The link will take you to cookie cutter hell....Seriously more cookie cutters than Carter has pills! And here's the recipe I use...just use a yellow royal icing, recipe to be found on a box of merangue powder, tint it yellow and there you go! Cute idea! Sugar cookies: 1 cup of butter 2 cups of sugar Cream together and add 2 eggs beaten with 2 T milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla ( I like a bit more) Mix with the butter mix Add 3 cups flour mixed with 1/2 tsp salt....and as much as 1/2 cup more flour until it's stiff enough to roll out Make flat patties, wrap and refrigerate for an hour or longer.... Dust board with flour and roll and cut... Bake 375 for 8 to 10 minutes....I use parchment on the cookie sheets....if you don't have parchment....lightly grease the sheets. The absence of baking powder keeps them from rising and keeps the cookies true to the shape of the cutter.....and makes them crisp Here is a link that might be useful: cookie cutters

I bet doctors hate it when they hear ... Whatever happened to the grave in the backyard? Dinner tonight? ... Dying bats and dying bees You know you're drinking too much coffee when ... The pain is soooo intense

Lisa, Some ideas from an "older" woman! Please take them in the vein they are offered, and do what you please. I'm not really that old, but I can get considerably grumpy at times, LOL. BTW, I just turned 50. The only baby showers I expect to be invited to anymore are for my son's wife if he ever has one, or one child of my very best friend. I know the idea of having the guests address their own thank-you envelopes is an idea that has taken off among the younger set - but seriously, as an "older person", I was shocked the first time it happened to me, and a bit offended, too! Reasoning - I've been invited, I've taken time to either make or shop for a gift, and the bride (in my case) or mother-to-be can't take enough time to write her own thank-you notes? Either thank me, or don't, but don't make me work for a thank-you note. I'd rather not have it. If you're going to be having a large number of older people, you may consider having (assigning) someone to fill out those envelopes, or have it done in advance, or just skip it. The older folks will be offended. And you or your daughter will all ready have the addresses if you've invited the people. Use a computer and print out the address labels in advance. Also, JMHO, favors are not necessary! I came for the party to "shower" the mother-to-be with a gift, and I really don't want a "thing" to take away. A thing means I have to store it, or use it, or pitch it - in other words, it puts an additional obligation on me. And a favor that is a food item will be left by more than 1/2 the guests - been there, seen it happen too many times. Save the money and start a savings account, LOL. If you absolutely must do favors, please, an unscented candle (I have asthma), wrapped in the tulle with a ribbon, but I don't want to have to throw out a plastic safety pin, diminutive bottle or other "baby" thing. And I will throw them out, and so will your guests! But I could possibly reuse the ribbon. I find it wasteful of both money and resources to stick little plastic things on gifts. I much prefer to be provided with a beautiful chocolate truffle to eat AT the shower - and one is enough. I LOVE, LOVE the idea of a clothesline on the wall to pin the outfits on!! I think that's brilliant! I also think the decorated onesies are a wonderful idea! Also great is the idea of having guests sign or draw on a quilt block. Have them all over-sized, with the freezer paper already ironed on. Draw the border, so they don't go into the seam allowance. Have fabric crayons or pigma markers ready, as well as some ideas for simple drawings from coloring books, or a list of "baby sayings" for them to write. As to the games - I'm not hard of hearing, but I also have little tolerance of shower games. I would not participate in a measuring of the mother's belly. I was 29 when I had my baby, and I was horrified when people at work wanted to touch my belly - and work people threw me a shower. Fortunately my DH worked at the same place, and he stopped them from playing that game. LOL. They still made me a fricking hat from all the ribbons, and insisted I wear it for a photo. I didn't like that either, but tolerated it with good grace. Bingo might be tolerable. Understand, all of these shower games started when it was giddy 18 and 19 year old girls having babies, and the people who attended baby showers were all the same age, and the only older people were the mums and grandmums. Friends of the parents didn't usually attend. They showed up AFTER the birth with a lovely blanket or outfit, several days after Mother and baby were home. So I don't know how old your DD is, and you have to consider both her and the audience. I was a good 10 years older when I had my first than my mother was. My sensibilites and preferences were too. Shower food - crudite and dip, fruit and dip, finger sandwiches if you wish, cake, punch, tea and coffee. Maybe a truffle. Please take this in the way I intend it - tongue in cheek for the most part, but also trying to save you some money. I would concentrate on nice food and drink, no favors, only one game at the most. Sit around! Eat! Open presents! Nothing more is required of a good shower. Hoping I didn't sound too grumpy, LOL. Mary

Here's a fun one!! I love this game. It utilizes various candy/candy bars. It's essentially a match/memory game. You'll create a board with 30 squares, each numbered 1-30. Under each number (they'll need to be removable cards), you'll place the 'description/word' of something related to pregnancy/baby (each will be in 2 places - see list below for words). You'll go around the room and have a person pick 2 numbers. If they get a match, they win the candy corresponding to that description. If they don't get a match, the words get covered back up again. It's up to each player to remember what words were under which numbers. Here is the list of descriptions and their candy. Baby Name - Baby Ruth Twins - Mike & Ike Triplets - Three Muskateers Ob/Gyn - Butterfinger Big Baby - Whoppers Hemmerhoids - Hot Tamales Epidural - Lifesavers Umbilical Cord - Red Vines (or Twizzlers) Conception - SKOR Preemie - Runts Breastfeeding - Milky Way Engorged Breasts - Mounds Cost to have a baby - 100 Grand Mommy Nap Time - Take Five Baby Daddy - Sugar Daddy We played this game at my shower, it was so fun. Our list was slightly different but I couldn't remember all of them so I found some others online. If there's any candy you can't find, just make the list shorter and use less numbers on your board. Everyone will love this game!!