We had a great time at the shower, if I do say so myself! It was so great to get to know CarolAnn and her mother, Martie. (I think that Martie and I were sisters separated at birth. She's awesome !) She is absolutely darling and has personality plus! Here's a few details of the day then some shower ideas that I used tonight.
First of all, I'd played so hard yesterday that I didn't do much on the list, which meant that I had to double up on today's list. So, I started a day behind, which I hate! I woke up with Doug at 4 and couldn't go back to sleep because I kept thinking, "Oh! I need to do this!" and "Oh! I can't forget that!" Then, Liza and I texted for a while at 8ish. That's when things started to go south for my emotions. I started in the kitchen and by the mid-morning, it had sunk in that Liza was not here with me to help. Liza is here to help me anytime I host or do something fun. So, reality just really sunk in that she was gone. The phone calling back and forth was great but I think that it was truly the first time that I've realized that this is our life now. I'll adjust. I know. But, still. Ouch.
I need to add that I won't go on about Liza leaving forever. But, today, I had to. Just as this was all sinking in, Denise called and I just started to bawl. She dropped everything and was here in a few minutes. We raced off to the grocery store together to get the last minute things, grabbed some burgers for the kids for lunch and then were back home making chicken salad and putting the last minute things together. She spent the afternoon helping and I cheered up immensely. We tease and joke and tell stories together, which was just what I needed. The kids were also very very helpful, setting things up in the back yard for me, helping get things together and moral support.
At one point this morning, ZJ came in with tears in her eyes and asked, "Mom, can I call Liza?" She called and they talked a few minutes. She was great after that. I think that today, it hit us all. But. It was all good by afternoon. We move forward! I didn't get a chance to chat with Liza tonight but we will share notes in the morning. I miss her. Enough said. Really. More than enough.
I also want to add that Kelly called at about 5 and asked if I needed anything. She came to the shower and seemed to have a good time with her cousins. She's not spent much time with extended family in the past ten years, so this warmed my heart too!
Now... about the shower....
Here's a few shower ideas from tonight's shower....
The menu: Traditional & Simple
Chicken Salad on Croissants
Fruit Kabobs
Pizelles with Lemon Cheeseball
Lemon Pound Cake
Pink Lemonade & Sprite
The favors: Cute Pink-wrapped Hershey Bars tied with Pink bows
The games: There were two of the most fun games at any shower I remember giving. Since this shower was to welcome CarolAnn into the family, I didn't use traditional bride type games. We played getting to know you games instead. Here are both.
Three Things. (A variation of a game friend Carol had shared a few months ago.)
For this game, we went around the circle and each person shared three "current" things about themselves. There were 19 of us there, so that added up to a lot of things! It also generated lots of questions and answers. (My original plan was to have each guest write three things down and then me read the whole list aloud. It would have been much quicker. BUT. This way, it allowed each person to take a few minutes, basically introducing their self to CarolAnn and her mom. It took 45 minutes, but it brought great conversation, which was what we wanted.) Then, once everyone had shared their three things, I passed out paper and pens to everyone and had them write down everything that they could remember. The person who remembered the most won. It was so much fun and surprising how hard it was for some to recall the things that had been said! A great icebreaker!
Wedding Advise:
I filled an old old suitcase with about thirty random items... a clock, a whisk, nailpolish, a baby doll, measuring tape, Tangled DVD, ribbon, matches... Then, I walked around the group and asked everyone to take one item from the luggage. Once everyone had their item, I asked them to share a piece of wedding advice based on the item that they had selected. Ex: The clock ~ Always make time for each other. My favorite answer came from my sweet 16 year old niece, Samantha, who selected the Tangled DVD and offered two bits of advise. 1. Don't get tangled up in little petty things and let them upset you. and 2. Make good choices for your entertainment together. I thought that was pretty impressive for a young woman! It was lots of fun, bringing laughs and some wisdom. Loved it!
The food...
The lemon cheeseball was pretty tasty. I served it with the pizelles, as a dip or spread. Basically, the recipe is my creamcheese frosting with a twist.
2 ~ 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 Tbsp. lemon flavoring
2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/3 cup of crushed lemon drops (a 3 oz. bag will be oodles with leftover)
Mix all the ingredients and whip them till creamy and smooth. (I used my food processor to chop the lemondrops and added the powdery part into the mix. I saved the chunkier pieces to either roll the cheeseball in or sprinkle on top. I sprinkled. Chill for a few hours at least before serving. Serve with graham crackers or butter cookies. (This was a huge amount and I'll just add powdered sugar to the rest and use it on a cake on Sunday.)
The frills...
My favorite thing was the cute little rag strips of fabric tied around pint size canning jars and the fun pink striped hard plastic straws. Plan on seeing those again! We filled the jars with Sonic Ice and pink lemonade. It was a large size drink, which meant no refills to worry about. I thought it was the prettiest part of the table, next to Barbie's beautiful homemade lemon pound cake!
It was a lovely evening. I've got leftovers for lunch tomorrow, which the babes are all thrilled about. Everyone stayed until well after dark. Then, we all gabbed inside for a bit longer. I'm excited for Tyson and CarolAnn to be married next week! She's a keeper! Family is great!
Remember this...that very little is needed to make a happy life.
I live in the same town as the Snow's they are a great family. I was really surprised when I saw CarolAnn on your blog! Small world.!
Posted by: Ruanne Leeflang | Friday, August 12, 2011 at 01:04 PM
Looks awesome! You ARE the party queen!
Posted by: Marilyn | Friday, August 12, 2011 at 09:32 AM
That's in your top three prettiest tables ever! I thought to myself, "Yay, there are leftovers! I might stop by for some". I am adjusting to that also. I love you!
Posted by: ~Liza | Friday, August 12, 2011 at 07:47 AM