Pure Michigan in All It's Glory

I went to visit a dear friend (and now co-worker!!) a few weekends ago in her hometown of Holland, Michigan. Earlier this summer I traveled to St. Joe, MI but didn't get to see Michigan in all it's glory since I was there for a wedding and had no time for anything else. This trip was just what my soul needed. Karissa has a way of making me laugh where I am suddenly crying and can't breathe. Love friends like that! I got to her house around 3:30 PM (after getting lost for a bit in the small town) and we immediately jumped in the pool. It. was. glorious. We then cleaned up and (with her hubby) went to their friend's house for dinner. Karissa made a super yummy baked-pasta dish and there was Texas Sheet cake waiting for us there... (I attempted to make this cake today. It was a disaster. But that's another story.) After dinner we met up with different friends to go to a improv show, HILARIOUS! At one point we all lost any control of our laughter that we had and pretty much made a scene in the back row.

The rest of the weekend was spent at an alumni basketball game, the pool/lake/beach, eating and shopping. What more could ya ask for? NOTHING...except maybe more time. I was sad to leave and was wishing I had one more day to explore Pure Michigan. But can't wait to get Karissa and her husband David back in the good ole' STL. 

Finally made it!

Founders Brewing Company-YUM

Karissa's handsome Boston Terrier, Chip

Lighthouse photoshoot

Chip on the Prarie

Gorgeous-these suckers were everywhere!

I need more Holland time very soon...there were many adorable shops we didn't have time to go in and I still need to see those epic Michigan Lake sunsets I keep hearing about.

What are some of your favorite MI or vaca spots? Or, do you have a good great Texas Sheet Cake recipe? Cause I'm looking for one...so don't hold back, please share! :)

A Few of My Favorite Things

Good morning blog world, and happy weekend! This weekend is jam packed for me, but I wanted to share some of my favorite products before all the weekend festivities begin.

First, Emily Giffin (one of my most fav authors) has a new book coming out, THIS TUESDAY! I can't even tell you how pumped I am. And to put icing on the cake, she is coming to St. Louis August 3 for a book tour. Woo! You better believe I will be there, front and center! Her new book is Where We Belong. Go pre-order yourself a copy and RSVP to her book tour...you'll be glad ya did! ;)

Via Google

I found myself a new mascara, and I'm in love people! It's Maybelline's Mega Plush line, I use the Blackest Black. Check it out and fall in love too!

Via Google

And finally is a little something called Baby Lips. This stuff is magic in the form of lip balm. I have Peach Kiss and Cherry Me. They are lightly scented and  tinted and super moisturized. Can't get enough of this stuff.

Via Google. How cute are these?

Well, I better get off of here and get ready for the day's events. What are your fun weekend plans or products you can't get enough of?

Little Man Baby Shower

Hello friends! One of my very best gals is having a baby, and a few family friends and I threw her and her little man a shower. Thought I'd share pics and decor tips from the special event.

Look at all those cute little goodies!

Baby Boy's nursery is "world" themed and the colors are yellow and black, so we decided to stick with the colors and apply it to the shower. The momma-to-be is very anti-baby when it comes to her little man. :)

One way we incorporated the 'Little Man' theme was through iron-on ties from Etsy.

Short and long sleeve onsies with ties and bowties

These precious ties were ordered from Boy Oh Boy Boutique on Etsy. They are super cute and easy on the wallet! The onsies are the Carter's line for WalMart.

Another cute/useful decoration we incorporated was a diaper cake. The momma-to-be's momma created the masterpiece and may I just say that it was PERFECT!!! Diapers were newborn diapers rolled into three tiers and held together with rubber bands. All ribbon was found at Michael's. Didn't she do a great job? I love the way it turned out.

Could this be any cuter? 

At the last minute we decided there weren't enough decorations so we decided to make pinwheels. I was a little intimidated at first, but quickly found out they are super easy to make. What you will need(bear with me it might seem confusing):
Cardstock-colored
Patterned scrapbook paper
(Instead of the two above you could use double sided paper)
Brads (I used button brads found at Michael's)
Glue sticks
Something sharp to poke small holes into the paper

First cut two squares (I used 6x6 and 3x3 squares), one of cardstock, one scrapbook
Glue paper together (pattern up of course :) and wait a few seconds for it to dry
Then fold paper into a triangle by pulling one corner to the corner to it's diagonal
Fold again using the same process
Unfold paper
Using the lines created from folding, cut each corner towards the center, leaving 1/4 in. to the center
Punch little holes in the paper like picture below:

Image via Google

Pull each slit with hole towards the center as you place the brad through each hole
Once all corners are on the brad put brad through the center hole and fasten the brad to the back on the pinwheel.
You should end with this:

Excuse my hands at the bottom of the pic

We attached the 6x6 pinwheels to painted sticks and attached them to a wrapped box to use as decor on the mantel and the 3x3 pinwheels in between the onsies

This shower was so fun to prepare for, here are a few more pictures from the actual event.

"Baby Carriage" Fruit

All the yummy food!

Each food item had a hand-made info card. 

Hope this inspires you the next time you need to throw a baby shower! What have been some of your favorite baby shower themes?

Happy Reading!

Wedding World

Summer seems to be a popular time for weddings...this summer I have attended two! The first was my sweet friend Jacqueline's.  

Everything was B-E-A-U-TIFUL!

Jacqueline was my youth group leader from church when I was in high school.  She has been such a sweet mentor/friend and it was such a blessing to attend her gorgeous wedding in St. Joseph, Michigan in May. Every detail was "so JQ" and she was stunning!!!! So happy that she found J, she deserves nothing but the best! 

Next was one of my dearest friend's wedding in June. Marcy and I met in that same youth group where I met JQ. We became quick friends and kept a close friendship throughout college. I was Marcy's Maid of Honor and was so blessed to share her day with her and her new hubby! The wedding festivities kicked off on Thursday with a bachelorette party to watch our St. Louis Cardinals play (we won!) and then a little shower/dessert afterwards. 

Dinner at McGurk's before the game

Friday we had a mid-morning rehearsal and then a lovely bridal luncheon before the rehearsal dinner that evening. Then the BIG DAY on Saturday took place right outside of St. Louis at a beautiful winery. The day started off sunny and HOT, but everyone quickly started praying hard when a huge rainstorm rolled in. IT POURED!! Luckily, the rain eventually stopped and the bride and groom were able to get married outside according to plan. Like JQ's wedding, Marcy had everything planned down to the littlest details. It was a beautiful day and the bride was, again, stunning!

The Bride!

Taken right before it stormed again and we danced in the rain

Love these couples and can't wait to visit them both!

Time to Play Catch...Catch Up That Is!

Ok, I am a horrible blogger. I've said it before...and I will say it again...I will get better as this whole blog/posting thing! Ha! I have a list of topics that I want to blog about, but I promise to spread them out, so I don't bore anyone with one LONG post. 

The last semester of college was the hardest semester of my life. I know...dramatic, but it was so challenging in so many ways. I love love LOVED my cooperating teacher and class and learned so much, but my supervisor from Webster was so hard to please and had impossible expectations. I cried. A lot. But, I ended up passing with a 4.0 (first time ever, thankyouverymuch) and I GRADUATED!!! Say what?! That's right folks, I am a college graduate. Since when am I old enough to have graduated college? 

As if that wasn't good enough news, I GOT A BIG GIRL JOB! As of May (May 9th to be exact) I was offered a contract at my cooperating school as the new 6th Grade teacher. Woah. Praise and glory be to God! I had spent the semester at a private, Christian school and LOVED everything about the school, kids and my coworkers. So needless to say I was over the moon when they offered me a job to take over for my cooperating teacher who was retiring. I will be the 6th grade teacher that teaches Reading, Handwriting, Spelling, Grammar, and (my personal fav) History. There is another 6th grade teacher that teaches Math, Science and Bible. This is my dream job. I am super excited. (Don't worry, as soon as I set up my class I will post pics!) But for now...here is a little preview of my classroom (EEK!)

So, I will be playing catch up and hopefully, HOPEFULLY I will get better at this blog world thing...maybe ;)

Happy Reading!