Gavin's 1st Birthday Party - Blue & Green

It has been a while since we had Gavin's 1st birthday party, but I wanted to make sure to post the details.  I love sharing parties and I also enjoy going back to look over the day.  I decided not to have a "theme" for the party as I think turning 1 is enough of a theme.  I picked out invitations from Tiny Prints and used the colors in the invite as my inspiration.

First Candle Invitation by Tiny Prints

I made Divvie's egg free chocolate cupcakes that I have mentioned previously and the were a hit.  I made the cupcake tags to coordinate with the invitation and I used those colors throughout my other printables.  I also love paper straws and used green paper straws from Shop Sweet Lulu for the kids.

For the decorations, I decorated Gavin's highchair using scrapbook paper pennants that I cut out and taped to the tray.  I also purchased the large green balloon from Shop Sweet Lulu.  I didn't even have it inflated all the way and it was very big!  The balloon was popular and the boys loved playing with it during the weeks to come. 

My favorite decoration is the photo banner I created.  I hung one photo from each month of Gavin's first year on baker's twine using clothespins.  I used the same scrapbook paper on the clothespins for a uniform look.  It was a fun way to see Gavin's progression throughout the year and it looked cute too.

I had a large blank space above our couch, so I purchased a canvas poster from Paper Coterie that sticks directly to the wall (like a huge sticker) that matched the theme and had fun facts about Gavin at a year old.

For favors, I had a kid version and an adult version.  I always think it's fun for the adults to receive a favor at a first birthday party.  For the adult favors, I used an idea I found on pinterest and bundled honey sticks with divine twine from Whisker Graphics and made the coordinating labels.  For the kids, I used striped brown paper bags, again from Shop Sweet Lulu, and made the coordinating sticker labels.

I had a few party games for the older kids and one of them was "Pin a Party Hat on Gavin".  I think this was Aidan's favorite game.  I took a photo of Gavin and had it blown up at Staples.  I made the party harts using the same scrapbook paper and numbered stickers by Martha Stewart.  I attached a bit of curly ribbon at the top.  It was a fun game and definitely something I would recreate for other themes.  I also had a wish bowl and invited guests to leave a wish for Gavin's birthday. 

Finally, I had to find a matching shirt for Gavin to wear.  I found a cute shirt that had his name above the number one at Flyduds.  It looked cute on and also looked great with the balloon.  We had a really fun party and Gavin had a great time on his first birthday!



{Simply Paige is an affiliate of Tiny Prints}



2012 Goals

I usually use the first few weeks of the year to come up with my new year's goals.  I find with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I don't have the time to think about it before January 1.  I used to make resolutions and I realized they were harder to quantify and therefore to keep.  I thought I would share my goals with you and I plan to check back in through the year so that I can be held accountable!

1. Run another 1/2 marathon
2. Try 2 new recipes each month
3. Sell our Albany house
4. Find a job
5. Keep up to date on family photo albums
6. Plan one fun outing/adventure each month
7. Learn how to curl my hair
8. Fit into my skinny jeans
9. Renew my yoga practice
10. Take a photography class

2012 Calendars

Have you already purchased your 2012 calendar?  I just purchased mine and I was very excited to receive it yesterday!  I use an Erin Condren design from Tiny Prints and the weekly format plus custom cover works perfectly for me.  If you are still looking for a 2012 calendar, here are some great options.

Tiny Prints Day Planner by Erin Condren

Custom Planner by Blurb - receive 15% off with code AFFILIATE15OFF

Flashcard calendar by Whisker Graphics

Monthly & Weekly Planners by Paper Coterie 

{Simply Paige is an affilicate of Tiny Prints and Blurb}

Paper Chains

While the boys and I lived apart from Larry, Aidan would have a difficult time understanding the number of days until Larry would be back again.  We created paper chains every time Larry was home as a way to count the days until Daddy came back again. 

We simply cut construction paper into strips and then Larry and Aidan would tape them into a paper chain.  One link per day that Larry would be away.  Each night, before Aidan and I read books, we would take one link off of the chain.  It worked great for Aidan.  He could visually see the chain becoming smaller.  He would practice his counting and count the links every day and it helped him with simple subtraction.  It was a great tool to help measure the time and one we now use for other events.  What tools do you use to help your preschoolers measure time?

image via Paper Source

Aden & Anais at Layla Grace

One of my favorite baby items for Gavin has without a doubt been our Aden & Anais muslin blankets.  They are a great size for swaddling and they become softer with each wash.  I have also used them as a nursing cover, a stroller cover and a play blanket.  Love them.  After I fell in love with the blankets, I tried some of the other products and they are all outstanding.  We currently use the lovies (two come in the pack, such a smart idea), washcloths and sleeping sack.  I can't say enough good things about Aden & Anais.

Making a good thing even better, you can receive 15% off Aden & Anais through January 31 at Layla Grace with code ADEN15.  Time to stock up on baby gifts.

{Simply Paige is an affiliate of Layla Grace}

Table 310

Part of the excitement of moving to a new area is being able to try all of the restaurants.  A few weeks ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to dine at Table 310 on Short Street in Lexington.  I loved it!  Table 310 is a small restaurant downtown and the decor is fabulous.  It looks very modern industrial with very high ceilings and has a great paddle fan.  My favorite feature is that instead of napkins they use tea towels.  So much more practical to clean up those messy fingers.
We started our meal with a cheese plate.  We choose a Camembert from Colorado and a sheep milk cheese from Kentucky.  Both were excellent.  The cheese came elegantly plated and was served with dried fruit, figs and a citrus chutney.  Next, we shared the feature salad, a winterberry salad.  Both my husband and I loved this dish and want to recreate it at home.  It had a nice crunch followed by sweet goat cheese and tart cranberries and citrus.  It was very good.  For our entrees, we both choose the special five spice ribs and we were not disappointed.  The meat fell off the bone (which I love) and the allspice created a very nice flavor that was different that your traditional barbecued ribs.  The ribs were served with a fennel salad which was a nice compliment.

Finally, for dessert we had the eggnog panna cotta (another special).  While not something I would regularly order, it was also very good.  The panna cotta was very smooth and had a great flavor.  Table 310 is an excellent restaurant and I am looking forward to our next visit!.

Tea Collection Semi Annual Sale

It's that time of year for the Tea Collection Semi Annual Sale.  What's even better is that until January 8, you can save an additional 25% off sale with code 25OFFSALE.  As you know, I am a huge fan of Tea clothes.  They are very well made and very soft.  The designs are great so that my boys love to wear them and I love the way they look.  Plus with an additional 25% off, now is a great time to stock up.  (there is even summer stuff for sale as well!)

Simply Paige is an affiliate of Tea Collection

Good Deals for Christmas 2012

As we start the new year and pack away the last of the holiday decorations (I'm still working on mine), here are a few items on sale that would be great to pick up now for the holiday season 2012.

Restoration Hardware Star Snowflake - starting at $5.99

West Elm Felt Tree Skirt - $20

Pottery Barn Natural Bay Leaf Garland - $39.99

Pottery Barn Kids Advent Calendar - $39.99



Happy 2012!

I'm back!  The past few months were very busy organizing for our move, finishing up work, helping the kids transition to our new city and the holidays.  Phew.  I'm happy to be back blogging.  I have made a few layout changes and will be making a few more over the next several weeks.  I wanted to freshen up Simply Paige for 2012.

I also will be blogging more regularly about our move, discoveries in our new hometown and adjusting to life in Lexington.  Thank you all for reading Simply Paige and I wish you a happy and healthy 2012!

Halloween with Cat in the Hat

Just in time for Halloween, I recently had the opportunity to review NCircle Entertainment's new DVDs for fall including WordWorld Kooky Spooky Halloween and The Cat in the Hat Knows a lot About That! Tricks and Treats.  Aidan was very excited to receive the DVDs and could not wait to preview them for me.  He says both of them are great and gives them an enthusiastic two thumbs up.  They are currently available for a SRP of $6.99 from many retailers. 

You can also win your very own copy here!  NCircle will generously be giving away a set of the two DVDs to one winner.  To enter, please leave a comment with your favorite Halloween tradition by Monday, October 24 at midnight.  For additional entries, you may:

1. Like NCircle on facebook http://www.facebook.com/NCircleEntertainment
2. Like Simpy Paige on facebook  http://www.facebook.com/SimplyPaige14
3. Visit NCircle Entertainment's new website http://www.entertainmentthateducates.com/ and leave a comment with your favorite program.
4. Follow NCircle on twitter https://twitter.com/NCircle
5. Follow Simply Paige on twitter https://twitter.com/SimplyPaige14 and tweet about the contest

Good luck!

Congratulations Kirsten!  Enjoy your DVDs!

Sakura Bloom Fall Silks

Sakura Bloom just released the fall silks (and they have a few new linen slings too!)  My favorite is sangria - absolutely gorgeous.