Andrea's Bridal Shower

Last weekend, my mom hosted a bridal shower for my future sister-in-law, Andrea. Mom decided to have recipe shower for Andrea. Inside every invitation she mailed to the guests, she enclosed two recipe cards that she designed courtesy of VistaPrint. The guests wrote down two favorite recipes for Andrea and they brought them to the shower to be put in a recipe book. Mom found this amazing site called zazzle.com and she designed and personalized a recipe binder for Andrea. Everything turned out great! The guests loved all the food and Andrea got some great gifts, not to mention, lots of recipes that she'll use for years to come...maybe! My brother just happens to be the pickiest eater on the planet, so hopefully, she'll be able to use at least one of her recipes.

The table set with all the yummy food.

I made Oreo balls dipped in white chocolate and chicken dip.

(I had several people ask me for the recipe for both so

I've put those recipes at the bottom of this post.)

Andrea's recipe cards

Andrea helping the hostesses blow up balloons for the ice breaker game Mom planned.

My great Aunt Bonnie and my grandmother, Nelda

The sign in table

One of Andrea and Josh's engagement pictures

More yummy food!

Andrea modeling the super cute apron my mom got her

My mom, Andrea, and Andrea's mom

Andrea and all the hostesses

Mom explaining the rules of the clothespin game to my grandmother.

No one was allowed to say "Josh" or "Joshua." Poor Andrea! She lost her clothespin within minutes of the game starting.

All the guests trying to pop their balloon without their hands. Inside each balloon was a slip of paper saying "You're not the winner!" One balloon had a slip that said, "You're the winner!" It was fun to see how the ladies ended up popping their balloons.

Andrea's Ya-Ya (her grandmother) ended up winning the balloon game!

Go, Ya-Ya!

The recipe binder mom made at zazzle.com

The guests digging into the yummy food!

Oreo Balls

1 package Oreo cookies

1 package cream cheese

Almond bark

Crush the entire package of Oreo cookies until you have fine crumbs. I use my food chopper to help crush them finely. Mix the entire package of cream cheese into the Oreo crumbs. I usually let my cream cheese sit out so it reaches room temperature before I mix it. It makes mixing much easier. Shape the mixture into balls and freeze overnight. Melt your almond bark and dip each ball in the chocolate to coat. If you want to turn the Oreo ball into an Oreo pop, poke a lollipop stick into the balls before you freeze them.

Chicken Dip

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 stick unsalted butter

2 cans white chicken

2 cups mayonnaise

1 package Ranch dip mix

1 1/2 cup grated Sharp cheddar cheese

sourdough bread

Saute the onions and garlic in the butter until tender. Add the chicken, mayonnaise, Ranch dip mix, and cheese. Combine all ingredients. Cut a large hole in the middle of the sourdough bread and remove. Pour the chicken dip into bread and put in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. Take the section of bread you removed and break into small pieces. Toast those in the oven for about 5 minutes. Use them to dip in the chicken dip and enjoy!

Another Weekend with Grammy and Pop

The same weekend I helped Mom with Andrea's wedding shower, Eli had lots of fun with Grammy and Pop. Friday night right before bed, Eli played his first real game of hide and seek. It was so much fun to watch him cover his eyes so dramatically and then remove his hands before it was time. They played this for about 15 minutes before Eli finally was too tired to move.






The next morning while Mom and I were getting things ready for Andrea's shower, Eli and Sunnye (my childhood cat) chose the same box to sit in. Guess which one ended up moving? Pop came along and helped turn just an ordinary box into a car and they vroomed all over the house. Pop actually watched Eli while Mom and I went to the shower. They had lots of fun. Pop pushed him around in a wagon, they played in the sprinkler, and Eli got to swing on the swingset. Needless to say, he slept really well Saturday night!




Sunday after church, we all went to Newk's restaurant, my all time favorite place to go eat when we visit Mom and Dad. Their lobster and crab bisque is to die for! On our way home, we stopped by Marble Slab (only my most favorite ice cream place ever!) for a Sunday treat. I bought Eli a small cup because I thought it would be easier for him than a huge cone, but I guess I was wrong. He ended up stealing Pop's ice cream cone and gave Pop his. Pop was a good sport and went along with it even though he didn't get as much ice cream as he thought he would. Eli was tickled pink...literally!







When we got home from Marble Slab, I started packing all our stuff to head back home and Mom and Dad took Eli to the pool to swim. He has ZERO fear and loved jumping off the side of the pool into the water. He did it again, and again, and again!






Thanks for all the fun Grammy and Pop! Eli had a blast!

Eli's Trip to the Riverfront

After lunch on Mother's Day, Zue-Zue and I took Eli to the Riverfront to play in the water. I wish I had video of him while he was running through the sprinklers...PURE JOY! He was a little hesitant at first, especially after one of the sprinklers goosed him. Is it bad that I sat there waiting with my camera and didn't tell him to move because I knew it'd be a great picture? It's the third picture on this post. He was a little timid after that and needed a little encouragement from Mommy to run through the sprinklers, but he still had a great time. We ended up making him leave because his little lips starting trembling!

Surprise!

Now that it's summer, I can't wait to spend lots of summer days playing in these sprinklers at the Riverfront. I love thinking about all the fun experiences he and I are going to have!

Relay for Life 2010

This year Josh, Eli and I went to our area's annual Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society. It was a wonderful night as our whole community gathered together to honor those who have battled cancer, celebrate with those that have won their fight, and unite to raise money to help find a cure. So many people's lives have been touched by cancer in some way. We were glad we were able to do our part to help find a cure.

The survivors walking the first lap

Mr. Cliff, Josh's boss, stopped to take a quick picture with Mammy and Eli

Mr. Cliff with part of his family
Katie, his daughter, and Debra, his wife
(Jessie, his other daughter, didn't make it for the photo opportunity)

Stephen, our church's music minister, and his wife, Megan

Mammy and Uncle Clare

Our family doing the Team Walk with Josh's bank
Eli had just woken up from a long nap and was kind of in a daze most of the night.

He was pretty excited though about being able to use his new Relay for Life cup!

Me and my precious little boy

Lots of people came out to Relay for Life. While we were there, we ran into the Probst family, Matthew, Emily, and Bolton. Isn't Bolton a cutie?



After the team lap, Eli and Beppa decided to do some fishing. Eli was a quick study and fell in love with the sport just like his Daddy.






Eli's real fun began though when he discovered a random pile of sand under Josh's team's tent. Eli was in little boy heaven then! He didn't move until we forced him to get up to go home.



He even found a friend while he was playing. Sarah loved dirt just as much as Eli did and they had fun digging in it together.




What a fun night! All in all, our area's Relay for Life raised over $150,o00 for cancer research! WOW! I am so glad Josh, Eli and I were able to participate in this life-saving event.