a 'home run" indeed

This baseball themed shower was a hit! A good friend and I threw this shower for another friend who is having her first son. Her husband was part of the CSU baseball team. Pitcher, I believe. I don't know; I've been told that's an important position! 

So we went vintage meets baseball meets Sunday afternoon luncheon. It was super fun to plan and decorate for and the theme went along with her nursery. Don't worry, she's classy, so her theme isn't cartoony baseballs! It's vintage. Hence, the vision for our shower.

 Love. Hate. Copy. 

Just throw a party, already!

Decor: Burlap,peanuts and cracker jacks, root beer, and the ever popular flags!

 Shower games are my forte. Actually not. 

So, my friend took the reigns on that part;

and she did a fabulous job!

In the spirit of baseball and babies, why not a "chug apple juice out of a baby bottle" game. Ha, get it the apple juice looked like beer in a bottle... Laughing? No? It was fun. As you can see below the gals were lining up eagerly to be contestants. 

Everyone loves shower games!

 Baby bottle bowling? Anyone? Anyone? 

Come on, we're using mini-baseball bats and a baseball! 

Seriously, Amber, I loved your games!

She got some super cute and sentimental gifts and of course all the necessities for a new baby boy! 

Happy Baby Jenni!

We have an "XY"

It's true! We've finally produced a male! 4th time's a charm...or something like that! He's stinkin' adorable and is the sweetest, most chill little guy ever! 
The novelty of a new baby has worn off, and I have to bribe my girls with treats to feed him a bottle! 


He was born on March 27th (yes, this post is long overdue!) and weighed in at 8 lbs and 6 ounces.  


His name is Rutledge (a family surname from a few generations back on my husband's side) Alexander (my husband's first name).

Let me say one thing: He will be well mothered!!

Gentry is FIVE!

So CRAZY that our first born is FIVE years old!! She most definitely leads the pack! 

She loves her sisters and is generally very good to them, she is very creative and has a unique fashion sense, and has some awesome dance moves!

For whatever reason, her latest thing is doing magic tricks. 

Some of her "tricks" are: making stuffed animals disappear 

and swallowing food while doing a headstand (I had to put a stop to that one!)
So, naturally, this five year old girl asked for a magical birthday party! 

There was a magic show and cupcakes! Pretty basic and easy clean-up! 

The party invite...

 The Magic Show, complete with a bunny appearing at the end!!

 Magic themed cupcake toppers! So easy and cute, and they make the cupcakes special!  I also found a template online for the cupcake wrappers.

 And the birthday girl! She had to have a "birthday" hat (turns out the dollar store supports the "magic" community...you can find tons of magic themed stuff there!)

Yep, she's wearing a magicians hat along with her zebra print dress and hot pink tights...as I mentioned above, the fashion sense!




However, the most memorable moment of the party was this...

This is my niece, Piper. Two scenarios: Either she was absolutely unimpressed with the magic show OR she was upset the party wasn't all about her (her b-day was 3 days later!). Either way, this pic totally displays her personality and I LOVE it!

Baby Shower

And again, my friends have totally outdone themselves!! Being that I have three girls, and now enter boy, they absolutely had to go all out for this shower! There was word that the shower may have been a little "bachelorette party" themed, as you can imagine the fun the would have had with that! Oh, but they are classy ladies, as was the shower! My friends know how to love on me, and all of them, having boys themselves, knew exactly what to bring for this "little man"!

I am seriously so honored and thankful to have such a great group of friends that know how to love on a gal about to embark on such a new adventure....a BOY!!

 The theme was all about mustaches, and top hats, and bow ties,etc...SO adorable!

 Decor and games all around!

All the classy ladies! How adorable are the hand-made top hats?!!!

Christmas Party Decor and an EASY Craft!

I'll start with a "tutorial" on the easiest craft ever. Really, a monkey could do this. I created these chargers for a Christmas party I hosted. But, I plan on using them for other occasions.  Versatility: a best friend!

All you need is:

 silver platters from the dollar store, a can of chalkboard paint, and a paintbrush.

step 1: paint on a thin layer of chalkboard paint.

step 2: let it dry.

step 3: repeat steps 1 and 2, about 4 times.

step 4: after your final layer, let dry for 24 hours before writing on.

Also from the dollar store, I bought clear glass dinner plates. Write a phrase on each plate, and put your glass plate on the charger! Adorable.

 How cute for "it's a girl/boy" or "so and so is 30!" 

Here's a few more decor items I used for my husband's office party. I call this decor "Dr. Suess meets charming."

I found these cups at the dollar store as well. I know. "They're ridiculous" is what you're thinking, but I couldn't pass them up! 

Give me some credit,I did remove the crazy straws!

 My center piece was a mason jar filled with Christmas ornaments and embellished with cute partridges (two of these).

 And the whole shabang...

Thanksgiving moments...

Gentry gave our turkey the rub-down of it's life.

She literally massaged butter into this bird for a good 15 minutes! She even massaged under the skin onto the actual meat. A future career?!

The pre-K class Turkey Dinner. A couple friends and I fabricated this adorable paper bag turkey for our kids' Thanksgiving party.

Hello, super easy and super hilarious.

Served on a decorated platter.

(Thanks pinterest and onecharmingparty for your idea and how- to!)

Their teacher "carved" the turkey and served each of the kids. And of course the snack inside was a huge hit. We created a trail mix to "stuff" inside!

Peek A Boo with Jetta Boo

Could you not play "peek-a-boo" all day with this adorable gal?!?!?

(insert quick booger check)