Wedding Shower Wednesday: Invites

Dear Em,
When your daddy & I were married, we made a lot of things for the wedding  (with the help of our talented family & friends). After a long day of work, it was kind of fun to make something & let my creativity flow. Do I ever want to plan another wedding? Heck no! It was one of the most stressful times of my life. But when a wedding shower comes along, it's super fun to have to get artsy & create on a much smaller scale. Since wedding season is underway, on the next few Wednesdays I'm going to talk about fun DIY wedding shower ideas.

Two of our very favorite people in life are getting married this May. You're going to be the most adorable flower girl (as long as we start practicing soon). Daddy is the Best Man, & I'm a bridesmaid.

A few weekends ago we spent a snowy day in Connecticut throwing the bride a bridal shower. Erin has a large & amazing bridal party who all worked so hard to make her day beautiful & special. I signed up for a few projects that would be fun for me to make. My first project was designing the wedding invitations. There are so many cute options out there, but we knew that we could save money by making our own.

I started by searching the web for examples. Wedding Paper Divas & Tiny Prints had so many fun & beautiful invites. I got ideas for wording & style mostly from those sites.

In the end, this was the wording we decided on:

A sprinkle of flowers, a couple of kisses,

Soon Brian & Erin will be Mr. & Mrs.

As we wait for the special hour,

Let’s honor

Erin

With a Bridal Shower!

Saturday, March 31^st

11:00 am

Tamarack Lodge

21 Ten Rod Road

Voluntown, Connecticut

RSVP to XXXXX by March 16^th

Phone: XXX.XXX.XXXX  or  Email: XXXXX@XXXXXX.XXX

Erin is registered at XXXXXXXXX

& XXXXXXX 

The bride & groom got engaged on a beach & took their engagement pictures on that same beach. We had decided on a beach theme for the shower. I wanted to incorporate the theme & give the invitations a 3D look. I browsed Michaels & A.C. Moore for ideas. They had so many cute scrap booking stickers that would have been so fun.

I almost purchased these flip flops. At the time, buying the scrapbooking stickers in bulk seemed like it would be both expensive & difficult. I could only find 1/4 of what I needed in the store. Now that I write this post, I realize I could've easily ordered them online...oh, well.

That's when I came upon the craft punches. This sand dollar punch was less than $10 (with my Michaels 20% off coupon) & perfect for the invites. Plus, it not only punched out the sand dollar but also starfish...bonus! I bought scrap booking paper that matched the color of our bridesmaid dresses for about $.25 a sheet. I wanted two starfish & one sand dollar on each invite, so I had to punch out over 200. It took a little while to punch them all out & my hand was pretty sore, but at least I could do it while catching up on some of our DVRed shows.

The next step was finding paper. I had a hard time finding nice paper with matching envelopes in stores. I asked my go-to wedding blogger A Mountain Bride where to find paper. She asked her readers & Paper and More was suggested. Let's just say, I heart Paper and More. They had good selections, good quality, & good prices. I've ordered from them twice now (I may have messed up on the first order), & they upgraded me to priority shipping for free both times. I loved their line of recycled paper. The paper I bought was actually called Sand Specks which couldn't have gone more perfectly with the theme.

Once I had my paper, envelopes, sand dollar & star fish punches, glue (I bought my very first glue gun), & chai tea, I was ready to put it all together (yup, I used your table as a work station).

I know I'm not a graphic designer (or anything close), but I think they came out wicked cute for the special bride to be.

It was kinda fun to get my art on. Tune in next week for Project Wishing Well.

I love you so,

Mommy

things that make me smile

Dear Em,
These are the things that made me smile yesterday...

80 degree weather in April. I heart sunshine.

Your teachers reported you had really great listening ears all day.

Your face, smiling & smeared with red & blue from your strawberry & blueberry after-school snack.

Your sweet strawberry & blueberried sent that lingered for hours after.

A summery dinner of chicken, corn on the cob, & fresh broccoli.

You eating two ears of corn & asking for a third. You even ate your chicken & broccoli with the promise of more corn (we normally have to promise dessert for that).

Jumping, just the three of us, on the trampoline. Your favorite way to jump is all together & holding hands.

Your cheeks, filled with a rosy glow, as you giggled & bounced.

The curly ringlets that formed in your already lighter blonde hair.

Your attentiveness as you played "soccer." You have such an amazing little kick. Who taught you that?

Finishing up our evening with a walk around the neighborhood, just the three of us.

Life really is so precious, isn't it?

I love you so,

Mommy

take me out to the ball game...

Dear Em,
Baseball season is back! Well, it's been back for over a week now, but this past Friday was the RedSox home opener at Fenway. We dressed in our RedSox best to celebrate.

We had been waiting all winter for baseball to come back & prepared you for it by teaching you to sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

You prefer "peanuts & crackers" to "peanuts & cracker jacks", & of course, we "root root root for the RedSox!"

Yesterday your daddy & I enjoyed a warm & sunny day with friends at Fenway. It felt like we were coming home as we walked down Yawkey Way & saw the sea of people in RedSox shirts. It was so great to sing Sweet Caroline with the whole stadium. The last time I was at a RedSox game, I was seven months pregnant. It wasn't the most comfortable game of my life. Technically, it was your first game.

I didn't realize how much I had missed it until I was back. Your daddy & I day dream about your first real RedSox game. The tickets are not cheap. So, we've decided we want to wait until you're old enough to really enjoy it. We're hoping to make it a whole big weekend, just the three of us. We'll get a hotel room, order room service, & take you to one of the most amazing places on earth...Fenway Park. I really can't wait.

Fenway is one of the oldest baseball stadiums in the country & has always seemed like such a magical place to me. It brings absolute strangers together. So many people come together in this park with great hopes. These people root together, cry together, & sing together. It's an amazing thing to see so many people living & dying (figuratively, of course) by the placement of a pitch & the sound of a bat smacking a ball. Baseball is America's pastime, & you can feel the history at Fenway. I feel so linked to the generations of the past, present, & future.

For this year, we're going to start by taking you to your first PawSox game. It's a beautiful stadium that includes a grassy area to sit on. That's where we hope you'll enjoy the your first baseball game this summer. I mean, you sit on the couch & watch the RedSox with Daddy, yelling at the TV screen the whole time. I think you're really going to like seeing a game in person.

I feel like we've already passed something down to you: being a RedSox fan. It's something that our parents passed down to your daddy & I, with all the good & bad that comes with it. We couldn't be prouder & more excited about our little RedSox fan & the all experiences being a fan will bring you in the future.

I love you so,

Mommy

love letters

Dear Em,
A couple weeks ago someone asked me what drives me. I was taken aback. I guess I never really thought of it. I think I mumbled & put together some incomprehensible sentences. The question has stayed with me, & I've thought a lot about it since then.

I grew up in a home where my parents asked for my very best. Sometimes I thought they wanted me to be perfect, & I struggled with that. It stung when I felt that I failed to live up to perfection. Now that I'm grown with a child of my own, I see that they just wanted my very best. The only times when I know my parents were disappointed in me were not in times that I failed, they were the times that I failed to give it my all. They knew that if I always did my very best, I could do great things. This is what drives me, knowing that when I do my very best, great things can happen.

I've worked with a lot of great leaders. One of them showed a group of us a video that will stay with me for always. He was in the middle of challenging us to do more, to be more. Many of us, myself included, were probably thinking, "how much more can we do?" We were facing hard times in our industry, & our demanding goals continued to rise.

He asked us to "do [our] very best." He asked us this, & he showed us this video. Maybe it's because I'm a wicked big football fan, maybe it's because it's what I needed to hear. In challenging times, my thoughts continue to drift back to the words of this video.

I will never ask you to be perfect or not make mistakes. "Experience is what you get when you don't get what you expected." Failure is an important & valuable part of life. But I hope in life you will always "do your very best." I hope you will do your best, & know that there is nothing you can't do and no place you can't go when you put your heart & mind to it. So, I hope in this life you will give it your all.

I love you so,

Mommy

falafels & a movie

Dear Em,
So far this year, Daddy & I have been much better at making time for date nights. We are so very thankful to have such willing family to look after you while your daddy & I take some time just for the two of us. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. In fact, most of my favorite date nights are nothing fancy at all.

Last year my best friend gave me the Hunger Games box set for my birthday. OMG, it was so good. It was the kind of good where I could not put the books down (even when we had guests over...whoops). I've passed on my love for the Hunger Games books to many people, our family, my best friends, my cousin, your nanny (in hindsight it could have been a mistake to introduce your nanny to a book that could not be put down when she was tasked with watching you. luckily it all worked out). When I heard they were making the book into a movie, I was psyched. Waiting almost a year to see the words come to life on the big screen was torture.

Your daddy hasn't read the books, but was happy to make any excuse to go to the movies. I also assured him it wasn't just another love story, & there would be lots of fighting & killing. So, he agreed to go with me & suggested we make a date night of it with dinner beforehand. We were going to catch the movie in South Kingstown. What did I want for dinner? Falafels of course.

Daddy & I drove over to our alma mater, the University of Rhode Island, to the place we have fondly referred to as the emporium for the past ten years. We parked in front of International Pockets Cafe. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It looks much like all the other college restaurants do in the emporium.

Yet, it is & always will be one of my favorite places. Where else can we go & feel a relaxed sense that not much has changed in ten years? Where else can you go where you're greeted with a smile & a freshly warm falafel while you wait to order? 

What is falafel? It is a yummy, delicious deep fried ball made from ground chickpeas, parsley, garlic, & fresh vegetables. It's typically served in a pita or a wrap. At International Pockets you have a wide range of hot sauces, tahini sauce, tabouleh, lettuce, tomato, grape leaves, cucumber, & peppers to add to the wrap. It's wicked good & wicked filling.

We bumped into & chatted with a past colleague of mine while waiting to order. While we ate, your daddy & I chatted about our past & our days at URI. We had so many fun adventures with our friends. I feel so fortunate to live just a short drive away from where we met & made so many great memories, especially because we can keep coming back for falafel.

When it's time to pay & leave International Pockets, they normally give you a small & sweet piece of baklava for dessert. They didn't this time, & I was sad they didn't. Sigh, I really didn't have any room for it since I demolished the falafel wrap (they're pretty large wraps). 

I saw this on Facebook & had to laugh.

We headed to the movie & both enjoyed it. I didn't think it was a good as the book, but I don't think it's possible without making a seven hour long movie. Daddy enjoyed it & is thinking of reading the books himself. 

It was a great date night. Dinner hit the spot. It's not an expensive place & certainly not fancy, but it's one of the best. The movie was fun. The night took us back to our college years for a few hours. Luckily you brought us straight back when you woke us up at your usual 6:30am the next morning.

I'm looking forward to summer picnics on the quad with you, Daddy, & some falafels.

I love you so,

Mommy

Nonnie's Beach Bag

Dear Em,
Remember the canvas tote bags we painted for your teachers for Christmas? Your Nonnie helped us make them & loved them. She remarked that she would like her very own bag, & I stored that in my brain for later. In the days that led up to Nonnie's birthday, I was excited for us to do something special for her. She always makes us feel so special for our birthdays. I planned to make Nonnie her very own bag, but I wanted to make a unique one just for her.

A few things about Nonnie. First, she is a beach bum. A perfect day for Nonnie is a whole day with her family at the beach. We pack up snacks & spend the whole day in the sunshine. We spalsh in the water. We go for long walks. We have a picnic. We play in the sand. We take lots of pictures. Nonnie is who I get my beachbumness from & who I hope you will get yours from.

If you ask Nonnie what her favorite color is, she doesn't have just one. Colors remind Nonnie of people. Purple is your Aunt Jennie's favorite, & when Nonnie is thinking of her she fills her home with purple. Pink is Aunt Gina's favorite, & pink always reminds Nonnie of her (pink is also your favorite & you will be fighting Aunt Gina because you are 2 & believe only one person can own a favorite color). Yellow is my favorite, & I love to dress you in yellow (a lot of people say yellow is your color). That's why when Nonnie sees the sun or bright daffodils, she thinks of us.

A sunshiney beach-bag is just what would be perfect for Nonnie, & we were going to make her just that. You get excited anytime I say the word paint. So, that was just a bonus. We used your handprints to make sunshines, & I wrote the words to a song that Nonnie loves to sing to you. I painted Nonnie's name so everyone knows it's her special bag.

When you saw the "E" at the end of "NONNIE," you said "E for Emma, let's write Emma too." I painted "LOVE, EMMA" on the back so Nonnie would always know who made her special sunshiney beach-bag.

I used a paint brush to fill in any spots that needed to be filled in & smooth out any globs. Since Nonnie couldn't help to make her own beach bag, Daddy helped washed you up while I dried each side with a blow drier before starting the next (& get the bathtub ready since you somehow got paint in your hair). We've gotten a lot better since last time (this time we had covered the table & were ready with paper towels), but it's still a three person job.

We ordered the bag from Amazon & already had the yellow craft paint (& your cute little hands). The whole project cost less than $15, & Nonnie has a wicked cute beach-bag to take on all of her beach trips this summer. We hope a lot of those beach-trips will be with us.

I'm kind of a crushing on Nonnie's sunshiney beach-bag. I kind of think I want one too. Good thing I have a daughter with the cutest little hands for sunshines.

I love you so,

Mommy

sounds like a typical morning

Dear Em,
This is what a typical morning can sound like in our house.

* Crash *

Me: (Upstairs getting dressed, calling downstairs to where the crash came from) "Em, what are you doing?"

Em: (In a very matter of fact, very loud yell) "She needs to take a bath!"

Me: (Knowing that the only two "she's" in our house are Em & I) "Who needs a bath?"

Em: (Exasperated) "Baby!"

Me: "Oh, Ok. Why don't you give baby a bath in the upstairs bathroom."

Em: (Sigh) "Ok, Mommy. Can you turn the water on?"

Me: "Why don't you give her a bath without any water?"

Em: (Sigh) "Ok."

* Moments pass. There is more crashing going on in the tub & then the sound of dresser drawers opening & shutting. *

Em: "Mommy, can you help me put her jammies on?"

Me: "Em, these are your jammies. They're big girl jammies. They're way too big for your baby. Why don't you put baby jammies on her?"

* Thumping down the stairs. More thumping & crashing. *

Em: (Calling loudly from downstairs) "I don't even have any baby jammies!"

* Moments pass. *

Em: "Baby, you're not even listening to me. You're making me very sad. You need to sit in timeout."

Sigh, I'm too young to be a grandma already. Where do you learn your mothering skills? Is that what I sound like? You may be little, but you sure do make getting dressed in the morning entertaining.

I love you so,

Mommy

April is for Birthdays

Dear Em,
For most people, April is a time of Easter celebrations. It's that time for us too, but it's also what I refer to as Birthday Palooza. So many people we love have birthdays that fall in April. Your Aunt Jennie, Aunt Andrea, Cousin Luke, Cousin Erin, Great Grandma, Nonnie, & Uncle Greg all have diamonds for birthstones. In fact, your Nonnie's birthday is today (I'm pretty sure we were the first ones to say Happy Birthday because our skype call woke her up).

In the past, I made signs & we took pictures to celebrate each birthday.

You're growing & interested in creating things now. Instead of the pictures, now we enjoying making things together. This April we were very busy making fun surprises to send in the mail. I decided we would send balloons to the birthday boys & girls. You love balloons. Sending regular balloons would be pretty tough. So, we decided to make special ones.

First, you painted a few master pieces.

It was my idea to make balloons, but you insisted every needs lots of hearts. So, we punched out some hearts together.

After your paintings dried, I folded the paper in half & drew balloon shapes with the fold at the top of the balloon. I cut them out & wrote a birthday message on the inside (you helped sign your name).

You glued your hearts on the insides of the balloons. 

Four birthday balloons almost ready to go.

I punched a hole in the bottom of each one & tied a ribbon. There you have it. Four birthday balloons ready to be mailed float to four very special birthday boys & girls.

I'm proud of our birthday balloons. You may not have made them completely by yourself, but you were the biggest contributer. It was fun to make them together, to let you create on your own (painting) & then work as a team to put it all together. Even your daddy helped. I hope they made everyone's day a little more special. They should all know that the hearts came from you.

I love you so,

Mommy

Happy Easter 2012

Dear Em,
Easter was a special day for you. You had so much fun finding your Easter basket & then hunting for eggs throughout the house. You had a mouth full of jelly beans as you hunted for more eggs. "I just want to eat them all," you said, almost unintelligible because you had a mouth full of jelly beans. Your Daddy & I smiled & laughed.

You had such a fun day at church & with your Daddy's side of the family. You were wicked cute running around & hunting for Easter Eggs with your two little cousins. Grandma & Papa were delighted to have Easter diner with you & you with them.

For pictures this year, I took them. Some outside & some inside. I asked you earlier in the week if you wanted to sit on the Easter Bunny's lap & you very excitedly said "yes!" Going after school on Good Friday was not a great choice. We waited in line for an hour. I almost said "forget it" & took you home, but you were excited. You were waving & calling "hi, Easter Bunny." You were oooooing & awwwwing over the other kids in their Easter outfits. The wait went by quick (for the most part), & you had a blast sitting on the Easter Bunny's lap.

I think we were all exhausted by the end of the day, but you still spent an hour singing & talking to your "friends" in your crib before falling asleep. I can't believe another year has gone by. I can't believe you just had your third Easter. I can't believe how much you've changed since your last Easter. Sigh, it truly does go by so fast.

I love you so,

Mommy

love letters

Dear Em,

 "'Jesus is alive.'"

- from The Story of Jesus: for young children retold by Heather Amery

We've had such a fun week celebrating the festivities & colors of Easter, but that's not what Easter is all about to me. In our house Easter isn't about a story of a bunny, it's about the story of Jesus. It's hard, though. The colors & the mascot make the bunny & candy part of Easter more fun & easier to teach. How do you teach a two year old about Jesus being beaten, nailed to a cross, dying, & rising from the dead? It's not easy, at least not for me.

When you were born, a dear friend sent us a book as a gift. I've cherished The Story of Jesus: for young children since. I cherish it partly because of who sent us the gift & the sweet words she wrote on the inside cover. I also cherish it because it has given me a way to teach you about Jesus since you were born. I can teach you about His love all day, but this book includes stories of His love & His hardships & struggles.

I love watching your brow furrow in concentration when we read the stories of Jesus stories together. I love that you ask questions. I hope you always will. I hope that as you grow, you always know that Jesus is the reason for this season.

I love you so,

Mommy

* Readers, how do you balance the commercial & religious sides to this season? *