Charlotte's Web 1st Birthday Party

Charlotte's Web is one of our kids' favorites so I thought it would be the perfect theme for L's first birthday this past Spring!

I knew it would be so cute - and also so easy and inexpensive to put together!

Since Charlotte's Web is a book, I knew I could find the book's illustrations online so I could use them for the signs.  And what kid doesn't have farm animal toys?  You can't get any easier or cheaper than using what you already own.  Plus, we chose farm fresh picnic food and farm animal crackers for the meal, all of which needed little to no prep.  This adds up to a winner of a DIY birthday party in my book!

Below I have posted some affiliate links, which means that I may make a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase after clicking on that link. Please see the disclosure page for more info!

So here is L's First Birthday Party - Charlotte's Web style!

The Smorgasboard: That's where a rat can glut!

For the food, we went very simple.  But I used pretty bowls and platters to make it look grand and beautiful!

We had a lot of finger foods, including raw fruits and veggies, pretzels, and Annie's farm animal cheddar crackers (which features barns and pigs). We also had baked beans, meatballs, and cold cut sandwiches.

But we did not have ham because Charlotte saved Wilbur!

I'll admit that I'm not very good at cake decorating.  So spider rings were the perfect solution!

(Another neat idea for the cake would be to have a Dirt Pudding Trifle Cake like we did for B's Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel birthday party, but put pigs on the top instead!)

Now for the party decor!

I made all of the Charlotte's Web birthday signs pretty easily.  I found the pictures from the book through a Google search online.  I then added my own wording to them in Photoshop (but you can do it in any photo editing program, like PicMonkey or Word).

I forgot to take pictures of a few of them, so I'll share those ones first (I backed these 3 signs with red construction paper):

Our Welcome sign: Salutations!  That's our fancy way of saying Hello and welcome to L-----'s 1st Birthday Party!

The kids' favorite line in the movie comes from the Goose when she spells TERRIFIC for Charlotte.  So we just had to spell it her way:  L------ is T - Double E - Double R - Double R - Double I - Double F - Double I - Double C C C!

Our favorite song: Chin up! Chin up!  Everybody loves a happy face!

Fern bottle feeding Wilbur as a piglet by the drinks.

Templeton glutting at the fair to start off the buffet line.  The Smorgasboard: That's where a rat can glut! 

Wilbur being RADIANT and saying Thank you for coming!

These white stand up IKEA frames are double sided so I put pictures of L on the back side.  On the one in the picture above, I put a picture of him "eating" his book on the back side of the The Smorgasboard sign.


I absolutely loooooove using these IKEA frames for parties!  They're perfect for table centerpieces because they're double sided.  They're perfect to label the buffet line because they're slender (and double sided).  Plus, they are really inexpensive!

(Did you know you can actually get these frames from Amazon if you don't have an IKEA nearby (like us)?  They are even Prime eligible!  How awesome is that?!)

As a fun way to show off all of L's one year pictures, I put them all up in the shape of the number 1.  I also laid out several extra pictures of him for family to take home.

To display L's monthly pictures, I drew out a spider web and put his pictures from birth through 11 months all around the outside and his 1 year picture right in the center!

I really love how both of his picture displays turned out!

For the table centerpieces, I used Easter grass, spider rings, and all of the kids' toy pigs and barns.  (The only thing I had to buy were the spider rings, which were very inexpensive.)

I printed off some illustrations of the cover of Charlotte's Web to fancy up this decor as well!

And last, but not least...!!!

L's Charlotte's Web Birthday Banner!!!

I guess I fibbed a little because the big birthday banner definitely was not simple.  It took some time to make.

The outside border is just uncut construction paper made to look like the open door of a barn.  That was the easy part!

I then drew SOME L------ (my son's name) in the spider web to look like Charlotte's SOME PIG.  I drew it in pencil first and then outlined it in a black marker.  This took me well over an hour (maybe two) to draw it out to my liking.

I then hot glued a plastic spider to some silver ribbon and had it dangle down the front.

It was worth the time and effort - I love how it turned out!

I'm all about easy and inexpensive when it comes to birthdays.  I always use what I have on hand to make the decor, and I always serve easy-to-make food.  A birthday party should be all about celebrating and being with family, not over-spending and stressing about party planning!

And I think this Charlotte's Web birthday party turned out to be super fun and super sweet!

What's your favorite birthday party theme?  What are your keep-it-simple party tips?

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(Several of my printables are included!)

You'll receive over 350 pages of 20 different printables for only $15!

(The price increases a little each day AND the sale only lasts 3 days so don't wait!)

And as my bonus to you, you will receive 2 more printables from my shop if you make a purchase through my link!

(All you have to do is email me your receipt at sweetlittleonesblog[at]gmail.com, and I'll email you any 2 wall art printables you want!)

Mark your calendar!  I'll see you back here on Wednesday!

(There may or may not be some more freebies involved too!!!)

I'm linking up with these awesome parties!

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel Birthday + Dirt Pudding Trifle Dessert

Happy 3rd Birthday, Buster!

One of my favorite things is to go all out for our kid's birthdays because it's hard to beat seeing the joy and excitement of little ones on their special day!

This post contains one affiliate link (noted right before the link), which means that I may make a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on this link; please see the disclosure page for more info!

Last year, my husband made an incredible airplane birthday banner, so I put him in charge this year too.  B loves all things planes, trains, and trucks so Jim chose the book (affiliate link) Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel for his birthday theme.

I think it turned out amazingly!  And B absolutely loved it, which is what matters the most.

That face.  I can't even!

To continue with the theme, we had Dirt Pudding for his birthday "cake".  But the best part?  The kids got to help me make it!

They got out their dump trucks.  I put the Oreos in a big baggie.  They got to crush the Oreo cookies to their hearts content.  It was so fun!

I made the Dirt Pudding into a Trifle so we could see all of the layers.  I really love how it turned out!  Here is how I adapted the original recipe for the look I wanted:

Dirt Pudding Trifle Dessert
(adapted from Kraft Recipes' Dirt Cups)

Ingredients

1 pkg (3.9 oz) dark chocolate instant pudding
1 pkg (3.9 oz) milk chocolate instant pudding
4 cups cold milk, divided
1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip
1.5 bags (14.3 oz each) Oreos, finely crushed
Gummy worms

Directions

1.  Beat the dark chocolate pudding mix with 2 cups of milk for 2 minutes.  Let stand for at least 5 minutes.

2.  Repeat #1 with the milk chocolate pudding mix.

3.  Gently stir Cool Whip and 1/2 cup of Oreo crumbs in with the dark chocolate pudding.

4.  Divide the remaining Oreo crumbs into three equal parts.

5.  Layer in trifle bowl in this order:  1/2 of the whipped pudding with crumbs, Oreo crumbs, all of the milk chocolate pudding, Oreo crumbs, the remaining whipped pudding with crumbs, and Oreo crumbs.

6.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.  Place gummy worms on top right before serving.  (I couldn't resist making the worms into the number 3 for his birthday!)  Serves 16-20.  Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Notes:  This Dirt Pudding Trifle Dessert would be perfect for so many different birthday themes: farm, garden, bugs, camping, construction, dump trucks, flowers, and more.  All you have to do is change up the garnish.  I know this won't be the only time we'll have Dirt Pudding for a Birthday "Cake"!

My mom has always loved to go all out for holidays and birthdays to make them extra special for us kids and now grandkids.   She definitely passed that love on to me!  Jim and I had fun putting this Mike Mulligan and Dirt Pudding birthday together for B.  But the best part was definitely watching how much B loved and enjoyed it! 

What do you and your family do to make birthdays extra special?  What have been some of your favorite birthday themes you've done for your kids?  I'm starting to plan for L's 1st Birthday coming up...and I'm up for suggestions!

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I'm linking up with these awesome parties!

A Special Birthday Bond + Giveaway

Today's Momfessionals' Show and Tell Tuesday prompt is "your high school self", but I thought I'd share with you more than just my high school years.  I'd like to tell you about something very special about all of my life growing up instead:

Grandpa's 55th and my 1st Birthday, 1984

Thirty two years ago (yesterday), I was born on a very special day:  my grandpa's birthday.

Grandpa was so big on birthdays!  He was one to celebrate the whole month of August.  And he would keep reminding you that it was coming up - just to be triple or quadruple sure that you wouldn't forget.  He'd even tell me not to forget when he knew we shared the same birthday!  (He was also big on kidding ;)

Over the years, we spent so many birthdays together.  When I was growing up, we'd often have a picnic in the park together.  And in my adult years, we'd call each other on the phone and sing to each other.  And, of course, "pot and pan" each other too!  (It was his favorite birthday tradition from his childhood - banging on a pot over and over again after singing the Birthday Song.  This is now a family tradition for all of us!)

Grandpa's 62nd and my 8th Birthday, 1991

He was always giddy about his birthday and always wanted everyone to make a big deal out of it.  Last year, he planned his own surprise birthday party.  Yeah, you read that right.  He planned his own surprise party!  That was just the kind of character he was!

He always wanted all of the family together for his birthday (he had 8 kids, 20+ grandkids, and 10+ great-grandkids).  Most of the family was there, and it was such a special day for him...and for all of us.  It was his perfect birthday!

Grandpa passed away last December, so when I think about last year, it makes me really happy to know his last birthday on earth was just what he wanted. 

Grandpa's 85th and my 31st Birthday, 2014

It may sound silly but I always felt we had a special bond because we shared a birthday.  Since he was so big on his special day, I always felt like he thought of me as his personal birthday gift.  It seems like something so superficial to bond two people together, but it really did for us.

But that was only just a small part of it.  He was such a big influence on my life in so many ways:

He still took us to the park...even when we were "grown up"!

He used to take me and my siblings to the park all the time when we were little.  He'd play with us, bring bread for us to feed the geese, and tease us about a troll under the bridge or that the apple trees were going to get us like the trees in the Wizard of Oz!  (He still did this when we were "big kids" too!)  And he loved Notre Dame.  They were his team.  (I noticed that he's even wearing an ND shirt in most of the pics in this post!)  There are many reasons why I love Notre Dame, and Grandpa is one of them!

Leading the Rosary for Jim and me on our wedding day

But most importantly, he was a great model of the Faith.  He used to take Katie and me to Eucharistic Adoration every week.  He prayed the Rosary everyday.  He loved Jesus, Mary, and all the saints.  (He high-fived the statue of Mary at church every time he passed her!)  He loved Grandma with everything in him.  He taught me so much about the Faith - through his words and actions.  I know my formation as a Catholic in my early childhood is what helped me get through some difficult times in my spiritual life in my early 20s.  He was a big factor in shaping who I am as a woman and as a Catholic today.

Our Wedding Day, 2007

I'm not big on celebrating my own birthday, but I always loved watching him in his element on our day.  So this year was very hard for me.  To not get that call.  To not be together.  To not see his smile.  Or just hear his voice.  I won't lie - I cried.  Even writing this right now, I can't stop crying.  I miss him so much.

But in all reality, I'm very happy too.  I know he is so happy and at peace now.  And grandma passed away just a little over a month ago, so I know that he and his bride are together again.  He is without a doubt having the best birthday (month!) ever this year.  I'm sure he even got Jesus Himself to pot and pan him!


So Happy Birthday, Grandpa!  I - all of us! - love and miss you so much!  Thank you for helping my parents raise me in the Faith, for being such a fun and funny grandpa, for taking care of us and loving us so much, and for being a friend.  I miss you, especially on our birthday, but I hope one day we will be reunited and can celebrate together again!  I love you, Jessie xoxo

P.S.  The kids went to town on the pots and pans to make sure you could hear it!

In honor of my grandpa's and my birthday, I want to share the love with you.  That is something he would have totally wanted to do and would've loved.

He loved the saints, especially St. Thérèse of Lisieux.  And he also loved Notre Dame with all his heart.  Katrina's beautiful shop Hatch Prints is filled with gorgeous prints of quotes from saints and holy people.  Did I mention she lives right by Notre Dame and is a fan too?  (And she just had a beautiful baby girl last week!)  I bought a print of a St. Thérèse quote from her, and I absolutely love it.  It's such a beautiful message and a beautiful reminder of my grandpa.  So Katrina and I want to give you a chance to win an 8x10 print of your choice.

Grandpa also played a big part into forming me into the Catholic I am today.  That's why I love Blessed Is She.  (In case I haven't told you that often enough!)  They have the same goal - helping form, strengthen, and encourage women in the Faith.  So Jenna from BIS and I would love to give one of you a $30 gift card to the Blessed Is She shop, so you can pick out some lovely things to help you grow in your spiritual life.

My beautiful print from Hatch Prints and my spiritual journal from Blessed Is She

So please enter below to win 

an 8x10 print of your choice from Hatch Prints 

and a $30 gift card to Blessed Is She!   

Happy Birthday to us...from us! :)

Birthday Giveaway of 8x10 Print from Hatch Prints Shop + $30 Gift Card to Blessed Is She

Ok, on to the link up!

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Check out the Tuesday Talk guidelines here,
and check out the features from every week here!

               

I'm linking up with Blessed Is She's #BISsisterhood,
Momfessionals' Show and Tell Tuesday, 
and with these awesome parties

An InLinkz Link-up