THE CAVENDER DIARY

Madeleine Maurine Peck joined our world this past weekend.

Hi Madeleine, you don’t really know me yet….but I’m going to be your best friend.

I’m going to call you Madie, …or possibly “Angel Pie”, I haven’t decided just yet.

Your Daddy and I were talking about how one day you will be able to read this blog…..so I thought I’d write this post just for you.

……after all, It is all about you.

About a month before you were born your Aunt Leslie, your Gunkle Jamie and I threw your Mommy and Daddy a baby shower so they would be prepared for your arrival.

Here you are with your Mommy and Daddy.

Don’t see yourself.

Look closely.

No, your Mommy isn’t stealing a watermelon under that top…..That’s you inside your Mommy’s belly! Yes it is. (You’ll have to ask your parents for the exact details of just how you got in there, ………it’s kinda gross)

Gunkle Jamie was in charge of staking pink and chocolate balloons in front of the house.

Balloons are the universal sign for “Party’s Over Here”!

Your Guncle Ivan did all the flowers for your shower.

Take a look at the “gravity defying pink parade float” he constructed on the buffet table. We had to move the chandelier up just so it would fit.

Yes, we did.

He’s been doing flowers for years, for some of the very best families in Dallas. You were pretty lucky that he was available with his busy, busy schedule.

Wanna see more of his work? Check out his webpage Ivan Walton Designs .

To “Jazz Up” the chocolate tablecloth we wove a few lengths of gross-grain and satin ribbon across the top. This is a pretty easy thing to do, and it makes quite a pretty impact.

Don’t ya think?

My brother Ben tended the bar serving mimosas (for all the grown-ups) and San Pellegrino (your Mommy’s fancy water).

But the drink of choice for the afternoon was fizzy pink lemonade….

It’s pretty easy to make if you wanna try some for yourself. Get your Mom to help you mix powdered pink lemonade mix with Cherry flavored sparkling water…carefull not to use too much mix, it can be sweet. If it is, just cut, I mean dilute it with more water.

Just look at that pile of presents.

Can you tell which present is from your Gunkles? I’ll give you a hint…….there’s a rubber duckie in an Indian headdress on top.

That’s the one! I knew you’d find it.

Here’s another clever idea to steal: a “Who Gave Us That” book.

Your Gunkle Jamie printed the graphic on paper and then glued it to the front of a small canvas journal.

Your Aunt Leslie kept a very detailed list of who gave exactly what at your shower so your Mommy could send “Thanks You” notes.

Your Mommy was raised well.

…….. and she’s a little bit “anal-retentive”. (That’s a Big word, I know)

We made homemade truffles for everybody as party favors……

They are so easy to make. You Need:

• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (about 1.5 cups chopped)
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Slowly melt the chocolate into the cream over a double boiler (that’s a mixing bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water). When everything is melted, remover from heat and stir in the vanilla. Let the whole mixture cool for a few hours in the refrigerator, then roll into ball shapes with your hands and then in cocoa powder to coat them.

Told ya they were easy.

We boxed them up in Chinese take-out boxes as a nod to your Mommy’s Asian heritage….. The brown polka-dots are a clue to what lies inside.

Here you are with your Mommy and Daddy …….and your Gunkle James and Gunkle Jamie.

We were waiting for you to kick us, but you must have been sleeping at the time. Hard to believe that you could sleep with all that excitement around you.

And that is the party we threw for you……..before you were even here.

But now you are here, and we couldn’t be happier.

“Angel Pie”,