Feeling the Love

Jules here-

Of course, we haven't had a PARTY since the Cinderella one in November, so Grace was itching to party plan and pinterest.  Starting in early January, we planned a fantastic Valentine's day bash for a group of friends, and to make it extra special- I insisted parents drop off their children so they could have a "couple" date.  Luckily, two of my guests were a 16 year old and an 11 year old girl- who were more helpful than the average under 5 year set we normally host...

As we started planning this early, I had plenty of time to check out a few thrift shops for Valentine's items-- I hit the jack pot!! Several local St. Vincent de Paul Stores and Salvation Armies had little Valentine's displays- that I pretty much destroyed. I got a vinyl tablecloth with hearts (brand new!) for $1, 20 sheets of Valentine's Day stickers for $1, a glass heart shaped platter for $0.50, 2 clear plastic bowls for chips for $0.10 each, pink streamers for $0.50, Valentine's paper napkin packs for $0.25 each (I bought 3), and even brand new doily packs for $0.25 each, 3 colors!  Whew!  It was a better savings than the Dollar Store- though I did get full sized plates and a disposable table cloth. 

After decor, we planned a heart and love themed menu. Well, sort of. Grace really wanted to have names like, "Meatballs from the heart", etc.... but we mostly just made things heart-shaped. Earlier in the day, I prepped 10 pizza dough hearts- I cooked them for about 10 minutes after shaping them so the kids could make-their-own pizzas that night.

We had fruit, veggies & dip, and cheese and crackers as appetizers.  Plus of course, we had cupcakes and candy too...

As for activities, we set up a Valentine's card making station (I used the disposable table cloth for glue-protection on the table).  We had stickers, doilies, construction paper, cut-outs, foamtastic, etc. 

We made the mini-pizzas, then we cleared off the craft-table to make room for cookie decorating. The cookies were the "favors" and I had little Valentine's bags to take them home in.  I made plenty so kids could make several to give to family at home. 

I made a mix list of "Love" songs from the 50s to the 80s and it was fun to sing along to some of the classics!  Finally, the older girls lead the kids in a hilarious game of Head Banz (highly recommended for children!) until the parents came for pick up! It was a fantastic night of food, celebration, and friends!

Easy Rule #34234- Sometimes helping out friends with babysitting isn't really work- Just fun for the kids! Plus you SUGAR them up, and SEND them home :)

Easy Rule #41324- A holiday about chocolate, love, and crafting- hmm... not much I don't like!

Side note:

Grace overheard me singing the song, "All you need is love" by the Beatles and she asked, "What does that mean?"

I answered, "Well, they are just saying that all you need in life is to love someone."

Grace replied with a snort, "Well, Love isn't going to buy you a car...."

That's my little practical capitalist- guess we missed some of the message of Valentine's Day!! :)

 

Cinderella Party

Jules here-

Before the onslaught of the holiday season, I decided (well, Grace and I decided) to throw a Cinderella viewing party. Ems and Jojo had seen the movie in the theater last year, and they raved about the new live-action movie.  I didn't want to break my 7 year streak of not entering a movie theater, so we waited until it came out on DVD.

When I allow Grace on pinterest, things get crazy. Parties escalate. We started with having 2-3 girls over, and it ended up being 13 children and 6 adults.....

Everyone came in costume!

After we sent out scrolled invitations, we developed our menu to fit our theme.  We wanted to make the children happy, but have a few grown-up taste dishes as well.  Veggies and dip (ranch & hummus) are a staple at our parties as it's a way to get kids not to die of scurvy from all the other sugary stuff I feed them... So we called this area "Cinderella's Garden". We also had clementine "pumpkins" in this area. Of course, I forgot to take a picture but they looked like this:

We also served the classic cheese and crackers- but when we added a little whimsical mouse figurine and a label saying "Gus's Cheese and Crackers" voila- fits the theme!

The children devoured the fruits, veggies, cheese and crackers- but I still wanted to give them some more filling food before the movie started.  I think "pigs in a blanket" always is a favorite- who doesn't like hot dogs and crescent rolls?  So how could that fit the theme? I decided to go with the original Grimm's Cinderella and called these treats- "Stepsister's Toes" as they looked kind of like chopped off toes... gross, I know.

For the sweeter side I made fruit wands, a Cinderella gown cake, and I made chocolate dipped pretzel wands as well.  We gobbled all of this up rather quickly during intermission from the movie:

We also decorated our home with lanterns, a painted, bejeweled pumpkin and loads of streamers (all leftovers from previous parties). 

We had a great time planning, implement, and eating at our party. But the highlight WAS the movie-- highly recommended for the good values, acting, and entertaining take on the classic tale.

Easy Rule #432342- Why plan a simple movie night when you can go all out? 

Easy Rule #34234- Definitely make extra food at a party- twice as much as you think. I had enough- but I feel as if I could have done more!

Pirate Party!

Jules here-


Big news: I finished my dining room project.  3 weeks of peeling wall paper, puttying, painting, re-puttying- and RE-painting... it is done.  Now three more rooms to paint (of course, I am NOT peeling wallpaper, simply painting OVER it.)

Easter Pic!

In other news, we celebrated TWO birthdays in the past 2 weeks: Grace & Lissie!  With all of the changes, moves, and unpacking, Grace craved her favorite activity: party planning.  For weeks (months actually), she has made lists, scoured pinterest with me, and made homemade decorations for her party.  Lissie chose a "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" theme- and it was so much fun having a less-girly party.

Decorations:
We made a black, white, and red paper chain, a pirate flag banner, and a pirate ship for the wall.

Each child was issued a pirate outfit: a bandana, tattoo, and an eye patch.

Plus balloons and streamers (which I had leftovers from prior parties)

Total cost: $7

Food:
The girls had some specific requests for the meal, so we tried to make it "fit" our theme.  We served shell macaroni and cheese (we named it "Golden seashells with sand").  We made octopus hotdogs again for the kids.  For the grownups, I made a salad (one of my favorite recipes) and meatball sandwiches (cannonball subs).  Grace even labeled each juice box "Pirate Punch" and added Jake and the Neverland Pirate stickers.

Please note the beautiful yellow walls in the background...

Total Cost: $30 (I splurged on the pre-made meatballs to save time)

Prizes/Games
We played pin-the-flag-on-the-pirate ship, walk the plank on a 2x4, and a treasure hunt.  We went to Target and the Dollar Store to get prices and gift bags for each child.

Pirate crew eating food.

Treasure Chest!

Pin the flag game.

 Total Cost: $10

Finally-- I made the cake.... Using two loaf pans and quite a bit of confectioner sugar- they turned out pretty well. I raided most stores after St. Patrick's Day for the gold coins.  I also used sixlet candies for the "pearls" of the necklace:

Cake cost: $5.00 including all the candy. 

So I overspent a bit, I'll chalk it up to rising grocery prices and my inability to resist some perfect pirate themed items.  I tried to keep things under $40, so I was pretty close.   The weather was perfect today so the children spent most of the time riding bikes, eating outside, and just enjoying the sunshine!

 Easy Rule #5324-When your child is gracious and appreciative of your efforts- spending time on frivolous things can be worth it.

Easy Rule #34234- After you spend 3 weeks on one room renovation, take a break.

Party Time.... again....

Jules here-

It seems like all I do is party lately  It's true... that's my life... one, big party.  Well, I happen to follow this one website called Houseparty.com.  Companies use this venue to find ordinary people to host marketing-style parties to promote new products, services, or ideas.  You can apply to host parties from hummus to coffee makers depending on your interests.  Only a few people are selected for each party (thousands apply and a couple hundred get selected on average), and you get lots of free stuff for hosting! 

A couple of years ago I won a "Snapfish-photo" party and I received a premium photo-book for free-- it turned out incredible! My friends got coupons for 50% off their own as well. Lots of fun...for free. You know how I love free!

Even though I knew the girls' birthday party would be at the end of March, I love the VeggieTales and I couldn't resist applying.  When you are "in the running" for a party, you have to invite 10 people immediately for a party on a set date.  I scrambled to find some friends who were free that day-- but I got enough kids to make the party fun.  I also thought-- "Hey, I'm showing kids a movie... how hard could that be?"

Zoned to the movie....

So I ended up having 6 children who were 6 and under.... by myself.  The movie was fantastic---BUT it was only 45 minutes long and I had scheduled 2 hours.  I had to come up with some fun activities to supplement the party too.

Now the party pack I received came with fun props, stickers, activity sheets, and coupons for the grown ups, but those entertained for only a few minutes:

So I decided to take a point from one of my silly days, and I whipped out some face painting. It's amazing how still children will be when you are painting their faces.  I let them choose their favorite Veggie Tales
character for their cheek:

After we were thoroughly painted-- I herded the children outside for some much-needed running around.  Since the movie we watched was, "Veggies in Space: The Fennel Frontier" I decided to create a tag game where the "it" was an alien and we were all veggies.  Definitely a fun endeavor even though it was a bit breezy.

The Tag Crew... James missed the "wear pink" memo...

Honestly, the party was simple, cheap, and lots of fun for the kids.  I didn't go pinterest-crazy; I served cookies and popcorn and my friend was kind enough to bring juice.  I planned spur-of-the-moment activities and barely cleaned the house... and yet somehow it worked!

Easy Rule #8971- Sometimes simple is best. And free is even better.

Week of Birthdays....

Jules here-

March is the busiest month of birthdays in my family: Mom-mom & Ems, Aunt Caryn's, and then both girls within 5 days of each other.... lots and lots of cake.....  Of course, we used our party-planning tips to create a fun, budget-friendly, and delicious party!  Grace and Lissie agreed on a mermaid/under-the-sea party about a month ago, so we began cutting out fish, seaweed and more to decorate the house...

Grace made a paper chain with the pattern: 10 blues, 3 whites; this way it would like like white-capped waves in the background!  Grace was dying for a pinata, but I was not daring enough to attempt one-- and I could not believe how pricey they could get! So we settled on a pin-the-crown-on-the-mermaid-princess game....

Can you tell it's homemade? :) The girls dot-painted it....

We typically host our parties at a brunch-time as it works best for naps; my mother and sister helped out with the main dishes of different salads (chicken, shrimp & tuna).  Delicious in croissants!! We also had homemade hummus (much cheaper than store-bought).  I found some pinterest-inspiration for this one:

 As for the cake, I surprised them with a sandcastle cake (with graham cracker crumbs & ice cream cones) and mermaid-tail cupcakes.  They tasted great and the girls were thrilled!

I highly recommend graham-cracker crumbs-- easy to make a cake when you don't have to make it perfectly smooth!!

The party was a success: the girls had so much fun decorating and planning; the family was able to get together; and we all gained five pounds.

Easy Rule #329810- If you can make your kids happy without spending too much- it's worth it.

T'was the Night Before Christmas- Almost...

Jules Here-

Three days until Christmas, and I am all wrapped, prepped, and ready to go-- wait, strike that-- I haven't even finished all my shopping... BUT, I am not stressed or worried about this holiday yet! I am still enjoying the endless Christmas music, the dazzling lights, and the delicious cookies.  I am eagerly anticipating the Christmas morning excitement with children and the beautiful Mass.  But first, I must get through Christmas eve.  Somehow my plans for a quiet Christmas eve with my neighbors has escalated to 12 adults and 5 children at my house for appetizers and desserts! (Shout out to my friend Chrissy who lovingly invited herself to my house with her fantastic parents-- I love friends who balk the societal expectation of waiting for an invitation....)  The more the merrier and I cannot wait to celebrate amongst friends!

As I plan this tapas-style menu for Tuesday night, I am realizing that pretty much all of the food has an element of cheese in it (which  makes it a challenge for my lactose-sensitive son). But who cares- it's CHRISTMAS!  So here are a few of the recipes for my "party" on the night before Christmas:

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This is a party-favorite of a few of my friends, so it is a requirement at most gatherings.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup ranch dressing
• 2 boxes (16 oz) cream cheese
• 6-8 oz Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (I use a little less as not to burn people's mouths)
• 1 to 1 1/2 # of chicken breasts
• 2 Cups grated cheddar
• 1 Cup chopped celery
• Tortilla Chips

Directions

1. Boil chicken and break apart.

2. Saute celery in saute pan (I have actually chopped and steamed this in the microwave before with a little water)

3. Add all ingredients and mix well.

4. Add to 9 x 13" pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Pizza Balls

Perfect appetizers for kids to eat: filling & not as messy as regular pizza

Ingredients

• 3 cans Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits  OR crescent rolls
• Chopped pepperoni (I use the turkey pepperoni)
• Shredded or shredded mozzarella
• 1 beaten egg
• Parmesan
• Italian seasoning
• Garlic powder
• 1 jar pizza sauce

Instructions

1. Flatten a biscuit/crescent roll out and stack pepperoni and cheese on top.
2. Gather up the edges of the biscuit or crescent roll
3. Line the rolls up (seam side down) in a greased 9×13 in. pan.
4. Brush with beaten egg.
5. Sprinkle with Parmesan, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.
6. Bake at 425°F for 18-20 minutes.
7. Serve the rolls with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

One of the dessert items I am making, is Lemon Pie Bars from allrecipes.com. I've made these several times and they are delicious and easy!!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 1 cup butter, softened 4 eggs

1 1/2 cups white sugar 1/2 cup lemon juice 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	Mix 2 cups of flour and confectioner's sugar together. Cut in the butter or margarine. Mix well until the dough resembles pie dough consistency. Press the dough into a 9x13 inch baking pan.
3.	Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
4.	Beat together eggs, sugar, 4 tablespoons flour, lemon juice and lemon rind for at least 1 minute. Pour the mixture over the baked crust.
5.	Bake the bars another 20 minutes, or until the lemon topping has set. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar when cooled.

Hopefully I can get all my cooking, cleaning, shopping, and wrapping done before Christmas so I can ENJOY these yummy dishes.  At least my MOM is cooking Christmas dinner for us!!


Easy Rule #27098- Sometimes you just have to realize you'll be tired for awhile. Embrace the fatigue and try not to stress out!

Easy Rule #52222- The internet really is a treasure-trove of recipes with reviews & ratings that makes it so easy to plan a meal or special occasion.