Let them Eat Cake

I got curious about the origin of the phrase "Let them eat cake" attributed to Marie Antoinette when I was working on this post.

It was reported to Marie that the people of France were so starving there was not even bread to eat...She said "Then, let them eat cake" not fully grasping the severity of the situation.  Well, according to multiple sources (phrases.org and wikipedia.org to name a couple), there is zero proof that she ever uttered those words.  Consider this your daily history lesson.

When planning a baby shower a few weeks back, we decided that we would let our guests eat cake.  Sandy's Unique Imprint in Fort Worth makes exquisite cakes, so another host suggested we use her.  We agreed that we would use a majority of our budget (about one fifth) toward the cake since it would be both a center piece and dessert. It was a HUGE hit!  My friend took Sandy the shower invitation and this is what she created...

I thought my friend's idea to match the invitation (invitation printed by Prints and Paper) to the cake was fabulous (I know it sounds so simple, but this kind of thing would have never occured to me)!  It made such a statement.  The cake was expensive, but it served as a conversation piece, a decoration, and tasted delicious! 

After the shower, I was thinking how cakes are normally passed over in the planning process since they are quickly cut into and eaten.  But if a cake is done right, it really adds to the atmosphere of a party.  

My memory temporarily escaped me, but when I was writing this post it dawned on me that this happened at my wedding.  When we designed our cakes, I had not clue how much they would add to the atmosphere of the reception.  Here are pictures of our wedding cake and groom's cake (made by Frosted Art in Dallas).  Unexpectedly, the cakes ended up being my favorite part of our wedding...take that back, top 5 favorite things!

Apologies!  I took a picture of a picture of the groom's cake from my wedding album because I didn't have the individual pictures.  A quick shout out:  The WONDERFUL Summer Carlin took my wedding photos (not the one on the left...that was an amateur shot ;) ) and created my album.  She also does baby photos, so if you are in the Fort Worth area definitely check her out.  She is the best!

Man, this post made me hungry...I may need to stop by the bakery on the way home today!

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Deep Thoughts...

Deep thoughts is one of my favorite old school Saturday Night Live skits...making fun of people that try to sound deep and really have no depth.  Sometimes the deepest thoughts run through my head and I always think..."Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy."

Here is an example of one:

"The first thing was, I learned to forgive myself. Then, I told myself, "Go ahead and do whatever you want, it's okay by me." 

Click here for more.

Anyways, I had one of these moments that the Deep Thoughts of SNL make fun of the other day. I had two days of constant craziness...L was teething and cranky, wardrobe malfunctions, electricity went out in the 100 degree heat, etc...I had a moment in my head about how I am stretched too thin and my busy schedule doesn't allow me to be my best at anything.  I thought, "Would this be a good blog post?  My crazy, busy life...woe is me!" 

Then, I stopped for a second and thought about other blogs I have read with similar posts that make me think, "Really?  You life is so busy and crazy that you had time to sit down and write a blog post about it?" 

I quickly came back to reality and realized how dramatic my initial thought was in the heat of the moment.  I just wanted to let you know I am so glad I saved you from a long, droning post about my crazy life that is no different than any of yours :) 

CHEERS to all of us busy ladies out there!  Multi-tasking is what we do best!

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Braveheart

Everyone told me that during labor I would be so tired/in so much pain that I wouldn't feel embarrassed.  FALSE!  In the back of my head I was thinking "this is mortifying" the entire time.  And to the faceless lady in the room who yelled out "Come on, momma" during my final pushes like we were at a high school pep rally, not cool!  If I could have felt my legs at that moment, I would have gotten up and clocked her. 

This next part will seem totally random, but I PROMISE I have a point...

My husband is obsessed with the movie Braveheart.  We watch on it on all vacations with my in-laws.  He sometimes wakes up in the morning feeling pretty awesome because he dreamt he was William Wallace the night before (painted face and all).  We joked (well, I joked and THINK he was joking) if L would have been a boy, her name would be William Wallace.  In his head if you have a Scottish accent, you are instantly awesome. 

Well, having already experienced all of the awkwardness that goes into the childbirth experience, we were dreading the lactation consultant coming in to basically feel me up.  Low and behold, she had a Scottish accent!  To my husband, it didn't matter how many times she said, "gotta make sure the baby is gettin' the groceries" as she was squeezing my boob, she had achieved William Wallace status the second she opened her mouth.  During a very long speech about nursing, she informed us we needed to track all feedings, wet diapers, and "poopie" diapers on a sheet of paper.  This is a task typically assigned to the dad in the hospital since mom is still moving slow.  Here is a picture of our log to give you an idea.

 

Doesn't really seem like the best system, does it?  I recently learned about a new app, Baby Connect, created just for this purpose.

At a price of $4.99, I think it is well worth it!  I would have loved to known about this last November.  If you are expecting, go ahead and download it on your baby's daddy's phone to be one step ahead before heading to the hospital.  Be sure to forward this on to him!  You can synchronize it to other phones as well  when mom is feeling more up to the tracking task.

In the words of Braveheart, FREEEEDOM!!!!   This app will give you the freedom from keeping manual logs that leave you more confused than not.

***Keeping it Simple sidenote***Someone recently asked me about the Itzbeen (around $20).

It sounds like basically the same idea as the app, but all the timers seem complicated to me and a bit unnecessary.  I like the app better because it is not an additional electronic to carry around along with your baby monitor and phone, it is cheaper, and I have heard it is very simple to use.  Feel free to pipe in if you have used either and have a strong opinion.

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SALE ALERT: Piperlime

Back to school sale at Piperlime today until Wednesday. Infant/toddler/kids shoes, backpacks, and lunch boxes are 20% off.  Use code KIDSROCK at checkout.  I wish L was old enough for backpacks...I am loving that owl!

Sweet Mint Studio

If you are trying to decorate your nursery on a budget, this is no easy task!  The baby market can be a bit of a racket.  I ran across this great blog called Sweet Mint Studio that features decorating ideas, recipes, life lessons, and more.  Here is a sneak peak of her low cost idea for nursery wall art.  I just LOVE it! 

Click here to read how she did it.

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