A Blue Elephant Baby Shower

Two weekends ago, my friend Jessica and I co-hosted a baby shower for our friend Becca who is due in just a few weeks! We DIYed the food and decor, which made for a fun and simple celebration.

Menu

Cheeses + Fruit

Veggies + Hummus and Dip

Everything Seed Rolls

Strawberry Cake Pops

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

We downloaded these elephant tags to make cupcake toppers.

Jessica's mom has a cake pop maker so we tried our hand and making and decorating cake pops! They may not look picture-perfect, but they were delicious.

And since fruit tea is kind of a Nashville thing, we tried this recipe. It was a big hit!

Straws from Hobby Lobby (because they're fun!), as well as the paper plates and napkins above.

The banner was made using scrapbook paper (alphabet and elephant templates found here). And we painted a wooden H and mounted it on a framed piece of scrap piece of fabric for the gift table.

You can't go wrong with chocolate dipped pretzels for favors :). 

Do you enjoy hosting parties and/or showers? 

What tips do you have for keeping things simple?

+, Lauren Aiken

A Pat the Bunny Birthday Party

Last Saturday we celebrated Nora's 1st birthday at our house. Most of our extended family was able to make it, with the exception of Auntie V (we missed you!!). We started the morning with a family brunch, Nora opened her gifts, and then we had a few friends over for cake! 

I wanted to make Nora's party special but also wanted to keep a really small budget. Turning one is a big deal! There is much to celebrate in Nora's first year or life, and she is blessed to have many people who love her dearly. At the same time, the party is a fleeting moment - and one she will not remember. 

Since I'm terrible at making decisions, it always helps me to make a list of priorities. 

These were my goals for her party:

1. Everyone has fun and our family shares a meal together. Our families came over mid-morning for brunch. The menu included baked eggs, hash brown casserole, ham, croissants, banana bread, and a yogurt parfait bar. A few friends came over in the afternoon for dessert, and Nora got to share her new toys with her friends :).
2. A theme that represents Nora at this stage of life. I really wanted to choose something that represented Nora's current likes and interests. Pat the Bunny turned out to be absolutely perfect! Nora loves reading books, she has been really into the touch and feel books, and just in the last month started loving on her stuffed animals. Plus, Pat the Bunny was a classic in our house growing up, and my mom had kept my stuffed white bunny (I didn't know until after I settled on the theme). 
3. Pretty photos to remember the day. Cue the DIY projects! Just a few little details can make for some pretty photos. I spray painted a couple Goodwilled frames and gathered a couple others from around our house, made a pom pom banner with old yarn, and another simple banner with Nora's name for our mantle. I used this tutorial for the tissue paper banner. It took only 3 pieces of tissue paper and about 20 minutes tops! The cake toppers are handmade too.
4. Something handmade to keep. I ended up making Nora's dress, mainly because I had something in mind and couldn't find anything close to what I was looking for in stores. It ended up being my favorite thing about her party even though it was too big for her. It's one of those simple pillowcase dresses that you see all over Pinterest. Instead of cinching the neckline, I added honeycomb smocking on the front and back. I watched a youtube tutorial for the smocking (it's actually very simple) and looked at about 4 different tutorials for the dress and did my own thing. 

Nora's party turned out just how I envisioned, which doesn't happen often. It was such a joy filled day, and we are so thankful for everyone who came to celebrate with us! I had been sick for a couple weeks and had also found out I had strep throat just a couple days before the party. By God's grace, a few people helped me with some last minute things, everything got done, and I was running on enough adrenaline Saturday morning that I felt well for most of the day. 

Ok, enough talking about the party, here are the photos of the day!

my sweet one year old! 

4 generations, with Grannie Weir

Nora's aunts and uncles (minus Victoria)

Daddy and Mommy 

Grammy and Gramps

Grandma and Grandaddy 

a little more decor

showing off her new walking skills

and of course a photo shoot

the brunch spread (ignore the red room, please)

 opening gifts 

playing with friends

and the CAKE!! 

We had the best time celebrating YOU, sweet girl!  

+, Lauren Aiken

Easy as {Apple} Pie

As summer draws to a close each year, I am always itching for fall. There's just something so comforting about the scents, flavors, vibrant leaves, and cozy clothes that I can't get enough of. And with our baby girl on the way and living in a new place surrounded by trees, I am more eager than ever this year! I thought it was a bit early to be dreaming of fall, but since the pumpkin spice latte is back at Starbucks (I had one yesterday, decaf of course), I think it's time to share some of my favorite fall recipes!

I love baking in general, but making pie is has a special place in my heart. Both of my grandmothers let us "help" bake when we were little. I have a picture with my grandma (mom's mom) making apple pie. I'm about 4 years old, standing on a step stool...probably observing more than helping.

My grannie (dad's mom) always makes her famous pie crust in the cute little bowl pictured below. One year for Christmas, she gave my sisters and I each one so we can do the same. And last year, my grannie gave us each rolling pins that are made from a huge tree in her yard that we used to climb. What an awesome gift, right?!

Ingredients
6 c thinly sliced, peeled Granny Smith apples
1 T lemon juice
3/4 c sugar
2 T all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 deg.
Sprinkle apples with lemon juice.

In a medium bowl, toss together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Pour over apple slices and gently toss.

Prepare pastry crust.
The recipe I use is my Grannie's, and I'm not sure I can give it away.
You an find tons of crust recipes online though.

Roll the crust between two piece of wax paper to prevent sticking.

(Don't worry if your crust doesn't come out perfectly shaped when you roll it - you can fix it later.)

Next, place the pie pan upside down over the crust and flip it over.

Trim up the edges and pinch them to make an edge.

Then, spoon in the coated apples.

There are several variations you can do for the top crust - a full crust or lattice.

I like to make a crumb topping.

Mix equal parts of flour and brown sugar (1/2 c each) and cut in 3 Tbs butter with a knife.

Sprinkle it over the top.

Bake for 40 minutes until apples are tender and juicy (the sauce will bubble a bit)!

Serve warm (with a scoop of vanilla ice cream) and enjoy!

What are your favorite fall recipes?

+, Lauren Aiken