Party Planning I

Next month I have another niece who will be born and now that I live nearby I can throw a baby shower!!! We are going to do the shower after she is born, then everyone gets to meet her too (BONUS)!
This is their second girl, but the first stained a lot of her dresses... so I decided a great theme for the party would be Clothes! For the invitation I think I will make it look like a paper doll and invite everyone to bring some cute girlie clothes to dress the baby as their gift! And as part of the decorations I will have a string hanging (like a clothes line) with clothes pins attached. That way after the gifts are opened we will hang the clothes up to add to the decorations!

For decorations I am also planning on making some of these Hanging Pom-Poms in pink and some other color, I haven't decided what color scheme to have yet!

And check out this cake:

I think I might try to do something kind of similar... it doesn't look too hard... and I already have some fondant made!
A couple things I would LOVE to have, but I have to check how expensive it would make things.
I would love to have some Organza fabric to drape around the food table, like this:

And don't you just LOVE how it looks with the lace table cloth? Another item I would LOVE to have!
I have this new love of orchids lately... and I would love to have two potted orchids to have on each end of the table. And champagne style flutes would be fun too. We will definitely have to see what all I can pull together!
Since I do photography I was thinking I would try to get some super cute newborn pictures and have at least one up on display.
Aside from decorations... there are always the fun games to play! There are SO many games out there that this is something I am going to have to think about. But one thing I think I will do is fill a baby bottle with candy and have people guess how many pieces are inside.
Any of you have a favorite baby shower game?

Swagbucks Update

I know I mentioned this site back in November, but I just wanted to give an update as to how I am feeling about it now that it's been almost seven months that I have been using it. I absolutely LOVE winning prizes for doing searches online!

I do a LOT of searching for things online... so it is totally worth it to me! One thing I have noticed is google is still the best search engine, especially if you aren't quite sure of what exactly you're looking for. But if you're just looking for general information or new recipes to try I personally have used swagbucks a LOT! I have used it so much in fact that I have been able to get $30 in Amazon.com gift cards! That's enough to get someone a decent gift (Mother's Day, Birthday, Father's Day, etc.). I am hoping that by July maybe I will have enough gift cards accumulated to be able to get my son a bike for his 3rd birthday! (SHHHH don't tell him!) I am about a quarter of the way to get another gift card. But even without that I have gotten close to $5 a month just for doing searches! (Those gift cards don't include the ones my husband has received!)

Anyways, if you too are interested in getting prizes for something you already do... then I HIGHLY recommend you sign up for a swagbucks account and start getting money for it! You won't regret it... in fact you might find yourself just doing random searches just for the fun of seeing what comes up and if you'll get a prize!

Wishful Wednesday

I have been lousy at keeping up with this blog! We are still living with my mom... we think we found the apartment we're going to move into, but who knows we may still change our mind! Along with moving I have found myself planning more than ever as to what I would love to have our home look like! Our big concerns are the living room and dining room... we don't really have anything for those rooms! So, I think I have found as close as I can to my dream dining table set here:

The only things I would change with this set for it to be absolutely PERFECT is I wish the table and chairs just had straight legs (like the back legs on the chairs) and I would LOVE it if there was a leaf for the table. Definitely not a necessary feature especially if I have the open counter in the kitchen that I want, I just like the option to make the table longer if needed. I do love the X-back chairs, the light color microfiber seat, and the black finish.

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Update 5/10/2010
I think I found a set, the Raymond 9 Piece Counter Height Dining Set, that is even closer to the one I dream of than the one above!
This one is from directsourcefurniture.com
It has the beautiful legs that I like (they won't collect dust the way the one above will)!
It still has the X-Back chairs and is counter height.
However I don't know if the chairs are upholstered with the microfiber like the one above. AND this one is NOT the right color... it comes in either a Cappuccino finish (which is better than the maple finish I have seen).
But, I really LOVE the black finish of the one above.

This one has the 18 inch butterfly leaf, which I really like the idea of being able to change the size as to the needed occasion. This table is 54 inches square and 36 inches high.

Wishful Wednesday

My family has been so blessed as of recently. And I just want to say how grateful I am for family! One month ago my husband and I picked up and moved because we felt like it was the right thing to do. Now logically it didn't make sense at all. Yes we were moving to where we had a HUGE support network. However there was no security of having a job. And with economic times as they are it seemed like such a big risk to take. But we did it. We packed up all we had (sold the big things like the entertainment center, the extra desk, the dining table, the sofas) and moved. We are currently living with my sweet mom and today is my husband's first day on the job with a company he is thrilled to be working for as a contract employee. We hope that after time the company will choose to keep my husband on as a full-time employee, not just contracted. So, today that is my wish. That this company will see what an amazing person my husband is and offer him a position with them on a more permanent basis!

Making a Difference

I am constantly amazed by how there are so many children (people under the age of 18) who set out to make a difference in the world. I attended four schools througout High School, but I must say that I am proud to have attended Cupertino High School, especially with all that I hear that they are doing today. They have this amazing project called Kenya Dream that they have been doing. Instead of fundraising money for prom they have been putting 100% of those fundraising efforts towards a school in Kenya. How cool is that?!?

I am so impressed with Cupertino's class of 2010. And you can help them by voting for them with Dell's SuperProm, but you only have 4 more days to vote. There are more videos on that site that you really should check out. They deserve to be number one! Or if you are able to contribute to their cause financially please click here to go to their site to make a donation.

They have even been featured by the local abc news. Way to make a difference!

It is amazing what can happen when people stop thinking about all that they can gain and start giving to others instead!

Have I Done Any Good

My life has taken a huge turn... we decided to pick up everything and move to Utah. There was no job waiting for us there, just a very strong support system of family and friends! It may sound crazy, but I feel so happy with this decision. It is crazy how happy I feel with a decision that may quite well be the craziest thing I have ever done!

With the move I have reflected on the type of person I have been while living in this place and it causes me to pause and ask, "Have I done any good in the world?" I think this is a question many should ask themselves in self-reflection. Could you imagine if everyone did just one good thing without expecting something in return? Oh what a wonderful world we would live in!

Wishful Wednesday

IS it too much to ask for people to be good neighbors to each other? On this Wishful Wednesday I think back on the neighbors I had in San Diego as we recently moved. So many mentioned, you were such a good neighbor and people just aren't like that now days. And my reaction was always, well they should be. I can't help but feel that people should be willing to meet their neighbors. Just say, "Hello." Or take over a plate of cookies. How often do people see a moving truck in their neighbor's driveway and they don't even bother to ask if they would like some help? Wouldn't the world be such a better place if we just got over our selfish fears and asked someone if we could help them? Man... that is a world I would love to live in. But until everyone else can get past their own fence I will pick up my feet and turn to those who I live next to and do all I can to get to know them and be nice to them! Please help me full-fill this wish. Pick up your feet, get off your rear, and go say hello to your neighbor. Get to know them, I promise it won't kill you... you might even find a friend!