Flea Market Find

Last weekend, we ventured out to the flea market in search of a cute wooden step stool for the kitchen. Hours later, we ended up buying not only the step stool, but also two new dressers. This is 1 of 2. We love our "new" French Provincial dresser which fits perfectly in the corner of the family room. 

 

A Gentle Reminder

Event Planning: Baby Shower

This past weekend, I hosted my very first baby shower.  The theme was "Mustache and Bowties" and with a black, white and a splash of dark red color scheme.  This gal is all about chic and after 3+ months of brainstorming and planning, I hope I hit the nail on the head!  Here are some photos taken by professional photographer Jeremy Chou.  

With the beautiful Momma-to-be

I handmade the pom poms and taped them to the ceiling.  Lesson learned, these are quick to prepare but take a long time to fluff, especially if you're a perfectionist like myself.  Also, smaller ones look better than bigger ones.  The main entrees didn't arrive until after the shower had started (grrr!) which is why there are a couple of empty serving trays.

A fun game for the guests "Do not say Baby" (left) and my diaper cake on display (right)

 Some thoughts for the baby when he is older

Delicious red velvet cake with a DIY mustache and bowtie banner topper (left) and delicious sweets for dessert (right)

 We hung a line with five onesies along the hallway (too bad I don't have a photo of the entire thing)

Here are some photos that I personally took that weren't captured in the photographer's blog.

I found the perfect bag to collect the books the guests brought to start baby's library.  The inner lining has mustaches!

Wide shot of the room.  Banner made by yours truly announcing the baby's name placed above the games table

An early shot of the gifts table which quickly became full once guests started to arrive

 I am not a florist nor do I aspire to be one, but this was my best shot at creating an arrangement.  I reused the mason jars from my wedding, removed the burlap and lace to replace with a black and white ribbon

All in all, I had a great time hosting and planning the event.  Like my wedding, I didn't feel stressed at all until the nth hour.  Luckily, I had a few hands on deck, one of them my hubby who helped me pull everything together.  I now know how the folks on HGTV feel when they're working against a tight timeline and things come together just in time!

The Domino Effect

Working with colleagues from all around the world, I sometimes have conference calls early in the morning.  Today was no exception.  On the line was a woman who tends to make snide remarks and easily comes across as condescending toward others.  On this particular morning, she decided to throw me a punch and I reacted frustratingly and quickly decided that this was no way I wanted to start my morning and now my day was ruined.  After the call was over, I grumpily stomped around the house and hastily left shortly after.  During my hour+ commute, I reflected on my reaction and thought about how her lack of judgment affected me, how I probably dampened J's morning having witnessed my frown, and how my poor mood affected how considerate I was on the road, and how that would affect other drivers, and so on.  I thought about how much power one person can have and how many lives one person can touch whether positively or negatively through his/her interaction with just one other person.  I think I have always known this, but today it affected me differently because I truly realized that I could be a part of this downstream effect if I wanted to.  But I didn't.  I want to be someone who will trigger a joyful ripple effect, not someone who will initiate or continue a negative one.  Gosh, one person can make a difference.

Superbowl Sunday

This past Sunday, we invited the family over for Superbowl Sunday.  I was secretly rooting for the Seahawks while everyone else cheered on the Broncos.  I am not a huge football fanatic, but I always root for the underdog!  On the menu:

 Chicken ceasar salad

 Pulled pork sliders

 Spam musubi

 Delicious Chinese New Year cake (nian gao) made by one of my dear friends