An Olympic Sized Ketchup Night-YW

Last month for our Personal Progress night we had an Olympic sized Ketchup Night.  The London Olympic events inspired an evening of personal bests.  Our events centered around the young women values.  We also wanted to provide a night where the yw could "ketchup" on a few of their value experiences and projects.  The invitation offered a little glimpse of what the night would be about.  (I found the invitation template here)

Outline for the evening:

Introduction:       

This is a night to do a little “ketchup” PP work and because we are in the midst of our world Olympics we’ve come up with some PP Olympic feats for you to accomplish.
GO FOR THE GOLD!

Why do you think we would make that statement tonight?

What is our value for the month?  VIRTUE.

·      We have 5 tables with 5 different PP Olympic challenges on them.

·      If you participate in these challenges you will be given a PP punch card. 

·      After successfully completing each challenge a YW leader will hole punch your card. 

·      Complete all 5 challenges and you become eligible to be awarded the GOLD.

Olympic Challenges

PP GOAL

Have you completed a goal?  Working on a goal? Set a goal?  Interview with a member of the YW presidency and enter your information into the computer document.  Once completed a YW leader can give your card a hole punch.

Family Search

Must be done with a PP Partner.  Go to https://new.familysearch.org/en/action/unsec/welcome 

and search for a family name to take to the temple.  

YW leaders are available to help you learn how.  Once completed a YW leader can give your card a hole punch.

   

Olympic Triathlon

Must be done with a PP Partner.  Work together with your partner to see who can come up with the best time in our PP Olympic Triathlon (Ring Toss and Straw/Cotton Ball Game and Dart Board).  Once completed a YW leader can give your card a hole punch. 

Virtue

Using the materials (For the Strength of Youth, PP Book, Scriptures) answer the PP Olympic Sized Questionnaire.  Once completed correctly a YW leader can give your card a hole punch.

Quilt

Perform a great act of service and love by signing the quilt for (outgoing YW leader).  Have you taken the opportunity to tell her you love her?  Once completed a YW leader can give your card a hole punch.

(I found the Go For The GOLD  template here)

Once our young women had accomplished their PP feats they were presented their "gold medal" and then offered an "All American Burger" to celebrate.  My talented friend and 

cake lady sculpted cupcakes and brownies together to look just like an amazingly yummy hamburger.

A little parchment paper, baker's twine and a toothpick helped to make this look like it came straight from the hamburger joint down the street...minus the grease!  

The original idea was to serve french fries (with ketchup) and hamburgers.  We decided cold fries weren't very tasty so we opted for chips instead.  The girls worked hard, played hard and everything was devoured within a very short time!

It's finally a GIRL!

After 3 boys it's finally a GIRL! My fun boy-mom friend was not sure if she knew how to be a girl mom.  She admitted to knowing nothing about girl babies.  She really didn't even like PINK!  After hearing that information her devoted friends got together and threw her an everything PINK baby shower.

We had pink gumballs, pink tissue poms, shades of pink flowers, pink bows, pink marshmallow puffs, and even pink cotton candy.  We had girly chandeliers, beautiful gifts of pink clothes, pink shoes, pink...everything.

 If you're in the area (SLC, UT) I have an amazing source for bagged cotton candy.  Contact Eric at merrittcreative@gmail.com Best price and presentation of cotton candy ever.  You can personalize your own labels or you can choose from his selection.

We used pewter, glass and rod iron for serving dishes.  Now all we need is the food!

There were lots of friends that wanted to bring lots of yummy things to eat.  

Russian Creme (recipe here)

Chicken salad croissants

Raspberry Brownie Bites

(recipe here)

I found this delectable Salted Caramel Shortbread Bites recipe.  Amazingly good! 

(recipe here)

After just a few short months our boy-mom has proven to be just as good at being a mom to a beautiful little girl.  Not surprising at all! 

 And PINK...it's become a sweet color of love.  

Ghastlie Family Gallery Quilts

Do you want to liven up your HALLOWEEN parties this year?
Create a hair-raisingly fun story?
Alexander Henry has created this goulish Ghastlie family.  He says, "These quilting fabrics are Halloween certified and perfect for a scare or two."
We say,  "This Ghastlie gathering may not seem warm and cuddly but the quilt certainly is!"  

Featured in our quilts are Mathilde Ghastlie (the family Matriarch), Gaspar Ghastlie her devoted husband, Mildred, Magda and Minerva Grislie (Mathilde's sisters) and a whole host of other fabulous family members.

Original Family Tree design (using Alexander Henry fabrics) by Connie and Charlene.

Check us out at our Etsy store Chocolates For Breakfast

Mini Fruit Pizza Sugar Cookies

I served Mini Fruit Pizza Sugar Cookies at a recent event at school and immediately had many requests for the recipe.  Fast and EASY!  Fast because I purchased the large sugar cookies from a local bakery!  All I needed to do was cut up some fruit, whip up the cream cheese topping, melt and drizzle some chocolate.  

Voila!  Ready to serve!

I've had this topping recipe for years and years and always use it instead of sweet frosting.  It's light, fresh and goes perfect with fruit, and almost anything  that needs to be frosted.  

Cream Cheese Topping for Fruit Pizza

6 oz. cream cheese

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

Beat cream cheese with sugar and vanilla in a small bowl with mixer on low speed until smooth.  Beat in heavy whipping cream on med. speed  until stiff peaks form.  Spread on fruit pizza crust or personal sized sugar cookies.  Then top with favorite fruit.  Drizzle with chocolate.

PTA's CATCH of the DAY

School's in session and now it's time to join PTA!..or PTO or whatever your school calls it....time to get involved!  Our PTA's theme this year is "Catch the Vision."  We thought it might be fun to come up with an interactive idea to encourage parents and grandparents to join.  We decided upon a fishing booth!  What better way to find out what "PTA's Catch of the Day" is all about.

We started by constructing our fishing dock.  One of our PTA moms and her first grade son took on the challenge.  Ammon (the first grader) said he drilled 83 holes to hold the dock together.  His school buddies were very impressed with his carpenter abilities. 
And I was too.

Once the dock was complete we used PVC pipe and shower curtains (from Target) to form the fishing booth walls.  Added a few sinkers and bobbers, netting and other nautical/fishy type things (from Hobby Lobby) and there you have it...a fishing experience!  Oh and don't forget the poles, fishing loot and of course the FISH!  We were ready for a lazy day on "the lake" for 700 students...prizes included.

While the students fished for prizes (thanks Oriental Trading Company) behind the fishing wall, the PTA parents fished from the big mouth fish (also found at Target in the clearance section).  Each of the magnetized fish had numbers that matched the stocked baskets of prizes.  Parents matched up their fish with a basket and could choose anything from school supplies, restaurant gift certificates, fish cake pops, scrapbooking supplies, Trader Joe's (yeah-coming to Utah soon!) goodies, books, handmade quilts, t-shirts, sporting equipment and all kinds of other donated goods.  It was a great day for fishing!
Fish Cake Pop from our favorite cake lady A Piece of Cake

Fish Bowl Cake Pop

Fish Bobber Cake Pop

All of our elementary school teachers were invited to a special day of fishing to say WELCOME BACK.  We catered desserts for their luncheon, gave them a free school t-shirt and each teacher was given a chance to fish for the catch of the day.  Our teachers and staff are awesome.  100% faculty and staff joined our PTA organization.

We even had "Catch of the Day" cookies!  The crab has special meaning to one of our amazing staff members.

Thanks to all who donated their time and talents.  And thanks to the many businesses that support PTA.  
We're excited about the new school year and hope all "Catch the Vision" of helping to support and make decisions that involve the welfare and education of our children.