Woodland Wonderland Themed Shower

So sorry that it has taken me so long to post! The day after our friend's baby shower, my daughter Christina and her husband and son moved to Alabama from Florida, making my days delightfully busier! I will post more about that awesome subject in my next post, including pictures of the adorable and cozy house (only about a half mile from here!) that they found to rent before looking to buy a home closer to where my son in law works. (don't worry that is only about an hour away!)
Back to the baby shower! I was so happy to be able to help my daughter and friends decorate for this shower since I love the couple that it was for and the woodland forest theme was right up my alley. Thank the good Lord for Pinterest, because they were numerous pins in that category, from food to decor.

hanging some of the clothing gifts from a clothesline adds to the decor with some squirrel and hedgehog silhouettes!

the favors were S'Mores pops we made by dipping giant marshmallows in melted chocolate then rolling in crushed graham cracker crumbs! They were really delicious! Thanks pinterest!!

Burlap tablecloth, planks of wood bought at Hobby Lobby usually for wood burning stacked on cans that were covered with wood grain scrapbook paper! I made the name garland out of small wood squares and twine, stencils and a wooden owl! Saw forest animal plaques on pinterest, so I made some for the wall above the cupcakes (coming in a later pic) Oh, and I also made the air dry clay mushrooms to brighten up the area! Fake moss rocks and acorns added to the theme!

bare branches in mason jars were the centerpieces

acorn paper garland and twig garland with paper forest animals

with the delicious cupcakes decorated to look like mushrooms! The dots were m n ms!

pinwheels made from gift tissue paper adorned a long wall

two long paper pennant garlands made from forest theme scrapbook paper and twine

food table with mushroom decor made from brown paper sandwich bags! So easy, just google it and you will see!

closer view of the pennants!
I have a few more pics to download, so my next post will also have them in it!
Also, I have had a cold since the day after my family arrived making it all the more difficult to focus on a blog post but I am almost all better now! It has been like a dream come true having them so close by and in a few minutes I will be watching my sweet and adorable grandson while Christina goes grocery shopping!! Fun times!!

things are happening!

Tomorrow is the day that my daughter Christina, her husband Suj and their son Kavi after 3 1/2 years apart will be moving to Alabama! Suj got an awesome job in Birmingham and they will stay with us until they find a house closer to his workplace. I am so thrilled, I cannot believe it!!! My husband flew down to Florida to help them get ready for the move and also assist with driving the truck they rented.
I know how stressful it is to make a move like this and since they are renting out their house they wanted it to be extra clean for the renter. We are prepping on our end too, with my daughter Jenny moving to a back room we have, so Stina, Suj and Kavi can share the bigger room, so rearranging of certain things need to happen. I only know this, that I want them to feel cozy, at home and comfortable so they can relax until they find the right place to move to. And it is also important for Jenny to be able to function in the back room with every thing she needs to get ready for work each morning! Too bad that my plethora of yarn takes up so much of that back room. Looks like I need to start crocheting some big blankets or something so a little more space can be cleared for Jenny!
A lot of work will be done tomorrow since we have been helping with a friends shower this weekend, so pray we can organize things quickly! I will post more about this shower soon, since it was a super fun Woodland theme shower for a sweet couple we know expecting their first child!
The Alabama adventure begins for our sweet family tomorrow and we couldn't be happier!

(sort of) City Living

OK, so this vintage postcard is taken in our downtown which is only about a half mile from here. It looks pretty much the same now as it did back then. I like it, it reminds me of where I grew up. Now, don't get your bloomers all in a knot (is this really a saying or some mutant saying that evolved from my head??), if you are a southerner and I have just compared this town to of all places, NEW YORK CITY! (said like the salsa commercial)
It really looks like and reminds me of Bell Boulevard in Bayside Queens. Stores that you could window shop at, that were decorated for the seasons that had mannequins standing in them adorned with the latest new inventory. An old 5 and 10 with creaky wood floors, reminiscent of the Woolworths down Bell where you could shop and eat lunch. Coffee shops, cafes, florists, gift shops along with banks and many local businesses.
My daughter Jenny and friend Rachel work at the Moxie Hair Salon in the downtown and if they wanted to they could walk there every day. It's in a historic building that was once known as The Printup Hotel and has an inviting front with some benches and flower planters.
Every month the Downtown Gadsden group organizes a "First Friday" when they close off Broad Street to vehicular traffic, fill the streets with live music, food vendors, antique cars and the stores stay open extra late with special sales going on. I must admit that I avoid it like the plague during summer months because I get too hot, but love it in the Fall and Spring. Barbecue sandwiches taste so good on First Friday.
Also, schools have a half day when it is Veteran's Day so they can go to the Veterans Day Parade in town and when it is Homecoming Parade where all the area high schools marching bands take over Broad Street. Nice!
Christmas is great around here with an annual (you guessed it!) Parade and Noccalula Park has an amazing Lights Display through the park.
The population of Gadsden is only around 40,000, so I know it isn't exactly a bustling metropolis, but it is just the right kind of small city to make it interesting, and only an hours drive to Birmingham for more variety of shopping and food choices.
And, we are only a short drive to some of the most beautiful mountains and scenic roads to refresh the soul. (when I lived in NYC, a traffic jam always seemed to begin and end any drive to and from the country)
Needless to say, I have enjoyed this small, homey city and have some of the nicest and most interesting neighbors to boot!
Hope you like your town or city and can enjoy some treasures there too!

where the wild things sometimes are

perhaps you can make out the two deer by the trees in the foreground?

If you have followed my blog for a while, you know about my morning walks at a park a few miles from my home. I especially love the trails and seeing the deer habitat and barnyard animals.
Well, a few weeks ago a terrible tragedy happened at the deer habitat. Loose dogs from surrounding neighborhoods killed 24 0f the 29 deer including several fawns after digging under the chain link fence surrounding the area. It happened during the early morning hours before opening and was a terrible shock to the workers when they arrived that morning. The few deer that survived have a stressful look on their faces and seem skittish when I see them now. When I started my Autumn walks there I noticed how many adorable fawns there were, but they were no match for a red chow chow, a black Rottweiler mix and a Labrador mix . The red chow is till at large.
Of course this made me a little jumpy as I was walking the other day. A rustling in the bushes up ahead happened to be two of several wild turkeys that roam the park. And today along a trail I saw some movement off the road and was pleasantly surprised to find two does out in the wild who happened to make it into the Park!
I still love my walks there as I feel renewed and refreshed by the crisp air and the way the sunlight filters through the trees casting dancing shadows along the path. It is a time of thinking and contemplating life and some prayer and some solace, which is a lovely thing indeed!
(the bottom picture has the two deer in it but it is hard to make out with having taken pic with my cell phone)

so much excitement!!

Sorry it has been so long since my last post but my mind has been distracted in the most wonderful of ways. Last week my daughter Christina and grandson Kavi were visiting us from Florida, so fun days kept me from focusing on posts.
The best thing is that after 3 1/2 years of living a 9 hour drive apart, and numerous trips back and forth, in a little over two weeks they are moving to Alabama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My son in law Suj got a wonderful job in Birmingham which is only 1 hour away!!!! One hour!!!!! They are staying with us at first, until they can find a good house in a good location to move to, and I don't mind that at all. In fact I am thrilled about it!!!! Christina (my daughter) will be here right before her birthday! PAR TAY!!!
There are several families that we knew in Florida that also relocated to this area and they happen to be awesome people that we were all friends with in Florida too. So we are not the only ones they know here, but many of their long time friends as well!
I am so happy that they will be living here and experiencing Autumn! Living in Florida makes one miss all the gorgeous colors of Fall and maybe even a little snow will fall this winter so Kavi can experience the magic of it all!