Farm Birthday Party

This past weekend was my son's 3rd birthday. (crazy to think my baby is 3!). He really wanted to have a farm party..yeah...that I can do! I LOVE to celebrate the birth of my 2 boys...I also look at the few weeks leading up to the party as "craft therapy" for me.  It gives me a reason to have to make and craft things at night, instead of so easily crashing out on the couch to watch mindless T.V.

I start my planning by brain storming...I research ideas online, I walk around the house and yard to find things I can use (to minimize cost)..I owe allot of inspiration to...aestheticnest.com. Check out her modern farm birthday for her little girl...so sweet!  She offers some free downloads too.  She also has an Esty store HERE, where I purchased the patterns for the farm animal napkins.

We started with large pieces of cardboard, Warren brought home from work and we made a barn

The boys helped me make the chocolate cake.  I feel extra special birthdays deserve extra special home made cakes! James wanted a chocolate tractor cake.

Decorations

After down loading the patterns for the farm animals from Aesthetic Nest Esty Shop, I purchased towling fabric from Joann Fabrics ( 3 yards).  I cut most of them into 12x12 squares with a pinking rotary blade. I cut the animals out of stiffened felt from Michael's.  I also purchased 3 yards of cow fabric for making banners and bandannas, I used strips of this fabric to make the ties for the napkins.

I persuaded my husband to drink 2 dozen Starbucks Mocha coffee drinks we bought at BJ's.  I used them to make milk bottles for the kids. I painted the caps with green paint and filled them with chocolate milk.

  I also got this idea from Aesthetic Nest.  I used her free download to make the cute tags!

I found these veggie erasers at Joann's in the clearance rack! I put them under the hay

(keep reading for more info on this)

The banners I made are cut with the pinking rotary blade.  I ran a lg needle and cotton string thru them to string them together in groups of 10.

I LOVE the thank you tags! Another free download from you know who!

I got these baskets at the Christmas Tree Shoppe (New England store) and put a cow bandanna and straw inside.  The kids will use them later to gather their goodies from each animal station....

The Food

I had a vision of a farm stand for the food! I was most excited about this...cause I know my boys love to pick at fresh fruits and veggies, a strawberry here a cucumber there...  To have them set out for the picking was perfect for small hands! There was humus and ranch dressing for making a salad too. And of course our farm fresh eggs, tons of watermelon and wheat/gluten free farm animal pasta.  Along with fruit and veggies was my MIL's sausage & onions, and my aunt's "cowboy beans (fancy baked beans)

Beverages

Homemade lemonade!

(My mom got this glass beverage dispenser for me for Mother's Day!)

6 1/2 C Water

1 C Realemon (lemon juice)

1 C Sugar

Sliced lemons

Real Southern Sweet Tea

6 tea bags

1/8 tsp. baking soda

2 C boiling water

1 1/2- 2 C sugar (I only used 1C)

6 C cold water

In glass bowl put tea bags & soda, add 2 C boiling water, cover and sit for 15 mins

Take out bags (do not squeeze)

in 2 quart picture add sugar & tea and mix until dissolved

add cold water

J- ringing the food cow bell.

The kids table was made using 3 bales of straw (we happen to have) & 2 long barn boards ( we happen to have), placed on a tarp and green gingham table cloths I found cheap at the Christmas Tree Shoppe!

I had intended to sew on larger felt animals that match the napkins to the cloths, but i ran out of time.  If you check out Aesthetic Nest's party she made a beautiful table cloth for her party!

I made this farm outfit for James..He was so excited!

 He watch me making some of it and was so proud to have a special outfit for his party!

(again got the idea from you know who..she made the sweetest little dress for her little girl)

Activities

The presents were put into this old wheel barrel that was buried on the woods in our back yard from the people who lived here before us (9 yrs ago)..now that's recycling!

Chicken Coop

Our baby chicks, in their special coop made from lg pallets Warren brought home from work and nailed together.

The kids loved to catch and pick up the little chickens, they are very friendly too!

The Pig Stye

Pink balloons, some with piggy faces and a curly pink ribbon tail.

The wind blew them out and the kids went crazy tring to catch them and put them back!

Horse Corral

All the kids had a blast coloring their own hobby horse head. 

 I found a pattern for a hobby horse online. My mom redrew it bigger and a bit different. I scanned and copied them out regular and reversed to they would fit together.  I cut black yarn and stapled it so some came out the top and front of the horse head, then stapled around the head except for the bottom.  The kids colored and stuffed the heads with old packing peanuts I had, we then stapled them to stick I had found in the yard.

Giddy Up!

Cow Pasture

You cant see it but leaning against a tree, there is a large old wooden cut out of a cow that came with the barn, when we bought the house, that my mom repainted.

Under the hay is candy (gathered from 2 parades the weekend before),

Cows Tails candy, & the veggie erasers. They used their baskets to collect the goodies.

  The hay was bought at ventura grain feed store..

Chicken's Nest

Outside the chicken coop I made a giant nest.  In the plastic eggs are Peeps (marshmallow candy).

Each child collected 1 and put it in their baskets.

Duck Pond

In the pool is farm animal rubber duckies, I ordered from oriental trading, they each picked 2.

The Hay Ride!

OK so no hay, but I don't think the kids even noticed. 

Warren (Super Dad), brought home this 4 wheel cart from work and BUILT the wooden part out of a pallet the morning of the party! Absolutely AWESOME! the kids were all smiles.  He took them for rides thru the woods on a path we have behind out house and thru the neighborhood!

We had so much fun with this...we even road around a bunch the next day!

Cake & Presents

The tractor cake

I got the tractor pan at Micheal's with a 50% off coupon.

The frosting was left over from a friends birthday cake..I froze the frosting months earlier..my friend was gong to throw it all away! It was so yummy, I just could not let her!

(there was a lot left over)

We had Friendly's Watermelon Roll for ice cream..mmmmm

Look at all those cute cow bandannas! Some wore them on their heads, some around their neck.  They kids were so great!  They sat and watched James open his presents so politely!

James grandparents Skip & Sherry gave him this horse swing!

 Yeah now we can take down the baby swing!

Very Cool!

The party was great (exhausting), but its only twice a year I get to do it.

Hope you enjoyed my take on a farm party..again thank you to aesthetic nest  for being my muse!

(coming in September is a Camping Birthday!)

I love to read any comments you have.......

Water Chestnut removal Volunteer Day

For the past couple of years the Norton Conservation Department  has been having an annual event at Borrowsville Pond to remove the Water Chestnut (Trapa natans) plants. You can find more information on the Water Chestnut here: Fact Sheet The Water Chestnut is an exotic invasive plant from Eurasia. It is and annual herb transported mostly by geese when the 4- horned seed gets trapped in its feathers. One seed can produce 300 more seeds within 1 year and the seeds are viable for 5 years. This plant can out compete our native plants ans is a danger to Norton's biodiversity.


Here are some pictures along with our "Father's Day" adventure picking Water Chestnuts...

Barrowsville Pond, Norton, MA

It really was a beautiful day to volunteer to be on a canoe!

Canoes and kayaks were used to hall in the Water Chestnuts plants.  They must be harvested during the spring, before they drop their (pointy) seeds to the mud bed below.  The seeds can sit in the mud for 5 years! Making this and annual event!

The volenteers arrived. 

and got right to work....

We decided that it would be a fun Father's Day activity for Mason to go out with Warren this year!  We printed out the information for this volunteer job the night before for Mason to read, so he would understand the idea, that we were volunteering to help remove these invasive plants.  He was up for the job and very happy to help!

James and I sat at the shore (with the buckets) and waited....

It really was very nice and peaceful..While we waited we picked up ALL the TRASH, left by people that must not realize that there is a trash barrel on site!...after our clean up, we played in the water, searched for seeds and explored the paths in the woods.

Out on the pond working!

Here they come....Jennifer C from the conservation dept. with her kayak filled with Water Chestnut plants.

A boat load!

Once on shore we unloaded the spiky plants into buckets and up to the dump truck.

More coming in....

even more...everyone work very hard...There were several trips made during the 3 hours.

Little barge of plants towed behind the kayak.

The big hall of plants in the truck!

In the end it was a fun and satisfying day... These little volunteers are ready to do it again next year!

For more information on this event please contact Jennifer Carlino.