She wanted a Little House on the Prairie party for her 7th birthday. I didn't quite know what exactly that meant when she said it, but she trusted me with the details. The Ingall's family has been such a huge part of our lives for the past several years. We started with Farmer Boy and that snowballed into reading through the whole Little House series in a year. I have a rule about reading the book first, but because they loved the books so much, I purchased the set of all nine television seasons that Christmas and two years later, we are just finishing up the very last DVD. So, her party suggestion was a welcome challenge. Here's how we pulled it off!

Little House on the Prairie Birthday Party

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We didn't stress over the decor because we went authentic. Simple. That was hard for me as up until this point, I've felt like every birthday party needs balloons.

As it turns out, she didn't even mention them, so I know they weren't missed. Instead of the typical party decor, streamers, balloons, crepe paper, etc, we decorated in keeping with the Little House era, which means we borrowed oil lanterns, doilies and other fancy handwork from Grandpa and Grandma's house.

I did string a little banner I happened to have from Christmas decor last year (thank you Target dollar spot), but the rest was us. We were the decor AND the party..Grandma was really the hero of the day when we picked up the special bonnets and dresses she made. If you could have heard the high pitched delightful squeals that came out of this girl! We knew then that this is what she meant by a Little House on the Praire party. The outfits. The boys, Dad, Grandparents, even Great Grandma, all were great sports in honor of this little lady.

If you don't sew or have a Grandma that does, I found this cute bonnet that would more than suffice. And up there is the 'she shed' my Dad has been building for me. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I love that little place ;) It just so happens that her favorite meal is the rotisserie chicken from Costco, so, I totally went with that. I boiled up some potatoes, threw some garlic in and added a little rosemary from my garden. Then with a little salad for the side, our meal was all set. Easy Peasy!

Her dad and I had just gifted her with her very own "Little House cups" i.e. enameled coffee cup & percolator set for Christmas because she LOVES to make coffee for anyone who will drink it. (It will also work great when we take the family camping this summer. She plans to be our resident camping barista.)

She was SO very proud and so happy to be transported back in time. I just can't. even. with those boy and their suspenders!

Earlier in the day we spent some time reading through a few favorites and enjoying some fresh, crisp, January air. All of which just helped set the stage for our evening party when Dad got home.

One special thing we did was to turn off all the modern day lights and just eat by lantern light. It was almost magical. And can we talk about this cake?! It may not look like much, but that's totally on purpose. Ma's cakes weren't fancy, but they were delicious, and this one is no exception. I used my favorite Bob's Red Mill cake mix and added some almond/buttercream frosting. Mmmmm!

Little House on the Prairie Birthday cake

I'm just gonna take a minute here, and brag on my boys a bit. They never once complained about dressing up for their sisters' party. They were helpful in setting up and encouraging throughout the day when they'd share in her excitement. They helped clear the table and serve the cake.

Now, I don't say this so you think they're perfect, cuz they're SO not. But this night was a turning point for me as a parent. It may be one of the first real times where I saw such thoughtfulness and care for others in them collectively. I just really feel like we've grown as a family. I could see the years of consistency in parenting start to take it's effect. So, just a little rabbit trail here to spur you mama's on in your daily parenting. They will get it. Just stay consistent. And it's a beautiful thing to witness moments like these.

The brown paper packages, the hand-stitching, the outdoors, the love. It was all in those precious books we read together, and it was all here at this sweet party. One of my favorite parts was the sincere joy and thankfulness she displayed this evening.

So often I think we can get caught up in the hype of these big birthday bashes, and spending all this money doing something extravagant because that's what people DO, right? But, this simple little party, was just the ticket.

I think each one of us adults commented after the fact at what a sweet event this was. Not because we paid a lot for it, or spent hours planning, but because it was just simple. It wasn't over the top. There were not a lot of details and moving parts to the night. There was just us (in costume), a simple dinner with yummy cake, and a few gifts. And the feel was cozy and warm and loving. I don't know how else to explain it. It was just lovely.

Our seasonal decor totally worked for the party, although the boys voted to replace the snowshoes with at least one shot gun, "Pa style." They did not win that one, but chose to smile anyway.

That's one tired, but one very contented, little 7 year old birthday girl.