Violet is ONE!

I was planning Violet's first birthday party before she was even 6 months old, tearing out ideas from magazines and bookmarking webpages and blogs. I'm a little crazy when it comes to parties and I will be especially crazy when it comes to Violet's birthdays. All along I wanted a rainbow theme, centered around a rainbow layered birthday cake. The whole idea was sparked by this cake on Martha Stewart's website. What an inspiration!
http://www.marthastewart.com/256688/rainbow-cake

Homemade birthday cake!

I made these pinwheels and used them for centerpieces. Cute!

These cookies were sealed up in celophane bags as the party favor. :)

I forgot to take a before picture! This is a during, not an after. The after was demolished!

SINGER Sew Very Easy House Party!

I was so excited to be selected as a host for a House Party - a SINGER sewing party of all things. After I received the email telling me I was selected, I immediately started planning. House Party was sending a box full of goodies - 4 yards of fabric for the sewing project (a brush roll), project instructions, coupons to buy anything needed that wasn't included in the box, party favor items, and a few Martha Stewart decorations (I secretly squealed). The jist of the whole House Party thing is to introduce consumers to a new product - in this case, a SINGER Confidence Stylist sewing machine.

In order to prepare for the party, I attended a training for the sewing machine at the Viking Sewing Gallery, inside Jo-Ann Fabric on Forest Lane. Amy, the manager, called me to give me the date of the training and also let me know that if I was interested in purchasing the machine then I would get 20% off. This was a great deal especially beause the machine was also on sale! I didn't NEED a new machine but I had my old one for at least 10 years and it was a very basic model. So, I just kept that little nugget in the back of my mind. The machine was AWESOME! It was digital, had a needle threader, it was quiet, and IT HAD AN AUTOMATIC BUTTON HOLE SETTING. The SINGER Confidence Stylist had my name all over it! I was sold.

I scheduled my party for Saturday, May 7th and used evite to send out the invitation. Over 10 friends were on the list. I had great success in getting them to RSVP since there would be sangria, lots of finger foods and goodie bags! Of course they'd come!

Assembling the party favors

The day of the party:

I assembled the goodie bags. They included a coupon for the sewing machine, lots of coupons for Jo-Ann's, 3 spools of thread, 3 patterns, and some other information such as a little reference card for how to measure if your sewing clothing.

I made lots of food and named each dish after a sewing term. We had Singer Sparkler, Thimble Fizzler, Stitchin' Strawberry Bread, Confidence Pie, Sew Simple Breakfast Pockets, and Cute as a Button Cupcakes.

A few of the lovely sewers enjoying lite bites - Angela K., Nikki C., Trista P. of MommyUpgrade, Laura W., Becky G.

I had previously cut out and pressed all of the fabric needed to make the brush roll. So off we went! There were 8 party goers - some completely new to sewing, a few with some sewing experience, and one that was fairly familiar with sewing. My goal was to introduce and explain the machine. This involved describing the parts of the machine, advantages of this particular machine, and some techniques. We were having so much fun! We ran out of time and unfortunately not everyone got to finish their project. Luckily, most everyone had a machine at home so they could give their brush roll a few finishing touches.

Sarah H. - a first time sewer!

Sew excited to have had this party! It sparked some friends' interest in sewing. One friend purchased the SINGER Confidence Stylist, one purchased a different machine and 5 ladies dusted their machines off and got to sewing again. The party was a success! Thanks to all the wonderful ladies who came!

Many Mini Movies to catch up!

So... I've neglected the blog. Now we're back! Check out these movies from the past several months. Videos are much better than words even if they are out of order. She's a cutie!

First time feeding (Nov. 19)

Rolling over (Dec. 15)


(Jan 27)


I love when they do this! (Jan 9)


Snack time (Jan. 5)


Getting up and ready to move (Jan. 5)


Jumping bean! (Jan. 12)


Starting to pull up (Feb. 3)



(Jan. 5)


Little punkin was so tired but fighting her nap. She fell asleep sitting up. See if you can hear her snoring! (Feb. 2)


This all happens too fast!!!!!

A Day at the Texas State Fair...

We had a blast! Violet was awesome. She just hung out and looked around while mommy and dadda ate their way through the park. We had Fletcher's corn dogs, a deep fried smore's pop tart, fried oreos and a belgian waffle topped with whipped cream, strawberries and powdered sugar. I didn't eat as much as I had planned. It was a fabulous way to spend the day!

Dadda and Uncle Aus waiting in line for corn dogs (our first stop).

Watching the dog show - 5 Fabulous Dobermans

We had to get a picture with Big Tex!

Rahrrrr!
Our last stop. We couldn't resist.

Many Mini Movies...


September 18



This is hilarious! I can't even keep it together. You can hear me gasping for air in the background - I was laughing so hard! October 14




Aunt Steph makes Violet laugh! October 3

4 Month Appointment

My growing girl! We moved Violet out of the co-sleeper last week into the pack 'n play, still in our bedroom. No more "family bed." That makes me so sad! But, I know it's the right thing to do. Violet is sleeping through the night. She goes to bed between 8:30 and 9:00 and wakes up to eat around 2:30. She goes right back to sleep until 6:30. She naps in her crib 3-4 times a day. She's hardly ever fussy. She is the best baby!

The doctor says we should start rice cereal at 5 1/2 months. Violet did get the same immunizations as last time. Thankfully, Adam was with us at the appointment. I had another meltdown. Vi cried a lot longer this time. Breaks my heart!

18weeks (9/27/10): Weight: 13lbs 9oz (50th percentile), Length: 24 3/4in (75th percentile), Head: 15 1/2in (10th percentile)

9 weeks (7/26/10): Weight: 10lbs 15oz (50th percentile), Length: 23 1/4in (85th percentile), Head: 14 1/2in (5th percentile)

4 weeks (6/25/10): Weight: 9lbs 5oz (50th percentile), Length: 21 1/2in (75th percentile), Head: 13 3/4in (5th percentile)

2 weeks (6/10/10): Weight: 8lbs 9oz (50th percentile), Length: 20 1/2in (55th percentile), Head: 13 1/2in (10th percentile)

At birth: Weight: 8lbs 2oz, Length: 19 3/4in

Everyday you say??

My Aunt Rita and my sister have each reminded me that the title of this blog is "Everyday with Violet Mae." They want to see something everyday! That's because they LOVE LOVE LOVE her!

Dear Aunt Rita and Stephanie,
I promise I will post something at least twice a week. Even if it's just photos. I am looking forward to documenting all of her fabulous fall outfits! :) Here are two photos from this week.
Love,
B

Adorable!

I definitely need more practice with my camera!