It's Party Time.......almost!

Sorry to continue to bore you with the details....but the party prep is in full swing now and I haven't had a lot of time to think of anything else. I have been shopping for supplies and working like a maniac any free moment I get.

The boxes have come, so I have all the fun stuff for the kids. Sadly my pinatas were slightly, or drastically, smaller then I had hoped. Luckily they are still adorable! I am concerned that Cuyler seems to be highly entertained by the thought of hanging them from a tree and going through the motions, just so he can laugh about it??

I'm thrilled with the oilcloth that came in for the tables and already painted my jars. It was super easy to do and I'm thinking I might fill them with Magnolia Leaves and Honeysuckle from the yard. They will be the cheapest flower arrangements I have ever had! Plus, the fabric has enough color that I think flowers would be too much.

Tuesday I went to Ikea and grabbed a few yards of fabric to recover the chair cushions on the screen porch. They turned out pretty good and the print goes great with all the other Ikea funky florals I used on the wicker and pillows. They have bright, durable, and affordable fabrics, perfect for outdoor furniture!

So, I'm baking a few dozen Mexican Wedding Cookies tonight and finishing up the paper flowers. Tomorrow will be lots of cooking and cleaning, sigh, but totally worth it! After all of the devastation in the last few days in this part of the country, it will be extra special to be with great friends!!!

I'm saving a jar of hot sauce to give away next week, so stay tuned....

Homemade Hot Sauce

The party prep continues........

Today the big task was getting the party favors put together. We decided we wanted to send people home from the party with my dad's Famous Hot Sauce. It is absolutely delicious and a highly valued commodity among our friends and family!

This is the first time for me to make it, so I was a little nervous, but dad gave me a pep talk this A.M. and walked me through the recipe again. Sadly, I can not share the recipe with you as it is truly a family secret and prized possession. I did want to share some pictures of the beautiful ingredients and some shots of the jars.....opinions?

I still have to add the label and figure out exactly what I want to do for that.......but, the hard part is over. I found some pretty quilted Ball Jars and used some old fabric and straw tied at the top to finish it. I of course had to do a taste test and while it's certainly not as good as the real thing, it's pretty good. Luckily, my guests won't know the difference.

I'm leaving the rest of the cooking until later in the week, so next up will be decorations. I found beautiful saturated colors of tissue paper.....now I will need to get busy making zillions of paper poufs to string and hang from the trees.

Planning a Party

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So.......

I'm Planning a Party!

A Cinco de Mayo party to be exact. I love opening up the house and having friends and family over, it is one of my favorite things to do! But......everyone know it takes a lot of work and a lot of planning to throw a great event!

We have thrown some unforgetable parties in the past, we love hosting! Huge Halloween parties in Denver, Cinco de Mayo and an 80's Christmas party in Atlanta. They are often eventful and always memorable! Since moving back in September we have had friends over for regular dinner parties and small get-togethers, but it is time for a REAL party!

So.....

The Decorating:
The screenporch and the open field provide endless possibilities. I have been collecting tons of inspiration photos and have been scheming for months. It won't be quiet as glamorous as the above images, but I have rented long tables and chairs and ordered yards of colorful oilcloth. I have been saving cans to use as votives and jars to paint and use for vases. I will make loads of paper flowers and poms and will use white lights from Christmas. I ordered some of those lovely paper flags and am planning to use paper doilies to create runners for the tables. I ordered maracas and dozens of confetti eggs, and pinatas for the children. Lastly, I will be cooking up some of the famous Lawless hot sauce and jarring it to give to our guests.

The Menu:
I love to cook! I always cook for my parties, which is a lot to take on, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Cinco de Mayo means that I get to make some Mexican food. The expectations can be high, since we are from Texas, but luckily I have some great recipes. Cuyler's family is from El Paso, so I was given the go-to cookbook for Mexican food a long time ago. Even better then that I have had the pleasure of enjoying many a meal with his family, cooked by his mother, grandmother, etc. I have a great menu planned!

Chips, hot sauce, a special guacamole with feta and lots of cilantro (thanks kati), queso, stuffed peppers, both chicken and brisket sal picon, beans, potatoes of some sort, and a jicama salad. The desert is to be determined. A little work to do next week, but I will figure it out.

I will be posting something this week to show my progress, since that is what I will surely be spending all my time on. Then, I will hopefully have the time to take lots of great photos of the party next Saturday. What fun!

My sweet little Carson has been looking forward to the Easter Bunny visiting. I can't wait to see her hunt eggs! Hope you guys have a great Easter weekend!