Well, if you’re gonna have a party, you should probably have some good food on hand. And if you’re going to have good food on hand, you better have some fun-looking plates to eat it of off. And you’ve got some fun plates, you really ought to have some fun cups. And fun forks, spoons, and knives. And napkins.

And if you’re going to have all that, you should probably have a fun table cover. And a table skirt. And streamers. And balloons!

To sum up, if you’re going to have a party, you need party supplies. If that party happens to be a baby shower, SimplyBabyStuff.com has got you covered. They’ve got complete lines of party supplies to coordinate with an array of matching baby shower party themes. From placemats to name tags, everything you need is just a few clicks away. These high-quality party supplies will all but guarantee a memorable event.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

I think it’s fairly widely accepted that bacon is pretty great. Really, what can’t be made better by adding bacon? And yet, believe it or not, there exists a recipe that makes bacon even better! This is definitely a “special occasion” recipe—you don’t want to be eating this every week or anything (Or maybe you do. Your call.), but for an event like a baby shower, these caramelized bacon twists are just the little something your menu might need!

Caramelized Bacon Twists

I have served these twists both on buttered croissants with turkey and a lettuce leaf and at brunch alongside quiche and potatoes—either of which are perfect pairings, in my opinion. There are never any leftover bacon twists!

1 pound sliced bacon

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350º F, and line a 15×10x1-inch baking dish with foil (Very important! Trust me!) Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a gallon-size ziplock bag and set aside. Cut each bacon strip in half widthwise. Place the bacon strips in the bag with the sugar mixture and shake until all the strips are evenly covered with sugar. (You can do this ahead of time and let the bacon sit in the sugar mixture in the fridge. It will get a bit runny/wet, but will also be nicely marinated.) Twist each strip as you remove it from bag, and place them on the prepared pan. Bake at 350º F for 15-20 minutes or until crisp (watch closely, they can burn quickly.) Serve immediately; or cool and then freeze them in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

 Enjoy!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

When I was small, I always felt very badly for the kids in school who had summer birthdays. They never got to bring in treats to share with the class. They never got to sit there(slightly mortified) while their peers sang a birthday song just for them. Birthday party invitations couldn’t just be brought to school and handed out. “I will never,” I proclaimed, “Have a kid with a summer birthday. Those kids have got it rough.”

Fast forward (quite) a few years, and…I’ve got TWO kids with summer birthdays. Less than a month apart. How did I let this happen??

I carried those pitying feelings for poor summer-born kids right up until it came time to plan my daughter’s first birthday party. And that’s when I realized the power of the summer birthday: you can hold it outdoors! Picnics! Swimming pools! Bonfires! …I wouldn’t have to clean my house!

To say my husband and I have embraced the summer birthday would be an understatement. We’ve taken the old bit of truth about first and second (and third?) birthday parties being more for the parents than the kids, and run with it.

That first party was a doozy. “We never did have a housewarming party,” we reasoned. “This can take its place!” “It’s outside, we don’t have to worry about how many people we invite,” we said. “She’s only going to turn one once,” we rationalized. And then we proceeded to hold a (wonderfully) massive backyard barbecue birthday party for our sweet girl ourselves. It was crazy and festive and a whole bunch of fun.

And we really, really want to do it again this summer when our son turns one. Three weeks after his sister’s birthday.

Which is why we’d decided that this year, her fourth, would be the year we begin hosting a small, simple “kid” party for our daughter. We figured we’d let her invite a couple friends, play some games, eat some cake—you know, keep things simple.

And then, last week over lunch, our girl announced that she wanted to have a garden party for her birthday. “We’ll need ribbons and bows and flowers EVERYWHERE!” she said. “And I’ll invite everyone I like and they’ll all dress up!” She went on to outline her ideal menu (dessert-heavy) and flesh out her guest list (well over 30 when all was said and done) while I dutifully took notes (humoring her.)

 Now obviously, we’re not going to indulge EVERY party whim our daughter has, and we’ll be cutting her guest list down to a third or so, but she was so sweet as she relayed all her very special plans that we’ve agreed to a slightly larger party than we originally had in mind.

Which is making it a little tough to rationalize the raging blow-out we want to throw for ourselves our son just three short weeks later. Hmmm…we never did have that housewarming party…

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

While decorations shouldn’t be the focus of the baby shower you’re throwing (there’s usually a soon-to-be mama involved), great visuals do make things a lot more fun. Decorations set the mood and help to make sure everyone’s ready for a good time. And it’s always so fun to see each guest’s reaction as they walk into the room you’ve gussied up for the special day.

Banners are always a great way to make a statement (literally!), but never underestimate the power of a great centerpiece. And if you happen to have balloons that match your banners and centerpieces (and your tableware, name tags, and party favors), well, then you’ve gone to decoration heaven.

SimplyBabyStuff.com has spent a lot of time thinking about decorations, and they’ve worked hard to develop great options for just about every decorative element you could think of. If you wanted, just about every inch of your party room could covered in super cute decorations. We’re not saying you should actually wallpaper the room with well wishes for the mother-to-be…but isn’t it nice to know you could?

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

Baptism is one of the most significant milestones in your child’s brand new, bright little life. But all too often, the occasion is treated more like a minor holiday. For some people, a baptism is like Groundhog Day with a quick trip to church—rather than the truly meaningful occasion it should be.

Well, a special baptism starts with a special baptism invitation. It’s a quick and easy way to dress up the day. SimplyBabyStuff.com has an elegant collection of baptism invitations that range from cute to classy to classic. Many of the different invitations are available in standard or high quality velum overlay versions. And they’ve even got matching thank you cards.

 These baptism invitations can help to add weight to your baby’s special day, letting your friends and family know how important these traditions are to you.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

It’s strawberry season! Hooray! I’m a big fan of berries, and I think strawberries top my list (particularly if they’re involved in some sort of shortcake/whipped cream concoction…). They’re so versatile—they can be incorporated into everything from a yummy spinach salad to creamy strawberry soup to sparkling beverages to a simple dip in chocolate. If you’re hosting a baby shower this summer, be sure to incorporate this delicious fruit into your menu…even if it’s just by offering a bowl of fresh juicy whole berries.

This delicious recipe is a perfect way to showcase the gorgeous strawberries to be found this time of year. A take on strawberry cheese cake, these “one-bite” morsels are pretty much perfect as is…or you can gild the lily (highly recommended) by dusting the filled berries with graham cracker crumbs or grated dark chocolate. Or dip them in chocolate! Or place them on small baked rounds of delicate puff pastry! Or…you get the picture. 

Stuffed Strawberries

1 pint fresh strawberries

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

½ cup powdered sugar

1-2 tsp pure vanilla extract (or almond extract)

Wash strawberries well and lay them out to dry. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients with a mixer or a food processor until its smooth. Place it either into a piping bag with a large tip (a star tip is pretty!) or into a plastic sandwich bag with the corner cut off. Refrigerate the filling while you prepare the strawberries.

To assemble, cut the tops off your strawberries so you can stand them upright on the cut side. (Alternately, if your strawberries have pretty stems and leaves, or if you plan to dip them, leave the tops on and just lay them on their sides after they’ve been filled.) To open up the inside of the strawberries for filling, cut either a small wedge shape out of the tip of each berry, or make two intersecting (criss-cross) cuts from the tip to about ¾ of the way toward the now-bottom of the berry and gently fan the sections out a bit to create a pocket for the filling. Squeeze some filling into each strawberry, ending with a pretty dollop on top of the berry, and place them on a platter.

Cut berries tend to weep a bit of juice, so if you’d like to fill them way ahead of time, I’d suggest storing them in a paper towel-lined cake pan and then transferring them to your platter when you’re ready to serve them.

Enjoy!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

When my daughter walked for the first time, it was a beautiful summer day. My husband and I sat across from each other in soft green grass and took turns alternately holding her up and encouraging her to walk the three small steps over to us. Eventually, magically, she took those steps, and we all beamed at each other and gushed over how brilliant she was.

Such is life with your first child.

My son took his first steps the other day. I think. I mean, when I looked in to check on him in the family room, he was standing there grinning at me from near the coffee table, at a completely different angle than he would have been if he’d simply been leaning on the table. And he was a foot and half or so away from the table too—so I’m pretty sure he walked there. Or maybe he just stood up without holding onto anything? That would be a first too. Well, either way, he almost definitely had some sort of first that day. And it only took me until the next night to remember to tell my husband about it, at which point we beamed at each other and gushed over how brilliant he is.

 Such is life with subsequent children.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

Step #1 in the Successful Baby Shower Handbook (trust us, it exists) reads as follows: “Pick an adorable, lighthearted theme for your baby shower, and let it guide your every detail.”

Seems simple enough. Subsection (A) beneath Step #1 in the Successful Baby Shower Handbook (again, it exists) reads as follows: “The easiest way to maintain a consistently adorable and lighthearted theme is to use matching baby shower tableware that is both adorable and lighthearted.”

Fulfilling Subsection (A) is easy if you click over to SimplyBabyStuff.com’s Baby Shower Tableware page, but hold on there, you. What if the mother-to-be is having twins? Selecting an adorable theme—let alone tableware—becomes considerably more complicated. (Or fun! Depending on your perspective.)

Luckily, Sub-subsection (Q) beneath Subsection (A) beneath Step #1 in the Successful Baby Shower Handbook reads as follows: “If the mother-to-be is expecting twins, use SimplyBabyStuff.com’s Two Peas in a Pod baby shower tableware collection.” (We swear, it says that.) (Does too.)

A variation on the “Sweet Pea” theme, the Two Peas in a Pod collection was designed around mothers who are about to have their hands very full. So for now, you can make sure their hands are full with adorable baby shower tableware—plates, napkins, hot/cold cups, placemats and more—all of it featuring two cute babes sitting in a pea pod. (Like two peas in a pod. Because: twins. Follow? Just checking.)

So if you’re planning a shower for a mother-of-twins-to-be, check out the Two Peas in a Pod baby shower tableware page to see what’s available. Whoever wrote the Successful Baby Shower Handbook would be very happy.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

For the past couple years, my daughter (Eva) has spent most of her days insisting we call her by whatever name she’s dreamed up for herself. Among others, we’ve had periods of “Evie Cat,” “Gina Kitty,” “Jen,” “Carol,” and “Fancy Cat.” She’s been many different kitties, duckies, puppies, meerkats, chickadees, and bats…not to mention multiple characters from her favorite story books. At her kindergarten (4K) screening last week, she introduced herself to the school secretary as “Kitty.”

And it’s not just her own monikers she’s been dictating—each morning (and then many more times throughout the day) she announces roles for the rest of us. I’ve spent so much time as Mama Cat (or Mama Kitty), it’s become somewhat of a nickname. And her little brother has been dubbed “Wayne.” (Don’t ask me where that one came from.) However, this all pales in comparison to the personas she’s been coming up with lately.

Last week, she proclaimed herself to be a “Fancy Pirate Kitty Princess.” (And if you give her a minute (or 10), she’ll share with you an entire back story to go along with that name.) Pretty much any multi-word combination of “kitty, fancy, ducky, princess, fairy, and Ariel the Mermaid” will do. And she often throws in a few “robots” and “ninjas” for good measure. I’m beginning to have trouble keeping up!

I couldn’t be happier about her active imagination. I just need to hire a consultant to create a database of names so I know what to call my daughter when it’s time for lunch.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

Whether you’re a hands-on person or simply on a tight budget, when it comes to planning a baby shower there are many reasons to “Do-It-Yourself.” One of the great things about putting together a DIY shower is that the final product is absolutely unique…and as a bonus, the cost of hosting the shower is often quite a bit lower.

Even if you don’t consider yourself a particularly crafty person, you can create beautiful decorations, favors, prizes, and even invitations by teaming up with SimplyBabyStuff.com.  At SimplyBabyStuff.com, you’ll find an entire section devoted to helping you add your personal style and touch to your baby shower. Whether you’re looking for personalized tags and stickers to add to your own handmade favors and prizes, or containers to fill with candy and flowers to create beautiful centerpieces for your tables, you’ll find just what you need at SimplyBabyStuff.com.

While a do it yourself baby shower requires a bit more work on your part, when you do things your way your guests are sure to notice…and appreciate your efforts!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger