I had the privilege of hosting a baby shower for my dear friend, Kendra.  It was so wonderful to celebrate Taylor’s near arrival with such joy while helping Kendra get ready for motherhood with all the necessary baby items (and my goodness, are there many!), and to see the absolute glow on her face.  It goes without saying that she will be an amazing mother and I can’t wait to see her play that role so beautifully.

It was a great fun to plan a non-pink baby shower for a little girl and to serve some non-traditional dishes that were easy and didn’t require hours of preparation.  Kendra loves all Asian cuisine, so Mr. Hallmark and I suffered through taste testing from every Chinese and Japanese menu in town to find the perfect place.  It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.  We ended up ordering from Shanghai Bistro & Den and prepared the easier dishes in our own kitchen.  Instead of cupcakes or a cake, we did a miniature candy bar and served doughnuts and coffee for dessert.  It was a low calorie, highly nutritious meal, obviously, but it was great fun and it was enjoyed with friends over much laughter.

Etsy, my new amazingly creative best friend helped me out with the adorable banner and the pom-poms that gave a little kick of color in our home.

The mother-to-be and yours truly

And my very wiped out little girl, Sophie, who found all the female attention simply exhausting.