Celebrating Sarah
Last month we celebrated a very special birthday of a very special person in my life, my Ma. My Ma celebrated 80 wonderful years with a fiesta celebration. When planning her party, she had one request. She wanted her family together. She got her wish (well.. she usually does ;-)
The party was hosted by me and Justin, my brother, my mom & dad, and my aunt and uncle in Birmingham and they were gracious enough to open their home for the party. It was FABULOUS! It started with the perfect fiesta invitation with a stunning photo of a younger Ma.
The beautiful birthday girl.. at 80! Can you believe it? She looks amazing!
All the pictures from the party are by Michelle Repolles Photography. She is a friend of our friend Nikki and my mom hired her for the party. What a great idea! We have so many pictures of our time together that we will treasure always. I used her pictures to create a great memory book for Ma to keep.
The party had a Mexican fiesta theme and that was evident in all the special touches. Mom and Laura worked with a great florist in Birmingham and all the arrangements were perfect!
The food was amazing. Yummy specialty cheese dips, bean dips, caramelized onion and smoked gouda quesadillas (my favorite), tamales, a fajita bar, and a gorgeous display of fresh fruit. The drink bar was a lot of fun and of course we had birthday margaritas!
The cupcakes were assorted flavors including lime and strawberry. With a little help from Cutie Putti, Mom & I made the cupcake toppers ourselves and they turned out great.
One of my favorite parts was the "memory wall" created with old photos of Ma & family growing up. They included some of my favorite pictures of my Ma & Granddaddy and all the grandkids as babies. Near the display was the banner I made with my circuit "Cheers to 80 years" and as a really special touch we displayed bottles of her favorite wine for the "guest book" She got to take these home with her and read her birthday wishes while enjoying a great glass of wine.
Of course the best part of the party was the FAMILY and FRIENDS that we were blessed by.
And of course Dee Dee & Poppy enjoyed their boys!
After a super sweet toast and speech by my uncle Colby and my mom all enjoyed listening to my brother JB and cousin Tyler jam on the guitar. Including my sweet boys.
And it wouldn't be a party if I didn't get a dance in with my Ma. She still has the moves!
Ma asked for no gifts but a few couldn't resist special gifts for her. I designed a bracelet through Shiny Metals It included the names off all the grandkids & great grandkids, birthstones of the children, a family tree, a hand stamped bronze charm est. 1953 (the year they were married), a cross for my grandfather, and a little set of baby feet for all the babies in Heaven from our family. I was blessed that Michelle captured the sweet moments of when she opened it.
My cousins (her nieces) designed a very special Creative Memories Susan Dyer book for her. It included so much memorabilia from her childhood and nursing schools days. I loved looking at it too and I know she will treasure it always.
My Ma is so much more than a grandmother to me. I am her namesake (Sarah Lou) and she is my best friend. Not too many days pass that we don't talk and if we do she leaves me a message "Lu.. I have not heard from you. You need to call me" Just to make sure I am ok. Her grandchildren have never doubted that she is CRAZY about all of us and would do anything for us. But she would do that for anyone. She brings JOY to so many lives. She does birthday cards for everyone I know. She writes notes, bakes cakes, makes phone calls, visits, takes people to lunch, and just makes you feel special to know her. It was a blessing to honor her and show her how much she is loved by her friends and family. It was a great way to "CELEBRATE SARAH"
The party was hosted by me and Justin, my brother, my mom & dad, and my aunt and uncle in Birmingham and they were gracious enough to open their home for the party. It was FABULOUS! It started with the perfect fiesta invitation with a stunning photo of a younger Ma.
The beautiful birthday girl.. at 80! Can you believe it? She looks amazing!
All the pictures from the party are by Michelle Repolles Photography. She is a friend of our friend Nikki and my mom hired her for the party. What a great idea! We have so many pictures of our time together that we will treasure always. I used her pictures to create a great memory book for Ma to keep.
The party had a Mexican fiesta theme and that was evident in all the special touches. Mom and Laura worked with a great florist in Birmingham and all the arrangements were perfect!
The food was amazing. Yummy specialty cheese dips, bean dips, caramelized onion and smoked gouda quesadillas (my favorite), tamales, a fajita bar, and a gorgeous display of fresh fruit. The drink bar was a lot of fun and of course we had birthday margaritas!
The cupcakes were assorted flavors including lime and strawberry. With a little help from Cutie Putti, Mom & I made the cupcake toppers ourselves and they turned out great.
One of my favorite parts was the "memory wall" created with old photos of Ma & family growing up. They included some of my favorite pictures of my Ma & Granddaddy and all the grandkids as babies. Near the display was the banner I made with my circuit "Cheers to 80 years" and as a really special touch we displayed bottles of her favorite wine for the "guest book" She got to take these home with her and read her birthday wishes while enjoying a great glass of wine.
Of course the best part of the party was the FAMILY and FRIENDS that we were blessed by.
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| All the grandkids and great grandkids |
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| My mom and uncle Colby - the two children |
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| My Mom |
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| 3 Generations |
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| Ma and my brother Uncle Bubba |
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| My cousins Madison & Abigail |
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| Gigi and her Ma and Beckett |
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| Daddy and his 2 boys |
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| Aunt Nikki and Uncle Woody |
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| Her Dave & Phyllis |
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| JB & Girlfriend Madison |
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| The "cousins" nieces and nephews |
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| Her special brother Uncle Bobby |
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| Tuscaloosa & Eutaw family |
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| Nephew Bob's beautiful family |
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| My Cousins Ginger & Caroline |
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| Uncle Woody and his Riley boys |
After a super sweet toast and speech by my uncle Colby and my mom all enjoyed listening to my brother JB and cousin Tyler jam on the guitar. Including my sweet boys.
And it wouldn't be a party if I didn't get a dance in with my Ma. She still has the moves!
Ma asked for no gifts but a few couldn't resist special gifts for her. I designed a bracelet through Shiny Metals It included the names off all the grandkids & great grandkids, birthstones of the children, a family tree, a hand stamped bronze charm est. 1953 (the year they were married), a cross for my grandfather, and a little set of baby feet for all the babies in Heaven from our family. I was blessed that Michelle captured the sweet moments of when she opened it.
My cousins (her nieces) designed a very special Creative Memories Susan Dyer book for her. It included so much memorabilia from her childhood and nursing schools days. I loved looking at it too and I know she will treasure it always.
My Ma is so much more than a grandmother to me. I am her namesake (Sarah Lou) and she is my best friend. Not too many days pass that we don't talk and if we do she leaves me a message "Lu.. I have not heard from you. You need to call me" Just to make sure I am ok. Her grandchildren have never doubted that she is CRAZY about all of us and would do anything for us. But she would do that for anyone. She brings JOY to so many lives. She does birthday cards for everyone I know. She writes notes, bakes cakes, makes phone calls, visits, takes people to lunch, and just makes you feel special to know her. It was a blessing to honor her and show her how much she is loved by her friends and family. It was a great way to "CELEBRATE SARAH"