Thank You Thursday - Baby Love

Welcome Baby Oliver

We are so excited that Baby Oliver's arrival is soon upon us!  Last weekend
 we had a fun celebration for our cute mom-to-be, Kayley.  

Kayley's friend, Lisa, has this amazing house that is centrally located 
and offered it for us to have Kayley's Baby Shower.  

It was so fun planning and preparing for the shower and we couldn't be happier with how everything went.  
Marci is the "esteemed cook" in our family.  Her menu blog is my favorite reference when I need a recipe.  
She came up with ideas for food and prepared and  coordinated with some of 
Kayley's friends that wanted to help out. 

Kayley's sweet mother-in-law Lorna offered to take care of the dessert.  

 We decided cupcakes would be fun.  

Lorna shopped around 

and decided on the most amazing cupcakes.  She got them

HERE.

They were delicious~

She brought three flavors and I really couldn't pick a favorite.  

Vanilla, Lemon and Peanut Butter Chocolate. 

Kayley designed amazing invitations, some banner letters, cupcake toppers 
and tags and labels for the food and favors.  

Cupcake Table

My mom addressed and mailed the invitations for us.  
She loves hand addressed letters. 

 I adored my assignment.  I got to take care of decorations and favors.

I had so much fun sewing circle banners.  It became addictive and before I knew it 

I had a mile of them.  As it turned out it was the perfect amount when 
 we went to set them up in Lisa's beautiful house the day before the shower.

They looked so pretty in the four front windows .

Kayley painted the "B is for Baby" sign when she was in High School.

I love using it for Baby Boy Showers.

Kayley e-mailed a file to show me the cupcake toppers she was designing.  I thought 

they were adorable and printed one not realizing it hadn't yet been re-sized. 

It was a 5 1/2 inch circle! It was so funny but I loved it 
and couldn’t bare to just toss it 

so I decided to incorporate it into a banner for the beverage bar. 

 I love this old window. It is so fun for holidays and parties. I found it 

on Etsy last year and it was perfect to feature the important announcement.  

There have been so many cute showers and parties where 

mason jars were used for drinking glasses and 

they were a nice size  for the "must have" striped straws.

The “Welcome Baby Oliver” banner Kayley designed was adorable.  
 After I printed it and cut it out I decided to add some pennants 
behind her letters to better show them off.

A couple of years ago I made advice and prediction cards for a friend’s baby shower.
I thought it would be fun for Kayley and Scott.

The food was divine.

For the favors I decided to make Rice Krispie Treat pops.

Something  simple and gluten free for Marci and Hope.  

I think they’re ready now ♥

A big thanks to Marci and Kayley's friend, Kalina for all of the wonderful pictures!

Patriotic Place Cards

4th of July Paper Hat Place Cards

Make these charming patriotic paper-hat name cards with simple step-by-step folding instructions.

Country Living Magazine

Step 1:

Fold the square in half diagonally.

Step 2: Fold both sharp points up to the right-angled corner.

Step 3: Rotate the model 180 degrees, then fold one of the sharp points to the upper corner .

Step 4: Create the horn by folding the sharp point outwards, shown. As a guide, try folding the point so that when you have done so, the upper edge rests parallel to the horizontal center crease.

Step 5: Repeat step 4 on the other side. Then fold up a single layer of paper at the bottom, to a point approximately halfway between the top of the helmet and the center line.

Step 6: Fold bottom point to where the brim will be.

Step 7: Fold again.

Step 8: Fold again

Step 9: Fold the remaining corner on the back as steps 6, 7, and 8.

Step 10: Fold right and left side back at ends and staple down from inside. Add touches of red, white, and blue crepe paper, sparkles, and pipe cleaners.

Whirlwind Week

source

"You can do it.  You can do it.  You can do it."
... I keep telling myself .

Every week is filled with lots of "to do's".

...cleaning,orders,driving kids,errands, laundry, driving kids, appointments, meals,

driving kids, church work, driving kids, and so on...

Then there are those weeks where things pile up.

AND this would be one of those!

* Tuesday Hope's Appt. 9:30 am

Tomorrow Hope has an appointment with an
Orthotics & Prosthetics specialist.

It will be pretty much an all day event to the Medical Center.

She is getting a new brace.

Her Orthopedic Surgeon told us people come from
all over the world to see him.

That is a "good thing" about living in Houston.

The BAD thing about living in Houston is apparently no one got the memo

"Drive Texas Friendly".

(even though it's kind of hard to miss!!!)

I get so stressed out driving in the city.  Thank You Laura for being our driver tomorrow!

* Cupcakes & Music 4:00 pm Sis. Miner's House

Sister Colson and all of the MiaMaids are coming over to decorate
cupcakes for New Beginnings

and work on their solos and duets with Sis. Anderson.

We're making little flags for the cupcakes that say

"Strong & Courageous", our theme for New Beginnings this year.

*Wedding Favors 7:00 pm

Mom and Kayley are coming over to help me make the wedding favors for Cassandra's Wedding.

This is where she got the idea for what she's having me do.

 Martha Stewart Weddings

  The Label I made for her:

We're attaching the label to herbal tea bags and putting them in pretty vellum envelopes

that Cynthia got from Martha Stewart  ( of course).

* Wednesday NEW BEGINNINGS

I'm so excited.  I think the girls will love it!

* Thursday- Hope's Bassoon Lesson

Solo & Ensemble Recital 5:30 pm MMJH

Marci is going to record it for us.

What would I ever do without her!

* Friday - Flowers for the Wedding

Addie's 3rd Birthday  

(Last week she celebrated in San Antonio with Meema & PaPa)

* Saturday - 8:00 am -  ..... ?

Cassandra's Wedding Day♥

*Sunday - Another Birthday Celebration for Miss Addie!

Why am I sitting here????????????
Gotta Go!

Pumpkin Candy Bar

via Amy Atlas 

Candy Buffets are so fun.

Remember this

and this

What better time for a "candy" ...bar, than 

Halloween!

From The Martha Stewart Show

  Tools and Materials:

• Good & Plenty
• Miniature marshmallows
• Twizzler licorice bites (Black)
• Gummy teeth
• Licorice wheels
• Candy corn
• Neapolitan licorice
• Ball pin
• Glass canisters
• Scissors
• Small pumpkin

Halloween-Candy Face How-To

1. Secure the candy to the pumpkin with ball pins that match the color of the treats so they aren't too noticeable. Tip: Chewy candy is easier to bend and snip.
2. Place pumpkin on glass canisters or reuse large glass jars for candy.
   

More Eye Candy

(sorry for the pun, couldn't help myself)

Candy Jar Labels to Print

from Martha Stewart

Photo: Laura Fenton via Shelter Pop

 

Martha Stewart Living

Candy Globes

via All You

Amy Atlas as pictured above

 

  via Martha Stewart

 

via Parents Magazine

via Southern Living

via McLellan Style