Baby Boy Bubbles

My DIL and I threw a shower a couple weeks ago for our sweet friend and hairdresser. We have known her husbands family for 19 years and actually hers too - just her grandmother. We've known her for about 6 or 7 now. 

I saw the invitations on Amy Atlas Blog last year and had "Pinned" them for just this time.
So we changed the colors and added a couple things, and ordered a set of party decor from Penandpaperflowers. Most of my ideas stemmed from these designs.

I really thought the address labels made the invites look great. I bought 8.5"x11" label paper because my old 500 sheets of sticker paper was all used up. It took me about 15 years, but I used it all up. These  100 labels cost about the same amount that the old 500 sheets. Time has a habit of making things more expensive.

 I found this diaper tricycle idea online.

Turned out pretty good.  (more on this later)

I made dots out of chiffon for the tables.

 My friend and Krista's made these Oreo POPS. We had POPpyseed Strawberry salad.

 We had POP corn,  Jello POPS, Cupcake POPS, SodaPOP, LolliPOPS, anything POP.

 Never thought I'd be making Jello for anyone let alone for a party, but it was so colorful and pretty.

 The entryway to the house had a ladder with a welcoming sign and bubbles streaming from a machine on top of it.

Welcome to the guest of honor.

One of the guests also made a fancy diaper bicycle. What a pair.

 We had about 40 women at the party and they all enjoyed chatting for a few hours. It was a lovely evening for an outdoor party.

The mother-to-be received all sorts of love and gifts for her new little guy. 

He should arrive in October.

Congratulations Krista!

Now A "Twins" Shower

We have a cute new mother-to-be in our ward or church congregation that is having a couple of boys. She and her husband just moved into our area and don't know many people. They have no family around and are just getting started with jobs and a life together. 

We decided to welcome them with a baby shower and we had it at our home. I cooked the same things that I had for the bridal shower held just 4 days before and I also decorated similarly.
I started by redoing this paper cone wreath and added different blues and banner so that the colors look like baby boy colors.

I've been spying these diaper cakes online the last couple of years, and now I decided to make one up for the new mom and her nursery.

With a cute jungle theme and using monkeys and elephants, I was able to find a fun ribbon that is striped with the same colors as the apparent new nursery.
We had great food and the turnout of women in the Los Gatos Ward was fabulous.

Wedding Shower

quiche, chicken w/peanut sauce, butter lettuce salad, shrimp

My friend Lois and I threw a shower for a long time friend of our daughters. I personally have spent many days and nights with this cute girl and her mother at volleyball tournaments throughout Stephanie's middle school and high school years, so wanted to show my support and love for her as she enters the realm of married person.

I made pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, and chocolate coconut filled cupcakes with whipped chocolate cream frosting. We also served "Icing on the Cake" banana cupcakes.

We had the party at Lois's home and I decorated and helped with food, etc. Here is my new paper wreath deco. Just made paper cones and dipped the edges in blue glitter. Finished it off with cake cutouts and medallions of various colors and sizes.

Leslie and Jolyn with "pretend" Stephanie in the middle. She couldn't come to town for the shower, because of a coaching obligation.

Here's out cute bride to be.

Lois (L's mom), Jolyn, me, Leslie, Debbi (J's mom)

And all the mothers with daughters too.

Fun time was had by all.

Kids Growing Up - Friends Turning 60

As I read my Stephanie's Facebook additions, I see how much she is growing into a woman. I can't believe how fast time has flown.
She turned 24 yesterday and had a fun time with many friends in the mountains of Utah.
We are all growing one year older and it seems like I'm watching the generations pass before me. I actually went to a friends 60th birthday last week and then another friend posted a great poem about her 60th birthday the next day. (You should read it, she really has a way with words.)

So here we are a bunch of middle aged adults on a scavenger hunt in Los Gatos.

Laurie planned it and Debbie and I helped put together and implement the hunt. We all went to Sarah's house after for a nice dinner. Happy Birthday to Carolyn.
And Happy Birthday to my 24 year old baby. You are a joy in my life.

Over the Top

Sometimes a party or event is done really well and I always appreciate the work that goes into these events.
Usually it is not a regular church meeting that is so well done, but when Jamie W is in charge, that all changes.

 She made chalk boards, curtains across the gym, cute paper purse details throughout the tables and serving areas,

 backlighting around much of the detail, flowers, circle fans in matching color waves, serving trays from photo frames,

 cake stands for center pieces, etc, etc, etc. It was decorated like a wedding ought be. Kinda crazy for a Relief Society birthday party, but very fun nonetheless. The food too was excellent.

I made a purse for a give away prize and it is pictured here. (I guess I wasn't given the color scheme.)
Anyhow, it was a fun night and the preparation kinda made it.
If I ever get asked to do a calling after she has done it, I think I'll have to turn it down. Hard act not to follow.

Pillowcase Quotes

My friend in another ward (congregation) at church asked me to help her with a pillowcase project for the children in the wards' birthdays.
The Primary theme for this year must include something about Choosing the Right and so she is having me print with my handy dandy sewing machine on each of the cases, "I Can Choose the Right." They will be given to the kids for their birthdays throughout this year.

We decided to use a font that comes with the machine, and so hit set up fairly easily as soon as we figured out just what it was that we wanted it to look like, and its size, etc.

Now I just have to decide which color of thread to use for which color of pillowcase. Such a hard decision I know, but wanting the kids to enjoy the individual case that they receive is a bit of a concern.

Here is my beginning assortment. I'm going to have the gal that requested these do all the thread clipping and ironing, etc.
I'm whipping them out between all my other projects and it's going to work out just fine.
I think I'll make some for my own grandchildren too. Always getting ideas.

Elements of a Wedding Shower

 Last month I hosted a bridal shower for a friends daughter. I was in charge of the invitations and this is what I came up with. I got the colors from a Lenox tableware pattern that the happy couple had chosen to go with their new home.  They are fine musicians, and the bride is a singer from the word go, so I used two little love birds as the accent on the invite.

 This is a backdrop that I used for the serving table and it turned out okay, but didn't get hung very well.

I'm always trying to do too many things at the last minute, and this was one of those times. I hung this up without enough time to adjust the height and it looked quite mediocre.
Live and learn.
My lost camera has the main pictures from the party in it. Cindy Harmer made a great cake, decorated with singing birds and such. Susan Lucas made some great food to go with the things I had made.

Oh, my favorite other part was the lemonade served in small glass bottles with striped turquoise and red colored straws, and red raffia tied around the top of the bottle. It was cute.

Obi

My walking buddy had to put her dog Obi Wan Kenobi down. He was just too sick and had stopped eating as his health declined. I've missed walking with him for the last 6 months or so, but after the previous 10 years of walking with the fun loving, fine feathered Golden Retriever, I'd gotten to know his sweet personality quite well.

"See ya later Ob's."

Remembering Bud

One of our best friends from church was buried last weekend. It has been a shock to our family that such a seemingly healthy man, that is in our age group, had a heart problem that took his life.
"Bud" was a young men's leader to all 3 of my boys, and taught Sunday School to one of my daughters. My children knew he cared about them and he shared the good and the bad through his example to each of them at various times in the 17 years that we knew him. He didn't have children, and so the kids at church were his.

Bud loved his wife, his extended family, swimming, basketball, the Oakland Raiders, reading, apparently writing, the BYU Cougars, fixing up his house, dogs, music (he had a great tenor voice), and the youth.
He leaves behind a wife who is a great lady, and we hope we can help support her as she learns to live without him.
We will definitely miss our loved friend.

Top THIS Christmas Tradition

We all have various family traditions that remind us of happy occasions from the past. Christmas, of course, has some of the most memorable because we tend to repeat them each year and they just become engrained in us. I think that when at least 4 of my 5 kids are asked the question, "What is your favorite family tradition?" They say, "The Shepherds Dinner on Christmas Eve." We didn't start doing this interesting dinner until probably 1992, when someone in our Oak Hills, Oregon ward (church congregation) told me about the way their family celebrated the coming of Christ. They sit on the ground (floor) and eat what they think the shepherds outside of Bethlehem would have eaten on that first Christmas night.  Goat cheese perhaps, or figs and unleavened bread (crackers), fruit juice, dried fish, or dried anything for that matter are some of the things we think about when shopping at our super super market for this event each December 24.
We sometimes get quite elaborate compared to what the shepherds would have eaten. Our stomachs are probably all much more stuffed than the original shepherds ever even thought of being, but it is an exercise in empathy if nothing else. We do love this tradition and the lessons it teaches us.

The Hubby and I went to dinner with my "walking buddies" and their respective hubby's tonight. We were talking about some of our traditions and Laurie said that she has never had a Christmas morning without her parents there. In her parents house during her youth and in her house after she had children herself, they have always been there. Wow, 50 years is a long tradition with the same loved ones sharing Christmas morning. What a blessing for the grandchildren, to have that unconditional love all around them.
Well, Carolyn topped the time frame and the place as well. She has woken up in the same bedroom, in the original twin beds, now pushed together to make a king, looking out the same window on Christmas morning for all of her 58 years. Can you imagine?  Every year for 58 years in the same house. That is all her grown kids know, and the tradition of going "home" is deep rooted in them too. They just expect to travel to Grandma's house. Grandpa (her father) died a few years ago, and Grandma just keeps it going for them all, but Carolyn herself has taken over the roll of charge person and caregiver.
Quite an amazing tradition. 
How 'bout you? Any other good ones out there?

The Leeding's

One of the highlight events of our Oregon trip for me was brunch at Jan's house.

I first have to tell you a little about Jan.
Our blooming family moved into a neighborhood of new homes and young families in 1981.
Jan and her captivating family of 5 moved in straight across the street from us just a few months later and we became fast friends with them all. Jennifer was just barely 4, Matt was almost 2 just like our little Jonathan, and Kelsey was in her second 6 months. I was pregnant with David, so we were all young and energetic.
I always had pretty good instincts when it comes to taking care of the children and being on top of schedules, good eating, etc. I worked at Emanuel Hospital in the orthopedic ward a few days a week, so many things I did were necessary and/or educational. But Jan taught me how to be a mom in many other ways.
She would schedule in walks through the extending neighborhoods, lunch out in the "common area", hot wheels contests, pine cone hunts in the more mature parks of Portland, Rose Parades, birthday parties, doughboy pool days, trampolining, sports, golf tournaments, and just general fun times.

We always had a field day when we were with the Leeding's.
Kim our neighbor up the street with her two cute little girls was also in on the daily life.

Brooke Hikade, Kelsey Leeding, Matt L., Jonathan, Jennifer L (top), Lindsey H. (David - not pictured)

Here is the group of the kiddles at the Sauvie Island pumpkin patch in 1982.

Jan was quite the cheerleader in all areas of the kids life.  Jonathan and Matt were often on the same soccer or baseball teams. "Go Matt!  Pass it up!"

As we added to our family, they were always there to help. Here Jennifer is enjoying Kathryn. She would do Kathryn's hair and play with her for hours.

David (middle) on his first day of first grade. Jonathan  (3rd grade), Kelsey (2nd grade) 1988

We moved away from the SE neighborhood of Portland in 1990 after spending 9 years and having 3 more children. Michael was born the next year so his memories don't go back this far, but for the rest of our children it really all started there.

Well, fast forward to June 2010. I contacted Jan just a week or so before we went to Portland and she, with Jennifer and Kelsey put together a great little party at her home in NE Portland. She invited the Hikade's and the 2 girls were able to come with their new babies although we missed their parents. She invited Scott who still lives out in the Clackamas area, and he, Matthew, and the two girls with their little families all showed up.
The food and set up were simply beautiful and her house is a great, old, well kept house in an old section of town. (I don't know what the style would be considered - probably "Craftsman")

Jennifer, Lindsay, Brooke, Kelsey, Matt, David, Kathryn, Jonathan, Stephanie, & (front row) Michael

Here are the children 20 years later. My now 5 kids, the 3 Leeding's and the 2 Hikade's. What a handsome group.  We will never know those little kids again, but our memories will always be happy and full. They are all finding their way as adults in the world now and creating childhood memories for their own kids.

Quite the next generation. More adorable little ones and their cute parents.

Can't quite believe that we are the grandparents.

Thanks Jan, you are the best! And on such short notice you made us all feel special.

NW Portland

In 1990  after living in a SE suburb of Portland (Clackamas) for 9 years, our family decided it was time to upgrade our living quarters. In doing so, we thought it would be best to go to the opposite corridor of the metro area and get a place closer to where "the Hubby" worked. So we found this great little neighborhood in the NW by Beaverton and finished a spec home that was being built there. We had increased our numbers significantly and with 6 of us now living in a 1800 square foot house, we found the now more ample 4200 square feet roomy and  a little decadent.

We set right to work on the inside.

And the outside of the house.

We made it our own.

The children rode the bus to Oak Hills Elementary School and later to Meadow Park Middle School. The bus stop on the front end of our 32 home neighborhood filled the entire bus with kids all going to the grade school, so there were plenty of children around to play with all the time. It was a great place to be.

Then in 1994, after we had things just the way we wanted, we picked up and moved to California. The Hubby had gotten a new job in the "Bay Area", and we all reluctantly packed and moved away from our beloved home. (and yard)

Well last week while we were visiting Portland and going to a wedding, beach, and playing, we went to our old house to check it out.

The door knocker still says "Hodgman", the wallpaper and decor are much the same as it was 16 years ago when we left.

Plants and trees have either grown up, or have died and been removed.  It seems as if nothing has been updated or remodeled.  

We were able to have a reunion with the neighbor across the street. Debbie and even her son Gus were on hand to have a chat with us and it was great to see them.  

David and Gus were great playmates when they were young boys, and now they are both married and living lives away from Joseph Court. 

What a lot of fun memories the kids talked about as we drove around the area and headed to our wedding reception. Feel free to share kids. (comment - hint, hint)