Galentine's Day Part Deux

Author: Becky Sizelove

Last year, one of our very first blog posts was for Galentine's Day (because ovaries before brovaries). It was very special to shoot another Galentine's Day post exactly one year after we launched our blog (with our favorite photographer Kearsten). In true Knope style, our brunch affair featured a little waffle station with heart-shaped waffles from Whole Foods - they were both delicious and adorable. We also refreshed our flower wall (DIY here) and added all the soft pink feminine details. To finish it off, we drank delightful tea and pink Italian soda. Target has some seriously adorable Galentine's Day swag in their $3 section this year - we love that this is becoming such a popular event! It's not often that we have a day to just celebrate the wonderful women in our lives, but Galentine's Day is the perfect occasion to get together and thank our fellow gals for always being there.

We were happy to celebrate the day in our Bee and the Fox sisterhood tees. The message of empowering women fit perfectly for our Galentine's Day party. We hope you enjoy this post and have a chance to celebrate your fellow #gals this year!

Tips for Hosting a Fabulous Friendsgiving

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings." - William Arthur Ward

No matter what season it is, it's important to be thankful. I've had many a yoga teacher instruct my class to breathe out disparity and breathe in gratitude. This is because gratitude can reshape your perspective into one that makes life beautiful. It's the same principle as being cheered up when we help others. With this in mind, I treasure Thanksgiving and its pertinent reminder to live in gratitude. And let's be honest, the delicious food doesn't hurt this holidays reputation. One tradition that I started the first year I lived on my own was Friendsgiving, the friend version of Thanksgiving. I won a free turkey at a work event and had no idea what to do with it. So, I invited my friends over and had a feast. My hubby, who was my boyfriend at the time, helped me cook it and we had so much fun preparing the meal together! Scott and I now love hosting Friendsgiving every year and we have certainly learned some of the "to-do's" and also the "not-to-do's." If you want to make your own tradition of Friendsgiving, follow these quick tips:

1. The host makes the turkey, gravy and stuffing.

Pro tips: Placing bacon on your turkey will make the skin delicious. Putting the finished turkey on your table without a tivet under it will ruin your table. Use a tivet. 

2. Coordinate with friends to make a deliciously balanced menu.

Friendsgiving is traditionally a potluck. This creates an opportunity for you and your friends to stretch those foodie muscles and have fun enjoying one another's creations. You're nourishing each other and that's a beautiful thing. But you want to make sure there won't be two green bean platters, so coordinate with everyone to have a diversified menu. I create a Facebook event group to keep everyone in the loop (not as invasive as the elusive group text).

3. Speaking of a balanced menu, make sure someone's bringing appetizers.

The turkey never comes out as soon as you thought it would. Appetizers make happy stomachs while waiting for the main event.

4. Some of your friends may not know each other very well. Help them mingle with games or place table topics on your coffee table.

I'm not saying your friends are socially awkward, I'm just saying it might be nice to help them break the ice with some fun games. One of our favorites is Super Fight. It's hilarious. You can also download free printable conversation starter cards here.

5. Create traditions to repeat each year.

If you want to host an annual Friendsgiving, it might be nice to incorporate some traditions, especially if the same friends join each year. My annual tradition is to ask what each person is most thankful for during dessert hour.

6. Add a festive vibe with decor.

This may not be the most necessary tip, but I think decor makes a difference. It adds a special touch. I didn't do it the first year, but have every year since. This year, I bought some greenery for $3 from Trader Joes and then placed tea lights along the middle. The year before, I simply placed some pumpkins in the center of the table. You can go as simple or as extravagant as you desire.

Hosting an event can be stressful, but doesn't have to be. Have fun and remember that it's more important to enjoy your company than to have a "perfect" event. As an unofficial tip, deep clean a little section of the house/apartment/abode each day during the week before the event so you can focus on the turkey the day of. 

Let me know if you have any tried and true suggestions. My Friendsgiving is taking place this upcoming weekend so I'd love last minute tips! :)

xoxo,

Becky

Gender Reveal Garden Party

Author: Becky Sizelove

Any of you out there planners? I certainly am, which is why I had to know the gender of my baby before they (singular) were born. I had this sixth sense that I was having a boy... leading me to believe it was probably a girl. Anyways, I didn't know if I wanted a gender reveal party but figured for my first baby, it would be fun. I repurposed a lot of my old wedding decor that I've been using as home decor (I love recycling!) and also did a few DIY's. I have to say the big reveal was a blast! So, was I right about my baby being a boy? Scroll through the images to find out! Shoutout to my brother and sister in-law for photos!

We decided to use smoke bombs to reveal the gender - I bought two of each color and Ruthie came to the party early to read the results and cover the correct smoke bombs in gold washi tape. She then was the sole proprietor of my baby's gender.

When the smoke popped my mom exclaimed, "Just like my dream!" - she said this because while Scott and I were in Yosemite, I was pregnant. I didn't know I was pregnant. I thought In and Out Burger made me sick and unable to stomach eggs or any form of meat for three weeks ... and made me feel like I was dying after a 10 mile hike and sitting out on the edge of Taft Point or felt like no amount of coffee would bring me energy... I digress. My mom texted me one of the mornings in Yosemite and said she had just woken from the most realistic dream where she met her grandson, my baby, at my house. She said he had the blondest hair and bluest eyes and that she had the same type of dream when she was pregnant with my brother and I. It was at that moment I started to think maybe it wasn't In and Out Burger making me sick...

Much thanks to Ruthie for holding in the biggest secret for hours while everyone, including myself, were guessing the gender of my baby. She's the best sis in the world!