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A SuperChic Tea Party!
I forgot how crazy this time of year is. From November on we have: my niece SuperChic’s birthday, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas and then Bug’s Birthday in January. I guess that’s only four things but it feels like it all happens in the span of three days. I think it goes by so fast because of all the planning that goes on in between. But I love that.
Some people like to talk about politics and hash out the details of history and economics. And some people, like me, like to hash out the details of birthday parties and family get-togethers. Both are important. Whether macro or micro, the details are what make up our lives. You guys can go solve the economic crisis and I’ll be over here making sure there are games to keep the kids occupied and the petits fours are iced. I know in some people’s opinions I’m putting women’s rights back 100 years but I argue that these things are important. You don’t realize how much the little things add up and in the end create a warm happy environment for making memories with your family.
Anyway! Enough about that. Who really cares what I think?
I only bring it up the subject of details because SuperChic’s sixth birthday party was yesterday and it was filled with many many small details that made my happy little heart sing. As usual, my sister-in-law pulled out all the stops. It was a tea party with all of SuperChic’s favorite finger foods. Cake balls disguised as petits fours, pickles, celery with cream cheese, black olives, carrots, bell peppers and broccoli to dip in ranch dressing. That kid likes her veggies which is a good thing because I think each petit four had about four pounds of sugar in it.
The kids drank hot cocoa in their little wee cups and ate their crudités on the floor, picnic-stye. Bug actually managed to sip her cocoa daintily and only spilled about four drops on her red tutu. I was amazed. We’re still using sippy cups at home a lot. Not because she can’t use a cup; she can, but she likes to play with her drinks. She likes to swish her fingers around in them and dip everything in them. It’s a battle we’re working on.
I wish I’d had my camera on movie mode and had filmed that. It was quite the feat. What really cracked me up though (and I don’t think the photo quite captures it) was how SuperChic sat next to Bug so calmly and politely eating her food while Bug devoured her celery and cream cheese like a snarling spitting bulldog. I know that is nothing to be proud of. I need to teach Bug some manners stat. I bring it up to point out the contrast. SuperChic is quite the proper lady and Bug is still very two.
Anyway, we had a lot of fun. Games, food and dogpiles on the floor. What more could you ask for? I even made a movie!
You can read more about it here. You did a great job CC!
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Rapunzel’s Tenth Birthday Party
My niece, Rapunzel (not her real name) is turning ten on Memorial Day but nobody ever can come to her party on Memorial Day so she had her birthday party today. Most of her class couldn’t come today either but that’s because unbeknownst to us, another boy in her class had a pool party at the exact same time. Pool parties seem to trump everything when you’re ten.
Nevertheless, I think the party was a huge success! I’m starting to think I like smaller parties better anyway. You get more time to play games and interact with all the kids. The children who came are the same kids who came last year and the year before. They’re keepers. I hope she stays friends with them forever.
We didn’t go crazy with decorations or party games. We could have but time sort of ran out. My sister-in-law, CC, was going to make malasadas (Hawaiian potato doughnuts) but they fell by the wayside and were not missed a bit.
CC made her famous bundt cake (It’s so yummy! The recipe is on her blog) and we decorated it like an island. I’m particularly proud of the palm trees. They are pirouette cookies stuffed with apple flavored sour punch straws on one end. Getting the “foliage” to stay in the pirouette cookies wasn’t exactly easy but some thread and a toothpick seemed to do the trick. The sand or “coral pebbles” are just rice crispies and the “lava” is chocolate ganache.
Besides more food than we could ever possibly eat, there were more presents than anybody could ever want. I didn’t include any pictures but I’m sure CC will link some later. My niece now has enough clothes now to go a whole year without ever wearing the same outfit twice. Yeah, I’m jealous. But she’s been growing a lot so this is a good thing. I remember those tween years well. I think a lot of clothes would have made it a lot easier for me back then. Don’t even get me started on the homemade jumpers my mom used to make me wear.
birthday party obstacle course from comfortablycrazy on Vimeo.It was a really fun party. Especially the obstacle course. I was supposed to make a mermaid tail for the kids to jump in gunny-sack-style but I sort of forgot to get around to that. I don’t think anyone noticed. We found an out-of-date mail bag in the ever-present junk pile that is my mom’s carport. I know. Who has mail bags sitting around? Apparently we do. Along with everything else under the sun. But that’s another blog post.
For now we are going to sit around and be fat and happy that another party is in the can. The mess will still be there tomorrow.
