Liam's Ocean Birthday

I've been neglecting this blog lately, so thought I'd catch up with a post I never put up - Liam's 5th birthday party! As always, we take the low-key route when it comes to birthdays and just went camping with a few family friends. But I still like to throw together a little theme of Liam's choosing, even if there are only a few kids there.
So here you have Liam's ocean-themed 5th birthday!

That sandcastle cake was a failed attempt at something like this, and was left with just a huge pile of cooked cake crumbs, so I shoved them inside a sandcastle pail, and this came out. It was not. edible.

The watermelon was cut into a shark by my husband, whom I've extremely grateful for, as if I was in charge of it...well, let's refer again to the failure that was the sandcastle cake...

We made ocean water and waves from blue jell-o and whipped cream (no, this was clearly not a vegan friendly party) in those plastic cups and then had some gummies and chocolate to throw into your own personal sea cup.

The cups I decorated with just a few quick swipes of blue paint, and had blue juice and ice tea to act as the "ocean water" and "lake water".

And that's pretty much it. We had a fantastic weekend in the wilderness with the kids, and Liam's adorable white "5" shirt from cafe press got sufficiently filthy!

Oh and on the drive home, he lost his very first tooth!

Lala

Around the Year in 52 Books

I've already posted a video with my TBR, but thought I would also make a blog post with my list that I could update with my progress throughout the year.

My TBR (To Be Read) Shelf

So this "Around the Year in 52 Books" Challenge was created here and the idea is to read one book a week that meets a challenge, so by the end of the 52 weeks (aka 1 year) you've read 52 books and completed 52 challenges. You can do the challenges in order, or pick and choose as you go (which is what I'm doing). So here is my list of 52 books I plan to get to this year and the list of challenges.

1. A book you meant to read in 2015, but didn't In A Dark, Dark Wood - Ruth Ware
2. A book set in a different continent The Light Between Oceans - ML Stedman
3. A book from the Goodreads Choice Awards 2015 Finding Audrey - Sophie Kinsella
4. A book by an author you discovered in 2015  Problem w/ Forever - Jennifer L Armentrout
5. A book beginning with the 1st letter of your name Kind Worth Killing - Peter Swanson
6. The highest rated on your TBR Wonder - RJ Palacio
7. A book about books The Anatomy of Curiosity
8. A classic book with less than 200 pages We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson
9. A book that was mentioned in another book Something by Kurt Vonnegut
10. A book by an author you should have read by now Miss Peregrine's Home - Ransom Riggs
11. A book from the Rory Gilmore challenge The Sound & The Fury - William Faulkner
12. A childhood classic Peter Pan - JM Barrie
13. Reader’s Choice We are the Ants - Shaun David Hutchinson
14. A book with one of the five W’s Weird Girl & What's His Name - Meagan Brothers
15. A book set in the past (more than 100 years ago) His Bloody Project - Graeme Burnet
16. A book from the top 100 mystery novels Night Film - Marisha Pessl
17. A book with a beautiful cover Beautiful Broken Things - Sara Barnard
18. A book on a summer/beach reading list The Unexpected Everything - Morgan Matson
19. A non-fiction book Wildflower - Drew Barrymore
20. A book with a first name in the title The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
21. A book from the Goodreads Recommendations page Girl in Pieces - Kathleen Glasgow
22. The first book in a new to you series Nevernight - Jay Kristoff
23. The next book in a series you are reading The Raven King - Maggie Stiefvater
24. A "between the numbers" book of a series (0.5, 1,5, 2.5, etc.) Raven Cycle Short Stories
25. A book whose main character is in an interesting profession When We Collided - Emory Lord
26. A book everyone is talking about Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard
27. A book with a beautiful title The Love that Split the World - Emily Henry
28. A biography, autobiography, or memoir Brain on Fire - Sussanah Cahalan
29. A book by an author who writes under more than one name Finding Audrey - Sophie Kinsella
30. A fairytale from a culture other than your own Never Ever - Sara Saedi (Peter Pan inspired)
31. A work of young adult fiction ? Every Heart a Doorway - Seanan McGuire
32. A historical fiction book A Tyranny of Petticoats
33. The 16th book on your TBR This Song Will Save Your Life - Leila Sales
34. A book about mental illness Unhinge - Calia Read
35. An award winning book  The Glass Castle - Jeanette Walls
36. An identity book  Paperweight - Meg Haston
37. A book that you've seen the movie of but haven't read Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer
38. A book about an anti hero The Girl in 6E - AR Torre
39. (A previous suggestion) A book cover you don't like Thanks for the Trouble - Tommy Wallach
40. A novella from your favorite genre Maybe Not - Colleen Hoover
41. A book about a major world event (fiction or non-fiction) 11/22/63 - Stephen King
42. A top 100 fantasy novel Harry Potter - JK Rowling
43. A book about a thing that goes bump in the night The Trees Crept In - Dawn Kurtagich
44. A book you're embarrassed to read in public F*ck Love - Tarryn Fisher
45. A book related to a hobby or passion you have Still Life with Tornado - AS King
46. A crime story In the Woods - Tana French
47. A book with a type of food/drink in the title Milk and Honey - Rupi Kaur
48. A dystopia Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandell
49. A book with a great opening line Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng
50. A book not written in English Me Who Dove into the Heart of the World - Sabina Berman
51. A short story from a well-known author My True Love Gave to Me 
52. A book published in 2016 The Haters - Jesse Andrews

Some I have left blank as I'm not sure what book I'll be choosing, and some of these books may change throughout the year. This will always be the most relevant list though for my TBR, as I can't exactly edit the video I've posted haha. I've already swapped in and out a few books from this list as I've lost or gained interest.

Most recently updated: October 29th
Currently in: Week 47
Challenges completed: 49

Lala