Long before Arabella turned two, a Disney-loving friend of mine posted photos of her son’s “Oh Twodles” Mickey Mouse-themed birthday party, and I thought it was genius. (For those who don’t know, Mickey and friends all say “Oh Toodles” several times per episode on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, summoning a magical helper thingy). And since Arabella […]
Moving halfway across the globe is never easy. But add in a global pandemic, a stop movement order, local travel restrictions, and children, and a permanent change of station move outside the continental United States becomes pretty overwhelming. In 13 years as a Marine Corps spouse, I’ve been through more than my share of moves; […]
It’s almost Valentine’s Day! And most of us are still stuck at home. So why not celebrate the day of love with a Valentine tea? I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I always have a planned menu for various parties or events… and I almost always end up not making at least […]
Maybe it’s because I was a teenager in the 90s, but I’ve always been a sucker for plaid. So when I was looking for matching family outfits for our Christmas card photos, I gravitated toward all the tartans. I meant to share these sooner, but the cards themselves didn’t even show up in my mailbox […]
How long do you leave your Christmas decorations up? I always like to leave mine up past New Year’s anyway, but this year in particular I think we need as much cheer as we can get, so we may not take everything down until mid-January. If you’re still in a celebratory mood, but don’t want […]
Christmas may be over, but peppermint and gingerbread season is still in full swing, and that means it’s time for some gingerbread scones! I started working on this scone recipe just after Thanksgiving, when I planned a Christmas tea/birthday party for my mother-in-law, Jane. The overall tea was great and we liked the scones, but […]
Christmas this year is going to look a lot different for many of us, and as someone who has spent a lot of holidays away from my family (even before I became a military spouse), I know that can be hard. It’s especially challenging if you can’t get together with friends who feel like family. […]
We’re having a Winnie the Pooh tea party at home, and you’re invited! When I canceled Arabella’s first birthday party in March, I thought I was just postponing it. But as restrictions increased and our time in Okinawa got shorter and shorter, I realized we weren’t going to be able to have her party there. […]
I am not a fall person. I mean, I like plaid. Coats and boots are cute. Pumpkin is delicious. But I don’t like being cold, and I had never really seen leaves change before moving to Maryland when I was 16, so that isn’t something I look forward to every year. But since we spent […]
As you’ve probably noticed, I love mom and daughter matching outfits with Arabella. I figure she won’t want to dress like her mommy forever, so I want to twin while I can (though she may come back around — my mom and I probably own more matching outfits than my daughter and I, though we don’t […]