Remembering on Memorial Day

For the widow down the block ... 

... flowers, a card, and a friendly visit. 

For all of us remembering loved ones on Memorial Day ... May God keep us all in His care and fill us with peace. Thank you to all the members of our armed forces and their families!!! May God protect and care for you!

30th Birthday Party Ideas

This weekend I hosted a surprise 30th birthday party. Even though it's hard for me to imagine the day I'll turn 30, (wink, wink) I thought I could still pull off a fun party for my friend!

As you know, I'm into the details, so I'll share some of my party food tips/secrets/ideas in this post ... and some of the decor/gift ideas next time.

First, I realized the party – a lunch/pool party – was on the same weekend as my daughter's preschool graduation, first dance performances and my wedding anniversary. Not wanting to overextend myself, I decided to commission another friend to make the cake:

My friend, Anna, came through with this gorgeous 2-tier cake that wowed the birthday girl and guests. I think every 10 years, we deserve a really special treat, right?! I'm not one for "regular" store-bought cakes, yet didn't want to be up all night trying to create my own "masterpiece." Tip - when in doubt, have others do!  :-)  Thank you, Anna!

Just for fun (and in case there was an abundance of kids) I made this purple "3-0" rice crispy dessert:

The two large numbers were made using 1 batch of the typical recipe:
6 cups cereal,
3 T butter,
1 bag marshmallows.
I added purple food color to compliment our purple, green and pink color scheme, then covered my hands with greased sandwich bags to shape the "30."

The main course: Hosting a party for up to 30 adults and assorted munchkins usually requires someone to man the grill for extended amounts of time. And someone to watch the kids by the pool. And someone to play hostess... I served a make-ahead entree – pulled BBQ chicken... Something I've never made before!   :-)

I trimmed and slow-cooked 16 large chicken breasts in the oven for 6 hours on 250 degrees. With what, you ask? Just S & P and a big bottle of Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce! I looked up a lot of BBQ recipes before I got started and thought "why spend precious minutes following a recipe that may or may not turn out, when I could use a recipe (in a bottle) that someone else has already spent untold minutes perfecting?"  :-)  If time is an issue for you, buy a bottled BBQ sauce brand you like and go for it!  Don't hate me 'cause I'm not southern!  :-)

After 6 hours, I removed the chicken from the sauce and shredded using two forks. Returned to the sauce for another hour in the oven. Then the fridge overnight. Popped the pan back into the oven with more sauce the next day, 2 hours before the party. Result: deeeelish!!   (serve with whole wheat buns - large for adults and smaller ones for the kids.)

Punch is always a good beverage choice for parties! It's colorful, festive and tasty:

Raspberry Lime Punch:

1 half gallon lime-ade,
1 L ginger ale (optional: raspberry ginger ale,)
raspberry sherbet (that you've softened and squished into a ring mold and frozen; use lime flavor for an all green punch,)
1 sliced lime.

Tip: offer covered cups with straws for the little ones; extra ice in a bucket; and a liter of Coke and water for alternatives.

More party pics next time!  :-)

Vintage Frames Portrait Arrangement

A bare part of a hallway wall in my home is now decorated with a collection of filled and unfilled picture frames:

A couple of family portraits taken during our church directory photo shoot fill 3 of the 5 frames in the arrangement. I hope to have some fun outdoor photos of the kids taken in the fall, but these shots will get some prime real estate for a while.

I dug through my stash and found two vintage 80s gold frames, two empty, older wood ones and another medium stained wood frame, not pictured.

One can of spray paint transformed the assorted frame styles into a unified collection:

I had to buy 2 new wide white mattes, and I even spray painted over the navy and gold matte I already had! Now, on to the next project! Happy Wednesday, all!  :-)

Girls' Night Out Idea

Hey! Today's a first. I'm going to post without pictures!! I ... don't ... know ... if ... I ... can ... make ... it! :-)

Last night was Ladies Night Out. (OK, it wasn't THAT kind of night - for why I'm not posting pics! I just didn't bring a camera.) Our group is mostly 20 somethings to 40 somethings and we "hang" one Tuesday night a month. I wrote about our December gathering when we made the charm bookmarks for the local crisis pregnancy center clients. Other activities have been: see a musical, paint pottery, try a new restaurant, have a game/snack party, learn contemporary line dancing, etc.

Yesterday we did a service project. 

Our fabulous coordinator heard that the thrift store owned by the same pregnancy center was in need of help. They sell donated clothing and household items and use the funds to aid the young women who come in to the center. (I previously mentioned the store as the place we donated leftovers from our Swap Party.) We sorted, straightened, cleaned, organized and displayed. They appreciated the assistance and we had lots of laughs. After a few hours we were ready to enjoy dessert and karaoke at Applebees. 

Just wanted to pass along what I thought was a wonderful "inspiring idea" for a group of friends to do! Thanks, Kellie!  :-)

Gifting Botanicals & Mother's Day

Here are some examples of "permanent botanicals" ie: silk and dried flowers that I used to sell in my Christian gift store:

Mother's Day, birthdays, house-warming, thinking of you, etc.:

There are such well-made ones these days. A pretty ribbon and message tag are all you need to add.