Taste the Rainbow...

Rainbows are often seen in a lot of St. Patrick's Day pictures.  The end of the rainbow IS where a leprechaun hides the pot of gold!!

   

These treats are adorable, fun, and I am betting absolutely delicious!!  

The link gives instructions for making these as shots using vodka, but they would work just as well as jigglers so that  the kids can enjoy them, too.  My favorite part about this treat is the cherry stem sticking out of the top.  Pretty & functional!!

And now, cupcakes!!  I made these last year for St. Pat's, but too late to use them in a blog.    

The cupcakes above were made by me, but you can get the instructions from the Family Fun website.  The shamrocks are green gumdrops.  To shape these, first flatten the gumdrop.  Sprinkle sugar on them if they get too sticky to work with.  Once flattened, you can cut them into the shapes you need. 


Recently, I saw a picture of what must have been pudding.  (There was no caption with the picture, so hard to tell for sure.)  They had made different shades of pudding (my best guess, add food coloring to vanilla) and layered them in clear plastic cups for the rainbow effect.  I would top this with a golden coin!! 


Another snack idea I love are these fruit kabobs.  Pretty, tasty, and healthy.
                                


All of you Pinterest addicts may recognize the Skittles Vodka below.  I looked at a few different blogs about this project, and this one was the most detailed and easy to follow. 

For the kiddos, I would stick with different flavors of kool-aid. 

                              

St. Patrick's Day Cocktails

March makes me think of St. Patrick's Day, so when I needed to pick a featured party for the month, I settled on cocktail parties.  First I picture shamrocks, but then my brain immediately jumps to green beer!!

I will be working on a more kid-friendly party blog for my next post, but for today, I promised my Facebook friends some cocktail party inspiration.   

Number 1, you should have GREEN BEER available.  Depending on your group, it could be a huge hit, or after the first cup, no one will want to bother with it anymore.  Regardless, it's a simple thing to do.  All you need is a cheap bottle of food coloring, beer, and clear cups or mugs.  Drop a tiny drop of the green food color in the bottom of the glass, pour in the beer, and voila!!  Super simple!!

For those not really into beer (if anyone would dare to admit that on this day), APPLETINIS are the perfect color.  The most basic recipe is just 2 oz. vodka and 1 oz. Green Apple Schnaaps. Shake in a cocktail shaker with ice, and strain into a chilled glass.  If you can find green Pop Rocks, these are awesome for rimming the glass.  

  

MIDORI (melon-flavored liqueur) is also a perfect color for St. Patrick's Day.  It tastes great mixed with sour mix.  (The stuff used for Margaritas.)  Throw in the tequila, too, and you have MELON MARGARITAS.  Yummy!!  Sure, tequila is more "Cinco de Mayo," but hey, it's green!!

Corned beef & cabbage is the popular food for the holiday.  I found this CORNED BEEF & RYE DIP online today.  FYI, I haven't tried it myself yet, but it sounds good and I hope to get a chance to make it this year.  If you give it a try, please tell me what you think.  There were a couple of other recipes on the same page, but this one looked the tastiest to me.  

A few things to make sure of:

    

      -Have LOTS of ice.  If you have ice left over after a cocktail party, then it's a win.  If you used the very last piece in the very last drink, you got lucky!!

     

     -Cocktails need cocktail napkins.  They keep the drink dribbles at bay, and they can add a little color.  For St. Patrick's Day, you can go with all green for everything, or choose to use every color of the rainbow for some variety. Rainbows are a big deal with leprechauns!!  (A future post will contain some really fun rainbow ideas!!)

     

     -Make sure you have some finger foods available, too.  People will need a little something in their bellies so that the drinking is less likely to take an ugly turn. 

     -Most importantly, make arrangements for all of your guests to get home safely.  Drinking & driving ruins the fun for everyone.    

Superbowl Yum-Yums !!

     This year it's most likely me and a couple of teenagers watching the game at my house on Superbowl Sunday.  (Unless, of course, they get a better offer than hanging out with Mom.)  That doesn't really call for lots of decorations or plans, just lots of food!!  I am going to make game boards, but we'll see if they are in the mood to play.  (I always am!!)

     Our snacking staples are generally Little Smokies, Rotel Dip, a veggie tray (for the appearance of "healthy" on the buffet), and maybe some sort of dip in a bread bowl.  Hot wings are a favorite, too, but we have to order out for those.  This year, I want to try some new food, and this is a link to the recipe that looked the most scrumptious to me:

                           

BUFFALO CHICKEN BITES

    I LOVE hot wings, and we've almost always got some cooked chicken in our fridge already, making this a perfect recipe for me to try.  These sound yummy, I love that they are baked instead of fried, and rolling them into balls is something my kids might actually help with.

     For dessert, I'm kind of feeling like some plain and simple cupcakes.  Maybe brownies.  We'll see.  If you are feeling like putting a little more effort into your sweets, try one of these:  

                                                      COCOA KRISPIE FOOTBALLS 

STRAWBERRY FOOTBALLS

     Both of the kids still living at home with me are football fans, but not for either of the teams playing this year.  I personally am looking most forward to the commercials, the half-time show, and "The Voice" that will be on after the game is over.  (Woo-hoo!!)  I hope everyone finds something they can enjoy about the game.  It's a great excuse for a celebration, and I live for those.  

     I would love to hear the new recipes you are trying this year, or even your absolute, can't-do-without-it old favorites.  Maybe I can try one of your recipes next year!!       

                                                                                                                                                      

So Many Reasons To Party!!

Just when I thought all of the hustle and bustle of "the holidays" (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's) was over and I could relax a little (but never completely.  I am a mom!!), I got my Oriental Trading Company catalog in the mail.  I opened it expecting some Valentine's Day inspiration, but got way more than that!!

To double-check that I didn't miss any, I went to one of my favorite holiday places on the web, Holiday Insights.  They have a page for the major holidays, but even better, they also have a page for bizarre and unique days.  This list is for the person (like me) that wants an excuse to celebrate every day of the year!!  There is even more info than this, like birthday stones and signs, holiday recipes, and so much more.

So anyway, after researching, I see that 4 events are happening even before February 14.  (Five where I live, but only because my town has a huge Mardis Gras Pub Crawl, and it's on the 11th this year.)

Jan. 16:  Martin Luther 

                King Day 

(actual birthday- 15th) 

Jan. 23:  Chinese New 

                   Year

 

 Feb.  2:  Groundhog Day

                                                    

Feb.  5:  Superbowl Sunday

                                                      

   

 Feb. 14:  Valentine's Day

                                                        

    Feb.21: Mardis Gras

                (Fat Tuesday)

                                         

On top of that, the Oscars are on tv Feb. 26, and Leap Day happens this year on Feb. 29!!  Plus, for all of you superstitious people, a Friday the 13th!!  There are so very many reasons to get together with your friends and have some fun.  With all of those days coming up, there is plenty of subject matter for me to blog about, so I had better get to researching and writing.  Be blogging at you soon!!      

Happy 2012 !!

Happy new year!!  The end of 2011 was a bit of a disappearing act for me on the blog.  I do apologize for that to anyone that actually noticed.  I let other things get in the way.  Important things, mind you, but still.  One thing I do realize after much deep thought (okay, daydreaming at my other job) is that this party planning business makes me happy, and I need to dedicate time in life to the things that truly make me happy.

So, my business resolution for 2012 is to step up my game.  I vow to put some sort of effort in every day, no matter how small.  I also promise myself to let people know that I plan parties.  Self-promotion feels strange, like bragging, but I realize that it shouldn't.  I will now look at it as sharing something that I love!!

Some of my blogs this year may be just like this one.  My thoughts and discoveries on this journey that I began.  Don't worry, though.  I will make every effort to write the "interesting" blogs, too.  You know, the ones that teach you something, or just show you something new.  Those are the ones that draw my attention into opening them and reading.  These "wordy" ones can just be for my own piece of mind, and maybe for a person or two out there going through a similar time in their life.

Once again, Happy 2012 !!  Make the most out of everything you do, and never forget to enjoy every minute of it!!

Keep the kids busy at Thanksgiving...

     At most Thanksgiving gatherings, there is plenty for the adults to do.  Cooking, setting the table, watching football, or just catching up with each other.  The kids can probably find plenty to do, too, but if you have a few things prepared to keep them busy, maybe they can stay out of trouble!!

     Coloring placemats are one of my favorite things to use anytime I am making a place setting for children.  They are easy to make, and add an activity to any celebration.  For this holiday, I printed a placemat with 2 sides.  Thanksgiving on the front, and pre-Christmas on the back.  The front has pictures to color, but you could also find word games or puzzles for free online to print out.  The most important part is the box for each person to write what they are thankful for this year.  The back is a Christmas Wish List.  Those Black Friday circulars are full of gift ideas and toy catalogs.  There are spaces for both gifts "To Get" & "To Give."

(made by Events DEE-signed)

     I LOVE this tablecover idea from the  Sweet Paul Blog.  You can get this type of wrapping paper at your local dollar store.   

(from Sweet Paul blog)

     Simply draw the placemats directly on the paper, put out some crayons, and let the kids decorate the entire table cover.  After dinner, you can either cut out each child's artwork for a keepsake or, if the table is a mess, just fold everything up in the paper and throw it all away in one quick sweep.  Then the table is ready for board games, or maybe some after-dinner crafting.

     Always have a couple of board games for indoors, and a couple of outdoor game ideas along with balls, frisbees, etc... in case you are lucky enough to have nice weather.  We still have Thanksgiving in my grandparents 2-bedroom house, even though the family has grown to 20+, so if we can send the kids outside, that's just one more enormous thing to be thankful for!!  The kids' table can be board game central, or they can set up in a spare room on the floor.

     Some kids will want to help in the set-up.  There are plenty of simple napkin folds that a child could master.  You can always find tutorials on YouTube.  This one from Danielle's Place is adorable.

(from Danielle's Place)

     Maybe they could help with a very simple appetizer that requires no cooking. This does the double-duty of keeping the kids busy and the adults from sneaking any turkey while everyone waits!!   Most children can arrange pre-cut vegetables or cheese squares onto a plate.  Another cute idea I found on Pinterest (I LOVE that site!!) is to put fruit pieces on skewers and make this Fruit Gobbler from Family Fun Magazine.  They used a cantaloupe, but I think a small pumpkin would be great.

(from Family Fun Magazine)

            I hope some of these ideas will work for you, or at least get your own imagination flowing!!

      

Why must the stores be an entire holiday ahead of the calendar?

     Today's post isn't so much creative and inspirational, but a bit of a rant.  I know I am not the only person that hates seeing Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving, and also hates knowing that the stores will want me to begin buying my Valentine's Day stuff around Christmas Eve!!

     I understand that items need to be sold before a holiday actually happens so that everyone can prepare, but come on!!  Even when I am prepared, I still like to go out a day before or the day of Halloween and grab a couple of things.  Nowadays, it was already on clearance a week before and gone by then.  (Silver lining to my procrastination, I do get sale prices if I manage to find anything left!!)  Even I have to start talking about holiday parties early so that people can get them on the calendar, but I will not be decorating my house or any of my sites for anything other than the closest holiday coming up.  Each one is special in its own way, and should be given its full time to be appreciated and enjoyed.

     I can force myself to accept the fact that stores may never stop this selling trend, but could they, at the very least, not take down their decorations and put up new ones until the day after a holiday?  This goes for all businesses, and even towns.  Driving down the street in my hometown in the end of October, I looked up to see the Christmas snowflakes already on the poles and lit up.  We are lucky enough to not have any of the snow that some parts of the country are getting right now, and only last week did our Fall colors finally turn to (almost) all brown.  Autumn is my favorite season.  Slow down and let my enjoy it before you start throwing winter in my face and reminding me how many shopping days I have until Christmas!!

     Sorry for the outburst, but I feel a little anxiety relieved.  Let me know how you weigh in on this subject.  Please leave a comment and tell me what you think.  I promise that my next post will have something helpful or fun to try.