Party Lessons Learned

Well, this weekend was...educational. Enlightening. I learned a lot this weekend, and it would be unfair of me not to share it with you all.

Lesson 1) Start cooking sooner than you think you need to. I had a menu for the baby shower I threw this weekend. I did not finish the menu. Who knew that it would take an hour to boil and shell 2 dozen hard-boiled eggs? Not this chick. Nope. Not a clue. I got most of the menu completed, though, and it was delicious. I just had to delegate the pigs in a blanket to Hubby, who did a great job with them. Recipes for all the dishes will be the next post.

Lesson 2) When throwing a party, check the weather the day before. If you're in or around NC, or have friends and family in NC, you might have heard about the tornadoes we got on Saturday. A Lowes some cities over was destroyed, several lives sadly lost, trees downed, houses wrecked... Luckily, our area missed the tornados, no one I know was hurt, and I didn't learn about any of this until several hours into the party. People were delayed two hours by the rain and storms, but ultimately, everyone was able to make it safely.

Lesson 3) Just because it looks like a lot of food now doesn't mean it's not going to vanish, especially the sweets, especially with a cabal of kids around. I could have sworn we'd be coming home with plates upon plates of extras: 4 dozen deviled eggs, 3 dozen turkey rolls, a fruit tray, a veggie tray, 2.5 dozen pigs in a blanket, and three plates of desserts from me, not to mention the chips, dips, and other foods supplied by the home hosts and my friend. We came home with one plate of remaining fruits, one plate of remaining veggies, 5 oreo truffles, 1 s'mores cookie, and 4 turkey rolls. Total: 2 new dishes for my recipes list.

Lesson 4) When the party's dying down and people are leaving, make sure that there's still someone watching the kids. Because if you don't, the remaining two and three year olds are going to go off on their own, and despite having a ton of toys and games to play with, they're going to make their own entertainment. Their entertainment of choice? Giving themselves a bath. Problem: 2 and 3 year olds understand turning water on. They do not, however, have a strong grasp on why they need to turn it off. Lesson 4.5) Hardwood floors are much better with kids than carpeting. Especially when said kids flood the upstairs bathroom and it's only noticed when someone sees the playroom ceiling is dripping.

Lesson 5) Hosting a party will leave you SORE!!! I had a blast though; everyone was asking for my recipes and telling me that they had a great time. They even sang Happy Birthday to me when my Mom-in-law announced that this weekend I'm turning 25. Despite the little water problem at the end of the night, I feel proud of pulling this whole thing off. And now I never have to do it again oh my god NEVER! #43 done! I am not meant to be a hostess.

Oh, I also finished Pokemon White on Friday night, making video game #6 completed.