BFF Baby Shower

Over two decades ago I met a pretty blonde and for some reason we hit it off.  Back in Jr. High that meant sleepovers and parties, football games and comparing lists of boyfriends.  

Flash foward through two weddings, three houses and any number of birthday parties between us, she's still one of my dearest friends.

So it was quite a thrill when she called me to tell me she was expecting her 5th little bundle of joy!  

And if you can't tell by now...I'll do anything for a party! 

Fortunately, I knew exactly who I was planning for:

And with a little boy in mind I bust out the toys and lions and tigers oh, MY!

I used many of the same tricks as I did for my sister's shower...but this time with a retro circus vibe.

There was the candy bar:

...with Snakes and Snails (gummy worms) and puppy dog tails (marshmallow twists)

and 1000 Grands in the College Fund jar.

Another highlight was the sock monkey filled with ....

blessings written by the shower guests. 

And I even tried my hand at some silly silhouette's on the wall, um that one's supposed to be a tiger.  

On the tables was a plethora of goodies.

A tub of peanuts propped up the party masks, which were a fun addition to the day.

 And the party bags were filled with homemade carmel popcorn.   

The cups were adorned with animal noses so that when you held them up,.....well I'd better just show you: 

 Originally, I had wanted to place giant peacock feathers in the centerpieces...but with budget constraints, I opted for peacock napkins.

And spent more on prizes: 

Ang's mom always goes all out for parties.  So I'll just say this affair was catered by SUE ;)

She literally makes over a dozen hordourves that are delicious!

We split dessert duty, where she went traditional:

And I went the cupcake route.  

This was my first time filling the cakes.....

I made two types, Lemon with cheesecake filling and creamcheese frosting: 

And chocolate, chocolate with strawberry jam inside:

I did loosen the reigns a bit and let Ang's daughters add the frosting.

And that's all I'll say about them ;) besides they were delicious.

I had a blast decorating for this shindig...and I'll post more about the actual shower next.