Category: entertaining

All Decked Out!

My husband and I were getting the house ready for Spring/Summer….and were disappointed that our deck stain/waterproofer was peeling up after a long cold winter!

Reluctantly… in order to do the job right… we sanded the deck to remove the peeling stain and are planning on reapplying the stain/waterproofing again…

So if you live in the North East, and are subject to harsh winters, what deck stain/waterproofer do you use that does not peel up season after season!  We are all decked out!   #wishIhadTrex #Patio #anythingbutwood  Would love your thoughts before we stain this coming weekend!  

Surprise Party!

SWEET 16!

My daughter turned 16 last week… and we had already agreed not to have a “Sweet 16” party in the modern sense…. inviting 50 or more kids or something like that.   My daughter wanted something more intimate with some close friends…. but I definitely wanted it to feel special for her.
I find it funny how different boys and girls are too!  My son was totally peplexed by even THIS amount of work to make her 16th birthday special…. as he doesn’t want a party at all…. but then again… he’s almost 18!  🙂
Anyway… I was excited to pull of some fun surprises to make her 16th special.
First… a Surprise Sleepover with close friends….. The girls totally loved being part of the surprise!
Second… Disco lights, fun music with  a club-like theme in the basement complete with CANDY BAR and snacks!
Third… A “photo booth” type set up where the girls could take fun photos of themselves all night!

 

I was told that the HIT of the party was the Candy Bar!   In this sugar averse culture we live in… and trust me… we don’t eat much sugar around here…. THIS was definitely a treat! And of course… it is called SWEET 16 for some reason, right?   Sweedish Fish seemed to be the big hit… just saying.

 

I pulled this surpise off in just a week….. so I went to Oriental Trading Comlpany and ordered the Photo Booth essentials….. mustashes and lips on sticks… “frames” and the little white board bubbles to write captions on…. the girls had fun!  I pulled out some accessories from my costume box such as boas and fun sunglasses and hats and they just took selfies all night!    One friend had a selfie stick…. I think that would have been a good gift for the Birthday Girl too but I didn’t think of that one! 😉    I did take a few of the photos the “old fashioned” way with me taking the photo!
Anyway…. It was a fun filled evening…. Pretty simple to pull off and tons of fun!   I do believe it will be a birtday to remember and THAT is the best thing a Mom can do!
Good luck with your party planning!   Post other fun ideas you’ve tried or wanted to!  I’d love to hear
what you have done!
Theda