Success... it all came together for the shower!

I am excited to say that everything came together for Jen's baby shower and I think that it looked fantastic.  We had some wonderful food thanks to our wonderful Aunties that helped me to make the shower such a success.  The day started with me hauling all of the shower goodies out of my hallway (it looked like my hall belonged on Hoarders) and onto the driveway to load into the truck around 8:15am.

All loaded up and we head to the lodge, that we are not allowed to enter until 9am.  I sit at a picnic table outside with the goods while mom goes back to my house to load up a few more things and grab some stuff from my fridge for the ice chest.

 The first thing we did was turn on the oven and then set up the tables.  I had the layout of everything in my mind and had sketched it out several times so that it would all go smoothly.  Once the tables were set up mom went to work getting chairs set up so that I could start decorating with my "vision."

I had made nautical decorations and brought painter's tape to hang stuff on the wall so I wouldn't damage them.  The hardest part was getting the Ahoy it's a Boy sail to stand up and look decent.  The inspiration photo I saw on pinterest was leaning against a wall.  Here is what we ended up with the guests seeing when they entered the lodge for Jen's baby shower:

And of course the other side of the boat was the water with a net to catch all the loot:

 All of the food had punny names.  We had life savers (donuts), bait (gummy worms), catch of the day (sweedish fish), sinkers (meatballs), eggs-hull-ent casserole (eggs), pier-ogies (perogies), channel markers (cupcakes), mini-subs, marshland dish (French toast casserole), knot-yer-moor-ma's potatoes... so fun and a big thanks to my Papa Bear for helping me with quite a few of those names.

 Everyone enjoyed the yummy food and drinks before Jen's little Michael was given a boatload of gifts.

The first gift was the horse.  The horse was something that my Grandma Pearl's father had made for her as a girl.  My sister and I both used the clothes horse growing up as well as Kendall and Sydney.  I had it covered in a sheet and revealed it to the guests first before Jen got to see it.  The ooh's and ahh's of them seeing it and Jen not having yet was great.  Here is Jen's face when she finally got to check it out:

 Awww.  She really loved it Grandma Pearl.  A thank you to Jen's husband Bob for finding out the color white of the nursery so we could go to the store and attempt to match it.  Jen's college roommate Natalie came in from Buffalo and of course they had to have a silly photo.  Natalie is getting married in August, which works out perfect since Jen plans to visit with little Mikey in August.

 As a thank you to our friends and family that attended the shower and gave so generously to her sonny boy we had salt water taffy for them to take home with them.

Thanks for Sailebrating with Jen!  I am so glad that it all came together and we had the most perfect weather while she was in town so she could do everything that she wanted... Mikey went on his first fishing trip the next day.

More Shower Prep info...

So here is the last of the shower making prep and info I have for you.  Of course Cinder helped with what she could.  To make the centerpieces for the table I painted paint stir sticks.  I rolled 5 diapers and put them in a small pot to help keep the shape.  I placed the paint stick in the center and then tied the bundle together with some string.  After, I attached a yellow pennant flag to the top.  They came out cute and will look great on the tables.

 The centerpieces are in the green tub.  All the stuff for the shower is hanging out in our living room.

 The week of the shower I went over to my mom's to help with the surprise clothes horse.  The horse was made by my Grandma Pearl's father when she was a kid and my sister and I used it growing up along with Sydney and Kendall (our cousin's).  Ginga is very excited to give it to Jen for use with Michael.  Of course it needed some fresh paint (thanks Bob for telling us the right color white so it will match at your house and Papa Bear for painting it).

 We needed to replace the red mane and tail.  Mom and I picked out this pretty green yarn since we know Jen is going with splashes of green as an accent color.

 To make the mane I wrapped the yarn around a box and then we looped it over the ears and I braided it.  This was tricky, but it doesn't have any "lose ends" the way we did this.  See what a hi-tech operation we had happening here.

 Here is the new tail rubber banded together and just needing a little hot glue to hold it in the tail place.  And I have always just used the piece of yarn on the outside.  My momma had me pull the yarn from the inside piece and here is what happens when you do that (plus it doesn't tangle).  So cool and we used a lot of yarn for the mane and tail.

Of course my mom had to go and hang some baby clothes on the horse and put a bucket cap on it.  We later accessorized it with a bow tie that had lime green sailboats on it.

Baby Shower Crafts...2

More craftastic awesomeness for Jen's shower while I wait to borrow my mom's camera card to show you how everything finally came together.  Going along with the nautical theme I decided to make pier pillars that you see boats tied to at the docks.  I started out with some fun noodles (thank you Papa Bear), string, tape, scissors and brown paper bag wrapping paper.

I wrapped one of the noodles in the paper and taped it shut.  I then cut one of the noodles using a knife (it cut super easy).  I then wrapped the two pieces and taped the paper.  After the pieces were wrapped I  wound the yarn around them.  I suppose that a twine or rope would be better, but I used what I had around the house since they aren't going to be saved after the shower (well, the noodles will be saved and used on the boat).

Here are the finished pier pillars.  I suggest you wrap the yarn on the individual noodles first and then wrap them together last for it to look best and to make your life easier.

Baby Shower Crafts

While Luke was zonked out with his back hurting I  took the time to make more decorations for Jen's baby shower.  Thankfully the stores had salt water taffy for shower favors.  I created these "address" labels for the favor bags.

 Each label had to be individually made by "insert picture, insert text box..."  Might just be that I have a computer that is almost 10 years old  and can't update the software on it.  Next, I made decorations for the cupcakes and to hang up on the wall.

I had the idea to make wall art for Jen using the nautical alphabet to make canvas of Michael's initials.  In the meantime Jen had already created her own wall art so fail.  I still wanted to incorporate the nautical them into her shower though so I made flag print outs and added the letter over top.

 Here is one of the nautical alphabet flags coming out of the printer.  I then cut it out and used contact paper to "laminate" it.  Love how it came out to spell Michael.

The last craft project I worked on over the Easter weekend was decorations for the cupcakes.  I printed out anchors and nautical flag "M."  I also printed red and blue chevron print for the backs.  Cut/punch the shapes and double sided tape them to the extra wide toothpick forks I picked up since they reminded me of oars.

 Cinder Ella kept trying to help with the contact paper and that was not cool with me.  She liked how the paper sounded (crunchy) while peeling it off the back.  So I took a scrap and attached it to the sliding glass door for her with the contact paper (no sticky tape residue on the window either...did I just find a way to make my own window clings???)

 mmm, tasty contact paper wrapper.  Don't judge, it kept her occupied a long time.

Shower Day!

Today we have the shower so I will have to post about everything and how it all comes together (I am hoping).  Thanks to my sister for taking the time to make the deli tray and fruit salad for her own shower.  Yup, I put her to work at my momma's house since she is forbidden from my house until after the shower with all her goodies stashed here and the shower stuff.

Sweet Potato Chips

I love sweet potatoes and found a recipe in my Runner's World magazine for sweet potato chips.  When   Luke and I go out to dinner I order sweet potato fries when they are available.  To make sweet potato chips you need to buy a sweet potato, peel it and then slice it into "chips."

Toss the "chips" in olive oil and then spread on a baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake in the oven at 350*.  When you notice them starting to crisp up you need to flip them over .

 Take them out when you think they are done.  Some may be a little smushy still and others will be crunchy (depends on the thickness and size of "chip").  I prefer mine a little crispy so they often look burnt.  I would recommend that you store them in a bowl with a loose plastic wrap cover instead of in tupperware type container where they don't keep their slight crunchyness.

Another Cinder Ella Story

So I love my cuddle bug and Disney and that is what I talk about "all the time."  Well, Cinder got a new bed from my Momma.  She found it on super clearance at Target as an online item that was returned.  She thought of Cinder, walked passed it and then went back for it at the end of her adventure in Targetland.  I put it on the floor and she sniffed it and circled it a few times the first day.  I picked it up off the floor to vacuum and she snuggled up on it for a little cat nap.

 I went to take a picture of her and she woke up.  Love how she always yawns when she wakes up or makes a chirping type noise when she see's it is me.

Thanks for my new bed.  I still have to figure out how to climb into the snuggly part of my new bed.