She Knows Parties » Deborah Ng

Work Parties

Deborah Ng — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:56:59 +0000

Work parties are a good way to tackle a major household task, with a bunch of friends helping, and get it done in a shorter amount of time than if one did it one’s self. Usually these types of parties are for such tasks as painting, deck building, fencing raising and anything requiring many hands.

Food

You’ll need lots of food for a deck party as appetites build up. In many cases the host will want to provide lunch and dinner with some snacks in between. Many times the people helping out at the work party will bring food, but as they’re helping the host with his project, it’s not a requirement.

Beverages

You’ll want to provide plenty of water or a thirst quenching beverage such as Gatorade. It’s not recommended those who are working all day drink cachinnated drinks as they can dehydrate quicker. Alcohol is also not recommended – not only because of dehydration but because workers can get hurt if their judgement is imparied.

After the Job is Done

Allow your guests to relax. Provide plenty of cold beverages and alcohol if your guests so desire. A buffet dinner might be easiest for the hosts after a day of work than a sit down dinner. In fact, this might be a night for pizza and deli-catering. Some nice desserts and pastries will give your guests and helpers a treat after their busy day.

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Three Doors Down: There’s a Pet Party at The Food Bowl

Deborah Ng — Sat, 31 May 2008 11:57:27 +0000

This month Linette and I have been sharing some of the other Lifestyles Channel blogs with you in our Three Doors Down series. The last blog we’re highlighting is The Food Bowl.

The food bowl features pet news, tips and fun stuff – and even some pet food recipes. Here’s a sampler of what you can expect to find when visiting The Food Bowl:

As you can see, Heather covers a wide range of pet tips for everyone. If you’re an animal lover, you’ll want to bookmark this one.

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Little Kids Birthday Party Tips

Deborah Ng — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:48:03 +0000

I just wanted to share a couple of very cool ideas I learned at some kid birthday parties we’ve gone to. I’m talking about kids in the two to five year old range:

Little cups for snacks - One mom I know put out a bowl of Goldfish and a bowl of pretzel rings and a bunch of small cups. The cups were so all the kids can take a cup full of the snacks back to the table and eat them rather than have them stand around the bowl noshing.

Cups of Popcorn – For a five year old birthday party we went to last year, the mom filled cups with popcorn and gave them out to the kids for snack.

Juice Boxes – Juice boxes are neater and easier than pouring juice and water for everyone.

Birthday Cake Alternatives – Most parents I know like to have a party for friends and then a family party. Usually they save the big cake for when the family gets together. For the kids I know parents who

Make cupcakes
Let kids make or decorate their own sundaes and cones
Use ice cream cups and sandwiches bought at the store
By a small ice cream cake from the store
Use big cookies

With kids so young, chaos can ensue. It’s ok to use a little convenience to ensure the party runs smoothly and the kids have their fun!

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Kid’s Party Dilemma: Two Other Kids Have Parties the Same Day

Deborah Ng — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:16:14 +0000

We had a major disappointment over the weekend. My son and I delivered invites for his birthday party last Friday and his best friend’s mom called to tell us he couldn’t make it. Two other kids, one in the same class as my son, are having birthday parties on the same day.

What this may mean is that since we were the last ones to send out invitations, the six boys invited to my son’s party may have been invited to one of the other party’s first. If this is the case and we don’t get a good turnout, we’re going to reschedule for July.

Though this is a big disappointment for an almost six year old, at least we know we can do it another time. My son is ok at having it in July because the weather is more likely to be warm enough for the pool or backyard water party we had planned. In early June it could go either way.

We’ll keep you posted…

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60 Awesome Barbecue Recipes

Deborah Ng — Fri, 23 May 2008 23:24:38 +0000

If there’s one thing I can count on for the long weekend is that there will be plenty of barbecuing going on. My husband, while not someone who is very sociable, loves to grill. Throughout the spring, summer and fall – and even in the winter – he’ll fire up the gas grill and backyard smoker and make ribs, steak, burgers, dogs, chicken wings and all of his “specialties.” Sometimes it’s just the immediately family, but we’ll also invite friends and relatives over to partake in the goodies.

We all have our favorites too, my husband loves steak, I’m partial to ribs and our almost six year old son can eat about a dozen barbecued chicken wings in one setting. Yep, we’re grilling fools.

Here are some great barbecue recipes for your good time too!

I know there are a lot of recipes here to choose from. My husband and I love to try new foods and recipes and my husband is always on the look out for new things to do with his grill or smoker. Don’t be afraid to stray from the usual barbecue fare. Your guests will be happy to be your guinea pigs!

We’ll continue with more great barbecue recipes in a future post.

Do you have a favorite barbecue recipe? Share in the comments or email using the address in the sidebar.

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Quick Party Tip: Flavored Ice Cubes

Deborah Ng — Thu, 22 May 2008 00:02:24 +0000

Linette’s post about her party ring yesterday reminded me of something I like to do to keep some of my party beverages cold without diluting them. I like to make flavored ice cubes. For instance, if I’m making a big jug of lemonade or ice tea or punch for a barbecue, I like to make a little extra and fill ice cube trays. This way we can chill drinks without diluting them.

Here’s another trick I learned. When I was 19 years old I visited my sister in Ohio and we went to a rock festival at her college. We took a picnic lunch and a large jug filled with a beverage. Instead of putting ice cubes in the jug, we put it in a large plastic bag and floated the bag in the jug. This way the ice melted but didn’t dilute whatever it was we were drinking. (I think it was rum and cokes but I don’t remember and I’m not supposed to talk about it because I was underage. Sorry Mom.)

Do you have any tips for chilling drinks without diluting them? Share in the comments!

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3 Doors Down: Tangled Thread

Deborah Ng — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:03:57 +0000

b5Media’s Lifestyles Channel is having a party this month, a 3 Doors Down party. This means we get to introduce you to some of the blogs three doors down from ours.

As someone who likes to cross stitch now and then and also has a sewing basket practically piled to the ceiling, Tangled Thread is one of the blogs on my RSS feed. As a Mom, I also like the easy kids crafts like this simple felt flower, for instance. Right now, Chloe has a major How to Make Silk Paper series going on. Do it yourselfers don’t want to miss this great series.

If you’re handy with a needle, do stop by Tangled Thread and say hello. You’re sure to return again.

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5 Tips for Saving Money on Party Invitations

Deborah Ng — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:37:50 +0000

Party invitations are a big business. Even if you’re purchasing store bought invitations for a kids’ birthday party you can spend $10 to $20 after they’re all mailed out. Plus, if you’re having a small party, save five or so kids, you end up buying a whole pack of invitations, most of which you won’t use. Fortunately, there are a few ways to save money and waste.

Use Evite or another online invitation service. Evite is free and sends a custom designed (by you) invitation to your guests’ email addresses. You can set it up to ping you every time someone RSVPs or to send out reminders to those who don’t respond. I use it for the women’s club I belong to as it makes it easy to keep track.
Make and print your own invitations. You can find hundreds of patterns online or you can add your own decorations or clip art. If you send a lot of invites and greeting, you can even buy a program to help you design your own cards.
Don’t use envelopes. Instead roll the invitation and tie it with ribbon or twice.
Hand deliver invitations. My son is not allowed to give out invitations at his school because we’re only inviting a few kids and we don’t want anyone left out. Instead, we’ll be dropping the invitations off in his friends’ mailboxes, saving us the postage. Kids who are allowed to bring invitations to school can hand deliver them there as well.
Buy from the clearance bin. Clearanced invitations and blank cards are just as good as the latest design. You can save 50% to 80% buy buying items on clearance.

What ways can you think of to save money on invitations?

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Graduation Party Favors

Deborah Ng — Tue, 13 May 2008 06:39:54 +0000

May and June are graduation months, and many graduation parties are beng planned. Here are a few graduation party favor ideas for you so your guests can go home with a special memento or goody.

These adorable graduation favor boxes are shaped just like a graduation hat and hold candy, jewelry or more.
Giving each of the guests an autograph book will also let them take home good wishes from fellow graduates and friends a like.
Graduation bubbles will add a fun touch to any party.
Graduation figurines are sure to put a smile on everyone’s face.
Graduation keychain party favors are practical too.

Other ideas include cookies shaped like diplomas or graduation hats and molded chocolate of the same. Wedding favor supply places also chocolate bars with custom printed labels. You can also have shirts made up or baseball hats or sun visors. If your party has a theme other than graduation, use favors in that theme if you can’t find anything you like in the “graduation” category.

One of the moms around where i live had mug decorating kits and all the 8th grade graduates decorated mugs and took them home as favors – but she filled them with candy first.

What other ideas for graduation favors can you think of?

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Graduation Cake Ideas

Deborah Ng — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:00:41 +0000

Do-It-Yourselfers will enjoy making their own graduation cakes without visiting a baker. Now, I’m not a great cake decorator like my blogging partner Linette, but with some of today’s cake pans and accessories no one really has to know. Check these out:

This adorable smiley face graduation cake pan looks like it would be a breeze to decorate too since the impression of the decoration will come out on the cake. It’ll run you $10.99 at Confectionary House.

Also at Confectionary House is a more traditional graduation cake pan – your basic mortarboard. Just use food coloring to make the icing the same color as your graduates hat.

If cupcakes are more your thing, try these graduation cupcake toppers from ShopBakersNook.com. $2.99 for 6.

Finally, I found some wonderful graduation cake ideas at SugarCraft.com. Do give them a look. I don’t know if I’m quite so ambitious, but talented cake decorators might be interested in these designs.

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