Welcome Lil' Acorn

Last week Tuesday a few friends and I hosted a baby shower for our friend Jamie, to celebrate the coming arrival of her new little boy! Jamie is so talented, so good at suspending judgment, and so careful at crafting her communication with other people that I can't wait to see the incredible little person that her son will become. Jamie is a licensed massage and bodyworks therapist, she was leading the local capoeira group for a long time (before she was injured playing), and she is so laid-back that planning her party was enjoyable simply because we were pretty sure that whatever way it ended up, she would be nothing but grateful. We need more people like her in the world!


I assigned myself to decorations, and the themes I decided to run with were: autumn, cheap, and reuse. We've been on an acorn kick lately over here, so it was how we bridged the ideas of babies and autumn. Kind of cheesy, but it was a baby shower, so something had to be cheesy. The banner was made solely of materials left over from our wedding (!) and an old calendar.

And meet the lady of the night... sweet Jamie Taylor.


I don't have extensive experience with hostessing and menu planning, but I have to say that I think we aced it this time. One of the best things about being part of such a supportive church community is that everyone is happy to help, and with a hand full of people each bringing a dish, the bulk of the work didn't fall to any one person. I am salivating just looking at the spread again: quadruple-layered chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, stuffed dates (which were so good they converted a few of us to dates, I might add), close-to-heaven apple custard pie, mixed nuts, grapes, everyone's favorite pumpkin crunch bars, one of Abby's signature cheese platters with crackers, and veggies with dip. It was the perfect amount of healthy for those who didn't eat a proper dinner before they came, and such a large part indulgent, autumnal bliss of a dessert spread.

We also served hot spiced cider, and my mom made her famous peach punch. Over by the punch bowl we decorated with some little acorns I made for the party. They are hand-felted from loose wool fibers, and then glued into real acorn caps from our gathering adventures with Gigi under the oak tree outside our front door. I was actually thinking to purchase them from an etsy shop, but after noticing how many venders were selling them I figured they couldn't be rocket science to make myself. They were a bit laborious, but relatively easy. A few youtube videos later...


Yum...


Sarah and Rachael, and the group (below) at present opening time. Jamie is extremely well resourced and has been given so much from other people (including a set of cloth diapers and a diapering service for a few months), so this party was a book party! The bulk of the gifts were our favorite children's books for Jamie's little collection, and it was really fun to see some new titles.


And that about wraps it up. These photos of rooms full of happy women enjoying good food and each other's company makes hostessing so worth it. Jamie, we wish you the most beautiful labor and birth experience as a new mom, and that the joy of meeting your son for the first time will some day be eclipsed by the love you feel for him every day of your life!

(Some close-ups of the centerpiece we made for the party, but back at home where the lighting is better for my camera).