A Hobbitish Party for Max

Max accomplished a big goal in his reading last year.  He not only read and completed The Hobbit; he LOVED it.  A rare moment in our history of reading and something that needed to be celebrated with a bang.  His 12th birthday, though, months away, presented a perfect time to to have a Hobbit themed party. Plus, it was far enough away that it gave me time plan.

With the help of Lucy, the wide world of the blogs, and imagination we through a most splendid Hobbiton party; with an adventure, ginger ale, some root beer and treasure!

{The Invitation Contract}

"Sorry! I don't want any adventures, thank you.  Not today. Good Morning! But please come to tea-any time you like! Why not tomorrow? Good bye!"

“All the same, I should like it all plain and clear," said he obstinately, putting on his business manner (usually reserved for people who tried to borrow money off him), and doing his best to appear wise and prudent and professional and live up to Gandalf's recommendation. "Also I should like to know about risks, out-of-pocket expenses, time required and remuneration, and so forth"--by which he meant: "What am I going to get out of it ? and am I going to come back alive?” 

{The Decor}

 

(credit for the banner goes to Jessica and Charlotte click on to either site to get the download, then use it how you like) 

A map of The Shire drawn on a simple plastic table cover. 

A whole $0.99 spent on a cool cover.

"Do we really have to go through [Mirkwood]?" groaned the hobbit. "Yes, you do!" said the wizard, "if you want to get to the other side. You must either go through or give up your quest. There are no safe paths in this part of the world."

Two trees made of craft butcher paper, one in the dining room and the other in the entry way, served as our version of Mirkwood

 {The Feast}

 "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold [as the hobbits do], it would be a merrier world." 

The huge ham, some 20 baked potatoes, mini minced meat pies and green salad weren't around long enough to take a picture.  But, they added to the Hobbit style feast and was enjoyed by everyone; especially the boys LOL!

There was a lot of baking and cooking to get the meals ready for our little party.  The happy faces and satisfied tummies from from the kids and the adults made it worth it.

Most especially the face of Max, our honored burglar, who kept thanking us for such a "cool party!"

{The Cake} 

"And more cakes-and ale-and coffee if you don't mind," 

called the other dwarves

The web is full of examples and how-to-make your very own Hobbit Hole cake.  Here are just a few for your own quick reference

• Nikki's @ TikkiDo.com (You must check out her cool map above the dessert table--fabulous!)
• Melissa @ searchingfordragons.
• Amy @ ManyMasonMoments

{The Adventure}

  "We are plain quiet folk, and I have no use for adventures. 

Nasty, disturbing, and uncomfortable things." 

 The boys were asked to bring their own ponies bikes to the party.  Earlier in the day The Lineman and Lucy took a treasure box filled with jewels and gold (lots of lemon heads, jaw breakers, sour balls, and gold nugget gum drops) to the hills.  The treasure was hidden in Smaug's den, a crevice in the hills; the boys were then sent off on an adventure to retrieve the gold.

Of course, we sent them off with supplies since it was a part of the agreement to joining the party

 :-) 

At the end Smaug was slayed, via a cool looking dragon pinata, everyone scoring a nice batch of  sweets treasure to enjoy.  

"Never laugh at live dragons." 

Happy 12th Birthday Max!

You deserved the time spent on this day!!

Totally!

"I have chosen Mr. Baggins and that ought to be enough for all of you. If I say he is a Burglar, a Burglar he is, or will be when the time comes. There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself."

Mexican Tissue Flower:: 411

  Scan the internet and you'll find a gazillion videos, DIY, & youtube videos on making tissue flowers.  I'm not going to join the swarm of tutorials, exactly.  But, I do want to have a little scrapbook of our flowers.  Just in case my kids want proof that I did make these.  

(with their help of course)

Our end of the year party for the home school group was themed 'fiesta'.  Fiestas are a visual feast for the eyes.  Tons of color everywhere. Perfect theme for making some of these beauties.

Pretty huh?

A comarde and I made these for Lucy's birthday once, like a hundred years ago it seems.  Sadly, I've never thought about doing it again before this occasion.  These are so easy to make, with so many options, that it's silly not to do more these...more often. 

The players are simple:

• a stack of tissue paper or crepe paper (colors of your choice)
• a good set of scissors
• twine or pipe cleaners
• a glass of wine  (this one is optional but, it made the folding more fun. Trust me.) 

The how:  Cut, stack, and fold

• First, cut down your chosen colors into the size your going to work with.  Most sites on the web give you dimensions (like here and here).  I just winged it.  I wanted a nice size flower so I went with a 6" across and 9" long cut.  Somehow I hope that measurement made sense LOL. 
• For a fluffy flower, nice and full, use a minimum of 6 sheets of tissue.
• Fold like an accordian from the short end up.  Example fold up one, turn the paper over and fold up again, turn the paper over, fold up again until you get to this point..

A nice long strip of paper

How wide the folds, depends on the look u want

The wider the fold the more flowery (that isn't a word, I know) the end result will be.
I went with 1".

• Wrap the folded tissue in the center with the pipe cleaner. Twist it around and you'll get: 

• Then clip the edge in a point or a curve (this will give your final flower some cool details)
• Start unfolding the top first tissue up and toward the center. Careful, tissue tear easily. 

Ask the husband to help.

The Lineman likes getting crafty with me.

final product..

Tah daaaah!

Now, decorate!!!

For Our Lady of Guadalupe

For Corpus Crisit

For St. Juan Diego

Think centerpiece
Think hair accessory

I did end up doing a tutorial after all.

Hopefully, the post will come in handy.

God bless!

Envisioning Hearts, Pink, & St. Therese

I'm hosting a St. Valentine Gala soon (like this Monday) and my head has been swimming with ideas.
If you can picture this; it'll be an afternoon of several families between the ages of infancy and 11ish.

The older siblings will be up the road celebrating a Jane Austine Valentine Tea, dressed in Regency sweetness.

Back at this manor, though, we are looking at ideas for our younger group.  Something that focuses more on the love that is God rather than the amounts of sweets in our bags.
(though that is important to a 7 year old for sure ;0).

I've scanned the boards and have one too many ideas lingering in my head.  So, I'm narrowing it down to a manageable few.  I'm thinking along the lines of:

The Sacred Hear to Jesus

 (I mean how perfect is that)

St. Therese's examples of love

(including her quotes everywhere)

That'll be our focus but, I can't put down any other details, as there may be some lurking here; who may spill the beans.

Until then here are some quick pictures of the things/crafts happening around the house...

Lacy @ Catholic Icing shared this free St. Valentine countdown. 

As the kids take down a heart; we read it after morning prayers and then the scripture is placed on the door.  That way we can return to read them throughout the days leading to Lent.

We've already read some beautiful verses!

Rose is sewing these felt heart pockets for her friends.  This was the kind of practice she needed to master her running stitch. 
According to her, she's become an expert!

This is a little peek at my project of the week

Now I'm off.  

I have lots of hearts to cut out and some goodies to bake...

Martha Showed Me...

I was skimming through a December 2008 issue of Martha Stewart's Living magazine the other night; and I saw something...
Something that I could actually do.
Something that used items I already had in the house.
Something that wouldn't cost me a single cent.

In the old house we use to hang our Christmas cards around the piano; or on the inside of the front door.  Our cards looked scattered though.  Not like the gallery displays I would see in the Better Homes magazines. 

But with a few supplies... 
I made a super cute, and easy display.

What you need:

1.  Get all the scraps of that Christmas paper around the house

2.  Clothes pins

3.  Glue stick

4.  Ribbon

5.  Scissors

The pictures are pretty self explanatory. 

Using the scraps of paper, measure out the approximate size of your clothes pin

Cut the paper to size

Using a glue stick, spread it on the side the paper with be glued too

and

just in minutes you have...

A pretty display for all those Christmas cards coming your way...

Evidently mine are slow to arrive...

Thank you

Martha Stewart!

Jesse Tree Swap

My loony self thought that in the midst of still unpacking boxes, driving to and fro, schooling, Thanksgiving; I can join a Jesse Tree Swap.  "Oh yes, I have time", thinks I.

My gosh, who was I kidding!  It wasn't that it was stressful to complete them.  There just had to be some creative thinking as to finding the time to do it.

But they got done!!

I made some felt ornaments for my SIL in few years back.  Those took a while to complete too.  But, because each symbol was different; and I had to find the scripture to them.  These came out cute though.

I got pretty stressed out thinking I was going to be late mailing them out.  Thus, 32 women around the U.S was going to be waiting for me.  And because I was late, then they would have to start their Jesse Tree late.  Oh the stress!!

But, I'm not late... Whooo Hooo. 

This is a big nerve in my stomach, you see.  The being the cause to someone else being late. 

So thanks Jessica @ Housewifespice for hosting and organizing this!

I hope you like my version of the Noah's Ark.

Lace, lace and lace...

Rose's First Holy Communion is fast approaching so we are trying to get ready little by little for it.  Her dress was purchased a few months ago, but I knew I wanted to make her a new veil for the special occasion.

Today she and I picked up the material from JoAnn's.  She had a chose of lace and trims, with my 'encouragement' of course.  I think she did very well with her chose.

We are going to use the scalloped edge, shown in the picture, for the front and we got a simple trim for the back.  I was going to make this for her, but my SIL has been making veils for a while now.  She has the hang of it and offered to do this for her goddaughter.

How could I say no.

Plus, her veils are a thing of feminine beauty!

Since we were on a roll I did choose another fabric for Lucy.  A surprise for her.

Finding love in the day

Did you know it was the feast of St. Valentine yesterday?  It kinda snuck up on me, rather like a cold.  Not that I don't enjoy the hearts, the reds and pinks, or the expression of love.  I totally do.  But, I hadn't prepared and I've been in a disconnected kind of place lately. 

Oh I'm not throwing a bah-hum-bug party, don't worry.  But celebrating lovely feast days and cool holidays is my kinda thing.  So, when I awoke to my kids making the heart shaped pancakes with beds made-chores done; when it's usually me raising them up from their sleep with the aroma of heavenly pancakes in some sort of heart shaped form (oh the violins are loud in the background), I knew I my head was in too many places and NOT at home.  

The breakfast was lovely and appreciated!  A momma needs some TLC too.  My visit to put steel on my teeth, and the thought of having to live with them for oh the next 2 years, was not as appreciated. Note, there will be less pictures of me on this blog for quite a while ;-).

Once I energized with a yummy green smoothie though, I gathered myself together.  The supplies were brought out, the computer became our ever loyal friend and we started crafting.

Max created

pencil holders using Lacy's down loadable cards!  Thank you Lacy for sharing!

Cecilia chose to express her love with some bling.

Several priceless jewels tucked away in her pouch for safe delivery.

Let Friendship Ring

Rose chose to write 3 very special cards

She decorated them as she wanted, writing a personal note to her recipients.

Lucy, as the big kid opted to use this image of St. Valentine

Making individually decorated Holy Cards to pass along to her cousins.

When the Lineman came home from work, he accepted my prompting to take the kids to deliver their love notes.  This would give me the time to cook, bake and decorate for a

St. Valentine's Dinner

The Lineman showed up with pretty white roses, several a bottle of wine, and my favorite dessert...FLAN...it was super good!

What started as a unprepared day,

ended exactly as it was meant too!

May God's unending love be forever appreciated!