Pineapple Party {Party Like a Pineapple}

Pineapple Party

So, I had a birthday.

Back in March.

I had some small celebrations with family

and, of course, my TJ kids.

But I wanted to have a Party.

I haven't had a "real" birthday party in several years

and I decided that I wanted one.

Furthermore, I had several other things to celebrate as well:

it had been a very long and cold winter around here

and I'm very excited for the arrival of summer.

Also, 2014 in general

was NOT a good year.

There is literally NOTHING about that year

that I wish to live over again.

So I decided that my birthday party

wouldn't just be a birthday party.

Rather it would be a;

belated-happy-birthday-to-me

-thank-God-we-made-it-through-2014

-yay-summer-is-almost-here Party!

And the theme for this party was:

Black, white, and Pineapple.

I called it:

My Pineapple Party

And what a party it was!

It was literally EXACTLY what I wanted it to be.

I flat refused to let the fact that I was basically throwing my own party,

my mother's slow recovery from shoulder surgery,

low attendance numbers due to Mother's Day festivities,

and a wicked bout of food poisoning ruin my fun!

Many of my favorite people were in attendance

and I want to thank every one who helped with and/or attended my party:

It wouldn't have been near 

as awesome without you!

I love you all!

Here are some of my favorite memories of that day...

(1) Miss Ella (with the accompaniment of Aunt Darlene) 

devoting herself to accessorizing the pineapples 

at the Pineapple Dress Up Station...

Mr & Mrs. Pineapple :)

I love this Little Girl!

When she got tired of dressing up the pineapples,

she dressed up Aunt Darlene :).

Can you say, "FABULOUS"???? :)

(2) "Fresh" Mr. Findley flirting with all the girls...

See? The Girls just fall to pieces around him!

(3) The presence of two of my favorite people in the whole wide world...

And to think I thought I had a chance at being the coolest person at the party...

Nope...didn't stand a chance...

(4) Introducing yet more of my family to greatest climbing tree in the world

that just so happens to sit in my front yard...

(5) The general awesomeness of my party guests...

I told you they were awesome!

(6) The A-MA-AZING food and beverages 

my mom and grandparents slaved over and sacrificed for...

Pictured above:

Pineapple Upside-down Cupcakes (top tier)

Scalloped Pineapple (on the left)

Hawaiian Bars (pineapple & coconut) (bottom tier)

Lemon Bars (bottom tier)

Pictured above:

Pineapple Sherbet Punch (on the left)

Golden Punch (on the right)

(7) The Decor

(I was unable to photograph the decor like I wanted to,

so you'll have to settle for using your imaginations

and the above photos and my pre-party Instagram photos 

will work as a guide...)

Anybody who knows me in the slightest,

knows that I adore black and white.

I wear those colors a lot with an accent color...

lately, that accent color has been yellow/gold.

When I was thinking about having a birthday party,

I knew that I wanted to challenge myself concerning the decor.

I have proven countless times over the Christmas holiday

that I have decorating skills, 

but I wanted to see how I would do on non-holiday decor.

After I decided that I wanted a black, white, yellow, and gold party,

I thought, "Well, I really don't want to have a bumble bee party,

so what kind of theme could I attach to those colors?"

And, DUH DUH DDDDUUUUHHHH!

My Pineapple Party was born!

I don't know what everyone else thought,

but I loved how everything looked...and smelled! :)

After designing my own invitations,

I had a clearer idea of what I wanted.

I had small, individual card tables 

(donated by my loving friends and family)

 instead of big long tables.

I was hoping this would make the atmosphere 

more "tea party like"...I think it did :).

I put  small, yellow candles on the tables 

accompanied by countless framed pineapple photos, 

 and sunglasses.

I had a lovely chalkboard (donated by Something Old Event Rentals )

that encouraged everyone to "Party like a Pineapple!"

,

a handcrafted door prize of white chocolate Lindt truffles 

attached to a wine bottle to look like a pineapple,

a hand-painted canvas that broadcasted the true feelings 

of my heart to all my guests:

You're the Pineapple of my Eye!,

and multiple hand-carved pineapples just for the fun of it! :)

I even bought myself a new phone case for the occasion :).

As I stated in the beginning of this post,

my Pineapple Party was EXACTLY what I wanted! :)

Thank you again to everyone who helped and/or attended!

You literally made my day!

Summer Bucket List {Sweet Summertime}

Sweet Summertime

For several years now,

I've been tossing around the idea

of putting together an "official" Summer Bucket List.

Well, I believe the time has come!

For me, Summer begins when schools let out.

And for me, that was yesterday.

(Oh! And do I have some AWESOME photos to share!)

I've got some really awesome things that I want to do this summer

and since I don't really have an extended vacation planned

I'm hoping to check off at least one item per week.

1. Do a Carnival themed photo shoot.

2. Try a new recipe out on my Grandparents 

with the help of Grandpa's new grill :).

3. Eat nothing but fresh peaches for dinner.

(Actually did that one last night!)

4. Watch a fireworks show.

5. Get up early on a Saturday morning

and visit the Farmer's Market with my mama and my camera.
(I'll be sharing the photos soon!)

6. Take a sunset walk along the East side 

of the Illinois River with my camera.

7. Take a day trip to Chicago.

(I went with my cousins...we had a blast!)
8. Get some sun on my glow-in-the-dark legs.

(I officially have tan lines from my converse all stars!)
9. Have a Smoothie King date with my cousin.

10. Share some watermelon and bing cherries 

with my YMCA kiddos on a picnic.

(This is my annual Fourth of July tradition!)

11. Make an ice cream sandwich cake for a family gathering.
12. Watch a sunset from Fondulac Drive.
13. Enjoy some fried squash and zucchini and corn on the cob.
14. Have a special dinner for my mother's birthday.
15.Have an outdoor movie night.

What are your plans for the summer?
Have you made an official summer bucket list?

I would love to hear your plans! :)