Pony and Cowgirl Birthday Party

I asked Kari several times as her birthday approached what type of party/theme she'd like to have.  Not even once did she waver from a "pony party."  I negotiated a bit with her to see if she'd tolerate a more general cowgirl motif and to ensure that this wasn't going to turn into a My Little Pony party.  Fortunately she was amenable to the minor modifications and we rolled forward.

The invitations set the theme and turned out really well.  I had a bunch of Kari's old jeans with blown out knees and I had no idea why I was holding onto them until this.  I'm so happy I had stashed them away.  Of course this encouraged guests to wear all things cowboy and plaid!

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Developing the decorations took relatively little work.  Mom brought down Dad's cowboy hat and boots and each boot served as the centerpiece at the tables. I equipped one of the boots with a vase and gerber daisies.  Pink bandanas and horseshoe confetti rounded out the table decor.

Next we came up with the menu.  That was super easy- white chili, red chili, deep fried turkey, Spanish cornbread and lemonade served in cowboy mugs from Oriental Trading.  The food was delicious and so appropriate!  We were able to continue the Western and rustic decor in the kitchen too.  I had recently scored some old storage boxes from a lab at work.  They served as perfect serving containers.

 Okay, so My Little Pony wasn't totally omitted from the day. At least she wore a cowboy hat.

For dessert we had our traditional family star cake, Uncle Lee's sugar cookies using a horse, horseshoe and star cookie cutters and these super nifty cactus sticks.

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This was a super easy party with lots of resources available with little effort.  Already looking forward to planning Bryce's party in August!