vagary (n.) ˈveɪg(ə)ri/
1. an unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone's behaviour.
It is an awkward blend of pity and wonder how quickly I change my position on, well, every question there is to answer.
Lately, I've been contemplating on whether to host a kiddie or a laid back party with friends to celebrate my daughter's first birthday. While it is tradition to have kids around, there are factors that we are considering, i.e. A) venue; B) theme; and C) which deserves to be in uppercase, BUDGET. The village where we'll be staying has a great outdoor garden of sorts, which is large enough to invite everyone, and by everyone I mean friends, relatives, and neighbors (just the kids -- sorry moms and dads). But given the fact that we're in the Philippines, even if it's summer, there might be rain. While I'm thrilled for a picnic, the other option is to get them all inside our house, which would mean I can only invite 20 people or so. We have an amazing front/side yard, but again, weather can't be trusted. I don't want to effort much -- setting up tables and stuff-- and end up squeezing everything into the living room.
I'm also concerned about the theme 'Whimsical Woodland' being too 'dark' for a first birthday party. My taste in colors is biased. Shouldn't it be colorful and be all sunshine and rainbows? Instead, here I am liking every single wheel of muted neutrals. On a related note, two days before her birthday is my birthday, so it can be a 2-in-1 party, that is for me, a good excuse to cutting costs. We can push the fun with the kids a month later, since it will be my son's third birthday then. But again, traditions. First birthdays kind of need children. ("We are children! You know. Young at heart?" This is me whining.) I am also thinking of throwing a Christmas party for our friends and Godparents of our kids, but we're also going to have a housewarming/blessing celebratory lunch or dinner, so I still don't know. But! First things first.
This month, hubby and I will start hunting stuff for the house. We have an amazing allowable amount of PHP30,000 or US$750 to spend (sarcastic). I am so going for the thrifted vintage stuff, but the husband, eeeeh. I was trying to lure him in to saying yes; I wanted to get us a secondhand sofa and secondhand dining room chairs. I've been showing him stuff all over the net about refabbing furniture. But he still hasn't totally agreed. But at least I got him to schedule a trip to 'Japan Supplies' type of flea markets. Also, I've been eying on a particular wood shop, so we'll be visiting that as well. To give an idea, and help me stick to the plan and decorate/stay cohesive, here is our, or should I say my so-partial home decor shopping list.
- Secondhand sofa which will pay a trip to the upholstery to get re-covered in a muted dark brown
- Seven cheap white throw pillows, in which three will meet with a marker and handmade stamps (to decorate with a poem that is hand-written, and coral colored bows and teal colored anchors), and the other four pillows will be covered in loud fabric (diy pillow cover, anyone?)
- Trunk vs wooden fruit crates for the coffee/center table
- Diy shelves, which will be in white (but husband is saying no -- *tears*)
- Thrifted baskets for storage (we have plenty of toys) -- or Diy rope baskets (inspiration: this)
- Diy faux fur rug
- Thrifted frames and porcelains to decorate the walls -- or pretty teapots/teacups/plateware; I want giant close-up, like really face only pictures of my kids in the living room
- Wire baskets or rack for the kitchen (to hang stuff)
- Thrifted door (believe it or not) to transform into a dining table
- White chairs for the dining room
- Large mirror, still for the dining room, which will be decorated with fake flowers (as seen from this post)
- A tiny part of the wall will serve as a divider, so we'll fill it with polaroid photo gallery
- Diy flutter curtains and tree branch curtain rod
- Diy inspirational words out of cardboard
- Diy bean bag chairs
- Diy picture clock
- Diy wood photo transfers (I want to create wooden blocks to make into a puzzle for the center table)
Honestly didn't know it will be that long. And that's just for the dining, kitchen, and living rooms! We still have the bathroom and master bedroom (the other bedroom will stay plain for now) to fill. I have diy dream catchers and pillows for the bedroom, wooden pallets as bed frame and headboard, and lot other stuff. I should probably write them down. I am afraid everything will get messy. And by messy, I mean buying things that are not needed. Tight budget tight budget tight budget.
We'll move in next month, which should give us enough time to decorate for Christmas. Also, diy gifts. Lately, I've been obsessed with handmade jewelries, specifically rings. It will be our first Christmas in our own nest, so we've decided to greet the 25th with just us, with our two kids. Though I don't know about breaking traditions; it is expected to sit with the relatives from my husband's side, and exchange gifts soon as the clock hits twelve. I am hoping to goodness they won't take it badly. We'll be visiting relatives and/or accepting guests anyway so...
Here's to hoping!
