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The past week has been busy but I haven't been able to blog about it because I was busy with preparing for Andea's surprise baby shower! Her best friend from college, Maneesha and I have had things in the works for a little while and everything came together great yesterday. Our friend Liz flew in from LA to surprise Andrea on Saturday and her sister came up from Indy on Sunday so Andrea knew something was coming but I think she was completely surprised by Liz's visit.

It's been a while since I've baked but I saw this great cake online and decided to give it a try. In the photo, the cabbage are made of marzipan, the dirt is graham crackers and the grass is coconut. I didn't think we needed to get quite so carried away for it to be a really cute cake, so we made a round cake with sugar decorative icing cabbages and oreo cookie crumbles dirt.



I've tried to think of something that tastes better than homemade buttercream icing but I'm coming up blank!
My Mom took the lead on the cabbages but she taught me how (and bought me a decorative icing tip set) so I'll be able to do it the next time. The trick is making the flowers individually on a small piece of wax paper and freezing them so they stay firm when you place them on the cake.

Maneesha took care of the fruit and added a special twist with spelling "baby."
The cake got a little worse for wear in the car ride over to the shower but it still made quite the impression.
Lily fell asleep before the party even started. She woke up and showed off her pretty party dress (thank you, cousins Danielle, Gabrielle and Arlene) for about 20 minutes before we had to do an impromptu wardrobe change. Susan was holding her and they both seemed quite content when I noticed some slimy poo oozing out of the top of her diaper onto her dress. It was dangerously close to Susan's hand so I told her "Don't move a muscle. There's poop and it could get on you if you move." Susan was a trooper and the entire party got to see what an 11 week old's poop-splosion looks like. Of course, Lily was happy as a clam afterward and enjoyed being passed around from guest to guest.
Since Andrea's baby is due Jan. 15th, I figured we should each decorate an ornament for the baby.
Lily and her god-mom to be, Jess. After babysitting last weekend, I think they've become quite attached to one another. :)

Andrea's sister Devin and Liz.
The guest of honor showing off one of her many cute gifts.
Abby holding Lily post-poop.
Maneesha (my co-host), Abby and Corinne.
Jessica C. (she of the long legs and Chicago marathon running) & Lily.


And here are some more photos from Halloween.




Baby Burger and Daddy Cook.
Mark & Matt. It's a Winnetka tradition for the men to carry beers around while trick or treating. The North Shore has its pros and cons but this is definitely one of the pros!
Grandma Judy and the fruits of her sewing labor.

Matt and Jackie talking candy.
Lily wasn't a fan of being out in the cold!

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