Time for a Ballerina Tea

After our birthday party ballet class, the little girls were ready for teatime. Sweet pink touches were ballerina perfect, like these fresh pink tulips -- a request from the birthday girl.

Spray painted white, this wire dress form from Hobby Lobby sports a tutu made according to the directions in yesterday's post.

A pink satin bow tied around the waist adds a final feminine detail before the dress form is placed on the buffet.

Pink tulips, pink ribbon, pink napkins -- pink perfection!

Outside the weather was cold and dreary, but inside you could feel the warmth of spring. In order to seat all the girls together, we rented child-size tables and chairs from The Wedding Center in Montgomery (334-277-6443). Plates and napkins from Target. The pretty punch cups belonged to Joe's late grandmother, and I use them often. In fact, Emma's party is the third time I have used them this year!

My little ballerina, on the buffet and ready for a tea party.

A birds-eye view of the buffet.

Tiny ballerinas at the tea table.

And more ballerina cuties!

Tomorrow, a teatime menu worth a pirouette!

Ballerina Party Fun

We were so blessed to have our beloved ballet teacher Miss Gigi with us for Emma's party Saturday. We began the festivities by reading a story I wrote called Emma the Ballerina. After hearing Emma's journey to becoming a real ballerina, I told the girls that on this special day they would get to be ballerinas too. Each girl chose a tutu before slipping into our dining room -- emptied of all furniture for the party to become a ballet studio!

Miss Gigi led the girls in a ballet class, bringing smiles and giggles from new and experienced ballerinas alike.

Mommies gathered outside the dining room to watch all the fun.

Emma shares a special moment with sweet friend Mollie.

Being the birthday girl must be exhausting!

Near the end of the class, Gigi gave Emma a special job. Wand in hand, the Birthday Girl walked from person to person. When she reached each friend, the ballerina twirled, gave a curtsy and sat down.

Then the Birthday Girl gave a turn and curtsied for the class.

Then Emma stood in the center of the class as the other ballerinas circled around her.

It was impossible not to smile as giggles filled the room when Emma's friends reached for her.

After the party, I asked our more experienced ballerina, Mary Ashley, if this move was called an arabesque. "No, Mommy," she corrected. "It's an Era Beth."

Here are the girls from Emma's ballet, preschool and Bible classes -- prima ballerinas for a day!

Scroll down for directions on making a no-sew tutu. Stop by tomorrow, and we will be ready for a ballerina tea party!

Tututorial

The little girls at Emma's ballerina tea party were asked to wear a pink leotard and tights to the party, and upon arrival we allowed each guest to choose a pink, lavender or white tutu. The girls wore these for a ballet class in our dining room and twirled home in them after the party. Directions follow for these easy, no-sew tutus.

1. Supplies include tulle, scissors and an elastic headband. I used 6-inch wide spools of pink, lavender and white tulle from Wal-Mart. Each 65-yard roll yielded two to three 10-inch long tutus. I used pastel, child-size elastic headbands from Wal-Mart that come with eight headbands per package. Although I wasn't crazy about the plastic flower beads on some of the headbands, I did not remove them because I knew the little girls would like the extra "bling." You can use scissors for this project, but I preferred using a rotary cutter and cutting mat to achieve a smooth edge.

2. Determine the finished length of your tutu, and cut strips of tulle twice that length -- lots and lots of strips! Our tutus required 20-inch long strips.

3. Fold a strip of tulle in half, pinching the middle with your dominant hand.

4. With your less dominant hand, wrap the tulle around the headband, looping the ends through the fold in the middle of the tulle.

5. Pull the tulle taut to create a little knot around the headband.

6. Repeat the process with a second strip of tulle.

7. Continue around the headband using the same process. The more strips of tulle you use on the headband, the more full the tutu will be. For our party tutus, I used more strips of tulle on the plain headbands, resulting in full tutus that were a little larger. I used less strips on the headbands embellished with plastic jewels. For these, I filled in the open space in the headband with as many strips as needed, then alternated one and two strips of tulle between the jewels. Filling in the tutu can be a time-consuming process, but the process does get quicker as you go along.

8. When you have worked all the way around the headband and achieved the desired fullness, adjust the knots as needed to make an even waistband and fluff the tutu.

9. Take a bow! Your tutu is ready for a pirouette!

A Ballerina Story

Once upon a time, a little girl named Emma had a birthday party. The festivities began when her friends gathered to hear a story about a girl who dreamed of becoming a ballerina.

The youngest of four children, this little girl loved her big brothers.

And she wanted to be just like her sister, a beautiful ballerina. As the story unfolded, Emma's friends realized that dreams do come true.

Finally, the long-awaited day arrived. The little girl was ...

A Real Ballerina!

And with the closing of the story book, Emma and her friends found themselves with the opportunity to become real ballerinas too.

Photo book from Shutterfly

Ballerina Tutu Invitation

This frothy pink invitation told guests we would have tutu much fun at Emma's fourth birthday party.

To make a tutu invitation, I searched Microsoft Word for a piece of clip art with a tutu. When I found one I liked, I imported it into my document and edited away everything but the leotard. I re-sized the leotard and placed a text box on the bodice with party details. I printed the invitations on pink card stock and cut out the leotards. I punched two holes in the bottom of each leotard. Then I made a tulle bow, securing it to the front of the invitation with a length of ribbon threaded through the two holes and pulled taut. A second tulle bow tied to the back with a pretty bow completed the tutu. And a strand of adhesive pearls at the neckline added a final feminine detail. (Scrapbook paper, rolls of 6-inch wide tulle and pearl embellishments from Michael's.)

Emma's party was full of giggles and twirls, so come back each day for all the ballerina fun!

I'm linking this post to Today's Creative Blog

Ballerina Birthday Girl

I love this picture of 2-year-old Emma counting down the hours to her first ballet class. Now one year later, 3-year-old Emma is counting down the hours to her fourth birthday -- and a ballerina tea party! Girls from her ballet, preschool and Bible classes will be joining us for a delightful afternoon of twirling tomorrow. I'll be on my toes every day next week, so be sure to stop by for all the fun!

Not Minding Our Manners

A few months ago I took my younger three children out to eat at a sandwich shop where the highlight of the dining experience is getting free ice cream. Wedged between Mary Ashley and Emma on our bench seat, I could not easily slip out of the booth, so I asked 7-year-old Christian if he would like to get ice cream for everyone. "It will be like we are customers at Christian's Scoops," I encouraged.

Christian's face brightened at the suggestion, and he hopped up to take our orders.

"I want swirl in a cone," 5-year-old Mary Ashley said.

"I would like swirl in a cup, please," I added.

"Squirrel in a cone for me!" 3-year-old Emma called.

"OK," Christian said, "That will be two swirls in a cone and one swirl in a cup." He turned on his heel to head to the ice cream machine.

I watched in amusement as he fulfilled his duties -- eyes sparkling as he waited in line for his turn; brow furrowed as he strained to reach the tower of ice cream cones; and lips curving into a contented smile as he filled the cone in each hand with ice cream. He hummed softly as he bounded back to the table.

"Thank you, Christian," Emma and I offered as Christian extended his hands to the girls. But Mary Ashley's face clouded when Christian placed her cone on the table in front of her.

As Christian headed back to the machine to get my ice cream, Mary Ashley whined, "Mine doesn't have enough!" Discontent seemed to bubble up through her little body -- starting in her feet and working its way up to her eyes, where hot tears threatened to spill over.

Afraid she would hurt her brother's feelings, I put a hand on Mary Ashley's legs, now kicking the air as she continued to whine. "You have plenty," I shushed. "Christian was being very sweet to get you ice cream, and you need to tell him thank you." As she shook her head no, I scolded under my breath, "If you cannot act nice about it, you won't have any ice cream at all."

When Christian returned to the table, my cup and his cone in hand, he took a seat in the booth across from us girls. As he t00k his first bite, Mary Ashley slid out of the booth and sidled up to him. "I need more ice cream," she nagged. "I don't have enough." On and on she complained, until ultimately she lost the privilege of eating her ice cream at all.

Later that night when I went to bed, I thought about the events in the restaurant. In the moment, I had been most concerned about Mary Ashley's poor behavior. Had she asked nicely for a little more ice cream when she saw her cone, I probably would have consented. But her temper tantrum dissolved any chance of getting what she wanted.

As I replayed the scene in my mind, however, it was as if the camera panned from Mary Ashley to Christian. And I realized that Christian's attitude was not affected in the least by his sister's actions. As Mary Ashley kicked her feet, whimpered and cajoled, he remained calm -- even offering to get her more ice cream. He didn't lash out or act defensive. In fact, Christian's expression never even flashed a moment of disapproval.

Thinking of Christian's good-natured handling of his sister's tantrum, I couldn't help but think of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things; Love never fails.

Too often when wronged, we feel like we are being long-suffering and patient simply because we have not unleashed the full force of our anger on someone who has wronged us. Like Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz, who felt righteous in telling Miss Gulch, "For 23 years I have been dying to tell you what I thought of you! And now ... well, being a Christian woman, I can't say it!" But we are not really being the bigger person in an encounter when our actions make the other person feel small.

So that night as my head hit the pillow, two ideas drifted through my mind. First, chivalry is important. Thoughtful actions and polite speech promote harmony and make us amiable companions. But second, true love is gracious in overlooking the missteps of others.

As a mother, I continually remind my children to say "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am," "please" and "thank you" because I want them to grow into polite members of society. But I am thankful that sometimes they remind me that on the worst days when we don't mind our manners, it's a blessing to have people in our lives who are merciful in not minding our manners either.

And that gift of unconditional love beats a free ice cream cone any day.

Lovin' Every Minute of It

Happy February! I am so excited for this month's upcoming events. We will celebrate Emma's birthday this weekend, and I can't wait to share all the details with you here. Then next week will be full of sweet treats and surprises for all my Valentines. The following week I'll be sharing a special evening of fellowship with friends during our first ever book club. And the final week I'll head to Georgia to spend a weekend with sisters I've never met for a ladies day. I can hardly wait! This month will be busy, but with so many dear ones to share it with, I'll be lovin' every minute of it!

Photo by Allison Hilyer

A Little Pitcher of Joy

"The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size." -- Gertrude S. Wister

Bookmarked: A Cup of Comfort for Writers

I recently discovered A Cup of Comfort for Writers, edited by Colleen Sell. What a find! Seasoned and aspiring writers alike will enjoy drinking from this cup. Here are a few passages that I have bookmarked.

"I write because I am standing at an intersection in my life and your life, and, while you hurry past, I am recording the world around both of us. I am taking note of everything, and I want to hold it up to you, mirrorlike, so you can see what I see." -- Camille Moffatt

"Plato said, 'the life which is unexamined is not worth living.' But I don't think he meant examining should take the place of living. I don't think he meant we should be so busy mining our adventures for meaning that we don't have time to live them. ... I know that life and art can mix, enriching both. But the danger -- the danger I recognized when I saw my son hunched over a notebook instead of marvelling at the landscape -- is that art can overpower life. It can, for a long moment, actually replace the experience of living." -- Lauren Kessler

"I thought about what my husband had said, and realized I had fallen into the same trap so many aspiring writers do; I was spending too much time aspiring to write and very little time actually writing. Even though I finally had time to pursue my dream, I was still making it a low priority in my life. I was talking the talk, but wasn't writing the write." -- Brenda Kezar

Purchase Cup of Comfort for Writers: Inspirational Stories That Celebrate the Literary Life here.

This title has introduced me to this inspirational series of books. Find your own Cup of Comfort here -- with inspirational stories, upcoming events, submission guidelines and editor Colleen Sell's blog.

Hydrangeas at the Door

These silk hydrangeas add soft color to our front door, reminding me that spring will be here soon!

Slumber Party Notes

Sleepover Munchies: Friday night we kicked off Mary Ashley's slumber party with supper. Her first menu suggestion was chicken noodle soup and black eyed peas, but that didn't give me a lot to work with. So we went with her second choice: poppy seed chicken with rice, green beans, fruit salad, rolls, cupcakes and spumoni ice cream. Yum!

Saturday morning we enjoyed a simple breakfast menu of bacon and pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. Lemon-slush punch was a special treat for the little girls. My sweet friend Lori Adkins shared this refreshing recipe with me. She served it at her wedding to rave reviews. I made it for our New Year's Day brunch, and set aside a bag of the frozen mix to pull out for the slumber party.

Lemon-Slush Punch

12 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate
12 ounces frozen lemonade
46 ounces unsweetened pineapple juice
9 cups warm water
2 1/2 cups sugar
28 ounces ginger ale

Mix sugar and water until dissolved. Add juices. Freeze in 1 or 2 gallon freezer bags. Take out 3 hours before serving to thaw. Put in punch bowl and add ginger ale (cold if possible). Note: This should be slushy. A dull knife may be needed to chop it up some.

Slumber Party Fun. Joe's sister gave the girls the game Hullabaloo for Christmas, and they have really enjoyed it. The girls at the party enjoyed playing several rounds, although you do have to keep the group quiet in order to hear the directions. The biggest hit of the party was the gift at the top of Mary Ashley's wish list: Bendaroos! The girls enjoyed covering our walls with all kinds of artistic creations, and my boys have made some impressive works of art in the days since.

Sleepy Head Favors: Earlier this week, I shared photos of the pajamas I made for the guests at our sleepover. I was so proud of the girls! They were so sweet and well-mannered. As a reward for doing so well at their first slumber party, as the girls left we let them choose a shimmering body mist spray. I found these at JC Penney. I loved the colors, and they coordinated perfectly with our cupcake theme.

From start to finish, Mary Ashley's slumber party was a dream come true -- much like the Birthday Girl herself!