Ells is 100 :: Guests

I chose a sampling of pictures I took that afternoon to share here.  I'm not going to tell who everyone is as I'm likely to misspell or mix up something.  The summary is...Ells was well celebrated and well loved. 

We are so thankful for this guy and the blessing of having him as a Grandpa to us all.  

 

My mom had a surprise of her sleeve...playing her accordion.  The room was full of smiles and a memory was made.  

Happy 100th Birthday, GG Ells!  We love you!  Looking forward to #101!  

 

Ells is 100 :: Decorations/Details

Roy's Grandpa, or GG Ells as we call him here, turned 100 years old on Monday, June 5th.  Ells is a one of a kind guy, genuine and kind in every way.  Sue and I worked together to plan his party, which proved to be a blessing to us both.  The celebration was Open House style on Saturday, June 3rd and was held at the library community room in Dallas Center.  Here are some pictures of the decorations and details...

The guest book table as you walked into the room was simple, yet purposeful.  For the decorations we bought a few things and also used items I had from previous parties or from my house.  

We downloaded the invitation on Etsy and it became a springboard for our decorations.  We had a place for guests to sign in and also drop their cards.    

This picture of Ells was taken in October so it felt appropriate to display.  

Sue and I had a lot of fun putting together his display table of pictures and some memorabilia.   

Showing Ells some of my favorite pictures on the table.  

Proud birthday guy (as he should be)!  

I put together a few simple groupings like this and we set them around the room.  

The 100 gold balloons were a pretty fun touch!  

We set up tables and made groupings of chairs for guests to sit.  I got one large poster print made.  

The food tables...

We served cake, mixed nuts, water and fresh fruit.  

The birthday cake was from the Dutch bakery in Ames. It had a raspberry filling and was delicious.  

Sue, Hudson and Roy put lots of effort into the picture slide show.  Most of the pictures included a caption to explain.  It had 200 photos with memories.  It proved to be a focus of the party and a sweet conversation piece for the guests.  

 

Minerva's Musicians in Recital

The kids and I headed to my home town of Sioux Center for my mom's piano recital on May 25th.  Greta was especially excited because this was her first time "officially" playing in a recital.  We enjoy showing up to add a little extra fun and excitement to the event.  

On Thursday morning we helped mom with recital decorations and refreshments and enjoyed a pizza lunch afterwards.  

Greta looked adorable in her country western attire.  She fit right in to the theme for the evening.  

Hudson performed like a pro!  So proud of this hard working musician.  

Greta played a solo, entitled The Bubble followed by a duet with Mimi.  

We unexpectedly got started with mom teaching Hudson piano lessons during Covid.  Here we are, three years later, still doing it.  I'm so thankful for how she invests in our kids in this way.  She is the perfect teacher for them.  

Most (one had to leave early) of Mom's piano student crew 

We set up a wild west themed photo booth with props to enjoy after the recital.  

It proved to be a hit!  

On Friday we spent the afternoon at "Fancy Nancy's pool," which felt like an official "kick off" to our summer.