Getting Ready for Jackson’s Birthday Party

Cake

Jackson’s second birthday will be coming up this Sunday the 30th. I hadn’t planned on anything elaborate so I went to Publix to order a cake today. Peter and I wanted to get Jackson a cake with the characters from the Cars movie but the baker said that they were out of the character figurines. She offered to call another Publix about their inventory and they turned out to be out of stock as well. We even opted to go for a Spongebob cake and they were out. I took matters into my own hands and called five other Publix locations about the Spongebob cake that I had taken a liking to (I generally do not like Spongebob but I will watch it from time to time.). This cake had two levels, was airbrushed with water, waves, and sand, and it looked super cool of course! I called the relatively new Publix nearby my house about the design. Although they did not carry the specific design, she did mention two other designs that I had not seen. So I held my breath and decided to go see if they had anything better. And they did.

The figurines on this Spongebob cake are slightly different than the other one but it still comes with two tiers, airbrushing, and it’s “luau-themed”. It was priced at $49.99 and I said I’d pay when I picked it up. I’ve had bad experiences in the past (not just Publix but in general) so I avoid paying upfront by all means. Typically, I would get a cake from Joli Kobe but like I said earlier, I didn’t want to go all-out this year. I just wanted to take him out to play, eat some cake, and take a few photos between the three of us. I wanted to buy some nice candles for Jackson so I suggested going to Party City and man, that trip changed everything. 

Party City Haul

I’m just going to say that I ended up getting a lot more than I had originally anticipated. I picked up a candle, then another personalized candle, then some personalized balloons, and then we came across the Spongebob section. We figured that we’d get invitations, then favors, then everything just kind of came together (and I am glad about that). We purchased some luau-themed items and next thing you know, I’m prepping favors while Peter’s on the phone inviting people to the “party” that we had never anticipated having. So I am telling you, if you walk into Party City, even if you don’t intend on having a party, you will end up having a party. 

About Me and Parties

I honestly like parties. I am just picky about them though. I dread the college and high school kids parties. I was never really invited to them until later on and their atmosphere seriously felt gross and chaotic. I like themed parties. I would love throwing a Halloween masquerade party with everything in the house decorated in Halloween decor while serving ghoulish martinis and etc. Scary movies would be playing the background while people could snack, bob for some apples in the corner, or even play with a Ouija board. So in case you haven’t noticed, I love going all-out. Go big or go home is just the way I like to do these things. 

I had asked Peter about Jackson’s birthday two months ago. I originally wanted to throw him a carnival-themed party. I started looking popcorn stands, hot dog rollers, snow cone machines, bean bag toss games, and everything related to a carnival. I even looked at the inflatable moonwalk things. Peter never made up his mind so I didn’t put aside the budget for it. I put aside some money for a cake and maybe some entertainment and that was about it. I think I will always keep trying to take things to the next level but I won’t really ask for a second opinion in the future because that really stalls everything. 

Home

I haven’t really thrown parties and there is another reason. I think my home could look a lot better. Many have said that they don’t mind the way it looks but I hate it. I know I could get better furniture instead of the cat scratched ones I have now. My cats just won’t stop scratching my furniture and it is starting to drive me crazy. They won’t even touch the cat scratcher. There’s a puke green sofa in the living room that belonged to the last tenant and it doesn’t match with anything in the house. I would like to have a lot of artwork to stop the walls from looking so bare. I feel like the place needs so much TLC and Peter’s the type to not care about these things mostly because he doesn’t like spending money on anything than electronics. 

So that’s how I feel about parties. I love them but I just have to figure out how to incorporate them into what I have at the moment. I’m looking forward to Jackson’s birthday party this Sunday although party-planning really does wreak havoc on my poor nerves, My poor, poor nerves (made me think of Mrs. Bennett all of a sudden). 

Have a good night everyone and see you all tomorrow. :)

 

Quickie!

I just wanted to get a quick post out. Once again, so much keeps happening. Sage came by the other day and we’re pledging to revive or basically just dedicate more time to our blogs. I’m going to start writing a blog at least once a day. It is therapeutic and something I enjoy, so why not everyday?

I’ve been renovating the apt and I painted the lower level of my townhouse-styled apartment last week. I picked up some gadgets for the office from IKEA and Brandsmart USA yesterday so hopefully we can finish painting the upper level. It’s the hallway I am worried about; it’s over 15′ high. I can already imagine all the disastrous mishaps I’ll have with a ladder and an extended paint roller. I originally had the whole nautical and beach cabana concept in mind but what can I say … things just happened. The main walls of the living and dining are a pale silver-gray. The adjoining wall of my kitchen and dining room is a lavender (I’ll explain later but it’s basically feng shui stuff) and the bathroom is an almost muted blue. I REALLY need to get that dSLR because I hate the current one that I have and I don’t even feel like taking photos with them. I love making my posts vivid and full of photos so I’m going to work on that for you guys. I’ll clean up the house after tonight and take some photos before the new week begins during the day. All I can say is that this place looks spectacular. It stills needs a lot of TLC but I’m feeling the pride!

Anyway, I somehow forgot that IKEA lets kids eat for free on Tuesdays so it was a pleasant surprise yesterday. I tried their stuffed salmon and it was really good. I love the medallions, you know, the broccoli looking cakes made of broccoli and cheese, I presume. I think I saw them in the food section, but I was already on my way out and wanted to get home asap. I love going to IKEA because I feel like I get a whole lot of bang for my buck, I love their food, and because I love the constant flow of inspiration there. I can’t say I really trust to buy a couch or a dining table from them just because of quality reasons, but if you’re on a budget it’s definitely the place for you. I’m doing a lot of decorating so for the little things, like 20 photo frames, it’s worth it.

Here’s a photo of Jackson and Peter when we were in the dining area:

Image
I love the Lingon Berry drink (bottom right) and the medallions ( bottom left and right).

I hope you all have been having a great week and I’ll be posting a great album of my recent horseback riding trip in the Cohutta wilderness tomorrow.