tea party baby shower

When Megan and Aaron decided on the name Abby, we thought it would be fun to do a baby shower theme that was a play on Downton Abbey. Mom already shot down my other theme ideas of Harry Potter and pirates - two things Megan loves. But after deciding on the secret theme, Megan inadvertently mentioned more than once that she actually disliked the TV show and that she just watched it because everyone else did. So...we changed direction and went with more of a general tea party theme.

I flew to OKC last weekend for the festivities. The shower turned out amazing - I was pretty impressed with our ability to pull it off working across three different states with four hostesses. We did all the decorating and food prep on Saturday, and then the shower was Sunday afternoon. It went off without a hitch. Here are some fun details from the shower....

Paper invitations are rare these days, but since we were having a fancy schmancy tea party, I couldn't resist ordering these pretty tea cup invites from Paperless Post. I then used folded vellum envelopes and little registry tags to make the invitations look like real tea bags. I hired Jon to address the invitations in his fanciest writing - with each one address to Lady so and so. They really helped set the theme for the shower, and I think they were a big hit.

The guest book/gift table - complete with vintage hats from our grandmothers and homemade sugar cookie party favors. Hostess Mallory did all the amazing chalk work.

Abby's nursery is mint green with a little pink so we used those colors for the shower. Every place setting had a vintage tea cup/saucer and a homemade hand fan. We ordered the flowers from Sam's club, and I had the task of arranging all of them the day before the shower. It's amazing what tablecloths and fresh flowers can do to make for a fancy atmosphere.

The menu consisted of tea sandwiches, assorted bite-sized confections and, of course, cake. We went with lemon poppyseed with raspberry filling for the cake flavor. Megan has been craving lemon during her entire pregnancy so it was an easy choice. I loved the cake topper, which was filled with edible flowers. I know it's hard to believe, but the cake tasted even better than it looked. If you ever need a cake in the Norman/OKC area, I know your gal. 

Megan refuses to share any belly pics on social media, but I get to do whatever I want. Now that she is properly showered, we just have to wait for Abby to arrive! 6 weeks and counting...

30 by 30: Month Two

This was a slower month for the list because I was busy planning and throwing my sister's baby shower, but I still got a few things crossed off the list.

2. Read 30 books. I'm about halfway through Moneyball, and I just started Crime and Punishment, but Eek! I better get moving.

4. Make Royal Icing. Katie: 1. Royal Icing: 0. I've successfully made perfect royal icing TWICE in the last month. This culminated in some adorable tea-themed cookies that we gave out as baby shower favors.

8. Blog every week. I've already missed this one (twice!), but I'm hoping to make up for it by squeezing in more than 1 post/week in the upcoming months. I figure if I blog 52 times by my 30th birthday that should count. I made the list so I make the rules.

15. Beat Jon at Settlers of Catan. More Settlers was played...and lost. This one may the hardest of them all.

16. Host more dinner parties. We hosted an Easter brunch that was quite lovely. Jon has been traveling so much lately that other hosting has been put on hold, but I have high hopes for this summer.

22. See the cherry blossoms at daybreak. We came, we saw, we conquered. Definitely glad this one was on the list or we never would have done it!

23. Memorize 12 verses. I memorized Hebrews 3:13-14. I taught on this passage for Bible study last month so it was almost inadvertently committed to memory. That's a nice bonus to teaching on a passage.

"But exhort one another every day as long as it is called "today" that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end."

28. Visit 5 National Park sites. We visited the Independence National Park Site while we were in Philadelphia. Even better, it was a new one to me. 1 down, 4 to go.

cherry blossoms

I have a love/hate relationship with cherry blossoms. I think most locals do. While the trees are beautiful and a welcome harbinger of spring, the mass of tourists that descend on the city in late March and early April almost makes you want to send the trees back to Japan. Thanks, but no thanks.

While driving into the city the other day, I posed this question to Jon, "Have you ever seen a tourist family in DC that looks like they were having fun?" The answer is no. Friends, yes. Couples, yes. Family with kids, not so much. The parents look exhausted, the kids look bored, and everyone looks like they are tired of walking. As my mom would say, DC is a work vacation, and if you come during cherry blossom season, you are guaranteed extra work thanks to expensive hotels, crowded transportation (actually, make that crowded everything), and long lines wherever you go.

Given the above, I wasn't the least bit upset when I realized our weekend in Philly corresponded with peak bloom. We heard from several friends who braved the mall over that weekend that it was a complete madhouse. Some people didn't even make it the tidal basin.

We came up with another plan to enjoy the blossoms without the hassle. We woke up early (way early) last Monday morning. We parked at Jon's office, hopped on the metro and walked all around the tidal basin. It was a perfect morning and we practically had the place to ourselves...well, ourselves, and all the trash the weekend crowd had left behind. Like I said, it's love/hate with cherry blossom season.

It's the only way to do it, and I'm so glad we did. Also, that's another thing crossed off the 30 by 30 list.

i look really awesome, but who bothers with hair and makeup at 5:00 a.m.?

city of brotherly love

We spent last weekend in Philly sightseeing, baseball watching and relaxing. Here's a little recap of our visit in the city of brotherly love. 

We took Friday off and took a leisurely drive up to Philly. We checked in to the Rittenhouse Hotel and enjoyed their afternoon tea. I love a good high tea, and this was one of the best ones I've had stateside.

That night we went to the Nats vs. Phillies game. Another ballpark crossed off our list, but unfortunately, it was overcast, chilly, and the Nats lost. We went to a second game on Saturday night and it was a repeat of night one. Luckily, the colder weather kept a lot of Phillies fans away so we didn't have to deal with any hecklers. Despite being the city of brotherly love, Philly sports fans aren't exactly known for their love....unless you count their love for booing and heckling.

Saturday morning we started with lattes to fuel up for a day of historical sightseeing. I've never done any of the touristy things in Philly so it was fun to take it all in on a sunny, but breezy day. There was more to see than I thought. We walked A LOT. However, because we did this trip a little more spur of the moment, there was no real planning involved. This is very unlike us...and it reminded me why we usually plan. By the time we strolled over to the old city, Independence Hall tickets were already sold out. Oops. Jon assures me it's just a room so I'm assuming I would have been unimpressed anyway.

Midway through the day, we stopped for cheesesteaks at Sonny's. They were delicious, but I think one cheesesteak every 4-5 years is probably enough for me.

I know this doesn't look great, but it was. I could only eat about half of mine. Cheesesteak: 1. Katie: 0.

Jon finished his like a champ. I definitely recommend Sonny's if you are ever in Philly.

don't be fooled. tis the city of brotherly love in name only.

We brunched on Sunday before crossing the river into New Jersey. I've briefly been to NJ before, but I wanted to make it a little more official.

We randomly picked a park on the riverfront to walk around, but we stumbled upon the USS New Jersey, which is apparently the most decorated US battleship. I wanted to take the tour, but we didn't have time. Again, we probably should have planned better. Maybe next time.

Last, but not least, we did a quick drive-by of the Rocky steps before heading back to DC and cherry blossom madness. On our way back home, we literally saw a mile-long stretch of cars parked on the interstate shoulder. People will stop at nothing to see those trees.

easter weekend and baseball

We had a pretty good run these last few days. Thanks in part to the best weather of the season so far, we had a lovely Easter weekend followed by baseball's opening day on Monday. Top that off with a good NCAA championship game Monday night, and it was a pretty great 72 hours. This upcoming weekend we are off to Philly for some more baseball and R&R.

On Friday, our friends Kelton and Rebekah came over to watch Little Big League with us in advance of opening day. Rebekah grew up a Twins fan, but somehow missed the greatness that is Little Big League. It should be required viewing in Minnesota schools as far as I'm concerned. They came in full Twins regalia. Luckily, they donned Nats gear for opening day.

Saturday was all about our living room gallery wall and Easter brunch prep. The gallery wall isn't quite finished yet because they sent me 4 of the wrong frames, but we are well on our way and I love how it's turning out.

I'm terrible with photos while I'm hosting. I'm usually too busy making sure everyone is well fed, properly hydrated and happy. By the time I think to take photos, it's all over so you'll just have to trust me that Easter brunch was a success. After eating, we enjoyed the sunshine while the kiddos hunted for eggs.

Monday was all about baseball. It was probably the best opening day weather I've experienced. It made for a great day that could have been better if the Nats had won. Oh well, there are 161 games left for the Nats to win.

30 by 30: The First Month

I thought I made a good bit of progress for just 1 month, but then the thought of only having 11 months left completely overwhelmed me. Things will ramp up as the weather gets warmer, but it was a good reminder that I have to be diligent or time will fly. Here is what I accomplished this month:

#8 Blog every week
So far, so good. I blogged every week this month, and most importantly, I enjoyed it.

a new print above our bar cabinet.

#20 Hang more things on our walls
We hung 2 coat hooks, 1 key rack, and 1 print this past month. Someone should ask Jon about how much he looooooves hanging things on our plaster walls. It's always an adventure, and I know he is thrilled that I have 12 frames on order and 3 vintage maps at the custom frame shop as we speak.

#16 host more dinner parties
I made this one more narrow than I should have. The spirit of the task was to open our home more often to more people for more fellowship. It doesn't always have to be a dinner party per se, but it also can't be regularly scheduled events like church community group. This month, I hosted a girls night (we may or may not have watched clueless while eating peanut butter M&Ms). We also had our friends Robby and Caroline over for Thai takeout and games.

#23 Commit 12 new Bible verses to memory
I memorized 2 Peter 3:8-9. Our pastor has been preaching through 2 Peter over the last several weeks so I picked a verse from that book.

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

#4 Learn how to make royal icing
A sweet friend and fellow baker invited me over for some sugar cookie fun on a rainy Saturday. Using the same recipe I had failed at multiple times, the royal icing we made together turned out perfect on our very first try. I guess sometimes you just need the moral support of a friend. I'm not crossing this one off the list quite yet, but we are well on our way to success.

#15 Beat Jon at Settlers of Catan
The board game to rule them all. We played 1 game of Settlers this month (See #16). Jon didn't win, but neither did I so it doesn't count.

#2 Read 30 Books
I read two books. One was a fiction book called The Sisters, which I had started before the list came into existence. It wasn't the most amazing book I've ever read, but since I had already started it, I figured I might as well finish it. Frankly, I'm glad I'm done with it so I can move on. I don't like reading more than one book at a time.

The other book was a social science book about French parenting. It was so interesting that I breezed through it in a few days. Since I actually liked this book, I'll write a little review for all of you soon.

In order to be more intentional about my reading this year, I made a book list. Yes, my 30 by 30 list has a sub-list. The more things to cross off the merrier! I tend to do most of my reading on planes, in waiting rooms or on vacations. Thus, most of my reading (outside of the Bible) is pretty mindless fiction. I like the escape of a fun, easy read, but I wanted to challenge myself to read more "real" books so I divided the list into a few categories and then some suggested titles. This is all subject to change, but you'll get the general idea. If you have suggested books that I should add or subtract, please send them my way.

10 Non-fiction 

In Cold Blood

Team of Rivals

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Moneyball

The Hiding Place

Behind the Beautiful Forevers

Bossypants

Born Standing Up

The Devil in the White City

Escape from Camp 14

The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America

Bringing up Bebe

You Are Not That Smart

5 Christian

Pilgrim’s Progress

Mere Christianity

Heaven

Desiring God

Marriage Matters

5 Classics

Great Expectations

Grapes of Wrath

A Farewell to Arms

All the King’s Men

Gone with the Wind

10 Fiction
The Sisters
The rest are TBD - since fiction is my go-to genre, I don't think I'll have too much trouble coming up with other titles as I go. 

While it's not on the list, I couldn't resist adding #31 - maybe a rotating bonus experience from each month? This month's was "Spend more time with adorable babies." I got to hang out with Anastasia one Saturday. We (I) baked a cake and chewed (her) on the remote. There was also a one year old birthday party we hosted for Eli whose fat rolls also double as crumb catchers. I can't even.

adventures in the neighborhood listserv: baby chick edition

From the same people that brought you throw down fights over Christmas lights being left out too long and nanny tax reporting, I now present the latest in WASP-y, first world problems: baby chicks.  

When we aren't talking about where we can get girl scout cookies (too late) or boy scout mulch (they deliver!), we move onto really important topics about raising Easter chicks. It all started with this request:

"Does anyone know where I might get baby a baby chick or duck for Easter?? Ideally I am looking for an outfit/farm where I can purchase the egg and then return the baby a week or two after it's hatched (granted it survives my child) where it will live a long good life. Because I have no room for a chicken or duck in the yard.... But I would love to share the learning experience with child."

Depending on how you look at it, this mother is either trying to provide a wonderful animal learning experience for her child or, the more popular opinion, this mother is looking for the most cruel way to provide a long, slow death for a cute, furry animal. 

Let the listserv insanity ensue. My personal favorite responses:

"Would you hand your newborn over to a child as a science project? Surely not." 

Did we just compare baby animals to real babies? Yes, yes we did. 

"I Have a bunny if you want to borrow it." 

Sharing is caring.  

This doesn't even include any of the responses that sprung out of the related thread about chick shaming the original poster. I can't make this stuff up. But, of course, it's not a true listserv fight until the certified listserv troll weighs in:

"Shame on us who shamed people who shamed the shamers over a simple and honest request…Where can one rent a duck? Is this America?  Bravo Duck Renter, I salute you. Would that others seek to rent and return animals or better still, children. I know of at least three families that would happily have passed their children on at ages three or four (the equivalent of a month old duck). Instead they dropped them off at the pit [our local playground] to fend for themselves, where they grew up and became vagabonds. I stand firmly behind anyone who dares to exercise the right to say hello duck, good-bye duck. Rent away Duck Renter, this IS America."