ABC Baby Shower Inspiration

I'm so excited!  My sister is due to have her first child in February!  I can't wait to be the best aunt to this little girl or boy.  I'm honored to be throwing this shower for my sister to prepare her for her little one and I'm already getting things ready.  The shower is going to be mid-January so I don't have much time to get everything planned.  Over Thanksgiving, we picked out the cutest invitations. I'll post them when I post more about the shower.  Anyways here's some inspiration I've found on Pinterest and placed on a board:

Soure: The Girl on the Go via Diane on Pinterest

Source: Becky on Pinterest

Source: bumpsmitten via Pinmarklet on Pinterest

Source: the Hostess with the Mostess Blog via Tara on Pinterest

Source: Kara's Party Ideas via Aimee on Pinterest

Source: Vale Design via Amy on Pinterest

Source: Lauren Makes via Pinmarklet on Pinterest

Source: BumpSmitten via Pinmarklet on Pinterest

Do you have any unique ideas for a Brunch ABC Themed Shower? I'd love to hear ideas!

Happy Birthday To Me!

I can't believe it's my birthday already!

Tomorrow I turn 26!

I'll get to spend the day with family, opening presents and eatign lots of food.

Since the year is almost over I thought I'd give you a final udpate on my While I'm 25 List.  Here's the final update on my "list" of things I wanted to do.  (Here's the original post and the mid-point update.)

     -          Lose 15 pounds

I didn’t make it.  I only list 5 pounds

     -          Have a date with Joe that includes a picnic

Not exactly a date, but we did go out and get some Burger King and ate it at the park that is in our neighborhood

     -          Bake a pie

Lemon Meringue Pie from Lemon Meringue Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke – Made it at my mom’s the weekend I forgot my camera…oops. I’d never made one of these before and everyone who came to the bbq said it was wonderful! Yay me!

     -          Make homemade spaghetti sauce

     -          Find a fantastic recipe for salsa and making it with veggies from my garden

I made salsa just by throwing a bunch of stuff together.  I had about 2 cups peeled fresh tomatoes, ¼ cup chopped onion, 1 chopped jalapeno, 1 clove minced garlic, a little salt, and some fresh chopped cilantro.  It turned out fantastic!!  I can’t wait for more tomatoes to be ready!

     -          Bake a loaf of bread

I made some chocolate babka

     -          Visit a new city

I spent 4 days visiting my best friend Danielle in Louisville and Lexington Kentucky.  We went to Churchill Downs and did a behind the scene tour that was sooo much fun!  We also went to Keenland Race Track and watched live racing.  It was a blast!  The trip was planned to celebrate Danielle’s graduation from school and is now a certified Physician’s Assistant!  About 40 days later, she moved halfway across the country to Raleigh, North Carolina.

     -          Go to a concert

Steel Magnolia – June 23

The Band Perry – June 30

Gloriana – July 7

Randy Rogers Band with Reckless Kelly – July 14

Corey Smith – July 28

Kenny Chesney – July 30
Sunny Sweeney - August 4
Craig Campbell - August 18

     -          Run a 5K (and train for it first)

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure – August 14

     -          Make a menu for the week using my cookbooks, or at least Monday through Wednesday for the whole summer (Memorial Day through Labor Day)

I definitely could have done better here, but I'm not going to complain. I did prepare for Mon-Wed every week.  Sometimes I even prepared for the rest of the week too.  I'm going to keep doing this one. I’m doing a good job prepping for part of the week

     -          Write notes to friends
       I wrote a couple of notes recently and sent them off.  I sent everyone Christmas Cards this year!

     -          Make homemade salad Dressing

     -          Blog at least 1x per week!

I tired, but not hard enough.  I get too involved in my projects without posting.  I will be posting alot soon though.

     -          Volunteer with an organization

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Shirt Pick-Ups - August 9 & 12

     -          Go to church more

I haven’t gone once yet.  Oops.

     -          Go to a Sporting KC Soccer game at their new stadium (I'm not sure when construction is going to be completed though – Opened June 9)

Hubby and I went July 23 with some friends from work.  It was crazy hot, like 100 degrees. We were trying not to move and photos slipped my mind, but the stadium was really awesome.  I hope we can go again this season.

     -          Attend a Play, Symphony, or Orchestra Concert

Hubby and I attended a performance put on by a Church in a nearby area.  One of my co-workers is in the performance and it was wonderful!

     -          Make a little "Welcome" spot for visitors to our house

I made a basket with a bunch of travel size items in case things were forgotten.  It was wonderful to have things at hand over Thanksgiving with our guests.  If they needed something, they didn’t even have to ask for it.

     -          Host a dinner party (or a BBQ?)

I hosted Thanksgiving this year.  I made everything from scratch and had all the fixings!

     -          Read 2 books a month

June:  The Help, Decision Points

July: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie…and ? (oops only 1 book!)

August: Committed and.....? Oops only 1 book again.

I didn’t read tow a month but here’s a two  I did read: Decision Points by George W. Bush and Bossypants by Tina Fey.

     -          Plan a trip for "just the girls"

Labor Day Weekend Trip with my Mom and Sister

     -          Get a pedicure with my mom

It didn’t happen this year.  Maybe next year I’ll try again.

     -          Make a fancy tiered cake (a reason isn't necessary)

I didn’t get this one done either, but I’m planning a tiered cake for my sister’s baby shower in January (close enough right?)

     -          Tailgate at 6 Royals Games

June 6 vs Toronto Blue Jays

July 8 vs Detroit Tigers

Maybe I’ll try again next Year.

     -          Ride a motorcycle

I tried really hard to do this one, but Joe wouldn’t really commit to taking me out.  I’m going to force him in the spring though.  I REALLY wanna do it!

I'm not sure if I'll be doing another list next year, but it was kinda fun to cross something of when I did it. What do you think?  Should I do another list?

It's the Simple Things....

You've heard the saying "It's the simple things in life..." before right?  Each year around the holidays I really take this to heart.  Most people are rushing around searching for the perfect gifts, attending parties, going to performances and baking lots of goodies. I try to take some time out and think about the simple things.....snowflakes on my nose, hanging ornaments on the tree, spending time with family, drinking hot chocolate by the fire...I could go on and on but I'll stop now.  

I hope you get a chance to take some time this holiday season to find simple joys.

Stripes in the Sewing Room

I remember the first time I entered my sister's house.  One of the first things I noticed was her striped wall in the living room.  The stripes were like nothing I'd ever seen before because they were all the same color, just different paint finishes: Flat and Semi-Gloss.  I love the contrast that was so simple.

Back when I was painting and re-arranging the basement (see here), a friend showed me the bathroom that the Petersik's painted. Here's their wonderful post and tutorial on their stripes.  I opted not to put them down there, but I just knew I had to put them somewhere.  

So here they make their appearance in my new Sewing Room! 

Pretty subtle right?  I just love sewing and ironing now, well not ironing.  I still have to work on that one.

Here's a peek at that corner to the right there. 

I'm so excited to finally have some stuff set-up in there.  That beautiful sewing table is from my Great Grandmother.  I feel so blessed to have it in my possession.  See, about 6 years ago, my parents had a garage sale and sold it because at the time I had no interest in sewing, nor did I have a place to keep it at college.  About a year ago they were helping their neighbors move and their neighbors gave it back to them! My parent's didn't even remember who'd bought it.

Anyways, it's definitely a beauty in the room. Now I just have to make room for my 1949 Singer that Hubby fixed up for me, and hang a bunch of art and other stuff on the walls.  So, what do you think so far?

Thoughs Today

I ponder a lot.  I think about things that mean something to me.  Sometimes I think I think to much.  I guess it's kind of a meditation for me.  I think about work, home, friendships, but mostly life in general.  Ya know, big picture things.....

Baby Boy Fabric

Oh Boy!  I am just SOOO excited!  A good friend of ours and his wife had their baby!  Mr Jacob was a bit early and I have no quilt made.  But that's okay.  On Black Friday I headed out and picked up this adorable flannel fabric that is just oh so perfect for little boys.

I love the bright, primary colored alphabet and the coordinating solids I chose.  I am VERY excited to get this project started!  I still have no pattern though, so what do you think?  Any suggestions?