Cheap pirate costume and our pirate party

I did not want to spend a fortune on costumes. He is wearing one of my embroidered front white buttondowns, his jeans, girls boots from a thrift store ($2) a jeweled belt from a thrift store($1) a boys suit vest from a thrift store ($1) and we bought a package of bandanas and swords with eyepatches from Oriental trading company.
This little guy collected all the swords and was going around stabbing everyone. See the dead pirate in the background




The pirate on the right is my other son. We took a pair of ladies elastic waist pants and cut the bottows in a zig zag pattern. He wore another one of my white shirts with a black tie at his waist. He had a pair of girl boots also, but as you see he took them off- his were higher heel.
The kids playing with the cannon launcherThe treasure is found! We went ahead and filled bags with candy then filled the chest with beads and coins that they could get if they wanted.


The kids played with the swords, we had a treasure hunt, ate cake, opened presents, then they played kickball- pirate kickball. It rained yesterday and has been cooler so I was worried it would either rain or be too cold outside today. It was beautiful! Thank you, God!!!! I was scared of having boys, swords, and a treasure hunt inside and then stuffing them with sugar. Can you imagine? We had his party at this house last year- we had closed on it but not moved in- we were laying wood floors and painting. It was beautiful last year also. We are supposed to have highs in the low 30's coming soon, so it is always touchy with the weather.


Related Posts:
Pirate ship cake
Homemade cannon launcher

My Surprise Birthday

We came home on Saturday and I was really surprised with a birthday party. When we walked in I saw a cake and didn't think much of it because my mother in law always gets a cake for any celebration that is within that month. I just figured that we were having cake. Then, people began to show up. We didn't get photos of many of the guests but here are the couple that were taken. My dad and step mother drove from Atlanta which was a really big surprise, then turned around and left at 10 to drive back 4 hours. Another big surprise was that I walked out of another room and saw someone I knew standing there. My daughter asked if I knew who it was and I was doing the scramble trying to place her. It was Valerie. We met through blogging and knew we lived about 30 minutes apart. My daughter has heard me talk about her and her kids and contacted her and invited her over. I am so glad she came and I was able to meet her in person. She is really sweet and just as cute. She said it was like going on a blind date. I didn't kiss her goodnight. My husband had to hold his mom back from the all black 40th birthday theme. He suggested the pink and green. My birthday is really on the 11th but a bigger surprise to come home looking weary and after standing on the dock and in customs for over two hours. Man, he took a big chance that I wouldn't kill him. I usually like to plan for surprises! Golly!

Birthday Tea

This is my mom's tea set and dishes. She embroidered the cloth. I have a lot of embroidered tea towels and runners that I almost gave away years ago. They are back in style now. I am so glad that I kept them.






Do you have any birthday traditions? We have a tea breakfast. I started it when my oldest was a little girl and we were in the stage of tea parties. We would get all dressed up in fancy clothes and hats and gloves and get all her bears and dolls and the toy tea sets along with my mom's china. We never have hot tea, being southern, we drink a gallon of sweet tea a day, but for our birthday breakfast teas I make hot tea and put it in my mom's teapot. I have been amazed that they love this. They love to add milk and so much sugar that it is nothing resembling tea anymore. They get to choose what they get for breakfast which is now a standing order of cinnamon rolls and white powdered donuts. Yep, big ol sugar high for the entire day!

It has tickled me that with three boys I would have never expected them to enjoy the teas. I never intended it to be something that we would always do. After my daughter's first one my son asked if we were having tea for his birthday. It just became the thing that they always asked if we were doing so it has stuck. My rough and tumble boys enjoy tea parties, isn't that funny?

Another tradition we have is a birthday date with Daddy. The child picks where they want to eat and what activity they want to do. They get one day or evening all to themselves with daddy. I try to take a photo of them with daddy with them holding up fingers for how old they are before they leave for the date. I have been bad about that when our camera died or we were in a rush.