Sugar & Spice and everything PINK!!!

Beautiful weather, great friends, and the celebration of a new life to be!!!  We spoiled Mommy-to-be Mel and baby MJ this weekend with a lovely baby shower brunch. 

***warning! Post is picture heavy!!***

Because I had a lot of time to prepare, I really thought about what details would make this shower over the top. 

Invitations: 

I used this template for the diaper. 

http://bitsofmimi.com/2013/02/13/diaperbabyshowerinvitations/

Supplies were from Michael's, JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby. The vellum is stitched on the cardstock with pink metallic thread. 

I used white ink for the calligraphy. The last name was sprawled across the envelope and the first name/address was done in the bottom right of the front of the envelope(which is not shown for privacy reasons). I used a label for my return address on the back flap and bought the forever floral stamps to go with the girly theme. 

DECOR

Walkway: 

I had envisioned this...

But we ran out of time so we ended up with this...

The balloons(pink and white of course) are tied to golf tees and anchored in the grass. 

Some of the decor was already up for Easter/Spring. But I think the 'April Showers Brings May Flowers' door decoration fit perfectly with a shower theme and it was pink! (Target umbrella & pink fake tulips from Michael's)

Food table: 

I put Silver and white striped wrapping paper on the wall. It took 2.5 rolls, each of which was found in the dollar section at Michael's(this was a recurring theme for this shower). 

Using this inspiration photo, 

I used scraps to make a frame and stained it my favorite Kona finish. 

Then I loosely used a  'Martha' tutorial and pearls from Michaels to create a wire script monogram

I added dollar fans from Michaels as base for monogram, hung using grosgrain ribbon, et voila! 

Finished product!!

(Diaper cake by Grandma-to-be Jane poodle)

Menu was simple and lovely. We had everything from Mel's favorite pigs in a blanket to gorgeous cupcakes from Mad Lily Cakery. 

How cute are those?!?!

All I had to make was 2 kinds of cookies. I went with tried and true Strawberry gooey butter cookies (http://s415.photobucket.com/user/sjaronsky/media/IMG_6548.jpg.html)

And chocolate covered Strawberry cookies(http://www.laurenslatest.com/chocolate-covered-strawberry-cookies/)

And of course we had pink lemonade, mimosas, coffee, tea and water. 

I found big clothespins in the dollar section which were so appropriate for a baby shower and also used dollar frames to label food and drinks. 

Since spring weather only lasts a few weeks in the south, I knew I would want to have the option to eat outside. I had previously shown this inspiration photo for planter boxes and knew I wanted to make these just to have for the house. 

Inspiration...

Using pine and Dollar Tree Vases and of course, my trusty Kona stain....

I love hydrangeas! Had to make a special trip to Kroger to get 12 bags of them, but it was worth it!!

I'm totally into the dip dye look! It was my first time using Rit Dye, but how beautiful is the finished look? And the 'fabric' is just 2 king size white flat sheets! 

And what little girl shower would be complete without a tutu somewhere? I use the pre-cut tulle rolls from Hobby Lobby. I pinned the elastic used to an old sheet I had cut in a circle and dyed. 

My favorite floral tip is to use a pitcher as a vase. It adds a cool vibe to any gorgeous arrangement and is a lot nicer than most of my Grocery vases. 

Kudos to Whitney for her mad-flower arranging skills

If you hadn't noticed, I put lanterns and tissue paper Pom poms on each ceiling fan and the dining room chandelier. It was a great way to cover the dated fan and chandelier that we haven't replaced yet. Tissue paper poms are my new go to decoration for sure. Super easy!!!

And the finished mantle. (Onesie garland by Hostess Erin A. The onesies and other items she made were to die for!!!!)

The floral topiaries were made with thrifter candlesticks that were painted and glittered. I bought the fake flowers from Michael's and used styrofoam balls. 

The bunny picture was a last minute Easter mantle addition. I traced an outline on stained wood I had glued together and then hand painted it. One of baby MJ's nurseries is Beatrix Potter themed so it worked. 

I just refinished the chalkboard we had bought for our wedding, so this was a great occasion to customize the message. 

I also framed the shower invitation for the mantle as a filler. The M was a dollar section find which I spray painted but will hold into since we can reuse that for everyday use. 

Check out this last minute thing I threw together that became my favorite decoration....

I used another roll of pink wrapping paper found in the dollar area to run the gift table and the drink table. It's a great inexpensive fix if you don't have enough table cloths. 

My gift was a crocheted blanket(how lovely is that pattern)? It was slightly modified by me. http://moderngracedesign.blogspot.ca/2012/09/baby-blanket-free-pattern.html?m=1

And a gorgeous sign which has been my go to gift for babies. Unfortunately, my guy is not making these anymore so I'll be attempting to do the next one by hand. 

I'm also giving her the Maggie sign which is cardboard letters glued together and the pearl monogram. 

The last thing I handled was the favors. I'm a sucker for a good party favor though I don't think they are by any means a necessity. I knew from the beginning of starting to plan this shower that I wanted to make macarons. They are lovely, elegant and (most importantly) delicious. I think edible favors is always the way to go. 

I decided upon strawberry lemonade macarons. I made my own almond flour( this is truly the cheapest route to go), as almond meal at Fresh market is $13/bag. 

The tutorial I used was this: 

http://celebratingeverydaylife.com/pink-lemonade-macaron-recipe-the-great-sucre-macaron-challenge-of-2014/

I packaged them using(dollar section) cupcake wraps and plastic cups($1/10 cups).

I found bags from Target and labels and ribbon from Michael's. 

We all refer to each other as poodle, hence the recurring poodle theme. 

Frame a paper explaining what they are, throw a great floral arrangement up there as the centerpiece and you've got yourself a fabulous take home treat! I

Congrats to Mel-poodle and little poodle to be Maggie. This baby is loved beyond belief already! 

Curtain panel repurpose

So here's how the madness began...

After about a year, I finally convinced husband that the kitchen stools we got from his aunts needed a facelift. I love a freebie, but I also wanted to put my own stamp on the chairs and coordinate them to our living area. 

Thru Pinterest, I had read several tutorials about how to reupholster a seat cushion and it seemed relatively simple if I could get my hands on a craft stapler and the perfect fabric. This is where I hit a snag. I searched and searched for a fabric I liked and couldn't find anything. I scoured my local craft and fabric stores looking for something that caught my eye. I didn't want anything too commercial or trendy, but didn't want a plain fabric either. That's when I got the idea to check out the pre-made curtain panels in Target. I could get an entire panel of designer fabric for between $20-40 bucks. We naturally selected one of the more expensive panels but were pleased to find that it was on sale for $19.99!!! That's like 2 1/3 yards of home fabric for 10 bucks a yard(it's a really good deal compared to what I've seen at fabric stores). This is what we chose. 

From here it was an easy one night project. I picked all the seams apart and ironed the panel. While this step took me about an hour, I wasn't about to waste all the extra fabric that was hidden in seams and hems. 

Here is the tutorial I used loosely, http://m.wikihow.com/Reupholster-a-Dining-Chair-Seat. 

- removed chair seats from stool

- cut fabric to size

- stapled fabric in place(starting center and moving outwards). I did not remove the existing fabric since it was in decent condition with no gaping holes or tears.

- cut extra fabric and secured loose ends

- reattached cushions

Easy peezy, right? Except there was all this extra fabric. So I just HAD to make seat cushions for our desk chairs. And that lead into the NEED to redo our rushed kitchen chairs. (Tutorials to come on those projects)

So we should be ok for now, but I do have my eye on our living room chairs. Stay tuned.....

A few weekend DIY projects...

Floating kitchen shelves: 

During the kitchen wall renovation in early 2013, we had to get creative with the space. There ended up being a lot of pipes in the wall we removed so we re-routed as best we were allowed. This however left wall space we hadn't planned on. This extra space by the new transaction bar top we put in, ended up becoming our coffee nook. The problem was, we no longer had cabinets to store coffee mugs(and we have a lot!). 

I had found several ideas for this area, but this one stuck out. (Shanty 2 chic is quickly becoming my favorite planner of diy projects!)

http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/DIY-Floating-Shelves-Free-Plans.pdf

You start by making the brackets which are drilled into the walls. We had to go ahead and stain one side of them because the final location wouldn't allow us the space to do so. 

Normally, you would find the studs and screw them to the wall. Yeah, we didn't really think this one thru. Remember all the pipes we had to reroute during the kitchen reno? Guess where they were?Behind this wall. So we had to think outside the box and set in dry wall screws(very carefully). 

Once on the wall, we used wood glue for the bottom piece and then used brad nails for the remaining side, top and front.  We secured them with braces while hammering on them just to be cautious. 

Then we used wood filler on any of the gaps and holes. After a gentle sanding, we stained them using the Kona stain from our farmhouse table. 

They turned out beautifully! We still have to figure out what to do with our coffee cup collection, but this holds enough for us and the occasional visitors. 

I also bought some extra wood to make a silverware caddy I saw on Pinterest. I did all the cuts myself and I still have all my appendages! 

Here's the tutorial: http://thefreckledhouse.blogspot.com/2012/09/napkin-holder-and-silverware-caddy.html?m=1

I plan to use this tutorial to create some long rectangular centerpieces for an upcoming baby shower at the house. Inspiration pic: 

Stay tuned for some additional crafty posts!

Kids, schmids. My thoughts on procreation.

**disclaimer: I think having children is one of the greatest gifts that God gives us. I love kids, I think I'll do ok at being a parent. But I also think that if you don't have kids, then there are many other amazing things that God will show you in life. **

I'm what I would consider 'fashionably late' to the baby phase in life. Really this is only by the standards of comparison, but it's hard not to compare when so many people around you have kids. Let me say this to those people in my life who have children, I ADMIRE you. You are unselfish, strong, loving people. I don't know how you do it. It is probably this admiration that fuels many of my fears as I don't think I could measure up. Hats off to parents everywhere! For those of us who haven't gone down the parenthood road yet, are toying with the idea of that journey, are having troubles in the fertility area, or have decided against kids, I admire you as well. 

I have always known that my opinion/view on family and children is different from the majority. I'm down with that. I often have opinions and or behaviors that strike others as odd or unusual. I don't expect people to understand my opinion, just like I don't understand other people sometimes. And as my faith has increased, I've come to terms with these beliefs. I no longer feel like what I believe is wrong. So if those of you who are thinking about having kids but have concerns or doubts, you aren't alone! I'm right there with ya! 

Have you ever shook your head while thinking about the world we live in? I do it at least once a day. I have a hard enough time trying to navigate the world as an adult, so I can't quite fathom trying to raise kids amidst the chaos. And that's what has contributed(over time) to the following list of beliefs and opinions.....

1. I've truthfully never had the strong desire to have biological children. It is my very core belief as an adoptee that there are many ways to 'have' children. (I could elaborate, but that is a different topic for another day) 

2. Pregnancy scares the BAJEEZUS out of me. Seriously. I'm scurred. I do not envision myself with a pregnant glow, I see a sumo shaped sweaty mess. 

3. I know that M wants biological kids. I knew this when I married him and I love him more than enough to try the biological route just like he loves me enough to be open to the adoption route. 

4. Children are not the end all be all for me to feel complete.  

5. I love my freedom. I can pick up and go when I want, I can splurge on myself financially, I can just sit at home in silence and unwind if I desire. 

I realize that these are all selfish beliefs, perhaps brought on by fear of the unknown. But that's just it. I'm ok with admitting to my selfishness. I have a selfish nature because I'm human and I accept that and am happy to just try to be a little less selfish everyday. 

Maybe that's what this journey is about. Learning to be less selfish and more courageous when it comes to other human beings. Who knows? Ultimately it's a part of a plan that was already decided. And that's what makes it so amazing. No matter what happens, it is what it is. 

To sum it up? I'm thankful that I have these beliefs because it allows me less stress and worry during this difficult time. I wish this peace for everyone but especially those who are going thru fertility/pregnancy difficulties. 

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." 

Romans 5:3-5 

Leaving it all out there

'Being a good steward of your pain...It involves being alive to your life. It involves taking the risk of being open, of reaching out, of keeping in touch with the pain as well as the joy of what happens because at no time more than at a painful time do we live out of the depths of who we are instead of out of the shallows.' Frederick Buechner from The Clown in the Belfry

Heavy.....:) When we first decided we were ready to have children(I use ready loosely, as there is no way to prepare for this life altering event), I often thought about how and when we would tell people we were expecting. I had been pretty open about the fact that we were going to wait a year (since tying the knot), however, I wasn't sure how open I wanted to be about the process. I figured we'd get pregnant by the end of 2013 and we'd share right after we exited the first trimester. 

However, my plans hit a snag when we didn't get pregnant right away. This honestly took me by surprise. And because we had already shared our timeline, people were inquiring about how it was going...At this point, I had a choice. I could internalize(which was my instinct) OR I could share my story. So even though it doesn't feel natural to me, I am choosing to share my experience with family and friends and now by leaving an actual 'paper trail' via this post. 

Here is the condensed version of what we've been thru so far without getting too graphic. **any of my dad's reading this blog should probably skip this part.

Aug - Oct

- came off Nuvaring bc in August. Had 3 regular 'mensies'

-using ovulation predictor kits(opk's), 3 diff brands(Target brand, First Response and Clearblue) with positive ovulation indications

Nov

- 1 week after my yearly women's exam in Nov, began experiencing an irregular period

- blood test indicates no ovulation (progesterone level was around 5) which is why my doc thinks the 'never ending' period began

Dec

- got on lo loestrin to combat the flo

- took Premarin (in addition to the lo loestrin) in hopes of stopping the irregular bleeding 

- started taking double the dose of Premarin (per docs orders) this was short lived bc I did NOT like the way the Premarin made me feel so I stopped on my own accord 

Jan

- advised to stop taking lo loestrin and begin Ovulation stimulation meds

- 1st round of Clomid(50 mg). Main symptom is blurry vision and irritability

- still having irregular bleeding

- 3 opk sticks(various brands) indicate ovulation

- very faint positive pregnancy test

- blood test indicates no ovulation

- 2 additional tests show negative pregnancy results

Feb

- day 30 mensie

- round 2 of Clomid(50 mg)

- blood test indicates no ovulation

- no opk's or pregnancy tests used

Mar

-  wait for period to arrive(hopefully in a timely and short manner, day 28 is this Fri) 

- begin a round of Femara. (One of my besties who happens to be an ob/gyn recommended trying the switch before going up to 100mg of Clomid. The higher dose can cause your uterine lining to thin out, making implantation more difficult. Don't want to trade one issue for another, so I'm making the switch.)

So the point of this blog and to bring a looooong story short is to say this, we have hit a small road block in the fertility department and this is where we are currently at. It's scary to have all our business out on display but it certainly helps to have the support I've had from sharing my story to others and I'm so grateful to all the friends and family that have expressed their well wishes and lifted us up in prayer. I send out similar prayers to those I know who have been fighting this battle longer than we have, my heart is with you. 

All in God's time....

Liz