Baby Shower

I was so excited that my daughter allowed me the honor to host her baby shower.  She has a number of friends who would have been happy to do it.  So....I wanted to make it very special.

She does not have a theme for her baby room and I had trouble coming up with a theme for her shower.  She picked out these cute invitations and I decided to use them for inspiration.

 

So began the hunt for decorations that were blue and white, checked and polka and elephants.  I was so stumped.  I was in a party store and I actually wished for decorations that were blue, white and elephants in a theme, so I wouldn't have to create anything.  I turned a corner, and lo and behold, there they were.  

Blue, elephants, they had plates and napkins, plus all sorts of decorations.  Anything I could possibly want.  And, guess what?  I didn't want them.  All I could think was that they were kind of cheesy.  And, they just didn't seem personal.  So, I went back to coming up with ideas to make the party special and personal.  Unique.  Not a party in a bag kind of party.  

I knew that I wanted to put balloons out front.  And, I saw some pretty banners on Pinterest that I wanted to copy.  I searched for paper to cut and make my banners out of.  I found some that would do, but not perfect.  And then.....my neighbor, Kelli (who is also one of my daughter's best friends) stopped by to tell me that she had an idea for making banners.  Wow.  We had the same idea.  She came over and we made these pretty banners.  She made the paper herself with photoshop and cut them into triangles.  We punched holes on each side and threaded some ribbon through.  I found some baby diaper pins to hang them up on my umbrellas.  

I loved this shower.  I couldn't have done it without help.  Kelli helped me make the decorations and on the morning of the shower, Meghan showed up early and put them all up!  

Meghan also took charge of the games and prizes.  How lucky am I?  I told her that I really don't like some of the games that they play at showers and she agreed.  The games she came up with were fun!  We all guessed with a piece of yarn what size my daughter's belly was.  Mine was about double what it should have been!  We also played a memory game with a BIG baby bottle filled with baby essentials.  And the gifts were terrific.  Woo Hoo!

That's Kelly in the Stripes and Meghan in the solid blue.  

For the shower, we had a brunch.  I made two casseroles, one was bacon, eggs and hash browns.  The other was french toast.  Mmmmm, brunch is my favorite meal. I set up the food in the tent.

 Kelli brought the "fruit baby", which was a huge hit!

Jesi made the most wonderful and beautiful cupcakes.

I put them on the cart.

I set up the bar with mimosa punch (non alcoholic in honor of the mommy to be).

  The punch was yummy with orange juice and ginger ale.  I froze some orange juice in cup cake tins to make huge ice cubes that wouldn't dilute the punch as it melted.

I also made big cubes with lemon slices for the water.  And, clear ones for the apple juice.

For dishes, I thought about getting paper plates, but then I found clear glass at the thrift store for only fifty cents each and I found a clear mug at the dollar store.  Somehow these just seemed the perfect fit.

We just visited and played a few games.  Kristen found this vintage shower game that I just love!

Stork Bingo!!

One BIG surprise was that her friend, Terry, from her work came all the way from the bay area.  I knew that she was coming, but I left it for a fun little surprise for dear daughter.

My daughter's friend Stephanie, had a baby just a couple of months ago.  Here is Meghan holding him.

 

My daughter was wearing "our" shoes.  We "co" bought these a while back.  I haven't worn them yet.  Aren't they cute!

 

I had three kids myself and never once had a shower.  I don't think I ever even went to one either.  Did we do this kind of thing back then?  I never know what to buy people, so I love the idea of a gift registry.   My daughter used Babies R Us.  I made her promise to NOT look at the registry so that she would be surprised. 

 

I set up a table with a vintage table cloth for the gifts and we sat on the deck for the unveiling.

My girl was like a kid at Christmas.  How fun!!  Her friends and family were beyond generous.  I can't wait to see the nursery all set up.  

I had the doggies on the deck all morning and they were dying to get close to the people.  When we came down to the deck, they shied away.

I took this picture of the girls and when I posted it on Facebook, they noticed little Pookie under the couch, posing for the pic!

A princess needs a crown.  I found this perfect little tiara for her.  

We packed her up.

And filled up Terry's truck and off she went to get hubby started on putting things together.  Lucky guy.

When it was all over, I didn't want to take down the decorations.....ever!

It was a great time.  Now let's have that baby!!

Getting Ready For Summer

In my mind, I've been ready for summer for months!!  And, now the weather has finally warmed up.  Ah.  All those cold winter days I spent imagining sitting out on the deck in the sun are over.  Now, it's the real thing.  Today, I sat out there for a short break and actually got HOT.  Wow.  Yay!

I still haven't changed over my wardrobe from winter to summer.  It's past time and I plan to do it right after I write this post.  I wish I could have all new clothes every season.  Is that what rich people do?  Alas, I will pull out the same clothes as last year.  I did get a few new things for Mother's Day (thanks hubby), so it's not all old.  I'm tired of my winter clothes and I will be happy to pack them away.  I noticed on my scale that I collected some unwanted extra pounds.  I surely don't want those for the summer.  I went on two cleanse days and dropped six pounds.  Whew.  So, now I can pull out those summer clothes and they will fit just fine.

I also got out the sunless tanning lotion.  I can't get a tan any other way.  And, I like being tan.  It's just so easy to put on some lotion and like magic I have a tan.  My favorite is Estee Lauder.  I've tried them ALL!  If you decide to try it, get the "tinted" kind.  It's great because you can see it as you put it on and you don't have to worry about getting it uneven.  Always wash your hands after you apply.  You don't need "tan" palms do you?

One of my favorite parts about spring is the daisies.  A long time ago I scattered some flower seed in a flower bed in front of my house.  The only thing that came up was the daisies.   Every year I take the seeds from the flowers and scatter them back in and every year I get more and more daisies.  They are a very cheerful flower.  I'm a terrible gardener and daisies require no skill to grow.

I love fresh air.  I love to open the windows.  I can't get enough of that.  I often wonder about big places like Walmart and the grocery store.  They never air out the place do they?

We already got out the summer furniture, the ping pong table and the BBQ.  Things have been so busy, that we haven't had a chance to do much with them, but it's coming.

Yes. I"m ready for summer.  I look forward to hot summer days, and I still reserve the right to complain about the heat!

Always a parent

I was so young when I became a Mother.  I loved my little baby so much!  And, each one thereafter....I loved all three of them more than my own life.  I've loved every age and every stage.  And, now they are all grown.  But, for me they are still my "babies".  Once you become a parent, you are always a parent.  

Time marches on and our kids grow up.   When they were little, did you think about how they would interpret their lives after they grew up?  I never really did think about it, if I had, I wouldn't have ever yelled at them (or would I?).  I just did the best I could do.  I used to say to my oldest "I'm not going to therapy with you when you grow up!".  What I meant by that is that it always seemed to me that the therapists in the movies would begin with, "tell me about your Mother."  Why always the Mother?  Well, he turned out wonderful and didn't need therapy after all.  Sigh of relief.  

My kids are all grown ups.  They all have lives of their own.  They have made lots of choices that I completely agree with and there were choices that I did not agree with.  Sometimes I was right and sometimes they were right.  And, through it all I continued to love them with all my heart.  Even in anger, I love them.  (whether the anger was mine or theirs)  

Don't even get me started on WORRY.  I don't think I will ever stop worrying about them.  Whenever anything seems wrong, I worry.  When my daughter was 17, she told me that she wasn't going to live a long life.  Shocked, I asked her why she would say such a thing.  She told me she had a dream that she died in a car crash at 27.  Well, guess what.  Ten years later, I remembered those words that she had long forgotten.  I worried for an entire year when she was 27.  (she's 31 now and still kicking).  In fact, I acted like a crazy lady insisting that they didn't drive to San Francisco for New Year's Eve.  It was rainy and it was so close to the end of that miserable year.  Well the "year" wasn't miserable, but I kept that "weight" of worry all the time.  It seems really silly to me now.

I talk to my friends and it seems the same for them.  We are still parents.  Forever.  Maybe we can't tell them what to do anymore, but we still care about every little thing.  My granddaughters are convinced that their Dad still has to do what I say...but, believe me, it's not true.  

When our kids have hard times, it takes a real toll on us.  A dear friend of mine has had a really tough time of late.  She has had to stand by helplessly as her own child, now also a parent, has struggled with some tough decisions.  I'm not sure that her daughter even realizes how hard it's been on her.  Our hearts can still be broken.  

And, then there is joy.  My daughter came over today.  For no reason whatsoever.  She has moved away (she used to live next door to me until just a few weeks ago).  It was the first really sunny day in a long time and we just sat out on the deck and let the sun beat down on us.  I made her lunch and we talked about little things.  I showed her the crafts I am working on and she says that she wants to make them too (the best compliment ever).  And, now, my precious girl is going to be a Mommy.  I bought her a little outfit that says "I love my Mommy" for the baby.  It was hanging on the back of the front door in their house.  And, now it hangs in the hallway of their new house.  

Yes. Time marches on.  And now, she will be a parent....forever.

We had a huge storm this weekend!  At our house we get snow every winter, but not a lot, so it's still an occasion.  It was so pretty to wake up to white all around.  I can always tell it has snowed first thing because it's so quiet.  And...it gets even quieter when the electricity goes off.  Argh. 

This is me, standing on my deck out front.  We decided to go to town and have breakfast....mmmm mmm....and to get warm!

 

After breakfast, we took a drive up the mountains to enjoy the snow.  I wanted to go by my daughter's new house, but she said we would be stuck for sure, so we just drove. 




Here I am again...we pulled over and took a picture.  Hubby is always taking pictures, but he is never IN  the picture.  I wish I had just taken my camera and snapped one of the two of us.  Hindsight.  

We stopped for gas at STP.  We have stopped here a billion times, and believe it or not, I never noticed this tree growing right through the building.  Now, that's country living!

 

I loved our snow day.  We have really missed winter this year.  It's almost spring, so it was good to get a taste of REAL winter!  Luckily, when we got home the power was back on.  Ah.

I say NO to DST! And on the subject of time...here is an art clock project for you!

We all had to set our clocks forward one hour.  Why?  I just don't see why we need to change the time twice a year.  It's called Daylight Savings Time, but the amount of daylight in a day has not really changed at all just by changing our clocks.  Many people say that it's done for farmers.  Is that so?  Why do ALL the people need to change their clocks for farmers?  Don't farmers work their own hours?  Can't they adjust their work time around daylight?  

I read that setting our clocks forward is good for outdoor businesses and sporting events.  That's fine with me.  Just don't fall back in the fall.  Just leave it.  There.  That's my 2 cents.  

Now on to a fun art project with a clock.  This clock that I used was in my closet and was already set on the correct time!  I didn't have to change a thing.

As for the project, I saw a clock somewhere on the internet that had rolled up magazines all around it.  I wanted to create one of my own, and so I did!  Here is the result:

I love it!  It's fun, wild and colorful.  I have it in my newly painted home office and it goes nicely with the aqua walls  This project was pretty quick and easy to do. In fact it would make a great arts and crafts project for kids.  

Here's how to do it.

You will need:

a clock

old magazines

tape

double sided tape

scissors

I used a clock I already had.  It's not a particularly cute clock, but I can see the number easily and I like that!  You could use any kind of wall clock.

Look through the magazines and choose colorful pictures.  The best ones have a lot of solid color on them.  It's better if the color goes all the way to the edge of the page, otherwise you will have a striped affect (which is fine too).   This one with the purple edge will look almost solid purple when it's rolled up.

And, so will this pink one.  I went through magazines and just tore out all the colors that I liked.

Next, start rolling from a corner.

As you roll keep on side tighter.

Keep rolling.

As you get to the end, fold under a little flap.

Tape the end to close it.  Don't worry if your pages are not rolled up all the same size.  It won't matter.  What WILL matter is that you have a small end and an open end.  This will make them fan out as you place them.

Place double sided tape all around the back of the clock where you will be placing the magazine pieces.

Make sure you have the entire area covered.

  

Start placing your magazine pieces, alternating colors.

After you place them all, press them down.

After you have them all placed on to the double stick tape, put on some regular tape on top to really hold the pieces down.

Turn it over and review your project.

Hang it on the wall, and enjoy!!

I really enjoyed this project and I'm in love with my new clock.   It's perfect in my new office!