The Ultimate Pool Party!

We had a pool put in a few years ago and it has made Birthday parties effortless ever since! Having a pool means no more planning party games or activites that have to last the whole time! It's perfect, I get to decorate to my hearts content and then sit and be lifeguard and ENJOY the party! I love it!

So far we have had my daughther's Ice Cream Parlour Birthday Party (see it here) and my son's superhero birthday party (see it here) as well as many many others.

This year for Jackson's 6th Birthday I decided to have an Ultimate Pool Party!!

 

I started by searching ETSY for a great download for the printable collection. I could have made them myself but honestly sometimes it's just easier to pay someone else to do it and I found the perfect collection here. They were so cute and fun and it inspired me to create all the items that go along with the party collection!

First I made the Snow Cone Cupcakes. They are NOT HARD. Trust me, I have said for years that I am cupcake impaired but these were so simple. I ordered the little cups from TomKat Studio and followed this tutorial on how to make them. They turned out really cute! Don't you think?

 

I chose to make it easy on myself and just have snacks and cupcakes for the party. We had Veggies and Dip - This is my new way of serving them at any party - No double dipping!!

 

Beach Balls aka Cheese Puffs

Inner Tubes (Peach Rings) and Pool Noodles (Licorice)

the snow cones were a BIG hit!

and some liquid refreshment

For the favor, I made these cute shovels with candy in them for the kids to take home

It was such a fun party and Jackson had a blast - and that's the most important thing!

Thanks for reading!

 





Just a little something for a brand new TEACHER!

Today my daughter was invited to meet her new 5th grade teacher!  Kate was just a bit nervous about the meeting so we decided to bring Miss Haslam a little gift.  We decided on an apple...not just any ole ordinary apple but a big bright shiny Granny Smith apple with a mason jar of scrumptious caramel sauce for dipping.  

It was a yummy HIT!  In fact we decided that our principal, secretaries and last year's teacher needed a treat as well.  After the deliveries were made Kate felt much better about the brand new school year...and maybe even earned a few brownie points!  A little extra credit never hurts!  

(Thanks to Event Trender for this great idea and recipe) 

Another great caramel dip recipe for apple dipping

Creamy Caramel Apple Dip

8 oz Cream Cheese

1/2 C Brown Sugar

1/4 C White Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

Toffee Bits to taste.

Mix cream cheese and sugars together till creamy then add vanilla and toffee bits.  Serve with your favorite apple.  

The kids are in school, PTA responsibilities are somewhat complete, house is clean (for a bit) and I'm a happy mom!

Back to School Homework Caddy

Hi everyone- As you can see, we took the summer OFF with our blogging. Don't worry though, we have been super busy throwing all sorts of parties and doing all sorts of decorating. We have plenty to show you!

I thought since it was Back to School time I would show you what I made for my kids this week -

Come 3 o'clock at our house it is usually a race to and from soccer, water polo, piano lessons, choir, drama - the list goes on and on! Homework time is thrown in the mix and when it's time for the kids to start their homework I was tired of them meandering around the house looking for a pencil, a stapler or a snack for 20 minutes! I decided to put them all in one place.

Introducing the homework caddy:

This is so simple to make. Start off with 3 pie tins. You can get them at any thrift store for about $1 each or you can buy a brand spankin new set.

Next get 2 candlesticks. They can be wooden or brass. Spray paint them your desired color - I went with bright yellow to match my kitchen.

The next part can be a little tricky. You need to use some math skills to measue where to place the candlesticks so that they all line up. You can eyeball it too, but it may look a bit off. Use E6000 or any eopxy to glue the candlesticks on and let dry.

Last, I bought a bunch of tins at the Target Dollar Spot and filled them with all sorts of school supplies. I even found some fun chalkboard tins.

Place your tins on the caddy, add some school snacks and there you go! You are ready for your after school Homework time.

If you want your own caddy but don't want to make it- I have one available in my ETSY store here or just click the shop ETSY link at the top of the page. I also take custom requests!

Enjoy!