Be prepared to see one of the prettiest first birthday parties I have ever seen! Sally of Pretty Little Events outdoes herself yet again. This gorgeous palette is just perfect for a girlie soiree. Every single detail of this first birthday is just ::chef’s kiss:: perfect! The florals and balloon garlands keep it elegant yet fun. The sweets and treats look mouthwatering. And the bar, I must say, is just next level with some Delovely Details!

We were so grateful to have been able to help celebrate this little beauty with our personalized stir sticks for their guests. It is just a small way to elevate the whole party and customize it for the birthday girl! The exquisite rice cakes from Sweet Florie Cakes are more of a piece of art than a treat! All of the details were gorgeously captured by Erin J Saldana Photography.

We loved getting to work with this amazing group of vendors to help celebrate this pretty little girl and wish her all the best in her life. There are those who say a first birthday is a waste of time, money, and energy…however I see absolutely no waste in celebrating a beautiful soul and getting together to wish them all the best in life.

Isn’t she just precious! The world better be ready for Harper James! Sally did an amazing job styling and planning this beautiful event for such a deserving little girl.

Speaking of first birthdays, we are at the half way mark for Hazel’s first birthday! We’ve played around with some ideas…but still have no clue what direction to go in! Any suggestions?

Planning, backdrop, balloon garland: Pretty Little Events

Photography: Erin J Saldana Photography

Florals: Hana by Hannah

Cake: Sweetlee Made

Rice cakes: Sweet Florie Cakes

Heart cookies: Sweet Deetails

Hanbok cookies: Sweets by Keeks

Laser cut drink stirrers: Delovely Details

Rentals: Create a Party

Hanbok: Leehwa Wedding

Incredibly grateful to our good friend Hanh Nguyen Photography for this gorgeous shot of my family.

I completely realize that this year, for lack of a better word, has been a dumpster fire on a ton of fronts.

People have died. People have been sick. Lost jobs. Lost businesses. People are struggling in everyway imaginable. Our country feels more divided than ever. On top of all that, the future seems more unpredictable and unknown than ever before.

I understand why people are burnt out, exhausted, depressed, disappointed, and ready to put 2020 behind them. Part of me is too.

That being said, I have to say, 2020 was a banner year for my family.

My business took and continues to take a huge hit. Our way of life has been uprooted. We miss our families and friends that we haven’t seen in months. My husband’s nice 9-5 work day has turned into around the clock, constantly on call work life.

But…

But…we got our Hazel. I had a healthy and for the most part, easy delivery. My baby is healthy and happy. She’s a dang unicorn of a baby. The happiest baby you’ve ever known, she’s the blessing our family needed. I could never say I regret this year when it gave me one of the biggest gifts I’ve ever received!

My husband works from home! With the unknowns of how Delovely Details would survive through this pandemic, I am so grateful for Drew’s job and that it actually grew and he was able to work from home while we transitioned to a family of four. My recovery after labor was so much easier with him home. It’s been a big blessing and I’m so grateful for the opportunity.

While Delovely Details struggled in the beginning, lots of refunds and brides cancelling orders, we were able to pivot. We started working with new planners and new types of clients that we’ve never worked with before. It’s been amazing to see the collaboration in my industry and the comradery we have to lift us all up together. Don’t get me wrong, I miss weddings! However, I am so grateful and thankful for the way we’ve been able to pivot and keep the business going.

Despite schools being closed across the country, I’m immensely grateful for the fact that our school district has been able to put safety measures in place to safely open our schools. Evelyn has been able to attend preschool safely and we’ve seen her grow in such ways that I know that wouldn’t have been able to happen if it was just me.

Lastly, I’m grateful for our health. We have had some family affected, some tragically, by this pandemic. We know how serious this pandemic is and we do our very best to take all the precautions we can for ourselves, for our family, our friends, and our fellow humans. We feel strongly that, while this is a hard time for everyone, this is an opportunity for humans in general, to show how compassionate, kind, and self sacrificing we can be. My little family, Drew and our girls, are healthy. My girls are strong and growing to be kind people. My husband is also healthy, generous with his time and gifts, and loving. I’m healthy, I feel supported and strong in my convictions. I feel loved and I am optimistic.

With everything going on, I wonder if this isn’t supposed to be a huge reminder to us of what we really need to be thankful for day in and day out. Not just one day a year. Not just a thought drifting for an Instagram post. This all might be a reminder of how we should be living every single day.

I am so blessed.

I am so grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Matching outfits for Evelyn and I are from Morning Lavender.

Photography by my sweet friend Hanh Nguyen Photography.

I don’t know about you, but I miss my local craft cocktail bar.

We’ve been having fun trying to mimic or create some of our own craft cocktails at home lately. It’s become a fun game to find recipes since I prefer ones that don’t require rare ingredients and that don’t make too many dishes.

I like my cocktail to occasionally match the season. During summer, we drank lots of tropical flavors and in our recent temperature dip in California (it’s now more in the 70s/80s instead of 90s/100s), I was craving something different. I am not particularly a fan of apple cider. It’s usually served hot and in Southern California, it’s rarely cool enough in October here for a hot cocktail. I was excited to come up with a cold spiced apple cider cocktail to go along with our SoCal “fall”. We will definitely be enjoying these through these fall months!

We’ve been starting to see orders for our Thanksgiving stir sticks trickle in lately, so this is your reminder to get your order in today! Thanksgiving is going to be different this year, but we can still celebrate and be grateful.

Spiced Apple Cider Moscow Mule

Ingredients

2 ounces of Vodka

3 ounces of Spiced Apple Cider

3 ounces of Ginger beer

1 teaspoon of Lime juice

Sprinkle of Nutmeg/Cinnamon

Cinnamon sticks and dried apple slices for garnish

Directions:

Fill a cocktail glass (or copper mug if you have one) with crushed ice. Pour vodka, apple cider, and lime juice. With a spoon, stir. Then top with ginger beer. Add a sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon on top and garnish with a cinnamon stick and dried apple slice and a Delovely Details stir stick!

Hopefully, despite everything going on, you’ll find a way to safely celebrate this time of year. While 2020 has been one for the books, to put it in the nicest terms, I think if we all really thought about it, there are some things to be grateful for.

What are you grateful for?