They say, "One day you'll back on this and laugh."
Well let me just tell you. When my chalkboard went from this
to this
I wasn't laughing. Not then, and not now.
Don't get me wrong. My 2-year-old son makes me laugh every ding dong day. (But dangit, this was not one of those times.)
My mom graciously fixed the chalkboard for me before I blew a gasket so loudly it woke him from his nap.
Despite the chalkboard crisis, our garden party honoring my sister-in-law and the sweet little baby girl growing in her womb went off without a hitch.
It just so happens that I have the world's largest backyard Hosta garden and that my co-host sister-in-law has enough mason jars to hold the hostas. And the fruit parfaits. And the zinnias from her garden.
I think that's it.
No wait, and the drinking glasses too.
So armed with said Hostas and mason jars, a garden party was the natural choice for venue and theme for our littlest niece.
So how did the garden party go? Let me show you.
We decorated.
We ate.
And we loved on that Baby and Mama.
And now, if you don't want to hear the finer points on how to throw a garden party baby shower, Hosta la Vista.
Thanks for sticking around. I love you for it. :)
A Couple Tips on How to Co-Host a Garden Party Baby Shower with one Sister-in-Law for another Sister-in-Law
1. Make that Mama feel special and that Baby loved.
I'm a big believer that love is expressed through the little gestures, not just the grandiose.
Here we have a guest book. But not just any guest book.
"Goodnight Moon" is this new Mama's favorite children's book.
Not a coincidence.
And these baby blocks were handmade, cut, and sanded by my dad; her grandpa.
He's a very busy man who runs a large and successful dairy farm.
And he took the time to craft these blocks.
He's a good grandpa.
2. Serve yummy and pretty food.
My husband believes food can either taste good or look good. Here's what I believe though - If your food tastes good but doesn't look good, just serve it to your family for supper Thursday night. But if your food looks good but doesn't taste good, don't waste the time making it.
Take these macarons for example:
Beautifully plated.
Colorfully classy.
But also decadently flavorful.
3. Figure out what you can do and what you can't do.
While I would have loved to bake homemade macarons, I have two little kids and we got home from a week-long extended family vacation less than 48 hours prior to the shower. So while I didn't get to channel my inner British Baking Show Mary Berry, I was able to design several pieces we used (all printed on Kraft paper to keep with the color scheme).
4. Set the stage for a great party.
I could go on and on here. But everything from playing music to avert awkward silence to serving enough food that your guests can snag an extra macaron but not so much that they wonder when the second army of guests is arriving to not playing dumb baby shower games like tying a piece of string around Mama & Baby.
Like I said, I really could go on and on.
But for now, Hosta La Vista!
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