life with laura: mom

6.12.2013

i love surprises! {well, surprising other people}

last week i wrote about how i had a few surprises for the weekend. well operation surprise my mom & stepdad is now complete so i wanted to share!

surprise # 1: my cousin! her & i planned her trip down about a month ago and i've kept quiet ever since. after having drinks with my parents on friday, i raced home to meet lauren who drove down from DC. saturday morning we showed up at my mom's house & everyone was shocked & so happy to see her. i love having her around - i wish she lived here!

surprise #2: these adorable little cookies i had made for the housewarming party. i contacted a local baker a few weeks ago and asked if she could make a custom cookie that looked like their house. i sent her a picture & they turned out beautifully. thanks to terry at sugarbaker's in belmont for the cookies - they were a hit!

surprise #3: spa day! i had a half day on monday from working on sunday so i scheduled a very late "mother's day/thank you for all you do for me" spa day for my momma & i. i kidnapped her around 1pm & made her guess where we were going the whole drive. we went to the fabulous ballantyne spa and lounged in the hot tub, steam room & sauna before our appointments. i got a massage & my mom got a 50 minute facial. i loved spending the day with her & just relaxing!

6.10.2013

mom & b's housewarming party!

last summer, my mom & stepdad relocated from the burbs of charlotte to the coolest part of charlotte, plaza midwood. they found a charming 3 bed, 2 bath bungalow on a darling little street & i have loved having them so close. in january, they started doing renovations to make the house more wheelchair friendly for brian and finally finished them up sometime in april. so this past saturday, we had their "backyard garden" housewarming party! it FINALLY stopped raining & it was a beautiful evening with our friends & family!