Founders Day Fun

Happy Founders Day to all my Delta Gamma sisters! Yesterday I celebrated 139 years of DG sisterhood with these beautiful faces. My favorite part of Founders Day is always looking around the room filled with amazing women of all ages and backgrounds, and realizing that we’re each united together in the bonds of Delta Gamma. Whether its a sister I’ve known since college or one I just met for the very first time, we have at least one thing in common that we can connect over.

Tulsa Delta Gamma Founders Day 2012

However, I must say that as an 18-year-old freshman going through sorority recruitment at Texas A&M, I certainly wasn’t dreaming about the day I’d be sitting at a table full of retired ladies, enjoying a salad lunch while swapping stories about living in the Delta Gamma house. At the time, I was just interested in choosing the sorority that threw the best date parties so I could begin amassing a wardrobe full of “cotton” with my Greek letters and cover my bulletin board in Party Pics. Most importantly, I wanted to make a few friends because I didn’t know a single soul on campus.

Delta Gamma Bid Day – PC '99Boy, did I luck out! Not only did I make friends, but I found 250 of the kindest, most genuine girls on campus. And I was initiated into the finest women’s fraternity in the world which, even today as an alumna, encourages me to further develop my talents and grow as a leader.

Yet, 13 years ago, I found myself standing in front of the DG house….just hoping for a cool t-shirt. Funny how life works!

But, I digress….back to Founders Day! This year I was tasked with making the table numbers for the luncheon and decided it would be more festive to name each of the tables something that represented Delta Gamma’s founding…..Anna, Mary, Eva, Oxford, 1873, Hope, “Do Good”, etc. So I created these little table tents to match the decor.

Founders Day Table Tents – Free Printables

As guests arrived, they drew a slip of paper from a vase to get their table assignment. This random seating arrangement encouraged alumnae and collegians to mix and mingle. To spark conversation, each table tent had questions printed on the back….things like “What is your favorite Delta Gamma memory?” and “How is sorority life different now from when you were in college?”. It worked out really well, so I’m sharing the templates I made in case other Delta Gamma groups would like to use them for their celebrations.

A few tips for using these free printables:

  • There are enough table tents here for 16 tables. If you need more than that, send me a message.
  • To make the anchor pop-up, cut around the outer edge of the anchor (the top portion that prints on the back of the table tent) with an X-acto knife before folding the table tent in half.
  • For the table assignments, print out the slips found on the last page of the PDF. If there will be 8 people seated per table, print 8 copies of that page.

As I was making these, I wondered how our founders Anna, Mary, and Eva would have answered the questions. I have no doubt they would be proud of the little club they started all those years ago!

Snow, Skis, and Sweethearts

Jason had a conference in Colorado week before last and I got to tag along! While he was enduring lectures on Oil & Gas law, I spent two fun days visiting my friend Christian who lives nearby. I finally got to see her new house and the sweet nursery she is decorating for baby Clara. We did a little shopping, a LOT of eating, and even got to go on a double date with our husbands one evening….just like old times in Austin! (Apparently we were so busy chatting, though, that I forgot to snap any pictures to document our time together.) We ate at Pizzeria Locale, a cute pizza parlor in downtown Boulder that had the BEST food and atmosphere!

Jason and I had another amazing meal in Boulder, too. Before we went, I read good reviews about Amu Sake Bar and it did not disappoint! We knew the food was going to be legit when they asked us to remove our shoes upon entering the restaurant and we noticed that everyone, including the waitstaff, was barefoot (we were in Boulder, afterall!). It was really authentic Japanese food and we loved every bite. Actually, I can’t stop thinking about the Beef Sukiyaki I had there and have been researching how I can recreate the dish at home (this recipe looks like it might live up to Amu).


Steamboat Trip 2012

After Jason’s conference wrapped up, we drove to Steamboat Springs for the weekend. It snowed on us the entire drive there and I’m surprised our little rental car even made it up the mountain! But we were totally rewarded once we got there by the cutest ski town and several inches of fresh powder. We stayed right downtown at Hotel Bristol, within walking distance of all the quaint shops and restaurants.


Steamboat Trip 2012

It just so happened that we were in Steamboat during Winter Carnival, a big celebration where the main street is filled with snow and participants on skis are pulled behind horses to compete in all sorts of crazy events. It was all taking place right outside our hotel, so that was pretty entertaining to watch. On Saturday, we hit the slopes and enjoyed some of that fresh powder ourselves!


Valentine's Day 2012

We returned home to find that it had actually snowed in Tulsa, too, although it didn’t stick around long. By the very next day, Valentine’s Day, the snow had completely melted. After a wonderful but exhausting trip, it was nice to spend a quiet evening at home with our fur babies. We celebrated with homemade pizza, which is our Valentine’s Day tradition. Not quite as yummy as the pizza we had in Boulder but, hey, I feel like we should get bonus points for making ours heart-shaped!

Snow, skis, and sweethearts…those are the ingredients for a pretty perfect week!

Catchin’ Cooties

Free Printable Cootie Catcher DownloadAnyone remember making Cootie Catchers back in your grade school days? You know, the silly game where a folded sheet of notebook paper would predict who you’d marry, where you’d live, and how many kids you’d have? For some reason, I was reminded of them this week and thought it’d be fun to make a throwback version for Valentine’s Day to share with my lovely blog readers. Download this free Cootie Catcher printable to find out Cupid’s prediction for your love life, then use it to impress your friends.


Free Printable Valentine's Day Cootie Catcher

 

If it’s been a while since you played, here’s a quick refresher (as demonstrated by this little brown cootie who I caught snatching my prototype right after I took the photo above):

Cootie Snatcher

Have a player choose one of the top four squares. Spell the name they chose while you open and close the Cootie Catcher up and down and side to side, once for each letter in the word. The player then selects one of the four visible numbers on the inside. Open the Cootie Catcher as you count up to the that number. Look inside and have the player choose another visible number. Open the flap under the number and read their fortune.

Finally, don’t underestimate the fortune-telling powers of the Cootie Catcher!

Sharing the Love: 50 Ideas for Making Your Own Valentines

There’s something super sweet about handmade valentines. Some of my favorite memories from childhood involve sitting at the kitchen table (covered head to toe with glue and glitter!) making cards for my friends.

Ok, let’s be honest…..this scenario still happens at my house today, even as an adult. Every year on Valentine’s Day, my sweetie and I exchange homemade valentines and it is my FAVORITE thing! Of course, I’ve already started brainstorming this year’s card and found so many adorable ones that I just had to share a few! If you’re looking for creative valentines that you can make yourself or together with the kidlets, then I have you covered with 50 inspirational ideas. For detailed instructions and free printables, the links below the images will take you to the original source.


Homemade DIY Valentines

Clockwise from top: Robot Valentines, Don’t Ever Change, Hugs & Kisses,
Candy iPod, You Rock / Happy Valentine’s Day to All My Peeps


Homemade DIY Valentines

Clockwise from top left: Happy Heart Day M&Ms, I Dig You,
Printable Candy Bar Wrapper, Treat Bag with Printable Label,
I’m Bananas For You / I’m Wild About You


Homemade DIY Valentines Clockwise from top left: Friendship Blossoms, Shot by Cupid,
I’m Over the Rainbow for You, Lollipop Butterfly, Super Hero Lollipop


Homemade DIY Valentines

 Clockwise from top left: Orange You Glad?, You Are a Star,
You’re a Great Catch, Swedish Fish, Goldfish


Homemade DIY Valentines

Clockwise from top: Cookie in a CD Sleeve, Sugar Cookie Bags, Bear Hugs,
Custom Candy Bar Wrapper, I Need S’More Friends Like You


Homemade DIY Valentines

 Clockwise from top: Bee Mine, Play Doh Valentines,
Love Rocks, Heart Necklace Valentines, Friendship Bracelet Valentines


Homemade DIY Valentines

Clockwise from top: Love is a Battlefield, Magnifying Glass Valentine,
I “Wheelie” Like You, You Make My Heart Bounce, Love Bugs


Homemade DIY Valentines

Clockwise from top: I’d SNAP at the Chance to Be Your Valentine,
You’re gRRRReat!, I Love You THIS Much, I’m Bugging for You,
I Have My Eyes on You


Homemade DIY Valentines

 Clockwise from top: You’re Tops in My Book,
Not Loving You Would Be a Mistake, “Owl” Always Be Your Friend,
From One Crazy Kid to Another, You Color My World


Homemade DIY ValentinesClockwise from top left: Pop-Up Messages3-D Hearts, Kissing Pop-Up,
Lucky in Love Scratch-OffFortune Cookie Valentines

Time to bust out the construction paper, right?! It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I’m especially loving the robots and pop-ups. Hmmm…..

Leave me a comment if you have other Valentine’s Day crafts or printables to share…I’d love to check out your clever ideas! In my next post, I’ll be sharing a fun printable I’m currently working on that I’m really excited about, so check back later this week for more cheesy Valentine’s Day goodness!

Tea for Two

Christian's Baby ShowerLast weekend I had the honor of hosting a baby shower for my beautiful friend Christian who is expecting her first little bundle of joy in March! Our friend Bethany, Christian’s mom, and I had so much fun planning the shower for her. We had it at Tea Embassy, a cute tea room in downtown Austin – the perfect place for a girly celebration. I designed the invitations (below) to look like tea bags because it only seemed fitting! The tags on the “tea bags” told guests where she was registered.

Tea Party Baby Shower Invitation

As guests arrived, they were greeted by a banner announcing the baby’s name. I also made a pink tulle wreath (which can later be hung over Clara’s crib as a mobile) and attached paper flowers that matched those used on the invitations.


Tea Party Baby ShowerAs gifts were opened, we sampled several different flavors of hot tea and nibbled on scones, tea cookies, chicken salad sandwiches, fruit kebabs, and – Christian’s favorite – cupcakes! The cupcakes and sandwiches were topped with little flags that had messages like “A Sweet Baby Girl is Brewing” and “Tea for Two”. Pink and yellow tulips were arranged in tea tins and pieces to a silver tea set that belonged to Christian as a child.

It was a gorgeous Saturday in Austin, Texas, and I felt so blessed to be there celebrating my dear friend and the sweet baby girl that is brewing!

Christmas Card 2011

Happy Holidays…..

Groves Christmas Card 2011…..From Our Herd to Yours!

As you can see, I had a little too much fun designing our Christmas postcard this year. I thought it would be festive to Photoshop reindeer antlers on the dogs and give Oliver a bright red Rudolph nose. Apparently Ollie was not a fan, though! The cards were all stacked up neatly ready to be mailed when I discovered that he snatched a few off the table and shredded them into a million tiny pieces. So if you didn’t get a card from us this year, it’s because our dog ate it!

Wishing each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a Blessed New Year!

 

Wrap Room

Wrapping gifts is one of my very favorite things about the holidays (in fact, I’ve mentioned before that one of my dream jobs is to be a professional gift wrapper in the mall during Christmas). I love searching for cute gift wrap and coordinating the ribbons and embellishments to match my holiday decor….in fact, I probably obsess over it a little too much. I wish I was one of those people that could throw a present into a gift bag with some tissue paper and call it done.



But that would be way too easy, my friends.


I tend to make simple things like wrapping gifts as difficult and time-consuming as possible. Which is why after spending a couple nights sitting on the floor in the middle of the guest bedroom surrounded by crumpled gift wrap and a tangled mess of ribbon, I’ve decided that my next house will have an entire workspace dedicated to wrapping presents. In fact, it will look exactly like this:


And I will be smiling just like that lady because it will be organized bliss in there, I tell you! I bet her bows always turn out perfectly and she never even runs out of tape or shirt boxes on Christmas Eve.

However, until I’m able to have an entire present-wrapping workshop like Santa, I will need to find creative ways to maximize the space I have to its fullest potential. This organizational eye candy has me excited to whip my gift wrap storage into shape after the holidays:


Gift Wrap OrganizationClockwise from top left: Ribbon in Straw Dispensers,
Ribbon on a Paper Towel Holder, Ribbon Basket, Bows and Tags in a Fruit Basket

Regardless of whether you are obsessive wrapper like me or prefer to keep things simple with gift bags (or, God forbid, plastic shopping sacks), wouldn’t it be so nice to have a convenient, organized place to assemble presents? Do you have any secrets for keeping your gift wrap supplies in check?

20 Last Minute Gift Ideas

With only 13 shopping days left until Christmas, I thought it might be helpful to share some last-minute gift ideas with those over-worked elves who are still searching for the perfect presents for the good girls and boys on their lists (and, also because my Mom keeps asking). So, hint hint, little elves….

Last Minute Gift Ideas1. WoodWick Candles – $10-$20
Not only do these candles smell amazing, but they also crackle
just like a fireplace. I want one for every room in the house!

2. Jonathan Adler Thermal Mug – $15
I pretty much adore anything designed by Jonathan Adler,
and these mugs are no exception.

3. Yogi Egyptian Licorice Mint Tea – $5
Three words: Best. Tea. Ever.
Feeling stressed, tired, sick? One cup of this stuff will leave you feeling refreshed
and rejuvenated….it’s truly magical! I’m actually enjoying a cup as I type this.

4. SmartWool Frilly Boot Socks – $24
I pinned these socks on Pinterest a long time ago
and keep hoping they will go on sale soon….because I need all four pairs!

5. Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer – $6
It is no secret that Burt and his bees make the best lip gloss ever!
I have a tube in my purse, car, desk drawer, and coat pocket at all times.


Last Minute Gift Ideas6. Mercury Votive Holders – $5 each
I have a slight obsession with Mercury glass.

7. Dinosaur Planters – $14-$18
I also have a thing for dinosaurs…and these guys just make me laugh!

8. Custom Calligraphy Address Stamp – $65
I love that these return address stamps are individually hand-lettered
in custom calligraphy, not computer-generated fonts.

9. Fluorite Faceted Teadrop Earrings – $46
FACT: A girl can never have too many earrings!

10. Textured Cuddle Throw – $39
Nana gave me this throw for Christmas (or maybe my birthday?)
a couple years ago and it is the best, softest, coziest blanket of all time.
It’s the secret ingredient to napping perfection!


Last Minute Gift Ideas11. Monogrammed Phone Case – $50
Guaranteed to add some “style while you dial”.
These cute cases are available in lots of different colors and patterns.

12. Toms Pewter Sequin Shoes – $59
These are cuter in person than they are on the website. I first saw them
for sale in Whole Foods and had to restrain myself from taking off my shoes
and trying on a pair right there in the middle of the grocery store.
The copper color is my fave, but can’t seem to find a picture of those.

13. Salsa Dos Dishtowels – $4 each
These are the best dishtowels. The set we received as a wedding gift
is just now beginning to wear out after 6.5 years of daily use.

14. Nikon D90 Camera – $900
I’d love to get a fancy SLR camera and learn how to properly use it.
I’ve read good reviews about this one, in particular.

15. Old Gringo Western Boots – $430
If you can justify the price, these handmade boots are simply lovely.


Last Minute Gift Ideas
16. Erin Condren Personalized Note Pads – $18
Erin Condren stationery is all the rage right now!

17. Philbrook Museum of Art Membership – $50
Can’t afford a real Picasso? Think again!
Museum memberships make entertaining, clutter-free gifts.

18. Knitting Needle Organizer – $37
This would be a great gift for the knitters on your list.

19. Dahlia Placemats – $8 each
A set of these placemats would be perfect for someone who loves to entertain.

20. Classic Ford F1 Pickup
This is my dream car – a restored 1950’s model Ford F1 pickup in cherry red
with whitewalls. I’m sure Santa is packing it into his sleigh as we speak!

How ’bout you – what’s on your wish list this year?

Girls’ Weekend

I just returned from a long weekend in the mountains with my besties, Bethany and Christian! We try to take an annual girls’ trip together, so this year we met up in Frisco, Colorado, and rented a condo with a beautiful view of the snowy mountains. When we weren’t eating, we explored downtown Breckenridge, drank lots of hot chocolate and coffee, shopped at the outlet mall in Silverthorne, watched the snow fall, and sat around the fireplace talking and laughing….all while planning our next meal, of course! It was such a relaxing weekend – exactly what we needed to recharge our batteries.


Girls' Weekend 2011I can’t even begin to convey how much I love these two girls; they are among God’s greatest blessings in my life. We are all different, yet our personalities complement each other so well that is clear we were destined to be friends. Lifelong friends. Everyone should be so lucky as to have besties like Bethany and Christian!

So, girls – where should we travel next year? I’m already missing you both!

 

The Gobble Guide: A Free Thanksgiving Planner

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, I have two things on my mind: pie and a nice, long nap. Seriously, I can’t even tell you how much I’m looking forward to that after-pie nap!

Apparently not much has changed over the years. My family frequently reminds me of the Thanksgiving when I was about 7 or 8 and bellied up to the table with nothing but apple pie, whipped cream, and potato chips on my dinner plate. While it seemed like a perfectly acceptable meal to me, my mom was certain that the pilgrims were rolling over in their graves!

This week I’ve been planning the menu for our Thanksgiving feast and briefly considered serving only potato chips and dessert. (Afterall, nothing says “God Bless America” quite like a cornucopia full of fried spuds.) But when I asked my family for special Thanksgiving requests, potato chips were nowhere on the list. Cue the sad pilgrim face.

Instead, this year our Thanksgiving menu will include:

I really enjoy cooking as long as I can do it at a leisurely pace with a glass of wine in hand, but tend to get a little frantic when the frenzy of last-minute preparations hits right before the meal goes on the table. An Iron Chef I am not!


The Gobble Guide: Free Printable Thanksgiving Planner

In an attempt to alleviate some of that stress (and because I’m slightly neurotic), I put together this “Gobble Guide” to map out which recipes I can prepare in advance and schedule the time each dish needs to go into the oven on Thanksgiving Day. Hopefully it will keep me on track in the kitchen and perhaps even save the rolls from burning!

You know I love sharing free printables, so here is a blank version of my Gobble Guide that you can customize for your own event. My hope is that this planner will help you organize your holiday so you’ll be less stressed and have more time to spend (eating pie and napping) with loved ones.

Happy Thanksgiving, bloggy friends!

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