Purple and Yellow Baby Shower!!

We got to celebrate with another party this past weekend!  Kurt says I'm a pretty good party planner and I'm pretty much enjoying our pattern of a party every other month!  :)  Of course this time I had help from my older sister and bestie, Jenny!  The shower was for my little sister, Libby, the beautiful mama to be!  She's being blessed with a baby girl, hence the purple and yellow theme! I'm all for pretty parties, but I'm not very cutesy.  We kept it pretty and simple and it turned out great.

Hadelyn Mae Looney is due May 14th!  I'm so incredibly happy to have Libby and Sean local and love that they have become our best friends.  (Libby and I already were besties, but now Sean and Kurt get to be too!)  Libby is going to make a wonderful mother!  She has been reading and preparing and is doing a great job and is glowing, of course!  Sean is such a hard worker and loves Libby so much it shows every time he looks at her.  They are such a precious couple.

Ok, okay.  Back to the shower.
Here are the pictures to make you feel like you were there.
And of course recipes are linked!  Enjoy!

WELCOME! 

 FOOD TABLE

 One of Libby's favorite snacks. 

Chocolate pudding with sliced strawberries and cool whip. 

 Veggie Pizza

We topped it with carrots, red pepper, broccoli, and celery.

 PASTA SALAD (LITERALLY)

One of my favorite summer salads! 

 Libby's friend from college, Kayla made a fabulous apple dip!  

It's a recipe of her future in laws and we ate it all up!  :)

 Guest book- Oh Baby The Places You Will Go

And Favors!

 Easy Peasy favors from a kit at JoAnn's. 

 My favorite part of the shower! 

We used old clothes, buttons, felt, hot glue, and fabric glue! 

Everyone made a headband, or two!  Great idea, Jenny!!!

 Some of the finished headbands!  Sean made the hot pink one

with the hearts.  Love it! 

We also made a birthing necklace for Libby to wear in labor. 

It has become a tradition in our family. Each guest chooses a glass bead to add to the necklace. 

Libby will wear it in early labor and feel all our love and support. 

Each guest gave their wish for Libby as the added their bead.  Here's a shot of my mom

adding her bead with tears of love. 

 The other hostess looking fab with her best accessory, Eden! 

 Libby is the cake maker in the family and I couldn't ask her to do her own cake, 

and really I figured it's better to just order one than to try to make one and ruin it!

So this was our solution.  A simple white cake from Kroger that I topped with fresh flowers. 

Simple and pretty.  And it tasted pretty darn good! 

 Time for cake! 

 Libby and I!

And by far my favorite shot of the day!!!!

I think things turned out pretty well and Libby was able to be blessed as a mother to be.  She did not get a bridal shower so I am glad we were able to treat her to a nice baby shower.  She means so much to us and I really can't wait to meet my new niece, Hadelyn Mae!  I love you dear girl, and your mommy! 

Stroller Envy.

Don't get me wrong.  We have a very nice stroller, but there is one I'm drooling over!  We bought a Maclaren when I was prego.  I knew I wanted one because they are very sturdy, fold up tiny, and maneuver so nicely.  I found a great deal on our Maclaren and was able to get an even better one than I first wanted.  We found this designer edition Albert Thurston Ryder with all the accessories and leather handlebars at more than 50% off.  Our accessories include the winter seat, a "boot", rain cover, and a fuzzy Maclaren blanket.  It has been great and I don't need another stroller but that stroller envy is creeping its way in.

I discovered the Britax B Ready stroller this week as I was helping Libby with her baby registries.  Some of my online mom friends have this and love it!  And Wowza!  Have you seen this thing?!  It is the only stroller you will ever need.  It starts out with the "toddler" seat which is recommended for a baby 6 months and older because it does not recline completely.  The toddler seat can be replaced by a variety of seats for a newborn.  The bassinet or a carseat.  The Britax Chaperone infant seat and the Britax B Safe carseat both will snap onto the stroller as well.  They also make a universal adapter that will allow any carseat to snap in.

The toddler seat and whichever newborn seat you choose can be turned forward or backward!  Now, here's why it's the only stroller you'll ever need!  It becomes a double when your family grows!!  And it's a stacked double instead of a side by side.  It looks similar to a Phil and Teds but the newborn attachments remind me of an UPPAbaby.  So it's the best of both worlds!  There are a variety of ways to snap the seats in and you're good to go up to 55 pounds.  So don't you think I'll need this stroller when I have my next babe?  Yea, I do too.

Of course, for now my Maclaren is more than adequate!  :) 

Homemade Crockpot Chili

My husband says I make the best chili he's ever had.  I don't know I'm going to go that far but I will say it's pretty good.  We like to make it a lot through the fall and winter.  It's just the perfect meal for cold weather. Here's how I make it.

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1 pound ground sausage
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 large onion- chopped
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 tsp oregano
2 clove garlic- minced
1 bay leaf
Sour cream- garnish
Cheddar cheese-garnish

Directions
1. Brown your meat.  I mix both the ground turkey and ground sausage and brown in large skillet together. Throw in some crushed black pepper.

2. While your meat browns open your cans of tomatoes.  Empty cans into crockpot, juice and all.  Open and rinse your beans under cold water, then add to crock pot.

3. Dice your onion.  I like to follow how Pioneer Woman says to chop an onion.  It's really easy!  Now add into crock pot.

4. Measure and add your seasoning.  I sometimes add jalapeño or crushed red pepper.  Sometimes paprika.  Add whatever you like according to the level of spice your family enjoys.

5. Add your browned meat to the crockpot and stir.  Cover and cook on warm for 4-6 hours or high  for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

6.  Serve with your favorite chili side and garnish.  We enjoy sour cream and cheese and a good crusty bread on the side.  It's best followed by a slice of pumpkin pie in the fall, but we're not always so lucky.

ENJOY!

First Conversation.

Oliver and I had our first conversation yesterday.  The first one where we actually talked back and forth.  Here's how it happened.

We were eating breakfast around 10am, as usual.  ;)  I said "Did you sleep well last night baby doll?"  He replied by shaking his head yes.  I went on, "I'm glad you slept well, that means mommy did too!"  "Did you have any dreams, Oliver"  To which he shook his head yes again.  I replied, "Oh really? What did you dream about?"  He very seriously said, "Bah."  --"Bah" is what he says for a variety of things he loves including his nursies, his bottle, sometimes me, and anything else he's interested in.  I said, "Oh wow, honey!  That's so neat!  I had a dream that I was at Sephora with some friends from high school and we were all getting makeovers there!"  He literally laughed out loud in response!

It was so cute and so sweet.  I can't believe he's big enough to have a conversation with me!