roar.


i'm big & strong.


with a long fluffy mane.


i have ears on the top of my head.


i like to lay in the sun & use my big paws.


i yawn with a big open mouth to show my sharp teeth.


& i lick my paws to keep clean.


i am courageous. ferocious. & impossibly cuddly.
i am a little baby lion.

have a wild halloweenie. friends. 
we hope you eat candy till your tummy aches.
 . . . and we are not lion

my pumpkin prayer.

i have to admit. i am not a huge fan of halloween.
i simply do not like to be frightened. i rather enjoy happiness.


my lovie always laughs at me because we can only watch a very select few tv shows.
the bachelor {scary in a completely different way}
the food network {totally happy}. friends {so not scary}
& how i met your mother {only scary in that my lovie thinks he is barney!}


we have the same seven romantic comedies that we watch over & over again.
i am quite certain that lovie knows all the words to you've got mail  & it's complicated.
he is such a good man. god bless him.

it may seem silly. but to me it makes sense.
i only wish to fill my mind with things of joy, love, & purity.
just plain ol'. good. ol' fashioned happiness.


nevertheless. halloween is here.
and i am prepared to pass out candy to strangers wearing scary masks.
{i mean. honestly. how creepy is that?!}

in trying to find God in all of the halloween-ness.
i am reminded of the pumpkin parable.
& that has become my prayer for this halloween season.
{and really every other season. too}


a reminder that just like the farmer hand-picks his pumpkin . . .
God has hand-picked me.
even with all of my bumps & bruises.


& that His hands are always holding me. nurturing me as i grow.
He feeds me my daily bread. washes me with forgiveness. nourishes me completely.


& if i allow Him to pull out all of the yuck & the mess inside of me.
the seeds of bitterness. the seeds of fear. the seeds of jealousy. 
the yucky. messy. mushy. squishy. grossness of my sin.
the sin that i keep hidden deep inside.


& i look up to Him for restoration. redemption. holiness. 


He will then carve me into the holy woman that he intends me to be.
hopefully with more than two big square teeth & googly eyes
{there is that seed of vanity coming out}


He will put in me a light that will shine for all the world to see.
shining for His glory. for His goodness.
& His power to turn a yucky mess of a pumpkin woman 
into a holy & blameless child of God. 


now that is worth smiling about! 
happy halloweenie to all my fellow scaredy cats out there!

a small baby shower.

one of my girlfriends & i hosted the sweetest baby shower this weekend.
it was tiny & tender. sincere & sweet. intimate & inspirational.
it very well may have been one of my favorite showers.

with just ten of us gathered around . . .
we were able to completely pour our love & wishes over this mommy-to-be.

it was relaxed & slow paced. which lent itself to a leisurely afternoon 
of great conversation. lots of laughs. & even a few tears.

we kept the decor understatedly elegant.
black. white. & silver. with a few sprinkles of blue.
{she is having a sweet baby boy. parker alexander}


because this was a small shower
we were able to make the coffee table the main decor.
i loved how this little spread turned out. so pretty.


this sweet little puppy is from paris.
i adore him. & he was the perfect little blue addition.


white roses are a staple when it comes to hosting.
they are just so impossibly lovely. 
{i always buy my roses at least two days before the event so they open beautifully}


we used silver baby cups to hold blue chocolate candies.
one cup is baby patrick's & the other is my lovie's from when he was a babe.
{correction: when he was a baby . . . he is totally still a babe}


sweet petit fours with a p for parker. 


and little baby cuppiecakes for our little baby on the way.


i am a big believer that the details make all the difference.
that is why i always enjoy using beautiful plates. crystal. & silver.
it just takes the entire event up a few notches. 
and plus. i really like girlie-fancy. & these plates just scream girlie-fancy.


oversized wooden baby blocks adorned the mantle.
& a little blue bow added some whimsy.


blueberry yogurt covered pretzels.
it is so fun to find foods & treats that coordinate with you color scheme.
not to mention. these are delicious. beyond delicious. 


& animal crackers to really get us in the baby-kiddo sort of mood. 


again. the details are so important.
like beautiful wrapping paper. ribbons. & embellishments.
how stinkin cute is this gift?!


we combined silver. milk glass. & crystal for this shower.
and i think that it turned out to be just lovely.


the varying textures & colors makes for a very unique display.


i always break out the waterford whenever i am able to.
why have fancy things if you never use them?
if it were up to me . . . i would use my crystal everyday.


sweet tea & sparkling water makes for a very simple drink bar.

while i loved the decor we chose.
& the treats were all so wonderfully. terribly. sweet.
i think that. hands down. the game was my favorite part of this shower.

i am not normally a fan of shower games.
but this one is just so. so. so. so. wonderful.

a girls only. grown up. spin the bottle.

get it?!
spin the bottle!
like as in a baby bottle!
hee hee. 


we printed out about fifteen little cards with questions on each.
some questions were silly. but most were very tender & sentimental.
we wanted to take this time to affirm the mommy-to-be.
let her know how loved she is. how appreciated she is.
& how wonderful of a mother we know she will be.


so we went around the room & took turns spinning the bottle.
asking & answering all of the questions.
{this is where the laughter & tears came into play}


we used an oversized play bottle 
& just tied a beautiful ribbon around it.
it really turned out cute. 

i loved that we were able to fill our sweet friend's love tank to the max.
showering her in affirmation. encouragement. love. & gratitude. 

sweet mommy-to-be . . . we sure do love you. 

hope this gives you a bit of inspiration for a sweet & simple baby shower.

happy fall, friends.

fall might be my fave time of year.
it is just such a time of bounty. beauty. & blessings.
happy fall to all of our friends. near & far.
this mills crew sure does count you as one of our many blessings. 














xoxo. 

i have had several people to share where i got my outfit . . . 
so here it is

pants: kate spade new york
shoes: kate spade new york
earrings: kate spade new york
necklace: j.crew factory

patrick.

on this day.
eight years ago.
i lost my little brother.

patrick emmett brett was 19 years old 
when he got to enter the pearly gates & sit at the feet of God.

it brings us tremendous joy that this year. on this very day. 
we have another patrick to celebrate.
our sweet & precious baby boy.
patrick emmett mills.
who was named in honor of my brother. 

many of you knew my brother patrick.
and many of you did not. 
if you did . . .
consider yourself blessed.
he was the kindest. friendliest. sweetest. 
wisest. most sincere. most generous of all gentlemen.

patrick was so ambitious. 
he wanted so badly to become the president of the united states.
no. really. that was his goal. & i really think he could have done it.

after he passed away. one of his teachers said
heaven must have needed a president.

our friends and family showed us tremendous love that week.
oddly enough. i look back on that tragic week with some sort of fondness.
it is amazing to see people come together and surround you with love.

my friends made us shirts to wear that read
patrick for president.
{it has become one of my fave bedtime shirts for the last 8 years}

now as only a dear friend would.
only someone who really knew how to tug on our heart strings could.
only a friend who carried me through that sad time would.
she made my day & warmed my heart with this gift  . . .



how stinkin cute & impossibly tender is that?!
patrick for president! 
one of the most thoughtful gifts i have ever received.
thank you, sweet friend of mine.

we love and miss you patrick emmett brett.
we just know that you are smiling down on us from up above.
xoxo.
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