Cheers to the Weekend, So Long July Edition

Well, hellooooooo!!! It's been two weeks since my last post due to a(nother) week at the beach and then a busy week back at home, but I am happy to be back here, in my little virtual space. And, ummm, can anyone believe that next week is August?!? August. That is nuts! Anywho. Here's what I've been saying CHEERS to since my last post: 

...modern medicine. My sweet, littlest fella was diagnosed with bronchitis at the start of the week. Although he had had a cough for a couple weeks before that, I was thinking it would resolve on it's own (as my own, and Raleigh's, had earlier this summer). But then, at the beach last week, it grew increasingly worse, to the point where he was gagging so hard that he actually threw up. So. To the pediatrician we went. We started breathing treatments on Monday and by Tuesday, his cough already sounded SO much better! Today? Healthy as can be. Thank you, modern medicine! And thank you, Harrison, for sitting so calmly and sweetly through each of your breathing treatments. You are a rockstar, buster!

...art camp. This week was Banks' turn for neighborhood camp, this time in the form of Art Camp! After a "hiccup" the first day (and by hiccup I mean, "No, Banks, we do not turn a cute little puppy painting into a devil dog with fangs and dripping blood" :0), he had a great time creating little masterpieces. :)

...cookie and cupcake orders. My local friends are just the BEST. Here is a little peek of some of the cookies and cupcakes I have made for various customers in recent weeks, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to our adoption fundraising:

For a fun flamingo birthday party

For a festive 4th

Paws for a pink and blue puppy party...

...and matching bones, of course!

Four dozen cookies and two dozen cupcakes for 15 years of Red Bull distributing success!

 For a sweet 2-year-old's birthday party

...an awesome week at the beach with my "side" of the family. 

 

A fun weekend lies ahead, with a birthday cookout tonight for a special little lady who is turning two today and a weekend spent with one of my sisters and adorable niece and nephew while my hub and her hub (and all the other hubs on my "side" of the family) help my parents move into their brand new home (!!!!!!). On that note, let's "get along" with all this fun weekend business. :) Have a great one!

Cheers to the Weekend, Errrr...Hello Again Edition

I love, love, LOVE to write. It is one of my most favorite things to do. But. Lately, it has had to take a backseat to other things (See: summer with three active kiddos; adoption process; fundraising; etc.), which makes me sad but alas, such is life. So, just one measly post this week (and none next week, for good reason!). Regardless, here is what I'm saying CHEERS to, in rapid fashion: 

...camp! Raleigh had a half-day camp in our neighborhood this week, with lots of other adorable 3-5 year old friends. This meant plenty of games, sports, crafts, and water play for our girl! She had a great time all week. Yay, Raleigh! 

...continued summer fun! Between playdates and pool time and American Ninja Warrior-backyard style, and everything in between, this was full, fun, typical summer week for my Lu crew. Non-stop, all the time, but we love it!

...adoption fundraising! You guys ROCK!!! Thank you so, so much to those who have reached out about cookie orders. In fact, between prepping for our impending beach trip and solo-managing my trio this week, I spent every spare minute baking and decorating four dozen cookies and two dozen cupcakes for a friend's corporate event. With a few other orders on the horizon, this kitchen will be rockin'! And there is a super fun, amazing new fundraising purchase that will be available SOON!!! Stay tuned. I am soooooooo excited!!!!

...daddy coming HOME!!!!! Did I mention my hub started a new job this week? No? Well, he did! And we are so excited for, and proud of, him! But. That meant an entire week spent in San Francisco training. He will be catching a red-eye tonight, and I promise you that we cannot WAIT to see him bright and early tomorrow morning! 

 Night 1

  Night 2

  Night 3

  Night 4

  Night 5

...our second big family beach trip, this time, BLOMPS style! We are headed out tomorrow for a week with my "side" of the family (aka two grandparents, five siblings and our spouses [we will be missing one sib/hub/new son fam since their little fella was born just last week], and 8 cousins). For me, family = loud, crazy, chaotic fun, and we will have plenty of that over the next week. So. Please excuse my absence from this little space next week while I soak up my favorite...family time! Be back soon, promise!

For now, have a wonderful week/end, and stay cool in this crazy heat!!! Bon voyage!

Cheers to the Weekend, Hanging In There Edition

Ugggggggh. 

Two nights ago, in the middle of the night, I awoke to a HORRENDOUS sore throat, out of nowhere. I couldn't swallow and was in so much pain and just tossed and turned the rest of the night, counting down the hours until I could get to the doc the second the office opened. The verdict? A bacterial infection. Blech. So, I spent all day yesterday in bed, trying to keep my germs to myself and do everything I could not to swallow. Thanks to an antibiotic, I am on the mend today, although still not 100%. We have had a TOUGH two weeks, what with Harrison's terrible teething, some painful diaper rash, and now, this. Let's just say, I'm happy to see Friday and am looking forward to a good weekend ahead!

On that note, here are some happier tidbits from the week that I am saying CHEERS to: 

...a fun, new date night: Exit Strategy! The premise is, working as a team, you have 60 minutes to solve clues and "escape" from a thematic room. It's sort of like a real life game of "Clue." Last Friday, my hub and I and two of our besties attempted to escape (we failed but had SO much fun!) and then headed out for dinner and drinks. It was a BLAST, and I cannot WAIT to do it again!

...a fun 4th! We had a wonderful time celebrating our country's independence at the start of the week. We spent the first half of the day at our neighborhood pool party, where I taught my girl to swim!!!, and then headed over to our friends' house with a few other couples and their kiddos for a yummy cookout. We concluded the day by heading back to our 'hood and letting the kids stay up late to watch the fireworks--the perfect way to cap off a special day. 

 Atta girl!

 In awe as the fireworks began

...of course, letting my kids stay up doesn't go without consequnces, namely in the form of 10:30 am car naps and a few (extra) tantrums. Still worth it. But yikes. 

...we continued checking things off our summer bucket list by running through the sprinklers to cool down. Fun for all! Well, except Harrison, who generally preferred to enjoy things from the sidelines. 

...I snuck away to meet my brand spankin' new nephew, Sam, who is just delicious. <3

And that's about it! We have a very, very low key weekend (read: NO plans!!!!) and are absolutely thrilled about it seeing as how my hub will be away from Sunday night to Saturday morning, arriving back just in time to throw our things in the car and head out for our second big beach trip of the summer (hooray!). So, aside from getting in some family time with some fun visitors on Saturday, we'll be doing nothing and are just thrilled about it-ha! 

Y'all have a great weekend. Here's hoping for good health for all in the days and weeks to follow!

Ahoy! It's A Boy!

Several weeks ago, my sistas and I hosted a baby shower for my stepsister and our soon-to-be nephew, Samuel. Because the momma-to-be created a nautical nursery for their little bundle of joy, we decided on a nautical theme for the shower! And now, here is our "Ahoy! It's A Boy!" shower for sweet Sam. 

The Invitation: My sister "in law" ordered these cute invitations to get the theme going:

The decor: I was in charge of decor (hooray! my favorite!), and created the backdrop, cupcake toppers, food labels, buntings, signs, etc., in the color scheme of blues, red, and beige with plenty of anchors and whales:

 Guests were asked to leave a "Message In A Bottle" with words of encouragement and advice for the parents-to-be

Tradition: the sweet diaper cake made by my Momma

The food and drinks: Guests were served a variety of nautical foods (e.g., meatballs aka "Cannonballs") and were able to wet their whistles with either "Ocean Water" (i.e., bottled water) or "Marina Mimosas" (via a mimosa bar). 

The games and guests and hostesses: We played a couple of cute games with the guests before Shelby opened her lovely gifts. We loved showering our Shelbs and can't wait to meet Baby Sam!