Baby Showering!

So...I SUCK! haha. I have been so bad about posting lately. I guess I haven't really felt inspired to post about anything recently, to be quite honest.

But I have something today that I am kinda excited to share! I had the wonderful privilege of hosting a baby shower for one of my dear friends this past weekend. I have hosted a bridal shower and helped plan a bachelorette party once before, but I've never done a baby shower, so it was a new experience for me.  I thought I'd share a few tips I learned along the way, and just a few details about our little party :)

Tips for Baby Showering:

(or really, some of them would certainly apply to any type of party!)

1.) Invitations that have bows (or anything attached that is not flat with the card/paper) on them cost 20 cents extra to mail...just F.Y.I. If you don't put the extra 20 cents worth of stamps...they show up back in your mailbox.

2.) Don't be surprised when people don't RSVP and show up anyway. 

3.) Don't get discouraged (and do your best to keep your Guest of Honor from getting discouraged) when the number of people that come does not add up to the number of people you invited. Some people are legitimately busy, and others are just completely selfish.

4.) MAKE THIS DISH! :)

Before:

Ingredients, Part 1: Crescent rolls, sour cream, cream cheese, ranch dressing packet! Ingredients, Part 2: Veggies! I used carrots, broccoli, and red bell pepper. Tomatoes are also shown here, which I totally had intentions of including, but I forgot...woops!

After:

The finished product: cold veggie pizza! :)

I had previously had something like this before at a wedding reception, and I thought it was really good...so I thought I'd attempt to make it for the shower! It turned out really well and was a big hit. Here's how to make it if you're interested:

Ingredients: 

1 package of crescent rolls (there are 2 in the picture, but I only ended up needing one for the amount of the other ingredients I had). 

8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened (I used fat free, and to "soften" it, I just took it out of the fridge while I was preparing everything else)

1 cup sour cream (again, I used fat free)

Ranch dressing mix (I bought a packet that was 16 oz. I believe, but I only used about a teaspoon of it!)

1 teaspoon of dill weed

1/4 teaspoon of garlic salt

Veggies of your choice!

Directions:

-Roll out crescent dough on baking sheet. Press it down with your fingers to flatten it as best as you can, and poke in several places with a fork (It gets really fluffy when it bakes, and I think it tastes best with a thin crust!). Cook as directed on package...although I will admit, I had to take mine out 1-2 minutes before the timer went of so they didn't burn...not sure if that's just my oven, or because the dough was flat... :)

-While that's in the oven, rinse and start cutting your veggies. I cut the bell peppers in strips and the broccoli in little florets, and I grated the carrots after I peeled them. I honestly can't give you an exact amount here...I just cut until it looked like enough to cover the whole pizza.

-Once the crust is done, take it out of the oven to cool.

-Make the dip/"sauce"...put sour cream, cream cheese, ranch mix, dill weed and garlic salt into a large mixing bowl and mix well (I used a potato masher rather than a spoon, and that worked really well with the cream cheese). Add ranch mix to your liking...I thought it tasted great with just a teaspoon, but you could always put more if you just prefer a stronger ranch flavor!

-Once the crust is cool, spread dip/sauce mix over the top. Place veggies all over to your liking!

-Use pizza cutter to cut into little hors d'ouvres size squares :)

I happened to get this little project done JUST before the guests arrived, so they immediately got put on a serving platter and placed on the table. But if you are a little more timely than me, you could put the veggie pizza in the fridge until you are ready to serve! 

Like I said, it turned out great and everyone loved it! We had 6 people at the shower, and it was almost the perfect amount...so if you expect more guests at your party, you could always just double it :) It really wasn't too bad on the wallet either, so that's always a plus in my book! :)

4.) NEVER...let me repeat...NEVER, turn a chocolate fountain rotor on before the chocolate chips are completely melted!

Obviously, there is a story behind this one. I have a small chocolate fondue fountain that I got as a gift for my college graduation. I love it! I have only used it maybe 3-4 times now, but it is really handy to have for parties and things like that. If you've never used one before, you use just regular chocolate baking chips and cooking oil. You're supposed to use 2 bags of chocolate chips, and honestly I don't know how much oil to be exact...I always just guestimate. Every other time I have used it, I've always melted (either in the microwave or a crock pot) the chocolate chips in the oil first, before ever putting it in the fountain. I was running a little behind in setting up, so I thought I'd just melt have the chips in the microwave, and add the other half directly to the fountain. BIG MISTAKE. Once I got the melted chocolate into the fountain, I turned the rotor/heater on and let it start flowing. I slowly started adding a few chocolate chips to the mix...and all seemed to be going well for a few minutes....Then out of nowhere, the fountain starts throwing chocolate EVERYWHERE! 

My instinct of course is to try to get away from the spewing chocolate, but of course it is getting all over me, my walls, my floor, and ALL of the fruit I had cut up and put out on the table....WOOPS! I was able to get it turned off, but there were some minor casualties :( Fortunately, I managed to get it out of the shirt I was wearing...it did leave some light oil spots on my jeans though. And the worse part, was it got all over one of my microsuede chair cushions! :( :( :( I seriously wanted to cry, but with guests in my home, I tried my best not to. The chocolate came out, but unfortunately the cooking oil left it spotted looking like a dalmation :(

I seriously wish I would've taken pictures, but in the chaos of the moment, that was the farthest thing from my mind. Minus the fact that I'm pretty sure my chair cushion is ruined, looking back, it makes for a pretty funny story! I am going to attempt to salvage my chair cushion...and if all else fails, I may just have to break down and have them reupholstered...so I will take pictures at some point and post a blog about how that goes sometime in the future I'm sure :)

And for my last shower tip...

5.) Take a picture of the Guest of Honor with all her gifts laid out from everyone! I think it will be a cute little keepsake for the baby book :)

My dear friend, and soon-to-be mommy to baby Amelia! :)

Me and the Mommy-to-be! :)

Minus the chaotic events that occurred, I had a great time throwing her shower. She is going to be such a great mommy, and I am so proud of her for doing everything she can to give her little girl the best life she possibly can, even though she'll be a single mom.

Do you have any party/shower tips?! :)