Pretty in Pink

Me with my beautiful sister

Yes, it's true, if you are connected to my life, you know that baby Meredith has officially graced us with her presence. However, since I'm SO behind on my blogging, I have to save that message until after I actually blog about the shower held in her honor.

The sign-in welcome table

So, in light of that fact, I will give you all the details (I'll be brief) on Michelle's and Meredith's "pretty in pink" shower. The festive occasion was held at Mrs. Kori Bailey's lovely home, and both her and Lyric helped me host the shower. They were a total God-send, and were such an amazing blessing to me (and Michelle).

We decorated with all different shades of pink - pink tulle, pink bottles, pink M&Ms (for Meredith of course), pink balloons, pink tablecloths, pink napkins, pink punch, pink cake...you get the idea. And since I'm all about the food, I insisted on having a full spread for the blessed event. I made spinach/artichoke dip, pizza pasta salad, broccoli salad, fruit salad, spicy shrimp w/cocktail sauce, chicken salad w/croissants (only thing I didn't make) and cucumber-tomato salad. Lyric made some amazing punch and strawberry cake balls, while Kori got the most perfectly yummy cake from the Cake Stand. Needless to say, the food was a definite crowd-pleaser. I mean, let's be honest, why else do you go to a shower?

Half of the spread

More yummy treats

Michelle and Haylee with the super cute and super yummy cake

We had a couple of games to keep the merriment going. As the guests arrived, they were instructed to cut a piece of ribbon to the exact length that they thought would fit around Michelle's belly. Some of the guestimations were beyond hilarious. I think our fousin Christina was estimated for triplets...so funny! Being the avid gamer I am, I also had to come up with a form of "baby Scattergories" to challenge the party attendees. I think my idea backfired because it ended up being more time-consuming for Michelle and everyone had to wait for her to finish...ha ha.

She got a lot of great gifts for Meredith, and a ton of sassy clothes to put the little muffin in. All in all, it was a great day and a very pink way to celebrate Michelle's pregnancy.

The hosts with the mommy-to-be

a very fousin brunch

This past Tuesday, I had the pleasure of hosting a little brunch at my humble abode for 2 of my dearest fousins (I know we've been through this before, but as a refresher: friends + cousins = fousins). We were lucky to be able to snag Lianna for the afternoon, who is in the final countdown of her wedding (to be celebrated in July), and Elisa was in town visiting. Michelle was also able to join us for some good old-fashioned fousin bonding before she is busy with a newborn and toddler...yikes! The girls were very excited upon viewing a very pregnant Michelle and continued to gush over her maternal glow. I couldn't agree with them more!

elisa and lianna, very excited to pose with preggers (and meredith)

Since brunch is the best meal of the day, I had no choice but to have the girls over for my standard brunch spread. You can't go wrong with a fresh veggie quiche, warm, gooey monkey bread, crisp bright fruit salad, strong coffee and a little fresh grapefruit or orange juice (with some bubbly if you aren't with child). We ate until our heart's content, per usual.

a shot of most of the food (my trademark quiche and monkey bread)

toasting to fousins and my pending job

I had the genius idea of asking Michelle to bring her wedding dvd (from almost 5 years ago). The girls hadn't seen it, so I thought it only appropriate and very fitting, in light of Lianna's upcoming nuptials, that we take a little trip down memory lane. There were definitely some funny moments, along with a lot of crazy dancing. It was quite entertaining to watch and I think it definitely got us excited for Lianna and Ed's wedding this summer.

the best group shot we could come up with (sorry Elisa)

Thanks so much for coming over fousins!!! I had the best time hosting y'all in my home and truly cherish the memories we have made together over the past 20+ years. Y'all are so dear to me, and I thank God for the blessing you are in my life. I love y'all more than all the cupcakes in the world!!!

food for thought

And now, a challenging excerpt from Crazy Love by Francis Chan,

Remember the story where Jesus fed thousands of people with one boy's small lunch? In that story, according to Matthew, Jesus gave the loaves to His disciples and then the disciples passed them out to the crowd. Imagine if the disciples had simply held onto the food Jesus gave them, continually thanking Him for providing lunch for them. That would've been stupid when there was enough food to feed the thousands who were gathered and hungry.

But that is exactly what we do when we fail to give freely and joyfully. We are loaded down with too many good things, more than we could ever need, while others are desperate for a small loaf. The good things we cling to are more than money; we hoard our resources, our gifts, our time, our families, our friends (Chan 120).

Wow. I cannot begin to tell you (my loyal reader, singular) how challenging this particular idea is for me right now. We live in a self-centered world where the key objective is attaining our own pleasure. We desire a good (and don't forget, fulfilling/personally rewarding) job that pays well, so we can buy the nice home, car, etc. and go on exotic vacations, eat (far too much) gourmet food, drink fine wine, wear designer clothes, pay top dollar for entertainment (sporting events, concerts, etc.)...the list is never-ending.

To relate it to the parable and make it even a little simpler, how many times have you dumped leftovers in the trash? Or continued to eat far past fullness because there wasn't anyone else's hunger to satisfy? God has blessed us with much, so that in turn, we can bless others. Who do you need to invite to your banquet table? If you don't normally have guests for dinner, it could be as simple as opening your home up to friends, neighbors or family that lives nearby. You don't have to wait until you can buy new furniture, or make sure the baseboards are clean, or pull out the fine china. I guarantee your guests will not care, or even notice. Get out of your comfort zone and make yourself uncomfortable. Do it today, tomorrow, or every day for a week and expect nothing in return.

However, as the passage states, we not only hoard our superfluous amounts of money, but we also are incredibly selfish with our "resources, our gifts, our time, our families, our friends." I've typically tried to be fairly transparent and honest on my blog (despite the very public nature), so you should know I find this to be particularly convicting, because I seem to prefer an excessive amount of "chill time" for myself. I like alone time and want to read, nap, work on my laptop, watch my Food Network shows (scoff if you will, but it could be worse), and so on. I am a huge hoarder of my time. Instead of being a Christian (which my friend, means to be "like Christ"), I continually put my interests above those around me. This is totally backwards, and not at all "like Christ." We are to give Him all our time, and then allow Him to orchestrate what we do with it.

It begs the question, if I were to die tomorrow, what would I be known for? What would those around me say I held to be most important? Would it be relationships, or would it be "getting enough sleep"? Would it be serving others, or would it be my uncanny ability to relax? What do I need to cut back on, or eliminate in my life in order to allow God to use me in the lives of others? Do I need to turn off the TV? Do I need to close the screen on my laptop?

What do you want to be known for?

an afternoon in wonderland

This past weekend, we celebrated Ashley's 24th birthday with an "Alice in Wonderland" tea party in the garden. You should know I always love a good theme party, especially if I get to dress up in costume. While it's true that "every party has a pooper (i.e. someone who doesn't want to dress up)," I am so not that pooper. However, I was having a difficult time locating appropriate attire for said occasion. I really wanted to be Alice, but I only had one piece of the five that I needed. I bounced around several ideas, only to find myself back at square one. I finally settled on a floral party dress with a few touches to take it up a notch. It was by no means ideal, but you gotta work with what ya got, right? You can view my less than original attire in the pic below.

me with the birthday girl

The party was set in the backyard (which reminded me so much of my old house on Vinemont, by the by), and the weather actually ended up being great for the shindig. There were lots of cute little touches to tie in the theme. The "magical" punch had a "drink me" sign and the cookies were iced "eat me," just like in the movie. The group was mostly people from Watermark, with almost all my community group in attendance (yea!), including the roomie. Here are some pics of both.

the roomster and me

our community group

The spread including tons of food, drinks, and sweets. Later in the day, we grilled out hamburgers, had red velvet cupcakes, and I drank champagne out of a can with a straw...true story. It was like a grown-up version of a juice box. The little straw was attached to the side of the can and everything-crazy, but so fun. I loved it!

Back on the whole costume issue, while most people merely added a hat or flower to their normal outfits, there were a few who took it to another level. The three guys that really took the theme to heart are pictured below. Aren't they a sight for sore eyes?

a trio of awesomeness

All in all, it was such a fun birthday party, and I'm so glad to be in community with Ashley and to have her in my life. I will leave you with one last shot from the day.

the picture of class

blessed beyond belief

I was watching "Slumdog Millionaire" for the 2nd time on Saturday night, after a day of hanging out with friends in the backyard, eating and drinking and just having a carefree good time, and I just could not get over how blessed I truly am. How is it possible that I was not born in the slums of a third world country, only to lose any family I had and ultimately, fend for myself in this life. I know our true treasure lies in heaven, and this life is only temporary; however, I've been given quite a cushy lot in this short life and did absolutely nothing to deserve it.

Due to some "tough financial times," I've been on a self-imposed "spending freeze" since the beginning of this year, and most days, think I should be given an award for my amazing restrain and self-control. Seriously? What is my problem? When will I get off my high horse and realize that simply buying groceries at the store is an unrealized luxury for much of this world's population. Driving a car, washing my clothes, running the dishwasher, turning on the AC (even for a brief moment), using electricity...these are all luxuries I take for granted on a daily basis. Instead of complaining about traffic, I should be thanking God I own a car that can sit in traffic. Instead of lamenting having to put up the dishes, I should be thanking God that, not only do I have dishes, but I also have food to put on those dishes which made them dirty in the first place. The list goes on...

When will I get it? When will the thought process change in my mind? When will I begin to grasp even an ounce of perspective? America is not poor. We are FAR from it. It's like, if we have to alter our standard of living, even by the tiniest of margins, we are "in a depression" and all hope is lost. It's time we got a grip on things. It's time we realized that we are blessed beyond belief, and do not deserve anything we have. Period.

"easters" 2009

It is with sincerest apologies that I begin this long overdue post, and no, adding an "s" onto the word easter was not a typo. It was deliberate and my intention...somehwat of an inside joke. However, that is neither here, nor there. This post is about 2 weeks overdue, so let's get down to business.

A preview of Easter fashion modeled by Pearl

Easter morning was an early one for me. Crystal and I had greeting duty at Watermark and were supposed to check-in at 7:15...yikes! We braved the wind, cold and rain to make it there, but we were on time, and ready for the Easter rush. We greeted the first 2 services, and left without a minute to spare. I had to run home, grab my goods, and head to Michelle and Nick's for Easter brunch.

just a little coloring break at the table

The menu included spinach dip, maple-glazed ham, quiche, asparagus, corn pudding, spinach souffle, crescent rolls, fruit salad and mimosas...yum! We ate...and ate...and ate, until we couldn't eat anymore. After we stuffed ourselves, we spent some time outside on Haylee's new swingset and fort that Nick built...true story.

we're never too old (or big) for a swingset

Haylee on her brand new swings

We did attempt to play Taboo and a few rounds of catch phrase, but it should come as no surprise that I got pretty rowdy and left the table after reaching complete frustration with my team for failing to get the phrase "fingers crossed." Seriously, who doesn't know what phalanges are? I did eventually apologize for my outburst, and we ended up playing for a while longer without actual teams. (What's the point of that?)

Michelle with baby Meredith in the oven

our comical attempt at a group family photo

After my parents left, Michelle and I had somewhat of a mini movie marathon and watched Marley & Me and The Wedding Planner. We also had our fair share of the cake I made for Easter. It was a vanilla cake with a raspberry filling and buttercream icing. I must admit that I probably ate about 3 pieces...but I swear I didn't eat any Easter candy, so it all balances out, right???

the sugar-coated finale to a fun family day

All in all, it was a blessed day, and I'm so grateful I got to spend it with my family. We're not perfect, by any means, but with God's grace, we are a family that is there for eachother through thick and thin...and I love each one of them more than they know.

a shower in the gardens

A couple weekends ago, I found myself, once again, southbound 35 headed to A-town for the weekend. Everyone knows that I'll find any excuse to spend a weekend in my favorite U.S. city. However, I actually had a great reason to make the trip. My cousin Lianna was having her bridal shower, and I was honored to attend the gathering. Lianna is getting married this July, and I couldn't be more excited for the pending nuptials.

cheers to the bride-to-be

The festivities took place on the lawn at The Four Seasons, and it was such a beautiful setting for a shower. It reminded me of scene out of "My Best Friend's Wedding." Upon arriving, we were greeted with champagne flutes of bubbly which was more than fine with me. The set-up was gorgeous, and the weather actually cooperated (minus the intitial crazy wind). There was lots of yummy food to stuff ourselves with, including fresh salads, ceviche, sandwiches, petit-fours, cookies, cake, etc. After several rounds of filling our plates, it was time for Lianna to open her gifts and take inventory of her bounty. The bride-to-be was showered with tons of kitchen essentials, and I was particularly jealous of her espresso machine. (Seriously, can I please find some excuse to register for gifts so I can get one of these magical contraptions? I promise I would use it everyday!)

me with the misses

fousins forever

The shower was altogether lovely and a rousing success. It was so fun celebrating Lianna, and I can't believe she's getting married! My little cousin is all grown up and I'm so proud of the woman she has become. She has a huge heart and is so loving towards all those around her. She is going to be an amazing wife, and Ed is a lucky guy.