I’ve lived on the west coast for the last seven years and it’s taken me about that long to form a west coast orientation in my brain.  I no longer envision the cliff walk  overlooking mansions when people say “Newport” or the rocky shores of Maine when people say “Portland”.

But every now and then I’ll wax nostalgic on something from childhood and with shocked amazement realize that it was purely a regional thing.   I’m still shocked that in some parts of the country munchkins and donut holes are not interchangeable words, or that not everyone grew up with a fluffernutter as the alternative on their school’s lunch menu,  and that “pigpile” is not what you yelled as a kid before you jumped on a heap of your friends.

So it should come as no surprise when I texted my friend to tell her that we were bringing homemade Chipwichs to her house for dessert, she replied “I have no idea what those are but that sounds great.”

Naming conventions aside, these chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches are one of the easiest and most delicious treats of summer.

The day after school ended we broke out our ice cream maker and adapted Julia Child’s Mocha Chocolate Chips (from Baking with Julia) to make these.

I’ll always be partial to the real Chipwich but there’s something about the extra creaminess of  homemade vanilla ice cream and the chewy texture of Julia’s cookies that make this version truly decadent.

Or as they say where I’m from….they taste wicked awesome!

I hope your summer is off to a great start and thanks so much for joining me today At the Picket Fence,

I knew my husband would be an amazing Dad from the moment I met him.

Of course, I didn’t tell him that right away. I’m pretty sure that would fall into the creepy “I-just-met-this-girl-and-she-is-already-talking-about-our-non-existent-children” category!

But, I thought it. And I just knew.

The thing is though, that you don’t really know until you know….you know?

And our road to becoming a mommy and a daddy wasn’t easy. In fact it was downright painful. You can read more about that journey here.

I’ll never forget the moment when I got the call from the adoption agency. I was on my way to Walmart and I had to pull off to the side of the road because I was shaking so badly. They said those words, “you’ve been chosen” and they became the sweetest three words in the English language! I wanted to call my husband right away but I also wanted to have one of those “moments” that all of our friends were having. You know, where the wife surprises her husband with the positive pregnancy test wrapped up like a gift?

So, I searched and searched the store until I found the perfect way to tell him the news. A little powder blue bib that said, “I love my Daddy!”

I took it home, wrapped it up and laid it on the bed where he would be sure to see it when he got home from work.

He walked in the door and I followed him up the stairs and waited as he sat down on the bed and slowly started removing his shoes. “OPEN THIS NOW!!”, I said. I’m pretty sure he thought I had lost my mind.

He opened the package, pulled out the little bib and said, “oh, that’s cute”. Huh? Wait a minute. That’s the reaction I get? And then it dawned on me. He didn’t realize what it meant. That HE was the daddy on the bib!

So, I told him. Told him he was going to finally be a daddy to a precious little boy arriving in 6 weeks. And we held each other and sobbed.

And I knew.

Knew that this man would be the most amazing father. And that the longing he had to be called “Daddy” would add an incredible layer to this new role in his life.

But, you don’t really know…until you know.

Until you see him holding that precious gift in his arms and the joy on his face at this fulfilled dream. Until you watch him look at that tiny face with complete and utter adoration. Until you see him being followed around by that little boy who would truly follow him to the ends of the earth. Until you watch him allow his “shadow” to “help” him with things around the house with so much patience.

Until you see him wearing a little dress-up hat and sipping “tea” at the latest party his little girl is hosting in her room. Until you notice the way that little girl’s eyes light up when she sees her daddy walk into a room.

Until you realize that watching him as a father makes you want to be a better mother.

And then you KNOW!

Happy Father’s Day Robb! You took all of the dreams and hopes I had for the kind of Daddy my kids would have and blew them out of the water. And the love you show all of us every day gives us a glimpse here on earth of how deeply God, our heavenly Father, loves us. With adoration…and intensity…and no conditions.

Thank you for choosing me to be on this journey with you!

With all the love in my heart and then some,

One Sunday I wore my robe to church.

No, it wasn’t one of those nightmares where you find yourself wearing only your underwear in a room full of clothed people.

And no, it wasn’t the Christmas pageant and I wasn’t playing the part of Mary.

You see, I had heard about how the “wrap” dress was all the rage and how easy they were to just throw on and go! How they glide over your hips and show off your waist and are an absolute essential to your wardrobe. And, well, when you tell me something is essential  you can better believe I’m going to listen!

While perusing the racks of clothing at TJ Maxx I struck gold! The PERFECT wrap dress! Charcoal grey and oh so soft. There were the ties at the waist which I just knew would do all the right accentuating. It was simple, yet elegant and also seemed vaguely familiar which I took to mean it was definitely meant to be mine. With a long necklace, black leggings and my black riding boots this definitely fit the essential qualification.

Sunday arrived and as always I was eager to trade my everyday wardrobe of sweats and a pony-tail for something a little bit fancier. I always tell my kids that God really doesn’t care what we wear to church but Mommy wants Sundays to just feel a little bit different from the rest of the week.

I cut the tags off my new dress and marveled at how this had to be the easiest wrap dress ever. Some I’ve tried on had me feeling like I was wearing a straight jacket as I attempted to make sense of which ties went which direction and wound up wrapped in all the wrong ways!

I slid my feet into my black leather riding boots, zipped them up and added a long, gold necklace which just popped against the charcoal gray of the dress.

I was ready.

I walked through the lobby of our church just knowing that this wrap dress was ticking off all the boxes.

Stylish? Yes!

Sassy? Yes!

Accentuating the positives? Yes!

Yes! Yes! Yes! I’m pretty sure we sang the hallelujah chorus that morning during worship.

Or maybe I just sang it to myself. Either way this wrap dress was a home-run!

I was still riding high on my wrap dress success after we got home and the sweats were re-attached to my body. As I went to hang my new dress in the closet something caught my eye.

It was so similar in color to my new wrap dress. It was also similar in texture. It had sort of bell-shaped sleeves and long ties around the waist and was oh so soft and the hem hit right above my knee…and…

It was MY ROBE!!

My soft charcoal gray robe with ties that accentuate my waist and “wrap” around me just perfectly.

My robe I wear every.single.day

My robe that has a hem which hits just above my knee.

No wonder I liked my new wrap dress so much!

No wonder it seemed so familiar!

No wonder no one complimented me on my cute new wrap dress! Oh nooooooooo! It wasn’t a dress!

I WORE A ROBE TO CHURCH!!!

Holding up those two charcoal gray articles of “clothing” next to each other only confirmed it.

After the shock wore off and I vowed to never tell a single soul about this I tucked my new “wrap dress/robe” in the back of the closet where it belonged. Among the other “shamed” clothing items. I began retracing my steps and wondering how this could have happened. I mean, that wrap dress was hanging in the clothing section of the store not the undergarment/pajama/robe section.

Then it dawned on me. It had simply been hung up in the wrong part of the store.

I had perceived that it was a wrap dress because it was hanging among other dresses.

I can assure you that if it had been hanging among the robes I would never have thought to wear it to church!

But it wasn’t hanging among the robes and so I assumed, I perceived, that it was a dress.

I wanted it to be a wrap dress so it WAS a wrap dress.

Aren’t we like that?

So easily drawn to a perceived reality? Which, of course, isn’t reality at all!

In our minds we make something the truth even if it isn’t. Whether it’s about ourselves or about someone else.

We see beautiful homes in magazines and on blogs and our perception is that everything in those people’s lives must be beautiful. My sister shared about her experience with this on Monday when she talked about a different kind of makeover happening in her life.

We scroll through our feed on Facebook and perceive things about each post.

“They sure do have it all together!”

“They eat at the nicest restaurants so they must be doing well!”

“That mom is always doing so many amazing crafts with her kids. I’m sure she never wants to go hide from them in the bathroom.”

“That couple looks so happy together. I’m sure they never argue or struggle.”

Perceptions.

We don’t look at everything through “rose-colored glasses”, do we?

We look at them through “insecurity-colored glasses” or “judgemental-colored glasses” or “prideful-colored glasses“.

What’s the result? Well, these perceptions change how we look at ourselves.

And that can be a dangerous thing if how we look at ourselves isn’t grounded in truth…in reality.

Yes, perceptions can be dangerous.

They might make you second guess yourself, your parenting, your marriage, your friendships. They might make you feel like you need to redecorate your home even though you are struggling financially. They might make you believe that the fact that you don’t have a weekly meal plan means you have failed as a wife and mother. They might make you think that wanting to hide from your children in the bathroom is a bad thing.

And they might even lead to you wearing a robe to church!

Crazier things have happened, right?

P.S. Oh, and that “wrap dress”? Well it is now being used properly…as my robe!

So the saying goes, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, did it really make a sound?”  This seems to apply to the internet these days as well.

If something happens and you don’t blog, status update, tweet or instagram about it, did it really happen?

This is especially true for us full time bloggers.  If we don’t photograph and blog about it did the craft really get made?  Did that DIY project really get done?  Did that recipe really get created?

This post today isn’t about crafts, or DIY or recipes, even though it does involve food.

This post today is about my self esteem and the burden I carry both emotionally and physically. It’s about my addiction….

My addiction. To food.

I wasn’t heavy growing up, even though I was never a “skinny minny”.  I was petite and round but a healthy weight throughout my childhood and adolescence.  The problem was, I didn’t know it.  I think my body image issues started in middle school, when I started developing early.  I was curvier than my stick straight friends.  NOW that seems to be more accepted, if not admired, with the TV images and media telling us curvy is sexy.  Girls are begging to wear bras, even when they don’t need them, while it seems my generation was the last that tried to hide the all too obvious training bra peeking out from under our t’shirts.

Through middle school and half of high school I became obsessed with wearing skirts and dresses.  Not for some religious modesty reason but because I felt it covered up my “heavy thighs” which I now know were not heavy at all.

By 10^th grade I had resolved some of those issues and went back to wearing pants,  finally convincing those around me I wasn’t really Amish (ha!),  I grew a little taller and slimmed up and by my Senior year was on the track team (barely..lol) and took off about 20 lbs.  I felt good! I worked at The Limited and got to wear lots of cute clothes, I actually even went swimming a few times with gasp…teenage boys present! I always had boyfriends and never lacked dates.

Going into my freshman year of college I was the slimmest I ever was.  Tiny waist, curvy hips and a healthy body image…finally.

Then I saw a boyfriend off to war, got engaged when he returned and got married all between 18-20! Shortly thereafter we moved away from our families to a strange new town and state AND I was in a serious car wreck where I was rear ended by a drunk driver.  I found myself lying in a second story one bedroom apartment with damaged knees, no family support nearby and a husband in a police academy that took his day and night concentration.

The weight piled on.  I “woke up” one morning 6 months later and FINALLY saw the image in the mirror that I had always pictured myself as.  Definitely overweight and miserable.

So….I pulled myself together and got back in shape.  Okay so no really… I ended up pregnant…at 21 years old.

More and more weight piled on.  I was miserable, lonely, missing my family, unable to work because of my knee injuries and subsequent surgery and now I was pregnant.

Fast forward 19 years and so much has changed in our lives.  We added another precious child, 6 years after the first, we’ve moved 14 times and have another move in a few weeks..but one thing hasn’t changed.  My weight.  Okay it has changed, it’s gone up.

I love food. I love thinking about it, reading cookbooks, watching it on TV, shopping for it, preparing it, photographing it and blogging about it.  I love how it tastes.  I am not in the least bit picky. I’ll eat anything…except green beans. Hate ‘em.

I eat when I’m happy; I eat when I’m sad. I eat when I’m stressed. I eat to celebrate, I eat to mourn…and occasionally I eat for sustenance.

On the other hand I do very little to move my body.  The least I can get away with.  I bribe the kids to get the mail and take the trash out, in my defense our driveway is a football field length long and up a hill.

I use to want to lose weight so I could buy cute clothes and wear my jeans tucked in boots and wear a swimsuit to the pool and actually get IN the pool and not lay out with a towel over my legs.  I wanted to lose weight to look sexy and not be self conscious in front of my sweet darling husband who loves me just like I am.  Those are all fine reasons to lose weight.

BUT, I turned 40 last year and something changed.  I started aching and hurting.  I have flat feet (an obese person’s worst nightmare) and my feet hurt, I mean REALLY hurt!  I am tired.  All. Of. The. Time.

I have heart palpitations and get out of breath walking….I am scared. I’m too young to feel this way.  I have YEARS of fun and life ahead of me.

We will be empty nesters in just 5 short years and I will still be SO young in the scheme of life.  I want to travel with my husband and not huff and puff.  I want to go to the beach and wear a swimsuit and walk on the beach with confidence.

I want to see my children get married and not be the “obese” mom in their wedding pictures forever and ever.  I want to chase my grandchildren.  I WANT TO LIVE!

…and I’m scared. really, really scared. 

Then it happened. I was tagged in a photo on Facebook I had no control over.  It popped up on my timeline and I gasped and then the tears flowed.  Because, I realized when I wasn’t standing behind my kids, or cropping the photo or using the wonderful PicMonkey tools available to me that picture was what I looked like.  What I “FOR REAL SURE ENOUGH NO HIDING IT” looked like and I was so ashamed.  I was so embarrassed.

I sent a plea in the night to my friend, who I had watched the pounds melt off of over the last 6 months.  I had silently tracked her progress, cheering her on.  She called me the next day and we talked and talked and she helped me get my journey going.

And today, finally, I am ready to share my journey with YOU our precious friends and readers.  I have been on my new path to good health for one month today.

I am already down 14.9 pounds in one month, but have so far to go that I don’t even try to picture the finish line yet.   I’m not quite ready to share my goal weight, it will mean confessing where I’m starting and I am so embarrassed by that number on the scale… I will though soon, I promise.

Today I AM  sharing my “before” pictures, unedited, full body.  Am I ashamed…yes…and I’m not sure why since apparently this is how I look and have looked for years to others.   I have tried so hard to cover up my addiction with cute clothes, stylish hair styles and a big personality and smile.  No more hiding though….especially from myself. 

So…again…the question of “did something really happen if no one knows about it” must be asked.  Of course we know it does, but for me, I feel that chronicling this journey will hold me accountable.  I also hope it will inspire you and maybe encourage someone else to make a life changing decision.  Let’s face it, addictions are addictions…and they are so hard to overcome alone.

I promise to make regular updates.  As I get my eating habits under control and learn new ways to eat healthy I’ll share that with you as well.

If you have any questions about what I’m doing please feel free to message me privately and I will put you in touch with the right people.  My plan may not be for everyone but it’s working for me…and I am determined to become healthy…..

…..Mind, Body and Soul….my life depends on it!

I have a confession to make. And I hope you still like me and want to be my friend after you hear it.

Ready?

I don’t really like cake all that much. Gasp! And if I had my druthers (seriously one of my favorite words ever!) I would rather have a bowl of cereal as a treat than a bowl of ice cream.

Which leads me to my next confession.

Ready?

Sometimes I mix my cereals. I hope all of you cereal purists will still be my friends too! A little bit of a variety of cereal all in one bowl is just divine. Like a cereal smorgasbord. Now my son is mixing his cereals too and my husband claims it is all part of my master plan.

Mwah ah ah!

I’m not exactly sure why I would prefer cereal to cake or ice cream. But maybe it has something to do with loving things that are more thick…dense…and a bit chewy.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good Dairy Queen blizzard. But, again, it’s dense…and thick…and creamy…and with chopped up Heath bar mixed in…oh my stars…uh oh…now I’m craving one!!

But, I digress. I’ve recently discovered the joys of Greek Yogurt which is not only healthier for you but has that wonderful thickness I love so much. My most favorite of all is Dannon Oikos Vanilla Greek Yogurt.

In my opinion, not all Greek Yogurts are created equal and this one has such a creamy texture to it. We’ve had a lot of ice cream in our house lately due to the plethora of birthdays and end of the school year celebrations but frankly they hold no appeal for me. But one night I wanted something that felt just a bit more like a “treat” and I wondered if it might just be possible to take my love for Greek yogurt to the next level.

So I made vanilla chocolate chip frozen Greek Yogurt.

And let me tell you, the love didn’t just go up one level, it went through the roof!

I may or may not have licked the bowl.

I also may or may not have closed my eyes a few times while eating it just to fully appreciate the depth of flavor.

And my husband may or may not have looked at me like I was crazy. But, I’m used to getting that look every time he sees me pouring a little bit from each cereal box into my bowl.

So do you still like me and want to be my friend even though I’m not crazy about cake?

 I think if you tried this you might just want to call me your BFF and write in my yearbook that you hope I have a ‘rad’ summer and ‘stay tan’.

I’ve always wanted a potting bench. Just typing out the words ‘potting bench’ makes me feel as though I should be walking through my peaceful English garden wearing a long, flowing dress, wide-brimmed floppy hat and carrying a basket over one arm filled with cuttings from my flower beds. I would take them over to my hand-crafted potting bench, select the perfect vessel for them and create gorgeous arrangements without ever getting a speck of dirt on my long, flowing dress.

But, I don’t have an English garden. And the last time I wore a long flowing dress I kept tripping over it when I had to climb stairs. I have some rose bushes but I wear flip-flops to snip their blooms and I have yet to be able to put plants in a pot without winding up covered in dirt.

And, my potting bench comes from Big Lots.

But, as in all good love stories, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

And sometimes a few accessories help to enhance that natural beauty.

Like mason jars filled with lavender.

 And a variety of pots waiting for the right plants.

Maybe a vintage galvanized bucket could be used to hold soil (It makes me sound more gardener-y to say ‘soil’ instead of ‘dirt’ right?)

And a metal scooper-thing-a-ma-jig that reminds you of something Laura Ingalls would have used to drink water from Plum Creek.

My potting bench might not be nestled in the English countryside, but it still brings a touch of simple beauty and nostalgia to my little corner of suburbia.

 Now if I could only figure out how to keep it from getting dirty….

And my potting bench and I lived happily ever after!

Hello everyone it’s me!! Angelina from JoJo and Eloise.

Every month I look forward to my visits with you here, at The Picket Fence.

Are you as excited as me, that SUMMER is here?

I am beyond excited because it means, LOTS of family time, Yummy BBQ’s and Vacations to far off places. However I could do without the Extreme High Heats, we tend to get.

Our kids LOVE sewing, decorating and crafting. They are always coming up with some thing or another.

The other day my daughter came in and wanted to show me this, Garden Leaf Necklace that she had made, all on her very own. She was not only proud of her accomplishment but she was also excited to show me how she put it together.

So today I thought I would share her, Garden Leaf Necklace with you in hopes that it might inspire some one on one Creativity, with your little ones.

Here’s what she did:

She gathered her leaves from one of our Bushes in the garden. The important thing is, she didn’t PLUCK them off, she PEELED them off the branch.

She measured around her head and cut her desired length for the necklace.

( She told me it was VERY important to measure around her Head, because you want to make sure it will go over it!! )

Then taking the long stem of the leaf, she WRAPPED it around her bakers twine.

(oddly enough it was secure, Kids have AMAZING ideas!!!)

When all her leaves were secured, she grabbed one of her favorite things.. MOD PODGE!!!

Using a paint brush she Covered her leaf with the Mod Podge.

Then taking some Martha Stewart Glitter she Covered the entire leaf and shook of the excess.

She continued the same process with her other leaves, only using different colored glitter on the rest.

Once her leaves were dried, she tied the ends of her Bakers Twine in a knot and she was finished!

She LOVES her Garden Leaf Necklace and has made several more since.

Some of them with Glitter and Some just left Natural.

All in all, she is one PROUD little girl.

We hope you enjoyed this little Garden Leaf Necklace tutorial and will consider giving it a try.

If your looking for some Healthy Treats for your kids this Summer, I’ve got a Great Coconut Mango Popsicle recipe on my blog. You can check that out HERE.

And, for those of us who tend to neglect our skin during the Fall and Winter months, I shared 10 ways you can get that Summer Glow, HERE!

Have a Wonderful Fun Filled, Summer!

I’m sure you never forget things, right? You are always on top of every special event and have the perfect gift selected for each occasion weeks, even months, in advance. You probably even make your own cards and gift tags and the tissue paper is always perfectly coordinated with the gift bag. That’s you in a nutshell, right?

Yeah….ummmm…me too!

But, hypothetically speaking, let’s just say you found yourself in Walmart 2 days before school lets out for summer break and you run into another mom and you start chatting there in the cereal aisle and she tells you about the gifts she has picked out for her kids to give their teachers on the last day of school. And as you are looking down at your cart and thinking you probably should have more items in it with the words “flax seed” on them, the reality of what she is saying sinks in.

Teacher gifts! You’ve forgotten about teacher gifts!

Outwardly I’m playing it cool. Sure, end-of-the-year teacher gifts. I’ve had them ready since Christmas, haven’t you?

Inwardly I’m panicking! Oh sure, I could just hand them gift cards but I really wanted something more personal. More fun and thoughtful. Even though I was just now thinking about it they didn’t have to know that, right?

What to do? What to do?

I wandered the aisles of Walmart looking for inspiration. I saw the lady who wears the floppy hat filled with buttons from all her travels. They jingle and jangle as she walks and I find it strangely comforting every time I see her. Maybe I should get the teachers floppy hats? Or buttons? I see a guy (not a kid!) wearing a Batman costume and wonder if maybe the teachers would like something with their favorite Superhero on it. I mean, teachers are like superheros, right?

My desperation has reached a new level.

Think Vanessa! Think!

Then I turned down the aisle filled with all sorts of Summer goodies and I know I’ve hit pay dirt!

Why not help them kick off their Summer with a gift basket? Or, in this case, a gift bowl.

I grabbed different colored large plastic bowls and some fun sets of plates and cups. Then I hit the party goods aisle and picked out coordinating napkins.

Once home, I layered tissue paper in the bottom of the bowl and then added some of that shredded stuff that always looks so pretty but is really annoying if it gets all over your floor as you are opening a gift. I loaded in the plates, cups and napkins and then tossed in some seashells for and extra touch of summery goodness.

The kids wrote thank-you notes and tucked them in and I tucked in my own notes as well. My kids have been so blessed to have the most amazing teachers!

And they proudly carried those bowls (with a little help from mom) into their classrooms on the last day of school and handed them to their teachers.

Do you remember that scene in the movie “A Christmas Story” where the kids are all filing past the teacher’s desk with their Christmas presents and it’s finally Ralphie’s turn to hand her his gift and he gives her this HUGE fruit basket?

That’s exactly how my kids looked handing over their gift “bowls”.

Proud. Grateful. Goofy grins. Eager.

And that’s when I started tearing up. It was the last day of Kindergarten for my daughter. The last day of 3rd grade for my son. This school year FLEW by! I know next year will too.

And these wonderful women poured their hearts into my children and all the children in their classes. My kids are so blessed to be at that school and we make sacrifices for them to be there. But, it’s worth it to us.

Because when I saw those teachers light up when they saw my kids coming with their gift bowls I knew that it wasn’t because they were excited about getting presents. It was because they saw just how excited my kids were to be giving them presents! They oooohed and aaaaahed and made a big deal over the bowls and I just stood there blubbering away.

Then it was my turn to hug them and thank them for all they do. All the things that no one sees. All the love and care and pouring into and encouraging of and praying for.

And I hope they know that the depth of my gratitude to them could never possibly be contained in a simple plastic bowl.

Even if it was pretty and filled with summery goodness!

Looking for some more great Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas? Check out these:

Teacher Appreciation Tote and Printable Tag

Fun in the Sun Cooler

Washi Tape Dry Erase Board

Tulle Teacher’s Apple Wreath

With summer just around the corner, and for many of you it has already arrived, we thought it would be fun to shop some of our favorite small businesses for some summer picks! Here’s some of the fabulous finds we made!

Fabulous Items for the Home:

Summer means travel and this darling typography travel poster from Curly Willow Collection will kick your travel season off in retro style!  Adventure Awaits You!

This darling Bee Skep from Eleanor Brown Boutique is the “bees knees”! These are very popular right now in home design and we think this one is darling!

Numbers are hot right now! From baskets to galvanized buckets you will find them stenciled on just about everything.  You can order these fabulous vinyl numbers from Leen the Graphics Queen and start numbering!

Summer equals time on the water! This original blue boat watercolor print from Red Bird Cottage makes us ready to pack up and head to the lake. 

We love this darling Ladybug Up-Cycled Jewelry Holder from Old Barn Rescue! Nothing says summer like ladybugs!

Fabulous Items for YOU:

If you have long hair summer time can get hot! hot! hot! These darling clips from Lilla Rose are the perfect solution. They are not only practical but even better are pretty! Gold is so “in” again and we love this gold dragon fly flexi clip.  Visit Jackie over at Lilla Rose for more great selections!

These vintage formica tags from JuNxtaposition are so hip and fun! Express yourself, without saying a word, with a variety of hysterical tags.

This Orange Daisy Collage Statement Necklace screams summer to us! Orange and Yellow are trending right now in summer decor and clothing and this darling necklace from Bel Monili would pair perfectly!

So, are you as ready for summer shopping as we are!?  We hope you’ll pay these lovely woman owned small business! They are a talented group of ladies and we know you’ll find something just perfect for you or your home! 

Have a lovely weekend….and thanks for joining us At The Picket Fence!

I’ve been feeling very sentimental lately. Maybe it’s because my son turned 10 (sniff…sniff) on Tuesday. Or maybe it’s because this is the last week of the school year. Or maybe it’s because my youngest has her Kindergarten graduation Thursday night and these next months will pass all to quickly and soon I won’t have my little afternoon buddy home with me since she will be heading to first grade in the fall. Sniff…sniff…

To say I’ve been a bit of an emotional mess lately would be an understatement. The tiniest things bring tears to my eyes. Hearing my kiddos laughing together in the other room, playing games as a family after dinner, slipping into their rooms at night to tuck the covers around them and marvel for the millionth time that I get to be their mommy. Or maybe it’s PMS…yeah…let’s say it’s that, OK?

Whatever it is, as we are looking forward to the next chapter in our lives, I’ve also been doing a little bit of looking back. And I thought it would be fun to share with you my daughter’s Tea Party which we hosted for her 4th Birthday.

The guests were greeted by a rose covered number 4 hanging on the front door.

This is so easy to make! Buy an extra-large piece of foam, trace out the number, and then using a sharp knife cut around the lines. Break off the excess pieces of foam a little bit at a time and then insert roses or any other flower with a thick stem. I hung it to a wreath hook using floral wire.

Instead of a cake the girls enjoyed individual teacup cakes. All I did was bake cupcakes and then place them inside the teacup. The frosting looks like whipped cream on top!

For extra little treats I made these darling candy-filled teacups using ice cream cones, cookies and gummy ring candy.

I broke off the top of the ice cream cone and attached it to the cookie with frosting. The gummy rings were cut in half and attached to the sides with frosting forming the teacup handle. Aren’t those fun?

The girls sat outside in the lawn under a canopy of trees. The table was set using a quilt as a tablecloth and lovely paper goods including the pink butterfly place mats which my grandmother had given me years before.

Fresh flowers, tea pots and individual tiny tea cups and saucers completed the setting.

Here is the birthday girl enjoying her very first meringue.

This sweet day holds such a special place in my heart. I loved seeing these girls enjoying all that is feminine and dainty about a tea party and yet adding their own silliness and fun to it at the same time!

My girl turns 6 this summer and is currently agonizing over which theme to choose for this year’s party.

So far it’s between Lalaloopsy, Bambi, Stuffed Animals and Sea Creatures.

Do you think I could convince her to just do another tea party?

Thanks so much for joining me on this walk down memory lane today,

Looking for some more party ideas? Check out this inspiration from our Contributor Julie!

Super Science Party

Painting Party

Pioneer Party