{Name}  Laurel Donahoo
{Hometown}  Madison, MS
{Event Site} The Donahoo House! in Madison
{Tell us about the occasion for the event?} 
My little boy Wilson turned two years old!

{What inspired your event location and theme?}
We chose our home as the venue since it’s easy for me to slowly decorate throughout the days leading up to the party! And the theme was actually picked by Wilson! We printed out six different pictures of six things he is “into” and taped them to the wall, then we let him into the room and let him pick his favorite of the six! The one he picked was a picture of his favorite stuffed animal, his lion Mr. Roarsly, so our theme was LION! 

{What inspired your color scheme/flowers?}
I ended up hand drawing an art deco-y lion for the invitation after deciding that I wanted to take the theme a tad past just “lion” to “Roaring Twos!” The colors I went with on the lion dictated the color theme for the partay! 

{What’s your favorite event detail? Is there a story behind it?}
I ended up really loving the balloon canopy that we hung on the ceiling of the room that was our main party room! I purchased a bunch of larger round balloons online knowing I wanted to use them to decorate somehow. Once we had all the balloons blown up, the idea came to us to string them up and hang them from the ceiling! It made a pretty cool statement! And now they are hanging in Wilson’s room from his ceiling!

{What was your favorite part of the event planning process?}
I loved getting the food and drink together and labeling everything with little tags made using the same lion that was on the invitation! I like detailing a party, so all of that was especially fun for me :) 

{What was your favorite moment of the event day?}
It was definitely after cake was eaten and presents were open, when everyone was just hanging out! Wilson had so much fun playing with his sweet cousins and visiting with his aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We are so blessed with incredible family, so getting to spend quality time with both sides together is always a highlight!  

{Your favorite picture from the event day?}
I love the picture of Wilson stuffing a piece of cake into his mouth! Forget the fork! haha! That picture captures the essence of the day, in my opinion. I love it! And I love him! :)  

VENDORS:

Photographer: Me, Laurel Donahoo!

Event Planner: Me, Laurel Donahoo!

Venue: Our Home

Florist: Me, Laurel Donahoo!

Cake: I made it!

Cookies: Marie Williams from The Honeycomb 

Haven't bought anything for your Valentines yet?  Don't worry; we have you covered!  We have compiled a lift of twenty-six gifts, perfect for anyone on your list.  Whether you want to treat your sweetheart, a precious child or your dearest friend, we guarantee these Mississippi-made products will make your Valentine smile!

Emerald Ring
Albriton's Jewelry Inc.
Jackson, MS
albritons.com 

Homemade Salsa
Redneck Homemade
Salsa
Available at Kroger

Handmade Lures
Treblehook Lures
Pearl, Mississippi
Available at The Pet Shop of Fonder

Capri Blue Candles
Aspen Bay Candle Company
Starkville, Mississippi
aspenbaycandles.com

Jams and Sauces
D'Evereux Foods
Natchez, Mississippi
devereuxfoods.com

Paintings
Haley Farris Artwork
Greenwood, Mississippi
Available at Gifts by KPEP

Handmade Duck Calls
Half Moon Duck Calls by Clifford Ammons
Ridgeland, Mississippi
[email protected]

Birthday Party Decor
Judith Anne's
Jackson, Mississippi
Available at Bows & Arrows

Jewelry
Liza Sorgenfrei Jewelry
Starkville, Mississippi
facebook.com/lizasorgenfreidesigns

Candles
Grassroots Natural Candle Company
Columbus, Mississippi
www.grassrootscandles.com

Men's Hunting Items
Wren & Ivy
Madison, Mississippi
wrenandivy.com
Available at Persnickety

Bath Balls
Musee Bath
Madison, Mississippi
museebath.com

Rebecca Baldwin Jewelry
Jackson, Mississippi
Available at Persnickety

Hand Carved Wood Items
Chuck Peel Woodwork
Madison, Mississippi
Available at Persnickety

Frame
White Barn Frames
Available at Farmhouse in Tupelo, Mississippi

Mama & Baby Butter
rOw10 Baby
Ridgeland, Mississippi
row10baby.com

Printed Items
Swell-O-Phonic
Jackson, Mississippi
chane.com

Porcelain Silhouette
Hands in Clay
Jackson, Mississippi
handsinclayjo.com

Painted Pottery
The Mustard Seed Gift Shop
Jackson, Mississippi
mustardseedinc.org

Clothing
Mississippi Hippie Apparel Co.
Oxford, Mississippi
mississippihippieapparel.com

Sauces
Kyvan Foods
Aberdeen, Mississippi
kyvan82.com

Bath Flowers
A'Marie's Bath Flower Shop
Pearl, Mississippi
amariesbathflowershop.com
Available at Persnickety

Wood Items
The Painted Possum
Brandon, Mississippi
paintedpossum.com

Cheese Straws
MeMaw's Cheese Straws
Yazoo City, Mississippi
memawscheesestraws.com
Available at Persnickety

Makeup
Amy Head Cosmetics
Ridgeland & Oxford, Mississippi
amyheadcosmetics.com

Recipe Helpers
Ala Carte Alice
Louisville, Mississippi
alacartealice.com

Photography by Adam + Alli Photography.  Check out their incredible work here! 

Mississippi's famous Dixie National Livestock Show and Rodeo kicks off this week!  From February 9th through the 19th, guests from around the world will flock to Jackson for the largest professional rodeo east of the Mississippi River.

Today, we are thrilled to feature one of Dixie National's most beloved characters, Lecile.  

“Let’s say there’s a cowboy in trouble.  He’s hung up and can’t get his hand out, so obviously it’s going to be a wreck.  To be able to get yourself in there in a position to untie his hand; to drop him out and allow him to escape unharmed by maneuvering the bull to you; to be able to work yourself out of that position; and to then top that off with a little piece of comedy – there’s no greater feeling I can think of.” Lecile Harris, author of Lecile: This Ain’t My First Rodeo

“When I return home from trips, I have a ‘honeydo’ list a mile long,” laughs Lecile Harris in a warm, comforting voice.  He has kind, sparkling eyes and a deep dimple in his left cheek. The passionately creative man, now eighty-years-old, has been a legend in the world of rodeo for over sixty years.  A renowned clown and bull fighter, Harris has just returned to his home in Collierville, Tennessee, from a weekend of dazzling crowds and saving cowboys. 

In 1936, Harris was born in a sleepy Delta town, nestled along the Mighty Mississippi.  “I was born in Lake Cormorant, Mississippi.  The town had one store, a general mercantile with a post office inside.”  He laughs, “And that’s where I was born – in the back room of a mercantile store.”

Creativity surges through Harris’s veins.  Even as a young child, he had a deep appreciation for the arts.  “I was raised on a farm and chopped cotton.  I knew there was something easier than that!  I wanted to come out of there with something,” he says.  Harris was a talented musician, drawer and painter, a born entertainer and brilliant comedian.  In his best-selling book, Lecile: This Ain’t My First Rodeo, he writes, “{Comedian} Boob Brasfield was my first introduction to comedy….Boob’s timing was what made him so good.  Even at ten years old, I recognized the importance of timing and it never left me.  Just like in music, timing is everything in comedy.”

Harris started a rock n’ roll band in high school and was a star football player.  “The first comedy I ever did was a bit called ‘Serenade to Insomniac.’”  Harris played the insomniac.  “They wanted me to go out and have trouble sleeping, but that wasn’t good enough for me,” he reflects.  Instead, he poured a glass of cold milk from a refrigerator, and pretended to slam his finger over and over in the door.  The audience went crazy.  “I just had to overdo it to be even funnier, and I’ve kept that up throughout my clowning career.” 

As a senior in high school, Harris was awarded a football scholarship to the University of Tennessee Martin.  He was looking for something to keep him in shape over the summer, and heard of a rodeo across the river in Arlington, Tenn.  A short trip and five dollars later, the eighteen-year-old became enamored with bull fighting and decided to give it a shot.  He was hooked (in more ways than one.)  “That sucker reared up and tore my shirt off and skinned my back up, and that just really made me mad,” Harris laughs.        

He continued to fight bulls and began studying the rodeo clowns.  “One Sunday the clown’s car broke down and he didn’t make it.  I took his place.  I knew nothing about it, other than watching him.  I was unorthodox and very different.  Because of that, it became a marketing tool for me.  I reverted back to watching my favorite childhood comedians – Laurel and Hardy, W.C. Fields, and Red Skelton.” He closely studied a famous circus clown with the Ringling Brothers, who used pantomime and body language.  “Back then, we didn’t have microphones.  I might be over 65 yards from the crowd.  It called for a lot of body language.”  His physical comedy regularly had the audience roaring in laughter.

Harris’ musicality catapulted his clown career, as Harris danced with the bulls.  “When the sound guy started my record playing, I’d pair off with a bull and actually dance with him.  If the bull was good and hot and really rank, he’d watch my moves and match them in rhythm to the music.  Every once in a while, right in the middle of the song, he’d blow towards me.  When he did, I’d make a pass and step back out and start dancing again.  I did that for over thirty years, and it got to be a feature.”

Harris says he loves creating a character – not for himself, but for the clown.  “Lecile the clown is a different character from who I am.”  Harris owned a sign company for fifty years and was an incredible artist.  “I could draw, so I would draw my rodeo character.  I had blueprints of acts that I did.  I would draw myself in this situation to see what it was going to look like from the crowd’s point of view.” As soon as Harris steps into the rodeo arena, he becomes the clown.  “When I step in, my voice inflections change, my walk changes and my vocabulary changes.  I am that character until I walk out of the arena.”

Though he now resides in Collierville, the legend says, “Mississippi is just home.  I’m two miles from the Mississippi line now.  I didn’t get very far into Tennessee.  The Dixie National Rodeo in Jackson is kind of like going home.”  He smiles, “I see people in the stands who I have seen for years and I talk to them after the rodeo.  So many people will say, ‘My granddaddy used to bring me to the rodeo just to see you.’  For me to be able to say that I’ve worked in front of that many generations is truly unbelievable.  I have a connection with them and they have a connection with me.”

For over sixty years, Harris has captivated rodeo crowds across the world, from Arkansas to South Africa.  He has been named “Pro-Rodeo’s Clown of the Year” four times and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.  “That is certainly the highest honor. It’s your peers who put you there; not the public.  It’s your announcers, other acts and even other clowns.  That’s what makes it so special.” 

His beloved wife, Ethel, has been his constant companion since they married shortly after college.  “My wife has always supported me.  She didn’t really have a choice.  When she complained about me being broken up, crippled, or gone, I say, ‘I was doing this when we got married,’” he laughs.  Harris and Ethel have three children, who inherited his joy for the arts.  Matt, his eldest son, joined Harris in his clown acts.   His son, Chuck, is a professional drummer, and daughter Christi was a dancer with The Beach Boys.  To his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, he is affectionately known as “Big Daddy.”

“I was really busy all of my life,” reflects Harris.  “And to this day, I remain busy.  Collierville has a historical district and their signs are hand-painted the old-fashioned way.  So, this morning at 5:30am, I was up on the square lettering signs for the city.  Painting is still kind of my therapy.”  Harris continues performing in rodeos most weekends of the year.  “I fought bulls for thirty-six years, had a lot of broken bones and licks.  I have an old tractor that hasn’t been used in ages and is completely rusted down.”  He laughs, “That’s just the way I’m going to be if I give up.  I still enjoy what I do, and when I don’t enjoy it, I’ll just walk away.”

Photography by Adam + Alli Photography and Article by Mitchell Ammons Walters.  View their incredible website here!  For more information on the 2017 Dixie National Livestock Show and Rodeo, please click here! 

Treat your tiniest Valentine to a sweet afternoon date this February!  There is something so special about the relationship between a father and his daughter; why not make your little one feel extra loved this Valentine's Day?!  

Rent a limousine, gift her with pretty flowers and head out for pizza and ice cream!  We promise it will be an evening to remember for years to come!

A special thank you to the following Vendors for making this photoshoot such a success:

Sal and Mookie's New York Pizza & Ice Cream Joint
Bows and Arrows
Fresh Cut Catering and Floral 
Phoenix Limousine and Luxury Coach 

"Mind the gap, cross the pond, and celebrate the life of London-town at the Mississippi Children's Museum (MCM) on Saturday, February 11, 2017 from 7:00-11:00pm for Ignite the Night: London Calling," says the Mississippi Children's Museum.  This incredibly fun adults-only fundraiser is presented by BankPlus and MCM Partners to support this extraordinary museum in its efforts to improve literacy and learning across the state of Mississippi.  

For one evening every year, MCM invites adults to enjoy this magical museum without their children.  Chellese Hall, MCM Community Relations Manager, smiles, "Each gallery comes to life with festive food, mesmerizing music, and amusing activities like photo booths with quirky costumes, mysterious guests, and creative cocktails. Hosted by MCM Partners, a group of volunteers and donors who support the museum, this 'snappy casual' affair is not your typical party. It is imaginative, entertaining and, most importantly, fun!"

This year's theme promises to be quite brilliant!  Hall adds, " MCM Partners will be bringing a British Invasion to MCM. Boogie to the beats of your favorite British music, nosh on fish and chips and other nibblers, and hobnob with some of London’s most colorful characters. Snap a selfie with Her Majesty in front of the London Eye if you can make it through the fog and past the palace guards, of course!"

Alicen Blanchard says the goal of Ignite the Night is to raise about $90,000 for MCM.  "The money earned from Ignite the Night will help support MCM's educational initiatives, make up the gap between the admission price and the actual cost of a visit per person, as well as help children who cannot afford to visit the museum be able to come and play and learn in an innovative learning space that taps their curiosity and creativity."

In 1994, MCM was created from the urgent need to improve the literacy, health and well-being of Mississippi's precious little ones.  Mississippi is home to nearly three million people, with a third of our population living in poverty.  Our children deserve a bright future.  Let's support MCM in their mission to provide exciting experiences that ignite a thirst for discovery, knowledge and learning in all children!  

We hope to see all of you this Saturday at the Mississippi Children's Museum!  Click here to buy tickets and learn more about this lovely event!  For more information on Mississippi Children's Museum, please visit mschildrensmuseum.org