Baby Shower Decor

As I mentioned in previous posts, I recently helped host a baby shower for my SIL, Marissa. I was in charge of the decorations. I found some ideas on Pinterest for baby showers, including a "Welcome Little Man" theme. I went with that theme in an orange and gray color scheme. Here are the results:

     Banner for the mantle. 

    Poms over the table

  

    Polka Dot Garland

    Mustache Lollipops

    Cupcakes!

    Diaper cake (made by my sister, Eprise) on the gift table

    Marissa and guests, sporting our mustaches

    Sisters

Most Delicious Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER!

I don't think that's an exageration. I really do think these are the most delicious peanut butter chocolate chip cookies ever. That's my opinion. You are free to disagree, but then you'd be wrong. (If you really do disagree, I'm going to need proof in the baked form.)

I have made these cookies a lot lately for various events/occasions. They are some of the easiest cookies I have ever made! I get asked for the recipe a lot, so I thought I would share. Let me start by saying that this recipe does not originate with me. I got it from a friend, who got it from her mom, who got it from a friend, you get the idea. So, I'm not taking credit for this yummy deliciousness, I'm just sharing the love. Here you go:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 c brown sugar
1 c creamy peanut butter
1 t baking soda
1 egg

Mix the above ingredients together until combined. Stir in 1/2 c chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake 9 minutes at 325* F. Remove from oven. Leave on cookie sheet 9 minutes more. Remove from cookie sheet. Enjoy! (Makes about 18-22 cookies).

Really, that's all there is to it! Here is the key: Do not over-bake! When you take them out after 9 minutes, they will not done. Take them out anyway! Then leave them on the cookie sheet for the additional 9 minutes. If you put them back in the oven, they start to lose their melt-in-your-mouth goodness!

Happy baking!!

Weekend Highlights

I'm coming off of a pretty fabulous weekend and thought I'd share some of the highlights. I'm sure I'm going to miss something because the weekend was pretty much packed!

 - Tim stayed home with our 2 girls so that I could go to Indy with 2 of my aunts and my cousin. He is such a great daddy and of course took great care of the girls. And they must have had fun because Evie has turned into quite the Daddy's Girl over the weekend!

- The car ride to and from Indy (about 5 hours each way) was really good. I know usually car rides aren't a highlight of the trip, but I had some great conversations with my aunts and cousin. They are godly women and we talked about parenting, marriage, gratitude, and more. It was a good time for me and I think I learned a lot!

- The baby shower for my sister-in-law (our reason for going to Indy) was a hit! We had good food, good times with family, and Marissa got some great stuff for my new nephew (coming in September- SO exciting!). I'm really thankful to have a family that will all work together to make something happen (in this case decorating, food prep, cleaning, and organizing the shower), and have fun while doing it!

- Saturday night, several of us went shopping. I joked that for my sister-in-law, Ruth, and I it was "Kids-Free Moms Gone Wild," we closed down Hobby Lobby, Sam's Club, and Kohl's!

- My family is big on going out to breakfast when we get together. We went out Sunday morning and I had a great time visiting with everyone before we had to hit the road again.

- My sister has 3 beautiful girls and it was great to see them. On Friday when we arrived, I went up to their rooms and played with them for a bit. They were generally wild and crazy, jumping on the bed, jumping on me, and "fixing" my hair. It was so fun! And my littlest niece is getting so big! So fun to watch these girls grow

As I said, I'm sure I missed something! We had the weekend pretty jam-packed! Also, I made much of the shower decor and am really happy with the way it turned out. I'll post pics soon! Hope you had a great weekend too!

Weekend Plans and Randomness

I'm getting so excited for this weekend. My sisters and I are throwing a baby shower for my sister-in-law! She's going to have a little boy in September, which will bring the count to 2 nephews and 4 nieces for those of you keeping score at home. I'm excited to meet the little guy and I'm excited to see family and friends at the shower. I'm also excited to post some pics of the decor that I made for the shower. I love doing crafty stuff and this has been a great creative outlet for me. 

I'm also excited for a bit of a girls weekend. Tim is going to watch the kiddos while I go to Indy with my aunts and cousins. Although I'm always a little nervous to leave the girls (I've never left Emma overnight), I know it will be good for me to get a little bit of a break and for the girls to have a good time with their daddy. 

On a completely unrelated note, my big plans for today included cleaning up the house for Community Group tonight. A friend posted on Facebook that she was going to the zoo today and wanted to know if anyone wanted to join her. So, I packed up the girls and headed for the zoo! Evie enjoys the zoo now, although she doesn't like to get too close to the animals (through the glass). I think she's a little scared. But we had a great time! She's so interested in everything these days! 

Speaking of Evie being interested in everything, yesterday Tim picked 2 tomatoes from our garden and put them on the window sill to ripen. Evie ran into the dining room this morning yelling "'Toes! 'Toes!" (tomatoes, she also calls cucumbers "'bers'"). She had found the tomatoes and was eating one. This girl just can't get enough of her veggies!