Prom 2023
With this being my youngest daughter’s Senior year, I could not let her high school days end without her attending Prom. Her private Christian school did not have a Junior Prom last year for her class, although there was a discussion with her teacher about prom. The staff had ample time to plan such an event for the students; however, they did not. Not wishing for my daughter and her friends to miss out, my family and I sprung into action planning Prom 2023!
Four years ago, my husband and I purchased a home on approximately 33 acres. It was our desire to share it with others, and this was such an occasion to do just that. After planning and hosting my oldest daughter’s wedding in 2021, we certainly knew what it would take to provide a prom for my daughter and her Senior class. Once she was on board with the idea, I purchased items for the decor and backdrop.
Canva has a free section on its website of invitations. After searching, I found an elegant invitation in black and gold. It was fancy, which set the tone of the evening for it would be a formal event!
While there are an array of picturesque spots in our yard near the pond or flower gardens, we chose three locations for natural light pictures. Our oldest daughter has launched her photography business and graciously agreed to be the prom photographer!
It was all coming together nicely!
Everyone knows there is a “traditional” backdrop at prom for pictures. It wouldn’t be prom without it! I searched Pinterest for ideas before trying my hand at designing the backdrop. Let’s just say, I don’t think there were any in all the internet pictures I scanned quite like this one!
~smile~
I was proud of my design!
Why? Because my DAUGHTER seemed to appreciate it also!
The day of the Prom was approaching when, much to my surprise, she asked if her father and I would accompany them to dinner on the night of their prom. While the prom started out originally for her Senior Class, we opened it to the Junior class since there were only three in that class! One of the Junior’s was dating a Sophmore, and his parents would not allow him to attend the prom without chaperones for the entire evening. Since my husband never had the opportunity to attend his Junior/Senior Prom, we were excited to share in this moment with them in dressing for the occasion!
When the day arrived, we had as much decorated and displayed as possible before we dressed and then set out for dinner with the excited group of teenagers. Dinner out at a local Japanese restaurant was my daughter’s idea, followed by desserts, pictures, and dancing at our house! It worked perfectly so we didn’t feel a tremendous amount of stress with providing a meal for everyone.
The evening could not have been more perfect – except for if the wind wouldn’t have been ripping, threatening to toss all of our outdoor decorations into the nearby shrubbery and pond! Aside from that and moving some of the decorations indoors, everything was divine!
My daughter was dressed in an elegant floor-length emerald green gown! She was the prettiest one there, in my humble and unbiased opinion! We knew the dress was “the one” the moment she tried it on. Her eyes lit up, and a sweet smile formed on the corners of her lips, unlike with the other dresses she tried on. We must have tried on every style and every color in the store when I took her shopping. Her sister took her on another day, and she probably tried on just as many that day with her, too. Ah, but it all came back to that emerald green dress that made her eyes pop, sparkle, and shine!
Her friends all abided by the dress code, which thrilled our hearts! While they didn’t have to go “all out” with purchasing tuxedos, some did! Others rented tuxedos. Meanwhile, a few made do with some dress pants, a borrowed jacket, and a bow tie. Whatever works, right?! The men were quite snazzy, as well as they should have been with the ladies purchasing their ballgowns! In the end, they ALL looked so nice that evening!
Pictures were taken, desserts were brought by some of the students and sampled by all, and a few even danced as the day turned into night. Our yard is surrounded by solar lights, and it becomes a magical place when all of the lights along the pond start to come on at dusk. It was the perfect setting if I do say so myself!
Here’s to Prom 2023 and to making memories to reflect on in years to come!
Mother’s Day, Part II
My original Mother’s Day post was written late last night. My parents made a special point to celebrate me yesterday, which was an extremely nice surprise. Today, the surprises continue with Mother’s Day, Part II.
This sweet young daughter of mine had Starbucks waiting on me this morning, complete with a caramel ribbon crunch frappe and a cake pop. She didn’t stop there. She also had me a sweet card and a ceramic seahorse with shells and sea glass, which she knows is one of my absolute favorites!
What a nice way to start the day! How sweet she thought of me and took her hard-earned money from her part-time job and spent it on me! She certainly did not have to do this, and I was not expecting a single thing. But oh my heart!
Now, I sit in anticipation as my sweet oldest daughter and her husband will be arriving soon. It was her idea to cook supper for me so I could have the evening off.
I definitely raised them right! Ha ha!
They are both incredibly thoughtful and put others before themselves. Both of my sweet daughters make sure to celebrate me and never let an occasion go by without letting me know how much they love and care about me.
My heart is so full, and I am truly thankful to God for both of these beauties that made me a mother!
Mother’s Day
Happy Mother’s Day to all you beautiful women out there. Whether you have given birth or have rallied around those who have … this day is for you, and you deserve to be treated like the queens that you truly are!
Mother’s Day is tough for a LOT of women, though.
There are women that tried so hard to have children but were unable to do so. There are those that lost precious babies they prayed and begged God for. We don’t know why bad things happen to good people. It’s one of those things we will ask when we get to Heaven’s gates, I suppose. For now, we ask God to heal our broken hearts and meet us right where we are in the midst of our grief.
Mother’s Day is tough on those who have lost their mothers, too. I hope they took the time to acknowledge their mother’s when they were still here on this earth.
Today my parents took me out to celebrate Mother’s Day with me. I am the mother of two beautiful young ladies who are now grown. I am also a mother to an angel in Heaven that I have not seen but loved with my whole heart the moment I found out I was pregnant. Having lost this little one at six weeks was extremely hard, and I know there are other ladies reading this that can relate to what I’m speaking of. One sweet day we will see our precious little ones we never got to hold this side of Heaven.
I’m thankful for my two daughters. They, along with my parents, try to make Mother’s Day special for me, which I greatly appreciate.
Once upon a time when my grandmother and mother-in-law were still on this earth, we had a special Mother’s Day meal at our house for them. It was my privilege to do this for every special occasion they would agree to come to my house to allow me to celebrate them. My mom and dad are still here with us, thank GOD, and I pray they will be for many more years to come. I love them with my whole heart and want so many more years with them. I pray that God allows it.
One particular Mother’s Day, I recall getting my mother, my grandma, and my mother-in-law flowers. I wanted to make sure there was a special flower for each of them. It was important for me to let them know how much they meant to me. Whether I was celebrated or not, it didn’t matter. Oftentimes, the only ones that celebrated me were my parents and my daughters. That was okay. I’m not sure why my grandma or my mother-in-law didn’t think I needed to be celebrated for having their great-grandchildren or grandchildren. Even still, I celebrated them. Now that they are gone, I’m still glad I did this for them.
I’ve been married and divorced, and I recall my first husband saying he didn’t celebrate me because I wasn’t his mother. Yet, I was the mother to his child. But that was okay. I didn’t need him to celebrate me either.
My second husband doesn’t need to celebrate me either because I’m not his mother. It would be nice, though, if the suffering I did to bring these two men’s babies into this world was cause for them to stop for a moment and recognize me for the gifts I have given them and the world.
Yet, it is okay if they don’t celebrate me. The ones who make me feel truly loved and cared for take time to show me … their words and actions truly line up. I don’t just hear the words, “I LOVE YOU!” I FEEL them!
This message is to all the moms that don’t feel celebrated by the ones that say they love you. Take time to celebrate yourself. YOU are WORTHY!
You don’t have to have gifts showered upon you, although that is nice when someone takes the time to give you a gift from their heart.
What I want you to do is take a good look at yourself in the mirror. That woman looking back at you has been through so much in her lifetime. There have been times she has been celebrated, and there have been times when her heart has been broken because she wasn’t acknowledged. Today take time to love yourself.
YOU are important.
YOU are special.
YOU are worthy.
YOU are loved!
YOU are appreciated.
If no one else tells you, I will make sure to do so.
Happy Mother’s Day to every women – even the dog moms deserve to be celebrated for all they do for their fur babies.
Wrap yourself in love today and every day. Celebrate yourself. You deserve it!
