bridal shower weekend (in NY) recap

apparently, 2 screaming children at 6:30 in the A.M in the midst of a heat wave = an effective form of birth control.

obviously not for us, but i was glad to be able to perform this service for dear friends who are embarking on forever together.

"we want babies!"

::enter my children::

"holy shit. i don't think i can do this. never. ever. wtf?!"

you're welcome.

i mean honestly- the girls did pretty good. but a 6 hour car ride, being away from home in a strange house, with temps in the 100's & mommy not at the ready...that's a recipe for true colors to come out.

the husband really stepped it up & did what i needed him to do. wrangle the girls for 2 days while i slaved away in the kitchen.
they may have ingested handfulls of dog hair & come away with more than a couple decorative bruises (thanks to dive bombing off the bed) but all in all it could have been a lot worse.

we arrived in NY around 3am on friday (after driving all night while bebes slept to ensure a little sanity) and i was promptly awoken @ 6 am by brynn head butting me in the face.
good morning.
i got up & got to work. mixing, beating, cracking eggs, sifting flour, measuring butter, pouring batter, whipping egg whites- etc etc etc

by 12 noon i'd churned out 30+ cupcakes & 4 layers of cake. chocolate & white. in the hottest kitchen ever.

thankfully the rest of the kitchen duties were completed at another house that blissfully chilled with central air.
thank you God.

french macarons, marshmallow frosting, cupcakes in jars, s'mores on a stick. basically- enough sugar to make a dentist cringe.

the rest of the ladies also got to work making Sangria & mojitos & decorations & sliders & putting up tables/chairs, tissue paper pom poms- and more.

we wrapped up the day by going out (girls only) for sushi & gelato.
i usually stay away from sushi- but i decided to be brave (somewhat- i didn't touch anything with raw fish) & go for it.

wow. i want to be rich & eat sushi on a daily basis. thank you very much.

i also had my way with some scallion pancakes & a plate of Pad Thai. heaven.

back to the house (thankfully the room we stayed in was kindly fitted with an AC unit. omg. it was like out own personal arctic vacation) where i fell into bed & snagged 5 hours of shut eye.

back up @ 6:30. banana waffles made. fruit & coffee consumed.

stepped out into stifling heat & immediately became drenched in sweat. quick stop at Wegman's (omg NY people. i am ever so jealous of your Wegman's. i need one. it made me ridiculously happy)

back to the central air house ::queu angels singing::

3 hours & way too many egg whites & pounds of butter later- bridal shower cake = completed.

everyone came together & wrapped up loose ends. food prepped & decorations done. flowers sorted & drinks full of ice.

we (myself & tiffany- the bride to be's sister) rushed back to the house to change & grab the guest of honor.

back to the party (i must mention that it was outside. and it was hot. but it was still awesome)

everything was in order. she cried. we laughed. she hugged. we said "hooray!". everyone ate, played shower games & "oooh'd & aaah'd" over gifts.

squeals of joy were heard when i brought out the cake.
manda's reaction made it all worthwhile.
she loved it.

dessert consumed. favors passed out. people saying their goodbyes. cleaning up. bridesmaids jumping in the pool. drinks being consumed.

it was wonderful.

i had to skip out early & head back to the house. the husband & i quickly packed the car & bundled the girls into their seats. with the AC blasting & alex happily zoning out with a movie, we headed back to our home state.

somehow the husband managed to let the GPS get the upper hand & we found ourselves in Vermont. at 12 am. bendy roads & numerous deer are not a recipe for an awesome trip back home.

there were some choice words (uttered by the husband- not me) and some passing of slow Vermonters on yellow double lines (don't judge. we had no choice. pass or die) but we made it home in 1 piece.

we got the girls settled in bed & unpacked the car.
i threw in a load of laundry, put away food, packed up extras & washed dishes.
and we were in bed by 3:30. not too shabby.

..however, i was once again awoken at 6:30 in the AM thanks to my head butting child.

thankfully the day was cooler (plus we have AC) and a trip to the in-laws, to pick up the dogs, resulted in lunch.
we spent some time hanging out & then baths were given & bedtimes came early.
i then sat my behind down for several hours of picture editing ::yawn::

11:30 = bed. finally. the end.

and now i'll overload you with pictures. because i know that's why you keep coming back to my corner of the internet. enjoy.

the cake & cake bunting (both made by yours truly)










the other desserts (also made by yours truly)







drink table





food





pretty tables & decoration






a crucial piece of technology



s'mores cupcakes in a jar (also made by yours truly w/layering assistance from the girls)





(i painted the lids with chalkboard paint)

the bride to be



crying after she saw the adirondak chair set we(the bridesmaids) got for her



we used a wood burning tool to sign our names!








the ladies






randoms










and etc et. the rest of the set is here: Flickr Set

i did snag pictures of the girls & the husband but i'll share those later. i fear that any more pictures might = loading issues.

happy monday!