When I was two, my mom and dad divorced, and both were remarried by the time I was four. Growing up with two sets of parents has been all I've ever known, and I have been incredibly blessed to have four parents who support me together.
Growing up with two moms and two dads meant that I also have a super-large family. And I have been so lucky to never have been treated like a stepchild in any one of them. In October of 2018, I lost my grandmother, aptly named Mammaw to all who knew her. My mammaw was my stepfather's mother, but just like all of my grandmothers, she treated me no different.
I look back at my earliest memories of Mammaw's house. She had an inground pool, and the whole family would gather for weekend cookouts. She had a swinging door attached to her kitchen, and the door constantly swung open with more food. She had the most amazing garden. She tended her flowers with the utmost care, and grew so many different varieties. She loved all things outdoor... the bugs, the birds, the animals... all were welcome. Her porch had a swing, and I loved to sit in that swing and talk with whomever decided to sit down next to me. Her backyard was a little slice of paradise, even with being located just outside of Baltimore.
My mammaw loved camping. One of the best vacations I ever took was when she insisted on renting a cabin in Herrington Manor State Park in western Maryland (very close to Deep Creek). She had rented those cabins years ago with her kids, and she once again wanted all of her kids to come. Did I mention that those cabins were only one room cabins, with a single open loft? The entire large family spent the weekend in one of those cabins, in the winter, huddled next to the woodstove. No television, no video games... it was simply perfect. I don't even remember how many people we fit in that cabin... I want to hinder a guess at 12 to 15. All I know is that it was amazing. In the middle of the night, when no one could fall asleep, we were calling out what everyone's "Indian" name might be. My mom's was Percolator, because of the copious amounts of coffee she drank. I was given the name "Little Pot Belly" by my mammaw, because I had always had a stomach that stuck out due to me arching my back. I still giggle at those moments today, try to remember myself to stand up straight, and love the fact that my daughter K has a tummy just like mine.
I wish, looking back, that I had gotten my kids down to see Mammaw more often in the most recent years. She went into a nursing home, and I hesitated to visit with the kids because bringing three young children can be incredibly disruptive. That is one of my deepest regrets. She had so much knowledge to give. Pictured below is (almost) all of the Felts clan at my wedding back in 2012... Mammaw responsible for it all! She is the one in brown.
April 20th would've marked Mammaw's 88th birthday. To honor her memory, my mom and stepfather, along with the rest of the Felts family, wanted to host a get-together. I was given the honor of planning and designing the affair. We held it at one of the best places we knew, a state park, because we felt Mammaw would've loved that. The event took place on Good Friday.
It was simply gorgeous. I wanted to channel my grandmother in as many ways as I could, so I went with natural elements, and tried to bring the outdoors in as much as possible. It was a good thing I did that, because the weather did not cooperate! What was supposed to be a gorgeous location complete with a large deck overlooking the mountains, turned into a downpour... for the entire duration of the event. But the Felts family pulls through. And we had fun. And we honored an amazing woman. Family is everything. Family is important. Family is what we live for. And I am so thankful to be a part of this family.
Party Type: Celebration of Life
Venue: The Tea Room at Gambrill State Park (Frederick, MD)
Party Theme: Nature
Total Guests: 32
Number of Kids: 6
Activities: planting station, scattering of birdseed, Easter egg hunt
Food: ham, brisket, turkey, and all the sides
Dessert: pie bar (pies made by Brown's Orchards - Loganville, PA)
Favors: candles scented like lavender, rosemary, and sage
The chalkboard that I made out of an old picture frame and some wood was utilized here. We also brought along an old milk jug from my parents house. I also repurposed some items from my wedding. The mason jars hanging from the milk shepherd's hooks lined my aisle at my wedding, and here we filled them with some very wild flower arrangements. We used a variety of flowers and greens for florals around the venue.
I was so sad that it poured down rain because I had to send this activity home with kids. Maybe it is because I have three kids of my own, but I always am trying to think of ways to entertain kids at events. I know how hard it is for them to sit still. I had a variety of activities planned for the kids at Mammaw's event. The intention for the one pictured above was for kids to paint flower pots, and then plant some pansies to take home. The rain put a damper on this. We also hosted a huge Easter egg hunt, since we were so close to Easter. We did do this one... out in the rain! We just go with the flow. I also had raided the dollar store for little toys and knick-knacks I could give the kids to keep them occupied.
The inside of the venue turned out gorgeous, even with us having to keep all tables inside due to the rain. We had planned on having appetizers, drinks, and cocktail tables outside on the large deck, but had to rearrange when the weather forecast occurred.
Tables were decorated with white linens, topped with a burlap overlay. White plates were offset with bright yellow napkins. Centerpieces were made out of wood slabs, greenery and flowers, pinecones, rocks, and acorns. I also collected lots of old bottles, and purchased some tin pieces from Hobby Lobby.
I made all of the placecards, with an order of events printed on the back. I embossed all of the leaves on the cards, to add a special touch. Yellow napkins were rolled, tied with jute twine, and decorated with a sprig of rosemary.
The large fireplace was our feature wall. I decorated it with a custom sign I made, the Bible quote selected by my mom. I flanked the fireplace with large floral arrangements, and added some family photos as well.
The original intention of our cocktail tables was the show off the gorgeous view of the mountains. These pictures were snapped just before the rain began and I rushed to get them brought inside. It's the thought that counts, right? We ordered willow green tablecloths for all of the additional tables at the event. That included cocktail tables, food tables, and other display tables.
Guests hung photos to help remember Mammaw, and we also displayed a slideshow that my uncle created. Candles were sent home as little favors. They were scented with lavender, rosemary, and sage. I added the stickers on the top and decorated each with jute twine. To honor my grandmother, we spread birdseed off the deck to "feed her birds" and had bubbles for the kids to blow.
Who doesn't love pie? For dessert, we had six pies made by Brown's orchards. I added my little chalkboard sign I had made, and then displayed all six with various cake stands, greenery, and rocks. I also loved the little labels I made using my Cricut. This was the first time I had used the drawing tool, and loved the way it turned out.
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