Easter Dinner/Weekend Planning

Holy crap. How is it FRIDAY?? Thank goodness for my bonus day off (a perk of being a teacher) because I am going to need it to get ready for Easter on Sunday! I am going to make use of my girls tomorrow before they go to their mom's house and they will be able to make sure their room is sparkling clean before they get to die Easter eggs. So, here is our gameplan:

Thursday: Finalize menu and make grocery list

Friday:
-Grocery store bright and early
-Make sugar cookie dough
-Dye eggs with girls
-Clean master bedroom and third bedroom
-Take patio furniture out of shed and wash down
-Dump dead plants out of patio pots
-Clean off wet bar and take all tools/paint supplies to garage
-Make lemon cake
-Declutter living room
-Make Partylite deliveries
-Dust and vacuum family room

Saturday:
-Make mini-cheesecakes
-Cut and prep veggies for glazed carrots, asparagus, and crudite tray
-Set up bar in family room for drinks and appetizers
-Clean both bathrooms
-Dust and vacuum living room and dining room
-Vacuum steps
-Sweep and mop kitchen
-Make and frost cake
-Set table
-Fundraiser for little brother!

I will be bake on Friday with our plan for Sunday!

Valentine's Day Dinner Party: Day Of Timeline

It has been quite the week around our household.  One of those weeks where things were so hectic that I had to put party planning on the back burner.  Fortunately, our house was fairly tidy and I will just have to do a quick dust, vacuum and mop before the ladies come over tomorrow night!  Here is our plan for tomorrow:

• Up early.  Ice sugar cookies (they are being used as place cards)
  
• Grocery store to pick up few remaining items
• Florist for centerpiece flowers
• Start dough for garlic knots
• Vacuum and dust family room
• Shower
• Clean upstairs bathroom
• Frost red velvet cookies

In all honesty, I have pretty much everything set and ready to go.  Table is set, cupcakes are baked and ready to be frosted.  I can't wait to share pictures with you on Sunday!

Valentine's Day Dinner Party: The Plan

This Saturday, I am hosting six girlfriends for an early Valentine's Day dinner celebration.  Often life gets in the way and we are unable to celebrate our friendships with one another, so this year, we are taking the opportunity to enjoy one another's company.  No kids, no husbands, just the girls!

Here is the catch: My friends (most of them) are steak and potato kind of girls.  In other words, picky eaters.  Some don't like seafood, some don't like mushrooms, some don't like anything "weird", one is pregnant...it is quite the trial to create a menu that everyone will enjoy while keeping it simple yet elegant.

Here is our timeline this week:

Monday: Attempt to finalize menu.  I am not going to lie; the main course is going to be a last minute decision.  Probably a chicken and pasta.  Perhaps chicken parmesean?  Any help here?? (Jamie also has an eye appointment)

Tuesday: Clean master bedroom and spare bedroom.  Make grocery list.

Wednesday: Clean bathrooms.  Complete decor.

Thursday: Finalize menu.  Iron table linens.  

Friday: Dust and vacuum living room and dining room.  Set table.

Saturday: Stay tuned to for our day-of timeline!

Christmas Brunch: The Morning Of!

Let me give you a rundown on the last few days, because I have literally been baking and cooking non-stop.

Friday: Arrived home from work. Made 3 types of biscotti, gingerbread cookies, do-do's, and white chocolate cherry shortbreads. Realized the wonder that is my convection oven. Wrapped the rest of the girls' Christmas presents. In bed at 2 AM.

Saturday: Table delivery day! Up at 7:45 to wait for them. Made dough for Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls, which I then cut and put in to eight pans. Decorated snowflakes with royal icing. Showered. Grocery store to pick up perishables for salad and other odds and ends for Sunday. Ate Subway. Took a short nap because I was getting a migraine. Went to a lame Christmas party where the hosts did not have enough food. We left early and REALLY irritated about it. Came home from said party, set tables (had to wait, because the kids needed a place to eat dinner!) and rearranged furniture in living room (you will see what I mean when I post pictures tomorrow!). Made breakfast casseroles and went to bed!

So what is the tip and/or trick, you may ask?? I created a timeline for myself for Sunday morning, so I knew what had to go in the oven and when. It looked a little something like this:

• Up at 8 AM
• 9 AM: Shower and dress
• 9:30: Cut apples, pears and cheese for salad
• 10 AM: Make frosting for cinnamon rolls
• 10:15: Start coffee
• 10:30: Preheat oven, take out cinnamon rolls to rise
• 10:45: Orange juice out, champagne opened
• 11:00: Breakfast casseroles in oven
• 11:45: Casseroles out and in warming drawer; cinnamon rolls in
• Noon: Salad mixed and tossed
• 12:15: Rest of sides on table, breakfast casseroles cut
• Eating by 12:30

Be sure that if you are hosting an event that requires extended times for things to bake, that you are able to create a schedule where things are ready to eat at the same time. I was able to use my warming drawer for the first time and it was a LIFESAVER! Any other great tips or tricks for hosting a holiday brunch? Share them with us!

Hosting a Cookie Exchange: Timeline

We have sent the invitations and created our menu. Now it is time to make our shopping list, check it twice, and prepare the house for the party by settling on some decor and cleaning!

In order to simplify the next few days, I will be doing a thorough cleaning of the house during the week and doing only the necessary touch-ups on Saturday morning.

Three-Four Days Before Exchange:

• Bake cookies and store in an airtight container
• Make sure your house is Christmas-y and festive by making sure your Christmas decorations are up.
• Gather table linens and serving pieces that you will need. I instructed everyone to bring their cookies arranged on a platter for the exchange, but I also had everyone bring an additional dozen to share, so I plan on having a few platters ready to go in case someone did not tray up their cookies. I have several serving platters as well as a few metal Christmas trays that I use when I make my Christmas cookies! And, don't forget to pull out your cake stands; using different heights on your table adds drama to your buffet.
  
• Make ahead any appetizers that will freeze or store well: Unfortunately, none of my apps fall into this category, so the earliest I will be making anything ahead of time is a day or two.
• Create your day-of timeline, as well as lists of any last minute cleaning that needs to be done. Be sure to schedule in time to run to the grocery in the morning for perishables if needed; I will need a fresh baguette and vegetables, so I will be making a quick run first thing in the morning.
• Prepare centerpiece/table decorations.
  

Day Before Party:

• Set your appetizer buffet and cookie table. For the cookie table, make sure that more than one person can get to it at a time!
  
• Arrange furniture and pull out additional chairs if needed.
• Prepare the rest of your appetizers that can be made ahead.

Day Of the Cookie Exchange:

• Buy perishable items at store
• IF you have done your major cleaning, wipe down bathrooms (including the toilets) and prepare the bathroom for guests. Run the vacuum and dust, and make sure your kitchen is clean.
• Put out appetizers, start the Christmas music softly, light the candles, brew the coffee!
• Enjoy the time with your friends and family!
  

Are you hosting a cookie exchange this year? Remember, Sundays with Santa's Helpers have challenged you to host some sort of gathering, so I hope you are planning away and preparing your details!

Faux Thanksgiving Update!

Whew! Now that I have successfully created my very first care package to send to Idaho and have recovered from what was almost a baking disaster (12 tbsp of butter is NOT THREE WHOLE STICKS. I have NO IDEA what I was doing), I can refocus on our Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday.

Today I ran to Bed, Bath and Beyond to pick up a tablecloth and some new napkins to go with brown chargers I already had. I am not 100% sold on the color, but it will work. I plan on doing something like this for the centerpiece but on a smaller and cheaper scale (hopefully):

Tomorrow we have conferences for Jamie and I am putting dinner together in the crock pot tonight so it is ready to go for tomorrow. I have obviously had to revamp the timeline a little to accomodate other household events (hey, it happens), but our gathering is casual, so I am refusing to stress out. I am going to do some cleaning tomorrow after conferences and then put together my Thanksgiving banner and place cards, as well as make the cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes.

How are YOUR Thanksgiving plans going? Are you sticking to your timeline, or are you struggling (like I am this week!)? We have all been there, but remember to stay calm and everything will work out!

Faux Thanksgiving Timeline

On Saturday, we are having a Thanksgiving-ish dinner with another couple, and although this is a small gathering, we are going all-out! Since we are hosting, I will be preparing:

Appetizer:

Brie en Crout

Main Meal:

Herb-rubbed turkey breast

Mashed potatoes

Apple and onion stuffin' muffins

Orange cranberry sauce

Dessert:

Cranberry pear tart

My friend Rachel will be bringing another appetizer and a vegetable, along with rolls/bread of some type. Along with preparing our faux-holiday feast, I am getting my care packages ready to ship out to our family in Idaho, so will be including that in my weekly timeline. My goal is to also get AS MUCH of the cleaning done during the week as possible so I will not need to scramble on Saturday to get it all finished!

Sunday:

• My birthday celebration with family
• Prepare sugar cookie dough for cutouts
• Clean bathrooms
• Sweep and mop kitchen floor

Monday:

• Bake sugar cookies
• Decorate sugar cookies
• Bake chocolate-chip cookies
• Make white chocolate-cranberry biscotti
• Laundry

Tuesday:

• Make Thanksgiving banner *If we would have been hosting Thanksgiving, I would have done this a week ago, along with place cards*
• Clean master bedroom
• Mock table-setting (no need to do this way in advance, considering there will only be four of us and I am not in charge of the entire meal.

Wednesday:

• Take turkey breast out of freezer and put in fridge to defrost
• Make mashed potatoes and refrigerate

Thursday:

• Make cranberry sauce and refrigerate
• Make pumpkin rolls and tart dough

Friday:

• Out to celebrate a friend's birthday, so taking the night off of Thanksgiving preparation!

Saturday: Stay tuned for the hour by hour timeline of my "Thanksgiving Day"!

Sundays with Santa's Little Helpers: Thanksgiving Prep

Wait, wait, wait...Thanksgiving has nothing to do with Christmas! BUT it has everything to do with preparation and planning for a dinner and entertaining a crowd. Although I do not host our family's actual Thanksgiving dinner, I am hosting a faux-Thanksgiving with another couple (and have already been to our FIRST faux-Thanksgiving last week where I made orange-cranberry sauce and a pumpkin roll). I will be basing my planning around hosting an ACTUAL Thanksgiving as well as preparing for our faux-Thanksgiving. So follow along as we get through Thanksgiving together!

My friend Rach and I have a tendency to go all-out when we get together for dinners, and last year's Thanksgiving was no exception! This year I am taking on the challenge of the turkey, starch/potato, appetizers (2) and a dessert. Obviously, hosting a regular Thanksgiving or a larger group would make a much more involved project, but I am going to be completing some of the small "touches" that I would if I was hosting a larger party.

Invitations: I am not sending invitations, but my fellow Santa's Helper Molly has suggested sending invites out 2.5-3 weeks in advance, which I think is perfect. Since not falling on an actual holiday, you are able to avoid the stress of planning around. She also suggests sending an Evite to save yourself the time. I enjoy making invitations, so if I were to host Thanksgiving for a larger crowd, I might whip up one similar to my Cookie Exchange invite.

2 Weeks Prior:

• Do a mock table setting: This allows you to see how many place settings you have, what you are missing, and if you have enough serving pieces. What linens will you be using? Do those napkins need ironing? Do you need to call Mom for another deep serving bowl?
• Place cards: Do you need to keep Uncle Fred away from Aunt Sue? Are the kids going to be next to parents or at one end together? Creating place cards will help alleviate any confusion when the time comes to sit! Here are a few ideas for place cards or visit
• Create your menu: What are you, as the hostess, in charge of? What are your guests bringing? Be sure to ask your guests as they RSVP if their dish will need to be heated up or if you will need to provide serving dishes for their food.
• Also be sure that you have everything you need to prepare your food, not just serve it. Do you have enough bakers or will you need to purchase or borrow another? Best to make sure of this now than be caught unawares during the week of the holiday!
• Make your grocery list: Using your menu, write down everything you will need. Be sure to check your cabinets in case you have some supplies already in there!

One Week Before:

• Head to the grocery store and purchase anything that NEED NOT be fresh. For example, I will be needing baguettes and won't want to purchase that in advance, but instead the day before our gathering. I normally do my grocery shopping on Saturday, so I will head to the store armed with my list and coupons!
• Are your guests taking home leftovers? What are they bringing them home in? It is a great idea to provide some sort of box for them to put all the yummies you are sending them home with in to! Check out Nashville Wraps for gable boxes and other cute ideas.
• Wipe out and clean all glassware

The Week of Thanksgiving:

• Enlist help, if it is available. Both stepdaughters are the age where they are HUGE helps, and I feel comfortable assigning chores to them.
• Deep clean the house! More on this later this week! Look for posts on mopping, cleaning the sink, and bathroom cleaning, as well as preparing for guests!
• Prep pastry doughs and pie crusts of possible, as well as any cookie dough that needs to be refrigerated.

Tuesday before Thanksgiving: Thaw the turkey!

Wednesday before Thanksgiving:

• Prep any appetizers that you can, as well as dips
• Cut and slice and prepare any veggies you will be cooking! Sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, and kind of tater!
• Set the table, set up appetizer, drink, dessert stations
• Complete rest of baking

Thanksgiving: Hopefully by the time Thanksgiving is here, you will be able to enjoy yourself because you have put so much preparation into it. The KEY to having a relaxed and enjoyable day with your family is to be prepared and REMAIN CALM. We will be working on a DAY OF timeline as well, so stay tuned!

What does your Thanksgiving week look like? Or are you having a smaller event with friends you are hosting and preparing for? Be sure to leave a comment with what you have coming up in the next two weeks!

Also, be sure to check out my other Santa's Helpers, Kristen at The Working Woman’s Guide for Domestic Success and Molly at My Happy House as they too post their Thanksgiving week tips and tricks!! Stay tuned for more detailed posts this week as I prepare to serve faux-Thanksgiving dinner to some friends on Saturday!

Twilight Birthday Party

Jamie is having a sleepover for seven friends on Saturday night, and it is a Twilight-themed party. I made the invitations myself and when Jamie's friends received them, she was so proud to say, "My mom made them!" when they asked where she bought them!

Menu:

Taco Bar

-Taco meat

-Hard and soft tacos

-Lettuce

-Tomatoes

-Salsa

-Sour Cream

-Cheddar Cheese

-Taco sauce

Chips and dip

Cake and ice cream

And for breakfast, buttermilk pancakes and orange juice!

Timeline:

Thursday:

- Tint fondant black and red and mold chess piece and apple for cake.

-Print out Happy Birthday Jamie in Twilight font so I can write on her cake

-Clean bathrooms and clear out family room

-Bake sugar cookies and pumpkin roll (for Friday's "Thanksgiving dinner") and decorate

with royal icing

-Make Twilight jeopardy game

Friday:

-Dust and vacuum LR and DR

-Set up table and buffet for party on Saturday

-Bake and crumb coat cake

-Decorate LR and FR for party

-Dinner with friends!

-Decorate cake after dinner

Saturday:

-Up early because the girls have their Christmas pictures! Hair must be done and outfits

coordinated!

-Vacuum and dust FR

-Prep veggies for taco bar

-Try to survive an evening with 9 tweens!

-Cook BBQ pork tenderloin overnight in crockpot; leave to warm on Sunday

Sunday:

-Breakfast for the girls and kick them out before lunch

-Clean the disaster that I am sure my house will be

-Quick wipe-down of bathrooms

-Prep cheesy potatoes

-Bake second cake!

-Family over at 4 for dinner of BBQ pulled pork and cheesy potatoes

LOTS to get done in a few short days! It is so important to remain organized. I am keeping a

running list of things I am going to need at the store before this weekend, which is definitely helping!