I hope you all had a fun and relaxing Memorial Day weekend! And a BIG thank you to those who serve our country. I'm being patriotic with my red and white striped body :/ My winter white body made its first summer appearance this weekend and is still recovering. Ouch. I even put on 70 spf! Despite my discomfort we had an awesome weekend at the beach. B was obsessed with swimming at the pool (literally like 3 hours a day!) and slept like a champion. It was a true vacation for us both!

go pro action shot

our little mermaid

B got to spend lots of time with family :)

we met a good friend's baby (her nursery will be up this week!)

did more swimming...

and even wore her goggles!

blairs flamingo suit: carter's
blair's striped/polka dotted suit: baby gap
my suit: target
PS I announced the winners of the coffee giveaway HERE...was it YOU?!?

I've SO been looking forward to sharing my sis-in-law's baby shower with you! I got the pictures from Lauren at La Sol Photography and she did an incredible job!Also a HUGE thank you to Tiny Prints for sending me some great party decor!

Since Tiffany is aiming for an industrial/rustic airplane theme for her nursery I decided to go with a theme that would match and chose "vintage travel." I incorporated mostly airplanes but added some touches of cars, boats, trains etc. The best part about her shower was that I already owned most of the decor...a win for my wallet! Enough chit chat...let's get the show on the road!

chalk board by me, paper airplanes by M (best hubby)

favor stickers c/o Tiny Prints

boat hand crafted by my Dad. guests claimed their "baggage" (favors).

photo back drop and "ticketing" area for guests to write their address on envelopes

the cutest travel thank you cards c/o tiny prints

these tied the whole theme together

"complimentary refreshments" for guests

guests wrote their name on their glass

gifts please!

all mantel decor I already owned!

a cheesy phrase for a good prize ;)

my version of a "game"

prizes and prayer cards in a vintage car (HomeGoods)

prayer cards c/o tiny prints. I later bound them in one book and gave them to the mama-to-be

The only purchased item was the black airplane! All other items were either crafted or owned by me.

I used wrapping paper for the backdrop

balsa wood airplanes spray painted black (thanks M!)

Gum, tootsie roll, and lifesavers created these airplanes

"cloud nine desserts"

my go to cake topper

I could have eaten this whole cake on my own. It was my Mom's banana bread recipe with homemade cream cheese frosting. But trust me when I say there was nothing healthy about it!

i used images from this previous photo shoot

she can't wait for her cousin!

prayers for baby boy

the cutest and sweetest prego ever

she wore that same sash at her bridal shower...so sweet!

the soon to be grammas!

he's going to be quite handsome!

I always enjoy throwing parties but this one was particularly special because I'm so excited for my brother and his wife to become parents soon. With this baby I will become an Auntie for the first time and Blair will become a cousin! Hurry up and get here August 23rd! We can't wait to meet you, sweet boy.

Many thanks again to Tiny Prints and Lauren at La Sol Photography. I couldn't have done it without you!

*WINNERS*

Kim Jones- Konga

Lisa H- Season 1

Natalie Connelly- Kiboko

 Blair's bff Charlotte happens to have a pretty cool dad who just started his own coffee roasting business called Torch Coffee. I'm not a coffee snob but in my opinion the coffee he roasts is so good that it doesn't need any cream or sugar. Caffeine with no calories...winning!

D

Blair and Charlotte enjoying their caffeine buzz...kidding

At Torch Coffee Roasters, we're passionate about both coffee and people. We believe that the greatest benefit we can give the world is to bring our passions together and make coffee inclusive. Exceptional coffee, available to all. We take the science of crafting coffee seriously, but we never forget the purpose of coffee: to be enjoyed by people. So brew our coffee and enjoy it. After all, it was made for you. 

Gisenyi - Rwanda

Processing: Wet-Processes

Altitude: 1400-1850m

Cupping Notes

Look for notes of Cabernet, plumb and spice in the dry grounds and the initial brewing.  The aroma will mellow to an orange marmalade as it cools.  This is a great coffee to get a nice, bright cold brew from as well.  

About

The cooperative from which this coffee comes is just north of Lake Kivu in the Bugoyi district of Gisenyi  Rwanda.  The cooperative promotes environmental stewardship as well as biodiversity by distributing shade trees among it's members.  Also, where in many cases the water from wet processing coffee as well as the fermentation byproducts can become pollutants if dumped into local streams, the cooperative in Gisenyi filters the water used for processing and puts the organic matter back into the soil.  The care that they have for the environment is indicative of how much this labor comes across in the cup as well as how they treat the members of the cooperative.  They work with other local initiatives to build healthcare facilities, schools and also promote women and youth initiatives.  The cooperative has been well represented in almost every recent Cup of Excellence competition and it shows in the lots they produce.      

Kiboko - Tanzania Peaberry

Processing: Washed

Cupping Notes

A wonderfully bright coffee balanced out with great sweetness with notes of cranberry and apple.

Our Kiboko from Tanzania is known as a peaberry; a small percentage of all coffees in any crop become peaberries, a name indicating its round shape.  A peaberry differs from a standard bean that is round on one side yet flat on the other.  If you carefully sort through your whole-bean coffee bag of mixed varieties you may find a few.  Coffee beans get their shape (one side being curved and the other flat) from two beans growing packed next to each other in the cherries exocarp where the two beans are pressed against each other and a flat surface results.  In a coffee that becomes a peaberry one of the two beans are ejected early in the growth process.  Without the back pressure from the other bean the coffee grows round.  

To get a bag containing only peaberries, green coffee must be hand-sorted.  Coffees are picked by hand, selecting only the ripest cherries, and then are processed, hand-sorted to separate out the peaberries (a process that takes many workers hours at a sorting table). Finally they are hand-roasted by us at Torch Coffee.   Many hours of labor have gone into this coffee and it shows.   

Season 1 - Espresso Blend

Cultivar: Mixed Caturra and Bourbon

Processing: Wet-Processes/ Natural Process

Altitude: 1400-1600m

The unchanging and constant espresso is a nice thought but something that is truly unrealistic.  What we didn't want is to get stuck in this attempt to bring you the "same" espresso all times of the year; this would require us to keep coffee on hand for a long time while it slowly fades and diminishes in brightness when we could be working with what's out there and bring more interesting and exciting coffees to our line-up.  Our "Season" line of espressos (to be named Season 1, Season 2, etc as the coffees change) allows us the freedom to work with what is available and say 'this coffee won't always be the same but it will be interesting, exciting and one of the highest quality espresso we could get our hands on.'

-- 

Stephen Hasemeyer, Production Manager/Roaster

www.torchcoffee.com / stevie@torchcoffee.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway


a Rafflecopter giveaway


a Rafflecopter giveaway

I gotta be honest. If I could chose the sex of our next baby I would chose a girl. I'm a girly girl and having Blair has been SO much fun! However, after designing this "great outdoors" nursery for a boy this week I'm excited at the chance of having a boy (see my "girl" nursery here). I know M would like a little dude to take hiking, backpacking, fishing etc. It would be one of his greatest joys to show him God's great creation which is why I would choose a "great outdoors" themed nursery. I do not have the wall space to incorporate all the items below but they are there to give you options. So many cute things I just couldn't decide!

 

crib     fitted sheet     glider     log pillow     bear pillow     stool/nightstand     lantern     animals print

camping print     USA print     arrow     moose head     faux wood letter     mirror  pendant  real wood letters

campfire     USA shelf     wood shelves     rug      greatest adventure print     mocs     night light     lamp

If you were planning a nursery for a little man what "theme" would you go with? There are so many fun options out there...now all I need is a baby. ;)

We've been loving the warm evenings lately especially with the sun staying out a but later too. Sometimes M will come home and B will play in the front yard with me while he does yard work. This was the case last week...

yup. we're rockin' last year's 4th of july attire!

annnd we're still celebrating Easter :/

I always enjoy hanging out outside with B while M gets the yard lookin' spiffy. I used to be his helper but someone's gotta tend to this toddler! :) Here's to some warm summer nights coming soon!