The Dos and Don'ts of Gender Reveal Parties

It seems the etiquette of these parties for both the mama-to-be and the guests is still a work in progress. Here are the do’s and don’ts that I would recommend if you are expecting: 

Do provide food for guest. Nothing major, but if you invite people over during a meal time or for an extended period of time it is good manners to feed them.  

Don’t expect the guests to provide the food for ya. Unless they offer… or make amazing piggy in a blankets, or punch. Then it’s totally appropriate, and yes I am tooting my own horn. 

Do play so games to engage the guests before the big reveal.

Don’t play so many games people leave before the big reveal.

Do request that guests were pink for blue to guess the gender.

Don’t expect everyone to do so. Having “It’s a girl” or “It’s a boy” stickers for those who forget the dress code is a great solution.

Do have some pink and blue décor. Blue and Pink Punch, Desserts, and serving platters are an easy way to incorporate the theme.

Don’t tell people! I know that y’all might want to know before the grand reveal, so plan accordingly. If you can’t keep secrets plan the party as soon as you find out.

Do invite close friends and family.

Don’t invite Every. Single. Person. You know. Your co-workers grandma’s boyfriend can find out on facebook… and that’s okay.

Do have favors. Your friends are going to throw you an amaze baby shower. A simple bag of candy for your guests is a great way of showing your appreciation for their participation in this big day. Think of it as the rehearsal dinner of having a baby. 

Well, there you have it. A single gals opinion on a party I have never thrown. I never claimed to be an expert on these things y'all, but I do hope this helps! 

XOXO, 

Elle

Gender Reveal: YAY!

Last week I wrote a sassy little post about gender reveals gone bad inspired by some resent bad experiences from friends. The gender reveal party that I attended was (thankfully) nothing like any of the horror stories. 

The gender reveal invitation was causal and simple: a personal phone call. No formal cards, or impersonal facebook event... just a call to ask us to share a special once in a life time moment with the couple. 

The gender reveal requests were causal and simple: bring yourself and wear pink or blue to reflect the gender you think it will be. No gifts necessary. (We brought small gifts anyways.)

Now ya'll know I had a closet FULL of pink ready to go and I was completely sure it was going to be a girl... me and everyone else. We were so convinced we actually convinced ourselves we were too confident that we must be wrong... so everyone showed up in BLUE.(And it just so happened that my Ellen & Ollie package showed up that day!)

The proud parents had a cake made by the amazing baker who did their wedding cake with the top tier of the cake colored either pink or blue. Did I mention that this gender reveal party was not just for the guests to find out, but also for the couple?  I am not sure how they did it without peaking in the envelope on the way to the baker or peeling up the corner of the fondant to reveal the cakes color but they did it! They cut the cake together as they had practiced last year at their wedding, silver wedding knife and all to reveal...

 

It was pink!!! Which is great because I am not sure how Daddy would feel about his son in the pink and purple juicy couture outfit I already purchased! Yep, and I should have stuck with my pink dress. 

My vote for a well executed Gender Reveal is a big YAY! It is such an big moment in their lives, why not share it with your BFFs and Fam? 

XOXO, 

Elle

Gender Reveal Parties... Yay or Nay?

So I am a little delayed in posting this but I am not a “real blogger” anyways so I just y’all expected that. I mentioned before that I would be attending the now trending gender reveal party. Any thoughts lovelies?

I have heard many mixed reviews of parties previously attended. Let’s be real here… most of the reviews were no bueno.

Apparently some girls expect prezis at this party too. First of all no friend of mine is dressing their kid in all unisex clothing. No… just no.

I have also hear that most of the attendees knew the gender before the grand reveal. So let me get this straight… the proud parents-to-be invited all those people to their homes and expected half of them to act all “OMG” at a box full of balloon  and they already knew the color? No… just no. 

On top of that the guests who don’t know feel like second rate friends… and yea that is prob going to get you a subpar shower gift. You know of the dollar store variety, or worse...

This could be you. 

Have any of y’all had baby shower horror stories? Please do share!

XOXO, Elle

I Heart 'Merica

In honor of July 4^th  here are the top 4 things I love about the U-S-of-A (and Lilly Pulitzer.)

1. Red, White, and Blue go well with my skin tone… especially in seersucker form.

Lilly shorts

2. We celebrate the Nation's birth with fun fireworks… that are illegal in most of the nation.

Little Girls Lilly dress... AND it glows in the dark!

3. Elephants are our political party's mascot… and one of my fav Lily prints.

Lilly Dress

4. The FOURTH OF JULY!!!! There is something so nostalgic about that moment each year sitting barefoot on a tailgate in a field watching the fireflies light up the smoky sky after the fireworks grand finale. It makes me feel like I am 6 years old again! 

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Hope y'all have a safe and memorable holiday! 

XOXO, 

Elle

Ellen and Ollie

Recently, I was introduced to a new label Ellen and Ollie on social media. It is a cute and preppy label similar to Lilly sold in Southern Boutiques… not the mid west. (POUT!)    They are designed by a girl named Molly, and the below pictures are my favorites from her blog.  

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After some Google searching at lunch I discover they are also carried at Belk… also not in the Midwest. (Double Pout.) Thank gawd for online shopping! Not only do they carry the dresses at Belk they having an A-Maze summer clearance sale. The bright bow dresses usually set you back around $120 but I snagged 3 for that price. 

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This weekend I will be attending a gender reveal party so I guess I have bows on the brain, but there were some other steals in the Belk Summer Clearance Sale worth checking out. 

I'll be attempting a new Baby Blue Punch recipe… hoping it doesn't turn out to look more like Baby Poo Punch. I’ll be sharing the recipe (or recipe don't) next week!

XOXO, Elle

The Water Cooler

If you are living under a rock here is what you need to know for the water cooler today.

First- Kayne and Kim named their baby North. As in North West. If you follow me on Insta you know I recently threw Insta-tantrum about being sick of this family. No one actually knows why the Kardashian’s are famous anyways. I am so over unwed mothers in bad clothes on the front of all my weekly paper reads. #noonecares #goaway The fact that she said “If I were going to get married for publicity, I would marry someone famous” and got knocked up by Kanye in roughly the same time frame make me want to vom.  Just because you’re wearing Chanel does not make them classy. Furthermore they need to embrace that fact that they are meatball status and visit the Jersey Shore and maybe Snooki can at least teach them how to be funny… or dance. We all know how Dancing with the Stars didn't work out.

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Second- The heat won. Not sure what… but at least I know they won something. I live in the Midwest.. since when do we watch the NBA? #welovetailgates

Lastly- And I saved the BEST for last. It’s national wear your Lilly Day, and/or the first day of summer. I find the Lilly portion more important but maybe that’s just me. Now when is National Wear your Kate Day scheduled?

Happy Summer Y'all! XOXO, 

Elle

Summer Lovin'

Summer is right around the corner… or that’s what I keep telling myself. The Midwest is having unusually warm weather for this time of year and by warm I mean warm, not to be confused with hot. I mean I am not complaining that it’s not 90 and humid. My skin however is in  panic mode. Dress season and no tan: Emergency Situation. I have become obsessed and I mean OBSESSED with Bath and Body spray tan. It’s easy to use and blends really well without looking super orange. It takes about 90 minutes to actually make you look tan so plan accordingly.  

Airbrush Spray Tan

I have been using it along with the self tanning lotion and the gradual tanner. I prefer the Self Tanner (and being very tan.) I may or may not have on in my car, my desk, my over-night bag, and my purse. You never know when you are going to need a fix. 

Bronzing Self-Tanning Lotion

Moisturizing Gradual Tanner

Hope you all had a Great Memorial Day weekend! 

Cheers! XOXO

Elle

#ThrowBackThursday

Throwback Thursdays... Let's Discuss. 

I have to admit this is somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine. Does anyone remember: HotorNot.com?

Once upon a time, long ago... when I was in middle school and the internet wasn't yet invented. Okay… I am being a teensy dramatic. I had the internet in middle school… dial up, AIM, and all the SWF13 chat rooms anyone could possibly want. You get the picture... 

Social media, in it's infancy,  had only one social media site giving high school middle school  teachers grief: HotorNot.com. This was an opportunity to upload hot pictures of yourself to have strangers give you a 1-10 hotness rating, or to upload the worst picture you could fine of your worst enemy peer.

Point being: Old Habits Die Hard. #ThrowbackThursday seems to be pretty reminiscent of a simpler time in social media... well almost.

The Hot.

Spring Break 2001: Look how tan I am! And that neon string bikini is finally back in style, so no one will know how old I am!

Circa 2010... same thing.

College Days: Look how fun and smart I am! And no one even remembers that I dropped that one class to go to that one party right after this was taken! (Kidding... well you would have to ask Staceylea I supose.)

Remember Calling Cards? #wtfislongdistance

 Wedding Pics: Look guys! I am STILL married! 

Sports Pics: Look how sporty I am! Ahhhh the glory days! 

The Not.

·         Perms: Please don’t make a comeback!

·         Mullets… enough said.

·         Glasses: Yessss those 80’s glasses were the best. Thank god I got contacts when I turned 11!

And finally the #ThrowbackThursdayTakenLastThursday

 Selfies: est. 2010… this is not a throwback. Don't even get me started on the duckface.

Are y'all guilty of these? Because my great friends whom I have stolen the below Instagram photos from certainly are... THANKS LOVES!!!!

XOXO, 

Elle

Best Dressed: Derby Edition

This post’s title is such a tease isn’t it? Hope y'all had an amazing and well-dressed Derby weekend. (Mine was A-MAZ-ING!) I started off the weekend in Kentucky with a Derby Party… Guess who won best dressed? Haha… no not me. ;) A friend won… I suspect it was the white shoes no socks combo… and the entourage of females.

My dress was from J Crew Factory online... these pictures do not do it justice. I’m pretty obsessed with all of their preppy dresses.  They have so many options perfect for summer Baby & Wedding Showers or a Derby Party…. Whichev.

363 Days till Derby 2014!!

XOXO, Elle

The Time I Ran in the Flying Piglet

Derby + Cinco de Mayo + Flying Pig Marathon =  ponytails and no noteworthy #OOTD the past 3 days. 

Wet hair... Don't Care. 

I am still recovering and it’s Tuesday! For those of you who don't know the Flying Pig Marathon is Cincinnati's Marathon that is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. Okay so I must admit that I may have not ran IN the marathon… but I did run from my car to the finish swine (their words not mine) and then to the bar for Cinco de Mayo tacos and tequila. Let’s just call it the Flying Piglet. Four miles in the POURING rain deserves something right?  (It actually is a big deal for me after all my surgeries, but blah blah... they ran TWENTY SIX MILES.)

At the finish line I saw more than one Lululemon running skirt. I mean if you are going to run a marathon you might as well look cute in the finish line photos,  right? I am confident regardless of my attire I would NOT look a bit cute crawling over the line.  Honestly, I am usually not a huge fan of Lulu... yea it's cute, but it's so much cuter on Skinny Minnies... and then there is the sticker shock. Yes, I admit to paying $78 on a long sleeve teeshirt on an isolated occasion, but I try not to make a habit of it. If I run the Marathon next year I will however spend as much as I want on a cute little running #OOTD.  I have been window online shopping some options to check out. I feel like I would be more motivated to run in a cute skirt. Have any of y'all tried a running skirt? 

Lululemon $58

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Nike $50

Champion for Target $18

At the risk of making this post sound like a glorified Facebook status update I cannot resist sharing a couple of great photos I captured of my friends at the finish.  I was hoping to see a proposal but such luck. Maybe next year maybe I will need a better camera for the occasion...

... or maybe I will do the marathon… yea probably not.

Cheers! XOXO

Elle

Happy Oaks Day!

If you are living under a rock (or a state other than Kentucky or Ohio) you may not know what Happy Oaks  Day means. The Oaks is the Day before the Kentucky Derby. AKA the day when schools close in Kentucky to so everyone can drink Mint Juleps, wear big hats and gamble. (...Only in Kentucky.) Mint Juleps are the official drink of the Kentucky Derby... and every good Derby Party. I usually post my version of cocktail recipes but this time I am being official! Here ya go... Straight from the Kentucky Derby! 

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The Early Times Mint Julep Recipe

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• Sprigs of fresh mint
• Crushed ice
• Early Times Kentucky Whisky
• Silver Julep Cups

Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Early Times Kentucky Whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

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Recipe located: 

http://www.kentuckyderby.com/experience/traditions/mint-julep2

Have a Safe Derby Weekend Ladies!!! 
Cheers!

XOXO, Elle

why i Blog?

I started blogging last year while I was on a medical leave from work… as a time filler, as an outlet, as a form of relaxation, as a way of escaping the doctors and the IVs and the surgeries. I was told by pretty much every doctor I had (and there were A LOT) that I should become a motivational speaker. Originally my Blog was intended to be motivational… about my journey. Toast to Tomorrow was born to celebrate waking up this morning, and tomorrow morning, and everything in between. Maybe it could help someone going thru something similar. Maybe it could put life in perspective that someone (me) is happy in life with less than they have.

I gave myself 12 IVs a day... and that PIC Line means no showers ladies. 

After surgery #2.Look at those sexy compression socks! #bejealous #OOTD

Would you call that bruise Lavender? 

I have written hundreds of posts on this topic. I have publish almost none of them.

I am an extremely private person, so it seems unusual that I would chose to make some part if not all a very personal topic in my life out there for anyone to see, but…

Writing about positive thinking helped me think positive.

Insert Instagram. Game changer. After a couple months of writing I was introduced to Instagram. It’s funny how much a social media app effected my life. I have always enjoyed photography. I have always enjoyed fashion. On Instagram I wasn’t sick, I wasn’t in pain… I was just Lauren Nicole. I was just me again. My pictures were of normal things. I posted #OOTD every day. On Instagram that was normal. For me it was accountability. Even tho I felt like staying in PJs all day I held myself accountable to take my #OOTD. As the trend continued my writing followed suit. It turned into fun little tid bits of things I found fun, cute, comical, and amusing. It evolved into a lunch break from work (yes I am back to the 9-5) and a way to give myself a break from my busy life.

I am new at blogging and finding my way through it. (Suggestions are welcome.) I have not yet found constancy or exactly what   my goal here is, but I enjoy it… even if no one ever reads it. The fact that I have followers that actually read my ramblings is amazing… and I have to admit I never expect anyone too.

I hope you all enjoy… Cheers!

XOXO,

Elle 

Back and Better than Eva

Did ya’ll think is disappeared for good? Opsies! Well I’m back... at least for now! Blogging is more or less  a form of relaxation and the word "relaxation" reminds me of…

Ain’t nobody got time for that.

This is true. Corporate America has been calling the shots in my life lately… but it has all been worth it. I’m happy to tell ya’ll I got a promotion.  Thank god. My work life balance is beginning to feel... some what balanced. Do ya'll have this issue? I mean a girls gotta support her shopping habit somehow! 

In the spirit of my new job here are my Casual Friday Wear to Work obsessions of Winter Spring. (Yes, it's still below freezing in Cincinnati. So not okay Mother Nature, so not okay.)


 



Pink Blazer $37.99

 

 

Navy Gingham Button Down Via