A Semi-Homemade Baby Shower: Modern Pink & Orange

I had so much fun today hosting this modern pink & orange baby "sprinkle" for second time mommy-to-be and our dear friend Mrs. Everything!

The goal: to have as much hot pink and bright orange as we could find - and to put sprinkles on anything not moving. ;)



It all started with scrapbook paper and scissors! I printed off these food placecards a few nights ago..... things like tickled pink lemonade, baby "sprinkle" cupcakes, and sweet cravings for the candy bar!


I had planned to buy some super cute cupcake toppers with the baby's monogram on them, but she was nameless until 5pm last night! So.... Etsy to the rescue (as usual, right?) I was lucky enough to find paper & cake and their printable partyware. (Love their slogan: Print - Cut - PARTY! I'm thinking about ordering their pirate set for G-man's birthday party!) I picked their floral cupcake wrappers (only $4!! and with orange & pink flowers!), and within minutes they had emailed me the pdf. I printed them out (I photoshopped some for a more custom look!), trimmed them with some fun scalloped scissors, and voila! All that was left was to tape them around each cupcake this morning. PERFECT for the last minute party planner!

Sam's did a great job getting the hot pink super hot and the bright orange screaming loud! (You'll never guess... those are Hannah Montana colored cupcakes, lol!)

This morning we set it all up... pink and orange dishes, napkins, cutlery....and pink & orange wrapped boxes for different heights! Doesn't look like I got any pics of the final set up, but this is one from when I had things going in the oven....



The menu: mini quiches, fruit salad, strudel bites, and (requested by both the guest of honor and my co-host), my Semi-Homemade Baked Brie. Y'all. If you're trying to impress, but want to stick strictly to the semi-homemade, you've GOT to try this! The recipe:

Baked Brie
1 brie
1 granny smith apple, chopped up
1/4 cup craisins
1/4 cup almond slivers
1 Tbl brown sugar
1 Tbl melted butter

Combine all ingredients and stir. Slice brie in half. Place half of mixture in between brie, then the rest on top. Bake at 350 for approx 20 minutes. Serve warm with crackers (wheat thins!)
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The drinks! By now y'all know my love of tulle.... so, of course, I tied pink & orange tulle to each glass... and the pitcher.... and the cutlery basket.... and anything else that stood still.....


When I was brainstorming, what I wanted more than ANYTHING else was to do a candy bar! My co-host Kristin said she'd be all over it - and look how cute it turned out! The cupcakes are in the center and are surrounded by:
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pink & orange mnms
gummy strawberries
orange slices
starburst
skittle
blow pops
& cellophane bags for all the guests to take home their own "sweet craving."

The candles and cute diaper bundes were for the momma-to-be to take home!



Our last bit of decor was the clothesline! Those are plain, white onesies with some of THE cutest iron-on transfers & a few new toys for baby Everything. Isn't Mrs. Everything just glowing?



Present time! I couldn't help myself and wrapped my gifts in pink, orange, and tulle...


Mr. Fix-It had done my grocery shopping (and SO MUCH MORE! I truly have the best husband... he's been taking amazing care of the kids while I work insane hours, kept them all last weekend while I had girl time, and helped me prep for this shower. Muuah! Love you, Mr. Fix-It!!) Anyway.... he accidently forgot the baby shower card... and since this baby was given a name, just last night.... I took the opportunity to make a card (that coordinated with the food placecards!)

Honestly, I've never made a card before, but I had all this cardstock lying around, so.....

t...... is for teagan! Yep, baby Everything is now Teagan Everything! Super cute, huh?


She got lots of essentials (diapers to last at least.... well, several wks, but you know how many diapers that is with a newborn!) And she also got lots of super cute clothes:
And this darling swimsuit - it's Baby Phat!

And here's the pic we somehow didn't get when we threw her last shower. This is me, Mrs. Everything, and my co-host Kristin. Awwww, look at that cute baby bump!

Hope you enjoyed it, Mrs. Everything! Now, it's time to just relax until we meet that precious baby girl! :)

Time to walk the plank!

Just kidding! I can't tell y'all how happy.... relieved.... giddy... I am to have such a cute invite for G-man's pirate birthday party, and I didn't have to do one single thing! I worked with Catherine from Polkadots & Paisleys - she's so sweet and easy to work with! - and she took care of everything. So.... I present you with the results:

This one has a more "worn" look.... would probably look better if it was a brownish color ("tea-stained" as Mrs. Everything so eloquently said!), but I wanted to go with black and red for the party, so I'm going with the top one!

(And much thanks to Catherine for whipping up a blog copy for me to post here and share with y'all!)
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Lots of exciting party planning going on in my world right now. Watch soon for pictures of the Semi-Homemade Modern Pink & Orange Baby Shower I'm throwing for Mrs. Everything this weekend! That will be followed by G's Semi-homemade Pirate Birthday Party.

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And so many of you commend on my That Friend post.... I'll be sure to come back when the dust settles on the baby shower and fill you in on the fab weekend I had (thanks for asking!) :)

A Semi-Homemade PIRATE Photo Shoot

Arrrr! ;) Well, as usual this mommy is short on time and long on things that are past due. I won a photo invite during Tip Junkie's big birthday bash giveaway (from Polkadots & Paisleys - she's got the cutest stuff, flats and invites and everything - go check it out!) And since I promised her I'd send her the party info and invite pic by Sunday (ooops!), I made Mr. Fix-It and Big Sis help me drag G-man (or is it Pirate G-man? Or Captain G-man?) out in the heat for a (super quick!!) photo shoot. And.... the results....

I love, love this one..... it shows his sweet side, I think....


This is prob my fav and the one I'm leaning towards for his party invite.... What do y'all think?

What a cutie!Inspecting the eye patch....

Hmmm, the eye patch was a good idea......

.... but not one I had TOO much confidence in working on an almost-one-year-old....

So.......... which is your favorite? Maybe I'll use one on the fab invites I won and another in some thank you notes I'll make myself!

Stay tuned & I'll show you the super cute invite as soon as it's ready to go!

Where You Live Friday: Entry Ways

This week on WYLF over at Kelly's Korner is Entry ways! I think ours is beautiful and - as always - full of a few special memories!

This is the view from the living room, which is how I most often seen our entryway (I rarely come in the front door!) Doesn't it just look peaceful? Or maybe it seems that way, after the chaos of the family room! ;)

This is what you see as you walk in the door.... (this pic is from moving day, obviously, since there is no furniture!)

Here's a recent one that shows the view to the right...
And a view from the gameroom upstairs....

Here you can see our double staircase - one comes down to the front door, the other to the family room. I LOVE having it this way! (And Big Sis likes to race me upstairs at bedtime - we each get our own staircase!)

Some of our special memories that we keep in the entryway.... this is our wedding picture, which we finally (after 7+ yrs of marriage!) had custom framed. And I love it!

Can you see the frame detail? It's not the best shot, but I tried....

On the console table, we've got G-man's newborn pic (watch for his 1 year pics soon - Kristie and I have been brainstorming his photo shoot!), a family pic from last summer about a week before I had G (from yet another Kristie photo session!), and a candid from our wedding day.

There's generally not much action in the entryway, seems like... but last summer, every Monday, it was the home of my weekly belly shots! (I've never followed thru on something like this before and I'm so glad I did! I have a weekly pic from 3 months pregnant until 3 days before I had G!)

Thanks for viewing our entryway! For more of our house tour, visit here.

THAT friend

Do y’all have this friend? I hope so…. This is the friend who you haven’t actually SEEN in 4 yrs (I can’t believe that, still!)…. The friend that you talk to very sporadically (mostly because you both work like crazy and because this friend is an international jetsetter!) but can pick up like you never left off? This is the friend who just gets you? The friend that makes you laugh til you hurt. The friend that would ALWAYS be on your side and agree that anyone who isn't on OUR side is... well, the enemy. The friend that you had inside jokes with, coined new phrases that you still - to this day - use....

That’s my friend Amy….. She’s coming this weekend from DC where she’s a super important person at the pentagon. Isn’t that cool? The funny thing is….. we worked together in our very first jobs out of college at a retailer in KS…. Picture:

Yes, Elle Woods. That was us. Smart…. But you wouldn’t know it by looking at us or listening to us. ;) Because we were way too into other things (like rather it was a curly hair day or straight - because honestly, you're taken more seriously with straight hair)... or what sale was on at the mall.... but watch out, because if you underestimated us.... damn, YOU would look stupid! (What's even funnier? Wasn't the 2nd movie something like Elle Woods Goes to Washington? And that's exactly what Amy did! She's the foxiest girl in the pentagon!)

I cannot wait to have some girl time!!!! Haven't had any since.... well, 6 months ago, when Mr. Fix-It surprised me for my birthday and sent me for a spa day with Mrs. Everything. We're going to get facials or manis... go shopping, to the pool... she's going to MEET the kiddos for the first time... I just can't believe we let life get in the way like this!

She's getting married this fall in DC and I can't wait to hear all the amazing, big-city details. (Mr. Fix-It and I got married in my small hometown, on a small budget, so I've always been fascinated by weddings of all sizes and budgets!) I'll try to take a few pics... and scan in some from the last time we saw each other - it was before I even owned a digital camera!

This weekend is going to be just what I need to relieve some of this yucky work stress!

A Semi-Homemade 4th of July

FINALLY! Omg, this work week has been insane. I have worked til 8 at the office all week, and then come home to work some more. But tonight - I'm leaving at a decent hour! I promise....

Okay, a quick run down of our patriotic festivities, food, fun!

It all started with Thursday's Patriotic Parade at school. I had missed the last parade (something Big Sister had reminded me of every. day. last. week. Nothing like the mommy guilt!) But I was there AND took pictures - in case I have to use them to prove to her that I don't always have to miss these events!

She truly was happy to see me....

That's her at the front, as they were lining up for the parade. ;)
Best part was that my favorite mommy was there, and we got to chat the whole time the parade was going on inside (it was 105+ outside - smart move!) She's working in a stressful career, managing the house with 2 kids... just like me. And she's decided she cannot continue with the hours she puts in (like me) and she's doing something about it - going to nursing school! What an inspiring chat... I think I need to get together with her, outside of school functions!

And the back of her outfit - she was so proud of the flag.


We had popsicles and red, white & blue popcorn!


Then we settled in for the Creature Teacher. Yes, she had snakes... 2 diff ones. Alledgedly not poisonous. ;) And Big Sis got to pet a chinchilla. Creature Teacher had the cutest hedgehog and a few other things....


The 4th rolled around and it was time to get ready to par-tay!
I had been looking for an excuse - any excuse - to use 4 sticks of butter in Pioneer Woman's famous chocolate sheet cake.

Can I just say that I really love baking and cooking? I just wish I had more time to do it! And this smelled soooo yummy while I was making it!
Big Sis worked really hard on decorating it....

I had grand visions of a super semi-homemade patriotic party (say that 3 times fast!).... but with the way work has been lately, I settled for pulling together what I could! I have red dishes, so that helps... and we live in Texas, so of course we have a plate like this one:


I threw red, white & blue touches wherever I could:

Look at this cute pic G-man 'made' at school - it's his face as the statue of liberty!

We had strawberries and blueberries.....

Mr. Fix-It grilled sliders and brats (but I didn't get any pics once all the food was ready!)... Mr. Everything made his famous mac & cheese... Mr. Fix-It made the guac that I beg for on a weekly basis (I'll have to post his recipe sometime!)... and my brother brought his girlfriend, her famous dip, and a watermelon!
Oh, and Mr. Fix-It grilled corn on the cob... if you've never had yours grilled, I suggest you try it. You'll never eat it any other way. Just spray on some butter, salt/pepper/season (I love dill, but that's just me), wrap in foil and throw on the grill!


A few things I'd picked up randomly ended up being the hit of the party! The taffy is peppermint and Mrs. Everything's favorite. And we could NOT keep the girls out of the star spangled marshmallows!


Speaking of the girls.... Big Sis and Miss Priss had all the fun they usually do. Here they are, dancing to Lady Gaga - they both insist it's their favorite. (Big Sis is taking a break from her old fav, All the Single Ladies by Beyonce.)


And the daddies should have realized that Rock Band would not be safe with them around.... they had to play!


We suggested they play the (Fisher Price) piano.... and G had to help!


Then on to the fireworks, put on by our town! I didn't get any pics of the actual fireworks, but I thought they did a great job! Here's the Semi-Homemade family, heading towards the fun - live music, bounce houses, food, you name it!Here is Big Sis, watching a hot air balloon land (or take off?) with Uncle Frank's girlfriend, Courtney.

I was so proud of G-man! We didn't get them home and in bed until 11pm and he was a trooper! Although he kept trying to lay down on the blanket (in typical G style - on his tummy with his butt in the air!), and the fireworks kept him awake and confused. But he seemed to enjoy his 1st fireworks!


And those girls.... by now severely sugar buzzed from those damn marshmallows..... running it off.....

Here's Big Sis (with a marshmallow in her mouth - MY goodness!) and Mr. Fix-It right before the big show!

Hope y'all had a fun & safe 4th of July! I've got several posts half written, just waiting for me to have a spare second... so stay tuned!

ETA: I just visited Mrs. Everything's blog and she has tons more pics of the festivities from the 4th! Go check them out!

Who likes to read?

Me!!!!!!!!!!!! Who has time? Uh, that's another story.

But check out this awesome giveaway from the sweetest cupcake connoisseur - Kimmie! Earlier this year, she met Jen Lancaster, author of the book I'm reading right now (Bitter is the New Black) and a bunch of other super fun reads. Anyway, she had Jen autograph her latest and greatest, Pretty in Plaid and she's giving it away!

How sweet is that? I've been wanting to read that, but who can afford the hardback in this recession? (Okay, if I was willing to part with my 1 - or 2 - a week Starbucks deliciousness, I could prob afford it. But I'm not willing to go to that extreme!) Just visit her giveaway and enter to win!

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And I promise I'll get around to a pic recap of the 4th. We had lots of fun. But then the reality of Sunday and an insanely packed work week hit me yesterday and well.... everything else fell to the bottom of the list. Stay tuned!