45 Things I Hope To Teach My Daughter







1. Put GOD First
2. March to the beat of your own drum.
3. Be Classy
 
4. Pick your battles carefully.
5. Always say, "I love you" to those that mean the most.
6. Dance like no one is watching
 
7. Live life without fear
8. Go outside every time you are able
 
9. Always dress for the day even if you have no plans, you will always be prepared for anything.
10. Be on time
11. Follow your dreams, no matter how small or how big.
12. Always love your sister unconditionally, she will be the one that will always be there for you.
13. Never go to bed angry.
14. Read your bible and say your prayers every night.
15. Take your make-up off before you go to bed
16. Learn the basics of cooking so when you are on your own you will be able to get by on more than microwaveable dinners.
17. Buy it once, buy it right. Just because it's on sale, doesn't mean that it's the best quality.
18. Splurge every now and then but remember it doesn't matter how pretty you are if the attitude doesn't match.
19. Let go of your pride. You will win some battles and you will lose some battles. Being defeated doesn't make you less of a person. Admitting your wrong makes you stronger.
20. You are a precious diamond, do not settle in a relationship until you find a man that treats you this way.
21.  Love with your whole heart.
22. Go away to college, find your independence before you settle down.
23. Always remember that discovering who you are is ongoing. We constantly need to re-evaluate our lives.
24. Stay away from credit cards.
25. If you can't buy it with cash, you don't need it.
26. Even the smallest spaces can look gorgeous if you decorate them.
27. Mom will always know best (but, if we don't agree let discuss it instead of yelling at each other)
 
 
28. You can come to me for anything and I will not judge you, but as your mother I most likely will be disappointed because I know your full potential.
29. Quitters never win and winners never quit.
 
 
30. If it's difficult to complete, it's probably worth it. If it was easy, everyone would do it.
31. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
32. Working out is essential to your health.
33. Take your vitamins
34. Know what you stand for if you don't you will be easily persuaded.
35. Always remember how much your siblings mean to you, they will be there for you when no one else will.
36. Best Friends will get you through some of the hardest times of your lives, don't lose them over petti fights.
 
37. Read your bible everyday and pray when you wake up, when you're alone, and before you go to bed. Always share your concerns and your blessings with the Lord.
38. Kindness will get you further in life then being rude.
39. Character is what you do when no one else is watching.
40. If you have the opportunity cease it, time is fleeting and you never know when you are going to get that moment back.
41. Read even when you do not love it, you will always learn something new and you just might enjoy it.
 
42. Pedicures will ALWAYS make you feel better!
 
43. Accessories are a girls BEST friend!
43. It will be hard to find a man that loves you as much as your Daddy but when you do you will know he is the one.
44. Your never too old to dress up!
 
45. Create and Uphold family traditions!


 
But, the number one thing (next to always putting God first) that I hope you learn is that Mommy and Daddy LOVE you and ADORE you with EVERY beat of our heart. This is not a list that you have to learn but a list I hope you learn as we do life together as your parents. Paint your own path, reach for the stars, and always know you are absolutely perfect in our eyes :)

"Under The Sea" FIRST Birthday Party!

My sweet baby turned one in August (yes I know, I am just blogging about it) BUT better late than never!

This was a complete DIY party that I LOVED putting together. Not only was it fun but it actually was a "pretty" party and the decorations came out perfect!


 
I found a cake on Pinterest that I love and had our local baker put Alexis's together. She even added jelly fishes to her cake to match the jelly fishes that we had hanging from the ceiling. I loved the cake toppers that we found on Etsy.com, it definitely finished off the cake!
 
The fish net that we used on the table we found on Amazon. The fish net on the door that we hung pictures on was found at Walmart but was not as sturdy as the one from Amazon.
 
 
 

We probably overloaded our guests with sweets, but these little beauties are from Gigi Cupcakes and are the perfect size!
 
 
These little marshmallow pops were SUPER easy! We had the marshmallow's on hand, melted aqua blue chocolate and dipped them in graham cracker crust to resemble sand. We added edible pearls for the bubbles and then stuck a goldfish on the melted chocolate while it was still warm. Then finished it off with a decorative straw right down the center.

 
I picked up some baby's breath the morning of the party. It added a fresh element to the party and we already had these mason jars from our wedding a few years ago. I finished it off with a satin ribbon
around the center and glued a starfish on to complete the look.

























More sweets! We actually had these made for only 8 dollars/ dozen and they were FANTASTIC!

Such a personal touch to the party and something that we can keep for years so she can look back on it when she is older!
 
 
 
 
We used the thinner fish net and stretched it across our pantry door to display photos of our sweet one year old!
 
 
Last minute I thought I would do a little something "extra" to the napkins. I had a few leftover mermaids that I printed off FREE online so I punched a hole with my hole puncher added some twine I had on hand and wrapped up some silverware for the guests!
 
 
We added a balloon drop outside with the extra fish net we had on hand. However, I accidently added helium not thinking about it and these bad boys floated off before we could release them. I wish we could of seen them fly away, I think the kids would of loved that. Note to self: NO helium!
 
 
 
My mother-in-law had recently token a trip to Florida and brought these back for the party. But, you can find them online many places (that was my original plan).
 

Here are the Jelly Fishes swimming around in the Kitchen. They were a hit and SUPER easy to make!

I made this for the front door. I found the square canvas in the craft section of Walmart. I also found the A in the craft section, I painted it a mint color to match her party. Then embellished it with a leftover starfish and hot glued a purple satin ribbon so it could hang on the door. After the party I removed the purple ribbon and put it in her room.

 
Here is the birthday girl! The outfit is from my Etsy shop (The Simply Chic Baby Boutique).