nancy's shower recap

On Saturday my sister and I, along with the other bridesmaids, hosted a shower for our little sister, Nancy.

People always blog about showers and wedding stuff like that, so I figured I’d write a little shower recap. Who knows, maybe it will end up on Pinterest.

The “theme,” if you will, for Nancy’s shower was winter/sparkles/frost-yourself. When choosing the theme we considered that February is definitely the worst month ever. By this time of year everyone is truly sick of winter and cold.  So, why not make the season fun again? We wanted to bring back everything we loved about winter in early December. A winter shower could be beautiful, sparkly and special.

We envisioned white, sparkly everything, a roaring fire in the fireplace, snow softly falling outside, candles lit and a hot chocolate bar to toast the bride to be!

Well, as any avid Pinterest-er knows, you don’t always get what you envision.

The day of Nancy’s bridal shower dawned sunny, cheery and SEVENTY FREAKING DEGREES!

No joke. Some winter shower! No fire. No gently falling snow. And I’m pretty sure I am the only one who eventually partook in the hot chocolate bar.

I’m not really complaining. It was lovely to have the windows open and the guests sipping bloody mary’s and champagne on the porch outside. Really, our biggest challenge was getting dressed. Tights or no tights? That was the question.

All in all it was just the pure, sweet irony that made the weather so amusing. But it really turned out to be a fun, beautiful shower anyway, if I do say so myself.

(The chalkboard sign needed a little bit of editing.)

We started with a white/glittery table scape. Candles and baby’s breath, white birch branches (to whom I owe the copious amounts of glitter coating the seats of my car) and plenty of “diamonds” scattered about. 

The Menu:

Stuffed Mushrooms

French bread baguettes with ricotta, honey and lemon zest

White chocolate pretzels

White cheeseboard

White veggies and dip

Popcorn bar

Chicken salad crescent sandwiches

Glitter cake balls

Drinks:

Bloody Mary Bar

Champagne and Wine

Hot Chocolate and Bailey’s Bar

I can’t say enough about these glitter cake balls from Sarah’s Cake Shop. They were truly scrumptious. Everyone knows I am somewhat of a cake connoisseur, and I must say, these were top notch. 

Here are a few of my favorite details from the day:

Pine cones and pics of Nancy and Pat. Ah, this scene would have been perfect with a roaring fire.

The favors were little test tubes filled with hot chocolate mix and marshmallows.

The hot chocolate bar that was an epic fail. But, hey, at least I got my silver polishing skills back in shape!

The bride is a big fan of Bloody Mary’s. I am a big fan of those striped straws.

We played a little “That’s what She Said/He Said” Quiz game. I had so much fun interviewing the couple and making tiny Nancy and Pat illustrations.

Probably my favorite answer was when Nancy was asked to describe Pat in six words and one of the words she chose was “assiduous." 

The victor was Pat’s sister, Cara, who took home a glittery, white candle!

The first of many bridesmaid pics this year!

And finally, the blushing bride-to-be who did a great job entertaining the guests, being a classy, gracious bride and putting up with our teasing in turn.

I’d say the shower was a success, even without the fire and hot chocolate bar.

At the end of the day, who can complain about an afternoon spent with family and friends and some gorgeous, surprise February SUNSHINE!

new year, new post.

Well, 2015 has arrived and with it a whole new batch of resolutions, and fresh starts.

The past year has had its highs and lows, like any year, I suppose. I was happy to celebrate the release of both “Lily” and “Happy Birthday, St. Louis!” Both books mean a lot to me. “Happy Birthday has definitely been my most successful book so far, and I am proud of that, but "Lily” is probably my most meaningful book and the connections and memories I’ve made through its publication are priceless.

I spent most of the year working with the Cheetahs, Hyenas, Capybara, Anteaters and Bush Dogs at the Zoo, and I will tell you, there is not a species or individual on that list that I do not treasure and feel honored to work with. They are just amazing, each and every one.

As per usual, I spent 2014 in a mad scramble of trying to balance Zoo work and children’s book PR, as well as attempting to write “Dizzy and the Gashouse Gang.” Things have fallen to the wayside, for sure, including this blog.

I am thrilled to report that I completed ONE, yes that’s right, ONE of my nine resolutions from last year. Hey, you win some, you lose some.

But I have to say, 2014 was a very transitional year for me.  I learned A LOT. I’m hoping to remember the lessons I eked out of my 28th year and carry them into 2015.

With that, I am renewing my vigor to complete last year’s resolutions, as well as adding a few to the list.

Here is what I have so far:

1. Be a force for positivity:

There is a man who I often see in Forest Park. He is a very fit man, probably in his late thirties and he has a very specific cardio routine. He dances, yes, dances his way around the entire six mile loop of the park. Not running, not really walking, just dancing. The entire time he does this he has this giant grin on his face. Every time I see him I just grin right back at him, mainly because I cannot look at that man without smiling. He always waves to me and I wave back.  He just exudes joy. In 2015, I want to be like that dancing, waving, grinning Forest Park man.

How to do this? Well, I think this article sums up a great place to start.

2. Truly stop picking my face:

Those of you who are not face pickers will probably be disgusted by this. Those of you who are, well, I know you feel me. I have had this terribly addictive habit for over five years now and this year IT. WILL. STOP.

3. Marathon PR:

This one was on my list for last year, but a nasty bout with runner’s knee forced me into the half instead of the whole. This year, there are no excuses. It is time to go after that PR. I’m racing 24 year old Carolyn and I intend to win. 

4. Write like a…well, you know:

A good friend of mine gave me Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
for Christmas (definitely recommend!) and there is a great column in there titled “Write like a (can’t repeat the word here since I’m a dignified children’s author).” This year I intend to take Cheryl’s advice. I wrote quite a bit in 2014, but in 2015 I’m really going to discipline myself and write like crazy.

5. Pay for everything with a credit card:

I live on a very tight budget and so have always been a debit kinda gal. I usually only use my credit card for major purchases (camper van to drive around New Zealand, anyone?). But, now is the time to experience all of those rewards points everyone keeps talking about. I don’t care if I have to discipline myself to pay the thing off every week! This year I will join the land of credit.

6. Relax:

About life, about work, about all the little things. As midnight approached on NYE my friend A and I were discussing our resolutions. I said I wanted to be more like her (a free-spirited, spontaneous, laid back person) and she said she wanted to be more like me (a wound up perfectionist gravely concerned with the amount of confetti covering the furniture)! So, this one’s for you, A. In 2015 I aim to be relaxed.

So, that’s it! Only six this year. Think I can manage? Here’s to health, happiness, new books, new friends, goals and memories in 2015. Hope you all are starting the year off with a healthy dose of auld lange syne!

happy halloween from khaki shorts!

Here is my Halloween joke:

Q: What do mummies like listening to?

A: Wrap music!

(ba dum ching! i’ll be here all night!)

(ok, i’m sorry.)

I’ve been celebrating Halloween all month by working Boo at the Zoo! This year I made a new pre-show Halloween playlist, so, to celebrate this spooky night on the blog I thought I’d share it with you!

Without further ado…

THE (SORT OF) ULTIMATE HALLOWEEN PLAYLIST:

1. Ghostbusters: This is an obvious choice. We play this before every Boo at the Zoo show and I’m not even being sarcastic when I say it never gets old. This bad boy was all the rage when I was in Kindergarten and it’s still a classic. ‘Bustin’ makes me feel good!

2. Witchy Woman, The Eagles:  Totally timeless, this song gets you in the right sort of “witchy” mood for a spooky evening.

3. I Put a Spell on You, Creedence Clearwater Revival:
Made famous to my generation by Bette Midler’s performance in the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus, I couldn’t find the movie version so Creedence Clearwater’s rendition was the next best thing. I love the guitar on this one.

4. Monster Mash: Corny? Perhaps. But necessary on any Halloween playlist.

5. Purple People Eater: See above.

6. Somebody’s Watching Me, Rockwell:  Is it dumb of me to have just discovered this song this year? Well, it’s a good one. Background vocals from none other than Michael Jackson to boot, and very timely in our current era of drones and Edward Snowden.

7. Time Warp, Rocky Horror Picture Show: This song is just so darn fun to listen and dance to.

8. X-Files Theme Song: The ultimate in scary, good fun. I used to be so terrified of the X-Files, but oh, so fascinated too. This little diddy brings me back to many a sleepover watching Scully and Mulder.

9. Hedwig’s Theme, Harry Potter Soundtrack:  I love the first few notes of this song. Brings me chills every time. Harry Potter anything is always appropriate, but especially around Halloween time. 

10. Dark Horse, Katy Perry: I read somewhere that this song was inspired by The Craft (which happened to be my little sister’s favorite movie when she was in Kindergarten. Weird? Yes.) making it a great Halloween jam when you’re ready for a little more of a pop/rap mix.

11. Nightmare on My Street, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince: Did I say rap? Well, here’s your real Halloween rap. I discovered this song this year and it is GREAT. Basically take The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air rap and add silly lyrics about Freddy Kruger and there ya go. Good, Halloween fun.

12. Witchcraft, Frank Sinatra: A little Frank can never hurt to class a list up a bit.

13.Thriller, Michael Jackson: Obviously.

14. Haunted, Taylor Swift: This one was the most controversial addition to the pre-show playlist, but, hey, I needed another song and this one is called Haunted (very Halloween-y) plus I liked the violins. Haters gonna hate, people.

What do you think of the Halloween playlist? Which songs would you add or veto?

Now go out and rot your teeth with candy corn! Happy Halloween!