My Little Sister's Little Man Shower

My baby sister Abby is about to have her first baby!  So naturally, my Mom, Amy and I threw her a shower to get her ready for her new little man.

I'm going to start right off the bat by saying that we totally copied the idea for this little man baby shower.  I wish I could claim it was our idea, but the internet pulled through for me again and provided all the inspiration we needed.  So all the credit goes to Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy and Emily at Remarkable Home!  There was little to improve upon, so seriously, we copied, copied and copied some more.  As they say, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!"

Let's start with the decorations!  I love the manly colors: navy blue, lime green, white, and a few touches of gray.  So manly and sweet, all at the same time!  And who can resist drinks served in mason jars with fun gray striped straws?

 We made these bow ties (again, just like Lindsey!) for everyone to wear at the shower.  So fun!

Clever little Amy stamped all of the paper plates with fancy mustaches.

  Here's how she did it!

Yummy cupcakes with green polka dot liners and darling toppers made by Amy:  

 Party favors!  Chocolate mustache lollipops - almost too cute to eat!

(Get the candy mold here!)

Here's my 93-year old Grandma Jinni hamming it up for the camera:

It may have been a manly shower, but we still needed flowers!  

Thanks for arranging these just perfectly, Mom!

 

A clothesline of onesies.  

I appliqued them using with neckties, bowties and a mustache.  

He'll be a dapper little dude!

 

On to the food!  

For drinks, we served lime sherbet punch, cucumber and blueberry water, 

and of course... root BEER!

 Brunch included blueberry french toast, southwestern egg casserole, Paula Deen's bow-tie pasta salad, sliced fruit with fruit dip, blue and green M&Ms and jellybeans, and blue chips with guacamole.  Mmmm-mmm!

 And a shower thrown by our family wouldn't be complete without the games.  We didn't want girls to groan when we pulled out the traditional shower games, so we got creative.  We did "Minute to Win It" games - shower style.  There were five rounds, with very lenient elimination after each round.

Round one:  The Oreo game.  Each team picked one person to complete the task.  They had to get the Oreo from their forehead to their mouth without using their hands.  Let's just say we had some very good sports.

Round two: using a bulb syringe (also known as a snot sucker, a nose vacuum or that blue thingy), each team had to transfer 4 oz. of water from one bottle to another in under a minute (which, by the way, is way easy).

 

Round three:  Using toothpicks and marshmallows, each team had to build a "crib" for "Baby Ruth."  If "Baby Ruth" was not elevated off of the ground, the team was eliminated.

Round four:  Stack 35 diapers without them toppling over.  

Sounds easy, right?  

Abby's team FAILED.

Round five:  Each team had to dig through a huge bin of little toys (puzzle pieces, LEGO blocks, baby toys, etc.) to find a complete set of magnetic alphabet letters, and then alphabetize them on a cookie sheet.  First team to complete this task won!

Shoot!  I didn't get a picture of the prizes, but they were the CUTEST little tins of mints... in the shape of a mustache!  Amy found them at Cost Plus World Market. 

 

 

 

 We all had a great time celebrating Abby and the little miracle inside her.

Can't wait to meet you, Noah!

 

(That's Noah with a mustache.  Silly Abby!)

I'll take CRAZY for $200, Alex

I've always wanted to compete on a game show.

When I was younger, I was confident I would rock Wheel of Fortune and show Pat Sajak who's boss.  I wouldn't even need to buy no stinkin' vowels.  I was sure I could solve the puzzle with consonants alone.  That's right.  Confidence.   Vanna would turn just a few letters and BAM!  I'd solve the puzzle.

When Emma was a newborn, I rarely missed an episode of Family Feud.  I had big plans for my family and I to be on that show.  In my sleep deprived state, I was certain no family in the history of the Feud had ever been on the show that would be nearly as entertaining as mine.  And we'd school that other family in "famous pigs" and "things you look for in the dark."

Now, I can't get enough of The Amazing Race.  Watch out, people.  Someday, as soon as I'm done having babies and done nursing and my kids are old enough to take care of themselves, Gary and I are taking off and we'll win that million dollars.  If it's still on the air.

For now, I live vicariously through others.  And last week, a friend's husband was on Jeopardy! for two days!  I've only met him once, but the way I was rooting for him, you'd think we were life long pals.  When he won that first day, I was thrilled for him and came bounding down the stairs to announce the news to Gary.

And then an odd memory came flooding back into my mind.  I'm afraid what I'm about to tell you won't support the claim I keep making that I'm not a stalker.  I am not a stalker.

I've posted about spending the day with Beth Moore.  (Except... I didn't.)
I've posted about posing as a newspaper reporter to gather info on a classmate.  
I've posted about leaving notes in a stranger's mailbox to find out about her laundry habits.

Truly... I'm not a stalker.

But there was this one time...

I loved watching Jeopardy! in high school.  I mean, doesn't every high school girl?

No?  Oh.

Well, I loved watching Jeopardy! in high school.  One time, during the teen tournament, there was a really cute guy competing.  To this day, I remember his name.  Matt Morris.  He won.

We had our picture taken together.

Like I said, I'm NOT a stalker.

(I know... WHO DOES THAT?!  Matt Morris should just be thankful Google and Facebook weren't around then.  Just sayin'.)

But hey!  Great news!  I must've married my dream guy, because Gary competed on The Price Is Right in college!  One day, if I can figure out how to convert the video tape, I'll post his clip.  It's worth watching.  You'll have to wait and watch to see what he won!

Gary, I promise that had I seen you compete on The Price Is Right, I would've started stalking you immediately.  We would've had our picture taken together, unbeknownst to you.

(Matt Morris, if you read this, I promise I'm not a stalker.  Do not be afraid.)  


UPDATE:  Matt Morris DID end up reading this!  Read this follow-up blog post.

A Variety of Assorted Various Things That Are Random and Assorted

I'm working on a recap of a baby shower that my mom, sister and I threw for my other sister last weekend, but I keep getting distracted as I sort through the mound of pictures which capture every FUN little detail!  So stay tuned.  (And I guess it isn't really a "mound" of pictures since they're on my computer and not a little stack of pictures.)  But I do have a feeling that it will be a very picture heavy post when it's finished.  Yowza.

So in the meantime, here's a bunch of randomness:

NUMBER ONE:  I hate the wind.  Like, really hate it.  But the great thing about wind is that it blows out all the smog and haze and anything else in the way of a crystal clear day like we had today.  Oh, was it beautiful!  The mountains looked so clear and blue and close enough to reach out and touch.  

Sometimes I get so caught up in how pretty my surroundings are that I just can't help it and I pull over and take a picture.  My kids are totally used to it.  Even today, Addie asked what we were doing and Emma said, "Oh, she probably just needs to take a picture of the mountains or something."  Ha!  But look!  Sooo pretty.  Colorado has the bluest of blue skies.  And June is awesome because everything is green, but it hasn't been warm enough to melt the snow from the mountains, so it's just amazingly pretty to look at.  

I would love to live on this farm on a lake.  What a view!

We watched this bald eagle soar for awhile and it kept dipping into the water.  We're pretty sure we watched it grab a fish out of the lake!  (It was much closer than this picture indicates.)

NUMBER TWO:  Emma got to see one of her BFFs today who moved to Montana last fall.  

It was great to see her and her family again!  Her name is Emma too, and the Emmas have known each other since preschool.  

NUMBER THREE:  My girls are really into saying "really" lately.  As in, "We're having cookies for dinner, Mom?  Really?  Really."  (said with much attitude.)  Or today in the car:  "You don't know how many teeth you lost when you were little Mom, REALLY?"  "Um, no I don't remember."  "But they were your own teeth, Mom.  And you don't remember?  REALLY?"  (For other moms faced with this same urgent question, the answer is 20.  And no, I didn't know this, I had to Google it.  Really.)

NUMBER FOUR:  Gary and I count down the minutes until our kids go to bed so we can have one of these:

We are obsessed.  They are so good.  So. Good.  We get them at Costco and we highly recommend them.  I'm not being paid to promote this item, however should Julie herself read this and want to give us a lifetime supply of these strawberry frozen yogurt bars, we would not turn her down.  You reading this, Jules?  

NUMBER FIVE:  Brody had a rough day.  First he fell out of the car when Addie tripped and accidentally pushed him out as he was trying to climb out on his own, and he banged his forehead really good on the garage floor.  Poor little guy.  He had a HUGE bump on his head that got big FAST.  I'm not exaggerating - it looked like a ping pong ball was taped on his forehead.  But he's okay.  Or, at least he was until I dragged him through the street and skinned his knees.  I was pushing him on his bike and didn't realize he'd fallen off but didn't let go!  Suddenly I hear, "Mommy!  Stop!  Ow!" and I look down to see him hanging on and I'm literally dragging him on the street.  Duh.  I'm such a dork for not noticing.  A little Bactine and two bandaids later, he's fine.  

No pictures of this one.  When I tried he held up his hand and said no.  I guess he's tired of the Paparazzi.

It reminds me of when my sister was learning how to waterski and fell.  And then my dad dragged her through the water because she didn't let go.  Eventually either my dad stopped or she let go.  I don't remember how that one ended up.

NUMBER SIX:  Have you seen the pudding face commercial?  It's so dumb, but his face makes me laugh every time.

NUMBER SEVEN:  It's a matter of time before my kitchen eating area is flooded, because this is Brody's favorite game:

He loves it when I put my face right on the glass and he can squirt me.  He also loves to turn the hose on the door the second I start to open it.  So far I've been quicker than him... but one of these days...

NUMBER EIGHT:  Have you seen the Wave At The Bus blog?  Gary showed me the other day.  Hilarious.  It's simple:  this dad waves goodbye to his kid on the bus each day, wearing a different costume and takes a picture.  This is right down my alley!  Makes me wish my kids were riding the bus next year!  The blog has gotten so much publicity in the last week or so that the first post shows a disclaimer by the family, and describes the dad as "a trophy husband (complete with a kickstand)".  You'll have to go read it to find out why.

I'm throwing around ideas for next year... A "Walking My Kid To School" blog?  Start sending me your costumes!

NUMBER NINE:  Blogger was giving me issues last night when I tried publishing this, so it's now Wednesday morning.  We're going to go ahead and pretend I posted this on Tuesday night.

NUMBER TEN:  Happy Wednesday!

My favorite Mary Kay product!

Last week I listed four of my top five favorite Mary Kay products.  Now it's time for my #1 product of Mary Kay.

But you won't try my most favorite Mary Kay product on at any make up party.

Ten years ago, I'd been married for just about 20 months.  While I loved being married and totally enjoyed the company of my new husband, I felt lonely and really needed some girlfriends.

I began to pray that God would bring a best friend into my life, not realizing that he'd been orchestrating a special friendship for years.

One day, Kathy, a friend from church, invited me to be her guest at her Mary Kay meeting.  How could I resist?  I'm a girly girl who loves playing with make up, and I was excited to hang out with Kathy.  That night at the meeting, I got hooked.  Mary Kay was for me!  I loved the product, the company seemed great, and it seemed like a fun group of women who I needed at that time.  It wasn't long after that that I signed my agreement and started my own Mary Kay business.

Just weeks into my new business venture, I met another brand new consultant.  Her name was Michelle.  We hit it off immediately, and I felt an instant bond with her.  She was just darling; she had a beautiful smile, and such a sweet, gentle spirit.  We happened to both work as secretaries at churches in the same town, so we scheduled to meet for lunch one day - "Noodles at Noon!"

It turns out that we had a bunch of friends in common.  She had friends in college who I knew in high school, and vice versa.  How had we not met before this?  Also, we both spent separate summers in British Columbia for mission trips, and stayed with the same host family for those summers!  We were chatting about it one day when I remembered that there was a picture over my bed that one of the children had drawn.  After looking at my photo album from the trip, we saw it:  there was a rainbow... and the name "Michelle."  Not only had we stayed in the same house (a year apart), we had slept in the same bed!  It was so fun to discover all of the ways God had crossed our paths.  

That first lunch date at Noodles was followed by many, many more.  I knew immediately that God had brought Mary Kay into my life so that I'd meet Michelle.  I was so thankful to have a buddy at my Mary Kay meetings, and we even attended Seminar in Dallas together.  Here we are posing with a cardboard cut-out of Mary Kay herself:

And here we are with the prized pink Cadillac we dreamed about driving - it all seems like a hilarious dream to me all these years later!

But it didn't take long for our friendship to transcend Mary Kay and to take deep roots.  Mary Kay was quickly replaced by talks about marriage and dreams of babies.  We cried together and laughed together and prayed together.  When baby fever set in big time, we prayed for each other until we could report seeing two little lines on those pregnancy tests, just a month apart.  We giggled as our bellies grew and we started waddling into our Mary Kay meetings, only to sit there brainstorming names and counting kicks instead of learning new recruiting techniques.

Michelle moved to California just a couple of months before our first babies were born.  She called me when she went into labor and I did the same.  Finally at Christmas we got to meet each other's babies:

Years later, our kids are buddies and each time we're all together, we're just tickled at all that's happened during our friendship.  Michelle's even been in town to visit me in the hospital twice!

Carson and Emma are exactly one month apart, Livi and Addie are almost exactly two months apart, and Spencer and Chloe are not quite three months apart.  (And Brody just fits right in the mix.)  Can it get any closer?

I've gushed about Michelle before, but anyone who knows her feels SO LUCKY to know her.  She is so loyal and trustworthy, and silly and funny.

She has walked me through some of the saddest days of my life and laughed with me more times than I can count.  She knows some really ugly and cruddy stuff about me and loves me anyway.  She's even seen me without make up on and STILL wants to be my friend.

And so even though just last month I celebrated ten years with Mary Kay, to me it marks ten years of a friendship truly blessed by God.  I'm thankful for Mary Kay, but I was never in it for the money (um, good thing!) or the fame or the prizes.  The best thing I've ever gotten from my Mary Kay business is a friendship that is dear to my heart.

And that's why Michelle earns the number one spot for my favorite Mary Kay product.  

I love you, friend!  Thanks for making my life brighter, for pointing me towards Jesus and for loving me unconditionally.  You are the BEST!  I'm so thankful I prayed for you so many years ago and became a Mary Kay consultant.  You're way better than any lipstick on that order form.

Mary Kay Top Five Favorites

Yesterday marked my tenth anniversary as a Mary Kay consultant.

WHAT?  Yes, you read that right!  I'm a Mary Kay lady.  And many of my closest friends don't even know.  It's not that I'm ashamed, it's just not a huge part of my life.  I've never wanted to be pushy and peddle my wares to friends, so it almost seems like I've spilled a secret when people find out.

But in the mail last week, I received a small gold pin from Mary Kay, Inc. to celebrate my ten years with the company.

Ten years ago, I was still kind of a newlywed, didn't have any kids, and went all gung-ho pink with Mary Kay.  I attended Seminar.  I didn't miss a single meeting.  I recruited other consultants.  I held regular facials and parties.  That pink cadillac was going to be MINE! Well... not really.  I would've taken the money option instead.

Ten years and four (five) kids later, it's just something I do for personal use, and for friends and family who also love the product.  In fact, I haven't hosted a party or facial since Emma was born, 7 1/2 years ago.  I only place orders about twice a year, which explains why it can take weeks or months for me to get an order to the few people who order from me.  Customer service?  Not my forte.  (Which is why I offer a standing 25% discount if you're ever interested.)

I've realized that while cultivating a booming Mary Kay business isn't for me, I do love the product.  For ten years, I've used nothing but Mary Kay and love it all.  And so without further ado, I present to you my top five Mary Kay favorites!

5.  Mary Kay Eyeliner

I love how easily it glides on without tugging at my eyelids!  Plus, it doesn't smear easily and it's waterproof.  The BEST eyeliner I've tried!  My favorite colors are Steely and Bronze.

4.  TimeWise Miracle Set

This cleanser and moisturizer set makes my skin feel so soft and smooth!  It's quick and easy to use and I love it.  The Day Solution goes on right after cleansing with the 3-in-1 cleanser, and is SPF 15!  People, that is a MUST.  You should be using sunscreen as part of your daily skin care regimen!  I admit that I don't always use the Night Solution (which completes the Miracle Set), but it feels like a luxury when I do.

3.  Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover

Hands-down the very best stuff to use to get all that gunk off your eyes.  ("Gunk" is an awesome selling point, right?)  LOVE this stuff.

2.  Mary Kay Eye Primer

On days I forget to use this, I see a HUGE difference!  Eye Primer is a primer for your eyeshadow.  Just a teensy bit goes a long way!  I just rub a small dot on my eyelid before applying eyeshadow.  It makes my eyeshadow last a lot longer, making the color more vivid and NO CREASING!  Seriously, I see women all the time with eyeshadow creases and want to tell them about the wonders of MK Eye Primer.  I should be a consultant.  Oh wait...

I'll share my #1 Mary Kay product with you tomorrow.  This Mary Kay product changed my life!  Tune in tomorrow...