candy canes, cocktails, & christmas classics

Three days later, I think I've finally recovered from our Christmas party this past weekend!  It was a lot of fun, but with 20 kids ages 5 and under (and their parents), it was also pretty chaotic.  Luckily all our friends  (at least those who attended) are all in this same crazy small-children stage of life, so everyone was happy to just go with the flow.

The one thing every cocktail party needs?  Cocktails!   

I always like to include a drink menu because I've found people often don't know what to order.  The most popular drink of the night  was definitely the Pear-Appletini.

The festivities started with a surprise visit from Santa.

Most of the kids were thrilled (as were the adults!)

christmas party planning: the kid zone

There are moments (sometimes entire days) where I wish I could whisk myself back to those blissfully uncomplicated child-free days (the ones where, if I wanted, I could spend an entire day in bed reading a book or watching the HGTV Design Star marathon), where my Christmas parties were the toast of the town, sophisticated soirees full of glamorous guests, witty conversation, and killer cocktails.  Okay, so aside from the killer cocktails, maybe none of that actually happened.   My point is that it could have.

But not anymore.

The biggest surprise of parenthood for me has been how much kids change the dynamic of your social relationships.  Parents of small children seem to naturally gravitate towards each other in the same way that non-parents of small children naturally seem to run the other way.

So there will be kids at our party.  Lots of them.  Hence the need for the kid zones.  Because the more entertained the kids are, the more fun the parents will be able to have (which is the whole point.)

party inspiration: candy canes, cocktails, & classics

It's party time!  Husband and I are throwing our annual holiday bash this weekend, so at the risk of spoiling the surprise (for my friends who read this blog), I thought I'd share some of my party preparation this week, starting today with my inspiration for this year's shindig: candy canes, cocktails, & christmas classics.

Today I am guest posting over at Frugality is Free about my favorite tips for throwing a fabulous party on a budget.  So after you check out my inspiration for this weekend's party, be sure to head on over to check it out!

Here is my inspiration:

thankful

This week I have been working on teaching Princess what it means to be thankful.

Trying to explain the concept of "thankfulness" to a four-year-old has made me think a lot about how much I have to be thankful for.


I am thankful for my husband, who works hard every day to support his family, then comes home to be the best daddy in the whole world.  I could write a whole post on all the reasons I am thankful for my guy, but suffice to say, I couldn't ask for a better one.

christmas inspiration (& soapy soaps giveaway)

Some people are exhausted just by the thought of the holiday season.  I look forward to it all year.  To me it is the season of hope, wonder, and childlike amazement.  I love everything about it.  Even as a little girl I had this overwhelming desire to create the "perfect" Christmas for my family.  I'd decorate the house, bake cookies, wrap all the presents (even my own), and play non-stop Christmas carols on our brand-new super fancy 5-disc CD stereo system.  My parents humored my efforts, for the most part, but the reality of our dysfunctional family Christmas disasters could never quite match my idealistic expectations.  

Having a family of my own has given me a fresh chance to experience the holidays I always dreamed of.  Watching my girls experience the wonders of Christmas has given me more joy than I ever thought possible.  And so while I am no longer naive enough to believe that Christmas should be "perfect," I still love it all--decorating the tree, putting up lights, choosing & wrapping gifts for everyone on my list, visiting Santa, baking cookies, and creating lots of family traditions all our own.

And I find that inspiration for the holidays is all around me:

thanksgiving recipes, part 2

After reading through last week's Thanksgiving recipes you probably either a.) think I'm a crazy person for insisting on making every dish from scratch and have decided to just stick to Stove Top this year, or b.) can't wait for more!  I'll just assume it is is option "b," and forge right ahead.  (But for those of you who fall in the "a" category, take heart, these recipes are all much less complicated than the last batch!)

To see this year's full Thanksgiving menu, click here, and if you missed the first 3 recipes, click here.

To-Die-For Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

I hate to toot my own horn (toot toot), but I have been told by more than a few that my mashed potatoes are the best they've ever had.  I can only assume that the main reason for this is that they are pretty much a heart attack in a bowl.  Seriously, potatoes don't get any unhealthier than these (hence the name), which is why I only make them at Thanksgiving.  But man-oh-man, are they good!  The truly beautiful thing about them is that they are super easy, too!

holiday cheer (and operation christmas child update)

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which means the holiday season has [practically] arrived!

As you have probably already figured out, I am a total sucker for all things holiday related, which means that I am SO excited to announce that beginning November 10th, Living Well, Spending less will be celebrating 30 days of holiday cheer.  

In addition to all the fabulous coupon advice you have come to know and love, I will be featuring a TON of amazing product giveaways, not to mention plenty of ideas for making the most of the holiday season--everything from decorating to gift-giving to cooking & baking--all while staying well within your budget.

halloween weekend tricks & treats

Don't you wish Halloween was always on a Sunday?  I don't know how it is in your city, but there is so much fun stuff going on this weekend that it is almost hard to choose what to do.

I had a fun morning yesterday painting faces at Princess' class Halloween party. 

(Proving once again that my Klutz face painting book was one of the best purchases I've ever made.)

Shock of all shocks, she wanted to be a princess.  How novel.

thanksgiving recipes, part 1

I had no idea there would be so much interest in my Thanksgiving menu.  Over the next week or two I will try to post all of the recipes, but today I am starting with my top 3 favorites:  Caramelized Onion Pull-Apart rolls, Twice-Baked sweet potatoes, and Roasted Parmesan Brussels Sprouts.

I'm just going to start out by pointing out that none of these recipes could in any way be considered "healthy."  If you are looking for low-fat, low-carb, heart-smart cooking, keep looking.  You won't find that here.  But please, I beg of you, don't scrimp or substitute or try to "lighten" them up.  They won't be as good.  They just won't.  It's Thanksgiving, for goodness sake, indulge a little!

thanksgiving inspiration

Halloween is only days away, which means Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  I love Thanksgiving!  I love to cook and I love to bake, but most of the time I just don't have time to do it right.  Thanksgiving is my excuse to go hog-wild and make everything from scratch, the way I would if I had unlimited hours in the day.  I literally spend three days straight in my kitchen cooking up a storm.

For most people, Thanksgiving is all about the Turkey.  As a vegetarian, for me Thanksgiving is all about the side dishes.  My husband takes care of the turkey and homemade gravy (both of which, I'm told, are divine), and I do the rest.  But I am a traditionalist.  On Thanksgiving, I don't want any weird fancy vegetarian tofu nonsense.  I want down-home comfort food--mashed potatoes, stuffing, homemade rolls, & pumpkin pie--and I want each dish to be the best thing I've ever tasted.  As far as decor goes, I want autumn leaves and decorative turkeys, and maybe a few pumpkins and ears of corn here and there.  No modern interpretations, no plum and mauve color scheme, just harvest goodness at its best.

Here is my inspiration:

(Photo Credit:  MarthaStewart.com, BetterHomesandGarden.com, Delish.com, Ruth Soukup 2009)

halloween decorating

I had the best of intentions for my Halloween decorations this year.  The World Wide Web (does anyone even call it that anymore?) was teeming with adorable craft projects and ideas that I was just dying to try.  In fact, you may remember this inspiration board I created for myself last month:

(Photo credits:  potterybarn.com, potterybarnkids.com, goodhousekeeping.com, marthastewartliving.com, freekidscrafts.org, twigandthistle.com, amyatlas.com)

I've been collecting tin cans for a month to make those cute jack o' lantern luminaries and even managed to buy most of the other necessary craft supplies needed to put it all together.  But now there is less than 2 weeks left until Halloween, and I have to face the sad reality of the situation:  I am out of time.

This weekend I finally admitted to myself that there just aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish all the projects I want to do.  I reluctantly decided to put away my halloween craft supplies until next year, and climb into the attic to dig out some of our old fall decorations.   To be perfectly honest, I wasn't even sure what was up there, since the past five autumns have been spent in rentals in other cities.  There wasn't much, but I did find some autumn leaf garlands & a few autumn floral arrangements.  Combined with the free halloween decorations I scored from CVS a few weeks ago and a few other sale finds from Jo-Ann's yesterday, I had at least a few things to work with.

And I have to say, even if it wasn't the grand crafty plan I had envisioned, it does look very festive:

disney weekend halloween craft

There are a lot of good things about living in Florida.  It is almost always sunny.  It doesn't snow.  There are palm trees and flamingos and alligators.  There are about 150 amazing beaches within driving distance. There is no state income tax.  Half the population doesn't live here most of the time.  I could go on and on.

But the best thing about living in Florida has got to be Walt Disney World.

I'll admit it:  I'm a Disney Dork.  I love it.  I love everything about it.  If it were up to me, we'd be there every weekend.

I know this will probably come as a shock, given our history of always agreeing on everything (note heavy sarcasm here), but my sweet husband is not really that into WDW.  He is, however, a fabulous daddy (and husband), so he humors my obsession, knowing it will make ALL of his girls happy.  He even consented to my [brilliant] idea of purchasing a Florida Residents Annual Pass this year, despite the fact that it cut a significant chunk out of our annual vacation budget AND knowing full well it would mean far more Disney trips than he could stand.  What a guy.

So this weekend we are off to WDW for Mickey's Not-so-Scary Halloween Bash.  I can't wait!  Last October, when we were still living in Seattle, I took the girls to Disneyland for a few days at Halloween time.  M., who is obsessed with all things Halloween, hasn't stopped talking about it since.  It will be fun to get into the spirit a little early this year (not to mention to beat the crowds!)

I wanted something cute & festive (but also comfortable) for the girls to wear, so I decided to attempt 2 different craft projects I've been wanting to try for some time:  freezer paper stencils and tulle tutus.  The girls were very excited about their new "Hallorina" (halloween ballerina) outfits and happily modeled them for me!

They were very easy and the total cost for the whole project--shirts, leggings, & tutus--was less than $25.

Supplies Used:
(purchased)
-2 T-shirts, $3.99 each (Old Navy)
-2 pairs of leggings, $4 each (Old Navy)
-3 rolls of tulle (used 3 40% off coupons), $5.40 (Jo-Ann's)
-1 package 1/4" black elastic, $1.14 (Wal-Mart)

I also used black paint, freezer paper, & orange dye that I already had on hand.

Total cost: $22.52 ($11.26 per daughter)

Instructions:

For the shirt:

1. Tie-dye a white shirt with orange dye, (I used a kit I had leftover from a summer tie-dye project.), following instructions on kit.  Wash and dry shirt.
2. Trace your chosen design onto a piece of freezer paper (waxy on one side only!) I did a Google search for "mickey mouse bat" and found this design.
3. Using an Exacto knife and a self-healing cutting mat, cut out design.
4. Lightly iron freezer paper onto shirt.
5. Blot black paint onto shirt using stencil brush.  (I used black acrylic paint.)
6. Carefully peel back paper; let dry.

For the skirt:

1. Cut a piece of elastic to fit around your child's waist.
2. Place elastic around a large book or cutting board.
3. Cut 2 16" pieces of tulle from a 6" wide role.
4. Tie onto elastic.  Repeat, spacing knots 1-2" apart until skirt is complete.

Have a great weekend!

halloween decorating inspiration

I just love holidays.  Luckily for me, my 4 year-old has inherited my enthusiasm for all things holiday, and between the two of us, we could spend hours planning all the fun we will have on all our special days.  She  literally has been talking about Halloween for months now, since before the Fourth of July.  So while it may still seem a little early to most sane people, M. and I are chomping at the bits to make this house festive from top to bottom.

On a budget, of course.

People sometimes think I have a lot of ideas, but I honestly don't think I'm very original.  I'm not so much creative as I am determined.  If I see a look I like, I will figure out a way to imitate it at a price I can afford.

So it will be with our Halloween decorations this year.  I have found so many great ideas, I hardly know where to begin!

Here is my inspiration:

(Photo credits:  potterybarn.com, potterybarnkids.com, goodhousekeeping.com, marthastewartliving.com, freekidscrafts.org, twigandthistle.com, amyatlas.com)

And here are my ideas:

• Make decorated sugar cookies (which I do every holiday.)  I was thinking of splurging on a new set of Halloween cookie cutters until I saw these adorable round black & white cookies.  Classy and cost-effective--now that's what I call a project!  (Click here to read my sugar cookie tutorial.)
• Yard signs made from scrap pieces of wood and painted with Halloween themes.  I'm pretty sure I can find some basic shapes online (cats, bats, haunted house, etc.) to make homemade stencils.  Hopefully I can enlist my husband to gather the scrap wood and make my signs....
• Lots and lots of homemade snakes (made from ribbon) and spiders (made from pom-poms & pipe cleaners.)  It will be a double bonus because I'm always looking for kid-friendly craft projects!
• Homemade "pumpkin" luminaries made from tin-cans spray painted orange and then punched with jack o' lantern faces using a hammer & nail.
• I love the idea of bat, cat, & rat sillouhettes cut from black paper.  Again, the shapes shouldn't be too hard to find, and I have plenty of black construction paper lying around, since my daughter only likes "nice" colors.  Paper bat chains will also be fun!  We don't have a mantel to decorate (much to my chagrin, but really, who needs a fireplace in Florida?), but I could use them on my bookshelves.
• I also love the idea of covering existing mirrors and picture frames with foil, then painting scary eyes on the foil.  And now that I'm thinking about it, I'm pretty sure Walgreens had a good deal on foil this week with an in-ad coupons.   Hmmmm....I may have to stock up!
• I am convinced that now that I have unburied my sewing machine from the garage, where it has been hibernating for the past 3 years, I can re-create that adorable "Trick or Treat" pennant banner.  I also LOVE the wooden letters spelling "Boo."  So simple, and yet so effective.
• I like hanging wreaths on my double front doors for each season, and I'm pretty sure I can make this candy one shown above.  However, I'll have to price out the candy before I can commit. 
• What would Halloween be without pumpkins?  I like the idea of grouping multiple pumpkins together and then carving out leaf designs instead of traditional faces.
• A "Halloween Tree" is a cute idea, and super cheap if you don't live in Florida and have trees that actually produce branches instead of palm fronds.  Just spray paint it black, stick it in a pot or can of rocks, and then make little ornaments out of paper.  Once again, I may have to recruit my husband for help in finding a real tree.

Stay tuned for Halloween craft project progress.....

Tell me, what are your Halloween decorating plans?