Damon's Welcome Party

This past weekend, we hosted a party to celebrate baby Damon and welcome him to the family. We had a wonderful time visiting with friends and family. I kept it pretty simple with a blue and green spring theme. I was on a tight budget, and I tried to re-use anything I could and decorate with what I had around the house. I was a little hesitant to throw a party with a newborn and toddler, but I'm so glad that I went for it. It really was a special time.

I was busy enjoying visiting, so of course I didn't get as many photos as I would have liked (and not before the food was eaten...but I'm glad everyone liked it!) Here are some snapshots of the event:

 My summery fireplace

 Oregano, Thyme, & Chives

 A simple bunting

 A ribbon mobile constructed out of a wire coat hanger and ribbon on hand; hanging above the food table

 Cupcakes

 Coconut "grass" & jelly bean eggs: cupcakes

"Welcome to the Family" Table: Family portraits of most of our family hang above

 Mini Bunting

 Potted herbs as decorations and Damon's birth announcement

 

Italian lemonade

Simple blue & green bottles as a centerpiece

Simple, fun, and truly a wonderful time celebrating such a precious gift to our family.

You're Invited to a Blessingway

click for larger

I have felt at a loss at points during this pregnancy, wishing that the many of the women whom I consider to be my friends, supporters, and encouragers were not scattered across the States (and some outside of the US), but were nearby to encourage me and celebrate the pending arrival of our baby boy. When I heard that Rixa at Stand and Deliver (a fabulous birth blog) was throwing a "virtual blessingway" I felt like it was the perfect answer to my desire to have a community embrace me and the baby, even if it is "virtual". I would be so honored for any of you who would like to take part in my "blessingway" as I prepare for the birth of baby # 2!   

What is a blessingway?

A blessingway is reminiscent of a baby shower, except that it is a time that is focused on affirming and encouraging the mother during such a momentous time as laboring and giving birth. Women gather to share "blessings" for the mother, whether it is a poem, song, art, or word of encouragement. Sometimes each woman will bring a bead to add to a necklace or bracelet for the mother to wear during the labor and to be reminded of the affirmations that she received from the women in her life.


You are welcome to send your virtual "beads" (words of encouragement and affirmation, something positive that you would want to share or remind a laboring mom of) to my email address, thefeministhousewife {at} gmail {dot} com. I will "open your gifts" on March 1st!

Thank you for being such a wonderful source of support and encouragement through this exciting time!

"What's It Going to Bee" Baby Shower

The invitation (blurry for privacy )

The food table

Pink or blue?

The bee cake & honey jar favors 

Cutting the cake

The table centerpieces

Sneak peak of the baby!

Presents!

The Guessing Game

Sisters!

The baby shower was so much fun this past weekend! Everything went really well - the food was delicious, and I felt that everyone had a great time (I know I did!). Here are a few details about the event:

The Menu:

Grits

Bacon & Gouda quiche

Spinach & Gouda quiche (click for recipe)

Bagels served with cream cheese & smoked salmon

English muffins and orange marmalade

Raspberry Trifle

Fresh fruit

Mini muffins

Chocolate croissants

Orange Juice

Izzes

Coffee

Games:

I generally shy away from baby shower games (I can't help but think they are a little creepy sometimes). However, I made little cards for the guests to fill out and vote on the sex, birthday, height and weight. The parents can keep the cards and look back to see who was right. It was a lot of fun! We tallied them up and wrote the ranges and votes on a dry-erase board (Boy is winning!)

Favors:

As a small thank-you to the guests for coming, I filled 4 oz. mason jars with local wildflower honey. I attached miniature honey dippers and cloth to the top with natural jute. I ordered the honey dippers from this website: Local Harvest .

Centerpieces:

We used an assortment of flowers to decorate the food & drink tables: sunflowers, yellow gerbera daisies, and an assortment of wild flowers. I made pom-pom topiaries for the tables that the guests sat at. They were really simple! I stuck floral foam in the bottom of metal pots, covered it in mossy grass, stuck a dowel in the center, tied a ribbon on the dowel, and stuck a mini pom-pom on top. Here is how to make a pom-pom:

via Martha Stewart

Hope you enjoyed! I know I had a lot of fun with it! Now I just can't wait for my little niece or nephew to get here...I wonder, what it's going to bee....!

Baby Shower Centerpiece

I have been loving every minute of planning a shower for my brother & sister -in-law who are expecting their first baby at the end of October. They did not find out what they are having, so the shower theme is...

"What's it going to bee..."

While I have just been dying to share the details with you, I also want it to be a surprise for the parents-to-be, so I will give you a little tease with the centerpieces that I made today.

Pom-pom topiary

I'll be crazy busy finishing up the final details tomorrow, but look for a lot of photos at the beginning of next week!