Birthday tradition

For the last seven years my friend Lisa and I have done a joint birthday party. Our actual birthdays are on December 19 and 20 -but as any close-to-Christmas birthday kids can tell you, you have to celebrate early! So we had our party this weekend. 

The birthday girls!

Funny thing happens when you get older - all your friends move! Each year our group has become smaller and smaller, and while we've made new friends, only three of the original group were there. Feels weird. But it also feels so great to see these people.
We went low key this time - a lot of our {new} groups have finals next week, and I just got my wisdom teeth out (why did I plan to do the extraction the day before?) - but simple is so nice! Hot cocoa and donuts (both of which I couldn't eat). It was relaxing to get everyone together and enjoy their company.

From the original group.

That's mistletoe - it's turned sideways though. Any Husband couldn't kiss my sore post wisdom teeth extracted mouth. 

Husband and me 

I made these in a crazy drug frenzie the night before the party. Santa hat, Santa bear, reindeer antlers, mistletoe, and Rudolph's nose. I've seen these Christmas photo booth ideas on Pinterest, found some printables for purchase and have found them ready made at Target. I free handed mine and hot glued them onto dowels. And I covered a paper towel roll with scrapbook paper to hold them on the wall! I used command strips to hang this - and attempted to hang the fabric the same, which didn't work. Stella found the discarded command strips, started chewing on them, then proceeded to get real frustrated trying to get them off of her! I am so mean, but a baffled puppy is hilarious. I saved her and gently removed them...then she immediately started chewing on them again. Silly puppy. 

I hung this up behind our front door - only logical place. I moved a lamp over by it, cause the lighting was horrible {non-existent}. 

Simple hot cocoa and paper cups - oh, and I put out my Christmasy straws...made it look like I tried. And cause our dishwasher is broken and I didn't want to wash all the spoons. 

Krispy Kremes - even my most health conscious friends couldn't resist. There's something about these doughy morsels. 

I was going to make a doughnut tower on my cake stand, but decided that Krispy Kreme's made their boxes so cute that they should be on display! I decided this while laying on the couch trying to muster up the energy to put on mascara. 

This is what the boys ended up doing. 

My friend Mer from MersMemoirs made me this decadent coconut sugar scrub for my birthday. I put it ... everywhere today and it is amazing! I didn't have to put on lotion after getting out of the shower and my skin feels wonderful. I even used it on my neglected parts like my armpits - it's so awkward to moisturize here, but mine get so dry! She's so clever. I've already been moving into using more natural beauty products, and this is yet another item that keeps pushing into being beauty granola.