A Semi-Homemade Baby Shower

A new little cowboy is on the way!
And boy, did we have fun celebrating his upcoming arrival. From bandanas to boots and from George to German chocolate -- we had country covered. My sister Ellen lives in Cowboy Country - home of the OSU cowboys, some 'real' cowboys, and all things orange. So, it was only fitting to throw her a shower fit for western royalty.

I literally, got to the shower 20 minutes before it started, but my sis's best girl friends had carried out our visions for the shower and it was perfect! The menu (because honestly, when you're pregnant, isn't it all about the food? Some of my sis's favs):

7-layer dip with chips served out of a cowboy hat, covered in orange bandana. Fruit & dip are hiding to the right in the pic.



BBQ Sliders - we love tiny sandwiches!


A blurry, yummy picture of the gigantic German chocolate cupcakes - a specialty of my sis's best friend, Jenny!

My sis, the mom-to-be is on the right in this pic. That's me on the left (thank goodness I changed out of my sweats at Jenny's house and back into them before I left! Those bare legs never saw that nasty snowy weather!) Kristin and Jenny (in the middle) made this shower happen!

Drink station! We used galvanized pails anywhere we could - especially for flower arrangements (I don't think I got any good pics of that!) Here we used them for bottled water. And lemonade was at the mom-to-be's request!

Cookie favors in the shape of cowboy boots and hats - yee haw! (Isn't her bump the cutest?)

Big Sister Ainsley and my sister's husband dropped by to help drag away all the loot. I caught them dancin' to the country music we had playing!

It was such a special day for my sis to spend with her closest friends and family. Ellen, hope you enjoy these pics! I was hoping to edit them, but.... you know how crazy it is. I figured I better do this now before it gets buried on my to do list!

Nothing - seriously, nothing - could get me out of the funk I was in Friday evening over not going to OK for my sis's shower. Even though Mr. Fix-It really did pull out all the stops... he brought home stuff so we could make chili (my absolute fav!) and he brought home ICE CREAM.... which I haven't had since Sept, when I had to quit eating dairy for my sweet g-man. (Quick update... I've been weaning and we've gotten him to tolerate regular - i.e., NOT the stuff that costs an arm and a leg - so we're working towards 100% weaned. That makes me both happy and incredibly sad. But that's a whole other story...)

So you can imagine how insanely mad I was when I called my mom Sat and she was looking at conditions pretty much like this:

Seriously?! Apparently, this massive storm had missed.... So, I spent the next 30 min calling everyone I know in OK and looking at every weather radar.... And that's when we did something I still can't believe we were able to do! We dressed both kiddos and ourselves and packed clothes, bottles, gifts and shower food in right at 30 minutes. WOW! We had nothing packed - I have no idea how we did it that fast.

Now, fast forward to a few hrs down the road.... and we run into this south of OKC:

Um, WTH? The radar had showed we might encounter some rain. Not blinding wind, whipping snow around and giving us about 1/4 mile visibility. Crap. Seems we can't win for losing. Mr. Fix-It was SUCH a trooper in getting us there. And we arrived at the location, exactly 20 min before the shower started!

Y'all, what a whirlwind.... we weren't in OK for even 24 hrs.... we got back to a house that looked like a tornado had been through it, as we were literally throwing things around to get out of the house. But, my sister was so excited.... it was all worth it.

I'll download pics and will soon share with you: A Semi-Homemade Baby Shower (a snowy edition)

Yee haw!? More like boo hoo....

These are the CUTE, so, so cute little boots I bought to give my sister at her baby shower tomorrow. Her cowboy-themed baby shower. That I helped plan. And should be hosting at her best friend's house tomorrow. Instead, I'll be in TX. While the snow has her way with OK and I just sit here, sad that I'm missing it all. They're going to send pics, but we all know it's not the same. I got this weather update from my mom:

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BRING FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET TO NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA LATE THIS MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON. A 1/4 INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION CHANGES TO SNOW AND SLEET TONIGHT. THIS MAY CAUSE POWER OUTAGES DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS GREATER THAN 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED...WITH THE HIGHEST SNOW TOTALS ACROSS NORTHERN OKLAHOMA...WHERE 8 INCHES OR MORE ARE POSSIBLE.

Awesome. It BETTER snow that much or I'll be insanely mad that I missed my sister's special day for nothing!

(And if anyone is wondering... YES, I got those boots on Etsy. Check out Curious Workmanship's Shop! She's got all booties 50% off right now and that's a steal! She's super easy to work with, offers ways to save on shipping and more! Go see her!!)

So, I've been helping my sis with the super cute Whale Nursery... and look at this! I found a couple little baskets she can throw pacis or diaper cream or whatever in. Cute, huh?

Just wait til you see the finished room! I've been helping her plan it from afar, and it's going to be soooo cute!

~~~~~In other news, I forgot AGAIN about Friday Show & Tell. Poor Big Sister... Mr. Fix-It said he was dropping her off and all the moms were handing their kiddos their whatevers for show and tell... and he just felt awful because we forgot. Again. She's been in this class a month and we have yet to remember. We suck.

Just a few requests...

I haven't ever really posted anything like this, but here are a few things I'm praying for right now.... and would love if you could add to your prayer list, or think positive thoughts or wish well or whatever it is that YOU do!

Baby Stellan - I have his button at the top of my blog and I just can't get him or his momma out of my mind this wk. I don't know why I feel so connected to them - probably because her posts are amazing.

***The rest of this list will seem totally insignificant in comparison, but a few much smaller things...

The Semi-Homemade Family. After being fairly certain that Mr. Fix-It's job would be safe (due to the fact that he totally rocks at his job and is currently #3 in the whole DFW!!), we're no longer certain. At all. Rumors are freakin' rampant, with the current one being that they will go down to 3 builders. Strictly by the numbers, that would be Mr. Fix-It and 2 others. But we all know that politics and whatever else can come into play, making Mr. Fix-It the first to fall to the chopping block if someone below him is being protected. We just hope to know by tomorrow, honestly... We've been preparing for this since Oct - and with much intensity for the last 3 months... There will be so many bridges to cross, and we can do it. But it won't be easy. I am definitely inspired by so many other people I know (IRL and blog-land and other places) that are going through the same thing.

Lastly, the weather. Sat is my sister's Semi-homemade Baby Shower in Oklahoma and now it's supposed to SNOW tomorrow!! We've had not-so-great recent luck in driving in bad weather, so we're obviously concerned. Esp since we're toting both the kiddos with us. As hostess and sister of the mom-to-be, I simply must be there. And I will be. Do you hear me, weather?!

Giveaways... and that's all I got!

Y'all, for some reason, I'm just exhausted. (I know, it probably has nothing to do with the 2 energetic kiddos, the fast-paced career, and all the extracurricular things that always seem to be going on.) But... since my energy level is struggling, I just thought I'd pass on some super fun giveaways to y'all!

1. Monogram Chick is giving away a cosmetic bag in black with YOUR monogram or name! Ends 3/27.

2. Lauren Nicole Gifts is giving away this new Lily Pulitzer Puddle Jumper Tote! Ends 4/3.

3. Another Hanky Panky giveaway! ;) They're all the rage... I hope I win! Ends 3/28.

4. This one is really exciting.... a blog makeover giveaway! (I'm SUCH a novice blogger... I'd love this!)

Okay, I'm off to OK this weekend for my sister's semi-homemade baby shower. I'll update y'all in a few days!

Semi-homemade Spring Centerpiece

Y'all. This is so incredibly easy, so incredibly simple and clean and fresh looking. So semi-homemade. It doesn't even require any direction.

Just find the cheapest lemons you can. (This is about a bag and a half from Sam's - each bag was about $3. The fake ones would be cheaper in the long run.... but I'm all about cheap and cheerful for now. Plus, I won't have to store these somewhere when I'm over the whole lemon idea.) Dump the lemons into a glass container, vase, bowl, whatever... and you're done.

This makes me want to start making lemonade... mmm... I love fresh lemon slices in mine. Happy Spring!

Lunch with the Sashas

I just got back from lunch with the Sashas and it was soooo good to see them! I'm pretty sure that anyone who has ever read a blog, knows Sasha... but if you don't, go see what hilarious things she's talking about today or what new beauty products have found their way into her home. She's the best and everytime I hang out with her, I learn more about how to be a patient momma and sweet friend. She's the greatest....

And those kiddos - they're just the cutest things! The Politician is always so polite and I chatted with him today and could just see all the wheels in motion - he's a smarty! And WC was chattier with me today than ever and we had fun talking about Squeeze and Diego. She's got the most gorgeous eyes - Sasha, I'm afraid for you when that girl is a teenager!

Next time we'll get my kiddos in the mix and REALLY see how many ice cream cones we can drop!

weekend update

One thing is abundantly clear after this last weekend, y'all. I am not, in fact, 22 years old. As much as I thought I could drink like I was at that fab wedding at the Gaylord Texan that I was telling y'all about.... geez. I didn't think I drank that much. (In my dazed hangover on Sunday, when I was counting back my drinks to Mr. Fix-It, I had actually only left 1 drink unaccounted for... which Mr. Fix-It was quick to point out.) I know for a fact it was that super stiff apple-tini (which must have been double the vodka, hold the apple) that put me over the edge. And that was one of our pre-wedding drinks at the bar - oops!

But what made the evening truly bizarre was the mix of company. I had no idea how it was going to be like that old game show where 3 people from your past are behind the doors and you have to guess who each is (does anyone remember what I'm talking about?) Anyway. Mr. Fix-It and I have known the bride for 9!! years. We actually grew up 30 miles away from each other, but met in KS at our very first out-of-college jobs. We were close with her and when we made plans to move to TX, she did as well.

So, I knew there'd be some KS girls there that I knew. There were also some KS people there I hadn't thought of, but it was good to catch up. But what was truly insane... is that somehow, a couple guys that I worked/partied with my FRESHMAN year in college are friends of the bride and groom as well. Those guys knew me as an 18 year old "goofy girl" (their exact words, but what do you expect from 2 guys who were like brothers to me?).... I was blonde, had wild, curly hair, and probably thought I was the next hot thing. Geez.... What was even crazier was realizing that was 13 yrs ago. OMG, we're old.

I was hoping to have a few good pics to show you, but not really. I'm afraid of what the wedding photographer might have caught. But I will say this.... Mr. Fix-It is always the sweet husband to tell me I look nice, etc, but he usually doesn't care if my hair is curly/straight, up/down, if my makeup is a smoky eye/more classic, if my dress is blue or black.... but I wore my hair up and my makeup smokier than I had in ages... and he couldn't stop telling me how great I looked. What makes this funny, was reading Sasha's blog today about the Bumpit. Y'all. My hair kinda looked like this.... but I'd like to think it was more inspired by this last season of the Bachelor. I feel like I must come up with pictures of this to prove it was okay. I promise it was. ;)

Btw, the ceremony was amazing - truly unique and spirtual and sweet. And the venue was perfect - if you've been to the Gaylord, you know it's like being outside, but in the comfort of the a/c. And if you haven't been to the Gaylord, you should totally come down and try it out. But let me know first and I'll come have one of those obnoxious apple-tinis with you at the sports bar.

A first!

This is totally cool to me, as a novice blogger... but Kimmie from Full Circle just gave me this award!

More from me later. I'm just home from the totally fab Dallas wedding... and I'm barely capable to write this much response! ;)

Girlfriends

I have some of THE greatest girlfriends. Y'all already know that Mrs. Everthing (aka Miss Priss' Momma) took G to the helmet dr for us on Tues. Then yesterday, I get a sweet Thinking of You card from Sasha (the one above is from Sweet Basil Designs on Etsy - love the little birdie) with loads of coupons for baby stuff and a super nice note. And we all know the wonders that Sonic GC from my sister did for my sanity, esp during happy hour. ;)

I have girlfriends from all over - and they're all busy gals, and we mostly keep in touch via email. They truly make my life better, sweeter, more managable.

Thanks to all of you!! (Gotta go - Big Sis is watching G and I hear screaming!!)

Calgon, take me away.....

Yesterday, I got this pic as a text from Mr. Fix-It.

He was at the pool at The Flamingo (we've never stayed there before, but great location and the pool doesn't look half bad. AND a good choice for us in this recession!) I proceeded to text him a picture of where I was. At Sonic getting a vanilla diet coke. Using the last of that giftcard from my sweet (33 wks pregnant!) sister.

Anyway.... I want to go here:

And isn't this bikini cute? I would be wearing this:

And then I'd change into this for drinks tonight...

A girl can dream, huh? And that's about it, at this point. ;)

Go Pokes!!

It's March Madness y'all!!! And after getting accustomed to being in the tournament (and being good!), my poor Pokes went MIA from the big dance for the last several years. But they're back and they're playing right now!! Wish I was on a patio with outdoor TVs and beer.... watching with friends! (Instead of watching it on espn.com and laughing over the Boss Button! Those espn guys are funny...)

Oh, and these 2 pics are Big Sis, circa 2006. ;)

LOTS of cool stuff

Okay, in the last week or so, I've come across - or been sent! - lots of cool stuff that I've just gotta share (in hopes that I can restrain myself from purchasing 1 of everything!) Here we go....

1. Let's start with ETSY!! And this one's a giveaway! How cute is this little monkey shirt?

Amber at RockerByeBaby is doing a giveaway, so go check it out! Did I ever tell you that I won that really cool skull soap she was giving away a couple wks ago? I've never won anything, it totally made my day!

2. More ETSY! Jess let me know that a gal pal of hers up in KS has started a new Etsy shop (Mr. Fix-It and I lived there for 4 years - after college but before kiddos!) She has the cutest cards - don't ya love this one?

And this one? Awww..... Thanks for sharing, Jess! And good luck to your friend! It's a dream of mine to get crafty and start selling stuff on etsy!

3. Spring fabric! Mrs. Everything and I have more sewing plans than we (okay, she's the one that sews!) have time for! But she sent me some fabric sites to look at and I just looooove this one. I'm going to commision a dress be made of it for Big Sis.

4. Meal Registry - isn't that the coolest idea?! All you do is sign up for a free account with MealBaby and you can have people schedule to bring you meals! (Where was this last August?) I've sent it to my sis - I'm thinking that, as hostess of her baby shower, I could email out invites to her friends, inviting anyone that wants to help to sign up for a night to bring dinner. It's really cool!! I started to set one up for my sis and you include what dates are available, how many portions they'd need for their family, food likes/dislikes/allergies. You can also click on which restarants are local to you, so that long distance friends (or friends that don't cook) can send you a giftcard to a place you could actually use. HOW COOL IS THAT?!

5.. Spring kids clothes! I think Big Sis would look sooooo cute in this... from Gymbo, of course:

The tank has a ladybug and says little lady
And the shorts - too cute!

And I'm loving, loving whales - talked my sister into decorating her baby-on-the-way's nursery in them! (Watch for a post on her semi-homemade nursery in a month or 2!) Anyway, a cute hoodie for g-man

Okay, I think it's time to head out of the office, enjoy the weather, and catch some scores - it's March Madness, y'all!

The wristlet

The wristlet: perfect for the essentials (phone, keys, $$, lipstick). THE solution for going from big purse (i.e. the Carly)

to diaper bag without going thru the whole "switching out" process. The best thing to take to the football game, outdoor event, etc.

Anyway, I got the sweetest email today from Erin who wanted to show me (us!) what she got with my Coach coupon. I'm sooo glad she shared, so I can live vicariously thru you, Erin!

Quick update for those of you who care.... Mr. Fix-It, Mr. Everything and my brother Frank (the Tank) have all arrived safely in "The Vegas." All have promised - with a big, goofy smile on their faces - to "be good." Uh, yeah.... I'm sure.

In other random news.... found out that the reason why Big Sister's pediatrician never faxed her school the info they requested was because... she hasn't been seen for a well visit in over a year. And I guess that's required. We, thinking with our damn recession hats on, decided to 'opt out' of her 3 year well visit. Before you call CPS on us, just know... when I asked Big Sister's ped about it, she said, "I'll just make sure she's met a few developmental milestones (she has - like 9 months ago) and we'll weigh her and see how tall she is. No shots or anything major." We decided that we'd skip out on that AND the price associated with it (because our lovely insurance isn't just a prepay... but a % of the cost of the visit.) Guess we have no choice now but to take our well 3 year old for a good ole chat and weigh in. Geez.....

Ahoy, matey!

How freakin' cute is this? Thanks so much to my friend Megan for seeing this and thinking of us! It's hard to think ahead now, but I know I'm going to blink twice and I'll be putting G-man in a big boy room! ...sniff, sniff...

So, thanks for brightening my day, Megan.... because I was having one of those whiny, feel-sorry-for-myself kind of days.... Helmet update later. Maybe.

It's not easy being green....

But we did it! Last night I searched and found what are probably the kiddos ONLY green clothes. All I can say is, thank goodness it's going to be 80 degrees today, because G-man is in a short romper thing...

But virtually NO ONE in the office is wearing green. And it's even jeans week (that's a BIG deal - all you corporate types know that!) I mean, has the recession robbed you of your ability to have fun?! Come on, people!!

Aren't they sweet? In other news, Big Sister is the Class Ambassador this week.... doesn't that sound impressive? What does it mean? No clue. But I think I'll ask the teachers when I'm at the school tomorrow. She also has show & tell on Friday and the subject is Spring. Any ideas?

I'll leave you with a (semi-homemade St. Patrick's day) pic of Mr. Fix-It and me with the kiddos....

Happy St. Patrick's Day, y'all!!!!!!

(Oh, and for all of you who were concerned about me last night -- thank you, btw! -- I DID have some wine last night.... a glass before The Everythings dropped by and another glass after. Maybe I'll finish the bottle off tonight...)

More wine, please!

I'm heading home to feed the kiddos and have some of this:

Okay, it may or may not be this exact brand, but it's definitely going to be a riesling and I could definitely stand to relax. I am probably/definitely going to finish the whole bottle. By myself. Tonight. While I try to catch last night's episode of Big Love.

I'm just soooo mad....

So mad that I just cried. At work. On the phone with my sister. Who, ironically, had called to vent about insurance issues. I am just. so. mad. SO mad. Why?

Insurance sucks. I'm about to email our HR dept and ask them where my premiums are going, since it seems that nothing has been covered this year. This email is NOT gonna be pretty. So far, insurance has denied:

~ G-man's helmet - deemed medically necessary to correct plagiocephaly and various other possible issues - not covered. I think I've told you that this is $3600 and we'll be paying on it until he turns TWO!
~ G-man's prevacid. My company decided this year not to cover PPIs because of the plentitude of OTC remedies. That's fine if you're a grown man, who weighs in at 200 lbs. Not fine if you're a tiny (okay, G isn't tiny, but he's still a) baby! NOTHING is approved for babes - and that's according to our ped and the American Academy of Pediatrics. HR actually told me today that I could file an appeal but that it would be denied. And that they'd review it for 2010 but couldn't make any promises. I'm so mad I could slap an HR person.

On top of that? We're in a recession.... and there's possible more bad news coming next wk on that front when it comes to jobs, etc. It's hard not to worry.

Today sucks. But there IS a bright spot.

And her name is Mrs. Everything. Not only is she going to proofread said hate mail to HR.... she's going to take G-man to his helmet appt tomorrow (thus, saving both my job and hopefully Mr. Fix-It's). God bless Mrs. Everything - she's an answer to prayer.

Puke, passing out, and the 'mumps'

OMG, y'all. It's gotten so ridiculous that I almost didn't say anything. Almost... I had just gotten done with my jog this afternoon (I ran for 30 straight minutes - 2 1/2 miles!!) and Mr. Fix-It was off to the gym. Big Sister had been in bed for about 20 min when she started crying. I marched upstairs, alreading yelling to her to pipe down and take a nap. But what I saw made me feel bad for yelling....

Big Sister. Sitting up in her bed. Skip the rest of this paragraph if you have a weak stomach, and especially if you don't have kids or pets........ are you gone yet? ;)...... A pile of puke (if any of you have ever seen a pile of dog vomit, you get the picture). More down her arm. Big Sister is bawling, super afraid because this has never happened to her.... poor thing.

As I load her bedding in the washer and get her into the tub, I'm trying to get ahold of my youngest sis who had called me crying at 8:30am. My mom was down visiting and had gotten a serious stomach bug in the night (this time I'll spare you the details.) When she got up for her 14th trip to the bathroom and didn't come back, my sister got worried. Long story short, she was passed out in the bathroom, laying on the floor against the door.... eyes wide open but nobody home and totally unresponsive. When my sister asked my mom if she should call 911 and my mom STILL didn't respond.... she called 911. By the time my sister grabbed her next door neighbor and they came back over, my mom had come to and insisted she was fine and just got too hot. My sister was still on the phone with 911 and told them all was well. Then my mom preceded to get on a 5pm flight (totally against my wishes) from Harlingen to Dallas to Tulsa. Then has over an hour drive home. She's still sick to her stomach and I'm still worried she hit her head when she fainted this morning.

~~~~~~~~~~My mom just called! She's made it on the first 2 legs and actually does sound much better, I have to admit. I'm still not happy that she didn't stay another day.... ~~~~~~

Just another chaotic day in the Semi-homemade family. Big Sister and I were actually going to do some semi-homemade Easter cookies today, but it didn't happen after the pukefest. The more I thought about it.... her (croup) cough got worse over the weekend and she'd been coughing.... I think she coughed so hard she gagged. But I knew she was fine when she ate an entire fajita for dinner. And then asked for a mumps (Thin Mint!) :)

OMG - I'm going to do a 5k!

It's my first one, y'all, and I'm a little freaked out.... I have 3 wks left to "train" - eek! I'm jogging 2+ miles without stopping, so I only need to work up another mile, but.... I don't run in front of people!

Mr. Everything and I are going to participate in the Bunny Hop 5k in my neighborhood, while Mrs. Everything and Mr. Fix-It wrangle the kiddos. Afterwards is an Easter Egg Hunt, and the Easter Bunny himself will be there. There's also a petting zoo, face painting, bounce house (Big Sister will love that part), and train rides. That day is also Mr. Fix-It's birthday (he may or may not be turning 33!!) and we're going out for dinner with the Everythings without kids!!

"The 5k is challenging and certified." I don't like the sounds of that. Not one bit.

So, check in c25k'ers! Where are you in the process?

From the Semi-Homemade Cookbook: Dairy-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay, y'all know my whole thing is semi-homemade. As in, my pretty standing mixer has only seen use a few times. Sorry, that's true. I love it, but I don't have time to use it. Until now. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Especially if it involves chocolate.
So... if you find yourself on a dairy-free diet OR if you're simply breastfeeding and want something yummy that promotes this, try these yummy cookies! Even if they ARE homemade. As in, from scratch.


OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
1 cup shortening - or use 1 stick, it's much easier!
1 cup white sugar
1 cupe brown sugar
(I can't even believe I eat this - it's so against my normal, fairly healthy eating habits! Before this, I'd never in my life used shortening. And all this sugar? Eeek!)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Cream together shortening and sugars in super cute, under-utilized mixer. Add eggs and vanilla - mix well.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 CUPS oats
1 cup Ghiradelli semi-sweet choc chips (they're yummy & dairy free!)

Fold the above into creamed mixture. Roll into small balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork. (Hmmm, I've never noticed that part of the directions... but I don't make mine much of a ball anyway.) Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 min.



I somehow got here without the pic of the finished product, but I'll put that up later.... OMG, it's so YUMMY! I've had to get away from making a batch of these every. single. wk. It's ridiculous!

Now, if you're wanting to go the semi-homemade route for a chocolate fix, follow these easy instructions: Go to the grocery store and get some oreos. Okay, you're done! (I know, it's weird that oreos are dairy free... don't think about it for very long!)

Semi-Homemade Nursery makes the news!

Isn't this exciting? G-man's nursery has been reviewed and is now online at Creative Baby Nursery Rooms for moms who are looking for inspiration and ideas - or just to comment on and give feedback. Click on the picture above of g-man's room to see his gallery!

And click here to be inspired by other mom's and their beautiful nurseries.