………..

……. so we through a “bash” for the highschool Musical Theatre Club on Saturday night for the Footloose play. As I snuggled my littlest in bed that night she said, “Mama, I am sick and tired.” “Oh,” I replied. “Sick of all the candy and sweets I ate and tired because it’s so late.”

Sometimes I feel sick and tired. But then there are mornings like this. The window shows emerald green grass and purple flowers and blooming trees life is good. And then I have to come up with something to blog  about and I am tapped out. Due to a  myriad of things on my to do list last week and having ate enough sweets to increase my cellulite and kill brain cells, I am not sure what to write.

Don’t read “Wicked.” It was trash. Personal opinion.

May I indulge a little in what we did for the party? Maybe it can jog some ideas for a party? I had long  rectangle tables in the center of the backyard complete with white table clothes and mason jars filled with rocks and tall cuttings from things in my yard. (Yes, I did not take one picture…stupid is as stupid does.) I had 3 hay bales (the theme Footloose….so cowboy-ish) stacked like a pyramid. Then I did candy jars (like the old fashion on Little House on the Prairie) filled with jellybeans and jars with glow sticks and striped ceramic popcorn bowls with boxes of candy and everything festive set on the hay bales with the red cowboy boots worn throughout the play as a center piece. I took raffia and tired stamped sayings to the hooks on the cowboy boots and had jars with water and tall flowers set inside. But then it became too windy and they wouldn’t stay up.  Then we had small mason jars with dollar store raffle tickets taped on each one for use of drinking soda. (They put their names on the raffle tickets and by the way you could have a drawing from those if you wanted to up it a bit.) Then I  put them in a wire holder with a various colored  of straws in them.  A lemonade dispenser and there is a party just waiting. Tiki torches and mason jars filled with rocks and tea lights strung throughout the tree and nailed to the fence and it is magical. Add the husband’s band and a late night out door showing of the play itself and color yourself partied out. We also had a spot with an old picture frame and chair for a photographs if wanted. It’s not the complete picture but it is close. The using of old and new and borrowed and already have can create a great party. I think , main course donated by Chic-Fil-et and goodies donated, we paid probably $80.oo but that was for a home made screen for the movie and misc stuff that I wanted to keep such as fluid for the tike torches. But I borrowed the white table clothes and tables and chairs. The rocks were at a dollar store and the mason jars were given to me (kindly). Candy jars I have gotten over the years at a Walmart. We also, but didn’t use, cut brown paper lunch bags with a squiggle scissor and put stamps on them of a cowboy hat or rooster. This was to put chips or popcorn in. (Stamp at hobby lobby on sale for 5.oo and paper bags .98 cents.) I bought different kinds of red (red being the predominate color as that was the hue of cowgirl boots worn for the whole play by the leading gal….my gal) plastic buckets, small, to put in treats, paper goods, etc. Used a plastic popcorn red stripe thingy to put extra straws in. Disposable table cloths from Hobby Lobby with a coupon. Add starlight and there you go. I will reuse a lot of this for another outdoor party we are hosting and I will post pics of that party, won’t be the same but similar.

Challenge: Create a party out of little money and use the things you can borrow or  already have. It can be a gals tea party with tea cups from the local thrift store and plates glued to upside down glass ware to serve as a platters. Have people bring a food to share. Or have an outdoor party with Christmas lights and mismatching plates and cups on a long table. I love the idea of hay bales as seats by a long table with varied cups and plates. (Dollar store has great wine goblets!) If things are limited have everyone bring one place setting and use that as your settings. (They have to use someone else’s setting though!)
Do  and ice-cream get together with everyone bringing a topping that isn’t usually on ice cream. (jellybeans and peanut butter.) Would love to hear what you decided!