thank you thank you thank you!

thank you so much to all who came to the shower! It was a smashing success and I had so much fun and it was so great to see everyone. Baby boy also made out like a bandit-he will be the cutest and well-dressed ever! Thanks to all for helping us outfit our home for a baby-we appreciate it soooo much!
I know you are all waiting for pictures and more pictures...so wait no more!
thanks again, i love you!
(big thanks again to liz & denise...for everything!)

britt

thanks britt for the cute shark and fishies long romper! so cute & fuzzy! good to see you-look forward to being "good friends" again...ha. good luck in september!

cho

thanks cho for the great gap wardrobe! such cute blue & green striped onesies, and velour brown pants with the cute stitched long romper! oh and matching socks too of course! so cute! (thanks for being a great hostess too!)

kiersta

thanks kiersta and baby errson for the cute airplane outfit and the gripe water (let's hope i don't have to use it too much!) and for coming on such short notice! i was so glad you were able to make it!

denise

thank you denise for all you did with the shower, all the baby gifts so far (goodie basket, plethora of clothes, baby cash, fabric/quilts...etc) and for taking care of me and baby boy! we love you!

catherine, adrienne, krista, jenny, caitlin

thanks gals for the great baby monitor! i wish it worked across states and we could leave one with you so we could talk more often! i guess that's what phones are for...mine sounds like a walkie talkie sometimes though...anyway-thanks again! so good to see you all!

cat & barb

thanks cat & barb for the cute "ahoy mate" outfit complete with hat-and the bear bib! you guys are too cute-we missed you barb! cat-thanks for coming even though you just got into town from philly! it was great to see you.

julianna

thanks julianna for the great bath set! the bathtub, soaps, bath towels & cloths will be so nice! he will be oh so fresh and so clean! we missed having you at the shower... it was great to see you though-thanks for stopping by!

court & sondra

thanks court & sondra for the babies'r'us gift card! i have already picked out so many fun things there i want to get baby boy with it! (and you were totally right on with the target comment...another story to add to it already...ha!)

liz

thanks liz for the cute duckie hooded bath towel! it will definitely make for some good photos!

the boss clan

thanks to the bosses for the cute puppy outfit, teddy bear rattle booties, & book set! he is sure to be a well-dressed intellectual boy now-and i'll be able to hear him anywhere with those little feet kicking! (we missed you mir & jillian!)

lacy, kim, & kibby

thanks gals for the great monitoring devices! we appreciate the baby monitor, as well as the two baby bottles! those two together mean a little alone time for me! (smiles) those bottles come with babysitting right? so you can feed him while you're here?

Sara

thank you sara (&girls...) for the soft fleece blanky, diapers (seriously...thank you), and romper-although i don't know how much i appreciate the "I pulled an all-nighter"...i guess i'll be calling you on those nights!

lizzythecutestshopper

thanks lizzy for the cutest take home outfit (blue & white stripe romper & matching beanie) & tie-dye romper! and thank you for the fabulous shower! ps i don't like taking pictures next to you-you are too skinny to have a 9-month old!

diane & laura

thank you laura & diane for the cute track shoes, hooded bath towel & washcloths! (we did get them-so adorable!) baby and i missed you laur-hope you're feeling better!

cassafras

thank you cassy for the cutest rompers: dino-tastic and cutest stripes!

monkeyin' around with emilie & aubrey

thanks to aubrey & emilie for the monkey toy, banana split candy, & monkey costume! we will be quite the costumed family...do dinosaurs and monkeys get along?

Janelle & Monica

Thanks Janelle and Monica for the cute cable-knit baby blue blanket and Target giftcard!

the chick theme...

starting out with the cute invite via blog...liz began the cutest chick theme. The little blue and green birds became cute blue and green everything! lizzythecoordinator came to life for this party-and everything matched-even her house! it turned out super cute-watch out martha-you have some serious competition! everything was super yummy too...

there were fun games as well...

"the price is right" guessing prices of popular baby items...guessing my belly-line (waistline...mostly belly these days...) with string...and taking a stab at the birth-day,-weight, and -height of baby boy! i'll let you know if anyone gets close on that one...please submit your guess in a comment if you couldn't make it to the shower! and thank you to all those who kept their guesses to before my due date...i guess i can't really help it though if he doesn't want to come out before then!

rich chocolate cake with ganache and truffle egg nest

i wish i could claim this as my own, but alas, martha beat me to it. definitely a time-consuming endeavor, but very worth it. the recipe says "serves 8" but between the leftover truffle eggs and the insane richness of the cake, you can easily serve 30-40.

prinsesstarta (princess cake)

for those of you who tried it and loved it: bought the princess cake at IKEA for a whopping $5.99. but, if you want to try your hand at making your own princess cake, here's one version of the recipe. some great tips from someone who's already tried it herself can be found at lovescool's blog. surprisingly, martha doesn't have a recipe for this (yet)!

Pampered Chef Mandarin Pasta Salad

This fresh, Asian-inspired main dish is ideal for impromptu entertaining.


Dressing:
1 teaspoon finely chopped, peeled fresh gingerroot
1/3 cup rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Onion Soup Mix
2 teaspoons sugar
1 garlic clove, pressed

Salad:
8 ounces uncooked bow tie pasta
1/2 cucumber, scored, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion
1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach leaves
1 can (11 ounces) mandarin orange segments, drained
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted


1. For dressing, finely chop gingerroot using Food Chopper. In Small Batter Bowl, combine gingerroot, vinegar, orange juice, vegetable oil, sesame oil, soup mix, sugar and garlic pressed with Garlic Press; whisk until well blended. Cover; refrigerate until ready to use.

2. For salad, cook pasta according to package directions in Professional (8-qt.) Stockpot; drain and rinse under cold running water using large Colander. Place pasta in Simple Additions™ Large Bowl.

3. Meanwhile, score cucumber using Lemon Zester/Scorer; remove seeds using The Corer™. Slice cucumber using Ultimate Slice & Grate; cut slices in half. Dice bell pepper using Chef’s Knife. Coarsely chop onion using Food Chopper.

4. Add cucumber, bell pepper, onion, spinach, mandarin oranges, chicken and almonds to pasta. Pour dressing over salad; toss using Bamboo Spatula Set. Serve immediately. Yield: 12 servings

Nutrients per serving (11/2 cups): Calories 210, Total Fat 9 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 20 mg, Carbohydrate 21 g, Protein 11 g, Sodium 210 mg, Fiber 2 g

FYI: You can make this without using any Pampered Chef items! I didn't add the mandarin oranges to our salad for the party and I forgot about the cucumber. I make this salad quite often for myself; here's a tip to help it keep for small servings. I keep all the ingredients prepped in seperate containers with lids in the fridge. Then I just toss them together in the serving size I want and throw some Newman's Own Lowfat Sesame Ginger dressing on it and I'm good to go. The homemade dressing is AWESOME, but when I'm making the salad for my lunches, etc, Newman's does the job. As far as the almonds go, I much prefer raw slivered almonds. More flavor and crunch.

the beverage of beverages

and who can resist an all natural (made with cane sugar) jones soda berry lemonade? so yummy...

post-party update

the shower was a success, but unfortunately, ali's memory has been rocked by pregnancy because she forgot her camera's USB cord. what does this mean? you'll have to wait a few days for pictures, but i'll tell you this much: there are tons of pictures (and they are GOOD), including a little pregnant ali photoshoot! stay tuned......