Matthew's Milestone Moment

We fed over 65 people in two days. In our little house. I hear you asking, "Why would we do that to ourselves?"

Ready for the feasting to begin

For the best reason possible: Matthew was baptized!

I'm so thankful for a husband who holds the priesthood who has authority to baptize our son. It was a lovely service. He was surrounded by grandparents, uncles, and friends. 

We really wanted to celebrate this joyous milestone in his life. Nathan and I cooked for 2 days preparing for the affair.

We served his best ever chili (Seriously. That's literally the name of the recipe.) A friendly word to the wise- if you don't like to cook all day, don't ever try this chili. After eating this version, you'll never be able to even choke down any other chili again. There's no going back after tasting this bowl of happiness. However, this darn recipe has 30 ingredients! It even asks you to make your own chili powder by grinding smoked chilis. That's just not my cup of tea....I don't enjoy cooking. I officially resigned from ever making chili again....this is now Nathan's realm in our marriage! Nathan creates this recipe the way I create a painting- very lovingly.

We also served 6 types of cornbread, Rudy's-style creamed corn (I think only Texans know what magic that name conjures. Rudy's creamed corn=ambrosia from heaven. You don't even want to know how many calories it has!), veggie trays, 5-layer bean dip, green salad (not surprisingly, this wasn't eaten much. I can't blame anyone. Salad pales in comparison to such yummy food.), lemonade, and chocolate cake. I think everyone felt like they were rolling out the door.

I was feeling a rare creative impulse earlier that week, so I had indulged the in my inner need to create decorations. (Disclaimer: Before you start comparing yourself to me and assume that I make amazing decor for all our parties, let me say this: I haven't decorated for even birthday parties in years. I don't even do crepe paper or balloons.......this party really was a rare event wherein I actually WANTED to decorate for my own satisfaction. Please don't think I'm 'on top of things'....because I'm really not.)

Our "Happy Birthday Wreath" fit the color scheme nicely, so it joined our party.

I wanted to decorate with things we already had. Luckily mason jars have become really popular lately as party decor. I have an entire closet full of these glass beauties, so we just dressed them up a bit with cheerful colors. Sarah and I cut colored vellum sheets and tucked them into each jar. With a bit of bright ribbon and raffia they looked finished. It really didn't take very long and this was an easy project for little helpers to assist me.

I arranged jars down the centers of each table. I also scattered colorful confetti on the tables to add a playful touch of color. I love bright colors, they are so cheerful! We added tea light candles inside each jar and lit them before guests arrived. It created a welcoming ambiance (really, I was just hoping they would be distracted from my fixer-upper house!).

 We let Matthew choose who to invite for this party. We were blessed with the attendance of his grandparents (who drove 32 hours round trip to be here for ONE DAY! We felt so blessed with their dedication!), his school teacher, school friends, neighbors, church friends, and even dear friends from our old hometown 20 miles away.

With the expectation of 35 children coming over to play, I created some games for them. I made a 'scavenger hunt' sheet for each of them to do. It listed 25 activities to do on our property. When they completed the list, they could choose a refreshing Popsicle (or two...it was pretty warm that afternoon!). It helped provide loose structure to the children's play and I think it helped prevent boredom or contention. The list included items such as:

Push someone on the tire swing
Give a ride to someone in the wagon
Climb a tree
Collect an egg from the hen house
Pet the dog
Ride the disc swing
Draw a self-portrait with sidewalk chalk
Do a silly dance
Find an ant carrying food
Ride the teeter-totter swing
Jump on the trampoline

Anyway, you get the idea. The children had so much fun doing the activities.....we even had teenagers doing the scavenger hunt!

 It was a wonderful day of eating, laughter, eating, happy conversation, playing outside, and eating some more. I'm so thankful the friends who were able to celebrate this special day with us!