Shin-Dig-It

Shindiglet: Battle of the Batter

2011-05-03T19:22:00.025-04:00

Shindiglet - Like a grand shindig, only a much smaller to-do. There are times, when even a small group of people getting together creates an occasion for celebrating with a theme. And if it is within my power, I always try to make that happen.

An across-the-miles triple throwdown baking challenge, for me, is such an occasion.

Over the past few years, my bestie, Toni, and I have exchanged recipes. A couple of times we've even tried new recipes at the same time and compared notes. That was fun. But recently, Toni kicked it up a notch, posting a challenge on facebook... challenging me, and another gal, Toni-Lynn, to a baking THROWDOWN! What was the objective? Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes. None of us had made them before, but we all exuded confidence. Check out our game faces:

Toni

Tanya

Toni-Lynn

What followed was some bakers' smack talk. After a few days of that, we separately conducted our baking experiment, using different recipes, of our own choosing. As the three of us live in three different states, we couldn't actually judge the recipes side by side. We would have to be the judge of our own creations, with input from friends and family all-too-ready-and-willing to sample the end product. :)

Here's how it went down for me.

I started with just a few ingredients: 3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, 3 oz. milk chocolate, butter, cocoa, egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar.

I melted the chocolate and the butter together in a double boiler.

The egg whites were beaten together with the cream of tartar and sugar.

I folded the egg whites into the chocolate.

And then scooped the batter into the buttered and sugared muffin tins.

After about seven minutes, they came out of the oven like this:

They look good, don't they?!

Turned out onto a plate, aside a scoop of coconut ice cream, and dusted with cocoa powder, it looks like this:

Anticipating the molten chocolate that makes this dish "lava cake", I cut it open and mmmmmmm.........

Look how my youngest is eating it up!

OK, so I would love to just leave it at that and feel all proud of myself, but....

I kinda cheated.

I'll come clean.

My lava cakes ended up being not-so-molten. I'd describe them more like chocolate mousse cakes. Still completely delicious. And rich. And dangerous... because I couldn't stop eating after just one. Here's what it really looked like inside:

And my secret molten-ator?

Hey, living a stone's throw from Hershey, PA makes it all okay. :)

Be sure to check out Toni's and Toni's re-cap of this chocolate lava cake triple throwdown!

What will you Fuzzoodle?

2010-11-14T19:12:00.023-05:00

Wow, it has been a while since I've written a post! What better reason to dust off the Shin-dig-it blog than to write about the latest shindig: A Fuzzoodles Fiesta!

Every guest to our Fuzzoodles Fiesta wanted to know: What is a Fuzzoodle? Before House Partypalooza sent me this product to experiment with, I didn't know what a Fuzzoodle was either. Fuzzy Noodles = Fuzzoodles. A simple, back-to-basics, creative product from Giddy Up! (think Blendy Pens, Surprise Ink, Water Wow...) that takes the classic pipe cleaner (or chenilles to you florists out there) to a whole new level. They are bendable like pipe cleaners, but these are so fluffy! And the kits come with accessories such as eyes, feet, noses, and mouths.

Before going into further detail about this product, I would like to talk about the theme development of this party. The Fuzzoodles were obviously the start of the show, but this was no ordinary party - it was a FIESTA! Not the most obvious choice for a fall party, but who doesn't love a fiesta, I want to know!? I used Punchbowl for my party planning and invitations. I love planning my parties using Punchbowl. The designs are top-notch and the options are so easy to use. My guests electronically received a realistic sealed envelope:

This envelope, once opened, revealed the invitation:

To decorate the party area, I set up a table for the food and covered it with a southwestern blanket. Guests munched on tortilla chips with salsa and queso, cocoa roasted almonds, and pizza. For dessert, we had fiesta cookies. Water and juice pouches refreshed the kids, while the adults enjoyed a sparkling blood orange beverage. The fuzzoodles and accessories were loaded into the brims of two sombreros in the center of the work table.

As soon as the guests arrived, the kids enjoyed figuring out just how the fuzzoodles worked. Each creation triggered new ideas, as the creatures developed into even more elaborate inventions.

I saw bracelets, glasses, headbands, door knob cozies, critters, and acrobats... yes, acrobats! The creative juices were flowing, and weren't just limited to the kids. The adults couldn't resist trying their hand at twisting life into the supplies. I seriously could not have predicted how much fun it would be to have a party around these fuzzoodles.

The festivities lasted about two hours, with the adults completing a survey at the end to evaluate the Fuzzoodles Fiesta experience. I was thrilled to be able to give away a $10 gift card to Toys R Us, which House Partypalooza provided, to a randomly selected guest!

You can find Fuzzoodles at many stores as well as online. Amazon has this large kit and Toys R Us also carries Fuzzoodles in store and online.

In exchange for House Partypalooza sending me this product, I agreed to invite other parents and children to my house for a product demonstration. I was able to keep the items our guests didn't take with them. The words and opinions in this review are 100% my own.

Valentine's Day Ladies' Tea - Invitation Reminder & Menu

2010-02-02T15:28:00.007-05:00

The tea party is just five days away, and I'm in crunch mode!

I've got the rest of my week all mapped out with to-do's. So far today, I have managed to accomplish about 2/3 of today's list, and should still be able to finish it before the day is over. I finally decided to reveal the theme to my guests in the hopes that they'll want to fully participate. Here is the reminder/reveal email that I sent today:

Check it out, man!

The time period that those righteous brothers hit the charts with "That Lovin' Feelin'" was the mid-60's. So, if you're bold enough, dig out your go-go boots and miniskirts, or your bell bottoms and tie-dye garb, and we'll see you at the commune to celebrate love as inspired by the cultural events of the American 1960's!

Make love, not war.

Make tea, not love.

No, you don't *have* to come in costume. But at least be prepared with a hep catch phrase, or two. :)

I was at the grocery store today to get the ingredients for the food I'll start making over the next few days. I had to leave some items on my grocery list until later in the week so that they would be as fresh as possible. I am pretty pleased with the menu, which is as follows:

Fair Trade Organic Tea

Pita Chips (to munch on upon arrival)

Cheese Fondue (with bread and apples for dipping)

Iceberg Lettuce Wedge Salad and 3 dressings (homemade Green Goddess, Ranch, and Creamy French)

Chicken Salad Sandwiches and Ham & Cheese Dandy Sandwiches

Devilled eggs

Chocolate Intrigue Bundt Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Tang based fruit salad

Cookies - Heart’s Delight & Two-Tone Cookie Slices for guests to bag and take home

Yesterday, I received the two place setting of china that I needed since my party size seems to grow each year. I'm still waiting for a book that I bought on eBay that I planned to use as a prize. I just hope it gets here in time! Up next on my list is to finalize the two games we'll be playing at the party. Oh, and more cleaning (the never ending chore!)

Valentine's Day Ladies' Tea - More Theme Discussion

2010-01-21T13:12:00.011-05:00

I've learned that sometimes you just need to step away from your party planning and just see how things shake out when you sit back down to resume planning. Last week, I was about to panic over my theme plans not gelling for the tea party next month. Fortunately, I had other commitments that forced me to put the party planning on the back burner, and when I came back to things this week, I found that some new perspective and thoughts I'd filed away really came together in a way that made me very happy.

I am now in possession of a Valentine's Day Tea Party theme inspired by cultural references of the American 1960s! Remember my angst over trying to develop the theme title That Lovin' Feelin' after I so hastily chose it to get the invitations out on time? Well, that Righteous Brothers' song topped the charts in 1965. Party game inspiration? It was in 1962 that "The Match Game" premiered on network television. I poured over footage of those old episodes on youtube and that really helped to frame the whole theme out in my mind. My menu will be inspired by the fare of the decade as transcribed by cookbooks of that period. Fondue, anyone? Now that these areas have been decided, I can design the rest of the party elements, such as party favors, with much more ease. And for the first time, I might be able to pull off an outfit that befits the theme, breaking from my tired, old habit of just wearing red or pink. Thrift shops, here I come!

There is one more thing that has fallen into place regarding the invitations. I had designed the invitation using Punchbowl before the date was set, and once I settled on the date, I hastily went in and sent the invitation without much revision. It wasn't until later that I remembered the functionality that allows you to edit the verbiage of the RSVP section. When designing, I had arbitrarily selected the "British" preset, where Abso-bloody-lutely = Yes, Pardon? = Not Responded, and Not My Cup of Tea = No. Well, it didn't take me long, once I had the sixties in mind for the theme development, to make a connection to the British Invasion phenomenon. Whew! That works. Granted, I could have created my own RSVP verbiage and been a little more Beatles or rock and roll oriented, but remember, this connection was realized after-the-fact, so I'm relieved at least. And I can almost pretend that I did it on purpose. *wink*

I do still have a lot of little details to work out, but the task is so much less daunting. I'm excited, though, as I've entered that phase of the party planning where I get to research and learn some new things. I've come to realize that really getting into the theme development is just my excuse to go exploring on the information superhighway (does anybody even call it that anymore??). I'm no longer a student in a formal house of education, but I do still enjoy learning a thing or two. Much of the information I glean in the party theme preparation will not be used at the party, but some of it will appear in the form of subtle references, or tidbits interspersed in party conversation. And besides, it makes me happy.

See how it is coming together?

Valentine's Day Ladies' Tea - Theme Discussion

2010-01-13T11:11:00.009-05:00

OK. Confession time. When I designed and sent my invitations, I was going with a musical theme. I envisioned miniature musical instruments and scrolls made from sheets of music for the decor. And when trying to compose (see what I did there? :) ) the menu, I... well... I got stuck. Opting to skip that for the moment and move on to planning the games, I... well... I got stuck again. I wrestled with the idea of adapting a classroom music lesson to suit grown-ups, and could only find games using songs of the sort of Baa Baa Black Sheep. That just would not do. The clouds rumbled about my mind for some time before the realization began to dawn that I would probably need to change my party's theme.

But how could I do that since the invitations were already sent? "That Lovin' Feeling" clearly indicated the musical theme, did it not? Hmm... perhaps not really, after all. Perhaps I could focus on the year the Righteous Brothers song topped the charts. I immediately began thinking about a malt shop and golden oldies, and while looking it up on wikipedia, I was educated that this song is from the 1960s, not the 1950s. What do I know?

Alright then. So the song is associated with 1965. What else was going on in the world in 1965 that I could work with? Some good stuff and some not-so-pleasant stuff. Dang. What about the entire decade? Counter-culture, social revolution. Hmm... brownies (of the non-magical variety) would be a must on the menu! But I'm a little bit afraid of the games that might be derived from that theme.

But, really, why not just focus on the song itself? It's a great and memorable song after all. I, for one, have it forever ingrained in my memory from the movie Top Gun. Wow! OK, so now I want to center this party around Top Gun! Can I do that?

See how I torture myself over theme development? I should have just planned it out well before sending the invitations, but it really snuck up on me this year, and I had little time to spare to get the invitations out on time. And I'm still stuck on theme development. Maybe I should go back to the whole musical theme I had originally envisioned. *sigh*

Sixth Annual Valentine's Day Ladies' Tea: That Lovin' Feeling

2010-01-07T09:19:00.010-05:00

It's that special time of year again... time to plan out the annual Valentine's Day tea party for my gal pals. I'll be sharing the details here - as long as those individuals on my guest list promise to take a hiatus from reading the blog to keep the details a surprise!

I'm using Punchbowl to help decide on a date, and the votes have already started coming in. So exciting! By the way, the Valentine's Day designs at Punchbowl are so beautiful. Although I blurred out some details concerning the date that haven't been finalized yet, here is a look at the invitation I was able to design.

Pretty, huh?

I am also excited to be able to use a new "Entertaining at Home" serving dish at the party. It was a prize I won thanks to two bloggers, Kristen and Toni. Details about that and more to come...

Punchbowl Party Planning Site

2009-12-30T11:39:00.011-05:00

[Expired]

Once upon a time I was given a one year free Premium account at Punchbowl.com due to the nature of my blog. Well, I'm still using it and would be remiss if I didn't let Shin-Dig-It readers know that clicking here will get you your own FREE Premium Account at Punchbowl. The catch is, you have to act quickly!!! Here are the details:

Punchbowl Software, Inc., developers of the start to finish party planning site Punchbowl.com, announced that anyone who creates a new user account before 11:59pm PST on December 31, 2009 will receive a FREE Punchbowl Premium account upgrade. Valued at $29.95 (1 year subscription), Punchbowl will give away up to 10,000 Premium accounts by the end of the year. Punchbowl Premium provides users unlimited access to invitation and eCard designs as well as the ability to send advertising-free eCards and invites for one year. "Our site traffic has doubled in the last three months," said Matt Douglas, CEO of MyPunchbowl. "This is our small way of saying thank you for a fantastic year."

To claim your FREE Premium account, sign up for Punchbowl before the end of 2009.

** While I did previously receive a free Premium account from Punchbowl, this post is not being compensated. It is simply to pass along information that Shin-Dig-It readers might find beneficial. Any traffic Punchbowl.com receives following the provided link only goes to show how much interest my readers have in said company, and that my readers know how to plan a good party. OK, maybe I'm guessing on that last part, but I believe in you! **

Safe and Bright Holiday Decorating House Party

2009-12-20T13:25:00.012-05:00

The House Party Company did it again!

I was selected to host another House Party Event, this time sponsored by UL (Underwriters Laboratories). The whole idea this time was to have a wreath decorating extravaganza while sharing safety tips that are especially important to remember this time of year. So, I invited my neighbors over for some festive fun. And, boy was it ever that!

I couldn't believe the size of the box containing the party pack when it was delivered! It was so exciting to open it up and inspect all of the contents. Included were: 15 individual 12" wreaths, 15 strings of UL certified lights, several packets of mini ornaments/decorations, a bunch of ribbon, and magnets with safety decorating tips. I purchased some additional decorative items at Dollar Tree including decorative birds, more mini ornaments, silk flowers, pine accents, pine cones, bows, and jingle bells. I also provided cinnamon sticks from my own supply. I set it all up on a table in the party room.

And although I hadn't begun decorating for Christmas yet in my house, I arranged a few painted wooden decorations around the room to get us all in the spirit. A little Christmas music, some munchies, and a few friends made for a completely enjoyable afternoon!

One of my guests is a seasonal florist, and has a great talent for turning ribbon into beautiful bows. She made and shared several bows for us. I may yet enlist her help in turning the rest of the leftover ribbon into bows for future use!

The kids at the party (including my own) were eager to join in the fun. With a little help in winding the light string around the wreath, they got right to work making their own creative wreaths. This one was made and proudly displayed by my daughter.

While decorating, we shared different holiday traditions that we each found special. From Christmas Eve road trips, to weather-inspired fun, there was no end to the engaging conversation. We did also manage to discuss the safety tips that were listed on the magnets, such as reminders about having smoke alarms on each level of your home, and the importance of turning lights and decorations off before bed. (My husband took some left-over magnets to work and handed those out too.) To go along with that, I downloaded a "Safe or Unsafe" quiz from the House Party site. When posed with a question like "You took the family out to pick out your Christmas tree. After three hours of 'too big, too small, kinda lopsided' you found the perfect tree. And, 'hurray!' the cut end of the tree didn't even have any of that sticky stuff on it that always gets all over the rug." you would of course answer "Unsafe" The reason being, "You can tell that a tree has been freshly cut if the cut end of the tree is sticky with resin and when tapped on the ground, few needles fall off. The most important factor in tree safety and fire prevention is freshness, so choose carefully." (source) It is such useful and practical information, you'll want to read more from UL when considering safety at home all year round.

I managed to snap a picture of only a couple of the finished wreaths amidst all the fun.

Here's wishing every Shin-Dig-It reader a safe, fun and memorable Christmas season!

** As customary with hosting a House Party Event, I received the party pack for free. However, this summarization was written of my own volition because I love to share theme party information. **

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Wreath Design Fun

2009-12-02T14:26:00.005-05:00

I recently had a Christmas Wreath Decorating Party. Here, my 3 year old shows off the wreath that I made. Come back later for a full write-up on the party. It was so much fun!

And check out more of today's WW here and here!

And the winner is...

2009-10-20T16:04:00.007-04:00

It's all yours, Toni! Congratulations!

Toni's comment earned her a FREE PREMIUM account at Punchbowl!

If you're in northwestern Indiana, you'll enjoy perusing Toni's blog where she is also known as Cheapo McFrugalpants. Follow ItsToni on Twitter so you don't miss out on those great local deals. Heck, even if you're not in northwestern Indiana (I'm not, and I still reap the benefits of her updates!), you'll be entertained and maybe learn a thing or two about being frugal, because her tips and advice know no boundaries.

Right now, Toni has TWO giveaways going on for the Chicagoland area. Enter by 9:00 PM CST on Thursday, October 22, 2009 to win FOUR TICKETS to see Disney Live! Rockin' Road Show and enter by 7:00 PM CST on Sunday, October 25, 2009 to win FOUR TICKETS to see Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus! You can count on Toni to get you hooked up with some great promotions!

If you meant to enter the Punchbowl account upgrade giveaway on my blog, but just never got around to it, I hope you learned your lesson! (just kidding)... don't despair! They are currently offering the upgrade to premium for $10 off the regular price. Now, go and get your party started!

Reminder: Punchbowl Party Planning Site - GIVEAWAY!

2009-10-01T09:56:00.005-04:00

Come on guys, don't delay... enter now to win a Premium Account at Punchbowl. Just in time for Halloween, too. Punchbowl has lots of ideas for your Halloween party. Did you know that Halloween falls on a Saturday this year?

Be sure to enter on the GIVEAWAY post, not this one. :)

Wordless Wednesday: Me, 35 years ago today!

2009-09-30T09:29:00.005-04:00

Check out more Wordless Wednesdays here and here!

Also, enter my GIVEAWAY here!

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter House Party

2009-09-28T10:37:00.015-04:00

After the much lauded Domino's American Legends Pizza House Party I threw this summer, I was very excited to get a chance to host another party through the House Party website. This time, it would be sponsored by I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. No joke! How does one have a party based around butter (or "non-butter" as the case may be)? Well, it actually took the form of a bake sale planning party. What a cool concept! As President of my daughter's school's PTO, this opportunity fell into my lap at just the right time. Our PTO is launching some new programming and events, and a bake sale was a good start to fund our efforts.

The party pack that came in the mail contained enough material for 15 guests. My party ended up being much smaller, so there was plenty of stuff go around. Each guest got a tote bag with the ICBINB logo (and another one tucked inside the bag, too), a refrigerator magnet/notepad, a recipe booklet, 6 $1.50 coupons for ICBINB sticks, and entries for a sponsor-related contest to use and to share with friends. To this, I added $1.60 Nature Valley Nut Clusters coupons that I had received from Pssst... that I was supposed to share with friends. I also added a pen (that I got free from CVS with all of their back to school shopping deals!) to go with that fridge magnet list, and a Zobmondo coupon and AMC theaters popcorn coupons that I still had leftover from the Domino's House Party. Not a bad little reward for people coming together to plan a charitable bake sale!

I gave the guests a baking-related word search to do as people arrived. I also had a jar of chocolate chips on display for the guests to study and make a guess as to how many chips there were in the jar. EVERYone who took a stab at it guessed in the mid-300's. Well, except for my three year old who guessed that there were FIVE chocolate chips (we need to work on those counting skills, sweetie...). In reality, there were 700 chips in that little jar. The guest with the closest guess won the prize, which contained two coupons for free ICBINB and an ICBINB butter dish from the sponsor's party pack, and a candle holder with season-appropriate scented candles for it and hand lotion... you know, to moisturize after all of that baking and washing up. The supplements were things that I pulled out of the stash of things I've gotten for free with deal/coupon shopping.

In the midst of the bake sale planning, we enjoyed some light refreshments - cheese and crackers, chips, chocolate chip cookies the size of your head (!) and lemon squares. To make things interesting, I prepared one batch of lemon squares with real butter and one with ICBINB. I asked my guests to take part in the butter vs. ICBINB taste test, just for grins and giggles. My guests actually uttered the line "I can't believe it's not butter!" afterwards. And so, yeah... maybe I prompted them just a little to actually say the line... but the consensus was that the lemon squares I baked with ICBINB were better than the ones I baked with real butter!

In the picture, the ICBINB batch is in the foreground, real butter batch in the background. And now, a few notes about my baking experience. Working with ICBINB was just the same as using real butter. The real test was tasting the crust of the lemon squares. The ICBINB crust allowed easier removal from the baking pan, but the real butter crust actually crumbled less when biting into the squares. One guest thought the lemon flavor was more enhanced with the real butter squares, but she still preferred the ICBINB batch. I'm the type of gal who buys what is on sale for most things, which includes ICBINB from time to time. I was glad to have done a side-by-side comparison for this product.

And while we didn't actually set a date for our bake sale yet, we did talk about a lot of school related projects and camaraderie was enhanced. We have some details to check on and some avenues to pursue, and we'll be well on our way to having our "better bake sale." What fun!

While you're here, don't forget to enter my Giveaway for a Premium Account at MyPunchbowl! I reviewed MyPunchbowl here. Check it out!

Punchbowl Party Planning Site - GIVEAWAY!

2009-09-26T17:18:00.008-04:00

[Expired]

Not too long ago, I posted about my in-laws' 40th anniversary, and how I used Punchbowl to do all of the party planning. I have exciting news for you, dear blog reader... the very cool and upbeat folks over at Punchbowl have generously offered 2 lucky Shin-dig-it readers a year-long upgrade to a Premium account! The regular price for a Premium account is $39.95, and offers you more design choices and other party planning amenities. If you use Twitter, you can also receive updates from @Punchbowl. They are always able to supply you with a reason to celebrate!

To enter the contest, you need to leave a comment on this post with your email address (only so that I can contact you if you win) and your name. And while you're at it, let us know your favorite reason to celebrate! All entries must be received by 6:00 PM EST on Monday, October 6, 2009. Two winners will be picked by random number generator and will be notified by email. If no contact is made within a reasonable amount of time, I reserve the right to choose another winner.

Good luck!

Shindiglet: Family Movie Night & Bedtime Moments

2009-09-21T20:36:00.000-04:00

A family movie night, for me, is such an occasion.

On weekends, my little family unit (the four of us) likes to kick back and relax and enjoy some family entertainment on the ol' boob tube. Lately, we've been watching the Pink Panther cartoons that I remember watching as a kid. I'm loving the fact that my kids think they are hilarious! My memories take me back to when I was young and I went with my family to the drive in. Before the movie started, we would be treated with a cartoon, sort of like an appetizer. All of us kids (there were always so many of us in one car... never failed!) used to guess which cartoon would be shown. Would it be Tom & Jerry or The Pink Panther? And which exact one would it be? The beach episode of Tom & Jerry where Tom tries to impress that sleek white girl cat? The Pink Panther episode where PP wants everything painted pink when the man is obviously a fan of the color blue? The occasional Ant & the Aardvark? Ahhh, those summertime moments of anticipation! So fast-forward many... ahem!... a few years later, and I get to see my kids rehashing the simple plot lines that make the Pink Panther so timeless.

All of this reminiscing has gotten me all nostalgic. In my ritualistic, daily blog hopping earlier this summer I landed on a contest over at wantnot.net that focused on special bedtime moments between parents and children. I guess that sentimental mood back then got me thinking about special bedtime moments, and how our children just grow up so darn fast (second grade already!!). It hit me that these are the days my children will remember when they're my age, and hopefully they'll look fondly upon them. I want to give my kids those Pink Panther memories! I want them to drift off to sleep in a home where they have fun and bond over family time! Goshdarnit, I want tons and tons of special bedtime moments!

Did I mention that I won that contest over at wantnot.net? No? Welllllllllllllllllllllll... let me tell you all about it! Mir, the very pretty blogger over yonder had partnered with GoodNites to sponsor this contest. All I had to do to enter was to write about a special bedtime moment I had experienced. I recalled the bedtime story "Love You Forever" and how it always makes me emotional when I read it. You can get the details at wantnot.net and spare me the blubbering from rehashing it now. :) I cannot tell you how excited I was to learn that I had won! When the prize arrived in the mail, I was like a kid at Christmas, going through all of that loot! Included was a beautiful LL Bean tote bag, a nice, warm, fuzzy throw blanket, two Moleskine journals, a $50 gift card for Borders, and a $100 pajamagram.com gift certificate. Wowee!! Family movie night just got cozier! To top it all off, wantnot.net won a sub-contest with GoodNites as the blogger who generated the most entries to the GoodNites website's Special Bedtime Moments contest. With that win, Mir earned $1,000 worth of bedtime books that she had donated to her local county library system's outreach program. Having even the tiniest part of getting books into the hands of people who can appreciate them is just plain delightful.

To bring us back full circle, I'm currently planning a shindiglet for an upcoming family movie night. With a subtle nod to wantnot.net and GoodNites... I think we'll watch 'Bedtime Stories.'

40th Wedding Anniversary Party

2009-09-01T15:29:00.009-04:00

I had the great honor to organize and implement a 40th wedding anniversary party for my mother and father-in-law this summer. My sister-in-law is busy planning her own wedding, and so I donned my party planning hat and started thinking about themes!

My research quickly uncovered the fact that the 40th anniversary is the Ruby Anniversary. My in-laws just weren't the types that desire to be lavished with rubies, so I figured out ways to play up '40' and used 'ruby' as a color accent instead.

In order to get the event off the ground on relatively short notice, it was imperative to do the invitations electronically. Fortunately, I had just been given the opportunity to upgrade my account to Premium at Punchbowl. If you are not familiar with punchbowl.com, it is a great resource for party planning from invitations, to managing what dishes your guests are bringing, to posting pictures of your event when it is all over.

The first order of business to give Punchbowl a whirl, was to design the invitation. I could choose from plenty of very pretty designs and styles, with good prompts for all the necessary information. Previewing the design was simple, and editing my information was just as intuitive. I had a lot of fun tweaking the details of the design, too. My in-laws' wedding colors were yellow and light blue. I added a splash of red to the design, too, remembering that this was the ruby anniversary after all! Having gathered in my research (thank you, Google!) that the Nasturtium is the 40th anniversary flower, I added a photo of a pretty yellow Nasturtium to the invitation. Wow! I was so pleased with the look. It was pleasant and classy, which is just the impression I wanted to convey.

When I was satisfied with the design, I moved on to discover more of the features Punchbowl offers. I was thrilled with the option to add a potluck contribution manager. Since this party was just for family, and was to be held at my in-laws' backyard during the summer, we opted for a cookout celebration. The guests would be bringing dishes to share. I had already envisioned the menu. We would be grilling marinated chicken breast and steak for steak sandwiches, as well as having pulled pork. I also made spaghetti dill salad and deviled eggs. My sister-in-law made a fruit salad, brought the celebratory cake (decorated, once again, with yellow, blue and a splash of red) and supplied the beer and soda. Based on the number of guests, I selected the type and number of other dishes that the guests could choose to bring. I was really impressed with this feature! I did have to play around with it a little before I figured out that you need to remember to click "submit" or it won't save the numbers or prompt the guests to look at this section of the invitation online.

At last, I was ready to send the invitation. Punchbowl allows you the opportunity to add a specific message to all of your guests, just one, or a different message to each guest - whichever way you want. This is helpful if you want to suggest to your aunt to bring her acclaimed baked lima beans dish, and your uncle to throw a couple of folding tables in the back of the truck, too. Very cool! As the RSVPs came in, I was able to edit the online invitation to update the number of guests expected on the potluck page. Again, I had to play around with this feature, but finally realized you have to click up in the "Note" section to update this information.

An easy to manage to-do list is another great feature on this site! This was very handy for me, as I was planning this event the same time I was planning my Dominos American Legends Pizza House Party.

The party itself went swimmingly! Everyone contributed such great food, and it wasn't your run-of-the-mill cookout. I wanted my in-laws to feel special, and I think they did. My in-laws have three children (my husband being one of them). To pay homage to their 40 years of marriage, their three children and I each made a list of 10 things we love about them, totaling 40 things. The list ran the gamut from touching to funny, the youngest citing such things as "You never gave me a curfew." And one that I contributed was that "Our kids love coming to visit them, and that it was only partly because there is a playground next door." My husband tugged the heart strings with things like, "By loving us and showing us that you care, you proved that love is truly the light of the world and we are all meant to carry it on to others." My sister-in-law remarked on all of the family vacations they had made over the years, and how the family time would be cherished forever.

But that wasn't the only tribute that we paid to to their anniversary. In the week leading up to the party, my husband scanned the pictures from their wedding album and enhanced them with a photo editing software. Some of the photos had been damaged in a flood many moons ago, and some had yellowed over time. They looked great, and were viewed in a wonderful slide show presentation at the party set to the music of their song. My mother-in-law in particular was truly touched by this gesture.

As a final tie-in to the 40 theme, the children each gave the couple of honor a $40 gift card for someplace meaningful to them. And although I didn't think of it at the time, I later thought a gift card to Ruby Tuesday would have been appropriate!

Later, in a thank you note, my mother-in-law said, "Thank you ever so much for the special anniversary celebration. The food was so good, our wedding pictures put to music was wonderful, and your things that you admire in us were so touching. We truly felt special and so loved. As we grow older, we find that having family is our greatest blessing."

When all was said and done, I was proud to be involved in the event, and glad to have shown such a wonderful couple that they have done well in their life together. And... I can't wait to throw a Golden Anniversary party for them!

Wordless Wednesday: Pizza Party Aftermath A.K.A. Pass the Tums

2009-06-24T09:50:00.004-04:00

Check out more WW here and here!

Domino's American Legends Pizza House Party

2009-06-23T15:21:00.014-04:00

So, say someone offers you a gift card worth $75 at Domino's and asks you to sample their new line of pizza - American Legends ("the classic American flavors without the road trip"). Now, say that all you have to do is invite over your friends so that they can sample the new pizza, too. Wouldn't you go for it? I sure did - and what a fun time it was indeed!

It all started several months ago when my sister-in-law forwarded me an email from houseparty.com announcing a French Cocktail Hour party. Prospective hosts need only apply online (easy and free) and the houseparty computers would select a set amount of hosts via a cross-comparison of applicants against the sponsor's (in that case, the French Government) marketing needs. Although I had applied for that house party, sadly, I was not selected to be a host. But did that stop me from applying for other house parties? No way! The very next party I applied to host was the Domino's American Legends house party. This time was I selected? You betcha!

From start to finish, my experience with the house party was superb! They have an internal national party blog that allows you to hear from other party hosts as well as getting information directly from the site. I received timely emails with information on what was coming up next in the party planning process and tips to get the buzz going about my party.

The house party site has the added functionality of inviting all of your guests online, making it a breeze to spread the word about your party. I did have one person who I needed to invite in person, and the site made that so easy, too. What fun it was to watch as my guests responded to the RSVP and left messages on the party message board (also built in to the site).

Once my party was customized to my taste, and the invitations were issued, I began the theme development of which I am so fond. How to play up the theme with the food? American Legends combined with legendary food tastes brought me to the challenge that I issued to my guests: to bring a food or drink inspired by a legendary American person or place. Being an Elvis admirer myself, I had notions of fried banana and peanut butter sandwiches... or a spin-off of that in a banana & peanut butter dessert pizza. Yes, that is what I would make! Well, to make that long story short, the brownie "pizza crust" broke as I was turning it out, so I just cut them up into squares and forewent the Elvis connection. Brownies are an all-American dessert, so I cut my losses and just went with that. I did, however, stumble upon a fantastic recipe for a non-alcoholic mint julep. The recipe is based on the beverage served at Disneyland. See that? I combined the legendary drink of the Kentucky Derby with the legendary all-things-Disney and got myself a two-fer. It was delicious to boot! In honor of Hawaii (American legendary paradise), I also cut up a fresh pineapple.

And that brings me to the variety of the Domino's American Legends line of pizzas. Are you stuck in the typical pepperoni pizza rut? Domino's has the answer to your problem. Are you ready for this? They have the Honolulu Hawaiian, Philly Cheesesteak, Buffalo Chicken, Memphis BBQ Chicken, Cali Chicken Bacon Ranch, and Pacific Veggie. Whew! We enjoyed one of each on the hand-tossed crust. Let me tell you, folks... Domino's reputation has skyrocketed in my opinion! You do not want to miss the Memphis Chicken BBQ. It is sweet and smokey, and totally to die for! It was my personal favorite, and not only because it made me think of Elvis (OK, yes, Elvis was smokey and sweet, but it was the Memphis connection that made me think of him initially. Come on folks!)

So, feeling that the food was covered, I wanted to add a few other details to bring the theme out even more. I turned to the public library for help. I took out several books on the subject of American Legends. This included: "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", biograpies on Judy Garland and James Dean, a tourism book on Hawaii, and a foodie book about New York. I added a couple from my own collection, including a book on Elvis (of course!), and one about the Kentucky Derby. From the house party site, I downloaded and printed out a top ten list of popular American travel destinations. I set copies of this list around the sitting area with the books. So for a casual shindig, I was feeling pretty satisfied that the theme would be developed.

A couple of weeks prior to party day, house party sent me a party pack which arrived via UPS. I got quite a kick out of the fact that it was shipped in a Domino's pizza box. How fun and odd to see the UPS man delivering pizza! Inside the box were several goodies. There was a Domino's pen and notepad (good for making party planning to-do lists), Domino's pizza coupons, free popcorn coupons for AMC theaters, and coupons for Zobmondo games. To my delight, there was also a free Zobmondo "You Gotta Be Kidding" card game for us to use at the party. Squee!

Party day happened to be the same day as the scheduled community-wide yard sale, in which I had hoped to participate. The good Lord must have known I was trying to do too much, because that morning it was raining cats and dogs. The yard sale being rained out did provide me the luxury of having plenty of time to get the house tidied up and in order. This was good, because I had planned a backyard bash, but had to change it to an indoor party. It was just too wet outside.

Let me share with you another cool facet of my Domino's experience. I love coupons. I ordered my pizza early via the phone instead of online just to make sure the large order could be handled adequately and would be ready on time. I explained about the house party promotion and asked about the online coupons. We hashed things out with no problems, and I managed to take my $75 gift card from the Domino's/house party promotion and get 12 pizzas instead of six thanks to the coupon deal. Lesson here is always, ALWAYS look for coupons and ask the salespeople if they can work with you to use them to the max. There was even enough left on the gift card to throw in a 2-liter of soda. Sweet! It was such a weird thing to see my husband and brother-in-law carrying in so many pizza boxes at one time. But we were a good sized crowd, and we were hungry! Late afternoon found us welcoming our guests, which numbered about 30, to our humble abode with smiles on our faces and feasting on our minds.

I had printed out cards with the names of each American Legends pizza that I placed aside the appropriate pizza box so that everyone knew what each one was. It was surprising how much fun everyone had just talking about the variety of pizzas and what we all liked most about them. The most popular AL pizza was the Cali Chicken Bacon Ranch. On the house party site for the Domino's party, most people indicated that the Philly Cheesesteak was the most popular at their parties. Here in southcentral PA, we are cheesesteak connoisseurs, and while it was delicious, it didn't quite taste like what we thought of as cheesesteaks. Where was the cheez wiz? Heh! One of my guests remarked that all of the pizzas were delicious but only the pepperoni and the cheese variety were actually pizzas. Her Italian background wouldn't let her identify the AL line as pizzas.

The "You Gotta Be Kidding" game had several of us rolling on the floor it was so funny. With questions like "Would you rather dig in someone else's nose to get out a booger or have someone else dig in your nose to get out a booger?" you can imagine the amusing discomfort that took turns on everyone's face. Groans and laughter did abound, nonetheless.

After several hours of pizza-fueled fun and games, the party guests dissipated, managing to roll home after having so much to eat! There was even some pizza sent home with guests, we had such a bounty. When it was all said and done, I figured it cost me all of about $20 to throw this party. That was for the soda and munchies. What a bargain! Many thanks to Domino's and house party for a wholesome and terrific event to be a part of! We couldn't have been happier! I am totally aching to host another house party. If you've never checked them out before, go at once to houseparty.com and sign yourself up. And hey, if you get selected to host a party, don't forget to invite me! *wink*

Big things in the works

2009-06-11T10:40:00.005-04:00

I promise you I've not abandoned this blogging thing! I actually have several shindigs I'm currently working on right now, and it has severely cut into my blogging time. I will try to post some details soon on the "American Legends Domino's Pizza Party" I'm hosting, 4th of July Sillybration in our neighborhood, as well as the 40th Wedding Anniversary party my sister-in-law and I are planning for her parents. Summer is known for keeping people busy, and you'll get no argument from me on that statement! Until later...

One Lovely Blog Award

2009-06-02T13:37:00.000-04:00

I'm honored to have been awarded the "One Lovely Blog" Award by Cascia over at Healthy Moms. Thank you very much for the nod!

There are so many lovely blogs out there, and I'm passing this award along to some that I've discovered in my blogosphere travels...

Here are the rules: 1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. 2) Pass the award to other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

1. The Shopping Adventures of Cheapo McFrugalpants

2. Queen of Good Intentions

3. The Social Frog

4. Bloom Where You're Planted!

5. Look What Mom Found

6. Susie's Homemade

FairlyOdd Parents Party Thank You Cards

2009-05-13T11:20:00.000-04:00

Instead of using a lot of references to the FairlyOdd Parents on the thank you cards, I opted to personalize them with photos instead. I used publishing software to do the design in postcard format. For each note, I chose a picture taken at one of the two parties the guest had attended. There were a few thank you cards needed for people who weren't at either party, but had given gifts. For those, I chose one good picture of both of the birthday girls and arranged them on the front of the postcard. A simple 'thank you' was also printed on the front of the cards. They were four per page, and I printed them on card stock. After trimming them, I wrote the thank you messages on the backs, and had my oldest sign both of the girls' names. I used Fairy stickers to embellish the front with the pictures, so that the effect was fairies and butterflies flying amid the party pictures. Sometimes simple does just fine!

Wordless Wednesday: Teacher Appreciation Luncheon Dessert

2009-05-13T11:00:00.004-04:00

for other Wordless Wednesdays, click here and/or here

Shindiglet: The Before-the-Party Party

2009-05-13T09:55:00.020-04:00

A before-the-party party, for me, is such an occasion.

I planned to make a lunch for the family members coming to the FairlyOdd Parents Bowling Party. During the lunch, we could open gifts from them instead of toting more stuff to the bowling alley. What started off as a light lunch, soon became a shindiglet!

Inspired by the Magical Tablescape post over at Party Planning Mom, I envisioned a fairy theme spin-off of the FairlyOdd Parents theme we'd be ensconced in later. My girls were turning seven and three, and pink and green fairies (nod to Wanda and Cosmo's colors) seemed to be the perfect focal point.

Since this was to be a smaller affair, with the main party following it, I wanted only to provide a few key decorative accents. We have a green woodland fairy that sits in our kitchen, so I snagged her to reign supreme as the table centerpiece. Some silk floral stems softened her up a bit. I found a few ceramic fairies at the Dollar Tree that surrounded the woodland fairy tucked in between the flowers and leaves. The green forest bed (a square of green felt) looked very pleasant atop a pink table covering. This picture was taken a few days before the party, as I was planning it all out.

Two shades of green crepe paper were draped from the chandelier to the corners of the room to give the effect of a luncheon under the shade of a big tree.

The table setting was very simple. Every enchanted forest has flowers, so we had a floral napkin with pink utensils. We used a floral napkin spread open as the placemat, a pink plate with a white doily on it, and had a tiny pink cup filled with pop rocks which, when later added to the pink lemonade, became fairy punch (although my girls couldn't wait, and drank the pop rocks straight up!). This great drink idea came from the Magic Tablescape post previously mentioned, as did the idea of putting cotton candy into the drink cups to munch on before the lunch was served. The girls loved it!

For lunch, I served cold cut sandwiches, cheese & crackers, fruit salad, deviled eggs, pretzels, and for dessert, birthday cake, of course!

We lit seven candles for the oldest child and sang Happy Birthday to her, then repeated the process with three candles for the youngest. We ended up not having enough time to open presents before the bowling party, so we waited until afterwards. What a great day spent with family & friends!

FairlyOdd Parents Bowling Party Summary

2009-05-13T09:00:00.009-04:00

After a few weeks of the everyday chaos of life, I'm finally settling in to wrap up the details from my daughters' FairlyOdd Parents Bowling Birthday Party that took place in early April. It was a day of Fairly Odd fun!

Let me begin with the cake... er, non-cake, as it ended up. Since we had to be portable, given that the party wasn't being held at our house, we opted for cupcakes. I had originally envisioned a fishbowl cake similar to this photo that I found online.

Tailored to the FairlyOdd Parents fishbowl, this would have been perfect. The car ride over to the bowling party worried me, though. So I scaled things waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back and made these very simple cupcakes. They made it to the bowling alley without any issues, and were gobbled up with no muss or fuss.

As for the venue itself, we couldn't have asked for a better site. We had plenty of room to set up the goody bags and the cupcakes, as well as room for the presents that the guests brought. The kids and adults could share the same lanes, with programmable "bumpers" to appear when it was a child's turn bowl. The bumpers block the gutters so there are no gutter balls. The cost included pizza, chips, a soda, and an ice cream cup for each guest. They also provided all of the plates, napkins, etc. It was a great deal!

There was plenty of time allotted for bowling. In addition to the bumpers, there were also light-weight bowling balls to make it more appropriate for children. Most of the kids still had trouble maneuvering the ball. To aid this situation, there were these wheeled devices that allowed them to push the ball instead.

My girls had a great time, I enjoyed myself, and the rest of the adults were still smiling when it was all over. If you're considering a bowling party for your child, I highly recommend it. We're not regular bowlers at all, so don't let that stop you, because the kids always love it!

Wordless Wednesday: school multicultural night centerpiece

2009-04-22T09:03:00.003-04:00

see more wordless wednesdays here and here

Wordless Wednesday: Let the Good Times Roll!

2009-04-08T10:28:00.003-04:00

See more Wordless Wednesday shots here and here.

Wa-hoo! I actually won a Giveaway!

2009-04-01T10:47:00.005-04:00

John Hughes has to be one of my all-time favorites when it comes to movies - his are all sooo good. When I saw a DVD of Pretty in Pink giveaway being hosted by Roseann over at The Social Frog, I entered right away!

Today, I was notified that I won! Yay me! :) This is the first time I've won a blog giveaway of any kind, I was so psyched!!!

Now, the way it goes with me is when I'm blogging, I'm thinking party-planning. So with Pretty in Pink also on my mind, it didn't take long for visions of a prom-themed party to enter my head. (my girls are both too young to even be thinking about proms yet!) Perhaps next year's Valentine's Day Ladies Tea will have a prom theme. Do you think I could get my guests to show up in old prom dresses? There is soooo much potential there! :)

So thanks again, Roseann, for the giveaway, and for unintentionally inspiring a wicked future party!!

Wordless Wednesday: Birthday cards in the mail!

2009-04-01T10:41:00.003-04:00

see more wordless wednesday posts here and here

Fairly OddParents Birthday Party Goody Bags

2009-03-31T09:53:00.003-04:00

It took me most of the day to get it done, but my Tackle for this Tuesday was to create and print all of the necessary tidbits pertaining to the goody bags for the girls' quickly approaching birthday party. I used a Publishing software on the computer and printed some things onto card stock and the rest onto regular white paper. Here is what all of the supplies looked like after printing, but before sorting, cutting, and attaching.

I used my paper trimmer to cut everything apart so that all of the edges would be clean. Here is the finished product with the contents laid out for picture purposes.

I picked up pink and green gift bags from AC Moore, on sale this week 3/$1. Score! Each bag is labeled with each guest's name alongside the gender-appropriate fairy. The green card stock is the TV show's theme song lyrics (those really get stuck in your head!). The big page is a foldable fortune teller with a Fairly OddParents theme. Do you remember those things from elementary school? You fold them up in just the right way and you can use your hands to open and close it, at last revealing the answer to whatever question you asked it in the beginning. Sort of a poor man's magic 8 ball. There is an Air Heads candy which has a picture of Cosmo and Wanda on it. This was my soon to be 7 year old's idea, as the Fairies float in the 'air'. The packet of pixy stix has a picture of two pixies from the show on it. I bundled several green and pink straws together with a fairy wand and tied them with green fiber. I wasn't sure what I was going to do when I bought the straws, but it turned out cute, I think. I found one store in all of my shopping that had Fairly OddParents stickers, and I bought the only three packets they had!

Because Cosmo and Wanda regularly take the form of goldfish in Timmy's room, we had to have Goldfish crackers. A picture of the Fairy goldfish was attached to help make the mental connection.

Similarly, a picture of Chip Skylark (singer character from the show, famous for singing the song "Icky Vicky") was attached to the packet of mini Chips Ahoy cookies. The Fun Dips were tossed into the mix, not for any Fairly OddParents significance, but just because my birthday girls really wanted them included. :) Oh, and there is a coloring sheet that will also be included in the Goody Bags, but they're off being photocopied at the moment.

On the back of the bag, I listed 10 Fairly OddParents trivia questions. The answers were attached to the bottom of the bag. Since this party will be at the bowling alley, I didn't need to plan any games, but I thought a little trivia was a fun idea.

I had lots of fun planning this party so far. Now all that is left is making the cake!

Check out more Tackles here!

Wordless Wednesday: When the presents have all been opened

2009-03-25T09:41:00.003-04:00

Go to 5 minutes for mom or wordless wednesday to see posts from other participants!

Let the Fairly Odd Times Roll...

2009-03-24T09:16:00.010-04:00

My two little girls have birthdays coming up very soon. I have been getting the party plans together, but still haven't sent out the invitations. Yikes!

In all fairness, I ended up with less time than I originally thought I would have to plan the party. My girls' birthdays are the 8th and the 10th of April, which falls during Holy Week this year. In my mind, I had the party date set for the weekend after Easter. Family members, it turns out, have plans that weekend, and wouldn't be able to come. So... I chopped off two weeks of the planning cushion and set the date for the weekend before Easter. Talk about scramble time!

A bowling party was requested, as was the theme "Fairly Odd Parents," which is a cartoon on Nickelodeon. I got to work right away, and reserved the date at the bowling alley. Check. I sent out a "save the date" email to the invitees to buy a little more time to get the invitations together. Check. Then I scoured the web looking for ideas to pull the theme together, cutting and pasting the thoughts into a document. Check.

Armed with ideas, I found myself ready for my Tackle it Tuesday: create and send the party invitations.

Mimicking the Fairy Godparents rule book "Da Rules," I fashioned the invitation to be "Da Rules" for having a good time at the birthday party, with the party information details being the rules. A little Fairly Odd Parents clip art was added to help explain the theme. Check.

Okay, so I was well on my way to getting these things on their merry little way to the party invitees. Shucks! I didn't have envelopes to fit those bad boys! After checking prices online at the office supply stores for envelopes fitting the measurements of the invitations (which came 100 per box), I decided to attempt making my own. Wrapping heavier grade paper around an invitation, I created the pattern and made the few that I needed. Check. (Afterwards, I found a lot of internet sites providing printable templates and more ideas to create your own envelopes.)

The next task that needed to be completed was sealing the envelopes. A little scrapbooking adhesive tape closed the envelope, but it needed some flair. Hmmmm. I didn't have any Fairly Odd Parents stickers, so instead, I found shiny gold stars to use. I added a straight black line, and voila! A fairy godparent wand! Check.

The last thing to do is get these to the post office. So, I'm off to do that now. Since the envelopes are homemade (nonstandard), I want to make sure I have adequate postage on them. After all that work, I want to be sure the invitations actually make it to their intended destinations!

Be sure to check out 5 minutes for mom for more tackles!

Wordless Wednesday: Cupcake Message

2009-03-11T10:54:00.004-04:00

See more WW here and here!

Wordless Wednesday: She likes it, she really likes it!

2009-03-04T11:13:00.003-05:00

I love how her mouth looks just like Spongebob's mouth!

More Wordless Wednesdays can be found here and here.

Tackle It Tuesday: My little part of the Gala

2009-03-03T11:46:00.011-05:00

My oldest daughter is in first grade at a small Catholic elementary school. Every year, a Gala is held as a fundraiser for the school. This year, the Gala planners challenged each grade to put together a basket to be auctioned off at the event; and each grade was given a theme. The theme for my daughter's class was "Harrisburg - Our Capital City".

J. T. Williams, View of Harrisburg, Penn. (Baltimore, 1855). Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Initially, I was planning on donating a print of the Harrisburg picture above (I had this on hand already). But soon, the challenge of the theme took hold, and a TACKLE formed in my mind. What else could I get to make the first grade's basket a hot item at the Gala?

I talked to my friend, Toni, over at The Shopping Adventures of Cheapo McFrugalpants. And together, we came up with a list of possibilities.

I called a frame shop where I've previously had pictures framed to inquire about the possibility of donating a percent-off gift certificate, which could be used to frame the print I was donating. The proprietor was happy to work something out, and agreed to make such a donation. Score!

I also sent out a few emails to local businesses who might be willing to make a donation to their downtown "neighbors." A local theater was kind enough to donate two gift certificates, each with a $50 value. Wow-wee!

A friend and neighbor of mine recently published a cookbook called Settings. It features recipes and anecdotes from Harrisburg and the surrounding area. I thought this would be a perfect addition to the basket! I called her up to buy one, and she actually provided one at no charge as a donation! What a wonderful and generous person! She even signed it upon request.

Things were going so well, that I wished I had started earlier. The Gala is mid-March, and time is running out. I am still planning on picking up a gift certificate to a restaurant that is unique to the city. Whether or not I can get that as a donation is yet undetermined. Wish me luck! But I am happy with the progress I made, and thankful for the generous benefactors out there!

"Cheers" (also known as: alcohol!) was the theme my husband's group (school development board) was given for the basket they're putting together. Everyone is sending in bottles of wine for that one. In addition to the bottle of wine he already took in, I am contemplating sending in some additional item for that theme. Wine glass charms? Homemade jalapeno/apricot jelly (goes great with cream cheese over crackers!)? Any other thoughts?

Wordless Wednesday: Daddy Feathersword

2009-02-25T09:52:00.005-05:00

As parents, what we won't do for our children's birthdays...

Check out more WW here and here!

Wordless Wednesday: Temptation

2009-02-18T09:34:00.007-05:00

More Wordless Wednesdays can be found here and here.

Shindiglet: Book Club discusses The Prince of Tides

2009-02-17T08:46:00.009-05:00

A book club meeting, for me, is such an occasion.

Over the weekend, I had a Book Club meeting. The book was The Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy. This story's setting is largely in Coastal South Carolina. The main character's family were shrimpers. I was in charge of bringing the food. And you know how I love a theme...

Being a morning book club meeting, my challenge was to find an appropriate breakfast or brunch food that would tie in to the book's setting. Shrimp was necessary, I immediately decided. My thoughts then quickly headed back to last summer's vacation to Charleston, SC. After a long, hot day strolling the streets of Charleston, my family settled in to a refreshing seafood dinner at a very colorful restaurant. Looking at the menu, I landed on three magical words: shrimp and grits. I had never had grits before. And the cheese-laden, bacon-y sauce sounded too good to pass up. This particular restaurant, shaped the grits into cakes and fried them to a golden crisp, and ladled the shrimp & sauce over top of that. It was totally mouth-watering. I, however, did not think I could pull this off at 8:00 on a Saturday morning, but grits sounded like the ideal pairing with shrimp and breakfast. So I did a search for shrimp and grits casserole recipes, and found one that sounded worth trying: Cheesy Shrimp-and-Grits Casserole.

Photo courtesy of joyd at RecipeZaar.

The night before Book Club, I hit the grocery store to get my supplies. I wandered around forEVER looking for grits. Having never bought them before, I really didn't know where they would be located. I first looked by the rice. Nope. Then the ethnic aisle (why not?). Not there either. Okay, grasping for straws, I searched by the flour and corn meal. Notta! I almost gave up on the idea and started thinking of other things to take to eat. I was completely deflated with that line of thinking, however. I really had wanted to work out this theme! With a lightning moment of inspiration, I headed to one last place to look for the grits - the cereal aisle! Lo and behold, there were the variety of grits nestled next to the oatmeal selection. Happy day! So I finished up my shopping list and headed home to get started.

I prepared the recipe that night, and needed only to pop it in the oven for about half an hour just prior to leaving for the meeting the next morning. Fortunately, we were only meeting across the street at my neighbor's house, so it was still nice and hot and ready to be gobbled up when I got there! I did bring along a fruit salad (strawberries, red grapes, and blueberries tossed in a honey-lemon dressing), to round it out, and as an option for anyone who doesn't like or can't eat shrimp. A jug of Southern Brewed Iced Tea fit in nicely with this fare, too! I was proud of the result, which was not too overwhelming, but helped set the mood for the topic of discussion. We all allowed ourselves to be immersed in the way of life described in the book, and we didn't escape without a few goes at a southern drawl in our voices.

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Wordless Wednesday: Crown of Thorns

2009-02-11T09:25:00.004-05:00

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Does it cost an arm and a leg?

2009-02-11T08:24:00.003-05:00

Does it cost an arm and a leg to throw a happy shindig? Because I really don't have any of those to spare.

I recently hosted a Valentine's Day Ladies Tea at my home (for the 5th year in a row), and I've learned a thing or two since I first started. The truth of the matter is - yes, you can throw a good party without spending a fortune. For me, I've invested money in staple items that will be used every year and/or at other events - my china, for instance. Also, my table linens are burgundy, and look very nice when dressed up for Christmas dinner, too. And my pretty serving dishes were all handed down to me from my mother, and can all be used at any meal I'm hosting. So, the first rule is to be wise when investing money on more costly items. Make sure the more expensive stuff can do double duty or at least be used for a long time.

Valentine's Day is typically celebrated with flowers that are way expensive. Yes, the florists' prices do go up leading up to this holiday! There were two ways that I economized with flowers at my tea party this year. The first, was making your own centerpiece. I picked up a teacup and saucer from a local antique market for $2.50. I tapped my good friend (who was a florist before becoming a stay-at-home-mom) to put her mad skillz to work. She put together a lovely centerpiece for me, which would have only amounted to about $7-$8 for the cost of the flowers and supplies. My wonderful friend, however, would not let me pay her at all. The reason being, she said, is that her daughter (my daughter's best friend) often stays with us while my friend goes in to work around holidays. And this seasonal florist is in demand when holidays like Valentine's Day rolls around. She figured the centerpiece was a return favor. The moral of this story that I share with you, dear reader, is to see what kind of things for which and with which you can barter. Have a friend whom you think could help in some way with your party? Perhaps you can arrange a similar situation. The old I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine. I ended up with the perfect centerpiece for my tea party for a miniscule fraction of the cost I originally had budgeted, and coming from my friend, it was so much more meaningful. She was also a guest at my party, and I made sure to let everyone else know that she made it! Public praise is a good thing.

The other way I economized with flowers, was to visit a nearby greenhouse to select fresh pesticide-free flowers to use in the menu and for decorating the food and table. The owner had quoted a cost of 15 cents per flower when I originally inquired about obtaining the flowers. But when I went to pick them up a few days before my party, she was so happy to share the details about her trade and appreciative of my planned use of her lovely flowers (and charmed by my two year old, I think!), she just kept snipping away and giving me ideas on how to use which... she said, "I've lost count" When she had to go after another clam shell container to hold the lavender she was snipping, I also lost count. I was stunned when at the end she said, "It comes to $5." Now, I'm sure I had more than $5 worth of flowers, so I was delighted. I used edible flowers in two different foods at the party, and used fresh flowers to decorate the cake, and used the lavender sprigs as garnish. The tea party's theme was "floral flourish" and boy, did that ever shine through!

No tea party would be complete without tea, right? I happened to pick up some tea at a very unlikely place - the annual state farm show where I live. We take our girls there every year to appreciate the fun that livestock and 4H-like activities can bring to a child. The Dairy Council's milk shakes are always there to tempt me, too! I hadn't even composed my tea party invitations at this point, but I was pleased to no end when I found a vendor selling a large variety of teas at the farm show. I picked enough lavender tea for the party for less than $3. While browsing, I also found handmade earrings that were little teapots. Well, I couldn't resist! So, the best tip I can offer after this experience is to keep your eyes open for party finds, even if the party isn't going to happen right away. You can get great deals by shopping sales and special events!

That brings me to the final nugget of information I want to share on this topic - keeping your eyes open for deals throughout the year, and watch for coupon savings, too. After Valentine's Day, I always hit the sales to buy things that are marked down. I store them, and other things I pick up on sale or clearance the entire time between one party ending and the next one being planned. So about a month before the next party, I can pull it all out, take stock, and then see what else I need to find to fill it out. Places like Bath & Body works often has great coupons (you can find these on the deal sites) that can stretch your dollar pretty far. I picked up items from B&BW throughout the year with coupons when I had them, and then shopped their semi-annual sale, and I was set for prizes for the games I planned.

Having said all of this, there may be the occasion when you find something that you just want to splurge on that is truly an indulgence. I hope that every so often you allow yourself to do that. My indulgence this year was a gigantic diamond ring. No, I'm not talking about something I could actually wear on my finger, but instead, something more along the lines of a paper weight. I saw one of these things many years ago and thought it was hilarious. So when I happened upon one just days before my tea party for $4.99, I knew I had to have it. No, it wasn't necessary, but it sure did spark some funny conversations when made part of my table decor!

I hope that this information demonstrates that you truly can throw a party without having to drop tall cash!

Tackle it Tuesday: What to do with the leftover lavender?

2009-02-10T08:25:00.006-05:00

So my big tea party is over, and there are still a few things lingering about that have not been put back into storage - some of the china, for starters. I'm tackling that today, but that's not big thing. What I was really worried about was finding some use for the leftover flowers. I added the droopy blooms to the compost bin, but I still had many sprigs of lavender left over that I was sure could be of better use than compost fodder. I Googled and found several sites detailing the drying process of this fragrant plant. I decided that's what I'd do. So my tackle today is to arrange the sprigs of lavender to let them dry. Although I don't have much in the way of buds (it was more the greenery that I used for the table decor), I read that the dried leaves work in sachets and eye pillows. Lavender mixed with rice (or also salt?) make wonderful heating pads. But those decisions and tasks will be left for another tackle. For now, I'm happy to have the sprigs of lavender drying. I'm thinking of using the end products as part of next year's tea party favors. It would be kind of nice to have it recycled as such.
http://howtome.com/?p=260
http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/lavender3.html

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5th Annual Valentine's Day Ladies Tea: Re-cap

2009-02-09T12:12:00.006-05:00

Ahhhhhhh.... the satisfaction of accomplishment! Yesterday's tea party went over very well. That's not to say we didn't experience a couple of blips along the way, though.

There was one mix-up with the first activity, which was the flower meanings match game. I inadvertently copied and distributed the game with the meanings right beside the flower names. Duh! I can't believe I didn't catch that error before it was too late. But my guests are pretty easy going and indulged me by reading through the many meanings and talking about how interesting some of them were. Thank goodness I still had two other activities planned!

I also had a last minute cancellation due to illness, so we ended up with an odd number, making the Complete the Lyrics game have uneven teams. The teams were pretty evenly matched, as it turned out, and the difference in correct answers was only one, so the margin of victory was very slim. When it was time to select prizes for this game, everyone kept what they originally opened - no prize swiping occurred!

The consequences of the heart game went over very well, with lots of laughs. Originally, the prize for this game was going to be taking home the centerpiece. However, when my friend brought it over to me, I fell in love with it, and I couldn't part with it. That meant the consequences game was just going to be a filler activity - no prize. But since the flower meaning match game didn't work out, I moved that game's prize to the consequences game. So, it all worked out in the end.

We enjoyed tea and scones as the first course and nibbled on a seed & dried fruit snack mixture that was on the table upon arrival of the guests. I decided to lay a snippet of lavender on the saucer aside the tea cup, which I thought looked very pretty. I put the lavender snippets in the seed mixture bowls, too, as garnish.

Everyone seemed to like having the menu at the table so they knew what was in store. It helps to judge how much to eat along the way if you know to save room for something at the end! The primroses looked so pretty in the salad, I regret not taking a picture. Also, I didn't stop and take the time to photograph the panna cotta when that was served. Drat! They were quite lovely plated with raspberries and quartered lychees. And the taste combination was beautiful. It is a very creamy dessert, with cream and mascarpone cheese being the main ingredients. The rose water added a touch of delicacy. As I needed to remove the fresh flowers before cutting the layer cake, I did pause to take some pictures at that point.

Before the guests left, I gave them their favor box and sent most of them off with a goody bag filled with homemade heart-shaped peppermint patties and lemon poppy seed cookies. (OK, I let a few guests leave before I remembered to have them fill their goody bag - whoops!)

I dare say that everyone had a good time, and I was satisfied overall. As always, a few things were learned along the way, which help make the next event even better.

I suppose the next shindig I'll be planning is a dinner centered around curry ketchup. A coworker of my husband brought him some curry ketchup from a specialty shop, as my husband had been telling him about having it with sausages in Germany. So we're hoping to have the coworker and his wife over to give it a sample. A much smaller affair than my tea party, but I do so love the German theme...

Delightful, Wonderful, Cheerful, Edible Flowers

2009-02-06T14:20:00.005-05:00

I just came home from a short drive to a pesticide-free greenhouse that is serving as my supplier for the edible flowers I'm using at the tea party. What a delightful trip to make in dreary February! With my two-year-old in tow, we walked up and down the aisles of the greenhouses, allowing our senses to be cuddled by the sweetness of the floral bliss. The charming owner led us around snipping here and there, creating a collection of lovely and aromatic flowers for us. I'll admit, I was a little overwhelmed. There were so many choices, but we narrowed it down to shades of pink, and appropriate sizes for the purposes the flowers would need to serve. I ended up with stock, english daisies, snapdragons, dianthus, mini-carnations, and primrose. And THEN, just before we were ready to leave, the owner snipped a bit of lavender for my daughter to sniff. When I told her we were having lavender tea, she suggested taking some snippets of lavender, too. "You could float these in the tea if you like," she suggested. YES! Or even laying aside the teacup on the saucer, I say. It's just so pretty! How surprised and pleased was I when she told me my total was $5?! Happy day. :)

Before we left, I had to take a picture of this awesome plant, called Crown of Thorns. It's name is self-explanatory. Wow.

Valentine's Day Tea Party: Final Details

2009-02-06T08:12:00.009-05:00

The tea party is set for the day after tomorrow. I'm excited to see that things are all coming together nicely. I've really done a good job of budgeting my time, which has not always been the case in the past. I still have two days packed full of things to do, but I'm not overly stressed or exhausted - yet. :)

I found a pretty swirly-like scroll frame, which will display the menu and double as a table decoration. I also have two small flower pots with pale pink silk roses and greens to dress up the table. My friend is working magic with fresh flowers and the tea cup and saucer I picked up recently. I don't make place cards, because everyone already has their usual seats that they migrate to upon arrival. If I can think of something fun next year, though, I might implement them just for the fun of it. So, those things, along with the burgundy table linens and my china pattern, should make for a pretty table setting. I realized that if I tried to do much more, there wouldn't be room for the food or table space for the games I have planned.

The prizes are all ready, as are the party favors. I used Valentine's decor take-out boxes to hold the trinkets I picked up. I ended up with six items in the boxes. They are: an empty treat bag (rolled up and tied with a twisty) which the guests will be invited to fill with the cookies/candy I will offer at the end of the party, a 'Cupid's Dart' flower seed packet, a few pieces of tea flavored candy, a small decorative hanging heart, a whimsical flower-themed magnet that I made, and a love-themed note pad. A CD will also be given to each guest that contains the love songs used during the Complete the Lyrics Game (see below).

I have my menu finalized and have already begun some of the prep work on a few of the items. Here is the menu:

First Course

Cherry & Almond Scones

Blueberry Scones

Second Course

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Radish Poppy Seed Sandwiches

Strawberry & Cream Cheese Sandwiches

Salad with Edible Flowers

Deviled Eggs

Third Course

Rose Water Panna Cotta with Raspberries and Lychees

Vanilla Raspberry Layer Cake

Tea Selections

Lavender Herbal Tea

American Classic Black Tea

I am going this afternoon to pick up the edible flowers. I am planning on crystallizing a few today in hopes that they'll turn out well enough to go on top of the cake. I am also using the flowers for the cold drinks. I am going to freeze them in ice cubes so they'll look pretty floating in the water glasses.

As far as games, I have the following three planned: Consequences of the Heart, Flower Meanings Match, and Love Songs Complete the Lyrics. Here is how we'll go about playing each one:

Consequences of the Heart - Give each person a sheet of paper numbered 1-10 (all have a small heart shaped hole punched in the bottom corner except for one) and a pen. Instruct everyone to write at the top (1) “one or more adjective”. Instruct everyone to fold the paper down over that word so that what has been written cannot be seen. Instruct everyone to pass their paper on to the right, but they cannot look at what was previously written. Instruct everyone to write at the ‘new’ top (2) “the name of a gentleman”. Fold and pass as before. Write (3) “one or more adjective”. Fold and pass as before. Write (4) “a lady’s name”. Fold and pass as before. Write (5) “a place to meet”. Fold and pass as before. Write (6) “something you could give”. Fold and pass as before. Write (7) “an expression”. Fold and pass as before. Write (8) “another expression”. Fold and pass as before. Write (9) “a consequence”. Fold and pass as before. Write (10) “an expression”. Read a sample Consequences of the Heart story that you prepare ahead of time (I played it myself just to see how it would work). Provide the “script” to the first volunteer reader who is to read the poem they were left holding. Everyone takes a turn. When all have been read, ask guests who has the paper without the special marking on it. That person wins the centerpiece.
Here is the "script": The [#1] [#2] met the [#3] [#4] at/in [#5] . He gave her [#6] and said to her, “ [#7] ”. She said to him, “ [#8] .” The consequence of the heart was [#9] . And the world said, “ [#10] .”

Flower Meaning Match - Provide guests with a list of flowers, set across from a list of meanings of flowers. Also rose color meanings. Guests must match the meaning to the appropriate flower/rose color. The person with the most correct wins. In order to make up this game, I researched online the meanings of flowers and picked the ones that I thought had some logic to them. Some of them will be tough, but is a game after all, and I don't want everyone to get them all right! I also have a couple of tie breaker trivia questions set aside just in case.

Love Songs Identification – Divide table into two teams. Each team is given a piece of paper and a pen. Snippets of 20 songs are played as cues. After each snippet is played, the team must decide what lyrics come next. The team with the most points at the end wins. The losing team gets to choose among the wrapped prizes and open them, but then the winners get to select from what has been opened, or they can open a new gift.

I have some more prep work to do in the kitchen today and tomorrow. That should leave me with only a few things to do on Sunday. The tea party is set for 1:30, so I shouldn't be too rushed.

If you're reading this and are planning your own Valentine's Day Tea Party, I encourage you to comment about the fun things you're doing. I truly love to hear the details!

Wordless Wednesday: Candy Bra (AKA Booby Prize)

2009-02-04T09:08:00.004-05:00

See more Wordless Wednesdays here and here.

Rose Water Panna Cotta

2009-02-03T21:39:00.003-05:00

I have tried to find an online version of the exact recipe I'm using to make the panna cotta, but to no avail. If you have access to the Martha Stewart Living magazine, it is the dessert of the month for the February 2009 issue. But since I've mentioned it so often here, I wanted to provide at least one link to give the gist of what I am talking about. I'm really looking forward to making it and giving it a taste!

Tackle it Tuesday: Out of the Ordinary Shopping

2009-02-03T12:50:00.005-05:00

Ever since I decided to make Rose Water Panna Cotta for the dessert at my Valentine's Day tea party, I knew I would have to go out of my way to find a couple of ingredients: rose water and lychees. I did see a recipe online on how to make your own rose water, but it sounded too complicated, and I would still have to go out of my way to find pesticide-free rose petals. No thanks, I'll just buy some! After doing some research, I located a few stores in the area where I might find these two out of the ordinary items.

I first visited an asian market place called Little Saigon. There, I found the lychees. I bought more than enough for the panna cotta recipe, because I found loads of lychee cocktail recipes online, too! The second stop I made was to India Groceries & Fashions. I found the rose water there. Yay! I felt ready to make the panna cotta!

In addition to the food items, I was also in need of a teacup and saucer with which to make a floral centerpiece. It just so happens, my friend and neighbor is a florist, and she offered to make this for me. That will really help bring the cost down. I went to a nearby antique market place to prowl around for one with a pretty floral design. I saw many priced $12 and up, and a few for $5, but then I found one priced at $2.50, and I thought it was just perfect!

I tackled that out of the ordinary shopping list, and I was happy!

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Complete the Lyrics Game

2009-01-30T21:14:00.008-05:00

**Update 6/03/09: If you're looking for samples of the lyric snippets or the games I've pulled together, send me an email or leave a comment here. I'll be glad to help!**

The very first year I hosted a Ladies' Tea, we played a complete the lyrics type of game. It was so much fun singing together and being silly. The next year, I didn't put the game together, but firmly decided to bring it back the following year as I discovered everyone missed it!

In a nutshell, I make up a list of 20 love songs (this is for a Valentine's Day party, after all) and select a passage with lines that are somewhat memorable. For the first couple of years, this was very easy as I just picked songs that I've always liked. Over the years, I've found that it has gotten harder to come up with songs that have lines that easily lend themselves to this type of game. My guests number around 8-9, and their ages range from early thirties to mid-eighties, so it has been a challenge to select songs that span generations, as well. When choosing the passage, you have to find a good breaking point, which is where the cue ends and your guests have to write down the lyrics that come next. For example, when given "When I get older losing my hair, Many years from now. Will you still be sending me a valentine, birthday greetings bottle of wine. If I'd been out till quarter to three, would you lock the door..." you would need to answer "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, When I'm sixty-four." I've been pretty relaxed in the past on how many words they have to write down to get credit. If it seems that they are having a particularly tough time, I've offered bonus points if they can at least name the artist.

Now, I am not a great singer. But do I let that stop me from singing the lead-ins? No way!! I find it rather freeing, as a matter of fact. I figure that my inability to sing on key just adds another layer of challenge to the game. A few of my guests are quite good singers, though, and so they help me out if they recognize the song and sing it properly to the benefit of the others playing the game. Once we have gone through all the songs, we score them together, and everyone sings out the lyrics with great abandon. It's funny, but we just have so much fun doing this. I always award a prize to the person who got the most correct. However, last year, I awarded a prize for second place, as well.

This year, I decided to change things up just a bit. In order to level the playing field between those who know songs across broad spectrums and those whose scope is more limited, I am going to divide the guests into 2 teams - one end of the table versus the other end. Each team will get one sheet of paper and will have to confer amongst themselves to come up with the right lyrics. In addition, I've decided to try using the laptop and actually play the song snippets instead of singing them myself. I know, I know... I hate to give up that post, but it so happens that I have chosen a couple of songs this time that I just would not be able to sing, not even badly. I mean... Whitney Houston. Need I say more? I am slightly afraid that the game might end up being too easy, as a result. BUT... I'm changing one other thing this year, too. Everyone is going to get a prize instead of just one winner. I'm thinking that I'll have the 'losing' team pick one item from a selection of wrapped gifts. Then I'll allow them to open the gifts, but then the 'winners' can choose to swipe one of the unwrapped gifts or choose from the remaining wrapped gifts. We'll see how it goes over! The final touch to making this game memorable, is at the end, I give each guest a CD which has all of the songs on it that were used in the game.

I have two other activities planned, but will go into more detail on those in the next update. I have a few things I need to get ironed out over the weekend, because it's full steam ahead with several things planned to get accomplished each day next week. And I still haven't gone shopping for those exotic ingredients yet!

Wordless Wednesday: schwarzwalder kirschtorte

2009-01-28T10:14:00.005-05:00

I made this Black Forest Cake for a past Valentine's Day Tea Party with a German Flair theme.

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Tackle it Tuesday: Tea Party Prizes

2009-01-27T11:10:00.005-05:00

Over time, I have accumulated different tea party related items that I found on sale or for which I had a coupon. I pulled it out today to take stock in order to see what else I needed for this year's tea party. I decided to tackle the wrapping of the items that would be used as prizes for the games this year. Here is a picture of the potential prizes, potential favor bags, boxes, etc.

After looking it all over, I had a good idea of what else I needed to get for favors and more prizes. Next, it was on to wrapping! Here is the final product:

So nice to have one more thing checked off the to-do list for the party!

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Valentine's Day Tea Party: Organization

2009-01-23T14:29:00.005-05:00

It is my habit to take notes when working on a theme party. I do this with a lot of cut & pasting from the Internet when I run across something that I think may even remotely work in with my theme. I sometimes find I'm working with quite a lengthy document. Just yesterday, I did a review of my current document o' tidbits in order to get a better handle on the information I had culled. When I saw that it was 22 pages long, I figured it was time to do some organizing!

I have a basic template that I use each year for my Valentine's Day tea party. The template basically goes like this:

Valentine's Day Tea Party

Theme: ________________

I. Invitations

A. Guest List

B. Wording of Invitation

II. Menu

A. Tea Variety:

B. Listing of foods

III. Games

A. Game 1 Title and description of how it's played

B. Love Song Complete the Lyrics Game (we always play this game, it's expected!)

IV. Prizes

A. Game 1 Prize(s) & method of awarding them

B. Song Lyrics Game Prize(s) - method varies if playing in teams or as individuals

V. Favors

A. Miscellaneous, theme appropriate small gifts in some container for each guest

B. Always includes a CD I've burned of the songs used in the Complete the Lyrics Game

VI. Decorations

A. List ideas about table setting and room decor here

VII. Tidbits

A. Various information that could be worked into the party somehow are listed here until sorted further, or are kept here as conversation starters if there is a lull in the party.

B. Sometimes, the information is printed out in the form of bits of trivia and placed at each place setting. This provides conversation starters and could be read aloud during the party if there is a lull.

VIII. Itinerary

A. Starting with the time of the party, I sketch out what should happen when to make sure things move along accordingly, and also so that I don't forget anything I have planned.

B. After the party time has been laid out above, I make a list of things that can be done up to 2 to 3 days ahead of the party.

This is what my itinerary for last year's tea party (A Royal Renaissance) looked like:

11:30 - Set out torta & water; have different fact-sharing sheets on place settings for initial mingling; have guests write 3 little known things about themselves on paper and place in bag to use later; heat water & steep tea

12:00 - Serve scones & tea; Start 1st activity (sharing secrets)

12:30 - Set out meat pies/sandwiches/turkey drummies/eggs/arancine

12:45 - Start 2nd game (Love Songs) Phase I; heat water & steep 2nd batch of tea

1:00 - Serve 2nd batch of tea & battenberg cake/fruit salad; Recommence Love Songs Game Phase II

1:30 - Review 2nd game results and award prizes for 1st & 2nd place; invite guests to fill treat bag with various cookies; give Love Songs CD to everyone

**Make sure to take group photo

**Discuss date for next year

So the first thing I did yesterday was to find the document from last year's party, click "Save As" and insert the current year. Then I set about making the appropriate adjustments so that my information reflects the planning thus far for the current party. Once that had been accomplished, I had an idea of which bits of information I am not going to be using for the current party (usually extra game ideas). When that information has been weeded out, I put it into another file called "Not Used" so that I can try to use it in future parties.

I spent a fair amount of time cleaning up the information to be used for the games I'm planning on having at this year's party. There are two main games, Love Songs Complete the Lyrics & Flower Meanings Match Game. I am also having a third game/activity that I'll use as filler to help give me some time in the kitchen to work on getting the food out. It's a variation of the old "Consequences" game, sort of like mad libs. I will be working on organizing these games more over the weekend.

And that is about where I am in this party planning. My RSVP date is set for tomorrow, so I should have my final count, which will make the preparation for the rest of the details a little easier. I'm wiped out now. I need a break from planning. (Of course, my fatigue could also have something to do with having donated blood today....) At any rate, to be continued...

Wordless Wednesday: A peek-from-behind Valentine

2009-01-21T08:33:00.004-05:00

Check out more Wordless Wednesdays here and here.

Tackle it Tuesday: The dreaded dining room table

2009-01-20T09:51:00.009-05:00

This is my first Tackle it Tuesday! What better way to jump in than with the dreaded, catch-all dining room table. This mess has been a mental block for me for a while. I have been using it as my coupon (yes, I am a couponer!), cookbook software entry, and greeting card writing station for far too long. I finally got my own space in what I now call 'the studio' (formerly the nursery, sunroom, place-to-put-all-the-stuff-to-be-dealt-with-later area). It has just taken me a while to shift my projects up there.

I am at the point in my tea party planning that I want to start thinking about the table setting. It has been lacking luster the past few years, and I really want to do it up this year, what with the floral flourish theme and all. Party time is getting closer, so I need to get to work on it. But I just couldn't make my mind go there because all I saw was this chaos.

Now, I *could* have just cleared the stuff off of the table, polished it up, and voila! But I decided to tackle it a bit more thoroughly and organize this stuff while I was at it. I moved my mobile coupon station and all of the cookbooks and magazines up to my studio to be input at leisure (I would be holed up a year if I tried to glean the good recipes from all of those sources in one sitting!), put my ipod and various accessories where they belong, finished the Christmas cards (yes, I said Christmas cards - long story - company didn't actually deliver these until January, so I went back and forth on whether or not to send them late or just forego, finally decided to send them with the dubious distinction of being the last Christmas card folks got, why not?), put the kids' toys in their room, and put the box-o-diskettes by the back door so I remember to take them to donate to the school. There!

A swift dusting of the table made it shine, and I appreciated that I once again had a dining room table, where I could envision my friends gathered together for fun and companionship. Now I certainly have no reason to not plan a fabulous table setting for the Valentine's Day tea party! Oh, except maybe that I'm just not really really good at that kind of thing. I have my work cut out for me on this one!

Check out more of today's Tackles here.

Menu thoughts

2009-01-16T15:48:00.002-05:00

With a little helpful push from a friend, I've started focusing once again on my menu for this upcoming tea party. Why not start with selecting the dessert? She shared with me a recipe for Rose Water Panna Cotta. I had no idea what to expect, but when I saw the recipe picture, I was wowed. It is like custard, and can be molded and turned out onto a plate. And then when I read the list of ingredients, I realized I had some more Googling to do. Lychees? Huh? What's that? I didn't even know how to pronounce that word... which meant I just had to locate and master this exotic sounding fruit. Yes, I verified that it was a fruit, with a taste/texture similar to a grape/pear.

Google educated me that it is a Chinese fruit, but also grown in India and other places. I decided to tap into some of my resources here to get the low down. My husband has Indian coworkers and they directed me to a local market that might have lychees, as well as the rose water that the recipe names. In doing another Google search, I found someone else trying to locate lychees in my area. I took copious notes and now feel prepared to obtain all the ingredients I should need.

So, dessert is settled. Now I can go on to the other areas of the meal...

Some tips I've gleaned when trying out a new recipe:

1) Always search the Internet for the recipe online. Recipe sites or blogs often have comments posted by people who have already tried the recipe and can suggest tweaks that you might find beneficial. Also, seeing different pictures of the recipe helps give you an idea of what yours should look like.

2) Make sure you allow yourself enough time to get all the steps done. That means reading the recipe all the way through first. You will save yourself some stress if you can do as much as possible before hand.

3) When trying to find ingredients that you aren't used to, again, search the Internet. Sites like Yelp can shed brilliant light on services and shops in your local area.

4) And finally, it is probably the responsible thing to suggest you try the recipe out ahead of time before 'going live' and serving it to guests... but... I can't say I've ever done it that way. Sink or swim for me, ya know?

Those are just a few tips. Leave a comment if you have any other tips to share!

PA Farm Show Surprise Valentine's Day Tea Party Find

2009-01-15T08:55:00.008-05:00

Yesterday, my husband, my two daughters, and I made the annual visit to the PA Farm Show. Living in the city, we find a natural curiosity for farm living. This event satisfies our curiosity, and provides fun and education for the whole family.

What could this possibly have to do with my Valentine's Day Tea? Well, there just happened to be a vendor offering a plethora of teas (that's agriculture to you and me) and accessories at his booth. My eyes were first drawn to this place by the beautiful Scherenschnitte art that was displayed. There was a lovely picture of a teapot that I would love to have acquired, but at $48, it was a little too hefty a price tag for a tea party decoration right now, but I may have to go to their store, Tea Party Linens & More, sometime in the future. I did find these little earrings that I love! And they were $8, which was a price I could justify.

I offer a new tea at every party, and I had not yet decided what to serve this year. I was thinking of trying the tea that has a flower inside the teapot, but that would mean a new teapot purchase. I just wasn't sure if I wanted to go that route. I searched for inspiration among the vast selection of tea from this vendor. I located an herbal variety that had this year's floral flourish theme written all over it: Lavender! I had never tasted it before, but couldn't resist the theme tie-in, so I bought two small packets that should give all my guests a fragrant cuppa. The vendor told me about his favorite, which is Wild Cherry. As I smelled it, he told me that instead of drinking cherry coke, he drinks this tea. Well! Cherry Coke is my favorite, so I had to have one of those, too!

I was a happy camper walking away with tea and earrings for the upcoming tea party. I must start thinking about the rest of the menu...

Wordless Wednesday (my first!): Edible Favors

2009-01-14T08:05:00.006-05:00

Go to 5 minutes for mom to see more wordless wednesdays!

5th Annual Valentine's Day Ladies Tea

2009-01-12T10:21:00.002-05:00

I am currently planning a Valentine's Day Tea Party. This will be the 5th year for me hosting this event. The guests are my friends and family, some coming from 50 miles away, some from my neighborhood. The first couple of Valentine's Day teas were simply love themed events. That was easy enough! Then I started to run dry on unique ideas. I mean, it was all too easy to get really sappy and fru-fru, but that isn't my comfort zone. I wanted my lady guests to enjoy the sweetness of the holiday, but I wanted a little zing, too. So for the third year, I started developing secondary themes. That third tea party was celebrated with German flair. And last year's party was a Royal Renaissance.

A few weeks ago, I started thinking about this year's theme, and I was at a loss as usual for ideas. I appealed for help from my friends at a forum I occasionally post to, and I wasn't disappointed. It was suggested to emphasize flowers - crystallizing them for dessert embellishments, floating them in drinks, and decorations in general. And voila! The Valentine's Day Tea Party with a floral flourish was born!

Last year I started sending the invitations out using evite. That worked out so well last year, that I decided to use it again this year. It has some good theme templates, but also allows you to customize the design to your liking.

But before I sent the evite invitation, I decided to do a poll of my guests to try to find the date that would be best for everyone. I am pretty sure that evite has a feature that allows you to poll your guests, but I didn't explore that this time. I sent an email with the subject line "Anyone out there that would..." and the email opened up to this image:

Well, I got responses, and it really muddied the waters. I ended up having to draw a little chart to sort out the information of who would be available when. Armed with statistics, I chose my date and went on to the evite invitation.

I used that same teacup image from the date poll email, and chose coordinating colors, and began to compose the wording for the invitation. Originally, I was going to try to do a play on words with flower names, eg: tulips = two lips, dandelion = dandy lion, etc, but that was impossible. I mean, my botanical knowledge is pretty limited, and the creative juices just wouldn't kick into overdrive to accomplish that feat. But, I managed to round up a herd of meaningful cliches from a website containing earth-oriented expressions (Google is my best friend!). As soon as I spied the phrase "common garden variety" I knew I what I could do.

"Roses are red, violets are blue. It's tea party time, and I hope to see you! Friends are flowers in the garden of life, and to honor this, you are cordially invited to attend the 5th Annual Valentine's Day Ladies' Tea, celebrated this year with a floral flourish. The word through the grapevine is that Sunday, February 8th, would be the most convenient for the most guests. A garden is a friend you can visit anytime, but we'll begin our merriment at 1:30 PM. This is not your common, garden variety party, as we'll have a lot of ground to cover. Come prepared to cultivate the garden within as we celebrate the season of love with games and food, and maybe even learn a few facts along the way. Don't let the grass grow under your feet, RSVP by January 24th, 2009."

Evite lets you customize the reply area (Yes, No, Undecided), too. So, I named the reply area "Being led down the garden path" edited YES to read as "Dig it!" NO to be "Busy as a Bee" and UNDECIDED "On the Fence". Little details like this thrill me.

Another fun thing about evite is that I can check to see which guests have viewed the invitation and for all of the guests to see who is coming. So while I continue on with my party planning, I can keep a browser open to evite and refresh to my heart's desire. I am one of those people who becomes obsessed with re-reading what I've written on a regular basis. Weird, I know.

More to come, as the party planning progresses...

Designing a blog is a lot like planning a party

2009-01-11T13:43:00.002-05:00

I have come to realize that no matter how many times I view my blog, it isn't going to change by itself. But nonetheless, I find myself opening a browser periodically throughout the day. Designing a header, choosing templates, fonts, colors, etc. I just can't figure out what exactly I want it to look like. I need inspiration. Aha! It dawned on me that coming up with a design for a new blog is rather like trying to come up with a unique way to celebrate an occasion that has been celebrated countless times before.

A little background... Several times a year, I host various parties to celebrate the holidays and birthdays. It started when my first daughter turned one, and I had to have a theme to plan her party around. That was almost seven years ago, and I've been a theme girl ever since. I have scoured the Internet in the ensuing years looking for inspiration, clever interpretations, and that something special that would set my party apart from the humdrum.

And I'll be darned if that isn't exactly what I've been doing over the past few days with this blog design.!

So I decided to take a page out of my party planning notebook and apply it here. When at a loss for the spark of inspiration, choose something to work with and go from there. You can always change it up later. Sounds simple, right? A good friend once shared with me a valuable piece of advice which was given to her when she was trying to get her back garden to look how it looked in her mind. Her mother-in-law said to her, "You just have to go ahead and make the first dig." So that's what I did. I designed a little header, opted to keep the background plain for now, and tweaked the font color a bit. There. Not so hard after all. And while I'm sure the look of the blog will evolve, you know, when I get that real spark of inspiration... for now, I rather dig it!

Let's get this party started...

2009-01-08T12:03:00.000-05:00

Just getting the lay of the land right now. More to come!