Fellowship Interviews: Philadelphia

Philly? 

So, Steve has been interviewing for fellowships, and so far the front runner is Philadelphia. Of course, if it was our choice, we would stick with Dallas, but the more and more he interviews, the more he realizes that things are very competitive and it's almost mandatory for him to go out of his zone of training, and learn new things. 

So, while I hate the idea of moving for JUST ONE YEAR Seriously? I have had to wrap my head around the fact that it may happen, and that it may actually be good for our family in the long run, as he is likely to get a better permanent job after that fellowship. 

As far as our decision and what we should do, it is up to the MATCH, but I try to be positive and get excited about each prospect. 

So, while looking at rental homes in Philly (to get an idea of budget) we have found a ton of row homes with brick walls, and not much square footage. But, I always like to sort of imagine how I would decorate such a different style of home in the event that we move. We will probably sale most of our stuff, except for our beds and tv. But we may need to go to IKEA to get a mini couch, as most of the rentals are no more than 800 square feet on our budget... Yeah.... 

So, here is my Row Home/ Decor Style! 

What do you think? Kinda cool huh? 

I love that the rental homes in the North East have such awesome architecture and charm! If only they didn't rent for so dang much! 

I'm going to create a style board for Denver too! This is really fun!

Jazmin

It's a Puppy Party!

Un Cumpleanos muy Perro!

So, we finally threw Olivia her birthday party, and this years theme was puppies! She and I LOVE our Riley Bear (our dog) and we just wanted to have a celebration that allowed us to celebrate all the canines in the world! We honored them with the decor and details. 

Here are some pictures of her party. And can I just mention, that I didn't even think of taking pictures of the table all set and pretty because I was STRESSED?! Yeah, even days before the shindig, I was really questioning why I was even throwing her a party. I stopped throwing Matthew a party and instead we do a fun activity just for him. Last year we went to the Perot Museum, and it was super fun and most importantly, EASY! This may be the last party I throw at home. But to make things fair, she loved it so much and declared it to be the BEST PARTY she has ever had! 

So, it was worth it!

Here are some poor lit pictures of her party. 

Puppies everyone! I bought a ballon set for $15 dollars at party city and I cut up a ton of tissue paper, and a plastic table cover to create the fringe garland and tassels. I didn't really want to spend money because it adds up quick, so I did as much as I could from what I had on hand. 

Party City had this puppy theme, and I ran with it. 

With some of my craft supplies, we created "puppy id tags" for everyone! They just stamped their name on some round tags and tied them like a necklace with twine. 

The food was easy. I got water bottles and labeled them "puppy bowl water" and served "pup-corn", "fetch sticks (pretzel rods with chocolate and sprinkles) "papples" (apples), and "pupperoni pizza" 

The cake was a cheap cake from target, and we just put dollar store dogs on top. I bought the bigger dog at michaels since Olivia wanted to keep a nice one as a memory.

Another thing I found, were these dollar dog ear headbands. I got those at Oriental Trading, and Olivia loves them! She has always liked dressing up as animals way more than a princess dress!

I love that a lot of her school friends and church friends made it! She was sooo happy!

Olivia got some awesome presents, but the stuff she loves the most, is handwritten cards and pictures that her friends give her. She puts them in a 'treasure box' that she keeps in her room. :) 

She got a lot of nail polish! We will need to have a pedicure night!

Ok, Ok. The party was worth it. Even Riley had fun eating food off the floor. Maybe we will have a little something again next year. And maybe I should start planning it now, to avoid sleepless nights again!

Jazmin