The Annual " Great Fall Festival "

A few weeks ago my girlfriends and I hosted our annual " Great Fall Festival" once again. We hold this event every year in late October. It started several years ago as a simple day with me and a friend of mine spending a day with our other girlfriend's daughters baking & carving pumpkins. I blogged about it here and again here.

Over the years it has evolved and gotten bigger and bigger. Each year we have invited a few more children here and there and now we just turned it into a full fledged party ! You know how we do.


So now we have costumes, games, giveaways, food....the whole nine yards.

Here are some pics from this years event


I got some really good ideas for treats for the kids from Pinterest. They were simple & fun to make. We had a "Prep Party "AKA "Adult Baking party"  the night before to decorate & setup for the event which included lots of wine LOL

Treat Table

We kept the food menu very simple since it was just kids: Hot Dogs, Chili & Cheese for the Hot Dogs & to make Frito Pie, chips & drinks.  One of my girlfriends also made candied apples the night before.

Food Table

The big surprise this year was we hired a Clown. She came about an hour into the event & surprised the kids with some games, songs, dance contests, face painting, balloon animals, popcorn and snow cones. It was quite a hit.

Clowning with the kids

Games

Dance Contest

Face Painting and Balloon Animals

Of course we had Pumpkin Carving this year too.....

Seriously focused on those pumpkins

Mommy can you help me ?

We also had a costume contest and lots of participation too. We had several winners: Ike & Tina Turner & Old Lady &  a Boxer. People were so creative this year !

Ike & Tina & their little ones !

Beautifully Complex as Bat Woman !

This Little Old Lady on a Walker..........

...actually looks like this in real life !

Our Little Boxer was one of the winners !

My girlfriends and I have grown this into an anuual event that we are really proud of and look forward to each year !  The guest list continues to expand. We love traditions, we love making memories and we love partying and having fun. We are blessed to be surrounded by so many beautiful children and it has been a pleasure to watch them grow and learn and develop.

The other 2  Hostesses with our Suprise Guest the Clown !

How do you celebrate the Fall Season or Halloween ?

Parties ? Family Gatherings ? 

Did you Host or attend and fun events this year ?

Did you see any creative costumes ?

Thoughts ? Comnments ? Questions ?



Beautifully Complex

We've Been Blogged !

The title of the email was " Coming Soon" I opened it up and to my delight found the following message.....

I have been trying my best to be patient with our vendors (photographer and videographer) since the wedding, because I don't want to rush them. We want them to take their time and do a great job right ? LOL 

But I was super excited to see this little clip on their website. It's pretty short but we are happy with it & can't wait to see the final product.




They were literally the LAST vendor we hired- about 4 weeks before the wedding & it seems as though we picked a great company. Honestly, we were running out of money in the budget & I had to put my sad eyes on the hubs to express how important this would be in the future & I am soooo glad I did ! I am very impressed with the editing, especially the vintage black & white effect in the courtyard. I am so glad that my hubby was willing to stretch the budget in the final weeks &  after seeing this clip, he admitted to me that he was glad I put the squeeze on him too ! LOL


Thoughts ?

Comments ?

Questions ?


Beautifully Complex

The Art of Love

A couple of weeks ago, my friends in Houston came out to help me celebrate my upcoming wedding. My wonderful Bridesmaids who live here, hosted me and several friends at Pinot's Palette.  I was super excited as this is a place I have literally been trying to go to for almost 3 years !

My lovely Bridesmaid

Me & my cousin

Painting with a purpose

The theme of the shower was, " The Art of Love" and I must say I truly felt loved on this day. I have wonderful friends who care for me.  The two Bridesmaids who hosted brought a nice spread of food, decorated the place and paid the fee for all of my guests to paint. My guests bought plenty of wine for us to share & I got some lovely gifts that I will enjoy on my honeymoon.  I ended up putting my painting up in my utility room. It really looks nice there.

A nice spread

My beautiful hostesses !

Having a blast

We had a really cool instructor who was funny & cool. As the wine flowed, we got a little rowdy and a little risqué and she hung right in there with us. We got to bring in our own music, so you know it was going down ! We had a nice little private party.

Me & another girlfriend

Yummy Cupcake- Wedding Cake Flavor

I was giving her tips on the technique

The finished product !

More good friends !

Showing off our artistic talent

Of course all of the Wineaux's in the house had to keep the party going !  We left there & because we were not ready to go home ended up at the Tasting Room & did some " Patio Parlaying "  into the early evening with more wine & more laughs. I had a very nice time.

Have you ever been to one of the paint & wine places popping up all over the country ?




Thoughts ? Comments ? Questions ?


Beautifully Complex

The Perfect Gift

I really love creativity and well thought out gifts. When you can tell that someone went out of their way to do something tailored to you, it really means something.

Two of my Aunts got me the sweetest most thoughtful gift. The theme of the Bridal shower was " Recipe for Romance"

They bought me a beautiful Hope Chest filled with all kinds of  stuff.....

A frame with our "Save the Date" inside

Box full of Love !

A bag of poems

There was so much stuff that I didn't have time to go through it while at the shower, but when I got home & examined it more closely, I was very touched by their thoughtfulness.

All of my recipes for romance..............

The box was filled with a snuggle throw, champagne flutes, candles, chocolate, a bottle of champagne & a few extra surprises.....,

But the most touching thing was all of the poems and words of wisdom concerning marriage that they included in the multiple envelopes.

I know how to follow a recipe !

Heartfelt words from both my Aunts....

The last part was funny. I didn't get it at first. They referred to an ICE Pack & my imagination went wild. LOL What they were referring to was "In Case of Emergency " and all else fails........

HA ! It was a football & an nightie in the form of a referee shirt, an Officiant hat & a whistle to call a flag on the play ! LOL. My intended is a huge football fan, so this was a good joke as to how I could most definitely get his attention in the event of a crisis.

It was too cute.  I really appreciated all of the time & effort they put into creating  a gift that was meaningful that I will use for years to come.


Have you gotten any creative gifts lately ?

What is the best gift you ever received ?

What is the best gift you have ever given to someone ?

Thoughts ? Comments ? Questions ?


Beautifully Complex

Recipe for Romance ! * Photo Heavy *

Greetings my Blog Peeps !

I have been MIA, getting ready for the nuptials coming up in.....28 days !

My beautiful sister, along with a couple of my Bridesmaids hosted the most wonderful shower for me in my hometown last month. My little Sissy is super creative and I love her to life !

The invites read...

Help the Bride-to-Be learn to cook up the perfect "Recipe for Romance." Join us and the award-winning Chef Derek Nettle in the kitchen at the Venue 104 Bistro where he will teach us the fine art of making Italian cuisine. Please bring a gift for the Bride to help her and the Groom keep the romance alive.


Myself and 14 ladies had the most amazing day ! We had the entire restaurant for almost 4 hours. They set up one side with tables for us to partner up and cook & the other half of the restaurant was where we ate all the food that WE had prepared under the direction of the Chef.

We had such a great time. I am still getting emails & texts about what a unique, fun and non-traditional idea it was. My sister is the best. She and one of my other bridesmaids put it all together & I was totally blessed that day.   Here are some pics....

They were setting things up

I was focused !

My beautiful Bridesmaid

Even my mama learned something new !

My lovely sister, the creative one.

Trying to get it just right

We were teasing her because she NOT known for cooking

He was teaching me a trick !

On the menu was Panzanella Salad, spinach Stuffed Cannelloni, Classic Turkey Meatballs and for dessert, Butter Cake with Macerated Berries and Mascarpone. It was all delicious and we learned quite a few tips, tricks & techniques from the Chef & his Assistant.

We even made our own croûtons !

Yummy Dessert

My stepdaughter & her baby surprised me !

They were so hungry they forgot to take off their gloves LOL

By the look on her face, the romance gifts got a little spicy !

The Chef was funny & friendly !

Such a fun group !

It was a wonderful day, not soon to be forgotten. I was so appreciative & just happy to be in this place in my life.


What's the most original party idea you have ever experienced ?


Thoughts ?   Comments ?  Questions ?

Beautifully Complex