A Fancy Headband

My fashionable and sweet friend, Brenda Horan (also stellar photographer), recently wore this headband to a baby sip-n-see. If you haven't heard of a sip-n-see, it is such a fancy party that it deserves it's own post but it is basically a post-baby baby shower, usually just drinks are served (and by drinks I mean some sort of Southern cocktail).

You can get the headband here.

A Fancy Gift

So, these kinds of finds are really much more why I decided to start this blog in the first place than the recipes or random notes I now post. When I was looking for gifts for the hostesses for one of my baby showers, I came across these extra fancy dish gloves. I couldn't resist, and got these, along with an aromatherapy scented dish gel for each of them.



I realize dishes are incredibly un-fancy, but I thought this could make them a little more fun to do. It is all about the every day, mundane things that we can find fancy that make life that much more enjoyable!

It's a bird, a plane, a rash, a family, a firework, a pregnant lady

Our July 4th celebration was a lot of fun this year, but also a secret! Both Micah and I, as well as our dear friends, Jessica & Curtis (and their two kids) wanted a small, uncomplicated celebration. So, we combined our uncomplicated wishes, and came up with a great way to relax! We didn't tell anyone else of our plans so it could stay low-key (and because we were sneaking into Jessica's parent's house). I put on a bikini for the first time since pregnant, and we all went swimming, grilled out, and enjoyed each other's company while watching a variety of fire-works shows.

You might be asking what the title of this post has anything to do with the above description, well, here are some photos that will help fill in the gaps. (birds was just to get the quote started and I am sure there were plenty in Tulsa that day)

I had been craving some jalapeno poppers, the kind wrapped in bacon with cream cheese, and when I saw them recently published here on the Pioneer Woman blog, I knew I was making them for the 4th. Well, apparently with my super sensitive pregnant skin, cutting the jalapenos burned my poor hands and I developed this terrible rash that truly freaked me out for a couple of days until I was able to guess that most likely the burns, blisters and marks had to be from cutting over a dozen jalapenos. And here is what it still looks like, over a week later:(I have been hiding my hands in embarrassment ever since. A day later when it showed up, we were almost convinced I had preeclampsia and were on our way to the ER. Glad we didn't go after all just to be turned away for cutting a few too many jalapenos!)

While blogging, the TV is on in the background and we are half-watching a show on France and they were interviewing a photographer. He said the art of photography is , "showing life as it is, reflecting the world in which you live." If that is the case, I live in a world filled with beautiful children and families:


So, the plane part of the title comes in with this picture. I think I could double for the plane that landed in the Hudson Bay a couple months ago. Okay, just kidding, I know I am not that big, but still, wow!Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, enjoyed the freedom we have, and is grateful for our armed forces, and God's favor which has been upon America.

A Fancy Shower

I had my second and final baby shower last weekend and it was so beautiful! I had a marvelous time, and was so incredibly blessed and showered with many useful baby gifts. The shower was decorated in the colors of the nursery - green, pink and orange. They had pink punch that everyone was drinking out of baby bottles (with a straw, not sucking through a nipple), delicious brunch food, and great decorations. So, here are some pics from the event.

The beautiful centerpieces, bottle with punch, and the tablecloths

were all in the colors.

Soon-to-be grandma (still working on what her name will be), and good

friend, Liz watching as I begin opening gifts.

A close-up of Micah and I's baby pictures which were hanging from

the food table's centerpiece.

Grandma "Suzu" (my mom), and I with some adorable baby hats

made by Gigi Graham.

The food table.

Look at the cute tablecloths! I have such great friends, and network of support from my church too that they would all come.

I was definitely standing by the food- it was so good! The centerpiece

decoration was a spray painted branch in orange, with baby picture of Micah and I, and baby accessories hanging from it, like bibs, spoons, teething rings, pacifiers...

It was such a fun morning, and an incredibly memorable event and welcome to the world for Daisy. Thanks to everyone who was able to come and for all the amazing and helpful gifts! This is one loved little girl that is about to be born.

Handmade Gifts

There were a few gifts from the shower that were hand-made, so I feel they deserve a special mention; especially since I dream of being crafty but just don't usually have the . My friend, co-worker's wife, and fellow blogger, Kristena Derrick is queen of home-made cuteness and she once again proved her royalty. She crocheted black booties, made a fabric daisy on a onesie, and sewed three adorable denim reversible bibs! Visit her blog to see all the creative things she creates by clicking here. But, here is a taste of her creations:



Not to be outdone, by any means, my mother-in-law had the genius creative idea of making "Daisy's First Little Black Dress." My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are both very fashion conscious which I love about them. Well, her creation was met with plenty of "oohs and ahhs" at this creation. She hand-made this out of black satin, and created matching black satin bloomers too. She purchased the pink shrug to go with it to break up the black in case it was too much black; but really, it was just so adorable and unbelievably thoughtful too. She has actually been thinking about turning this into a business, and I am already ready to order some for friends. So, if any of you are interested in getting a baby's first "little black dress" just let me know and I will be happy to arrange that for you! I have already decided that Daisy will wear this for Dane and Megan's wedding in September when we go to Europe.
Excuse the poor image quality, not sure how Micah takes such great pictures, mine always turn out a bit funny.

One more shower coming up! I will be sure to post pictures from that one too! Thanks to all my friends and family who have been so generous in their time, creativity and support for me and my growing family!

My First Baby Shower!

I had my very first baby shower this past weekend! It was sooo wonderful; our friends worked so hard to make it a beautiful and memorable event for us. We truly were so spoiled by everyone with the generous gifts too. We of course got lots of girly outfits because they are so hard to resist buying and we got a few of the items we really need too. I have one more shower later in June and then that's it! The rest is up to us!
Some of the decorations and desserts. They also had onesies for people to sign and write funny messages on. The cakes were from Ludgers; one said Daisy Barnard, and the others had her initials. Yummy!

Yes, this onesie says "ipood", not "ipod"! Too funny.

Mom and Dad to be! notice the big posters on my side on the garage? They used those for the invitations too. The colors were pink and black; even the black dog had a pink ribbon!
They had some beer to give a "man section" to the party, however, it was quickly girlified by the ribbon that was added that says, "it's a girl!"
Notice all the pink, white and chocolate colored desserts? Everything was in those colors! Really, it was beautiful!

Newly Organized Closet

In my nesting stage, I wanted to re-organize some closets, and get rid of more clutter. So, I moved all the gift supplies (wrapping paper, bows, tissue paper, bags, actual gifts...) to the study instead of one of the bedroom closets. Then I put Micah and I's old photo albums on a very top shelf in the bedroom closet where these supplies used to be, since I don't access those all too often. Here is the result:



I used the clothing rack as my new ribbon rack so I can see displayed the various ribbons available for making presents pretty! Micah will soon be adding some dowel rods so I can also hang the curling ribbon spools. And here was the first present I wrapped after newly organizing the closet!

Congratulations to Montana and Leslie on their wedding!

Fancy Baby Shower Ideas

I thought I would share some of my recent baby shower decoration items with you. One of my favorite baby shower ideas is the use of bottles for cups for all the guests. I do this quite often at baby showers, unless it is a couple's shower. The men don't seem quite as game to drink from them! Bottles can be quite expensive, but for showers, you just need the cheap kind- plain and clear. You can get them at resale shops, dollar stores, wal-mart and Targets. I cut a hole in the nipple so guests can use a straw to drink out of, and depending on the color theme for the shower, I also tie ribbons around the neck of the bottle.
For another baby boy shower, we had a ribbon theme throughout. We used a ribbon to tie on the ceiling and with clothes pins we attached all kinds of baby boy onesies, then we used the ribbon to help add decoration to the tables, they were on the metal flower buckets, on the tiered cake...It all looked lovely.

Baby Shower Baby Mommas

So, I have helped to throw a good amount of baby showers in my short 26 years of life already, and I have one coming up this Saturday. I was meeting last night with the other girls who are doing significantly more than me on this particular shower, but I did tell them my secret baby shower game I have been trying to develop for a while. I have not been brave enough to pull it off yet though, maybe because it is not quite fancy enough. But, I will share the loose pieces of my idea here and feel free to weigh in.
Well, I always thought it would be fun, if EVERYONE at the shower looked pregnant, not just the real mom to be! I don't intend it to go quite like this video as it would be obviously fake; I am hoping it will be a really silly game and more importantly some great lasting photos with black mail potential. Basically, each woman is given a balloon or a pillow to stuff under her shirt to look pregnant (if her shirt is too small she will be given an apron to fit it under, of course she is then required to be barefoot and in the kitchen if she is wearing an apron.)
The game, can then be one of many options I have thought about:
1. who can pop the other woman's balloons and be the last one standing with a fake pregnant belly (potential hazards: poking the pregnant woman's belly with a sharp object, balloons popping on non-pregnant bellies could still be painful)
2. who can blow their balloon or position the pillow to be closest in size to the circumference of the pregnant woman's protruding belly. (potential hazard: larger women may be quite embarrassed by the smallness of their balloons in an effort to be accurate)
3. We have a waddling contest to see who has the best pregnant waddle.
4. A speed shoe tying contest.

I told my friends those ideas last night when we were talking about games knowing it was really far fetched that I could actually get a group of women to ever participate in something so silly, but I was pleasantly surprised when Kelly said she would do that for me at my baby shower whenever that is. And she was pretty sure she could get Joan to participate as well. So, thanks Kelly and Joan for being real friends who will one day, don fake pregnant bellies.

Soon, I will post some more legitimate and actual fancy baby shower ideas.

Wine and Cheese Parties Part 2

I just recently ordered this book and I am really excited about it! And, since I just posted some ideas on wine and cheese parties, this book is a perfect accompaniment! In The Wine Trials, the last third of the book is all specific wines, a description of each, and their approximate price (it varies from region to region of course). The wines they list are all wines that they did blind taste testings on, and they are wines are $15 or less and in the taste testing, they beat out wines that are $50 and over! So, this book will give great suggestions on pairing with foods, tanins, notes, pricing, and therefore will make a great wine and cheese party planning companion! (I actually ordered some for Christmas gifts this year too for some friends who enjoy wine and want to get good buys too). Enjoy!

Wine and Cheese Parties

I love hosting wine and cheese parties at Christmas time. My now husband, but then boyfriend, Micah and I threw one for friends about three years ago. We had every intention of making it an annual affair, but haven't quite made it one (obviously). So, in honor of my great intentions to have a wine and cheese party again, I am including a great place-card or title description idea. My friend, Kendra just got married in October, and at her reception she used three empty wine bottles per table, each filled with a different flower to be the centerpieces. Then she creatively used the wine corks as the bottom of for the place cards. She added the guest name and table number and glued the cards to the wine bottle corks. It gave some dimension to the place cards as well as kept the theme going of the wine bottles, not to mention the color of the wedding being a wine and bronze theme.