Our bumble bee-themed gender reveal party

A couple of years ago I received a special order in my small business, Little Britches Bakery, for a bumble bee- themed diaper cake, for a “What will it BEE” gender reveal party. Ever since then I’ve been thinking about starting a bumble bee line for Little Britches and Mo/Michael’s big reveal was the perfect opportunity!

As usual, I started with some inspiration on Pinterest and a board.

Then I set about making the diaper cakes, and shifted the color scheme to yellow and white rather than yellow and black. I also added some burlap into the mix, which was very complimentary.

The full spread: What a party!!

The full spread: What a party!!

I always hang some sort of a banner (here, here) and this party was no exception. I wanted something light and airy, so I opted for tissue paper tassel garland. These are pretty easy to make and the bang you get for the cost and energy is definitely worth it!

My tissue paper and washi tape banner

My tissue paper and washi tape banner

I use 8 pieces of tissue for each garland and followed the instructions here for the most part. I did not bust out my glue gun and instead created a loop and secured the tissue paper with a black glittery washi tape. This was one of the first times I’ve used washi tape and as a result, I didn’t know that it wasn’t very sticky. I added a dot of of super glue to the edge of the tape and now the washi tape is there forever. Once the tassels were created, I alternated white and yellow when stringing them on the burlap yarn.

Because of the afternoon timing of the party, we opted for a light menu focused on desserts , with several of gluten-free options for our gluten-free guests. We enjoyed: a variety of cheeses, crackers, cured meats, a veggie platter, polenta bites, bee sugar cookies with royal frosting, meringue bee hives, spring Oreos (with yellow filling!), chocolate cupcakes with yellow frosting and chocolate bees, and lemonade.

It turned out to be quite the spread:

The food spread

The food spread

Even more food!

Even more food!  Did you spot the bees buzzing the lavender bush?

What will Mo bee? A "he" or a "she"?

What will Mo bee? A “he” or a “she”?

Handmade chocolate bees on cupcakes

Handmade chocolate bees on cupcakes

Beyond the diaper cakes, the beehive cookies were the focal point of the party. They were by far the best tasting items at the party. I normally try to make — or semi home-make — all of the items at my parties but I outsourced these cookies to my friend and former colleague Robin. She only makes cookies as a hobby right now, but she could easily be in business full-time! Her skill and creativity are both exceptional! Just typing about these cookies makes me want one right now… Just delicious.

The best cookies ever! Bzzzzzzzzz....

The best cookies ever! Bzzzzzzzzz….

I scoured the internet for old wives tales related to gender prediction — ok, it wasn’t just for the party. For the first 20 weeks of the pregnancy, every time I experienced a new symptom, it was off to the internet to try and gain some insight as to whether Baby Mo was a he or a she. I created this poster, and underlined the symptoms I’d been experiencing.

Old wives tales: truth or fiction?

Old wives tales: truth or fiction?

We had our guests guess Mo’s gender and they went along with the old wives tales and guessed girl. They were also wrong!

All signs were pointing towards Mo being a GIRL! (And yes, they were wrong!) Our little one will likely look like little Brandon, pictured here: 

Guess the gender!

Guess the gender!

The actual reveal took place in the form of this beehive cake. The results of the baby’s anatomy scan were given to our local bakery and they used blue or pink frosting in the middle. We had a great time cutting the cake and finding BLUE frosting! See the full party here!  We didn’t peek, this was the reveal to us as well!

What will it bee gender reveal cake

What will it bee gender reveal cake

If this Bee Gender Reveal party looks like something you would like to replicate, you can order most of my supplies and decorations on my Etsy shop.

Bumble bee diaper cakes

Bumble bee diaper cakes

As always, please ask any questions you might have! I’m happy to answer everything from suppliers to technique questions and beyond!

We're excited to meet our "HE" joining our family in September!

We’re excited to meet our “HE” joining our family in September!

 

Meeting Jen Lancaster

Two Fridays ago I had the honor of meeting my favorite author, Jen Lancaster, in real life!

Geeking out before the main event!

Geeking out before the main event!

Seattle lucked out and Jen was in town as one of the many stops on the tour of her new book “I regret nothing.” We haven’t been so lucky in previous years with her previous tours and I’m glad this was our year.

Jen on the cover and in real life! Check out that priority signing ticket!!

Jen on the cover and in real life! Check out that priority signing ticket!!

My dear friend Megan and I are big fans, so we pre-ordered the books and arrived at the University Bookstore extra early. We scored front row seats to the action and watched as Jen was interviewed by Seattle Times’ columnist  Nicole Brodeur. They covered all sorts of topics — Which book is Jen’s favorite? Where does she find inspiration for her writing? How did she tear her Achilles tendon? — Jen read a passage from the book — about her visit to to Italy and the ordeal of finding espresso — and she even pulled a couple of the audience “bucket list” items and commented on them. Sadly, one of my six (or so) submissions didn’t get pulled. I was really hoping she’d read the one about her: “Go out for a drink with my favorite author.” Alas, she didn’t. Instead, Megan and I went to dinner afterward.

Chatting away!

Chatting away!

After the hour or so conversation, Megan and I hustled and ended up being in the very front of the autograph line! We spoke with Jen like we were best friends. I gave her a blog card and it’s possible that she’s even reading this post RIGHT NOW! ACK!!! There is also a chance that she sees hundreds of crazy fans each night on her book tours and filed my blog card in the trash. I’ll stick to the wishful thinking though, that she’ll follow this blog and will be in touch next time she’s in Seattle for longer than a few hours!

New BFFs!!

New BFFs!!

I haven’t had a chance to start the book yet, since once I do, I know I won’t be able to put it down! I’d highly recommend picking up or checking out one of Jen’s books. My favorites include: The Tao of Martha and Such a Pretty Fat. Her fiction books are good too. Not as good as her non-fiction, but definitely enjoyable, relatively quick reads!

Jen and the Megan's

Jen and the Megan’s

Have a great week!

{Gone Pinning} Memorial Day mocktails

GonePinning

I’m more than halfway through my pregnancy and as the weather warms up, I want nothing more than a refreshing cocktail. While I know that I CAN drink during pregnancy, I’m opting against it for the most part. I’ve had a few sips of wine but I’ll be sticking to the mocktails this weekend and into the summer months.

Here are some of the delicious-looking mocktails I’ve found Pinterest:

Blackberry fauxjito

Blackberry fauxjito

Pear basil sipper 

Pear basil sipper

Ginger beer mojitos 

Ginger beer mojitos

Strawberry lemonade -- a classic!

Strawberry lemonade — a classic!

Blueberry mint lemonade

Blueberry mint lemonade

Dark invader

Dark invader

And these booze-filled cocktails also look good. I can just omit the booze and they’ll taste more-or-less the same, right!?

Blackberry margarita

Blackberry margarita

Peach Mango Pineapple White Sangria 

Peach Mango Pineapple White Sangria

Strawberry and peach sangria

Strawberry and peach sangria

Sstrawberry and rhubarb sangria

Strawberry and rhubarb sangria

Cheers to the long weekend and our expected Seattle sun! 

Our SoCal spring break

With a husband still in school, our vacations typically rotate around school holidays. And while we’re off on a different vacation I’ll tell you about soon, here is a better-late-than-never recap of our recent spring break trip to Southern California.

We started off with a much-overdue trip to Disneyland and had a magical time. It has been at least 10 years since my last trip there. A lot of sights seemed familiar, but a lot seemed very new too.

Disneyland!!!

Disneyland!!!

We arrived as the park was opening and went on nearly every ride that we could. (There are a handful of rides—most of the cool ones and any that have the word “mountain” in them—that pregnant ladies can’t ride. Thanks, baby.) We ended up staying nearly 15 hours and by the end of the evening, we were exhausted! Yet, we can’t wait to get back there!

We met Pluto! (We were there just before Easter, hence the ears)

We met Pluto! (We were there just before Easter, hence the ears)

Cruisin' through the "jungle"

Cruisin’ through the “jungle”

Princess time at the castle

Princess time at the castle

An all-you-can-eat BBQ feast in Frontierland

An all-you-can-eat BBQ feast in Frontierland

Storybook Land canal boat ride

Storybook Land canal boat ride

We found several City Halls (a vacation must for me...) Here is Toon Town's City Hall!

We found several City Halls (a vacation must for me…) Here is Toon Town’s City Hall!

One of the mountain rides Michael and I couldn't go one

One of the mountain rides Michael and I couldn’t go on

Brandon found a bench! (Another vacation "must" for us...)

Brandon found a bench! (Another vacation “must” for us…)

We took our time travelling up the coast, with a visit to Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame. We happened upon a filming of a magic show called “Don’t Blink.” We couldn’t find it online, so I’m not sure if it really exists. If you’re familiar with it, let me know. And watch for us in the background. I’m in a long, flowy pink dress! Next time we’re going to go on one of those tour buses of celebrity homes.

"Don't Blink" filming

“Don’t Blink” filming

...And hung out with Shrek

…And hung out with Shrek

Saw one of Brandon's hero's stars

Saw one of Brandon’s hero’s stars

Who is one of both of our hero's stars? (Get it?! Jeopardy!)

Who is one of both of our hero’s stars? (Get it?! Jeopardy!)

And a stop in Ventura for lunch and a stroll along the beach with one of Brandon’s aunts.

Ventura Beach. I do love the coast!

Ventura Beach. I do love the coast!

Rock sculptures at Ventura

Rock sculptures at Ventura beach

We spent the evening and following morning in Santa Barbara, exploring the courthouse and the stores and seeing some more family. We didn’t spend enough time there, and we definitely hope to return sometime soon.

The view from the wharf in Santa Barbara

The view from the wharf in Santa Barbara

We continued our voyage north, to Solvang, to visit Brandon’s grandpa. Solvang is a quaint town with shops, restaurants and winery tasting room after tasting room. We didn’t drink wine on this trip, but we have in the past and we definitely will in the future. Solvang is in the Santa Ynez valley and there are tons of wineries and tasting rooms there.

Solvang!

Solvang!

Glamour shots outside of the Santa Inez mission in Solvang

Glamour shots outside of the Santa Inez mission in Solvang

I hope to have some quality writing time soon, so don’t be a stranger and come back soon!

 

 

 

Drum roll please: Baby Szerwo is a …

It's a boy!

It’s a boy!

…BOY!

It was a fun weekend on Megan’s Island: we found out Baby Mo’s sex! We had some of our closest friends and family over for a bumble bee-themed reveal.

What will Mo bee?

What will Mo bee?

We had our 20-week ultrasound earlier this week and we had the tech write down the baby’s sex and seal it in an envelope. Brandon then took the envelope directly to the bakery, so neither of us were tempted to open it.

Here we are with the envelope. No peeking!

Here we are with the envelope. No peeking!

It’s been a long couple of days since the ultrasound, but it was worth the wait.

Our local QFC was in the know and baked a bumble bee chocolate cake, with the inside frosting the color the color of the baby’s sex.

The cake knows! Soon we would know too!

The cake knows! Soon we would know too!

We gathered everyone, cut the cake, and saw the BLUE frosting! 

Such excitement! BLUE frosting!

Such excitement! BLUE frosting!

BLUE frosting! It's a BOY!

BLUE frosting! It’s a BOY!

I’ll start working on a party-specific post now, so good bye for now from baby Michael!

Hello from Michael!

Hello from Michael!