Airplane Themed Birthday Party {on a budget}

This last Saturday was my son's second birthday party and the grand finale of my 6 week party planning marathon! After planning the toddler costume party for Halloween and my friend's baby shower two weeks later, I didn't think I had much left in me for Thanksgiving and my son's birthday party but I rallied. The birthday party was a huge success...my toddler's awe struck face was the judge. I had so much fun carrying out the airplane theme, and spent a total of ZERO-bucks on the decor. Read on for pictures and details...

Vintage Themed First Birthday Party

Tomorrow is my son's second birthday party! I honestly can't believe he is about to turn two. Everyone told me it would all go by so fast and to enjoy every second of it, and I believed them, I did. But really? WOW! That was the fastest 2 years of my life. Where did it go?

These are some pictures from his first birthday party last December. We picked a vintage children's book theme for his first birthday party. It was such a fun theme! Read on for for pictures and details...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish you all a wonderful day filled with family, friends, good food, and football! Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays. I love how it refocuses us to look for positive things in our lives and to approach life with a heart of gratitude. Each year, as I am baking the pumpkin pie, simmering the cranberry sauce, or basting the turkey, my mind starts going down the list of things I am grateful for...

my Savior, my family and friends, our nation, and...

YOU!

Thank you for following me! I love my readers and I am so thankful for you and the great support you give me. I just started publicly blogging this summer, and it has been a major blessing in my life, one worth remembering on this wonderful holiday!

Help me pick my Christmas Card...please!

It's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I am already picking out our Christmas card. I had to get a head start this year since we are beginning the move to Alaska in mid-December (yes, that's only about 3 weeks away, eek!)  I thought about making cards, but then I snapped myself into a sane state of mind and have decided to try out Shutterfly. Have I been living under a rock all these years??? Shutterfly is AMAZING! They literally have over 800 cards to personalize, and I am LOVING the hybrid of the photo cards and the Christmas letter! Have you seen this? You can pick out a folded card, add your photo(s) and then choose from layouts with text to integrate your Christmas letter! Brilliant!! That easy? Really? Where have I been?

With all these awesome layouts and templates, we have found ourselves undecided. They are all so great, we cant choose! Would you help me? Would you tell me which ones do you like best? Read on, to see my selections and vote!

Thanksgiving Menu & Cherished Recipes

Its hard to believe Thanksgiving is already less than a week away. Personally, I am thrilled! Thanksgiving could just be my favorite holiday. You get to gather with loved ones in a casual setting- enjoying company, food, and football before all the stress of Christmas sneaks in. It's the small things that remind me of all I am thankful for. I told my husband last week that I equate the tradition of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to that of Christmas stockings. It so my favorite thing to wake up for the parade and have cinnamon rolls for breakfast with my family.

Anyway, with Turkey Day fast approaching it is time to pull out the recipes and start planning the menu. Last year, my husband and I went full blown gourmet with it, and now there is no turning back. I hope it gives you some yummy inspiration if you are looking for some new Thanksgiving recipes. Read on for the meal plan and the recipes that knocked our socks off and left us drooling year round...

Baby Dress from an Antique Tablecloth

My cousin's wife is about to have their first baby. Its a girl! I had hoped it would be a girl. See, this summer once I heard they were expecting, I began collecting antique linens and lace to make the new baby a beautiful dress so I had a vested interest that she would be a girl ;) My cousin's baby shower is this weekend, and I just finished the dress! All I used was a yard of quilting fabric and the lacey corners of an antique tablecloth. The pattern I came up with is so easy it can be done in 3 seams or less and can be adjusted to fit girls from 3 months to 2 years old and even longer if she uses it as a tank top. Read on for details, the pattern, and the tutorial...

A Simple & Elegant Baby Shower {free printables}

All week I have been planning a baby shower for my dear friend Sarah.  The shower was on Saturday and now I can share all the details about everything from the invites to the games and the decor. Read on for the details and to download the printables...

Tiffany Lamps on Clearance?? YES!

What could make me skip and start chanting "good things come to those who wait!"? Three words- Tiffany Lamps and Clearance! Oh how I have longed for a Tiffany lamp. I adore them. I swoon over them. I drool over them. And now thanks to an AMAZING sale I can drool over them in my own living room! Read on for details...

Holiday Travel- The Great Suitcase Debate

Last week we bought our plane tickets for our move to Alaska. We are making a side trip home to Colorado to spend Christmas with family and then flying directly to Alaska from there. We bought tickets now to avoid the price hikes as the holidays draw nearer. My son turns two in December, so this is the first trip we have to pay for the extra ticket. Ouch! Can you believe it's already time to start planning holiday travel? Where did this year go? Have you started planning yet?

{Free Printable} Thanksgiving Dinner Invitations

I can hardly believe it but Thanksgiving is 18 days away. I have decided to go all out this Thanksgiving since I wont get to decorate or celebrate Christmas in my home this year. We will be starting our move to Alaska mid-December. I whipped these invites up tonight and I thought I'd share them with you. Read on to get yours...

A Tardy List of Thanks

September and October were big months for Finding My Aloha. Ten projects and nineteen features! WOW! I am so blessed and honored! I like to thank everyone who features my projects and tries my ideas or recipes but I am long overdue! Here we are already in November, so I kicked myself and got busy writing a long list of thanks. Read on to check out the projects and the lovely ladies who featured them...

Antique Table Refinish

This past summer I bought an antique table for my breakfast nook. It had been painted a light cream color. I knew I would have to refinish and reupholster it to make it what I wanted. After months of waiting, I finally did it! Read on for the before and after and to see how I did it...

Free Printable 2011 Owl Calendar

It's no surprise around here that I love owls. My friend Melissa over at Oh My Darling is a fellow owl lover, and she introduced me to MyOwlBarn.com. Wow! A blog dedicated to everything owl! {love} Right now, My Owl Barn has the coolest customizable calendar application that allows you to sort through beautiful artwork and compile your own printable calendar for FREE! Read on to get yours...