Baby Landon

A few months back we got some very scary news about the son of one of my hubby's friends/co-worker.  He and his wife welcomed their first son into the world, only to have him whisked away by ambulance and then care flighted to another hospital.  Baby Landon had swallowed a large amount of meconium during labor and was not given a promising prognosis....BUT....our God is bigger and completely healed this precious baby boy!  It gives me chills!  

A few weeks before I delivered our sweet girl, I had the honor of meeting him and taking his newborn pictures.  He was the MOST expressive newborn (only 5 weeks) I have ever met!  He was so much fun to take pictures of and is such a darling little guy!  Meet Baby Landon, completely healed and healthy!  Thank you Lord for this miracle baby!  

DIY Wall Art

Have you seen all of the new darling word art birth announcements?  Well, I was looking at some a few months back while I was planning the nurseries and came upon some really cute ones!  The more I saw the more I wondered hard would it be to create one myself?  Answer = NOT HARD AT ALL!!!

Here is the one I created for my son Drew's room (Date/Last Name have been changed for Privacy!):

I got all of my fonts from HERE.

Now I am going to work on one for our daughter's room!

Dress Up Shower

This shower was given to me this Summer by two of my sweetest friends!  The theme was Dressing Up Allie, and I wanted to share it even though I wasn't the one who threw it.  It's just too cute of a theme not to share with the world!  This shower was for my second baby.  Since I was having a girl this time around, and had already had the "Big Kahuna" showers with our son where we got all the baby gear, my friends and I decided that a small shower where I would receive girl clothes would be perfect (and it was!). 

Here is what the invite said:

Nicole is expecting a sweet baby girl

Soon we will welcome Miss Allison Pearl

Diapers, wipes, and toys, are all just fine

But Allie needs gifts that will fill a clothesline

Dresses, onesies, and even hairbows

Let's dress her up from her head to her toes

We also think Allie needs a dress up trunk,

please look through your closet for an item

to fill it up.  An old had, purse, or even a dress,

let's get her started on her make-believe quest

The decorations were dress up clothes that were hung and laid out every where.  Since the shower was in the evening they served fruit, lemonade, and desserts.  You can see more details in the pictures below!

Nursery Chair Redo

When the hubs and I were first married we acquired this beautiful antique chair from his childhood neighbors.  I loved the detailed wood carving on the back, but since the fabric was such a "lovely" shade of pink we have always covered it with a quilt!  Well I decided when we put it in Allie's room that it was time to reupholster it!  Hubs about fainted when he saw what I had done.  He thought I had devalued the chair, but I quickly reassured him that the pink fabric was indeed not the antiquated part of the chair (although it did seem that way from its condition!).

Here it is BEFORE

AFTER

I used a natural cream color fabric with a cream ruffle.  I did the seats, and hubs did the ruffle because I got to huge to move!  My new decor rule is that if it doesn't work in at least two rooms don't buy, make or change it!  I think I read that in Better Homes and Gardens?  I can use this chair in just about any room in our home if I just change the pillows.  Best part it only cost approximately $25 for the chair redo!!  That includes the fabric from Walmart, and ruffle and tacks from JoAnns.

Visitor Treats

Here is the recipe I used to make both Drew and Allie's hospital/home visitor treats.  I got it from Kelly's Korner and you can click HERE to see it on her blog too.  I will warn you that while the recipe is very easy to follow these cookies are a bit tedious...but so worth it!  

Drew's Cookies

I made some with his initials and some with his name.

Allie Pearl's Cookies

I made these labels for the back because the pearls were enough on the front!

Sugar Cookies:

3 1/2 cups (460 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking powder

1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites:

2 large egg whites

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 cups (330 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

For Sugar Cookies: In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough.

Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheetswith parchment paper.

Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (1 cm). (Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter.) Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking.

Note: If you are not going to frost the baked cookies, you may want to sprinkle the unbaked cookies with crystal or sparkling sugar.

Bake cookies for about 10 minutes (depending on size) or until they are brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Frost with royal icing, if desired. Be sure to let the royal icing dry completely before storing. (This may take several hours.)

Frosted cookies will keep several days in an airtight container. Store between layers of parchment paper or wax paper.

Makes about 36 - 4 inch (10 cm) cookies.

For Royal Icing with Egg Whites: In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

I used the color gels from Wilton that you can get from Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby to color the icing. Just a small little dab will color it plenty.

Baby Zachary

These pictures just take my breathe away!  This is my sweet friend Susan's brand new baby boy Zachary!  I had the pleasure of taking his newborn photos at just 8 days old.  I even took the sweetest pictures of new Big Sis Maddie holding little brother!  I can't tell you what an honor it is to be asked to take pictures of these sweet newborns fresh out of the oven!  I could seriously do this the rest of my life and be a happy woman!  Babies + photography = one happy Mama!

Thank you to all my friends who have allowed me to capture these precious memories and practice my photography skills!  I think I may have found my future side business!  We will see when our baby girl arrives how ambitious I am, but I am considering offering a Fall photo shoot in October.  I will keep you posted!