a baby in our midst

There are only two places I've flown to where I had transforming experience before even getting into the city: Las Vegas - where everyone gets drunk on the plane - and Memphis. The flight crew drowns you in delicious Southern accents and as soon as you step off the plane, the smell of BBQ abounds! How can you not smile at that?

This weekend, I got to experience the Southern immersion by co-hosting a baby shower in Memphis for one of my very best friends, Mama Jackie! (Not her official name but that's okay). I've helped throw several wedding-related parties, but this was my first one for a babe! I've actually only attended one other baby shower in general, so hosting one is pretty new territory. Katie, Patti, and I joined forces with Jackie's mother-in-law, who basically let us use her house and run the show...thanks Janie! Since we were all English majors and Jackie and her husband love to read, we went for an alphabet/book theme. The baby's nursery has two walls of built-in bookshelves, so we had everyone bring a book to help build Baby's new library!

We also had everyone decorate pages for a little alphabet book.

One of the highlights of the shower was Patti's amazing food! I had no idea she could cook like she did, but she "whipped up" an entire spread by herself. This did a good job of reinforcing my current standing as lamest cook ever.

Yep, those are homemade fortune cookies.

My favorite one was "Baby McC will grow up to be a goat farmer."

some sort of quinoa something or other

zucchini tarts

She also cranked out these cute little fabric flowers that we made into nametags. I think I might try to replicate them for...I've been saving some fabric scraps that need a good repurposing (and I'm also actively trying to prove to Brian that I'm not a hoarder).

I didn't get a picture of the favors, but Katie put layered hot chocolate ingredients into bottles...pretty darn cute. All in all, I think we our little suaree turned out quite nicely! Jackie got some adorable things to add to her collection, and it was nice to meet some of her friends that I didn't already know.

I tried out those martha stewart tissue paper flowers.

they're a little more labor intensive than you want them to be, but a nice addition.

Although the weekend really flew by, we got in a couple of delicious meals, a neighborhood walk, and a decent bit of lounging. I know Jackie was exhausted at times, so thanks friend for pushing through for us! The baby is due on my birthday according to her calculations although the doctors say a day later, so I am reallllllllly crossing my fingers for a prompt arrival! It's pretty surreal to have the first baby in our friend group arriving so soon. I'm so excited for the McCrary family to expand and see what kind of little guy/girl we'll be able to watch grow up!