Hello World Baby Shower

A year or so ago I spotted this via Pinterest, and it's been tucked in my brain, brewing ever since.  

 

Then, a couple of months ago I discovered this onesie by Hen&Co (thanks to Brickyard Buffalo) and I knew we had our shower theme for my friend, Hailey.  Hello World!

This was such a fun (and easy!) shower to decorate for.  I rounded up all of the maps and globes in the house, and sewed a bunch of garlands from old atlas pages that I had punched circles and scallops from.  I also made a mini bunting for the cake by cutting tiny triangles from the atlas and sewing them together.  I just used paper straws to stake the bunting in to the cake.

The real aha moment came when I was menu planning and realized it should be food inspired by the same theme.  Between me, my husband, Taylor, and several friends, we presented:

 

The serve your own Italian Sodas on the buffet were maybe my favorite part.  You just need soda water, various syrups (I get large bottles at our local restaurant supply store), and whipped cream. We even bought giant bags of ice from Sonic (you know they have the best ice ever)!!

For dessert we served our Cropper family BTS cake (I really need to post this recipe soon!) and English trifle.  {Sidenote on the trifle: It was supposed to be a gorgeous lemon bundt cake.  When poor Jessie's cake didn't make it successfully out of the bundt pan and she and I were discouraged, Taylor--in such a Tim Gunn moment--exclaimed, "Perfect!  You can make trifle!" I had instant pudding in the pantry and hand-picked blackberries in the freezer, and so we had our make it work moment!  My husband is amazing, you know that?!}

Anyone who knows me knows that I think that's all you need for a good party--pretty things to look at, delicious food, good conversation, and some presents to the spoil the guest of honor (no games necessary). 

Congrats, Hailey!  Can't wait to meet that baby boy!


Sources:
Giant balloon, tissue pom pom, paper straws--Shop Sweet Lulu
Hello World onesie--Hen& Co

Penny and Tillie Giveaway Winner

Thanks, everyone, for participating!  Today the lucky winner is...

Jeanine, email us at pennyandtillieATgmailDOTcom so we can send you the goodies of your choice!!

Happy Weekend, everyone!

And don't forget to visit the shop before Mother's Day!  (Did you know you can get free shipping with orders of $35 or more?  Just order FREESHIP35 at checkout!)

xo
anne

Penny and Tillie Giveaway

So we started our Penny & Tillie Facebook page yesterday and reached our first goal of 100 likes--thanks, guys!  To celebrate, we are doing a little giveaway here.  Take a look at our shop and leave a comment here to enter.  We'll randomly choose a winner, who will receive $35 in goodies of their choice.

If you haven't yet, make sure to like us on Facebook for updates and discounts!

Want to help us spread the word?  Give a shout on FB, Twitter, Instagram (we are @pennyandtillie) or your blog for additional entries in the giveaway.  Make sure to leave additional comments on this post so we can count those entries.

We'll announce a winner Friday morning!  Good luck!

P.S. Did you realize Mothers' Day is in less than 2 weeks?!  Check out our fun selection of necklaces--one might be perfect for your mom, wife, grandma, or--let's be honest--YOU!  We have lots in stock and promise to ship it in time for Mothers' Day!

xo
anne

Sunday by the river

Can I dispense a bit of marriage advice?

Know when to stay silent.

Exhibit A:

Yesterday after church I hit a wall. After two weeks of partying with house guests, followed by a week of single parenthood while Taylor helped his brother celebrate graduation from college, there was some pretty serious cumulative sleep deprivation in my life. Then I forgot to pack a snack for church, which, for someone who is nursing and seems to have blood sugar issues, is kind of a big deal. After teaching Gospel Doctrine I was spent and about halfway through Relief Society I just wanted to pass out. My tailbone hurt from those darn chairs, my head ached. My sore wrist was sorer. I was done. When we pulled into the garage I turned to Taylor and said, "I just need to go take care of myself." I pounded a plate of traditional Sunday nachos and went to bed.

It was a pretty crummy nap. I could hear the boys fight, whine, and scream. And I could hear sweet Taylor wash dishes and cook dinner. When I finally peeled myself out of bed, Taylor announced, "We're going on a picnic." He'd grilled chicken and veggies for a pasta salad, made homemade dressing, and chilled San Pellegrinos. As I fed Clara, I watched him grab cornmeal and peaches out of the pantry and, in what looked exactly like an episode of Chopped, whip up an upside down peach polenta cake in a matter of minutes. I helped change diapers and find shoes and we were off.

I thought we were going to a local park or something, but Taylor wound down and around and out of town and on and on and on. Where in the heck was he going, I wondered? My headache was still around, I was starving again, and the roads were windy. I closed my eyes and tried not to feel like barfing. As the boys started to complain about the long drive, I felt like chiming in with a "Seriously, Taylor, why didn't you tell us we were going to drive an hour? I should have brought a snack." or an "I wish we could have just stayed home."

But experience stopped me.

If I had said something nasty because I was temporarily uncomfortable, it would have broken Taylor's heart and ruined our whole day. Can you imagine if I had sassed the man who just let me nap while he took care of the whole family and packed up a delicious gourmet picnic?! It would have altered the whole dynamic. Taylor would have felt unappreciated, I would be trying to apologize and regretting my words. Instead, I sucked it up and silently tried to appreciate the forest we were driving through.

The picnic by the Applegate River did not disappoint. It was lovely. Roger said the prayer, in which he thanked Heavenly Father that families can be together forever. In between bites of pasta, Carter adorably begged for more 'doda' (soda). The boys played tag and Pooh Sticks. Taylor lashed together a little Huck Finn raft out of sticks and grass and they watched it float down.

When Blaine fell in the river we knew it was time to go.

I was a little blah all evening and even fell asleep halfway through the Project Runway we were catching up on. And I'm wearing one of Grandma Tillie's housecoats as I write, so I'm not entirely out of my bluesy, tired funk. But I'm pleased with myself for staying silent. Too many couples engage in too many arguments over silly things that never should have been voiced.

In my humble opinion. (It's my blog. I can dole out advice if I want.)

Happy Monday,
anne

Spring Break Re-cap

This Easter picture pretty much sums up my life lately: trying to appear put together, but not quite makin' it!  Don't know what I love more--my squinting or Blaine's frowning.

Bad news about Spring Break: my kids broke a pack n play, a brand new bunk bed, the CD player in my car, and a few other things as well.  I wish I could say I reacted with serenity and patience.

Good news about Spring Break: I threw caution to the wind and organized fun activities and outings for every single day.  We went swimming at the Y, visited the mall's playplace, had a ball at Science Works, filled plastic easter eggs, ate at every fast food establishment in town, hiked 2 lovely spots in the valley, hunted for said easter eggs, made 'fairy gardens' with the dearest and most generous of friends, and enjoyed loads of time in the sunny outdoors with people we love.  It took all week to complete the laundry, my kitchen floor is abominable, and I have a huge, messy pile of papers on my desk, but do you know what I decided?  That stuff can wait.  IT CAN WAIT.  It will always be there.  Childhood won't.

In other news:
1. I am obsessed with Downton Abbey.  (Super late to the party, I know.)  I'm halfway through season three.  I've been requesting that Taylor call me 'darling' in a British accent.  Totally swoony. 

2. My in-laws get back from the Philippines in 9 days.  NINE DAYS!  We are excited to party.

AND!

3. Today at Bloom we are hosting the first ever Penny&Tillie giveaway.  Check it here.

xo
anne

Declaration

{I almost cannot remember Roger this little.  The reality of which hurts my heart.}

Here's the thing of it.  Having small children is hard.  There is a lot of noise.  Mess.  Chaos.  Reminding.  Nagging.  Rewarding.  Punishing.  Wiping.  Tidying.  It's a lot of manual labor plus a whole lot more of trying to figure out what in heaven's name you are doing and wondering when your children are going to stop throwing hideous tantrums and if they are going to end up alright despite your ugliest moments of parenting.  And more often than not, these difficulties are what I voice with my friends and here on my blog because it's always on my mind--how to do this work better.

But I don't want it to go unsaid that I love this work.  I love these little people.  I love nursing my fat baby and kissing her neck after.  I love the way Carter says 'oh-tay Mama' after every single word I utter and 'tu-tu Mama' in thanks.  And the way he begs for a 'pess' when he has an ouchie.  A kiss makes everything better, dontcha know?  It startles me how giant Rog has become.  You haven't lived until you've seen him lie down next to Clara and heard him say, "Hey girl..."
And Blaine.  We still battle sometimes.  He's never seemed more dear or sincere than when he apologized to me tonight for being nasty all day and then hugged me for a century.  He is growing.  We all are.

Sometimes I dream of the day when I can go where I want, when I want, without any diapers, sippy cups, or carseats involved.  Just sounds so luxurious in this season of life.  But the thing is, when I get to that day I am going to be crying my guts out and wondering how my babies grew up so fast.

I really love this time.  I really love them.

Just sayin.

Couldn't help it

So right now I am overwhelmed with sleep loss and the fact that my house is dirty and I need a haircut real bad and I was in charge of Preschool snacks this week and we have about five events this weekend, including Roger's birthday party and a workshop I'm giving at the church and Taylor is hosting a bunch of youth for dinner...

But the creative part of me and the ridiculous, doesn't-know-when-to-say-enough-is-enough part of me couldn't help it.

Check it:

Bloom is back.

and

Jessie and I opened up a shop.  Will you take a look and tell me what you think?! I feel super self-conscious about it!

xo,
crazy Anne