Our lives seem to be marked by milestones. We celebrate a baby’s first steps, a child’s first day of school, graduations, weddings, and birthdays. Marking these events help us celebrate the big and little moments in life. Taking time to acknowledge a special occasion adds value to something that might otherwise be overlooked.
Our President, Laureen, loves to celebrate milestones. On February 6th, she celebrated her 60th birthday by bringing her entire family, including all seven of her grandchildren, to Disneyland. Ten years ago, she celebrated her 50th as a much smaller family in Walt Disney World. Disney does everything well, including celebrating milestones. Laureen loves the experience that Disneyland creates, and how much attention is paid to the little details. Disney works tirelessly to ensure that you truly believe you are in the happiest place on earth!
The family enjoyed a special birthday breakfast with Minnie Mouse.
Gabriella, Laureen's eldest granddaughter, with her Mima.
The grandchildren met Lightning McQueen in Cars Land.
At Wren & Willow, creating an experience for our clients is important to us. During the groundbreaking of a custom home, we have a ceremony with a golden shovel, champagne, and a toast. For a concrete pour, we have the children of the family make handprints that will last forever. Before a remodel, we encourage the children to show off their artistic skills by drawing on the walls that will soon be coming down. We like to help them mark the big moments of their project because they are our big moments, too. We celebrate with them because we are just as excited as they are!
Wren & Willow's Future President, Ezra, has his handprints hidden under the floor boards of the W & W office building.
Golden shovels breaking ground on the land of a new custom home.
Champagne to toast an exciting beginning.
Our Superintendent helping to make handprints at a new custom home.
These handprints will last forever in their home's foundation.
A haven for your family and a retreat for your guests is what we strive to accomplish for your home. We enjoy hearing about all of the memories and milestones that are being created throughout the years. We love being a part of your lives in this way!
Nanny's Strawberry Cake by James Rayburn
My nanny came up with this cake for one of her granddaughter's birthdays, and it turned out so well, it became a family recipe. This strawberry cake is gorgeous for Valentine's Day or a summer birthday.
Ingredients:
Cake
1 Box White Cake Mix, Duncan Hines preferred
3 Eggs
1/4 C. Oil
1 Package Strawberry Jell-O
10 oz. Package Frozen Strawberries with Juice
Filling
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1/4 C. Sugar
Frosting
2 C. Whipping Cream
2 tsp. Strawberry Juice
1 tsp. Vanilla
Pinch of Sugar
Directions: Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all of the cake ingredients thoroughly together. Once batter is mixed, divide into three greased 9-inch round cake pans. Bake according to directions on cake mix box. While cake is baking, cream together the filling ingredients. Spread between layers once cake is completely cooled. Whip together the frosting ingredients. Cover entire cake once layered together with filling. Decorate with fresh strawberry halves in the frosting over the sides and top of the cake."
Speaking of milestones, Wren & Willow reached one at the beginning of this year by welcoming our Architect to the team! Stacy Ostlund is a wonderful addition to our family. Stacy has always loved drawing and took to drafting in high school. She believes there is a beautiful balance achieved through bringing nature indoors, and has often been inspired by Faye Jones and his organic church architecture. We are excited for our clients to meet with such a gifted architect.
Stacy and her family with their corgi, Lexi.
To learn more about Stacy, click here.
This month we want to give you tools to make memories that will last forever. We hope the goodies inside this crate remind you to preserve those special moments!
This giveaway has now ended. Subscribe to our newsletter to be updated on future giveaways.
Photos by: Nathaniel Gutierrez
We were honored to receive an award for
Custom Home Builder of the Year in 2018,
and wanted to share this news with you!