January is over?!

It’s the end of January which means life in the Yeagley house can finally slow down. We go from Thanksgiving and Christmas to two birthdays right in a row. Both of my kids have January birthdays and it made the first month of the year a bit more hectic.

I wanted to share some pictures from two recent parties that we had in the last few weeks. My parents hosted Christmas at Lake Erie Bluffs and we had Nolan’s first birthday party at Bears Den Cabin in Mill Creek Park.

Rent a unique space

Have you ever had to rent a facility for a party? I can say that both of my recent experiences were great! With Nolan having a winter birthday it is hard to host a big party at our house. Their first birthday is always a big deal so it’s more than our normal family get together total. I knew I wanted it somewhere unique but not huge and bland where it would feel like a gym.

Bears Den Cabin (Mill Creek Park)

Bears Den Cabin was exactly what I was looking for and went along perfectly with my Baby Bear theme. The cabin is a part of Mill Creek Park and the park has a few other rental options for smaller parties. Bears Den had a full kitchen, well heated, gas fireplace, and seating for 40 people. They just got brand new chairs and tables in there which was a perk for us because we weren’t expecting that!

Tips to remember if you’re renting a facility for a party:

1. Bring extra trash bags, dish towels, cleaning supplies
2. Don’t forget your serving utensils!
3. Bring Tupperware you’re ok to part with to send extra goodies/food home with your guests.
4. Play soft music on a bluetooth speaker to keep that party vibe going
5. Bring a rug for little ones to play/crawl on
6. Have a few space heaters handy just in case to alleviate some of the cold (if it’s a winter party)

Lake Erie Bluffs (Cleveland Area)

Lake Erie Bluffs is a really unique venue. It is an indoor/outdoor type of building with garage doors that surround the building. A fireplace is the centerpiece of the lodge and the view of the lake is the icing on the cake. We had our Christmas dinner there so we couldn’t take advantage of the garage doors being open but I have heard that there have been some great parties there in the summer. It would be a great spot for a graduation party or a small wedding reception. The sun sets over Lake Erie so I could see a late summer night being the perfect setting for a summer wedding.

The facility is open to the public so everyone is welcome to come in and enjoy the fireplace. It is also a good spot for family photos if you have little ones that can’t be out in the cold for too long. We were worried it wouldn’t be warm enough in there but the fireplace was more than enough to heat the entire space.

I mention a bit more detail about renting the Lariccia Community Center in this post. It’s located at Boardman Park. Overall, I would definitely rent a facility for a party again. In my opinion it allows me to be more creative with how I want to do things whether it be decorate or what’s on the menu. A con of not having it at your house is that you have to bring everything with you. Maybe a bonus tip should be…have your hubby come later to help setup so that if you forget something you can call him 🙂

These next few pictures are from Lake Erie Bluffs

Gwen’s first birthday party – we rented a space at Old North Church