Back-to-school teacher gifts...

     Many of my great-nieces and great-nephews are starting school this year for the first time so I felt that the teachers needed a little "Thank you" gift. When my great-niece started school I made her a Back-to-School Crayon wreath (please check my blog posts!) and it was really well received from her teachers! The problem I faced with this years Back-to-School gifts was the fact that instead of one child starting school for the first time...there was 4! Two preschoolers and two kindergartners! I did not want to spend a ton of money on the gifts so I scoured the Internet for an alternative to the Back-to-School wreath...and I found: "Bird's Nest Bracelets." I found a great tutorial on Pinterest that showed step-by-step how to make these adorable pieces:  Mommy Made...pop over there and see how easy they are to make!

I decided to make these bracelets because necklaces are not for everyone...after giving two to my great-niece, Sadie, to give to her 2 preschool teachers I received this in return:

The Baby Shower

The Mommy-to-be looking beautiful!!

The baby shower was a success! And all my knitty pink and brown? My NIECE loved it!!! Ok, so let me start at the beginning...

Of course, I slept in and everyone was mildly freaking out because I had the KEY (yes, the KEY-all caps for being a pain in the ....well a pain!) Anyway, set up did not take long because there were not a lot of decorations. Not having a lot of decorations is something new for me. The last few baby showers I "helped" throw I drove myself crazy with decorations (one niece had handmade ABC blocks) but this was actually a great change of pace. Of course, not everything went smoothly because shortly after I arrived I realized that the KEY did not work for the kitchen so....we could not get to the sink or the ice machine! It was ok though because at least the bathrooms were unlocked and there was a water fountain. It was not long before the guests started to arrive or so I thought but really it was the baby's daddy's family with MORE food. Oh, I made these great BLT tomato bowls (recipe at the bottom of post!) There was all kinds of food! Little sandwiches, vegetable trays, a watermelon full of fruit that was shaped like a baby carriage....the mommy-to-be was happy as a lark to see all the food!

<---Cake by Grandma

It was great seeing all the generations together at the baby shower. The mommy-to-be was surrounded by her great-grandmother, her grandmother, her mother, her aunts (that's me! and some other aunts), her sisters (well, two out of 4-one was sick and the other is a Marine serving in Afghanistan), her cousins, her nieces and nephews, and her best friend! And that was just the mommy-to-be's side! THE GIFTS!! Oh, she got tons of gifts including a crib and a stroller...but that's the important stuff (well, not to me!) My pink and brown knitty stuff that was the highlight! I found a really cute pink milk crate and filled it with tissue paper. Then I added the cardigan, the blanket, the booties, the 2 bibs, some diaper wipes, lotion, powder, and a few other things. It weighed a ton! I was so happy when she picked up blanket and put it on her tummy!

Overall, the shower was great! Despite all the problems with the key and being locked out of the kitchen and me having to wait 4 hours outside in the heat (and then 2 more hours to return the key) it was well worth it! The mommy and daddy-to-be got everything they needed to complete their nursery! She is 34 weeks as of yesterday so it will not be long before I am writing about the birth of Kylie Rose!

Here is the recipe!!!!

**BLT Tomato Bowls**

Ingredients: Roma tomatoes, lettuce, bacon bits/crumbles, croutons, and ranch dressing

1. Cut Roma tomatoes in half and scoop out insides.

2. Fill Roma tomatoes with lettuce and top with bacon bits/crumbles. and croutons. Add ranch dressing.

3. Chill and serve!