Hosting a Baby Shower

This weekend, I co-hosted a baby shower for our sweet due-any-day-now friend, Ashleigh. We had the most fun planning, cooking, and decorating (and then eating and catching up with girlfriends). 

My favorite part about hosting a shower is planning the menu. I try to have a savory table and a dessert table full of little finger foods. Mailee and I teamed up for the savory table, and we came up with a spread of  Cheese Crackers, Cheese Straws, Crab and Fontina-Stuffed Mushrooms, Sugared Pecans, Bacon Pops, Fruit Skewers, and Apple, Apricot Jam, and Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Tarts. We decorated the table with linens, fresh flowers, bright patterned napkins, and some of our favorite serving pieces.

Liz, a wizard when it comes to sweets, was in charge of the dessert table, and she blew everyone away with her Lemon Bundt Cake (topped with the cutest tiny bunting), white chocolate-covered popcorn, white chocolate-drizzled pretzels, and frosted sugar cookies.

I tried to pick drinks that would match our color scheme, so we had Citrus Cucumber Water and Blueberry Lemon Italian Sodas (homemade blueberry lemon syrup + club soda) served in mason jars with striped paper straws (this is one trend that I hope never goes out of style). Liz designed and created the onesie bunting which was so adorable that I didn't want to take it down after the shower.

Finally, 2:00 rolled around. All of the food was out, decorations were hung, the kitchen was cleaned up (ok, so a few dirty dishes were hidden out of sight in the cabinets), and it was time for guests to arrive!

After everyone had a chance to eat, drink, and catch up, Ashleigh opened her presents, which is always an educating experience for us non-mothers. The item that got the biggest "Awwwww" was a little WubbaNub pacifier, which was just precious!

Finally, after lots of hugs and goodbyes, we handed out favors (boxes tied up with ribbon and filled with animal crackers dipped in chocolate and sprinkles, courtesy of some messy work by Mailee and her husband), and folks headed home. It was such a lovely afternoon for an even lovelier friend and mother-to-be.  I can't wait to meet little Baby Noah!