Summer Salad Swap, Hope for Sudan & Etsy Shop Update!

Happy Saturday!

I have some updates that I wanted to let you guys know about!

First up, last summer I hosted a Summer Salad Swap Link up & I am going to do it again this year!
I love making salads in the summer & love getting new salad ideas!
Link up your favorite salad recipes this Friday, July 27th!
{You can grab a button on the side bar}

Next up & most importantly......
My friend Jess & her husband planted a church in the Bay Area.
Her husband went to Sudan this Spring & he felt called to do something to help the Sudan, where people & babies are literally starving to death.

Their church will be sending a small team into this region to provide immediate hunger relief next month. Their desire is to continue to send groups of individuals in the near future.

They are trying to raise $25,000 in the next 5 weeks to help the Sudan.

Jess is having an awesome giveaway on her blog to help raise awareness & money for this cause.
I am honored to be a part of her giveaway.
I am offering a party design package from my Etsy shop.
25 invites & envelopes
25 favor tags
25 cupcake toppers

Would you consider helping spread the word about Hope for Sudan?

Want to win some other prizes?

Visit Keeping Up With the Johnson's for the details!

And, speaking of my Etsy shop, my shop will be on "Maternity Leave" starting August 1st.

I will most likely take the whole month of August off, so if you know you need an invite in August, make sure you place your order before August 1st.
Better yet, go enter Jess' giveaway & hopefully you will win an invite!
I just added this cute invite to my shop:
It is the invite I created for my sister's Little Man Baby Shower that I hosted today.
Shower Recap coming soon!

Hope you are having a great weekend!

On Being Team Green

There is a term for people like us who wait until the birth to find out the gender.

We are called "Team Green".

I have enjoyed people's reactions this pregnancy when I tell them we don't know what we are having. My favorite encounters have been with total strangers. They see me out with my girls and assume I know what I am having & say things like, "Did you get a boy this time?"
When I say we are waiting until birth, the look on people's face is classic.
I am finding out that being "Team Green" is a rare thing,
........especially with your 3rd child and
....especially when you have been Team Green with each pregnancy and
.....especially when you have 2 of the same gender!

I get a lot of questions when I tell people we are Team Green.
A common one is, "What about the nursery?"
This is what our nursery looks like now:
The walls are already a neutral color because it was our old Guest Room
(Fig Cookie by Kelly Moore)

There is no bedding in the crib because I am waiting until AFTER the baby is born.
I have Claire's old crib bedding that I will use if it is a girl. If it is a boy, I will buy boy bedding.
The rocker is the same one I used with the girls & it is also neutral.
If it's a girl, I will add a pink throw pillow & if it's a boy I will get a pillow to match the bedding I pick out.

And, the dresser which is white & can be used for a boy or a girl!

The walls are blank & I will just decorate them after the baby is born.
The baby will sleep in our room in a bassinet for the first few months,so I can work on the nursery then!
I don't like gender neutral nurseries, if it's a girl, I like pink & girly.
If it's a boy, I want it to look like a boys room.
I don't mind waiting to decorate until after it is born, that is what I did with the girls, and it worked out just fine!

Another question I have gotten is "What about the coming home outfit?"
This is what I did with Kate & Claire and I will do with this baby also.
I wash & bring 2 going home outfits to the hospital.
I have a pink blanket, pink outfit & pink hats that were both girls coming home outfits:

And, I have the boy version! A blue blanket, outfit & hats.

It's not a big deal to bring 2 outfits! It makes it fun!

Another common response I get about being Team Green is:
"Oh, I couldn't do that, I am too much of a planner"
Well, I am a TOTAL planner also.
Hello, I plan my girls birthday parties about 9 months before their birthdays!
I LOVE planning things.
But, for some reason, I am adamant about not knowing the gender.
I always rolled my eyes at people who didn't find out.
I thought Team Green people were SO annoying.
But, then I had my 2nd miscarriage & my focus shifted.
I had "planned" that pregnancy.
I was due in May 2006 and it was perfect planning/timing, because as a teacher, I would have the baby in May and then would be on maternity leave for May & the rest of the summer. It was a great "plan" I had. Well, that pregnancy ended in a miscarriage in October 2005 at 10 weeks. And, I was devastated.
I didn't get pregnant with Kate for 6 months after that.
It was my pregnancy with her when I decided that I wasn't going to find out what we were having because I was giving up control & trusting in God's plan.
I would wait and be patient to find out at the birth.
If you know me, patience is not my strong suit, but not knowing the gender really forces me to relax.
I don't spend time worrying about the nursery or buying clothes for the baby.
So, call me crazy, but I think Team Green is great.
I know it's not for everyone, but I am so glad we don't know and I am so glad Kevin goes along with being Team Green with me.
He wanted to find out with this one, but I wouldn't let him.
(He really wants to know if we can get rid of all those girls clothes that are in bins in our garage!)
The "It's A......" moment in the hospital is what gets me through the months & months of morning sickness. I look forward to that so much!

Being Team Green is also fun because you can do all the Gender Prediction games!
And, it's fun to have people guess what you are having!

Here are some of the gender predictions I have done:
The Chinese Gender Prediction Chart said girl with this pregnancy (and it said girl with Kate & Claire)
The old wives tale about heart rate (140s & higher is girl and below 139 is boy)
This baby (and also Kate & Claire's) were always above 140.
The wedding ring on a string gender prediction for this one said boy.
This pregnancy I have been more tired & more nauseous (It ended at 26 weeks with Kate & Claire and with this one I am STILL nauseous)

With Kate, I was 80% sure she was a girl.
With Claire, I was 99% sure she was a girl.
With this one, I am not sure...I am 50/50.
I am more drawn toward boy stuff at the stores with this one, but maybe that is because my sister is having a boy?

So, what is your guess? What do you think I am having?
Do you think we are crazy for being Team Green for the third time in a row?

Miss Merle's Meyer Lemon Bars

Our neighbors have several Meyer Lemon trees, so every Spring and Summer we get tons of Meyer Lemons from them. Our neighbor (who the girls call Miss Merle) also makes the best lemon bars with the lemons.

I begged her to give me the recipe because they are some of the best lemon bars I have ever had! And, being the nice person that I am, I thought I would share the recipe with you!
Miss Merle's Lemon Bars

Here is what you need:

2 1/2 cups flour, divided
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Combine 2 cups flour & powdered sugar in a bowl.
Cut in butter with a pastry blender until crumbly.
Spoon in mixture into a 9x13 pan (sprayed with Pam)
Press mixture evenly into the pan using fingertips or spatula.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until crust is lightly browned.
While crust is baking, get that lemon juice ready.
You will need 1/2 cup of lemon juice, which was about 2 lemons worth.
I used a cheese grater for my lemon rind. You just need 1 teaspoon.
In a bowl, combine eggs, sugar, lemon rind and lemon juice. Stir.
Combine the remaining 1/2 cup flour and baking powder with the lemon mixture.
Once the crust is done baking, pull it out of the oven & then pour the mixture over the crust.
Put back in the oven & bake an additional 25 minutes (or until lightly browned & set)
Once cooled, cut in squares & sprinkle with powdered sugar.
I hope you like them as much as we do!
Thanks Merle for the lemons AND the recipe!
Enjoy!