parents are ), I simply say from four parents! To me,it's all Just family! One day, Rhylan will be curious. But, I will be able to explain how people come in our lives for a reason, we may not always get along,but if those people truly love you and have your best interest at heart,you should give them all the love you can! As a mother,I feel like I have an innate sense to love others,give of myself to those in need and to always look out for the best of and in others. I try to teach this to my daughter, so that when she becomes a mother, by whatever circumstances, she will be prepared,as much as one can be! ;-) I also feel like each Mother's day that I can praise my daughter's character, is another year well done. I have a sweet, kind, soft hearted daughter, who acts like she is 13 sometimes, but altogether has a very gentle soul. For that, I am SO proud! I wish all mothers a very Happy Mother's Day! Holli P.S. I know I didn't mention dads in this post,but don't worry, your day is coming soon!

Bacon wrapped Turkey Meatloaf
A Very good recipe and I usually have all of the ingredients on hand


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups milk 1 (120 g) package Stove Top Lower Sodium Stuffing Mix for Chicken 1 3/4 pounds lean ground turkey 5 green onions, chopped

1 egg 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 cup KRAFT Double Cheddar Shredded Cheese 6 slices bacon

1.	Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.	Add milk to stuffing mix in large bowl; stir just until moistened. Add all remaining ingredients except bacon; mix lightly.
3.	Shape into 10x6-inch loaf in 13x9-inch baking dish. Arrange bacon slices in lengthwise fashion on top of loaf, overlapping slices as necessary to completely cover top.
4.	Bake 55 min. to 1 hour or until done (170 degrees F). Let stand 10 min. before removing from dish and slicing to serve. ********************************************************************************** Oh and a sneak peek to my next post-family photos: My friend Ashley from childhood took our family photos and I am in love!  Can't wait to post more! Hope you all have a great weekend! ~Holli

Welcome to our crazy life...

I decided to start a blog to keep up with our everyday life and to also have a place where I can clearly lay out my thoughts about all things crafts!  I can't promise that every post will be exciting and funny, but each post should be a little insight into the craziness that is our little family! 

Our biggest task right now is moving to New Braunfels before Rhy starts school!  We have to get a house picked out, everything packed up and moved before August.  Yikes! This is not something I am looking forward too, however I am looking forward to being settled in the new place and being closer to our friends, the Scudday and Dupree families. 

Rhy just turned five and we had so much fun at her birthday party.  Actually, March was the month for crafts and parties.  I was crazy busy, running around planning birthday parties, bachelorette parties, and still trying to find the time to keep myself sane!  My house definitely looks like a craft store exploded in it.  But what is one more day of housework, I mean really? 

For Rhy's 5th birthday party, I cut out butterflies by hand to make a banner with her name on it! I love banners and someday soon I will own a cricut machine (someday very soon!). Below are some pictures from her big day!