this weekend i hosted a little baby shower with a group of my dearest friends to celebrate our newest mama gal pal, daila, & her sweet lucy grace!
little lucy grace surprised us all by coming a month earlier than her due date! that sweet pea was happily in attendance to her own shower & we were all absolutely giddy about it.
we passed around the little peanut while sharing birthing stories, mothering tips & all of that other good parenting stuff that i gratefully file away in my parenting toolbox.
thank you to the amazing ladies who baked & cooked up the yummy treats for the shower! (i will happily decorate, but i refuse to cook for parties & showers… i’m not the chef in our tribe!)
i do love a good excuse to buy sweet treats such as sprinkled doughnut holes & pretty mints! i just threw them in glass jars & added a white tag.
those adorable gold forks & gold straw flags are from hobby lobby! i love their paper & party goods section. the tablecloths were thrifted… the white tassel tablecloth made my heart stop when i saw it.
my dear friend, jen, made the amazing gluten free cupcakes & those cute flag cupcake toppers out of cardstock & toothpicks. love! also, i went a bit crazy with the glitter & made miss lucy grace a giant gold glitter “L” for her room along with glittery heart cupcake toppers for a bit of happy.
now c’mon, someone else have a baby so we can hang, cuddle newborns & eat sweets again! xo.
love,
natalie
last weekend we packed our bags & headed to a little cottage on the lake for our annual family retreat!
if you’ve been around these parts for any time at all, you know about our annual family retreat.
you can find a little bit more about our retreats of the past here.
when luke was just a tot, his parents decided to begin the tradition of family retreats.
we disconnect from distractions one weekend in january & reflect on the previous year. we then set new goals & intentions for the new year. the location changes based on our budget & calendar, but the goals are always the same – reflect & envision.
i believe the practice & yearly tradition of meeting together to celebrate another year of the good stuff & imagine what could be in the new year is a must for family unity. we discuss heavy topics together, laugh together, imagine together & cry together (i’m usually the only one crying. go figure!).
we slow down to just simply be together. we play games, share meals, journal, read, explore & nap.
today i thought i’d share some of the family goals luke & i have in mind for 2015-
financial family goals:
– build emergency savings account
– consolidate student debt
– purchase new truck
home project goals:
– clean out shed for luke’s workshop space
– hang clothesline in the backyard
– restore hoosier cabinet in living room
– build permanent shelves in pantry
farm goals:
– expand laying flock
– continue selling farm produce during summer/fall months
– build garden fence
our family retreats allow us to process & set tangible goals to achieve during the year. it’s amazing what can happen when we set aside time to envision the year together as a family.
do you have a family retreat tradition? what does goat setting look like for you as a family? i’d love to read your thoughts!
love,
natalie
today i am oh so excited to share with you some goodies from a new maker on the block, betsy of hank & june!
betsy is sweet as pie & i absolutely adore her flour sack birdie towels!
as a gift idea for this upcoming valentine’s day, i am gifting my gal pals a love birds flour sack towel for their kitchens! paired with a cute spatula, your favorite sweet treat recipe or even a happy flag to brighten their kitchen, this is a happy little treat!
i simply tied my tea towels with string, added a heart doily, a little happy flag & a homemade tag with their initial. i can’t wait to gift these to my dearest friends!
as a happy little treat for you, hank & june is offering a giveaway of one love birds tea towel to one natalie creates reader.
to enter, simply…
3. comment below with your email address
& a fun valentine’s day gift idea for your closest friends!
i will pick a random winner next wednesday, january 28th! happy winning!
love,
natalie
p.s. hank & june is offering free shipping on any order with the code “natalie” until february 14th! happy shopping!
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congrats to lindsay who won the hank & june giveaway! we will be with you shortly about your goodies!