Really Nice Friends

I have some really wonderful people in my ward. A friend of mine from church really wanted to have something for me to celebrate the baby coming and me surviving all the while Dan was gone. But with the baby not coming home til December, me being consumed with children with Dan still gone, everyone busy with Christmas preparations ... it just had to wait. She told me once Dan got home and we settled in, then she'd put something together.

Wednesday, February 7th a group of friends gathered at Panera for dinner in my honor. It was great! We all ate and talked and laughed. They even brought me gifts which I totally didn't want, but were really cute and much appreciated. I just wanted people to come and have a ":girls night out" and not feel obligated to bring gifts. But I got pjs, a dress, sweat suit, and jeans and a sweater for the baby, I got gift cards to Target and Barnes and Noble for me (or baby), bath sets (calgon, body scrub, eye mask etc..) for me and cute headbands for Piper. I also received these cute silver plated birthday candle holders in animal shapes to go on the honorary birthday kid's cake. ( I told Piper she'll have to share those with her siblings).

It's funny because I have been to Barnes and Noble and spent almost an hour browsing. I didn't buy anything yet because I don't get gift cards very often and I have to make sure I am buying the most perfect thing. I'll probably go back at least 2 more times before I decide. I think half the fun is shopping and imagining all the things you could get. It's hard to make that final decision. If I had to choose right now it would be the "Quilters Stitch Bible". It gives instructions for all kinds of fancy interesting hand and machine quilting stitches and when to use them. It also goes thru all the basics of quilting - how to start, bind and finish quilts. I need more time to see what other options I have. I also saw some fun looking games. Hmmmm....... still thinking.


Since I use the blog as my journal keeping, I must list who came. Penny Swank, Kristen Young, Bethany Cherry, Amy Gillman, Amy Elmore, Sue Rapp, Melissa Hasson, Kim Ames, Deb Fox, Pam Nielsen, Jill Dresser, Kaylyn Swavely and my Mom.


The cake was really cute and I love what they inscribed on it, "Great Job Brittney". It was hard but I do think I did a pretty good job of it - juggling everything while Daniel was gone while I was pregnant, delivering a baby without my husband, balancing my time between the baby and the other kids during the week the baby was in the hospital. I never could have done it on my own however, I know I was able to do it because of all the help I received from the Lord and family and great friends.


We saved the pink icing booties from the cake for Ainsley. She loved them and wanted to eat both of them in one sitting before breakfast. I put the brakes on that idea and made her eat them on separate occasions after breakfast but before lunch. I wanted her to eat them early enough in the day that she would have plenty of time to burn them off before bed. :)


Thanks guys! It was great!