Entertaining Ideas

This post has a few themes, so hang in there....

Just so you know~this is the kind of day it has been. Kate drew "beautiful lipstick" on her face while I was otherwise occupied (trying to catch a few minutes of Oprah but also helping with homework and vacuuming up the one thousand styrofoam balls that came in a package today and have taken over my home).  Look how proud she is of this mess!

I had two sick kids home from school today (one who was missing some important standardized testing) and I am one exhausted Mom who had nightmares all night last night. There has been too much to do lately and I feel very overwhelmed. I wish I had a personal assistant, don't you?

But back to the point of this post....

I want to share two of my favorite ideas for middle of winter entertaining:

When I first became a stay at home Mom 11 and a half years ago, I was really bored and really lonely. We had just moved into a new house and I did not know any "Mom" friends.  I had been a professor and all of my friends worked.  So, as a way to get to know some of the playgroup and neighborhood Moms better, I decided to host an Oscar party.  I ordered really cute invitations and made lots of yummy food.  I bought movie candy and put it out in pretty bowls.  I had ballots and prizes for Hollywood trivia, and other things.  I told all of my guests to wear pajamas (there were prizes for those too).  It was a blast.  I have had some version of that party every year since then.  One year I had a treatment for MS so I did not plan a party.  I was sick but still some friends came over to watch with me.  Even when we moved to VA and I knew few people, I had my Oscar party.  This year I will actually be out of town doing a photography seminar until just before the Oscars begin so I have not decided how to proceed. However, I encourage y'all to plan this type of party.  It is so MUCH fun...you will not be sorry.

I have a photo from that very first Oscar party somewhere.  If I find it, I'll scan it in and post it but I have not had any luck so far.  There are still some unpacked boxes though:(

An "Oscar" that my friends gave me when we left Houston 5 years ago.

Now for the second idea...for the past few years my husband has come up the most FUN way to spend Valentine's Day.  Dave recruits two or three other fun couples who live nearby and like food as much as we do.  Then the gentleman plan a progressive dinner.  They do ALL of the work!! They decide who will host which course, what the menu will be. They even get/arrange the centerpieces and set the tables.We begin with hors d'oeurvres at one home, then we have the soup/salad course at the next home, and move accordingly through the main course and dessert. One year theme was Italian and the next it was Continental. I have no idea what the theme is for this year. The first year, our sweet husbands sent us ladies to the spa for the day while they prepared the progressive dinner and it was all a TOTAL surprise.  That was the BEST (hint, hint Honey!) We had so much fun that Dave has continued the tradition and this year is including old friends in our new tradition.  So, have your husband read this and tell him what a great Valentine's Day it would be.  You'll be glad you did.  

Here are a few photos from last year's dinner.

And since some of you asked...Kate had a GREAT first dance class.  She LOVED it and has talked of little else. She kept her dance clothes and shoes on all day long and even showed Daddy her new moves when he got home from work. I could not really get a good photo of her during the class but here is one right after it ended.