Hannah Morrison

Chloe’s Disneyland First Birthday Party

Chloe is ONE! We celebrated with friends and family a couple Saturdays ago with a full on Vintage Disneyland theme. We told the kids to come as their favorite characters OR like they were going to the park, and we covered the home in vintage Disney and pastels. I grabbed as much Disney-themed items from our own loot that I could to decorate with, mostly old Disney books and characters, and then we purchased some key party decor you will see linked below to give the touch of magic we needed! We did this party on a mega budget and I am really excited to share it with you.

For food, we did Build Your Own Waffle Cone Bar! We had chicken strips, Mac and cheese, 3 different kinds of French fries (white potato, sweet potato, shoe string), and toppings including syrup, honey mustard, and BBQ! I know it sounds crazy… BUT OMG. SO GOOD. I used to have a client that did an entire restaurant concept of waffle cones like this, and so when I was trying to come up with “park food” for the theme, I thought of these! It was easy for kids to eat without a table or on the ground, and people really had fun with it. It was also extremely cost efficient.

For the cake I made one myself again, like I did for Rory’s Donald birthday, and then one of my besties found the cake topper at Home Goods for $9 and it completely transformed the cake to theme. I used the GF King Arthur Confetti Cake Mix and Buddy The Cake Boss Buttercream frosting.

The banner I made with streamers took only about an hour and cost me $15! I bought two packs of this set of 6 pastel streamers (the colors were perfection!!) and then I already had a roll of twine in our craft box. My mom and I joked how most people would have probably measured each one out, but we just don’t work that way. I just sorta went for it and followed a general pattern. Although, it got mixed up a few times and then we filled holes with random colors. So use the word “pattern” very lightly. I would guess each strand was about 5-6 feet long so it hung 2-3 feet long on both sides of the twine. And then I layered it when I hung it up so that also made it feel full and large! The key is to simply tie very lightly so the streamers didn’t tear, but other than that it was just a “go for it” effort.

Chloe’s dress is from Lola and the Boys, and my skirt is a few years old from Red Dress Boutique! I wore it for Rory’s baby shower.

I used Knox’s craft cart (after a good scrubbing with a Magic Eraser) for our Polaroid stand. We had this cutie blue camera already and bought 40 film. Kids had so much fun taking photos of each other and there’s just always something extra magical about a Polaroid pic. We had this whole set-up, the cart and garland, as people walked in up front by my blue door, which made it feel very cohesive and Disney-esque.

It was extra hot this day, literally the day before hit the record hottest day, so whereas kids typically play outside the whole time when we do a party… they all were inside. Every last one of them. It was a little overwhelming, but we made it work. There were toys out to play with and we had Disney rides from Youtube playing on the TV. My friend who is a Disney Travel Agent came up and took the kids on a roller coaster ride from start to finish as a Disney Cast Member. It was so cute and the kids had a lot of fun with it. I think the parents did too, to be honest… hehe. All you need to do is type in “POV Disney rides” on Youtube and tons will pop up for you!

The key to a party at home with your kids is to just provide the space to play and have fun with it. Your home will get messy and it will be packed, but I promise it’s so fun. When it isn’t too hot to play outside with record temperatures, we typically have all the kids running amuck outside with the playhouse, trampoline, roller coaster, wagon, bikes, etc. Again, this specific time that didn’t happen, but it usually does! I have a gate on our stairs and literally tell parents as they come in that we have everything downstairs and they can play with whatever they see downstairs! Put things away that you don’t want played with or messed up, and that is it. You do not need to spend thousands of dollars on a party for your kid to make it feel extra magical. It just takes key items that shift an atmosphere into the theme you are dreaming of.

Scriptures for the Mama

Alright mommies, if you have kids in school then it’s likely they’ve had their first day by now and you’re finding the new rhythms of fall. Well, except that it is still 110 degrees here in Texas and we are anxiously awaiting the cooler weather to come with the “fall” school season. We have a kindergartener for the first time and it was a wild week. If there were any tears (there were) they weren’t from Knox (they were 1000% most definitely me). 😉 I have been preparing my heart for the last few weeks leading up to this first day, and I found scriptures that really medicated my heart as I wrapped my mind around him growing up & my job in this transition, and the weird transition of trusting somebody else to pour into your child.

Luke 1:30 “The angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you.’”

I find this one so special, because Mary is the mother of Jesus. I often forget she was a young girl initially frightened by the task presented to her. And yet, the angel was so gentle and kind to her. Surely frightened many more times in the years to come within her job of “mommy”, Mary was a fully human mother who certainly went through the same dips and mountain tops we all go through. Yet God deemed her worthy of such a task for “such a time as this” (reference from the story of Esther, an equally powerful story about a woman of God!) simply because He found her honorable. You, mama, were made for this task. Though scary at times and a heavy load to carry, it’s a job He found you worthy of. You can trust him and his plans as you send your kids off prayerfully to school.

Genesis 28:14 “Your descendants will become like the dust of the earth; you will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. Every family of earth will be blessed because of you and your descendants.”

I pray this promise from Genesis over my own family as I entrust my babies to the Lord. Made first to the decedents of Abraham, this scripture is for us, too. Initially a foretelling of Christ to come, as believers in Christ himself who hold his spirit within us, we too become like dust spreading across the Earth. I like to imagine my babies as sugar spreading out everywhere they go, a taste of the goodness of God!

Proverbs 31:27 “She is vigilant over the activities of her household; she doesn’t eat the food of laziness.”

I find this one sweet to remember as I prepare intentionally every Sunday for the week. I lay out the week of clothes for Knox to choose from, prep meals and pack launches, and plan dinners etc. The way I manage my household will directly impact those who live in it. I get to carry the main mark of peace (or chaos) for my family. The more I prepare and do in advance, the more my home is a place of peace for my kids to live and come home to.

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

I have to remind myself this verse at least once a day, even before I had a kid leaving me every day for school. I don’t know about you, but my mind can come up with some wild scenarios. And often times, if I don’t capture them right away, they can go down trails that leave me feeling anxious. This verse reminds me to think of truth rather than what I fear.

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

I tell myself this scripture on my tougher days. No matter what the circumstances or context, if we keep pouring into something with faith and trust that God is on His throne in all things, then we we reap a harvest if we keep pouring into it faithfully. For my children, of course the harvest I hope to reap is children who love the Lord and give their lives to him. But even so, since they are freewill beings who will inevitably make their own decisions, part of that is still a prayer of my heart over the harvest I hope to reap. But the harvest I will most certainly reap for pouring faithfully into my children is that I will stand before the Lord one day to hold an account for my children. Did I steward their lives well and faithfully point them to Jesus? I hope to God I do and with confidence have the ability to say I never grew weary doing good.

Kindergarten Zara Try-On Haul

I actually think I am still in denial my oldest starts kindergarten in less than two weeks. I genuinely had in my head I had a few more weeks, because I figured school started at the end of August like I always did growing up… But then last week I found out it was early August and I literally cried on my friends’ couch because it was such a shock to me. LOL. Anyways, Knox is pumped and I am so excited for him (even though I feel sad) because this kid was made for school. He loves learning, science, and building stuff. He says he is most excited for science! I had to buy him nearly an entire wardrobe, because the kid has surely grown 3-4 inches over this summer and pants are capris on him/shirts are getting a wee bit cropped. This year, I sat with K and had him pick things out with me. I tried to direct on some while others he flat out said “No, I don’t want that.” So weird to have a kid old enough to actually say that to me but I welcome it! I love seeing his personality and style come out – and believe me, he has opinions. He really loves outfits and putting together things. And he really wanted a Pikachu set, so I caved and went kitschy for him… but my insides died a little.

Zara doesn’t do LTK links, so while I won’t make any commission on these, I know so many of you wanted links! Knox is 5.5 (6 in December) and I bought mostly the 6/7 years big boy sizes so that they last us through next summer and early fall (maybe even more for some of it!). The only thing a little large on him are the green jogging shorts, but they tie and stay fine. They would totally slide off though without tying. Other than that, sizing up from his “age” size was a win for us!

You will find pieces from sets used separately and together + packs of tees that make two weeks of outfits! That’s HUGE for a little boy and then we will also have some of his older jeans/shorts to mix in to help with laundry turnaround. As for shoes, our neighbors are the best and give all their hand me downs and recently gave us like no joke 6 pairs of shoes Knox’s size that had never been worn before. So some of these are from them! But the white high tops are old Zara (I linked for you on one to see if it will take you to lookalikes on their site!) and then the black and red Jordans are from last year!

Look 1: Shirt | Pants | Shoes

Look 2: Shirt | Shorts | Socks

Look 3: Shirt | Shorts | Socks

Look 4: Set | Socks

Look 5: Shirt (From This Pack of 3) | Shorts (From the Above Set!) | Same socks as above

Look 6: Shorts | Shirt (From Pack of 3) | Socks

Look 7: Shirt | Joggers | Shoes

Look 8: Knit Polo

Look 9: Custom Set (Add design – we did embroidered T-Rex!)

Look 10: Shirt

Look 11: Shirt | Shorts

Look 12: Pikachu Set (Knox’s favorite – the bane of my existence… lol) JK, that’s dramatic.

Look 13: Shirt (From Pack of 3!) | Shorts (From Pikachu!) | Socks (From Pack of 3)

One Year Down

Wow, so it’s officially been one year since I decided to make the move and step into silent ownership of my company as we did a slow roll off entirely over the months to follow. While I don’t at all believe this is the right choice for everybody, I had to do it. The stress and pressure I felt at all times was physically and emotionally withering me away. I wasn’t being the wife or mom I wanted to be, and we knew something had to change. The timing felt ridiculous to back out but we felt the hit we would take personally was worth it for my well-being. And, wow, am I so very glad I did. I stepped away from everything I built and I have never been happier. Because I am built with a business mind (it’s both a blessing and a curse lol) I have found some other outlets to continue providing an income for my family but it just had to look so much different for me. As my company grew, so did I. I began to understand how I was specifically designed, and while others might still thrive as a mom and wife while balancing the pressure of a company and payroll and pleasing clients at all hours of the day, I sure as heck was not. I realized that although I can cast vision and manage a team, it is not what I should operate in primarily. And I built something (on accident) that literally was not good for me and was killing my joy in all areas of life. I have shared this journey openly not because I think women shouldn’t work. No, not what I have said or am I remotely implying. Instead, I have shared my journey because I want to encourage you to say “no” to something if it’s robbing your joy. It is ok to eject from something you even started or have invested so much into if it’s eroding your capacity to pour into what matters the absolute most. I had to submit to humility and accept that I was not doing well in the very thing I had created for myself. No matter how seemingly “good” something is, it’s not worth it if it’s robbing you of your time to pour into your family, your kids, your faith.

So what have I done with my extra time? Well, a whole lot less of a what I thought this year would include, to be honest. I genuinely thought I would be finishing my book I had started with Tyndale about a year and a half ago in this time. But, God closed that door for the time being. I was really frustrated about it. I felt hurt, but I feel so called to the specific book God has laid on my heart. I didn’t want to change what I felt a vision for because it didn’t fit their need. And I am ok with that! And I am certain my 30 page thesis and pitch will be picked up but he right person. I am really grateful for the opportunity that was presented to me and it stretched me. And now, I have something ready to go when the right publisher comes along.

I coached my son’s soccer team. I don’t wanna brag… but we started from the bottom and we ended with games 13-2 hehe. These are the things I can hang my hat on now and I am not mad about it. Just call me “Coach Hannah.” 😉

I gained a new perspective on what matters. I am just genuinely happy to pay my bills, have healthy kids, and have a home with a roof and lights. I know that sounds so dumb and basic, but it genuinely was something I came to be so thankful for over the last year.

I can play on the floor with my kids without having to check my email for a client’s concerns or frustrations.

I can film content and write when I feel a desire to, not when I am pressure-prompted. I thought I would focus so much on my blog again over the last year, but I didn’t. I have hardly touched it. I thought I would do monthly photoshoots again and create content for my email list… but I didn’t. I didn’t do any of that. I just was… mom. And honestly, it was so nice. A bit stretching and at times a slight identity crisis. But in general, so so good.

I have been extra picky about partnerships and collaborations. I say no even if it would be nice to have that money. But it’s not worth the work if it doesn’t align perfectly with the vision I have for my kids and my home.

I have poured my heart and soul into the women of Cadence and had the chance to plan events that fill my cup. Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter… I love to throw a good party and to see people find community. This will be the joy of my life alongside my babies for the rest of my life.

All this to say, I feel I have lived such an open book life for y’all through every season of my life. And this one has been something so notable but less shared about. Not for any particular reason other than… I have been MIA here on the blog side of things and that’s where I feel I could share more openly about it. Here’s to a year of blooming in motherhood and to many more years of it to come.

Some fun life updates:

  • Knox graduates from PreK Monday and I am already weeping.
  • I was just named the face of Snuggle Me Organic for the next 6 months and am genuinely still like… “are you sure you reached out to the right person?” but I am so honored and excited. It’s such a fun and creative outlet for me!
  • We have sabbatical for the next 4 weeks starting Monday and we are so excited! This means Paul won’t be preaching for four weeks and we will be spending tons of family time together. We will do this every summer to get vision for the church for the upcoming year as well as some needed rest! There will be some of our favorite people preaching those Sundays and I cannot wait for our people to get poured into by them!!

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

I love this stage of spring where it’s truly warming up, likely past all the random cold fronts, and it even smells like warmer weather outside. I love a good spring morning around this time barefoot in the dewy grass to start the day and for some reason, this weather makes me long to be home in my small hometown driving down 1863 with my hand out the window. CORE MEMORY. Today, mama, I have a gift guide for Mother’s Day! (Yes, Paul, this is my personal wish list hehe). We are planning a really fun Mother’s Day at Cadence which has gotten me really excited for Mother’s Day this year way early. Just send this post to your hubs and set him up for success! 😉

A few key favorites:

Pastel Pink Nikes: Okay, so actually I own these already as part of my spring closet purchases for the year. I love them and I am not sure I have ever gotten so many compliments on a pair of shoes before. They are also comfortable and passed the Sunday test! NO BLISTERS!

Pastel Nike Socks: I couldn’t pass these up the other day when I went to Schools for socks! I went with the intention of buying white… but how can you say “no” to these?!

MacKenzie Childs Tea Pot: What a perfect print, my favorite MC print by far they’ve ever released. This is the kind of piece I would keep out at all times and dream of passing on to Chloe one day!

French Country Table Book: Okay, I mean this is gorgeous. It’s inspiring, it’s classic, it’s elegant, it’s chic… YES PLEASE. Pair this with a Volcano Candle and Pink Glasses for the most perfect Mother’s Day (or just girly gift) ever.

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