Oh Boy! A baby shower

I had the opportunity a couple of days ago to throw a baby shower for my girlfriend Kim that is having her first baby in just a few short weeks.  I had a great time planning and getting the event together for her since her and her husband don't have any family nearby and they've quickly become close friends of ours.  My parent's backyard was the perfect place for the soiree since they have plenty of seating and it's an inviting space.  Kim was so pleased to have friends come show her (and the baby!) some love and she even had her mom come in to town for this special celebration. 

the theme of the shower was "Oh Boy" since they're having a boy

 

Kim {baby} and me.  Love that we're coordinating!

guests could play in a few guessing games

gifts were placed in the red wagon

rice crispy treats on sticks fit perfectly into this little vintage wagon

clothes pins were used as "food tags"

savory artichoke cheese dip paired perfectly with fresh baguette slices

mini mixed berry pies--same recipe I shared before, just minus the stick

Simply delicious sweet potato fries

The dinner menu at our house this week is a bit on the, well... simple side.  With Clint's work in full swing and my preparations for this week's baby shower I'm throwing for one of my girlfriends, I've kept the meal plans quick and easy.  Tonight was buffalo chicken sandwiches that I haven't made in a while (I've decided I need to make them more because they are tasty!) and I opted for pairing them with a new recipe of sweet potato fries.  I was a little nervous since I have high expectations for my new-found favorite version of fries, but to my delight...the recipe was simply delicious!  I took the advice of people who had rated the recipe and put the oven temperature to 425 degrees and they turned out just right!  My only complaint was that I didn't make a bigger batch! 

I'm looking forward to the next week and a half of festivities because the shower I'm throwing is only the beginning of exciting celebrations!

Celebrating dad's day

This Sunday is the day Father's day is observed, but it seems to be a reminder to me that we don't need to have a designated day to celebrate the ones we love, we can do it everyday!  With both sets of parents living nearby, we have the opportunity to spend time with both dads this weekend and let them know how much we appreciate all they do for us.  We'll be with Clint's dad and family Sunday, but tonight we were able to have my dad and mom over to have a dad's day celebration dinner.  I took this opportunity to do a more rustic and summer-inspired table setting using mason jars, burlap, plaid, branches and a little bit greenery.  I was able to snag the fabulous tinware and mason jar-style mugs from my mom that happen to be the very dishes my siblings and I grew up using!

A simple little gift of a pack of root beer and movie tickets slipped in the card seemed like a great token of appreciation for the wonderful dads we have in our lives!  

Hope you all have a great Father's day weekend celebrating the men you admire in your life!

Finders Keepers: stripes and hounds tooth

Have you ever gone into a store in search of a specific item that has been advertised as being on sale, only to be disappointed that there are slim pickings of that item and that the few left are all the wrong color, size, etc?!  I had this experience this last week as I trekked to the store Tuesday Morning since my mom told me that futon covers were on sale, but I was sadly disappointed when I only found two of them left on the shelf in colors that wouldn't match any room in my house.  Just as I thought my shopping trip was a failure, I turned the corned to found this round serving tray that jumped out at me.  I was so excited since I've been thinking I need something graphic in a non-rectangle shape to hang on the TV wall in the living room.  I love the yellow and white stripes paired with the natural print on the inside of the tray.

As I kept perusing the aisles I spotted this striking green and white hounds tooth wrapping paper.  For only $1.99 I decided I needed to buy it since I can certainly find a creative way to use it at some point. 

I'm loving the look when these items are put together!  Such a fun and modern twist on classic items/patterns!  

So I may have not found exactly what I was looking for when I went into the store Tuesday Morning, but I was pleasantly surprised to walk away with these items that I'm super inspired by!

Berry Pie Pops!

We've been getting a couple of needed house projects done in the last couple of weeks and we've been lucky enough to have the extra hands and equipment of some family and friends.  As a thank you to one of these handy helpers (my awesome neighbor who let me borrow her steam cleaner!), I decided I needed to make the berry pie pop recipe I've been eager to try out. 

The mini pies turned out pretty decent for a first try and I can't wait to try them again soon since I'm currently in love with all desserts that you can serve on a stick!  But of course these pies can be made without a stick in them for a single serving treat (which gives me ideas for a shower I'm throwing at the end of the month!)  

Give the pies a try, they're a great little treat to give away or make for an easy serve dessert! 

Everything in its place

Hope you all enjoyed the long holiday weekend!  It was nice to get some extra down time.  While I was hoping I would get a lot more home projects done, I was glad I had the opportunity to spend time with family and friends and I was excited to see one project I'd been nagging asking Clint to help me with got accomplished this weekend.  

We haven't been using our bedroom closet since we moved into the house since it has the attic access that we needed to utilize to install ceiling fixtures and fans.  So Friday night Clint put the closet back together (minus putting the doors on) and I was able to organize all of our clothes, shoes and accessories in it! 

I promise it's not just my clothes in there! 

 I have to admit I am a bit of a nerd because I LOVE having a nicely organized clothes closet.  Even when I was younger I loved hanging up all of my pursues and lining up my clothes by colors to be able to enjoy picking out outfits.  I always dreamed that one day I would have an amazing (and massive) closet to display everything.  Here's some inspirations from closets that might be fun to have one day.  Until then I'm very happy to have my little closet functional at last! 

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Patriotic Parfaits

Aren't you so glad we have a 3 day weekend in celebration of Memorial day?!  I love when we get a rare long weekend and I decided I needed to start it by making these patriotic parfaits I've been dreaming about.   I thought I would wait and make these parfaits for the fourth of July, but I couldn't resist making sooner since after all this weekend inspires a bit of patriotism.  These treats are a perfect summer dessert since they should be chilled and they can be mixed with any color to make a party festive.  I was glad I decided to make them today since we ended up having a few dinner guests, so I already had a dessert whipped up! 

 

 

 

PATRIOTIC PARFAITS  

Graham cracker layers

4 cups graham cracker crumbs

½ cup sugar

14 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Stir together ingredients in a bowl until it resembles a sand-like texture.  Press the mixture into a thin layer on a large baking sheet for 7 to 8 minutes

When done, set aside to cool.

Parfait filling

(3)14 ounce cans of sweetened condensed milk chilled

(3) 8 ounce container whipped cream thawed

Blue raspberry koolaid packet

Strawberry koolaid packet

6 ounce lemonade concentrate frozen

In three separate bowls mix in 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and 1 container of whipped cream in each bowl.  Mix in one the blue raspberry koolaid packet in one bowl, mix in the strawberry koolaid packet in the second bowl and the lemonade concentrate in the third bowl. 

In a small clear cup put in a scoop of the strawberry koolaid mix, add a layer of the graham cracker crust (use a circle cookie cutter to make the right shape and size) and a scoop of the lemonade mixture, add a layer of graham cracker crust and last add a scoop of the blue raspberry koolaid mixture.

Put in the freezer for at least an hour and then enjoy!  Yields about 12 parfait treats