Don't forget where you've been.

I took full advantage of my younger years.  In pursuit of my career in professional sports, I was given the opportunity to live in many different cities across the US.  I met great friends that I still cherish to this day and chalked up experiences to last a lifetime. 

However, the time eventually came to come home to family and friends, and finally plant some roots.  Coming home was good.  Coming home was refreshing.  But I wanted to find a creative way to remember where I'd been and all the memories I'd created. 

As such, I went to a used book store and purchased a US road atlas.  Next it was to Target for some inexpensive frames.  In the atlas, I cut out road maps from the four cities I had lived in and framed them for my wall.  The result?  A stylish and creative way to remember the past while creating some great and inexpensive wall art!

Come one, come all!

My fabulous, wonderful, exceptionally gifted and gorgeous nephew (can you tell I'm a proud aunt?) was born last August.  In celebration of his pending arrival, I threw a baby shower for my equally fabulous, wonderful, exceptionally gifted and gorgeous sister-in-law.  In asking her about her likes/dislikes, she admitted that she was not into the pastel colors traditionally associated with baby showers.  She wanted something bright and festive.  If there is one thing I can do, it's bright and festive!  I racked my brain, and eventually came up with it.  A circus-themed baby shower!

Prep for this shower took quite some time, as I wanted it to be perfect.  First of all, I shopped discount and used book stores for a variety of circus-themed children's books.  These books would serve double-duty as both decorations at the shower, and also a gift to go home with the mama-to-be.

I found these paper lanterns at a party store that worked perfectly with the color theme.  The great thing about paper lanterns is that they don't necessarily have to be hung to be decorative.  You can just sit them on a table or shelf for a dynamic look.

Next, I ordered the circus-themed onesies below from Cafe Press.   The great thing about Cafe Press is that you can pretty much find any image and have it put onto a onesie.  Again, they served as great decoration and mama could take them home with her for baby!

Next, the diaper cake.  I LOVE making diaper cakes, so I had a lot of fun with this one.  I found images of old circus posters, and made little mini posters that stuck out from all sides of the diaper cake.  I also found lots of circus animal toys and decorations for the cake.  The little stand that the lion sits on was made out of a Dollar Store red bucket turned upside-down, painted and adorned.  Easy peezy!  My SIL said she was broken-hearted to finally have to take the cake apart after baby was born because she was in a diaper crunch.

Next up was the food.  I decided to go as full-on theme as I could, so I themed out the food as well.  The shower featured mini corn dogs, caramel corn, circus peanuts, chicken nuggets with dippers, fruit kabobs (because what food isn't good on a stick?) and my absolute favorite, the Lilly Pulitzer edition animal crackers.  I saw these on a website somewhere and searched diligently through all my local stores to no avail.  No I found a seller online that had some boxes and was willing to sell.  They were SO cute and really added to the festivities.  I found the popcorn boxes as my local Hobby Lobby, which consequently is one of my happy places.  I also found the cute circus themed plates and napkins at my local party store.  They worked perfectly.

Another gift to the mama-to-be?  A potted tree.  We put the tree in the dining room and had guests fill out cards to tie to the tree.  Each guest received two cards:  one to write advice to the new mom, and one as a sweet note to the new baby.  Mama could then take the tree home with her and plant it in the yard as a symbol of baby's birth.  As baby grows, the sweet family can watch the tree grow as well.  (And it looked really cute with all the cards decorating it during the shower.)

For fun, before each guest left the shower, we had them take their picture in a circus themed face-in-hole board.  I think they all had fun with it.  At least my sweet mom did!

Lastly, as a party favor, each guest received a candy bar wrapped in our circus themed wrappers.  All the printables for the cupcakes, tags, banners, and candy wrappers were purchased through Hello Love Designs on Etsy.  All in all, it was a successful and fun shower for all involved.  Not quite "the greatest show on Earth", but close!

What's your Jeopardy story?

I hated Jeopardy growing up. Something that was a nightly routine for my dad was sheer torture for me, as I was forced to watch too.  Thirty minutes of geekiness and boredom and useless knowledge.  Aside from the hours and hours of the History Channel, Jeopardy ranked right up there on the "Kill-Me-Now" scale. 

Now?  I watch Jeopardy.  There.  I admit it.  And other than Kevin, who pretty much has an entire head full of useless knowledge and somehow knows the answer to almost every question (leading me to ask the common question "Why do you know that?"), I am not half bad at it.  But that's not what this is about.

This is about those insane stories that each contestant tells when they are introduced to the TV audience.  Have you watched these? 

Alex:  "This is Carol from Wisconsin.  Carol, as I understand it you had an interesting experience with a bird one time.  Tell us about it."

Carol:  "Absolutely.  I was walking through downtown one day on my way to a doctor's appointment, and when I checked in at the desk, I realized that a bird had relieved itself on my shoulder.  It was very embarrassing."

Alex:  "That does sound embarrassing.  Welcome, Carol."

What???

Alex:  "Next we have Troy from Washington, DC.  Troy, it says here you once had aspirations to climb Mount Everest."

Troy:  "Yes, Alex.  I watched a documentary one time about mountain climbing, and so I tried climbing a small mountain in my hometown, but broke my leg on the way up, so that's it for mountain climbing."

Alex:  "Ahhh, that's too bad.  Well, anyways, we're glad to have you."

Huh?

Alex:  "Lastly is Harold from Palo Alto, California, whose nickname with his friends is Hopalong Hal.  Can you tell us why?"

Harold:  "That's right.  Well, it started back in high school when my OCD was out of control, and I couldn't step on cracks in the sidewalk, so I would hop over them.  I guess the name just stuck."

Alex:  "How interesting, Hopalong Hal." (audience laughs)

What are these things?  I swear, my absolute favorite part of the show is listening to these asinine stories from the contestants during their introductions.  I literally laugh every episode, when I know in my heart they had no intention of being funny.  Tonight, after an actual story about some guy getting his wallet stolen and all the credit cards being used, I wondered to myself, what would my story be? 

Talk about your life flashing before your eyes.  Now I'm going back over my entire 35 years of existence to find the cute and quirky stories that could be told in a quick little diatribe with Alex Trebek.  Carol's story above was actually inspired by a story of mine.  When I moved to DC and decided to tour the Mall my first day there, a bird pooped on my hot dog cart hot dog, completely ruining my first day in a new city.  But do I really want the whole world to know I almost ate that hot dog?  No.

There was the time I drove all the way through Kansas without stopping.  Have YOU driven through Kansas from one side to the other?  That deserves some sort of medal or something.  Medals also to all the people who live in Kansas, although I barely saw any people during that drive.  So if you live there, where?  All I saw were flatlands of nothingness.  And a 100+ car train from engine to caboose in a single view.  Yes, Kansas is flat.

Or there was the time I cut my bangs too short in high school, and they stuck straight out from my head.  I tried to glue them to my forehead with gel and mousse, but when they would dry they would just stick right back out again.  That one's a favorite of all my sweet friends who witnessed it, and like to relive the story every time we get together. (Love you, my girls!)

But ultimately, I know there's a lot of my life to live.  Lots of stories yet to be written.  And Jeopardy will just have to wait.

So that being said, what would your story be?

And a wedding makes two.

Yes. There have been many changes since I last posted. My best friend asked me to be his wife in September. We were vacationing with his family in Destin, FL. One night he took me out to the beach, and on a blanket under the stars, as we listened to the waves lap against the shore, he got down on his knee and proposed. It was beautiful and intimate. Just the two of us in this perfect moment.

Three months later, we were married on a gorgeous, very un-January evening in January. It was sunny and 60 degrees, making outdoor pictures much easier than they would have been had we been dealing with snow, sleet, rain, or other typical January weather in Kentucky. We were surrounded by our friends and family where we laughed, cried, and were filled with joy as we became husband and wife. It was all that we wanted, and I have to credit all of our vendors who did an amazing job and meeting our vision.
Our flower arrangements, both for the ceremony and reception, were created by Ivory Rose Floral in Lexington, KY. Beth really listened to my ideas and created arrangements that perfectly suited my needs.

Music for both the ceremony and reception was provided by Jason Eustice. I chose acoustic guitar music for the processional, and he also sang "Amazing Grace" during the ceremony. During the reception, he switched to DJ extraordinaire as he played our favorite songs, sang and played a few of his own songs, and generally got the crowd going for the reception.

I highly recommend him.

Our cake was made by Tinker's Cake Shop in Lexington (the loose flowers on the cake were supplied by Ivory Rose to match the rest of the arrangements.. Tinker's used to have a storefront location in Nicholasville, but moved to a location downtown and they are available by appointment only for special ceremony cakes. The BEST part about Tinker's is that if you purchase your wedding cake from them, they give you a gift certificate for a complimentary 6" cake of your choice on your one year anniversary. As such, you don't have to worry about saving the top tier of your cake and trying to choke down freezerburnt and soggy year-old cake on your anniversary. You get a fresh, flavor-of-your-choice cake. The cake topper was purchased from Milan Creations on Etsy. I love the way it looked atop our cake and it worked so well with the ivory, black, cranberry and pink color scheme of our wedding.

Our reception took place at the Round Barn at the Red Mile. There were many reasons why I chose this location. It was rustic, it allowed everyone to be in one room rather than having to split people up over several rooms, and it allowed for us to do some unique things with the decorations. But most of all, it allowed me to pay tribute to my grandfather, who was once the Director of Security for the Kentucky Harness Racing Commission, and who took me there so often when I was growing up. So even though he passed before he could see me get married, I know he was there in spirit.

We were also blessed with a GREAT caterer. Bayou Bluegrass Catering, who is commissioned for all catering at the Red Mile, did an unbelievable job. We are still getting compliments on the food at the wedding, with most saying it was the best "wedding food" they've ever had. It doesn't get much better than that!

Lastly, I must pay a huge tribute to our photographer, Heather Ransdell Photography. Here are just a few of the images that we LOVED! The fabulous vintage Bentley came courtesy of Gold Shield Transportation.


All in all, it was a spectacular day filled with love. And I can't wait to see what the future holds!

Fifteen More and Fifteen Less.

Things I should be doing more of:
*Reading books
*Walking
*Eating Healthy
*Saving Money
*Writing Thank you Notes
*Praying
*Journaling
*Painting
*Meeting my neighbors
*Sending handwritten letters in the mail
*Cooking
*Listening
*Vacuuming
*Brushing Dakota
*Loving

Things I should be doing less of:
*Texting while driving
*Drinking Coke
*Judging
*Shopping
*Procrastinating
*Giving up
*Watching TV
*Speeding
*Jam-packing my schedule
*Complaining
*Forgetting my priorities
*Sleeping in
*Eating carbs
*Being sarchastic
*Shutting others out

A Mother/Daughter Tea Party with Derby Flair.

I love my job. I mean, I absolutely love it! Every day, I get the chance to squeeze my creative juices and come up with events that entertain and put a smile on the faces of our members. Selfishly, I love to WOW them! If the jaw drops, I've done a good job.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to start a new tradition at our Club: The Mother/Daughter Derby Tea Party. Living in Louisville, Kentucky, this city is all about the Kentucky Derby. Since it falls very close to Mother's Day every year, this was a perfect chance to combine the Derby with an event for our mothers and daughters. and it didn't disappoint.

The big fun came months in advance of the event. It was time to search for dainty tea cups and saucers. Between the thrift stores, antique & estate sales and flea markets, I had a ball on my treasure hunt. Each little set was better than the next, and after 2-3 months of searching, I finally had enough sets to put on a proper tea party.

We invited our guests, mothers and daughters, to come dressed in their fanciest derby hats and dresses for the party. When they arrived, we had a professional photographer that took outdoor photographs of the families in their Derby garb. They dined on tea sandwiches of pimento cheese and chicken salad, fruit skewers, mini cupcakes, muffins and petit fours. We poured hot water in the cups of the adults and let them choose from a selection of teas in baskets on their tables. As far as the little girls were concerned, I found a recipe for Max and Ruby's Strawberry Tea on Nick Jr.'s website. The girls loved the floating strawberries in the tea, and even those who were not fans of tea loved the concoction.

After tea and snacks, we played two games with our guests. The first game was just for our mothers, but the daughters could help. We gave each of the moms a scorecard for the game, and read the following poem (which I found here and altered a bit). The mom with the most points at the end of the poem won a pretty spring birdhouse.

Poem Game
So this is a rather peculiar game
It really does not have a name
It's simple to play as a game should be
You just do as you're told you see.
So now if you'll please give me your attention
We'll put an end to this suspension
In the end, whoever scores the most
Will receive a prize of which to boast
Now since you're all such fashionable girls
Give yourself 5 points if you're wearing pearls
You may add three if your toes peek out
And earrings will give you 2 more to shout
Score yourself five points if you're wearing any red
Add six more for curls on your head
Now before you think you are going to win
Take away 2 for each safety pin
Give yourself six for pants that are white
Add 1 for a scarf which is just about right
Add 5 more if your shoes are black
And take away 3 for a zipper in back
Now count all the buttons for each you get two
And take away one for each button that's blue
Give yourself 5 if your heels are high
And take away 10 for the green in your eye
Add 10 more for a rose on your clothes
Take away 5 if you're not wearing hose
If your pet you kissed today - add nine
I bet that now you're feeling fine.
This is the end, there is no more.
Who is the lucky lady with the highest score?

The little girls had a great time helping the moms with their score and got so excited when they got points. It was almost difficult to read the poem with a straight face because of all the squeals in the room. The second game was a newlywed type game that helped to find out how well our moms and daughters knew each other. The team with the most points at the end won a scrapbook kit to work on together. Below are some examples of questions we asked:

Questions for Mom

Which do you prefer: (High heels vs. Flip flops, Ice cream vs. Frozen Yogurt, etc.)?
What is your favorite place to vacation?
From which high school did you graduate?
What is your favorite TV show?
In what city were you born?
What is your favorite holiday?
What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
Would your daughter say you are a good driver or a bad driver?
What is the one household task that you dislike the most?
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

Questions for Daughter
What do you want to be when you grow up?
What was the last book you read?
What is your favorite food?
Where is the one place you'd like to go that you've never been?
What is your favorite pizza topping?
What did you touch last: a basketball, a bowling ball, a baseball or a kickball?
If you could meet anybody famous, who would you wan to meet?
What is your favorite cereal?
Where would you rather spend the day: the zoo, the park or the mall?
What scares you the most? (the best answer we got here was when one little girl said her sister!)

After the games were over, our last activity was cookie decorating. I found a cookie cutter shaped like a jockey silk and we baked the sugar cookies in advance and covered them in white royal icing. The moms and daughters could then use food coloring markers and decorative icing to decorate the cookies and take them home in a little clear plastic goody bag.

Overall, it was a great event and the search has already begun for vintage teapots for next year's Mother/Daughter Derby Tea Party. I can't wait!

Easy Peezy Diaper Cake.

This weekend I was honored to attend a baby shower for a dear family friend (who happens to be a genius hair stylist) who is having twins...a boy AND a girl! My mother and sister in law were hosting the shower, and asked me to create a diaper cake for the event. After an always exciting trip to Hobby Lobby for the supplies and Sam's Club for the diapers, I was set to create.

If you've never made a diaper cake, it is INCREDIBLY easy. You will need the following supplies: Newborn or early infant diapers (I bought a case of 96 just to be safe...I used about 80 in the cake above)

A package of variety-sized rubber bands A large bottle of baby lotion for the center of the cake (some people use empty paper towel rolls which work just as well, but the lotion is an extra bonus and surprise for the mother when she unwraps the cake)

Ribbons, bows and such (this will be used to decorate the outside of the cake and hide the rubber bands....as a special touch, try to match the bows to the shower invitation or theme) Toys, gifts and baby items (will be used as extra decoration for the cake and great gifts for the new baby)

Step 1 - Begin rolling individual diapers into tiny rolls and secure each with a small rubber band. Wrap them horizontally around the bottom of the bottle of baby lotion and secure the circle of diapers with a larger rubber band. Keep putting rows of the individual diapers round and round the bottle of baby lotion (and secure each larger layer with a larger rubber band). On the bottom tier of the cake, I like to use 4 circle rows of diapers to give you a solid base.

Step 2 - Repeat the process with the second tier, wrapping around the baby lotion bottle and on top of the first tier, but only use 3 circle rows of diapers.

Step 4 - Repeat the process one last time for the top tier of the cake, and use 2 circle rows of diapers. At this point, the bottle of lotion should be completely hidden, and the cake should be set firmly in place, with one giant rubber band around each tier to hold everything in place.

Step 5 - Begin decorating. This is where you can get creative. Use ribbons, bows, scrap fabric, etc. to wrap around each tier of the cake, hiding the rubber bands. You can make bows at the front, use clip-on flowers like I did above, large buttons....basically wherever your mind takes you.

Step 6 - You can be as creative as you'd like for the cake topper. Because the shower I attended had a "Two Peas in a Pod" theme, I used a ceramic peas in a pod salt and pepper shaker set for the top of the cake. I then found a wooden initial of the babies' last name and painted it to match the cake. I added the feathers at the end to finish it off. Again, you can be as creative as you'd like here. I've seen many diaper cakes with stuffed animals, bottles or basic baby supplies used as the cake topper.

Step 7 - Add your gifts and adornments to the cake. For the cake above, I added two teddy bear rattles (in pink and blue) two sets of baby socks and two bibs which I wrapped around diapers on the bottom layer of the cake. But you can add whatever you'd like.

As a word of caution when creating your cake, try to arrange your decorations, gifts and adorments so that you do not use glue, tape or stick pins in the diapers. Doing so may jeapordize the effectiveness of the diapers when they are used by the new mommy later, and we want the cake to be both pretty and useful.

Good luck and have fun coming up with your own ideas!