Baby Shower for "Little House"

Last night, Clay and I hosted a baby shower for our good friends, Tim and Kim House. Clay and Tim have been friends for several years, and I have gotten to know Kim better since their wedding. They are a very sweet couple and great friends!

We had a co-ed shower....I'm not sure about how all the guys felt about that :) But we decided that it was a good time for all of our friend to get together. Josh Conner doesn't look too excited about the idea.

I decided not to use pink....since there were guys there :) I looked online for decorating ideas and I really liked the clothesline idea. I found green and yellow onesies with matching bibs that I thought were really cute. So, I used twine for the line and attached the clothes with clothespins. I think it turned out cute!

I also saw a lot of banners when I was looking for baby shower ideas. Many of them were made out of fabric. I don't have a sewing machine, so I made one out of paper. I used the printer to make the letters and then attached them to various colors of scrapbook paper. 

I was going to punch holes in the paper and string it up with ribbon, but then I decided to see what it would look like with the clothespins. It worked and matched the other clothesline...and it took a lot less time :)

For food, we decided to just keep it simple - hamburgers, hotdogs, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, and chips.

A friend, Carolyn, brought the cake. It was made in Ohio State colors just for Tim :)

The only thing I spent time making was a watermelon baby carriage. I had seen one at another baby shower and decided to try it. I looked online and found a good website that explained how to make it.

Here is the fruit that I chose to use.

First, I carved a piece off the top to make the shape of a carriage and then scooped out the watermelon. I do not have a melon baller so I just used a measuring spoon. It worked, but the watermelon pieces did not come out in nice looking balls. So, next time I will probably go buy one :)

I made a scallop template to carve the edges. And then attached the grapefruit wheels with toothpicks.

The handle is made out of the piece that was taken off in the beginning, and then I added the fruit. 

Here is the finished product!

To accommodate the guys at the shower, we did have the corn hole boards set up outside. They actually didn't stay outside as much as I thought they would. And I think the girls played more then they did :) We only played one baby shower game...also to accommodate the guys.

The last thing on the agenda was for Tim and Kim to open their gifts.

They received some great things...including this book from none other then Josh Conner :)

The baby shower went well. And it was great to spend time with friends!

5-Minute Friday - Full

It's another 5-Minute Friday over at The Gypsy Mama.

The prompt this weeks is Full.

When I think about being full, I think about being filled with the fruit of the Spirit. Am I full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Unfortunately the answer is no...at least not all the time. It can be a daily struggle to feel joy in difficult circumstances; to feel peace when you are unsure about the future; and to feel kind when people are not kind to you.

I am striving to apply these characteristics to my life. It is not easy since they all go against what I naturally want to do. And when I fall short I get back up and try again. It is something I must choose to do daily. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22

A Day at the Biltmore House

I'm so excited that I finally have something to write about on here!

I've been busy with work and life...nothing exciting...and I haven't had time to do anything crafty. I did get a new project when I went to a yard sale last Saturday, but it will be a little while before I get that done. I also have not been very good about taking pictures :)

Today, Clay and I went to the Biltmore House.

We bought season passes in the spring, so we decided we needed to use them. Especially since it's something we can do for free :)

We decided to go through the house again today. 

What we didn't think about was the fact that the house is not air conditioned and it was a very hot day. So, we didn't waste any time in the rooms...we'd seen them before :)

The terrace had a nice breeze though.

The library is still my favorite room. I would love a library in my house!

After going through the house, we went down to the gardens.

They were beautiful!

The only bad part about it was that my allergies started to really bother me. I don't know why they've been so bad this year.

But we still walked around and looked at all the flowers.

Clay wanted to take a picture of the bees on the flowers. I told him to be careful since he's been stung 5 times already this summer. Bees are not his friends :)

Then he had to take a picture of me with "elephant ears."

We had a great time walking around the estate...even though it was hot :) It was nice to get out of the house and spend time together.

Then on the way home Clay surprised me with Rita's! 

Chicken Cacciatore

I made this dish a couple weeks ago, but I am just now getting it put on here. It's been busy around here :)

It is also from the Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook Bridal Edition. I really like this cookbook!

Here are the ingredients (of course, I changed some of them):

2 1/2 to 3 pounds meaty chicken pieces (breast halves, thighs, and drumsticks)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 medium onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley

Hot cooked fettuccine or linguine (optional)

First, cook chicken in a 12-inch skillet in hot oil about 15 minutes or until light brown, turning to brown evenly. Remove chicken.

Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic to skillet. Cook and stir about 5 minutes or until tender.

  Return chicken to skillet. I actually just put the chicken in on this step because I cut my chicken into bite-size pieces. 

In medium bowl, combine tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, sugar, salt, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and pepper. Pour over chicken in skillet. 

Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. I did not need to cook it that long since I did not have big pieces of chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.

I then served it over whole wheat rotini, but you could use any pasta you liked. 

It turned out well. I'll be honest...it was not my favorite, but it was good. I guess it just depends on what you like!

Happy July 4th!!!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! I know this is a little late...but I finally have a chance to sit down and write about the weekend.

We started our holiday celebration on July 3rd. That morning, Oliver North spoke at our church. 

I was very excited about hearing him speak! We figured that it would be crowded so we got there early, but a lot of other people seemed to have the same idea. We still did get to sit near the front so I was able to see :) He was a very good speaker! He spoke about the Founding Fathers, his past, and what he is doing now. It was a good reminder about what people have given up and are still giving up in order that we can be free. He also shared about how he became a Christian in 1978, and stated that you need to know where you're going and why you're going there.

After the service we had the chance to meet him and have him sign his book.  My picture didn't turn out so good...sorry it's blurry (we took it with Clay's phone).

Clay's turned out a little better.

We were both kind of surprised at how small he was. He was very nice, and I still think he looks a little like George Bush.

That night we went to the Freedom Festival at church. It was a community outreach and had infaltables for kids, food, and fireworks.

We were able to spend time with some people from our Sunday School class and get to know them better. It was a great night!

On Monday, we went to Lake Lure with some friends. 

Clay and I kind of got a late start so we didn't get there until around noon. We packed a lunch and ate on the beach. It was relaxing to sit on the beach, and the water was warm. 

The bad part was that around three it started to pour so our day was cut a little short. We got soaked, but it reminded me of being a kid and playing in the rain. I always loved jumping in puddles :) We did get ice cream in Chimney Rock before going home. 

That night Clay and I had our own cookout and watched a movie.

It was a great holiday weekend

A Fun Friday

Today has been a great day!

I was able to sleep in...I think the 2 benadryl I took last night helped with that :) Then I ate breakfast and had a cup of coffee with my husband. I love mornings when we get to sit around and relax! 

But then it was time to get on with our day. Clay had to take a test online for school, so I decided to work on some projects and stay out of his way. I started painting the shelf that I bought when I was in Pennsylvania. I am hoping to get it done this weekend and then I'll let you see it :)

I also did a couple of smaller projects that I had been thinking about for a while. I had seen both of them on other people's blogs, but I can't remember where they were.

The first one was a candle for the new shelf in the bathroom. 

My supplies were a mason jar...

twine...

and sand.

I wrapped the twine around the top of the jar and hot glued it in place. 

I then put sand in the bottom and added a candle.

I really like it!

My next project was to wrap twine around a frame. 

I found this frame at a yard sale for $0.25.

I wrapped the twine around the sides first and then I did the corners.

I could not remember how the other person had done the corners, so I just experimented. I think they turned out fine.

I put it on the shelf in the bathroom also. I like how it looks...I just can't decide if I need to hang something in it or on it or leave it alone. What do you think? I would love ideas!

After Clay finished his test and I finished my projects, we went out for dinner. We were going to cook dinner, but by the time we finished everything we were too hungry to wait to cook :) We then walked around downtown Hendersonville and got ice cream. There was a band playing downtown, so we stood there and listened and people watched. 

I love date night!