Happy-ness....

Happy-ness is being surrounded by those you love 

and care about most on your special day....

...and having the support of all your friends 

and family when good things happen.

Phillip and I celebrated 25 years of marriage on 7/31 

at the Historic Wolf Creek Inn.

The weather was perfect for sundresses 

and open toe sandals (which promptly became bare feet.)

Grass-stained bare feet, I might add.  

I have to thank three of my closest friends and my youngest son, for 

all their help setting up my "dream" party.

I tried to have everything as ready and as planned out ahead of time as I could, but even the best laid plans can go awry and have a turn for the worst.

My girlfriends and my boy, however, pulled everything off without a hitch. 

Every detail was EXACTLY as I had in my mind's eye.

Perfectly Country Living meets Martha Stewart meets Flea Market Style.

Perfectly PERFECT!!!

T H A N K  Y O U

A.J., Janice, Ginger, Kristin

I owe you all, big....

All of our men showed up about 3:45.

At about 4:00, I was reminded that I needed to get ready for the party too.

Oh Yeah. That's right....

So off I went...

...to get ready and to show Phillip our Clark Gable Suite!!!

(and to all those who asked, the rocking chair did not rock at 2 a.m.)

Yeah, I'm a little bummed the "ghost" did not visit us, 

but the inn did lock its doors on a few of our guests!!!

...doo-doo doo-doo, doo-doo doo-doo.....

Our party started at 5 pm.

Our guests were greeted with this sign.

It set the tone for the whole party.

Simple.

Casual.

Sweet.

It's an old picture frame outfitted with upholstery burlap my mom 

left in our greenhouse when she moved out a few years back. 

The cream paper flowers were stamped with brown Staz-On using a 

Script stamp (this matched our invites) with muted paper flower centers. 

The '85 is painted onto muslin, trimmed

with brown zig-zagged stitching, and bradded onto the 

burlap covered foam core.

The rustic easel of Janice's was a wonderful addition. 

Thanks, Janice!!!

Just past the sign, on your right, a table was set up 

in a grove of shade trees to hold the over-sized checkers board. 

I had the plastic checkers I found at a thrift store years ago. 

It came with a ratty old yarn-like woven board.

I've always wanted a big 'ol checkers board for our square coffee table

at home. Phillip bought the wood. Darrin cut it on our router at work.

I painted it. Distressed it. Clear coated it.

AND 

lots of guests played Checkers!

...and a bunch of other stuff.....

stay tuned.....

The party's just begun.....