Tag: friends


Apr
2011

A Very Festive Baby Shower

categories: baby, crafts, handmade

I am so blessed.  We have lived in Dallas for less than three years, and are already surrounded by an amazing community of friends.  Six of our friends recently threw one seriously festive baby shower for Baby Bun and me.  They are a creative bunch, and the shower had so many unique touches.  They handmade name tag corsages from paper and felt for everyone to wear.

The party took place at the home of our friends the Ballards.  They had only moved in one month before, and then were robbed right after buying the house.  I was pretty impressed by how moved in they were.  I have a tendency to live out of boxes for way too long.  The girls used bright, fun colors to decorate, and served a buffet of breakfast burritos.  Yum.

The tables were decorated with fresh greenery, nests of burlap and moss, and blown out brown eggs with “baby” written on them.  It was so different from the typical baby shower pink or blue, and I LOVED it.

See those brightly colored beads in the vases?  They keep plants moist without the mess of water, apparently.  Very cool, and festive.

For dessert the girls served homemade pralines and mini cupcakes in lemon and chocolate.  I tried to use restraint and failed miserably.

Each guest was asked to share a favorite family tradition to give us ideas of new traditions to start with our little family.  The girls put them all together on a metal ring and sent me home with a massive stack of ideas.

There were three round tables set up outside, and we had a beautiful Texas morning.  Each table was decorated with a straw wreath, moss, the burlap and eggs (like inside), and vases filled with individual flowers.

Inside there was a mimosa bar set up, with water and plain orange juice available as well.

I am so thankful that so many friends and family came and showered us with gifts.  We are so truly blessed.

My sweet mama came into town for the shower, and Betsy (one of the hostesses) made her a special corsage with her grandma name (Dede).  My sister in law came up with Dede as an easy name for my niece to call her, as her non-grandma names are Deborah and Debbie.

Here are four of the six hostesses: Morgan, Whitney, Allison, and Betsy (Asia and Ellen are not shown).  I’m the rotund one in the middle, of course.  I am so thankful to these girls for throwing an amazing shower for me and going to the trouble to get seriously creative.  I felt really special.  I showed you a bit of my Arkansas shower earlier, and I promise to show more of that one soon.  Some amazing friends from work threw me a lunch shower as well, but I’ve got to get the photos from one of them.  Once again, we feel so incredibly blessed.  

So, in keeping with the shower idea… 
What is your favorite family tradition?  
I’m sharing this festive baby shower post over at some great parties.  Check them out on my right sidebar and join the fun.  


Mar
2011

My Hometown Baby Shower

categories: arkansas, decorating, family

 Even though I’ve lived far away for the last 6 years, my sweet friends from home threw me a baby shower this past weekend.  Jed was on spring break, so we headed to Little Rock on Thursday for a little extra quality time with my family and friends.  We stayed with my parents as usual, but this time there were 7 dogs at the house as well as 7 people.  It was a bit crowded, to say the least.  I’ll post more pics of Dogapalooza ’11 later, but for now you’ll have to be entertained with Julie’s (one of the hostesses) pictures from the shower.  Crystal, another hostess, hand painted the letters shown above for the nursery.  I am in love with them.  I can’t wait to hang them (or more likely make Jed hang them) on the wall above the crib.  So cute!

 Here I am, with my giant belly.  This child is growing like crazy and moving like a fly girl on “In Living Color.”  Does anyone remember that show?  I wanted to be a fly girl so bad.

 Check out that spread, y’all.  My friends worked so hard and made lots of delicious food for us.  We had an incredible brunch of creme brulee french toast, fresh fruit, 2 different quiches, croissants, and brownies, and 2 different cakes.  The cakes were beautifully decorated to match the paintings that Crystal created for the nursery.  I’ll have pics of both later.  Julie created the diaper cake in the middle, which is now decorating the nursery.

 My niece, Caroline, was a big help unwrapping the gifts.  

 Trisha, my mom’s best friend, and her daughter Sarah have known me since Sarah and I were 4 years old.  Now she is the mama of sweet Maya, and I’m pregnant with my first.  I love that we are still great friends after  27 years.

 Marci, Julie, and Crystal put so much hard work into this shower, and I am so grateful for them.  They are dear friends that I’ve known forever.  Julie and I met very young playing in my neighborhood, then went to junior high and senior high school together.  We’ve been roommates in the past and had a great friendship across the miles for a long time.  Marci and I met in junior high youth group and became friends and partners in crime soon after that.  Crystal and I met in college and were finishing each other’s sentences after a week.  I love these girls and they and their families are some of my favorite people in the world.  They are all mamas already, and have given me so much great advice.  They really get me and it is so important to have people like that in my life.  I miss living near them and hope to again someday.

Do you live in your hometown, 
or are you making a new life far away?

Be sure to check out the Spring Fling Day 4 Giveaways:
A Headband with Sweet Interchangeable Crocheted Flowers from Momma’s Kinda Crafty
A Gorgeous Spring Bouquet of Hair Accessories from My Mommy Can

Feb
2011

A Rustic Bachelorette Weekend

categories: arkansas, frugal, weddings

Last week I told you about the simple and artistic bridal brunch for my friend who recently got married. After the brunch all of the bride’s friends whisked her away to the Red River near Heber Springs, Arkansas, for a rustic, laid back, and super fun bachelorette weekend.

I found the cabin on the Vacation Rentals By Owner site. It was pretty affordable when we split it among all the friends attending. We brought our own food and drinks and saved a ton not going out on the town. The bride just wanted to get away, so it was a perfect place to make that happen.
The cabin overlooked the river and though the scenery was not in the prime season, it was still lovely. The living room had an awesome fireplace that provided the perfect gathering place for our time together. I made baked brie and tomato soup that we enjoyed all evening, and my friend Crystal made an amazing cake.
It was an amazing weekend that made the bride feel loved and cared for before her big day. The photo above shows the bride (in orange) with some of us. This was the crew that hung around as long as possible enjoying the peace of the woods.

How have you celebrated bachelorette parties?

Sep
2010

A January Wedding…

categories: beauty, decorating, frugal, love, weddings, winter

I love weddings, especially when they involve people I care about. One of my oldest and dearest friends is getting married in January, and I am so excited for her and her fiance. We have been friends for about 17 years, and she is one of my favorite people in the world. I’m thrilled to be one of the bridesmaids. She has is one of the most creative and original people I know, so I couldn’t wait to hear about her vision for the big day.

She sent me these pictures to capture her vision of a “Winter Woodland Wedding”. I am obsessed with it. It is so them and just perfect. So, in honor of Marci and Scott, here is a glimpse of their winter woodland wedding fantasy for your enjoyment. I’ve added in the lyrics to The Avett Brothers’ song, “January Wedding” to get us all in a wedding mood. Go listen to it!

January Wedding by The Avett Brothers

She keeps it simple
And I am thankful for her kind of lovin’
‘Cause it’s simple

No longer do we wonder if we’re together
We’re way past that

And I’ve already asked her
So in January we’re gettin’ married

She’s talkin’ to me with her voice
Down so low I barely hear her
But I know what she’s sayin’
I understand because my heart and hers are the same
And in January we’re gettin’ married

And I was sick with heartache
And she was sick like Audrey Hepburn when I met her

But we would both surrender

True love is not the kind of thing you should turn down
Don’t ever turn it down

I hope that I don’t sound to insane when I say
There is darkness all around us
I don’t feel weak but I do need sometimes for her to protect me
And reconnect me to the beauty that I’m missin’
And in January we’re gettin’ married

No longer does it matter what circumstances we were born in
She knows which birds are singin’
And the names of the trees where they’re performin’ in the mornin

And in January we’re gettin’ married
Come January let’s get married…

I’m sorry but I don’t know the source of all the photos, because they were sent to me.

Our wedding theme was a mountain fair and barn dance, with brown and robin’s egg blue as the colors. We had snow cones, a popcorn machine, a photo booth, and a Marble Slab buffet. Our ceremony was in a field and our reception in a barn.
What was your wedding vision or theme?
Or, what is your dream theme?