Mother's Day Brunch Wrap Up

This weekend was a big one for us:  Mother's Day Brunch and Lily's Bug Birthday Party in one 48 hour period.  I was incredibly busy all week getting things ready... I guess in retrospect it's not a surprise that in true Joanne fashion I fell sick on Friday afternoon.  I'm still not sure if it's allergies, a cold, or a sinus infection, but I do know it's been pretty awful.  And a disappointment, for sure, to have to "make it through" all of these fun events instead of 100% enjoying them.

That being said, everything went really well.  I had a hard time deciding which event to post about first!  Believe me, there will be a LOT of photos shared this week -- I hope you don't mind!

We had both sets of parents, Travis' brother and his grandmother to our house for brunch on Mother's Day.  It's the first family holiday we've ever hosted at our place - so I really wanted to make it special.

Here are the placecards I made...

And here's the table.  Being sick and busy I for sure didn't take as many or as great a photos as I would have liked to, but these should give you an idea at least.  I sewed the tablecloth and the runner and napkins myself.

Lots of delicious goodies to eat... so glad Travis likes to cook and was a huge help in this area...

(We also had mimosas, bloody marys, and coffee to drink...)

We were running a little later than planned (don't family meals almost always run that way?!) but we finally sat down to eat...

Here are a few shots of the family.  Top left is Travis and I with his mom and brother.  Top right is the three of us kids with Grandma.  Bottom left is Travis and I with my parents, and bottom right is a cute snapshot of my parents.

And finally... a shot of me and my Mum... 

We had a lovely brunch.  There were a couple of decorative things I just didn't end up doing (too sick, not enough time... you've got to know when to stop and put your sanity and health first, you know?) but I think everything still looked (and tasted!) nice.

I hope that all you Mum's and Mom's (ha!) had a lovely Mother's Day!

PS)  In all the craziness of last week I forgot to mention that I have another article over at Babble.  I hope you'll check it out!

PPS)  Dot over at Dabbled re-featured my Flower Pinata from last year.  In case you missed it, be sure to take a peek!

More Invitations!

Seems I'm on a bit of an invitation kick lately.  That's fine by me, because it means there's lots of parties in our midst.  If there's one thing I like to do it's plan a party!

We don't usually do anything big for Mother's Day.  It's usually hard to coordinate visits to each side of the state to see both Mom's, my parents are usually either just going on or just coming back from vacation around that time, and my Mom's birthday is just a couple of days after.

This year, because everyone has been so busy and will continue to be so busy in the weeks and months before and after Mother's Day, we decided to invite both sets of parents, and Travis' grandmother to our house for a Mother's Day brunch.

One of the things I've loved about owning our own home is having the opportunity to host.  If there's just one thing I love more than planning a party?  It's throwing a party!  And while this is most certainly a small gathering and not formal at all - I'm determined to make it special.

It always feels special to get something in the mail.  So even though we've let our family know ahead of time that we're having this get together, I still wanted to send them something pretty.  I made up these invitations using my Big Shot (seriously the best thing EVER!) and the Flower Fancy stamp set.  Flower Fancy is one of my all time favorite sets - and it's on sale right now for 20% off!  Perfect!

I always like to embellish envelopes when I send something out.  It's like a tease when you get it in the mail - you see the little stamps on the front and just know there's something lovely inside!

I need to run out this evening and get a nice new black gel ink pen to write on the invitations with... I always think that the worst thing about card/invitation making is my handwriting on them!  I figure a nice new pen will make my writing look as nice as it possibly can, right?!

Hubby is the chef of the house, so he and I are putting together the menu over the next few days, and he'll be in charge of most of the cooking.  I'll be handling the decor, and have visions of fresh cut flowers, colorscapes of purples and pinks, and beautiful table settings dancing in my head...

I won't be able to share much more about the Mother's Day brunch until after the fact, since both Mom's pop over to this blog from time to time, but you can be sure that there will be photos a plenty to share in about a month!

Meanwhile, if you have any favorite recipes for brunch to share Hubs and I would welcome them.  Drop me a line in the comments with your suggestions!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:  Stamp Sets:  Flower Fancy, You're Invited.  Inks:  Orchid Opulence, Pretty in Pink, Lavender Lace.  Cardstock:  Whisper White, Lavender Lace.  Accessories:  White Satin 5/8 inch ribbon, Black Stazon ink, Big Shot Die Cut Machine, Top Note die, Texturz plates.  Shop for these products and more at my online store.