(cropped the rest of the details off the bottom of the invite I sent out)
On New Year’s Eve, we hosted an engagement party for our daughter Catherine and her fiancé, Robert. There couldn’t have been a sweeter way to end the year!
I had hoped to share this post sooner… I always do… But those of you’ve who have been around here long enough have probably noticed my pattern in recent years. I’m always on a roll (ie: I don’t sleep much!) from All Saints’ Day through Advent each year… and then our late December birthdays hit (this year it was Spider-Man and Jurassic World themes), then it’s all of the last-minute Christmas prep (with Flu A mixed in this year), Christmas, immediately followed by catching up at work (including all the year-end bookkeeping and tax prep at work) and finalizing plans for our spring homeschooling semester squeezed in there somewhere… I completely run out of steam enough hours in the day so I quietly (and unintentionally!) disappear from the internet.
January has somehow already come and gone, but I’m determined to not let it become another “see you again in May” year here on the blog… Which would be unlikely anyway, with our daughter’s wedding scheduled for May 30th!!!
So, before any more time slips away, I want to go back and share some pictures from New Year’s Eve! What you won’t see in the pictures is that I rotated a rib that morning (soooo painful – most likely from the assisted chin ups at my Lift appointment the day before 🤦🏻♀️ I could barely move my arms – still recovering) but thankfully I had many willing helpers at home and I was able to just direct most of the final preparations for our party that evening! It’s definitely a bittersweet joy as we watch our daughter get closer to her next chapter. We are so happy for them! It was such a fun evening, the perfect way to begin a brand new year!
Eight of our nine kids were able to be home. Our oldest son had just been home for Thanksgiving (to see off his uncle, thanks to an understanding supervisor!) but wasn’t able to be here for Christmas this year. Hopefully in future years, as he moves up the ranks in seniority, we will get to have him home for the holidays more often. We missed him! Thankfully everyone else was able to be home and we squeezed in the party, just before our 23 year old had to return to Oregon and our college kids flew back to California and North Dakota. Whew! I can’t wait till they are all home for the wedding in May!
Party Prep
The Menu
- Bouquet Charcuterie Board
- Caprese Skewers/Wreath Board
- Meatballs in Crock Pot
- Hot Artichoke & Spinach Dip with Baguette Slices
- Baked Brie
- Cowboy Caviar with Chips
- Deviled Eggs garnished with Parsley & Pomegranate Seeds
- Chocolate Heart Bundt Cake (pan here)
- Praline Pecan Cheesecake (recipe here)
- Chocolate Strawberries
- Sweet Bites: Chocolate & Coffee “Opera Cake”, Raspberry “Macaron aux Framboises” Cake and Caramel & Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Dream Italian Dessert Cups
- Chocolate Truffles
- European Cookies
- Champagne
- Sparkling Cider
- Decaf Coffee, Tea & Cocoa
More Pictures from the Party!
Please keep them in your prayers!
Prayer for Couples Preparing for Marriage
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, look upon those preparing for marriage. Send the Holy Spirit to open their hearts to your love so that, with honesty and selflessness, they may be strengthened to receive the Father’s sacred design. Through their spousal love, may they bear witness to your abiding faithfulness. Obtain for them the grace to live the gift of fertility and to reject all that contradicts it. May they honor the Creator’s plan that they be “one flesh” for the “whole of life,” and become generous stewards of new life. Make them and all married couples beautiful witnesses of faithfulness and harmony to renew the face of the earth. Amen.
I hope your new year is off to a very blessed start!
Beautiful! Love the roses! Many blessings for their marriage in May💕🌹🎉🙏
Thank you!❤️
The prayer is just lovely! Lovely! As is Chiquita in her glasses.
Don’t worry about posting often. We are grateful when you get a chance to post.
Take care!
P.S. Did you eat all the food?
Thank you, Nancy! I think we had around 40 people here, but still ended up with some leftovers! It all got eaten over the next couple days though, with some of our older boys still home. ☺️
Jessica, this is all so lovely. Thank you for taking the time to share with us! I am so happy for your daughter. Praying your rib heals asap! I am so sorry that happened.
Thank you! I just keep managing to injure myself. 😅
What a beautiful party!! We have a family wedding also on May 30, what a great day! :-) God bless them both!
What a wonderful party, and how exciting to have the wedding to look forward to!
I hope you’ll share some wedding joy here, I can’t wait to read all about their special day.
They sure are a beautiful couple! ❤️
Thank you for sharing! Your daughter is beautiful, congratulations to her and her fiancé.
Thank You for sharing the engagement party. The couple are lovely and everyone looks like they had a good time. God Bless
Marion
What a nice engagement party. God Bless Catherine and Robert. Thank You for sharing the pictures of the engagement party.
Marilyn