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So I was in a bit of a dither over getting invitations picked out, approved, printed and sent out in time for Antony’s baptism. As usual, everything came together at the last minute with getting the Father scheduled, the godparents in town (they live in NY), etc. So with barely a month I was supposed to get invites together and out with enough time for people to respond to the RSVP. Just not fair! I checked out places online and was disappointed to see that they took just as long as brick & mortar places. I kinda figured they’d be faster for some reason. I found some very lovely ivory invites on http://www.officedepot.com and figured I’d just print my own saying on the invites and off we would go. Right? Wrong! OD didn’t send me any sort of confirmation, receipt, etc. so I didn’t think they actually received my order. The invites were also shipping from a different warehouse and were supposed to arrive in around 3 days. So when the 3rd day showed up and still no invites I freaked. The clock was just going tick-tock on this whole event and I was getting nowhere. So I jumped back on the net and looked at Staples, Office Max and Walmart. Nothing (at least according to their websites). Ironically Target has a huge selection of invites, some of which are actually in stock in their stores. WOOT! I ran down to Super Target and although their selection was pretty picked over I found the perfect invite that is white with a white ribbon going through the top with a silver cross hanging from it. They came in a package of 25 for $15.
Long story short – head to Target to get your invites and just look online for phrasing if you don’t already have the perfect phrase in mind. I printed the invites on our inkjet printer using a calligraphy font and spent a bit of time putting them together. The hardest part I discovered was trying to use the wax and sealer stamp (sold separately from invite kits) on the envelopes. Tricky stuff.

Overall not bad at all. I think I spent about 80 cents – $1 on each invite. Especially considering what I would have to spend if I paid someone else to do it.

We’ve finally got Anthony’s baptism scheduled for the first weekend of March. We’re having a private event at one of the most beautiful churches in the area (I think it is THE most beautiful). It’s called St Martha Catholic Church and is located in downtown Sarasota. The Father that is presiding over the ceremony is a family friend so it just makes the whole event that much more special.

Afterwards we are having a reception and this is where my whole problem begins. I can have it catered but normally the catering company wants to be at the location several hours in advance for setup. But, frankly I really don’t want to leave them in my house unattended while I go to the ceremony. Not to mention I am in the middle of having my kitchen remodeled so lets hope that it will be ready in time. I’ve been told it will be but who knows for sure. So that is my first option and then I have the whole restaurant/private room idea. Well I checked around in my local area and they are wanting about $23 per person not including alcohol. OUCH! With the family and friends in the area I’m expecting there to be around 40-50 people if everyone RSVPs “yes”, with a lot of them being kids. I have a hard time wanting to put out that much $$ for kids that you know won’t want to eat what is on their plate. Bring in the chicken fingers will be the name of the game for them I bet.

I got the CUTEST little favors too. I went to www.candywrapperstore.com and purchased the labels for the Hershey miniature candies. They arrived today and look just adorable as can be! Thanks guys.

We have the parent baptismal class on Monday, Feb. 12th at 7pm. It only lasts an hour and I’m not even sure what to expect. I’m assuming they’ll go over the whole procedure and let us know about photography, etc. I’ve got to make sure to ask about that! Wish me luck!

So I went to the sale last weekend and managed to score 2 bags of clothing and 2 bags of toys for Anthony. Most of the clothing is for when he gets a bit bigger but I figure since this group (Jr. League) normally gets clothing donated (either from themselves or friends) that are the higher end designers, why not! Mines well get some good steals and horde them in his closet for a bit.

If you don’t live in my area, check around and see if you have a Jr. League that puts one of these events on in your area.

If you live in Bradenton/Sarasota the Jr League annual sale is this weekend. They have new and barely used clothing, household items, kids’ stuff, etc. I go every year with my mom and sister-in-law and always score a ton of stuff. If you go Saturday afternoon they discount the stuff down to around $1-2 a bag, that way they still make some money before the “left overs” go to Goodwill. The best part with deals like that is you wind up only paying a couple cents for each item of clothing so if you get it home and hate it it’s no big deal.

This year I’m going to check out the baby section for sure!

So I finally found one of those jumparoo bouncy seats that you hang from the doorway at Marshall’s (of all places). I paid $19.99 for mine, which beats the prices of the stationary jumparoos I’ve found online that weigh in at a hefty $80. Anthony absolutely adores the thing and has actually fallen asleep in it twice (which is a small feat in itself). AND the best part is it is portable so we can take it with us when we go visiting.
Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for one of these for your little one or for a shower gift. I bought the kind that has the tray in front so you can get those stick-em toys and stick the to the tray. I haven’t found any of those type of toys yet but just hook a few things on the straps in case he gets bored. So far he seems to have the most fun bouncing in circles than anything else.

So I’m sure a lot of you are wondering where to get baby stuff inexpensively. There is always the standard www.ebay.com, yahoo’s auction site and www.overstock.com. Another fantastic suggestion is to check on Craigslist. You can find local people that are selling all sorts of stuff like bouncy seats, walkers, clothing, cribs, etc. Sure it is normally used but you can check it out and see if it for you before purchasing. And since it is local you don’t have to pay shipping, etc. I sold some maternity clothing that way and am purchasing a collapsible walker (which normally runs around $60-$100) for a whopping $18.