These Are a Few of MY Favorite Things!
It’s my FAVORITE time of year!
The holidays bring about my two favorite things: Friends & Family and Entertaining!
Each year I host a “Favorite Things” party for my “favorite peeps!” Check out the details of the day…
(and holiday decor below!)
Dinner was catered (less stress, no mess) by our favorite Mediterranean place!
We washed it down with some of our “favorite drinks”… champs (& cider for all the “preggos”)–we always have a few each year! 😉
I decided to keep things easy on myself, and do disposable place settings (different themes each year). There are so many beautiful sources I’ve found online to make disposable place settings look beautiful!
…and as they sat down, they were gifted one of my “favorite things” as a favor…
This year I found a beautiful ceramic mug commissioned by Rebecca Rebouche, a native Louisianan living and working in New Orleans, who creates nostalgic, emotive and whimsical art out of paint, mixed media and stitched soft sculpture; a practice best described as contemporary folk art. Topped with a cute edible gingerbread house! 🙂
After dinner the guests brought their mugs (one of my “Favorite things” as their favors) over to a coffee bar to find coffee of different flavors, seasonal creams, sweeteners, and of course…whipped cream!
Across the counter in my butler’s pantry was a dessert bar set up. A “favorite” of all of my guests in parties past is a dessert bar by my sister (and celebrity blogger/ chef “Dashing Dish”!)
This year she hosted a trifle bar..with gluten free cakes (healthier versions, which is what her cookbook and blog are known for), lighter versions of fillings, and toppings (some naughty, some nice–your choice!) The instructions–get a glass, layer it up with your “Favorites”, and enjoy!
After dinner and dessert, we headed to our lower level for our annual “favorite things” gift exchange!
Here’s how it works… each guest brings 3 gifts wrapped (this year we did a contest for who had the most creative wrapping!) We each put our name in a bowl 3 times, and picked 3 new names (not our own). The 3 names we picked were the 3 people we got presents from. Each person got to share why they were gifting that item as their “favorite thing”! It is so fun to learn of each other’s favorites, and leave with 3 new “favorite things”! This year I gifted a few of my favorite holiday candles & match strikers (wrapped in a cute Santa bag!)
We also did a contest for “best gift” (we voted) and “best wrapping”! Check out these great gifts!
A great time was had by my FAVORITE FRIENDS…
Hope you have a very happy holidays filled with your “favorite things” (& peeps!)
To keep it festive and fun…
Here’s our holiday home tour to top off my favorite post of the year!
CLICK ON A PIC TO START THE SLIDESHOW TO SEE FULL SIZE! 🙂
Celebrating My Lil Pumpkin (Plus Fall Favorites)
Yesterday was a big day for Gabriel–dedication day! (If you’ve never heard of a baby dedication, this is a good reference to learn more.) As parent’s we accept responsibility in raising Gabriel in a Godly manner, and we ultimately trust God with his life! We are so excited for the destiny on our son’s life!
We invited Gabriel’s grandparents, and aunts & uncles to celebrate with us! Here were some details of the day (which are also a few of my fall favorites!)
I got these R’s from a local shop! So different than the traditional wreath! 🙂 I wanted some fall decor on the porch to warmly greet our guests!
Similar to the Christmas tree themes in our home we shared on our “Holiday Home Tour”, we like to “deck the halls” with pumpkins in the fall–but more glitzy and glam than the traditional rustic decor!
I loved these Makenzie Childs pumpkins for our kitchen/ family room!
And believe it or not, I found these sweet pumpkins at a really great price for our dining room, at TARGET!
I got these beauties a few years ago, but I bet if you google DIY rhinestone pumpkins you could make your own, and get the look for less! 🙂
Here’s a close-up!
I’m big on flowers, so here is a fun fall arrangement we had made:
And the best fall find…this little tea towel from Anthropologie!
My favorite fall candle? NEST! Perfect for the “Robbins Nest” ongoing theme at our home! 🙂
When family is here, I like to focus on FAMILY (not dishes!) So we cater in–and I use paperware! Yep, no stress…I found these at Target!
I love Chalkboard signs…we used this to display our thanks to our family (for celebrating our little “pumpkin”).
We asked each grandparent, aunt, and uncle to sign a book to commemorate Gabriel’s dedication day!
The book was “Good Good Father”. If you follow my blog you know that this is the song we sang to Gabriel when he was in my belly…he still finds comfort when I sing it to him today.
We commit to be the best parents to him on this earth…but find comfort in knowing that we can trust our Heavenly Father with his life and his future, for all of his days, and for eternity!
Thanks for popping into the blog, and celebrating our little pumpkin, Gabriel!
Photo cred for this sweet pic: the Sweet “Miss Celia”
My Baby Sister’s Baby Shower!
My baby sister is having a baby! And how good is God that he is also due the same week of Christmas (like my son, Gabriel!) We have a feeling these two will be best of friends, about one year apart!
Here are the invites and the theme:
And the invitation inserts:
Myself, my mom, and sister Katie decided to host her baby shower where I had mine–the beautiful Royal Park Hotel. We love the Conservatory, as well as that gorgeous “tiffany blue” chandelier!
The theme we chose was “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” since my sister is an Elementary School Teacher. We had guests sign the book by Dr. Seuss, and moving forward she will have each of her child’s teachers sign it each year. She plans to present the book back to Easton when he graduates high school! 
Hot air balloons are the theme of this Dr. Seuss book, so we had them decorating each table, along with some pretty roses, of course! Each table also included the “Wish tree” instructions. Our family isn’t big on baby shower games, so this is an activity we enjoy–“Write your wish for Baby-To-Be and hang them on the wishing tree!”
My aunt Lorrie made these sweet hot air balloon cookies as favors for the guests!
And here’s the wishing tree…before, and AFTER! (Look familiar?)
People seem to enjoy these baby shower brunches!
Brett’s mom made this lovely cake!
My sister Katie and I had fun with this whimsical theme in decorating, gifting, etc! Our gifts to baby…We had each guest bring a book in lieu of a card to help baby build his library. I chose “Oh, Baby, the places you’ll go!” It was fun to write a note inside to my sweet nephew!
I can’t wait to meet this sweet angel! Oh, the places he will go!!!
Writing this warmed my heart, and gave me a little flashback of my shower, which you can view here!
Confessions of a New Mom (Plus Baby Gs 6 Month Shoot!)
It’s been a while…and for good reason. I have soaked up the last 8 months of being “mama” to my sweet son Gabriel (aka “Baby G”!) It’s amazing how life changes–not just our bodies, schedules, sleep, etc…but how our life changes for the GOOD.
Being a mom has caused me to worry less about the “little things” and now I worry more about things concerning him! I guess you can call it “shifted worry”! But then, I bring to remembrance this verse:
Philippians 4:6-7New King James Version (NKJV)
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
It has also caused me to carefully think about “legacy” in every decision I make…my desire is for him to view me as a woman of character and integrity, a faithful wife to his father, and a devoted mother to him. His opinion of me will form over time, with each decision that I make, so I am choosing them wisely.
My success is not about me–it’s about legacy. I’m constantly asking myself where more I can give of my time, talent, and resources to others, while not sacrificing what is most important to me (him).
He is at the forefront of every decision I make.
I’m not going to lie…the transition is tough…at times you struggle with identity, but I am confident in the role I have to raise a mighty man of God, who I believe will be a world-changer!
TRUTH: “Your greatest contribution to the kingdom of God may not be something you do but someone you raise.” -Andy Stanley
There are times where I felt “mushier” than most…but then I praise God that he allowed this body to carry a happy, HEALTHY baby boy to full term (plus two weeks!)
There are times I am so tired or forgetful that I walk into a room and have to think (for about 30 seconds) why I am there! LOL! But I am CHOOSING to rejoice in the journey and make the most of my moments with him! He is my EVERYTHING, and I refuse to lose sight of that! Nothing and no one will steal my joy, or my quality time with him.
Often times I see people setting goals, and defining their reason “why” (why they do what they do), yet they sacrifice the very ones they are doing “it” for. I want to encourage you to put them first (yes, the days are long, but the years are short), instead make “healthy exchanges” in other areas where possible (less TV time, etc), as this will be the legacy you leave and a seed you sow that will bear good fruit for generations.
Put the phone down, enjoy those chubby cheeks, sweet smiles, and soft voices. I’m already finding, it goes far too fast! When I am away from him, that is when I am glued to my phone, scrolling through the 10 million pictures that I take, that is taking up all the storage on my phone (*smile*).
I’m so thankful God chose me to be his mom!
Here are some great shots from Jean Smith Photography of his 6 month shoot!
(*click on a pic to start the slideshow–my FAVE is the one where he gets away with pulling my hair, little stinker!)
(*Thanks for letting me be a gushing first time mom, and share my sweet boy!)
Are you a parent? What is the favorite part of the stage your kiddos are in?
Baby, You’re a Firework! (Gender Reveal of Baby Yost!)
On Mother’s Day this year, I found out I was going to be an aunt! “Grammie” sure is blessed…as she found out last year on Mother’s Day that I was pregnant with her first grandbaby! It was so sweet…my sister took our son Gabriel in another room to “play” during our Mother’s Day gathering with my mom…and when she came back to the room, check out what he was wearing to share the news…
And guess what is even greater news??? Baby Yost is due around Christmas too (just like Gabriel was!) Cousins! One year apart! Isn’t this amazing news?
I immediately offered to host a “gender reveal” party for my sister and brother-in-law. If you’ve never heard of these before, it’s a newer concept to me too! Basically, you get your gender scan, and wait to open it up in front of your closest friends and family. Together, you all find out the sex of the baby at the same time! Emily and Brett would find out in July!
Since Brett and Emily would have Baby Yost’s gender scan in July, we decided on a patriotic theme–but instead of Red, White & Blue…we would ask people…Blue, (White), Pink? What do YOU Think? He or She? What Will Baby Yost Be? Guests had to show up wearing the color that guessed the gender of the baby! Can you believe my sister waited until this day to open up the results of the scan?!
On the menu was a dessert bar, or as we called it “Emily’s Cravings Bar”! We chose to stick with sweets since it was later in the evening to showcase the fireworks. We did a sundae bar, popcorn bar, and s’mores bar…that included many sweet treats to top off their snacks!
People brought gifts for each gender (one boy gift, and one girl gift–or a gender neutral gift!) You could always return the other once you found out it was a girl or boy! I had so much fun finding the “perfect diaper bag” that I stocked up with all of the essentials, that they could throw in the car for their trip home from the hospital! Here is what it included….
Stain stick & sanitizer, diaper cream & diapers, wipes & wash bag, bibs & bags for diapers, pacifier & pacifier clips, blankets & burp rags, bottles & bottle holders, cover-up for nursing & clothes, diapers & a diaper bag, and of course–a toy for baby & a cute Tory Burch bag for mama! G got his cousin a gift too–teal and pink (since we didn’t know boy or girl)…a little “Rockin Robbin” baby toy from our little Robbins!
We headed outside for the big reveal of baby Yost! Pop! Pop! Pop! The firework was…BLUE!
Can you believe it?! I am going to have a nephew…and G is going to have a cousin exactly one year apart! We are all so very excited! Congratulations Brett and Em!
OH BOY! It’s a…
We can’t wait to meet our little nephew (and G’s new cousin/bestie) around Christmastime!
Here’s more pictures and details from the special day…
(*feel free to click on any pics if you desire to view them bigger to check out details!)…
PS. if you missed my gender reveal last year, you can view it by clicking here!
XO, Sarah
Credit where credit is due: Food by my little sister, the super famous Dashing Dish. Pro pics by my sister’s bestie Dayna Mae Photography (along with a few amateur ones taken by me, scattered in!) And to the cute parents Brett and Em who are making us all another beautiful baby to celebrate!
Hippity Hoppity Easter Is On Its Way — Easter Decor and More!
Hippity Hoppity Easter Is On Its Way!
We are gearing up for Easter here at the “Robbins Nest”…it’s our first with “baby G”, and I couldn’t be more excited!
On the menu will be: food catered by my sister Katie Farrell, of Dashing Dish! We are deciding between a spring lunch like grilled shish-kabob skewers, rice pilaf, and greek salad…OR doing brunch with frittatas, gluten-free pancakes, and turkey bacon. Of course there will always be one of her famous fruit trifles for dessert!
For a fun treat, I am preparing adult Easter baskets with some of my favorite beauty products for the gals…and yummy chocolates for the boys (pictures to come, as I don’t want to spoil the surprise!)
Here is last year’s tablescape…I can’t wait to see what I create this year! (*If you know our family you know that I LOVE to entertain and decorate, but am a TERRIBLE cook…but my sister is actually famous for cooking! So between us three girls, we have the best holiday gatherings!)
What are YOU doing for Easter? I would love to hear your plans below! Happy Easter from “The Robbins Nest” and our cutest little EB, baby G!
Sources: I got the napkins, and napkin ring holders from Pier 1 last year!