FAMILY FUNDAY

Hi guys, it's me, that girl katie, For me losing my sister too early in life has been a big wake up call on what is really important to me. I have been doing a lot of thinking + soul searching over the last few years. I feel beyond lucky that I am here to see my kids grow up and help guide them. I've heard countless times from older parents "enjoy your kids because before you know it they are off to college." It took losing my sister to really comprehend that advice.

I don't want to look back and have any regrets that I wished I had spent more time with them while I had the chance. And I know that I am not going to be the type of parent who is excited about being empty nested. So, I have decided to use my creative skills to prepare fun activities for us to do once a week. I am calling it, FAMILY FUNDAY!

This week we kicked it off with balloon games which was perfect because I had 2 extra players. Since I was the only adult at the time I ended up explaining each individual game + trying to take pictures.

Before we started to play I had them all decorate their paddles (paper plates + popsicle sticks glued together) I have to admit this was the quietest they were the whole evening.

Here are some of the games we played that I discovered from Not Consumed.

1. Balloon Keep-up: don’t let the balloon touch the floor. See how long the family can keep it in the air (hint:station big people closer to little people). 2. Balloon Hockey: We used the paper plate “paddles” for this game, but you can also use kitchen utensils. Players had to try and hit the balloon into their team’s “goal.” I made goals out of laundry baskets and placed them across from each other in the living room. 3. Balloon Tennis: Using the “paddles” bump the balloons back and forth to your partner. I really prefer open ended games since my kids are still little, but you could keep score, giving points to the other team when their opponent’s balloon hits the floor. 4. Balloon Hula: Two players hold up the hula hoop for others. The object of this game is to use the paddle to hit the balloon through a hula hoop. For little guys, I just let them toss it in with their hands. 5. Balloon Waddle: Stand two kids side by side and place the ball between their hips. Now send them across the room, and see if they can get there without dropping the balloon. 6. Balloon Catch: give half of the players a large mixing bowl and half of the players a balloon. Have them toss the balloon to see if they can catch it in the bowl. You can also fold a piece of cardstock paper into a cone shape and catch the balloons in the cone. 7. Balloon Finger Balance: players have to balance their balloon on their finger. Their finger must be in contact with the balloon at all times.

I have been thinking about the idea of FAMILY FUNDAY for few months. Sometimes just making something a priority is the hardest part and I am glad I have taken the step to do so. It takes a little prep + I know the more I keep with it, the easier it will become because we did run into some whining which slowly became a domino effect. Life isn't perfect but worthy of celebrating.

Cheers, that girl katie

OUTDOOR STRING LIGHTS

Hi guys, it's me, that girl katie, Ever since my Modern 40th Birthday Party - a year belated (which was featured on Style Me Living) I have been obsessed with tablescapes. And since it's summer I am drawn to outdoor tables with string lighting.

Here are a few that have caught my eye.

I even love the idea of wrapping a tree in lights!

Source: Image 1 / Image 2 / Image 3 / Image 4

I am currently in the process of hanging lights over our outdoor table. Like anything it takes time + patience. There is a lot of advice on how to conquer this process but I think it's different for every space pending on where your electrical outlet is located.

Stay tuned for all of my outdoor updates that I couldn't of completed without a lot of help. Even home maintenance takes a village!

Cheers, that girl katie

 

40th BIRTHDAY - A YEAR BELATED 5.14.15

Hi guys, it's me, that girl katie, I finally celebrated my 40th birthday - A Year Belated this past March. I had so much fun designing and hosting it that I decided to submit the party to Style Me Living and this week they featured it. Incase you missed the article, you can my description of the party + see more pictures RIGHT HERE.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the evening.

The party was also locally featured on The Scout Guide - Jackson Hole, WY.

It takes a village to pull off a party and I couldn't of done it without these fabulous vendors + friends:

Persephone BakeryChef Eric WilsonAshley Merritt PhotographyMarigold Floral StudioJackson Cake CompanyMegan Ann KleinPaper And GraceCottage & SproutFrost Salon

A BIG thank you to everyone for celebrating life with me.

With summer right around the corner, I guess it's time to plan another party!!!

I AM SO FORTUNATE FOR YOU 5.11.15

Hi guys, it's me, that girl katie, I know it’s not Valentines Day but I am so FORTUNATE for you!

Maybe you have noticed I took and unexpected blogging break. Sadly, my son was hurt while skiing this winter and spent 6 weeks in a spica cast healing a broken femur. For me that meant being the primary caregiver and everything else became less important. I am happy to say, he is out of his cast and life is back to a regular routine.

Prior to the accident I had come up with these cute Valentines for my kids to handout to their friends at school. Instead since we were homebound for a lot of the winter we handed them out to all our visitors.

As it turned out these Valentines were a perfect way for us to express how FORTUNATE we were to those who took time out of their busy lives to show us some love + support during a hard time in our life. We are so FORTUNATE to have a lot wonderful people in our lives.

Yes, they make fortune cookies for kids. I found them on Amazon.

Who are you FORTUNATE for?

 

DIY BUSINESS CARDS + TRIP TO ALT - 1.2.15

Hi guys, it’s me, that girl katie, Life has been really hectic the past few weeks. One reason is because I took time out of my regular routine to attend The Alt Summit Winter, a blogging conference in Salt Lake City. I drove down to the conference with a few goals and came back refreshed and excited to continue on this blogging journey. I also came back with a speeding ticket....I guess I shouldn’t Drive + Design!

I have attended The Alt Summit Winter before and knew showing up with hip business cards that show a bit of your personality is not just a great idea it’s a smart idea. So, this year I did just that and here is how I did it.

I bought the InstaxShare and followed the steps to connect it to my phone and print out some pictures of myself. It’s not often I get the camera turned around on me so slim pickings on photos but I only needed a few.

I then used my label maker and printed out my web address and VOLIA I was done.

I met a variety of talented + inspiring + creative + kind women. Here are some of the business cards I rounded up and so worth checking out what these fabulous ladies are up to.

1)Kids Are The Worst 2)Hale Me A Cab 3)Tropic Of Candycorn 4)Wendys Hat 5)Iterate Social 6)Katie Dudley Photography 7)Design Mom 8)Art Bar Blog 9)Inchworm Academy 10)Designers Collective 11)And We Play 12)Little Sun Hat

I gained a lot new contacts + a bunch of tips + heaps of advice. My “To Do List” for That Girl Katie has a ton more ideas and goals on it, such as learning to take better pictures and buying some equipment that will help me achieve a more professional look while saving a lot of time in the editing room.

I also walked away with a notebook full of inspirational sayings. Lisa Congdon was the keynote speaker and she voiced a lot of Lessons and Lesson # 3 is still ringing very loud in my ear,

“Let go of the idea that someday it will all be perfect”

I feel I am somewhat new to the blogging world but I am slowly figuring it out one post at a time while building a community one follower at a time in a fun and creative non-perfect kind of way.

So, a BIG thank you for continuing to check out my non-perfect blog.