Hey Girlfriends!
I’ve been MIA since the end of 2017 and I’ve missed you all so much!
I’m blowing kisses, giving virtual hugs and fist bumps right now. Reach out and grab one!
I took a blogging, social media and TV break, sensing that I needed to quiet all the voices around me to better discern the Spirit’s leading for my life and this blog’s direction in 2018.
I can tell you that the time away from social media was quite refreshing.
One thing the Lord has shown me during this time of separation is that what I consider to be necessary for ministry (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.) can actually ruin me spiritually if I don’t practice it in moderation, and with the right motivation.
It’s possible for a person to advance in ministry, but not be in tune with the Spirit.
The two don’t always equate.
Sometimes, a gal may have to take a step back in these areas, but doing so may catapult her forward in her walk with Christ.
It’s a very personal decision and we must let the Spirit lead us uniquely and individually.
I welcomed the blogging break as well; and truth be told, it couldn’t have come at a better time, as I was planning my daughter’s surprise baby shower with gusto, vigor and every ounce of creativity that I could muster.
My Ashley (aka Ash-Cat-Kitty-Kitty-Meow-Mix) has been married for four years and is anticipating the arrival of baby Skyler on April 9th, Lord willing.
And being the procrastinator that I sometimes am, I had a little better than five weeks to plan her surprise baby shower.
For me, much like planning my younger daughter’s wedding and bridal shower, the planning tends to be all consuming and A LOT OF WORK, but I wouldn’t trade it for a thing in the world because events such as these are truly one of the treasured joys of a mother’s life.
What precious milestones are marriage and the birth of a baby!
Ashley is the kind of gal who likes to put her best foot forward beauty-wise, and I knew that she had to show up for her SURPRISE bridal shower all dolled-up.
So to trick her, I told her that my website was nominated for Best Faith and Family Blog of the Year.
Then, I told her that I took a look at the blogs which have won that distinction in past years, and they all had ONE thing in common: AMAZING family photos. So a family photo shoot was in order!
And girlfriend, let me tell you: she was all in!
I sent a bunch of bogus family group texts to her and all my kids about the photo shoot – and she was none the wiser. T-h-a-n-k-f-u-l-l-y!
Here are some behind-the-scene highlights that I’d just love to share with you! (Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.)
Let them eat wear cake!
Inspired by my Pastor’s wife, I made my very first diaper cake. I was super intimidated at first, but she kept encouraging me along; and can I tell you – it was SO MUCH FUN to make.
(The theme was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)
To overcome my doubts, I YouTube’d how to make it and found lots of inspiration on Pinterest. (See links below for details.) Here’s a few shots of my process . . .
Another way I challenged myself was by making “cupcakes” out of onseies.
Again, I drew inspiration from Pinterest and YouTube, then I just went for it!
In my opinion, the more colorful the t-shirts, the better the “cupcakes” look.
Here are the “ingredients” and the finished product . . .
Now, back-in-the-day when dinosaurs roamed the earth and the only smart phone known to man was on the TV show Get Smart, the guest of honor sat in a “normal” chair at their shower; but these days girls are renting chairs for hundreds of dollars!
I was determined to by-pass that extravagance and use a chair representative of the occasion, so I decided to pimp-out my own rocking chair.
I even found a Twinkle Twinkle Little Star accent pillow at Homegoods that matched the color scheme (blue, silver and white) perfectly.
I struggled to find just the right signage for the event, then I found this one via Etsy (see vendor credits for details) . . .
I loved this dress from the minute I saw it, so I sent the link to Ashley and told her to buy it for the photo shoot. In doing so, I ensured that she looked elegant and her dress matched the color scheme.
I fell in love with this rubber ducky punch I found on Pinterest; and I’ll be darned if we didn’t make our own! The ice cream and soda mixed together creates the bubbles (fizz) which makes the rubber ducks float.
Our event venue had a fire place with a flat screen TV hanging over it (a bit of an eyesore) – and then I found this picture on Pinterest which provided the perfect inspiration for how to dress it up.
I shopped for star themed onesies. Even the wood plaque (too small to see) is a DIY project which says twinkle twinkle little star. Then I embellished with some books for the new mom and dad . . .
I wanted the “Dad to Be” to have a special gift of his own to open. (Why should the moms have all of the fun?) So this New Daddy Survival Kit I spied on Pinterest was just perfect.
I dressed my version up a bit (pictured on the right) with a container I purchased from Michael’s. Each item in the bucket has significance, which is explained the the printable I linked to below.
We hired Signature Celebrations Events to create the organic balloon arches and the backdrop for the sweets table. In short, they slayed it!
And finally, I was beyond blessed to have my friend Diane of Canarsie’s Cupcakes bring our evening to a sweet end with her sweet treats. Diane made the cake, the succulent butter cookies, chocolate covered Oreos, and rattle cake pops for our sweet affair! (My Autumn made the cupcakes for her big sister.)
As you can imagine, it takes a village to pull off this kind of affair; and in the end, everyone’s hard work paid off.
Ashley was exceedingly happy with her shower. She continued to walk around and marvel at the decor and all the special touches that had gone into the preparations.
The next day, she called just to thank us once more, and exclaimed with excitement that her shower was the second best day of her life – only second to her wedding day. *Sigh.*
I am pleased and at peace as a mom, and my life has resumed back to “normal” – but please, no more weddings or births for a while, kids. 🙂
Thank you for allowing me the indulgence of sharing this very special day with you.
I hope it’s a reminder of the goodness of our God and the sweet treat He gives us in experiencing family-life.
“God sets the lonely in families.” Psalm 68:6
From my home to yours,
Tiffiney
P.S. Follow the celebration of faith and family life on Welcome Home Ministry’s Pinterest page!
I’ve shared this post at these fabulous faith and family link-ups.
Vendor Credit:Sweets Table Backdrop/Organic Balloon Arch: Signature Celebrations Event Planning Cake, Rattle Cake Pops, Chocolate Covered Oreos & Sugar Cookies: Canarsie Cupcakes Diaper Cake Tutorial: Susiestampalot.com Cupcake Onesies Tutorial: SillyChely via YouTube Pregnancy Announcement Sign: Darling Sailor Designs via Etsy Ivory Maternity Maxi Dress: PinkBlushMaternity.com Rubber Ducky Punch: TidyMom.net New Daddy Survival Kit: SimplyMadeWithLove.blogspot.com |
Oh my stars! Will you come this way to help me host the next time I have a party?!!!! You are amazing!!! And how funny are you? Love it!!! So glad to have you back ♥ The blogging world has missed you!
Hugs,
Lori
Say the word and I’m there, Lori! We can definitely make your party dreams a reality! Woohoo! :o)
I’ve been busy planning a marriage retreat and a training session. I have women’s retreat coming up to plan for as well. Add to that my youngest daughter’s wedding is in July! Lord help me. Your statement,”It’s possible for a person to advance in ministry, but not be in tune with the Spirit.” resonates with me. Am I so busy doing ministry that I am not making time for God? I pray not. You can be assured I will more intentional about my quiet time so that I can be empowered for the rest.
Amen, Calvonia! Intentional about our quiet time and our relationship with God is numero uno. We always have to check our self and our motives against God’s word. Congrats on your daughter’s wedding. That was my life a year ago. So exciting!
Wow! So lovely! What a wonderful party. I bet you had so much fun organizing and thinking up all these special touches. You definitely have the touch and creativity. What a special way to celebrate your daughter and the little one. .
Hey Theresa! I really did have a blast conceptualizing the theme and adding the special touches. So much “crazy” fun. Lol!
Just WOW! So beautiful. I thought the diaper cake was edible at first, ha. I laughed when you told her you won an award and needed a blog photo shoot. Ha. So clever! I can see why planning weddings and baby showers would require a blog break. What an amazing gift of love your daughter will FOREVER REMEMBER AND NEVER FORGET! How inspiring. I seriously will think about this measure of love when my daughters get to this stage in their life. Love you, friend!
Thanks for your cheerie enthusiam, Val! So funny that my husband thought the cake was going to be edible, too! He thought the whole concept was so disgusting until I explained. Lol!
What a lovely post! Congrats to your family on the newest addition!?
Thank you, Brandi!
Hi Tiffany,
Visiting from Recharge Wednesdays…
What a lovely post! I feel very privileged that you shared that with us! Thank you!
You’re most welcome to drop by with your favorite beverage & tasty treat for a time of reflection.
Jennifer
Hey Jennifer, Thank you for stopping by and sharing in my joy! I’ll be back at your link up with coffee in hand!
Welcome back. Congratulations. I have five grandchildren 4 and under. Celebrating this Sunday 3 birthdays – the twin boys and our granddaughter are turning 1 in March.
Your daughter is BEAUTIFUL!
Hey there, Debbie!It’s good to be back! I hope you have the best day ever this coming Sunday celebrating your beautiful grandkids. Happy birthday to them all!
Welcome back, Tiffiney! Wow, you did a fabulous job! You could go into business even!
Thanks for your vote of confidence, Kelly!
And you can write too!! Wow! What a beautiful event. Your daughter is beautiful like her momma and I’m sure you can’t wait for the newest member of the family to arrive. Thanks so much for sharing this with us. Hugs!!
Aww….thanks for stopping by and sharing in our joy, Deb! It’s always a delight to linkup with the Faith n’ Friends community.
Tiffany, this was so amazing and beautiful. I mean, WOW! And what fun you’re having and will have once the baby arrives. Beautiful family memories you are making. Thanks for sharing with us.
I do agree, Debby. It takes a lot of work but it’s well worth the effort!
Loved seeing your photos on Facebook, and now I know even more of this wonderful story through your post. What a fun celebration! Blessings to you and your whole family.
Thanks so much, Sarah! Having so much fun celebrating our families precious milestones.
Welcome back, Tiffiney! You’ve been missed! Glad to know you were busy celebrating God’s goodness in your family. And those pictures are definitely keepsakes! Blessings to you and yours.
So good to be back, Boma. Our God is so good! He really does fill our lives with sweet memories.
Beautiful photos of your family but also the celebration of the arrival of your daughter’s baby. What a blessing. I can only imagine how excited you must be to become a grandparent. I cannot wait for that day for myself. Blessings!
Hey Mary! Yes, what a blessing it is to welcome another life that I get to influence with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Oh my gosh, what a beautiful and fun baby shower! May you all be blessed when this little one arrives. And since we are expecting a grandchild the end of June, I may just “steal” some of these ideas! Blessings!
Hi Joanne! I’m so glad you enjoyed this post and thank you for sharing in our joy. How exciting that you are about to become a grandparent, too! Yes, please, by all means “steal” all the ideas you can. I pray your shower is a blessing to the mom and dad to be.
Blessings!