Oh Baby!

So....my sister is pregnant!!! Not only does this mean that I am a soon-to-be aunt, there's going to be a baby boy to love and play with, and my sister is going to make a fabulous mother; but it also means that I got to throw a BABY SHOWER! And those of you who know me, know how much this excites me!

The first thing to do was pick a theme...this was easy...I have been wanting to do a RUBBER DUCKY theme for ages! I'm so glad my sister was just as excited as I was for the rubber ducks to overtake her house!

First things first. We needed an adorable invitation. I thought about using the Cricut and making DIY invites but I found these on Etsy and it was too perfect!

With the invites taken care of, my next thought went straight to cake! Every party needs a cake! (and of course, this is my favorite part to create!) I looked on Pinterest and found such a cute idea and had to try it out myself. Here is my creation of the rubber ducky cake

It was a hit! But my sister didn't want to cut it...I guess that's a compliment!

Once the cake was done, it was all about decorations and games! So, naturally, I broke out the Cricut and made a banner for the mantel.

I wanted something for the wall that would be behind the favor bags and diaper cake. Paper pinwheels have been all over Pinterest and other DIY sites so we gave it a shot. Five hours later, this is what we came up with.

The food table was a collaboration of all those who helped out.

 

Staying with the theme, we had bath water punch with a floating duck, of course (recipe found here)....







Bubbles hanging from the chandelier...

 

....A baby carriage fruit bowl...



...and the ducky cake....

It was so much fun putting together all the themed food and decorations. But, not only did I want the shower to look nice, I wanted people to enjoy themselves. I'm not one to engage in the normalcy of life so I didn't want your typical shower games. I found, what I consider to be, fun and engaging games that are not your normal shower games. 

The first game was an ongoing game of "Who's watching the baby." The purpose of the game is to not set your "baby" down throughout the entire shower. If it is set down, someone can steal your "baby" and the person with the most babies at the end of the shower wins. I came up with a little poem and let the competition begin!

The next game was more fun for me to watch! The paper plate game...Everyone is given a paper plate and a crayon. Guests are asked to put the plate on their head as I, the reader, ask them to draw certain items; in this case, all baby items. It's fun to make them bounce around a little! I started with a bathtub, then a crib away from the tub, go back and draw a baby in the tub, draw a mommy and daddy to the left the crib, go back a draw a rubber duck in the tub with the baby, etc, etc. The winner is the person with the most appropriate placed items. This one was good for a laugh.

 The last game was all about the duck theme! Duck races! A couple of cheap baby bathtubs found at Goodwill (cleaned!) and a rubber ducky in each, 2 people at a time raced each other until there was a champion by blowing the duck across the bathtub.

The shower ended by honoring the mom-to-be with her gifts; but of course, the best gift is in her belly!

I did not do this alone! I need to thank mine and Lisa's mom, Diane Underwood, and Lisa's mother-in-law, Beth Evans, for all their help and contributions! I really appreciate all the help and I think it turned out really well!

Me, Mom, and Lisa

I hope you all enjoyed this look into my rubber ducky themed shower. Please feel free to comment with your ideas for a baby shower or games that got your party going!

On a side note, of course I had some DIY present ideas! I put together a rubber ducky bath basket using the bathtub mommy-to-be registered for, baby bath products from BeautiControl "Spa Baby" line, diapers, a duck temperature tester for the tub, and other duck items. I also had painted closet organizers in her colors to separate all those new clothes in baby's closet!

 

 

 

 

A new year, a new life...

Ok, not really a new life but big changes are happening this year and I'm excited!

2013 has been self-declared a year of change! Of course, there's the typical resolutions...loose weight, eat better, exercise more. You know, the classics. So far, there's been no exercise (oops), I've been eating better, and lost 8 pounds! But the real changes just started. Last Monday I started full time at the hospital! Yes, Monday - Friday 8:00 - 5:00! No nights, no weekends, and benefits! And, I got licensed...I'm officially a LAPC (Associate Licensed Professional Counselor). I'm super excited to have more stability in my life, higher income, and more time to enjoy life.

The 2nd major change is my vow to positivity. I've really been trying to avoid negativity in my life because I realized how much it affects me. It's amazing what you can convince your mind to do. I've begun to wake up and CHOOSE to be happy. I've been helping others reframe negative comments or start distancing myself from them. I take on negativity way too easily to surround myself with negative people! No negative movies, no negative shows, no negative books, and no news! Now I know that means I miss all the nail-biting political movements going on right now (insert sarcasm) but when 98% of the news morning and night is about crime and murder, I have made the choice to not let that in my life. I know it may seem naive but I'm not ignoring that it happens, I am simply choosing to not let it affect my everyday functioning. I have enough of my own worries and concerns to take on the worries and concerns of the world.

One of the most exciting (and frustrating) changes so far has been that I have braces again! My teeth began to move a couple of years ago and it's always bothered me. So, I got "FastBraces." They will be on for 3-6 months, I will have straight teeth guaranteed for life, and minimal aftercare! Super excited for the end results!

Many more exciting changes are to come and I can't wait to share them with everyone!

Looking forward to a year of movement, evolving life, and advocacy!  

So, as always, enjoy what is to come and laugh every chance you get!

A DIY Christmas!

So I haven't had time to even think about this blog in...well...too long, mainly due to my 2 jobs (6 day work weeks), keeping up with house work, and my other blog dedicated to Shannon and domestic violence. But, I thought I should start keeping up with it.

I thought I would start of my return with my DIY Christmas. I had so much fun making my decorations (especially since I had a house and a fireplace to decorate)! I didn't get to do as much as I had wanted to this year, but I hope to continue building onto my decor each year.

Here's a sample of what I concocted this year:

I LOVED decorating a mantel. I've never had one before (which meant I didn't have stockings either). It was pretty simple but I thought it looked good for my first try.

Firstly, the wall hangings above the mantel are DIY. Here's a better look:

It was a simple touch that really made my mantel, I think. And, it was so easy!

All it is fabric over foam board and raffia as the hanger.

For the original tutorial, check out Pens and Needles blog.

And the best part, I'm just going to replace the fabric and hang it year round!

Now for the actual mantel; I wish I could take credit for the stockings, but I can't. I have no clue how to sew, so those were bought at Hobby Lobby. 

For the garland, I bought cheap garland (at Hobby Lobby), battery powered LED lights, and used some old burlap I had lying around and just twisted them all together.

The "NOEL" was an idea I had gotten off of pinterest. I bought wooden letters and a small wreath for the "o." I added the white stems of berries to the wreath and painted and distressed the letters. This was probably my favorite decoration this year!

The last piece of my DIY Christmas was my table runner. 

All you need is burlap, ribbon in 2 colors of your choice, jute webbing, stencils, paint, and hot glue.

The original inspiration came from this article.

I just added my own touch by painting on the jute webbing using stencils and acrylic paint.

Now this was tedious and if you don't have patience, this may not be for you.

Although this wasn't DIY besides being handmade (not by me), I got this piece right before Christmas and loved, loved, loved it.  Add a couple cute fabric snowmen to add that country charm and it was ready for the holidays!

Well, that was my DIY Christmas. I hope you enjoyed it! I know I did!

I hope you all enjoy what is to come and laugh every chance you get!

Products I Love

Ok. I don't usually endorse a lot of products but these are a few that I feel I need to rave about for a moment!

1: EOS products...yes all of them. Evolution of Smooth is a new-ish (at least new to me) brand of organic, paraben free products. They make a chapstick, shaving lotion, hand lotion, and body lotion.  I have personally only tried the chapstick and shaving lotion but I am in love and will certainly try the others! First, the chapstick, not only is it cute, unique, and tasty, it is completely moisturizing and it seems to help actually heal the lips...not just layer wax over them.  Now for the shaving lotion...AMAZING! I ALWAYS get razor burn/bumps in at least a couple spots on my legs after shaving...not anymore! Seriously! This stuff is so moisturizing, it claims you can even shave dry. I didn't even need to put on lotion afterwards to avoid itching (which is something else I USED to experience after every shave).  And it comes in a plastic, recyclable bottle (no more rust ring!) I know it's sad that the thought of no more rust ring is really what prompted me to buy this but...oh, well. Needless to say, I will never buy another brand of shaving cream. And, EOS shaving lotion is the same price as those other brands. 

2: M.A.C. blush and bronzer - I have such a hard time finding colors of blush to match my complexion since I have such pink undertones.  Everything just seems too pink to layer over pink or too orange-y to blend with my pinks.  M.A.C may be expensive but the range of colors they have could match any tone! I have finally found my blush for life! As for the bronzer, I actually use it as a sculpting powder (again, my pale complexion makes sculpting powders and other drug store bronzers too dark and orange-y).  This is amazing! It's light but you can build it up as dark as you want. I LOVE it!

3: Cosmedix Refine - For those who know me, you know I struggle with my complexion and break outs.  I have recently overhauled my routine and am seeing significant results! It's been a slow process but I feel like something is finally working and not just a "quick fix." This retinol product is doing most of the work, I believe.  Again, expensive but worth it! It basically sloughs off dead skin. You use a tiny amount 2-3 times per week, so it lasts forever.  My skin is looking great as far as bumps go and now it's slowly getting rid off the red marks left behind by the acne. I've been using it for about 6 weeks though (like I said, a long process)! 

Just thought I'd share my two cents!
Like always, enjoy what is to come and laugh every chance you get! 

8 Long Months

As of yesterday, it has been 8 months since my friend Shannon was killed. It has been such a long, surreal eight months. I use the term surreal for lack of a better word.  You would think that after 8 months, I would have come to accept that she is gone. The surreal part is that I haven't. I can't even count the number of times I have to convince myself again and again of the event that happened 8 months ago; the event that took such a great friend and person from me, her family, and this world. Maybe it is because I'm not around there right now.  I would only be catching up with her through phone calls and facebook chats like we have for the last year and a half. So I guess it's those times that I get the urge to call her that I have to face reality.

Some things have been weighing on me heavily recently. For some reason, her memory, her story, and our times spent together have been heavily on my mind. Of course, I think of her every day; but the past couple of weeks have been different. Something about it...

It's that feeling you get when you have forgotten something important. But, this time, it's connected to her. I feel there is something I should be doing or should have done and I just can't quite place my finger on it.  I know there is a lot I want to do once I move back to Georgia but it's big plans and plans I am still unsure of how to start. Maybe that is what I am supposed to be doing. I'm not sure. But I feel that she is with me and pushing me to do something. I just wish I knew what it was so I could shake this feeling.

I miss her dearly and cherish every memory I have of her. I hope that her positivity and kindness can live on through me and I hope to be a part of her children's lives so that I can tell them stories of their mother. Rest in peace my sweet Shannon. I know I'll see you again.

If you or someone you know is being affected by domestic violence, please click on some of the links I've provided and speak up! 

In Shannon's spirit, enjoy what is to come and laugh every chance you get!

A Blog Novice

Hey everyone! So I am new to this whole blog thing. (I know, I'm a little behind the times on this). But I thought it would be fun to start with just a personal blog and see how it evolves. Welcome to my journey!

I apologize if I change this around too much or don't update enough but, like I said, I'm new to this and will more than likely change things once I learn more.

So what can you expect from this? Nothing really... :) I have a feeling this will be mainly an outlet for me, at least at first. It will probably only be randomly updated as new events occur or I find a cool project I want to share. Like the title implies, you are reading this to read about a day in my life. It will mainly be for friends, family, and laughs!

Thanks for joining me and being curious enough to read my nonsense! Enjoy what is to come and laugh every chance you get!