Jessica's Bridal Shower

Last Saturday I hosted a bridal shower here at our house for my sister Jessica. We had a house full of about 30 guests.

If you know anything about me, you know I love a good themed party. I have been pinteresting ideas for months for this shower, and I was so pleased with how it all came together.

Since Jessica's wedding is a chabby chic theme (or a rustic elegance as I like to call it), I continued the theme into her shower.  Burlap, chalk boards, mason jars, sunflowers, wooden crates...you'll find it all here.

 

 

My gift for Jess was a hand painted piece of art on reclaimed wood for their new house.

 

 

 

The drink station where you claim your own mason jar with chalk.

 

 

Do you see that beautiful wooden crate in the middle of the bar? Here is a closer look.

 

 

A friend let me borrow these crates. I used them on the bar, and dining room table. She also had smaller ones which I used upside down to display pies on. I loved them so much, Evan has made me a few for myself. Yes, those are real sunflowers in mason jars.

 

 

Since my sister isn't into your typical cake or cupcake- I made her favorite chocolate chip pie. Or should I say pieS. Since there were 30 people. Aren't they pretty?

 

 

We had a huge spread of food. All of my sister's favorites. Deviled eggs, chicken salad, fruit, homemade salsa and pimento cheese, hummus, meatballs, buffalo chicken dip, and quinoa salad.

 

 

These aren't the best pictures, but I'm so excited for Jess! She deserves all the happiness in the world and best wishes for her new and exciting journey!

 

Mom, Jess, and me.

 

 

 

I never realized how much work went into hosting a shower for 30 people. I have been planning this for months. After the day was wrapped up, house cleaned and put back together, I was beyond exhausted!!! BUT, of course it was worth every minute to see how happy Jess was.

 

3 more months until wedding bells!!!

 

 

 

 

Red White & Blue

Last weekend, we decided to host a 4th of July party. We had so much fun!!!

Accompanied by old friends, some new friends, and family, it was really nice to spend time with everyone we love. (We missed our friends and family who couldn't be here!)

The weather ended up being perfect. It rained earlier in the day (a lot!) and I was getting worried. But sure enough, the sky cleared, the temperatures dropped, and there was a nice cool breeze.

Since we had 5 little ones running around, I made sure to keep those kiddos entertained. You know what they say...happy kid=happy mother. Well, I know the saying doesn't exactly go like that but you get my drift. We had a sand table, a water table, balls, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and plenty of other toys. The kids had an absolute blast. Ethan didn't bother me once. :)

There was so much yummy food to choose from. There were two dessert dishes though that require special attention. My friend Stephanie baked 2 amazing desserts to share. Since her baking skills are quite stellar, she knew I would request a special treat...or two. :) Since she knows I have a weakness for anything peanut butter and chocolate, she whipped up some pretty amazing peanut butter brownies which had nutter butters, and reese's pieces in them. In addition she made some pretty amazing cookies. I will not mention how many I ate...or how many pounds I gained the next morning. :) Oh yeah, and they make a pretty good morning treat (when you come downstairs looking for breakfast) too. I wish I had taken a picture of them...yeah, I know I say that a lot.

One of my contributions to the party was a new Pinterest recipe. "Buzzed Cherry Bombs". They were delicious, strong, and harder to make then they appeared. What makes them buzzed? You soak them in vanilla vodka overnight.  They were a huge hit, and I would definitely make them again.

 

 

In my best attempts to get a decent 4th of July shot of Ethan before he got all sweaty and dirty...this is what I got. Not too shabby.

 

 

 

 

 

I tried to get pictures of the kids...they had so much fun. I figured the kids wouldn't mind being photographed since most adults don't. :)

 

 

 

 

 

The night ended with some pretty great fireworks that all of our surrounding neighbors were setting off.  Ethan got his first dose of fireworks, and he really loved them. Little man didn't get to bed until 10:30pm and was up at normal time...go figure. But, it was all worth it...what a great day!