A Small Taste of Happiness

Last post I gave a small sneak peek into my baby boy’s baptism appetizer party and I must say what an awesome day it was! (Thank you Mom, couldn't have done it without you!) So why an appetizer party? Well I was just tired of the same old dishes and wanted to try something FUN! The hardest part about planning the appetizer party was making sure that I selected a variety of foods that would accommodate all the tastes that were in the room. The recipes I ended up picking were everything and anything from burgers to seafood and back to fudge dipped blackberry chocolate brownies! (And yes these were absolutely amazing!)  I must point out that you should not be afraid to add your own little bit of creativity to each appetizer, that's what makes it unique and memorable!

 

So to kick things off it was important to first determine who was going to be invited and then what types of foods and beverages would be on the menu. So to make that easier and a little more organized I created a Party Planning checklist which can be found below for FREE! This list can be used for even simple dinner parties. It’s my recommendation to print a few out in advance and stash them away in a safe place and use them whenever you need them.

With much preparation (help from my mom) and success the final menu for my son's party ended up consisting of the following items – Click on the picture for a link to the wonderful recipe (Remember to make it your own!):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that you see the long laundry list of items you need for each appetizer, you can understand why it was so important to have that handy dandy shopping list that I gave to you for free in my last post! My final words of wisdom before you venture out and throw yourself a memory making appetizer party; don’t be afraid to try and try again because not every time you make one will it be perfect, but in the end it really will be one small taste of happiness!

Organize Your Shopping Trip

I’m at it again, as it seems that I have come up with another small way to organize my life a little bit. This past weekend my son got baptized and I decided that I wanted to try something different and throw an appetizer party. I love to put together different events but I am always doing the usual, making casseroles, buying decorations, and setting it up in a standard buffet format with nothing fancy. Well that was about to change, for the better! There were many different steps to the process but eventually I came up with a game plan including the food menu, drink menu, decorations, outfit, and invitations. I must say I was quite impressed with the final product and I hope that you are too. It seems that both my friends and family had a great time!

There was a lot of organized planning that went on with this party. So here is one of my tips and tricks that may help you out if you ever decide that you want to try something a little bit different. I found out that when it comes making mini versions of your favorite foods, there are a ton of different ingredients. With that being said I came up with a simple way to help organize my life a little bit more, a shopping list that is segregated into store sections (and it’s something I can use all the time, BONUS!). This was a complete lifesaver! Not only did it help me not take an entire day to shop but also helped me organize my cart and not forget anything! I strongly recommend that everyone should use something like this as much as they can. To get you started and hopefully make you shopping trip a little less stressful I am giving you my list for free. Yippee!

A small tip for all those wives out there… place the list on the refrigerator and as things run out or you realize that you need something write it on the list (have your husband and kids do the same). It makes it really easy for your husband to find things in the store when you ask him to go shopping for you! Trust me I get fewer phone calls this way!

I also attached an envelope that is printed with the word Coupons on it. It allows me to easily grab the list and go and not have to wonder if I have any coupons or not. The list is set up in a way that allows you to color in a small circle (just like you did on those standardized tests back in the day), to show that a coupon exist for that item. So get out there and start shopping and hopefully you it made your life just a little more simple! Here are some of the success pictures from the party. Hopefully it will help get you to try something new the next time you have to celebrate something!

Hope you enjoyed your little peek at our party. Check out some posts that follow outlining a little bit more about my son’s cute and fun baptism appetizer party!

Here's to a New Year!

It feels so great to start fresh in the New Year and I can't wait to kick things off with some wonderful d.i.y projects. I am so happy that you have taken the time to check out my new blog and see some fun and interesting ways to bring the shore into your everyday life. If you have taken the time to read my About Me page then you have a slight idea of how much the shore means to me and how much my family and I truly love it! In order to start this blog off right I wanted to give you a free, yes free, printout calendar for the 2014 year. Yippee!!

One of my New Year's resolutions this year was to organize my life a little better and I thought what a better way than to start with hanging a calendar. I wanted something simple that was only a page that I could outline day trips, travel plans, sporting events, doctor appointments, etc. I have never been a huge fan of the calendars that you find in stores, well for one thing they never have shore ones that I like and never have a place for notes. Hence why I have taken the time to put something simple together. Hope you enjoy and helps to make your life just a little more simple!