Some Bunny Is Three!

We had a blast celebrating sweet girl's third birthday!

Three. My baby is three! Where oh where has the time gone?

This party was much different than her first in that we had a house full of little ones! Mary Grace adores her little school friends and she was over the moon in love with having them over for her big day. They all had a fun little Easter egg hunt followed by playtime in the playroom.

Here's a little picture recap of our celebration.

The cake was gorgeous and gluten free!

Our little tradition- we cut all of  her birthday cakes with this serving set, and then she will cut her wedding cake with it.

The best we could do! It's hard to get a picture of everyone looking the right direction :)

My love

My other love

Sweet Charlie and Oakleigh

Egg hunting!

Our Little Saint

Our sweet girl had her first day of "school" this afternoon. She loved every minute and didn't bat an eye when I told her goodbye. She was busy being a social butterfly and enjoying all the excitement of big girl school.

We picked up her cheer uniform {for pep rally days} after leaving school and she insisted on wearing it all evening. She has gabbed nonstop about 'cool' {school} and keeps asking to go again.

As if sending her off to school for the afternoon wasn't enough emotional trauma for this momma, I scheduled her second hair cut that same afternoon. It was a painful day in my world. My baby is growing up!



This mommy has cried like you wouldn't believe. It was hard for me to agree with my hubby's suggestion, but I knew our sweet girl had been begging to go to school for several weeks now.

She will still be with Nanny J some, just not every day- all day.... and that's what breaks my heart.

My girl is now at big girl school, has a social life, and doesn't mind that she's not with me or Nanny 24/7..... It's too much for this Mommy to handle. It's like the first day of school or something.... well, I guess it is in a way since she will be there until she graduates. Where has the time gone?

Monday will be her first full day of school. We spent the weekend getting her school supplies {yes, she had a list!} and picking up some 'play clothes'. I'm used to sending her in sweet little smocked frocks and lovelies that I've made and picking her up all pretty and clean- that's so not going to happen now that she will be doing art and spending loads of time outdoors playing. Although I couldn't resist monogramming her art smock :)  I guess her baby years are over- now it's time for her to play in the dirt and be a kid :)

Nanny is going to stop in and check on her - just in case, and to help calm my nerves a bit :) We've discussed her diet restrictions in depth and they have been oh so kind and accommodating. They have a kitchen which makes it easier since most of her foods must be cooked {we can't just toss a PB&J sandwich in her bag}. They've even made sure their juices and snack are gluten free! Benefits of attending a small town academy.

I cannot wait to pick her up and hear all about her first day of school!

Here's to a new chapter in my growing girl's little world.

Debt Free {A Milestone In Life}

Roughly ten minutes ago I reached a huge milestone in life.

At the age of 28, I am completely debt free.

There is the exception of my home, of course.

I have never once owned a major credit card. The only time I was close was when I had an Express card, but quickly paid it off.

I had two debts to my name: 1) my car, which was due to payoff in November and 2) my last student loan that I have been working to pay off for two years now {college is expensive stuff, my friends}.

Today I am proud to say that I paid both of them off, and I am now essentially debt free. I even splurged a bit and paid things in advance, like the next six months of our car insurance and phone minutes {we have straight talk}.

In doing this, I have eliminated $736.81 in bills each month {yes, I added up the numbers}. Wow.

This is such a big milestone and I am so happy and relived that I've met this goal. I am thankful that I never found myself caught up in thousands of dollars in credit card debt. My husband and I have always had the motto "If we can't pay for it, we don't need it" and that has helped keep us from piling on unnecessary debt.

As you all know, our house is on the market. I didn't realize this until a few minutes ago, but once our house sells we will not owe anyone a single penny. I can't help but think of Paul's words in the book of Romans:

This is a milestone that deserves a bit of celebration. My sweet friend, T, and I are taking a small shopping trip to Tuscaloosa next week so I can splurge a little on new, longer shorts and lightweight tees for the upcoming mission trip.

I hope I'm not coming across as boastful, but I think this deserves as little spotlight.

Back in January of 2011 my husband and I committed our finances to God and studied the Dave Ramsey Financial University. While some aspects of the program worked better for us than others, we realized the importance of being good stewards with our money. That was the year that I decided to commit fully to being faithful in my tithing. My husband has always been a faithful tither, and I'm so thankful that I have him as an example to follow.

If you are in your first year of college, filling out FAFSA forms and taking on student loans, wondering if that degree is really worth the cost, always remember that "education will never be as expensive as ignorance" {The day I considered dropping out of college, I ate lunch with a friend to discuss my decision. That was the quote my fortune cookie held- no joke. Needless to day, I didn't drop out.}

If you're starting your first job post college and are intimidated by the enormity of living costs and paying off debts, remember that it's possible. The day will come when you make that final loan payment.

If you're fresh out of high school, working, and wondering how you will make ends meet, remember to entrust your finances to the One who will always guide you in the right direction.

Here's to being debt free!

 

Mary Grace's 1st Birthday

Can I be honest here....I am so happy and relieved that the big day/shindig/party is over. Now before you judge me too much, let me just say that I had such fun planning out her first party, and I loved every minute of our time visiting with friends and family- all to celebrate our sweet girl. All the planning, decorating, preparing wiped me out!

We could not have asked for a more wonderful day. It was a beautiful day celebrating a beautiful girl's first year of life. The weather was warm so we were able to open our french doors and mingle on the porch while watching the men fish. 

Let's start with the decor- I went a little over board and I know it. I started planning out her 'theme' while she was still in the womb (all women do that, right?). I officially starting planning, ordering, creating in early February. 

 Her cake knife set turned out beautiful. Her name and birth date are engraved on one side. We will use it to cut all her birthday cakes, then one day she will use it to cut her wedding cake, and we will engrave that date on the top. This thought always makes me tear up.

 

Our sweet Mary Grace had a wonderful time! At first she was a bit overwhelmed by everyone, but she started warming up to the idea. Her birthday outfit, along with her hat, is from Mudpie- she looked so cute! We had so many family and friends stop by to show their love for sweet Mary Grace! She is truly one blessed little girl.

{Mary Grace's great-grandmother, Marlene}

{Sweet friends}

 

{Sweet girls helping with gifts}

{The stuffed kitten was a hit}

{Mary Grace with all of her grandmothers and great-grandmothers - minus Bob's grandmother, Nannie, who stopped by later}

{Time for the scratch off cards|

{Sweet Aunt Betty love}

{Fishing buddies}

{Checking out her new picnic table from Granny}

{Mary Grace and her Great-Grandmother, Mary}

{The cake was not only gorgeous, but delicious! Kelli did a fantastic job}

I've already started getting ideas for next year! We had such an amazing day celebrating our little lovebug with family and friends! Thanks to all who helped make her first birthday such a memorable time!

Party Supplies
Cake: Specialty Cakes by Kelli
Cake Knife Set: Things Remembered in Birmingham (also available online)
Initial 'M' Suckers, Water Bottle Labels: Oriental Trading
Gumballs & Rock Candy: Party City
Striped Straws: FancyThatLoved via Etsy
Pom Pom Decor: The Pom Pom Show via Etsy
Invitations: Easy Made Invitations via Etsy
Scratch Off Cards: Inklings Paperie via Etsy
Mary Grace's Outfit & Hat: Mudpie