In Loving Memory . . .

Nearly each year {and certainly each year from here on out} we take about a 2.5 hour drive to Loa, Utah to visit the grave of our beloved Brother and Son, Clinton Ray Whetman.
Before my Dad married my Mom, he was married to Christine (Chris) and they had a son on May 26, 1979. Whether it was weekends or holidays with my Mom, Dad Clint and then Whitney, or later on in life- weekends with us three kids and Dad- I have fond memories of Clint. He was such a proud big brother and so much fun too!
Four days before his 14th birthday, Clint was in a fatal motorcycle accident at the sand dunes. He was buried on his 14th birthday, May 26, 1993.
We always cherish the times and memories that we all shared together. He is forever missed and loved. His smile and voice are unforgettable.

This year, my Dad, Whitney and I took the day to drive down there. We spent some time at the grave and enjoyed being there. We after met up with Chris as she lives in Loa. Whitney and I were more than thrilled when we went back to her house where she shared with us and my Dad some things of Clint's: baby blankets, the little outfit they brought him home from the hospital in, 'bear', his baseball mits and a few other keepsakes. Whitney and I each were given two of his baby blankets. Beautiful blankets and priceless treasures.
This year we truly enjoyed our visit down, our time at the grave and our time with Chris. We cannot thank her enough for being so generous as to share these special items with us.

Ah... so, now that you want to cry and after we all did... we did enjoy a delicious greasy meal from Mom's Cafe and lots of junk food on the drive!

We love and miss you Clinton!!!

Baby Shower, Part II: Thee Event

Alicia's Baby Shower has finally arrived! This was my first time (co) hosting a baby shower and it was a huge success! From the invites to the food and decor- it turned out just perfect! Seriously, I really just want to be an event planner. Posh baby showers, elegant bridal showers, beautiful and extravagant birthday parties- this is all (well, not really) I want in life!

In order to get the invitations out in time, I had to order them before we knew the sex of the baby. This meant I had to find a darling gender-neutral design. Well, I found one! Two days before I mailed them out we found out Alicia was having a GIRL and I created an "It's a Girl" insert to include in the invitations. I used a pink powder/glitter with a stamp and special "stamp glue" to create the It's a Girl message on a thick textured white paper... I attached this to a cute pink paper with pink glitter polk-a-dots. I topped this off with a pink gross-grain ribbon with a rhinestone center. What made the invites even cuter? These super cute matching envelopes!

Now, on to the menu. Thus far in Alicia's pregnancy she has been craving Mexican food. {I crave Mexican food daily; what's my excuse?} To satisfy her craving and to surely please the crowd we went with a Cafe Rio taco platter buffet! Tons of tortillas, chicken and pork, beans, rice, chips and salsa and all of the toppings were DELICious! We also got key lime pie and tres leches from Cafe Rio for dessert. Patti handmade these adorable and tasty cupcakes too, adorned with little pink flowers cut from fondant. We served a YUMMy champagne punch too (the same one we enjoyed at my Bridal Shower... )








Decor: Over we were thinking PINK! We stared with all pink eating utensils in two shades of pink. Look how cute I wrapped the fork and knife... I tied the rolled utensils with pink ribbon and attached a safety pin charm. We scattered "It's a Girl" confetti all over the table and drink station. We had three bouquets of pink baby tulips around the party. Baby wash cloths hung from the lighting fixture above the buffet, tied off with different colors and patterns of ribbon. The onesy clothesline is my favorite feature! 15 onesies hung from two shades of pink satin ribbon, attached by a wooden clothes pin. As both Linda, Patti and I got our own onesies, I attached tags with mini pink clothespins so Alicia knew who each onesy was from! I created an Ariana banner... embellishing each letter of her name with glitter, ribbons, buttons and stickers and attaching them with mini clothes pins to a pink gross-grain ribbon. Three pink pillar candles surrounded by pink marbles sat above the name banner and smelled springy-fresh!




Patti had a fabulous idea for the favors... Ariana is due in August. The birth flower of August is the gladiola. Patti packaged a gladiola bulb tied off in a clear wrapping topped with hot pink ribbon and these darling clip-on bright butterflies! Useful, thoughtful and SO cute!

One of my favorite things about this event was my gift! I was determined to learn to make those cute flowers (made of fabric). I made an array of flowers (each taking approximately ONE hour) and hot-glued an alligator clip on the back that they can be interchangeably on the crocheted headbands... there is a matching headband/flower for each outfit I got!

I cannot wait to meet baby Ariana August 14, 2010. Until the next baby shower...

Baby Shower, Part I

My Sister-in-Law Alicia is due with her first baby (girl) on August 14th! I do have two nephews, Ayden and Brandon, and this new addition will be my first "born while I knew ya" child. Obviously, I am super excited. Alicia lives in Wilder, Kentucky- so pretty damn far away. We are lucky that she travels here about twice a year so we get to her often (not often enough) and Mikey and I have been out there once and plan to visit again once the baby is born. While they are not certain on the spelling, I believe they are leaning toward Ariana. Darling!
Okay, all of this background leads up to my excitement, and joy in life lately... Alicia is here in Utah now (for Easter). Patti, Linda and I are throwing her an early baby shower while she is in town this coming Saturday, April 10. Falling under my "things I am neurotic about" button happens to be a new activity: hosting a baby shower! OMG- I am so into it. I mean, yes, I frequent Michael's on a regular basis irregardless of party planning. I do not even really know what I get there... debit card statement has me hittin' up Michael's at least once every other week. I look for any excuse to go too: I have an extra $20, John is our new neighbor, it's someone's bday and they need a card, etc.
Back to the point: Can I please be a professional baby shower planner? Soon-to-be Moms are much more pleasant than most brides too, equaling a better and more positive experience for all of those involved.
I cannot wait to post pics and details about the shower in just a few days. I am just SO excited for this event that I had to share my pre-excitement. I cannot even imagine what I could do with a fat budget... the possibilities.
Not only have I gone mad with decor and details of the event, I have become a creator/crafter of a new project that I love. Cannot wait to unveil this as well.

Phew- got this off my chest. Now, back to the Martha Stewart site and posh baby sites that I adore so much!