My mom retired and we threw a party

 My mom retired in June from teaching.  She has been teaching since before I was born.  Not only has she been an amazing teacher for the past 30 plus years, she has also mentored many teachers and made an impact on so many students.  She deserved a party.  She didn't want one, but my dad and I knew better and threw her one anyway and it was wonderful.  So many friends and family joined us for dinner, toasts, and a lot of fun!

The picture above is when she first started teaching.  The town was a tiny town in Lyman, Nebraska. I took a picture of it when we were back for a family reunion 8 years ago.  The school is now boarded up and closed, but it still the cutest little brick school!  

My mom's fellow teacher friends have gotten her into the wonderful world of succulents.   So, we went with a rustic/succulent theme and it was perfect.  When we started out, we were just going to do an open house with some appetizers and desserts and have people come by all afternoon, but when some sweet friends of my parent's said they have it at their house (which is also a popular wedding location in town), we jumped at it. 

 The tables look a little sad because it got kind of breezy (read everything was blowing away!).  We went with cream table cloths topped with burlap scraps and succulent boxes/tins.  The favors were smores. . . because who doesn't like S'mores? 

 See.  breeze.  crazy psycho breeze.  

 I put my Cricut to work to make the banner look like chalkboard.  I love the way it looked with the greenery right behind it.  

  We put this table as people walked in, so they could put any cards or gifts, sign the guest book, peek at the scrapbook, and suggest ideas to keep my mom busy since she won't be tending after 20 first graders anymore.  I shopped a lot from my house decor, so it was really easy!

 I somehow managed to not get a picture of the food, but some sweet friends all helped and we had fresh fruit, salad, rolls, pulled pork, and rice pilaf.  Everything looked really good. . . I realized that I never got a chance to sit down and eat.  Ha! 

And, what is a party with out dessert?  We ordered a Costco cake, and another teacher made beautiful cupcakes and I made some treats and my sister in law made the most delicious pound cake (we couldn't keep Weston out of it!).  Everything was so delicious!

And finally, everyone gathered in the shade, and shared stories about my mom.  She is an amazing lady and I can't wait to see what she does with all this extra time on her hands.  I suspect she will be spending lots of time with her grandchildren and making some cool quilts.  She isn't exactly one to sit still! 

This was such a fun party to work on with my dad.  My mom helped a little, because she likes to be involved.  We kept a lot of things secret so she could enjoy the afternoon!  

A big thank you for everyone who came out and celebrated my mom and even helped with all the food and clean up.  They have the best friends!  

Also, if you are local, here is where the venue is if you are looking for a place to throw a party.  This place was great and the owners are wonderful!  You can also find them here.