a french inspired brunch~Luc’s 1st birthday party

So our little Luc turned one October 1st. Wow, that was a fast year!!! We hosted a little french inspired brunch to celebrate. My inspiration for the party was black & white, all things mini and a nod to celebrate the season.

{invites, front & back with fabric tape seal on envelope}

In lieu of gifts, we asked for a donation to our Atlanta Children’s hospital to give more kids the chance to celebrate birthdays

{back gate entrance to party}

{“1” white mini pumpkins here & there}

{screened porch after the party}

To keep with the black & white theme, I used black kraft paper on a big roll that I cut to length and found dustless chalk for kids {& adults} to draw with.

Mini black & white stripe bunting. I was able to cut two flags at a time using pinking shears and just fabric glued between seam binding. I think I cut about 100 flags, but it went really fast.

{lots of mini white pumpkins throughout}

{more bunting}

{french hydrangeas and more mini pumpkins on island topped with the food spread}

Since I couldn’t rightfully take a picture of 90% empty platters of food after the party, imagine a black kraft paper topped island with all white platters and tiered stands,  piled high with yummyness!

french toast casserole with powdered sugar

mini quiche

fruit salad with honey vinagrette

mini ham & brie croissants

madeleines

vanilla & chocolate macarons

 {wrote in chalk next to each food item on the black kraft paper}

{hand-stamped mini white pumpkins with each child’s name for party favors}

.  {these wood tags might just be my new favorite}

We had a great day!

Hope you enjoyed a peek into our little pumpkin’s birthday party. :)

homemade marshmallow ghosts

It still amazes me how just  “life” can be so busy. Much has been going on. Luc turned one {will share the few pictures I took of our french inspired brunch, soon},  Jeff has been working ALOT, I am Reed’s class’ room mom and there always seems to be some extra food item I need to recreate so Reed can share in the class activity, halloween costume  making or embelishing, if you will, several doctor’s appointments and some health concerns of others that are weighing hard on my heart.  Some days, I tell you I am just plain weary.

I am behind on my chores, but I’d rather share these cute marshmallow ghosts with you.

This past weekend Jeff went away on a much needed guys weekend in Michigan for a friend’s 40th birthday. He has been working soooooooooooooo much and really hasn’t had much guy-bonding since we moved here. I decided the weekend was going to be all about indulgence for me and the boys. Indulging in a loose schedule, breakfast for dinner, fun things to do together and snuggly naps together on the sofa. It was an enjoyable weekend! :) One of the things Reed & I did together Sunday morning {while Luc napped} was make homemade marshmallow ghosts. Have you ever made homemade marshmallows? Warning, once you eat homemade, there is no going back to store bought! They are easy and so worth it. I have been wanting to make them for-ever, but when we thought Reed had a slight corn allergy {that was later negated} I was forced to find a corn syrup free version. I continue to make this corn syrup free version because who really needs to eat that stuff anyway if you can avoid it?

This is the second recipe I tried, and it’s perfect! I discovered it from Jennifer Rizzo.
Corn Syrup free marshmallows

I am working on getting Instagram up on the blog. So many times, I have wished I had it to capture just a quick update with y’all.

Have a great week!