5 Minute Birthday Traditions (and a Party Teaser)

A few years ago I heard an ambitious man say that birthdays shouldn't be celebrated because when celebrating a birthday there is no earned merit, goal met, or accomplished task. The celebrated one does nothing to earn the special day, so why bother with a celebration? He believed that celebrations should only come after one has accomplished something great. I am a fervent believer in pushing toward greatness, working toward success, and celebrating those who have attained incredible goals. However, I disagree with these words I heard from this over- ripened businessman. Birthdays are celebrations of the past year and the year ahead. Birthdays give us the moment to recognize and appreciate the gift of life and the opportunity to live. Life can be sliced short by unsolicited tragedy anytime. Every minute we have is a perfectly wrapped present that should be opened and savored, never taken for granted. I know God has some amazing things in Heaven, but I really do love this little life here! ;) Celebrating birthdays shows our loved ones how happy we are to share life with them and to celebrate the minutes they've had on this big beautiful earth.


It's not necessary to GO BIG for birthday celebrations. Actually, it only takes a little bit of time and a lot of heart to make someone feel EXTRA special!

LOVE that takes 5 Minutes
quick birthday traditions

- Prepare a big sign or a cluster of balloons for he/she to find when they wake up on their birthday morning.

- Have a special plate, bowl, place mat, tablecloth, fork, or some other token to be used each year by every member of the family on their birthday.

- Take him/her to a "birthday only" restaurant every year. Only dine at that restaurant on birthdays to keep it special.

- Think out of the box. Put candles in anything! Candles don't have to go in a cake. Be creative by sticking them in low profile potted flowers, a giant breakfast muffin, fruit, a new tub of open play dough, a nutrition bar, and more.

- Use your family message board to write a birthday banner on every year. I've given ideas on Celebration Banner boards before.


Our oldest son just had his 10th birthday and here are some examples (as I shared above) of little 5 minutes LOVES we did for him!


Every year the night before their birthday, I put balloons and/or a birthday sign at the base of the stairs. When they walk downstairs half asleep in the morning, this is what they see. I arrange them different each time, sometimes balloons down the guardrails and sometimes using different chairs. But the boys know that there will be something at the bottom of the stairs when they wake up on their special day.


I always leave ONE gift with the presentation as a teaser gift to start off the day.



Everyone knows to check our family message board for a birthday banner. I actually started doing this tradition when I was 11 or 12 years old. We had a giant size white board growing up and I made birthday signs every single year for each member of our family. I've carried the tradition over to my family.



Growing up, we had "The Special Bear". We would find The Special Bear sitting on the edge of our plates every single birthday in my childhood home. My Mom gave The Special Bear to me when I got married and I have carried on that tradition with my family. Now my boys know and love The Special Bear too. They get just as excited as I did to have that little plastic guy on their plates each year!

I have also added a new tradition with the Birthday Plate. As a girl, I remember my neighbors had a "special plate" and I thought it was the most amazing thing! I always wanted one and so I snagged one when Chris and I started a family. We only use it on birthdays.


This year, Skyler got his candles in his breakfast banana. Whatever works, right?


Chris has taken Skyler to Red Lobster for his birthday dinner every year since Skyler was 5. They only dine there on his birthday so it remains a special place and tradition.


Skyler gets so excited to be a little man with his Dad and no girls or brothers.

What do YOU do for holiday traditions that is UNIQUE to your family?
I want to hear all about the quick but special ways you show
LOVE and kisses on birthdays.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And...

Because I ridiculously love to plan parties, I have a teaser to share about Skyler's party...I will share the whole party details soon but for now:

This box arrived on my doorstep with party supplies....
soooo many possibilities!

The theme for a 10 year old boy:
I found the ACTUAL Lego font online!! SO happy about that.

The invitations are giant sized Lego bricks.
This isn't my idea. You can find the source I used for inspiration here.
I thought it was an adorable idea and was quick to copy!

Simply take a piece of cardstock and attach paper circles to it to imitate the look of a Lego brick.

I will have full party details posted next week! UPDATE: You can now find party details on the new post.




This post is linked to: Making the World Cuter, Motivate Me Mondays, Market Yourself Mondays, It's So Very Creative, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tuesdays at the Table, Topsy Turvy Tuesday, Tuesdays Unwrapped, Toot Your Horn Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, We're Organized Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Show and Tell, Whatever Goes Wednesday*, Spotlight Yourself, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, Friday Favorites*, Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday*, I'm Lovin It, Funky Junk Interiors*, Fabulous Friday Finds*, Tickled Pink*, Inspired By, Weekend Wrap Up*

Homemade APPLE Goodness

APPLE LOVE

My (second) favorite man delivered a huge brown box to my doorstep the other day. The UPS man always leaves me with the BEST treats. Inside this brown package were rows of fresh, crisp, homegrown apples straight from my Aunt and Uncle's Arizona tree.

Each apple was perfectly packaged, snuggled in the box

They graciously shared their harvest with us by shipping us (!!!) a box of apples. That thoughtful gesture made our day! The boys dug right in and took much time deciding which apple they wanted to claim. After making their selection, they clutched their fresh apple treasures and ran outside to enjoy.


Seasonal baking and cooking is very fulfilling because it uses good stewardship of our incredible earth's resources while providing wholesome nutrition. I also enjoy teaching the boys about the different fruits and vegetables that are in season throughout the year. Apples offer the GREATEST variety of options with so many ways to prepare!


The boys and I went to work prepping apples for some homemade goodness!

Girls have tools too...

The boys call these "onion apples"

Lots of apples ready to finally use!

First, I made Pumpkin-Spiced Homemade Applesauce in the slow cooker. These apples cook all day with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, making our home smell SUPER fallish and cozy. Sooo...this applesauce has a second use as potpourri. ;)

Apples cook in the slow cooker all day with fall spices creating the BEST smell!

I have no recipe for this, because sometimes it's more exciting to be creative. However, if you would like to try it simply thinly dice apples and stir in a bit of water. Cook most the day on low in your slow cooker. Near the middle to end, add your fall spices and stir. Cook a bit longer and puree before serving to desired consistency.

To accomplish the goal of being 100% nutritious, this applesauce is completely sugar free but my kids still returned for seconds...

Pumpkin-Spiced Homemade Applesauce


Our family's favorite apple creation was:
Chunky Apple Buttermilk Muffins
Thank you Martha Stewart for this recipe, these are amazing!

Buttermilk is one of my all time favorite ingredients to use! I've shared ideas and my love for it before on this past Buttermilk Bliss post. I wrapped each muffin in white lined ruffles and tied off with twine for an adorable breakfast treat. I froze them individually for quick grab and go on busy work days! I found these ruffle cupcake liners at Michaels.

Chunky Apple Buttermilk Muffins

Each muffin was topped with a thin apple slice BEFORE baking.

Fresh Homemade Goodness for breakfast!

Remember: A tip for making the PERFECT muffin is to never ever {wink} over-mix your batter. Mix your batter until barely moistened and you've got

one little perfect muffin!

There are so many apple choices in baking, enjoy your apple season!

Try trading one tv show that you would usually watch for time in the kitchen with your kids creating an apple recipe this season. It will add warmth to your spirit.

When I leisurely follow self gratification, pushing my family aside, I always feel so empty afterward. It's better if I remember to take the LITTLE BIT of time to share life with them.

Life moments slip through our fingers,
so we should make the most of our minutes.

This post is linked to:Days of Thanksgiving, DIY Showoff FALL PARTY, Making the World Cuter*, Motivate Me Mondays*, Market Yourself Mondays*, It's So Very Creative*, Tasty Tuesday*, Tempt My Tummy*, Tuesdays at the Table*, Topsy Turvy Tuesday*, Tuesdays Unwrapped, Toot Your Horn Tuesday, Get Your Craft On*, We're Organized Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday*, Show and Tell*, Whatever Goes Wednesday*, Spotlight Yourself*, Show off Your Stuff*, Strut Your Stuff*, Friday Favorites*, Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday*, I'm Lovin It*, Funky Junk Interiors*, Fabulous Friday Finds*, Tickled Pink*, Inspired By, Weekend Wrap Up*

Feathering our nest for fall

Acorns are my favorite fall decor!
Here they snuggle into a mason jar next to a couple of in season pears.

A few things change in our little nest each season. Fall brings in the warmth and a lot of rustic texture from the outdoors. When decorating our home sweet home I prefer a subtle acknowledgment of the season and not the bright commercialized look that overstimulates our minds. I also prefer to use pieces of decor that are "normal" and not always necessarily sold in the seasonal section of a store.

If you use this method to decorate there are three factors to consider when classifying what decorative piece belongs in each season:


- The type of decor,
- The color
- and the texture.

Fall incorporates warmth,
rustic charm,
and a lot of natural outdoor texture.

Wheat and dried grass have always been favorites of mine

My little squirrel candle from Pottery Barn
always disappears from this spot because of
three curious boys!

This coffee table doesn't scream fall,
but it has a heavier look for the brisk weather of the season.
(Longaberger baskets on a handmade Amish table runner)

A little playful whimsy
with baby pumpkins balanced on candlesticks

This message always makes my heart smile.
I've shared before about it! Make every moment count.

I am a lover of white pumpkins!
The hanging quilt makes this my little country-decorated spot in the kitchen ;)

I posted last year about these toilet paper pumpkins.

I also shared how to make this dryer vent pumpkin last year.
New books are casually set out
to entice curious readers to embrace the season.

Cubbies are an excellent excuse to collect more treasures ;)

Spice Candles nestled in acorns....

Our fireplace mantel shares some fall blessings
for autumn atmosphere.
It's more cost effective to re-use decor for each season.
This zinc message board can be used for a variety of seasons
with {always} new messages.

The boys and I picked these by the handful on a recent hike.

And I was able to use them for some charm...

I have often mentioned one of my easy and favorite seasonal decorating habits: Switch your framed photos out for the season. Hide away the summer beach vacation photo and put some pumpkin patch photos in its place.

Here are some examples of how I incorporate that into our home's decor:

A splash of blue on an otherwise fall photo
adds a nontraditional color for extra fun

Kotah, my middle son is a little sweetheart who gets excited EVERY TIME I decorate. When he saw me working, he started to help! He grabbed some cups and pulled up some flowers from outside to add to our decor.

Watching my boys bounce down the stairs with wide-eyed excitement as I switch out decor makes my heart full. I hope they never loose their sense of wonder. Every day is magic. Every season is a new package that God sends to add renewed life to our spirits. If I can cultivate enthusiasm for life simply by being a Mom, making my nest cozy with candles, then that is what I will continue to do...every season.

It's a blessed life.

This post is linked to: DIY Showoff Thanksgiving, DIY Showoff FALL PARTY, Making the World Cuter, Motivate Me Mondays, Market Yourself Mondays, It's So Very Creative, Tip Me Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tuesdays at the Table, Topsy Turvy Tuesday, Tuesdays Unwrapped, Toot Your Horn Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, We're Organized Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Show and Tell, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Spotlight Yourself, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, Friday Favorites, Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, I'm Lovin It, Fabulous Finds Friday,Funky Junk Interiors, Fabulous Friday Finds, Tickled Pink, Inspired By, Weekend Wrap Up