Favorite Gifts

I wanted to share with you all one of my favorite Christmas gifts as well as my favorite birthday gift!

I received an Erin Condren life planner for Christmas and it was one of my favorite gifts!
I am a planner, one that loves organization and routine, and can never have to many sticky notes! I was on the hunt for a 2015 planner but wanted one that was a bit different and unique and would get the job done (aka lots of space for writing things down). While on instagram one day I came across the Life Planner by Erin Condren and knew I had to have it.

A few things I love about these planners: you can personalize them (personalizing makes anything better), laminated cover, inspirational quotes throughout planner, stickers for special reminders, meals/exercise list area, to-do lists, pockets (great for receipts), and so much more. It also fits in my purse so I can take anywhere. Erin Condren definitely knows what she is doing and has so many other great products to offer. I think these would be great gift ideas for any woman- whether she is a busy Mom, college student or working woman it would be helpful for anyone.

For sometime, I have wanted some sort of an activity tracker. I bought a Polar last year which tracks heart rate and calories burned however you have to wear a band below your chest as well which isn't my most favorite. Gets a bit annoying at times in my opinion. I only wear it to workout because it is a bit inconvenient. So I have been looking at fitbits and jawbones for some time because I thought it would be great to track movement throughout the day as well as sleeping patterns. We actually sell Jawbones at my new job so I thought why not get one of these. Pat ended up getting me one for my birthday and I LOVE IT. I actually like it way better than my Polar, even though they track different things, I just love the convenience of it and how it is lightweight and you can wear with anything. I have mine set to vibrate after I have been sitting 20 minutes, this is a great reminder to get up and move more. It also vibrates every 2,000 steps I walk. I have mine set for 10,000 a day, which is surprisingly a lot harder to reach when you sit at a desk for quite a bit of the day. It has been so helpful though to encourage me to walk a bit more as I do strive to hit that 10,000 mark (which is about 5 miles). I love that I can wear it to workout and you can set a timer to track your activity as well as put it in sleep mode. I always thought I was getting a decent amount of sleep until I realized how much I toss and turn during the night, so this has been very informative! Totally a great purchase!

Cortney's Babyshower

As many of you know, my younger sister Cortney is pregnant with her first child, a baby boy. It seems like just yesterday her and David were tying the knot. You may remember this POST when they got married two years ago. She is due 9/26/14, and our family could not be more excited for Cort and David! This will be Pat and I's first time to be "Aunt and Uncle", this is also the first grandchild for my parents and first great-grandchild for my grandparents. I CANNOT wait to meet this little one, oh did I mention it is a BOY?!?! Yes- Wyatt James Richmond. Our family has pretty much zero boys, so this also brings everything to a whole new excitement:) We are just overjoyed and can't wait to meet the little guy in only a few short weeks. I cannot wait to see Cortney as a Mom, I have always thought she'd be the best Mom (she is one of the most caring, laid back, and patient people) and it makes me smile just thinking about her and David raising a family. I think Cort will have him early, my guess is September 13th, we'll see how close I am!

This past weekend my Mom, Paige, and I threw Cortney her a baby shower. The guest list was quite hefty, so we had it at St. Francis Church in one of their halls. It worked out perfect. We had an awesome turnout and Cortney and David are now pretty set for Mr. Wyatt's arrival!

My friend Tessa designed the invites (check her out over at Royalscript.blogspot.com)
The whole shower was based around a Nautical Theme

We made the cake table the focus table and then food on each side. My younger sister Paige made the Wyatt banner, my Dad made the fence, and I found the onesies to hang at Old Navy.

We added nets and sea shells to all of the tables to go along with the theme. I also had some lanterns at home that I incorporated.

My Mom and I found this cute boat for $10 at a craft fair, how cute is it?! We added some baby's breath in mason jars, sea shells, and a net on top.

I absolutely loved the cake and thought it turned out perfect! It tasted as good as it looked too:)

I found this cute anchor at TJ Maxx and then borrowed the chalkboard signs and crate from a friend.

I found these cute free nautical printables online. Printed and punched them out and glued to toothpicks for sandwich toppers.

These fruit kabobs were a hit! So easy- take skewers and add sliced strawberries, blackberries, and donut holes, then drizzle with caramel sauce. Easy and delish! 

Welcome table. I ordered this buoy off of amazing that says "Welcome Aboard." We then had all guests sign the buoy as they arrived for a keepsake.

Made a photo collage of a mixture of baby pictures of both Cortney and David

Momma-to-be

My amazing Mom, Momma to be, little sister Paige

What a crowd! My Mom also made diaper cakes for all the tables which will now be great for Cort to use.

The quilt my Mom made for Wyatt, it turned out so great!

And we're done! What an exhausting and HOT day! Now the fun begins:)

Auntie Amber can't wait to meet you Wyatt! I pray for a healthy delivery for Momma and you. I pray for you as you enter this crazy world we live in and that you will be loved, are healthy and kept safe, and that you grow up to be a wonderful young man some day. We can't wait to be a part of your life!

Surprise Engagement / Housewarming Party

One of my co-workers and great friend, Kirsten, recently got engaged and bought a new house so I and another fellow co-worker, Julie decided it'd be a great idea to throw a surprise party for the two! Prior to my vacation Julie and I got all of the decor prepared and details figured out. Kirsten and Daniel will be getting married next September 14th and their colors will be dark purple and burnt orange so we incorporated these colors into the party.

 

Julie made this cute Love sign out of pictures of the couple.

We made garland with purple/orange scrapbook paper in different sizes and strung it on twine.

Food was all labeled with frames we spray painted purple/orange and used chalkboard paint and chalk.

The most yummy drink!

I had this frame that we spray painted purple and then Julie filled in with their "love" story.

Found these cardboard letters (Kirsten & Daniel) which we also spray painted and added some cute flowers and doilies.

Delicious sugar cookies in the couple's colors, how cute are they?!

Thanks to Cake Face Bake Shop- if you haven't been it's a must try!

The happy couple - Kirsten & Daniel with Patty boy and I

Kirsten, Julie, and I- Great job to Julie!

The party turned out great and I'm looking forward to helping Kirsten along the way this next year as she plans for her big day!

 

Hope you all had a great weekend..I'm NOT looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. Hopefully I'll get back in the swing of things quick though. September is shaping up to be just as busy as August was- here we go.

 

Much Love~

Amber

Cupcakes & Cocktails

Ms. Cortney the Bride-to-Be, isn't she beautiful!?!

4.24.12

My younger sister Cortney is getting married June 30th, holy cow, can't believe it's almost two months away, man time is flying! Cortney is the complete opposite of me in every way you can imagine, sometimes I wish I could be as laid back as she is.. anywho she's not a a big fan of planning things you could say so I've gotten the opportunity to help a lot with her wedding, which in all honesty has been more fun than planning my own, I'm so much more LESS stressed out that it's not my own.

I was especially excited to plan her shower, I've been envisioning it for months now! This past Saturday, 4/21 we hosted her Bridal Shower at my Mom's house- the theme was Cupcakes & Cocktails, which I was beyond excited for. My great friend Tessa designed the invites and table cards for me, all of which turned out perfect.

Saturday couldn't have been a more perfect day, the shower started at 7:00pm, there was not an ounce of wind (very rare in KS) and we all sat around in my parents backyard where we had tiki torches and a fire pit going when it started to get a bit chilly.

Can of Dates- As each guest arrived they were to fill out a "Date Card" with
a date idea for Cortney and David to use throughout their
marriage, got to keep that spark alive!

Main food table filled with delicous home made desserts by my Mom, Grandma, and Me!

Tissue Pom Centerpieces. Found these candlestick holders at Goodwill and spraypainted them.
BUT let me tell you, these are not a quick project...hours and hours were spent
on these darn things, but turned out cute huh?!

Pink Champagne (High Heel) Cupcakes. These were a hit, and they're just
so darn cute!

Marshmallow Puffs

Cake Batter Dip (tasts exactly like the name...yuuuummmm)

Wedding Cupcakes, miniature size

Pink Lemonade Bundt Cake

Picture Collage of Cort & David, such cute little lovebirds!

Drink Table

Each guest left with another sweet treat as a Thank You for coming

Sisters, great ending to the night:) Love you both so much!

Looking forward to her next shower in a couple of weeks, this one is a couple's shower, should be fun. My ideas are already turning for the bachelorette party in June can't wait!

Much Love~

Amber