Mike & Lindsay's Baby Shower

Remember this little nugget? The one I tried to pass as my own? Mr. Malone and I had the honor of showering the parents-to-be yesterday. And while weather didn't cooperate, the love and support in the house was overwhelming.

I, for one, am thrilled to meet my little godson.

Was finally able to use my new camera lens that I received for my birthday - amazing on close ups!

Instead of traditional gifts, we asked each guest to bring their favorite child storybook.

A banner of baby clothes was the perfect decoration. (Oh, and the cutest.)

Big brother - in the zone.

Yakima's finest.

Amazing diaper cake - wish I could take the credit!

Perhaps our most adorable guest.

Congratulations, Mike & Lindsay! Let the countdown to baby begin!

Fancy Friday

I'm looking forward to a dinner party with these two ladies, the newest Twilight movie (for comic relief), and a day of baking!

{fine china, for the win}

{homemade wine charms}

{the main course for tonight}

Sara's Bridal Shower

I like love playing hostess. I really, really do. And with the help of Mama Jewski and my sisters (ok, ok... and Pinterest), we could open a bridal shower business.

My cousin Sara is getting hitched on October 20 - which is also my parents' anniversary. (Fun fact: My parents' wedding was the first wedding Sara ever attended... she was only 19 days old!)

I couldn't be more excited for her - Galen is a wonderful addition to our family and is a great match for Sara! Can't wait to boogie in a few weeks at Melrose Market!

Emily's cupcakes are the best!

Manchego & Almond Covered Grapes. MAKE THEM.

Sara & Aunt J

Congrats, S & G!

Black Bean Salad

Hello, Summer. Glad you have decided to {finally} make an appearance!

Here is a super easy, and tasty, side for all of those BBQs - enjoy!



{via}


SOUTHWESTERN BLACK BEAN SALAD
*Via skinnytaste

1 - 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed & drained
9 oz frozen corn, thawed
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 C red onion, chopped
1 scallion, chopped
1 lime, juiced
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 avocado, diced
Salt & pepper

*Combine beans, corn, tomato, red onion, scallion, cilantro, salt & pepper in a large bowl - mix gently.
*Add olive oil and lime juice - stir to combine.
*Let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
*Add diced avocado right before serving.

Cinco de Mayo

Happy {early} Cinco de Mayo!

As I will be far too busy celebrating this lovely lady's nuptials mañana, I thought I would share my favorite guacamole recipe.

Um, seriously. This shit is delicious and highly addictive. You've been warned.

GUACAMOLE

*Via Alton Brown

3 ripe Hass avocados

1 lime, juiced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 white onion, diced

3 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 clove garlic, minced

*In a large bowl, coat the avocado pulp with lime juice.

*Add cumin, salt, and cayenne. Combine using a fork or potato masher. 

*Gently fold in onion, tomato and garlic. (You could also add cilantro, but I hate it... so I don't!)

*Let sit for 1 hour - TORTURE!!

Julia's Bridal Shower

*WARNING: This post will be picture heavy! (You are welcome and/or I am sorry.)

Another Jewski is getting married, and my youngest sister & I jumped at the opportunity to plan her bridal shower. We had the BEST time creating the invitations, finding decorations, and planning a menu. Emily & I bought all of the paper from Paper Source and spent an afternoon putting them together. I could spend HOURS in Paper Source - I was heart broken when I heard their Bellevue location closed. I am hoping the one in U Village sticks around!

Thanks to our new fascination obsession with Pinterest, we had no trouble finding inspiration for DIY projects and items to bake. My personal favorite? The fabric banners. These could not have been simpler! We bought the pre-portioned quilting squares and then I made a stencil out of an empty box. Trace, cut, and  string. Easy!

As for the favors, they included another online find. Julia loves Scrabble. We have grown up with it, as our Nana was always challenging us to a game. (We used to have to team up to beat Nana, but now we can take her on our own.) I knew I wanted to incorporate Scrabble somehow - and thanks to Etsy, that was no problem! I found the cutest magnets made out of recycled tiles and the store owner was so easy to work with. She absolutely loved that they were going to be used as favors and helped me come up with a list of wedding-related words to be used. To go with each magnet, I made some salsa to celebrate the fact that Julia and Marcus will be getting married on Cinco de Mayo!

Seeing everything come together was so fulfilling. Now who's hiring?

He stole the show. 

Seriously - how cute is he?

The perfect gift - their reception will be at The Space Needle.

Creating another glassybaby addict.

Let the countdown to May 5th begin!

Eat. Drink. Be Merry.

One part celebration + one part relaxation = a weekend success story!

Sunday (the 11th - a tad behind on this post) marked the official beginning of my 26th year, but Mr. Malone let me start the party a couple days early...

Eek!!

I have been wanting a new camera ever since I started playing with Shannon's. Although it is extremely overwhelming to think about having to learn all of the details, I could not be more excited for the challenge! (I just may have to solicit the help of my Uncle Matt.) Obviously, I played around with it in the house as soon as the battery was charged - pictures are so much more clear with a DSLR! It's unreal.

Oh, but Friday wasn't the last of it! My sister-in-law is back from Lousiana and I was treated to breakfast on Saturday by her & Mama Malone. She stayed in Baton Rouge for Thanksgiving, so it was wonderful to catch up and listen to her Southern drawl hear how school is going. Post-breakfast it was CleanFest 2011. I am fairly certain Mr. Malone & I cleaned for a good three or four hours. (And I'm sad to report that our house no longer looks how it did on Saturday afternoon).

Finally, the pièce de résistance: a tacky Christmas sweater extravaganza! I think the pictures should do the talking.

Thank you, Pinterest, for telling me it's ok to make a Christmas tree out of cheese.

Setting up the music. Hot sweater, btw.

SO. MUCH. JELLO.

Martha came!

Sarah & Buddy the Elf. (PS. Hey, Morgan)

Family.

Cousin Eddie.

...I think it's going to be a very good year...