Jenny's baby shower

3/31/11

It's the last day of March?!?! Sheesh. Time flies.

LOOK WHAT I HAVE GROWING ON THE BACK PORCH!!!!!!

A couple months ago, we were at Home Depot and they happened to have this giant bag of 100+ daffodil bulbs for like, $12. They are one of my favorite flowers (and the official birth month flower for March). Mark planted them and we crossed our fingers that they'd have enough dormant time in the cold ground before it was time to bloom (you're really supposed to plant them in the fall...) He also threw in some poppy seeds in a couple of the pots. We're hoping that this will be the year we finally transform the mud bog in back into a real yard! We started out with lots of big pots because our native "soil" is more like "straight rocks and clay" and will need a LOT of work to cultivate.

Anyway, on to the baby shower.

This is my good friend Jenny Norton.

 

We were visiting teaching companions for almost a year before we figured out we were cousins-in-law. Or whatever it is you call it when my first cousin Mark Nelson is married to her sister Emily. It was one of those head-smacking DUH! moments when we put two and two together. And btw, her sister is fabulously talented at home design, etc. and just started a new blog:

Check it out!

Jenny has three cute little boys and was very surprised to become pregnant with her fourth (another boy). I felt like she needed and deserved a little party, so we had one last Friday.

 

The decorations were simple--I just used fabric I already had for tablecloths, and borrowed some flower arrangements from my sister Maria. I'd made them for her wedding, so it was nice to get another use out of them. 

 

Very springy, no? Sorry these aren't very good pictures. The lighting was low and I was crunched on time.

 

We rearranged the living room for a more open flow. Early comers were treated to an episode of Ni Hao, Kai-Lan.  Xīn Nián Kuài Lè! (Forget Dora---Kai-Lan teaches your kids Mandarin.)

 

Luke was very helpful in selecting the recipes and making sure that getting the house and food ready on time was next. to. impossible. (I love you, son...)

 

Everything was sooo delicious. I made pasta salad, coconut fluff, sub sandwiches, chocolate berry muffins, chocolate mousse and these strawberry tart thingies. I'll post the recipes soon.

 

It was an open house type affair, so we had people coming and going, but here was the main group. L-r: Debbie Berry, Rosalie Kirtley, Jenny Norton, Mindee Knight, Christine Anderson, Kristy Spencer, Erin Wimmer.

Good times with good friends! So glad we did it! And thank you to Mark, who took Madelyn and Luke to the pool so as to be out of my hair. I need to do that (have the kids out of my hair) more often!