Hey there, fellow home enthusiasts and Holly J fans! Today, I’m thrilled to share with you the heartwarming tale of how we celebrated Galentine’s Day in style with a delightful breakfast gathering that brought together daughters, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters!

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

For those who might not be familiar, Galentine’s Day is a celebration of female friendship and solidarity, made famous by the TV show “Parks and Recreation.” It’s all about honoring the wonderful women in our lives, whether they’re friends, family, or both, and showing appreciation for the special bonds that unite us.

So, with Galentine’s Day fast approaching, I decided to throw a Galentine’s Day breakfast at my home, inviting my daughters, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters to join me for a morning of festivities. But this wasn’t just any ordinary gathering; it was a multi-generational affair filled with love, crafts, treats, and, of course, pajamas!

Must-Haves

At the center of it all was a stunning breakfast board overflowing with an assortment of fruit, heart-shaped waffles, muffins, and a Valentine’s treat charcuterie board.

My darling girls!

I love to host a party, especially when it involves my grandchildren. They light up my world! I wanted to make this a fun gathering for the little ones as well as my daughter and daughters-in-law. I set the cutest Valentine’s Day Tablescape and added a homemade sugar cookie to the top of each plate.

Check out the Red, Pink, and White Valentines Day Tablescape!

But the festivities didn’t stop there. Oh no, we also had a special craft activity planned to engage the little ones and unleash our creative spirits. With the grandkids by our side, we embarked on a journey to create white clay fingerprint hearts – a sentimental keepsake that would serve as a reminder of our love and bond for years to come. Laughter filled the air as we molded the clay, pressing our fingertips into its soft surface to create one-of-a-kind masterpieces that I will treasure in the coming years.

Treat Charcuterie Board

And let’s not forget about the Valentine’s treat charcuterie board! It was a sight to behold! All the girls wanted to get in on the action when we made this! I bought a bunch of different valentines candies and treats to make this charcuterie board. The grandkids enjoyed it a lot! LOL!

But perhaps the highlight of the day was when everyone received their new pajamas – a cozy and stylish ensemble that added an extra layer of coziness to our Galentine’s Day celebration.

As the morning turned into afternoon and the laughter subsided, we bid farewell to another Galentine’s Day well spent. But the memories we made and the bonds we strengthened will stay with us forever, serving as a testament to the power of families coming together to create memories that I hope will last a lifetime.

Happy Galentine’s Day, dear friends!,

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The post Create Memories with a Galentine’s Day Breakfast Gathering appeared first on Home With Holly J.

Bunny Themed Birthday Party

Bunnies are cute, cuddly, and oh-so-lovable, which makes them the perfect theme for a first birthday party. If you’re planning a celebration for your precious little one, why not hop on the bunny-themed birthday party train! I’m recapping my darling grand babies one-year-old birthday party in today’s post – this little girl is the absolute sweetest little thing. Because she has a spring birthday close to Easter, we were able to mix part of our Easter celebration decor in with her birthday bunny theme. I had so much fun doing this with my daughter-in-law and with the help of other family members, we pulled this darling Some Bunny Is One: A Bunny Themed Party off!

Bunny Themed BirthdayDecorations

For the kitchen island area where we served the food, we added this letter banner that my daughter-in-law made on her cricket. We attached it to the counter top with double stick tape. I wish I’d remembered to get a better photo of it once it was all set up!

My daughter-in-law made a balloon arch in pastel colors and we hung it on the staircase banister which created a nice back drop for photos and for the highchair.

Combining Easter and bunny-themed decorations is a great way to make your little one’s party feel special and memorable. I just love this bunny themed birthday party idea!

We hung up this adorable banner with a photo of each month of our little grand babies first year. My daughter-in-law is so good at making things on her cricket and documenting each month of her little ones first year. This can be done for any age of course but it’s extra sweet the first year!

The High Chair: Adorable Decor for the Birthday Child

Decorating the high chair can be a fun way to add decorations to the birthday party and makes for cute photos of the one year olds celebration.

We tied a faux greenery garland to the high chair with wire and then layered a carrot garland on top of that. This tied in so well with the carrot themed tablescape. I love how the highchair and the tablescape coordinate!

I also set a separate table just for the little kids on the floor which they loved. 

Bunny-Themed Dessert Table: Decorating Tips and Tricks

Create a Bunny Themed Dessert Table that will have your guests hopping with delight!

I put the bunny ear cake on a white cake stand and we also had a separate cake for the birthday girl complete with it’s own bunny ear cake topper. I also put the cookies on white platters and a two-tiered serving stand and I used a spring themed table runner to add some decor and color to the table. The table is from Ikea. Tap here for the link: legs and table top.

I had a local bakery in Utah make these sweet treats for the party called  The Chocolate Dessert Cafe. They do custom orders and all sorts of fun seasonal cakes and cookies. I even have a Christmas cake that they make each season named after me called the Holly Jolley Christmas cake!

Fun and Games: Bunny-Themed Entertainment for Kids

Now that the dessert table is set, it’s time to move on to the fun and games! If you’re looking to keep the little ones entertained, there are plenty of bunny-themed activities that are sure to be a hit. 

First up, an Easter egg hunt with a twist! Instead of hiding regular eggs, hide plastic eggs filled with little bunny toys or stickers and different easter candies and chocolates. Make sure to designate different age groups so everyone has a fair shot at finding the goodies. 

One of my favorite little things to do is to hide some golden Easter eggs. I put larger amounts of money in them or a gift card. This makes it extra fun for the kids when hunting for the eggs.

I set up a table for the Easter egg hunt activity. We had pastel colored treat bags for all the kids to put their Easter eggs in and and had easter bunny ears and carrot shaped bubbles for the kids as gifts.

For a quieter activity, set up a bunny-themed coloring station. Print out some bunny coloring pages or even draw your own, and provide plenty of crayons and colored pencils. Kids can take their masterpieces home as a party favor.

Finally, if you have a larger group of kids, consider setting up a bunny-themed relay race. Divide the kids into teams and have them hop like bunnies to a designated spot and back. The first team to finish wins a prize!

I hope you enjoyed seeing all the fun we had with this Bunny Themed Birthday Party I hosted. With these fun and engaging activities, your bunny-themed party will surely be a hopping success!

From the adorable decorations to the bunny-themed desserts and entertainment for the kids, your guests will be hopping with joy.

I hope you find some inspiration from these tips and tricks and plan your own bunny bash that is sure to be a hit.

Remember, the first birthday is a milestone worth celebrating, and what better way to do it than with some bunny special?

As a famous bunny once said, “Some bunny loves you!”

xoxo,

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Sharing updated and similar sources to recreate the look:

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Sundaes on Sunday Party Idea

Have you heard of Sundaes on Sunday? It’s a fun way to gather your neighbors, friends, and family together on a Sunday. You’ve probably figured out by now that this involves ice cream! For this little “Sundaes on Sunday” gathering, I made homemade ice cream in my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker from Walmart and homemade root beer for root beer floats! Keep scrolling to see a few Walmart Summertime Party Essentials you’ll need for entertaining.

Both recipes are easy to make and you can never go wrong with homemade ice cream….. if you haven’t had homemade root beer before, you’re in for a treat! Of course, you can always buy ice cream and root beer too! If you decide to make homemade ice cream, you can make some ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the freezer. If you decide to make the homemade root beer, you need to do that the day off and allow a few hours before the party.

My husband takes his ice cream making very seriously and he will make multiple batches and different flavors. We kept it simple for this particular gathering and only made vanilla-flavored ice cream but, here are some of our favorite add-ins that you can mix into the vanilla recipe: Strawberry is my personal favorite!

Here’s the Recipe to Craig’s Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

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Craigs Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Course Dessert, dessert recipe, frozen treats

Cuisine American

Keyword homemade ice cream, dessert, vanilla ice cream

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Equipment

• Ice Cream Maker

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1¼ cup whole milk
• ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tsps vanilla extract

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients into a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk until all ingredients are combined well.
  1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1¼ cup whole milk, ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk, 2 tsps vanilla extract
• Pour mixture into ice cream maker. Set ice cream maker per instructions and start making the ice cream.
• When the ice cream is ready, transfer to an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to one week.
• You can add other flavorings to the mixture too (chocolate, strawberries, or anyting you like) This vanilla recipe is a great base for other flavors.

Craig’s tips and tricks for making homemade ice cream:

The ice cream comes out soft serve so if you want it more frozen and scoop-able, put it in the freezer for at least two hours. We typically make ours a day ahead so that it’s nice and frozen.

Here are some of our favorite add-ins. You can add any of these to the basic vanilla recipe mixture. You add all of these to the ice cream mixture.

Crushed Oreos for cookies and cream. (we like the thin Oreos)

Butterfinger Candy Bar (crush up 1-2 candy bars)

Heath Bar (crush up 1-2 candy bars)

 Fresh Strawberries (pureed and add Hershey’s strawberry syrup to taste)

Chocolate (add chocolate syrup to taste)

Mint Chocolate Chip (peppermint extract, mini dark chocolate chips, or mint Oreos, and you can add green food coloring if you want to make it green)

Here’s the Homemade Root Beer Recipe

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Homemade Root Beer Recipe

Make your own homemade root beer with this easy recipe.

Course beverages, Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword beverage, drinks, homemade root beer, root beer, root beer float, summetime drink

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Equipment

• Large jar or container to mix the root beer in.

Ingredients

• 4 Quarts Cold Water
• 2½ cups Sugar
• 3 tbsp Rootbeer Extract
• 2 pounds Dry Ice Broken into Pieces

Instructions

• In a large glass container, mix together the water, sugar, and root beer extract and stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Taste it to see if you need more extract or sugar.
• Use gloves to protect your hands or you can use large tongs and carefully add the dry ice to the glass container. Stir with a long-handled spoon to prevent the dry ice from sticking to the bottom and sides of the container. The root beer will start to bubble and the dry ice will start to carbonate the root beer.
• Stir every 3-4 minutes until the dry ice is mostly melted, 10-15 minutes.

Notes

 Using Dry Ice: While dry ice is safe to drink once it is completely melted in the root beer, keep in mind there are a few safety precautions to follow when working with it: use insulated gloves or tongs to transfer. Never touch it directly as it can burn your skin. Add it to the root beer in a well-ventilated area so the carbon dioxide doesn’t build up and don’t let children (or adults) inhale the fog spilling from the pitcher. Be careful when breaking it up into pieces. I break mine into about 3-4 inch pieces.

How to Store: Because dry ice evaporates quickly and doesn’t store well, it’s best to buy only what you need and use it as soon as possible (store it in a styrofoam cooler if not using it right away as it is best not to keep it in every day freezers). I buy mine the day I plan to use it.

Root Beer Extract: Any brand will do. I like the Mccormick brand, Durfee brand and a local brand in Utah called Hires

I typically double the batch depending on how many people I am serving.

Setting up for the Sundaes on Sunday Party

This a really fun and easy gathering to set up. I found all the items I needed to host this gathering at Walmart Home. They have so many great summer entertaining items that make hosting at home so easy. I’ll link all the items I used to create this table at the bottom of the post. Walmart Home now has a new section called Wow and Now where you can find so many great things for your home that are trending and great price points. Walmart’s Wow and Now section is the perfect place to shop for items that make hosting summer parties and family gatherings easy.

There are so many great things about hosting this type of party. The first is that everyone can serve themself whenever they want. Second, everyone can mix and mingle and spend time catching up and if it’s your neighbors, it’s a great way to get to know each other better. This is the perfect gathering that’s simple and easy to put together to welcome a new family into your neighborhood or for a summertime block party.

Here’s what you’ll need to host your own Sundaes on Sunday gathering:

Ice Cream Maker (if you prefer to make your own)

Root Beer (homemade or store-bought)

Root beer Mugs, I put them in the freezer and pulled them out when it was time to start.

Drink Dispenser for the Root Beer

Bowls for the Ice Cream Sundae toppings

Toppings for the Sundaes: I had caramel, hot fudge, nuts, and sprinkles, but you could have bananas, whipped cream, cherries, or whatever you prefer. I only had a few toppings to choose from since I also had the option to make a root beer float but, you can do it however it works for you.

Mugs or bowls for the sundaes. I used mugs to change things up.

Straws

Spoons

Tablecloth

Here’s a collage of all the things I found at Walmart in the Wow and Now Section. If you’d like to see more items from Walmart that are perfect for summertime entertaining, check out this post: Patriotic Entertaining Ideas.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Please subscribe to my blog so you’ll never miss a post! You can subscribe here: (scroll down to the subscribe box on the left).

I hope this post has given you some ideas and inspiration for hosting your own Sundaes on Sunday gathering. It’s so much fun and its always great when you can connect with those around you over ice cream and root beer! Happy hosting! 

Xoxo,

This post contains affiliate links and is sponsored by Walmart.

Click on the images below to purchase these items I used from Walmart Home.

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Daisy Themed Baby Brunch

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

I hosted a Daisy Themed Baby Brunch for my daughter-in-law (Aubree) to celebrate the arrival of our newest grand baby. Since my daughter-in-law was having a girl and it was her second baby girl, she didn’t want a full on baby shower. We decided it would be fun to do a spring Baby Brunch!

This is our first grandchild. She was so excited for all the festivities and came dressed to match the white and gold daisy theme!

The Invitation

It’s so easy to design and send invitations nowadays. I was able to download this one from GreetingsIsland.com and customize it. I sent it out via text and email which was so amazing! It was only $7.99 to make this invitation! I edited out some of my personal information but you can see how easy and simple it is to create one of these for your next event!

Daisys Themed Decorations

I had seen this daisy balloon backdrop on a local balloon shops (The Balloon Loft) instagram page and that’s where I got the idea to make it daisy themed. I ordered this balloon backdrop from them and they delivered it and set it up for me the day before.

I used an old antique table and covered it with this ruffled white tablecloth.

My other daughter-in-law (Hannah) generously agreed to make the paper daisy decorations and paper daisy chain for the shower. She has an Etsy shop and sells all sorts of cute party decor and garlands.

Be Jolley Design and Decor

I put the daisy chain on the front of the table and scattered the rest of them around the table as you can see here. Then I took the rest of the small paper Daisys and the larger ones and used double sided tape to stick them to the windows.

I sent one of my sons to the store to buy me some fresh Daisys and what he came back with were sunflowers and these other flowers. It was too late to do anything about it so we just went with what we had. I had hoped to find some Shasta daisies or one of the smaller varieties but I should have planned a ahead a little better!

Here are a few faux stem options:

https://evolutionhomedecor.com/products/copy-of-36-25-cosmos-spray?_pos=12&_sid=503105e97&_ss=r

https://evolutionhomedecor.com/products/gypsophila-stem?_pos=5&_sid=2f7918d2b&_ss=r

https://evolutionhomedecor.com/products/copy-of-34-inch-purple-wild-blossom-spray?_pos=4&_sid=503105e97&_ss=r

Here is the daisy flower chain up close. Linked here.

Here are the larger paper daisies. Linked here.

Here are the smaller daisies linked here, and you can also get them all in a set here.

The Dessert Table

The next thing I did was to order the daisy cakes and desserts from a local bakery here in Utah, called The Chocolate. They made these adorable daisy cakes, daisy sugar cookies, and Lemon curd cupcakes. Everything was lemon flavored. My daughter-in-law also made lemon tarts that were so delicious!

I had a smaller version of the daisy cake made for my daughter-in-law to take home after the shower. She loves lemon flavored desserts so the cakes were lemon flavored too.

The lemon tarts were so yummy!

Since this was a baby brunch and to keep it simple, I catered the food from a local bakery called Kneaders. They make an incredible French toast and have delicious pastries. I set that up over in the kitchen and put the dessert table in the living room area where all the guests were sitting.

Since it was her second baby and another girl, my daughter-in-law (Aubree) didn’t need any gifts but we did a group gift and those that wanted to contributed and we were able get them a new baby swing.

This is a great idea for second or third babies and the parents to be can get some of the larger items that you need when you have two little ones! We played some fun games as well and mostly everyone ate and visited with each other. We kept it to just family and it was so fun to celebrate our newest little grand daughter and her mama!

Me and all my girls! Quinn, Hannah, Emily, Aubree, and Maddy!

Update! She was born just a few weeks after the baby brunch. Isn’t she so darling?!!!!!

I hope you enjoyed this post and thank so much for stopping by! Please leave a comment or email me with any questions and you can always find more of my content on Instagram @homewithollyj and Pinterest!

xoxo,

I’ve linked some of the same items I used and some that are very similar below!

If you chose to use this theme for your baby shower or  baby brunch, you could also make my Laizy Daisy Cake Recipe!

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SPRING BABY BRUNCH

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I wanted to gather the women in my life who have inspired or uplifted me and what better way to do that then hosting a Mother’s Day luncheon.

For the decorations, I went with a pastel color palette and set three different tables and a separate dessert table.

The Pink and White Table

For the Pink Table, I used fresh eucalyptus and pink spray roses to create the garland and centerpiece. I layered the garland on top of a white table runner. I typically use this table outdoors in the summer but it works great for the indoors too.

For the Pink Place-setting, I used pink and white dishes, a pink napkin, silver flatware, and glass goblets.

The Robins Egg Blue Table

For the Robbins Egg Blue Table, I used a burlap table runner and created a garland with faux greenery and flowers. This was a variation of my spring and easter tablescape. Click here to see the Easter version.

The place-setting consisted of a solid robins egg blue charger, a polka dot dinner plate, and a solid teal plate. I used wood napkin rings that tied into the rustic table and hyacinth placemat.

The Lavender and Green Table

The day before the luncheon my mom and I went out exploring and looking for lilac bushes. We found some in an abandoned lot and snipped some branches off for the lavender and green table. They smelled amazing!

The beautiful purple lilacs my mom and I found driving around the back roads of Utah.

To create the Lavender and Green Table I used a hyacinth solid placemat, a white charger, green dinner plate, and a lavender salad plate. The ruffled napkin matched the green plates perfectly.

I used some of the lilacs to create a small centerpiece and laid one of the green ruffled napkins in the middle to break up the stark white of the tablecloth.

The Menu

I planned the menu around how many people were coming. I like to make my own food for my parties but you can certainly cater it. Because I had about thirty people coming, I decided to make my Homemade Lasagna which is easy to make and serves a large amount of people. I made the sauce the night before so all I had to do was assemble the lasagna and bake it.

For the salad, I made Simple Tomato Cucumber Salad.

I love this recipe because it’s so light and so easy to make. It’s a perfect complement to the rich lasagna. I also served some rustic french bread . I didn’t make my own this time but my Braided French Bread recipe is to die for!

The Dessert Table

For dessert, I asked my sweet friend Ashely Klaja, also known as Living BeaUtahfully to make the dessert for the gathering. She made the most beautiful cakes and cupcakes. My favorite is her churro cupcakes!

Ashely is one the most talented cake baker/decorators I’ve ever seen. Her cakes are works of art and they all taste amazing too!

For the desert table I used my pastel colored cake stands and a pink vase with some faux flowers for some added decoration. I also added some small bud vases with fresh flowers and added the flowers and eucalyptus to the top of the pink ombre cake. This is a great example of how you can mix fresh and faux flowers in your table decor.

This was an amazing day and it felt so wonderful to be surrounded by so many women that uplift and inspire me. I also loved that my mom, daughter, and daughter-in-law (who was pregnant with our first grand baby Quinn) were able to be there. Mothers are what make the world go around. I’m so glad I could gather these amazing women together and share a a beautiful lunch with them.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Wishing all of the amazing mothers out there a happy Mothers Day!

xoxo.

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To see more of Ashely-@livingbeautahfully cakes and desserts, here’s the link to her website.

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