Books & Bees Baby Shower (Winnie the Pooh Theme)

So tomorrow kicks off A Week of Sundays! I thought I'd ease into the mommy talk by sharing a baby shower I threw this past spring for Emily and Baby S. When Emily told me she was planning a Winnie The Pooh nursery theme I knew I wanted to take a spin on the idea for her shower. It wasn't long before I decided on a Books & Bees theme. (Be sure to check out my pinterest board for the shower!) I asked each guest to bring a book in leu of a card and the small favor bags had handmade bookmarks in them. In addition to the bookmarks, the favor bags contained little baggies of caramel popcorn and a stick of rock candy. I tried to stick with a sort of yellow-white-brown theme overall, so the contents of the favor bags reflected those colors. And the goodies were super yummy! (I would know since I ate way too much of the leftover caramel popcorn.) Sooo delish!

The decor was simple with a burlap table runner, fresh flowers and Winnie the Pooh accents around the room. I printed a few of the original drawings of Winnie the Pooh (google image search for the win!) and framed them in small wooden frames I found on sale at Michael's for $1 each. They stood next to small vases, also bought for $1 each at Family Dollar, filled with fresh flowers. Simple, easy, and refreshing! (Also super affordable... win/win!)

The cupcakes were done by my amazingly talented friend Jennifer and her daughter Rhiannon at La Bella Torta. The location was a cozy cabin - perfect for the theme - and the day was lovely. I had such a fun time planning and preparing for this shower and it was a joy to throw. Emily was glowing and happy the whole time. It blessed me to see her enjoying herself.

One thing I did that received great feedback from Emily was having guests write notes on newborn diapers. I remembered those first few days of motherhood being cooped up inside and overwhelmed at the thought of having people over, but so badly missing the interaction and activity of normal life. I thought having sweet notes to read from friends during nighttime changes would brighten Emily's world if even for just a minute. I simply bought a package of newborn diapers and set them out with some sharpie markers and a little picture frame with a directional poem. People had a lot of fun with the notes and got pretty creative. Here is what Emily had to say about the activity:

"The diapers from my shower were a huge blessing to me right after we got home from the hospital. It's crazy how isolating it can feel while adjusting to being a mom and taking care of a newborn. The notes, drawings and comments made me smile. I usually saved the diapers for the "middle of the night" changings because I knew those would be the most difficult and often the diaper I grabbed was perfect for that particular moment. Diaper messages reminded me to smile, cherish every moment, and helped me keep things in perspective. The most important thing the diapers reminded me of was that I was not alone. I would recommend this for all of my friends who plan to use disposables! It's such a great idea!"

And here are a few pictures Emily shared as she went through the diapers:

Just in case they are a little tough to read, one says "Isn't it Daddy's turn?" and the other says "Loading..." (A spin on dad's career in technology!) So cute!

Overall, I would say the shower was a great success! Emily received a lot of goodies from her gift registry and we had a great time with her friends! I really enjoyed the process of planning, prepping and throwing the shower and it's just as much fun to relive it here on the blog months later!

Venue: The Barrack-Falwell Lodge Cupcakes: La Bella Torta Sandwich wraps: Roly Poly Photo booth: Lynchburg Snapshot Studio Flowers: Bought the day before at Kroger Table runner: Burlap fabric bought at JoAnn's Beehive drink container: TJMaxx

Equipment used for this session:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens

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Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddings, family portrait sessions and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.

Three more days!

until a week of Sundays!

I'm excited...! I've been working on lots of goodies to share with you all about something I love dearly: motherhood.

I'll be kicking things off on Tuesday with a giveaway of one of my favorite products so don't miss it!

Gratituesday: The right to vote

We were out of the house bright and early this Tuesday morning to cast our vote for the next President! But before we left the house I spent a few minutes on Facebook (who doesn't?!) and read a status message that someone posted about deciding NOT to vote today. Just... a casual "eh, I don't think I'll vote." It got me really fired up.

Being a mom has definitely changed my perspective on a lot of things, voting in elections is one of them. I see now that my responsibility to educate myself and cast my ballot surpasses just being an American citizen. I am setting an example for my daughter. I am voting for HER future. I am honoring those women before me who fought for the right of their daughters to vote. I am honoring those servicemen who fight for our freedom!

How do people miss this? How do they not understand the great responsibility we have to vote? (sigh)

So this week... it's an easy one! I am grateful for my freedom to vote! And my freedom to express frustration about those who choose NOT to vote! :)

Join us for Gratituesday at heavenly homemakers!

Welcome November!

Well, hello November. You sure did sneak up on me. Friends! There's so much going on around here this month... would you join me?

First up... I cannot believe I'm writing this, but Sunday turns one this month. Wow. I am not even going to waste a minute mourning the quick passing of this year. My goodness. I have to focus on the fun time that is right now or else I'm going to LOSE it! Yes - it went FAST. Just like everyone said it would!

So, her first birthday is right around the corner and the party planning bug finally bit me last week (a little late, I know). Check out my pinterest board to see the fun things that are inspiring me while I plan 90 minutes of celebration between Sunday's nap times. :) It should be fun!

On the note of Sunday's birthday… I have a whole week of blog posts planned for the days leading up to her birthday (Nov 13 - 20). I'll be discussing our must-have products for baby's first year, sharing how motherhood has changed me, finally(!!) posting her birth slideshow, and of course blogging all the birthday party details with you guys. Oh! And a GIVEAWAY is coming, too! So fun! So take note: A Week of Sundays is coming November 13-20.

I am also excited to be jumping in on an Instagratitude project…! Every day in the month of November I'll be instagramming (that should be a real word in the dictionary by now) a picture of something I am thankful for. Be sure to follow me on Instagram if you aren't already: sincerelylizinc. I'm planning to share a round-up of pictures here on the blog later in the month for those of you who are not active on Instagram yet.

And finally… another Thankful Project. The Clutch Guide is sponsoring 30 Days of Thank You. I've got my stack of thank you cards, envelopes and stamps ready to go and I plan to write a note and drop it in the mail every day this month. What a cool idea, right?! You should join us, too!

So, like I said... lots of things going on around here. In the meantime, I am wrapping up Fall Family Portraits (just a few more on the calendar) and the 2012 Wedding Season. The holidays are right around the corner, y'all! So excited!

It's all about our perspective

Option 1: My child keeps getting herself into nooks and crannies and thinks she is stuck when she's not. It's kind of annoying.

Option 2: Sunday crawls into these places and cries out for help... and I get to rescue her. I am her every day hero!

Option 1: I am constantly picking up the toys in this living room. It gets SO OLD.

Option 2: I'm picking up toys all the time, but at least I am off my butt moving around and the task literally takes less than 2 minutes. It's good for me to move!

Option 1: I am so tired of cooking three meals a day and cleaing up the kitchen 3 times a day. It's like I live in here.

Option 2: For the first time in my life I am cooking a lot more meals than I am buying and I'm really excited because I am eating healthier than ever and saving so much money.

Having the right perspective is something I am constantly working on. There are days when I simply throw in the towel and pout all day. But then there are days when I can easily see the good in situations. I think a lot of times I blog because it forces me to find the good in a situation. I like keeping this blog as a place of encouragement and positivity, but I also don't want you all to think I don't have my bad days or tough moments. I do. Remember this day?

Okay, end of my public service announcement. :)

Happy weekend, friends! I'm off to my last wedding of the season and the kickoff weekend for Fall Family Portraits! I have a few slots left and I JUST updated the availability on the info page. Shoot me a message if you would like to book!