Something Blue Wedding Shower

This is from my sister's wedding shower last summer, but I wanted to make it official on my blog!
Theme: Something Blue

Games/activities: Photo Age Game, Scrapbook table, and Photo booth

Photographer: Amberlee Sterling  

The cake was from Bakerejoice in Plano,TX which specializes in butter cream frosting-No fondant! It was such a yummy cake and I got the inspiration from this cake!

  

The Photo Age Game: I numbered several pictures of the bride-to-be at different ages (5 is a good number) and everyone guessed what age she was in each picture. The person with the most correct received a blue-themed gift (Anthropologie kitchen towel and a heart coffee scoop).   

I had a scrapbook table ready to go with blue-themed stickers, ribbon, and paper.  I filled mason jars with cutting utensils, pens, and glue. Guests took the pictures from the photo age game and made a quick scrapbook for the bride-to-be.  It was great because they were able to put their messages to the bride on their personalized scrapbook page.

 Guests also enjoyed a photo booth with blue props to pose with. It was so much fun! I hired a professional photographer and she put up a white backdrop and lights. Everyone really enjoyed being silly with the props and it was a great ice-breaker!

Annabelle's Sweet Shoppe First Birthday

So, here it is folks. The party of the year!

Inspiration: Palm Beach ice cream shops
Colors I used: Ocean mist blue, candy red, and bubblegum pink
Hours it took to make the food: 6
Meltdowns: 2 (one from Jordan and one from me 15 minutes before the party)

Let's start with the candy shop:

I made these oreo pops using the recipe from HowDoesShe blog

I got these glass jars at Homegoods. 

 The cake is from We Take The Cake.  It was so good! Maybe even better than my wedding cake!

The sweet shoppe table all finished:)

These red velvet cupcakes are so delish! I got the recipe from Martha Stewart 

 This was an easy theme for a party in February thanks to Valentine's Day.  All I had to do was go the grocery store and pick up pink and red candy. Simple:)

I made the banner out of scrapbook paper. I got the idea from Chickabug's blog and etsy shop. 

I got the invitations in Cherry Theme from Chickabug. Aren't they so cute?! I absolutely loved their products!

The smash cake:

 I made her hat out of scrapbook paper. The smash cake was also from We Take The Cake

She loved it!

 I love how the frosting is stuck in her eyelashes!

The party in action:

Thank you friends for making this such a special day for our family. On this exact day last year we were fleeing Egypt, scared for our lives and the safety of Annabelle who was born just 4 days after landing in the US.  We are so blessed to have Annabelle in our lives. She is a gift from the Lord and we are so grateful to be her parents! She's come a long way from 3lbs 15oz!!

Sweet Shoppe Party sneak peak

Annabelle is approaching ONE!  My baby is turning into a big girl.  Her teeth have arrived just in time for her birthday(they were just coming through the day of this picture)

I am getting a head start on her birthday decorations for her sweet shoppe party. I want to make it look effortless, but really it looks like I have way too much time to waste.  Starting three weeks early was a great decision for me because I can do one "project" a night after Annabelle is asleep.  Tonight, I made cupcake liner pom-poms to decorate her high chair. Here is a sneak peak.

I'll be a savvy blogger and give you a tutorial:

You will need:  scissors, tape, twine, stapler, and cupcake liners (I used two different color liners)

1. For one pom-pom, I used seven cupcake liners. Flatten cupcake liners and cut a line from edge to center.

 2. Fold in accordion-style. Do this with all seven. (I'm only showing two b/c I'm lazy)

 3. Press all seven pieces together at the tips and staple horizontally

4. Cut twine to desired length and staple twine vertically to the tip of triangle.

5. Bring two sides around to meet, tape together and hang up!

Christmas Eve

9 years ago today, Christ saved me through His grace alone! In the Fall of 2002, I was invited to attend church and I listened to a worship song proclaiming that Jesus loves us despite our sin. Not only that, He took away the punishment for sin by dying on the cross.  I was a sceptic and I wanted answers.  I needed to know more about this Jesus character. I started reading the Bible (the book of John) for the first time.  I learned about His promise of eternal life for all who seek His ways.  What I found changed everything. On Christmas Eve, Jesus revealed in my heart His truth. His promise became real. I knew my depravity and my need for a Savior. I was given the ability to have faith and my eyes were opened to His words. I knew that this would be a life changing, hope-filled journey. I can't imagine a better Christmas present than the gift of grace and mercy that Jesus gives. Yes, 2002, not a bad Christmas Eve!

Servant

Being a mom sometimes feels like being a servant. I am constantly cleaning up messes, fixing meals, and making sure that everyone is healthy, happy, fed, and rested. If I was sick, the whole house would fall apart! At least it seems that way because a servant’s life is performance-based. The definition of servant is a person who performs duties for others; a person employed in a house on domestic duties or as a personal attendant. I always thought that we were servants of the Lord. My performance for the Lord as His servant would be a failure. I would ultimately get sick and things would fall apart. The good news is He is the servant, not us. He died on the cross for us, He dwells in us, and our performance doesn’t matter because He has finished the work for us. Christ has done the work in our hearts, He has given us the Holy Spirit, and He has paid the price for our sins. It is finished. What good news to us! We don’t have to depend on our performance to be righteous in God’s presence.


If we ever hear the words from God, “Well done good and faithful servant,” He isn’t talking to us. God is talking to Christ who He sees in us. Remember, we are clothed in Christ, marked with His blood, our sins are covered in Him, and we are made in His image. Christ is standing before God in our place. He is the servant God is talking to because His performance was perfect. His performance pleases God. Christ is the Mighty Servant through whom we are able to gaze on the face of God and hear sweet words of adoration from our Father. Blessed are those in Christ.

A Praying Life...and then there's mine

Loving this Friday morning! Annabelle is taking her morning nap and I have some rare time to write!

Yesterday I had a migraine. I tend to get them with nausea and sensitivity to light and they always last for 8 hours or more despite medicine.  It messes with my vision right before the pain sets in, so I have about 30 minutes to prepare.  I got things "ready" for my incapacitation: Laundry done, baby fed, dinner ready. I called the babysitter, she showed up minutes later, I handed her a schedule and the baby and got in bed.  I prayed out loud (probably scared the sitter) that the Lord would heal my pain fast and then I fell asleep for an hour.  When I woke up, my migraine was gone. Praise the Lord!

I've been reading A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller.  Great book if you are like me and are allergic to praying out loud. It makes me SOOOO uncomfortable, even to the point where if someone asks me to pray out loud in a group, my husband jumps in and prays instead. He is a good man! Taking the bullet for me. Praying out loud shouldn't be like getting shot and it isn't about me or how I sound. Hence why this book is so helpful. :)

I need Jesus, what else can I say! I hope He uses me as a prayer warrior for all the folks out there that need healing, answers, and comfort from the Lord (I need it daily!!). Give grace to me as I stumble through my words, messy and undone, childlike and awkward. To Jesus, maybe it sounds just right.

Playtime