How to Get Your Party Organized

So this weekend was our housewarming party- yay! In order to not go crazy and/ or forget anything, I like to set up a little timeline for myself that goes a little something like this:

3 – 4 weeks before

• Decide on a date/ time
• Decide on theme & if you’re doing a meal, hors d'oeuvres, brunch, etc. 
• Send out invitations (I use evite). People be busy yo’ and like to plan out their weekends accordingly.

2 weeks before

• Plan the official menu (I usually have some ideas in my head)
• Peruse Pinterest for ideas & what you want to make or do. I decided to use paint samples as food labels.

Weekend before the party

• Review evite to get guest count and estimate for those that haven’t responded. You can always ask them too!
• Make list of what to buy.
• Go shopping (separate trip) for all the booze, food, and decorations you need. I like to do it separately so I can focus on my party alone and not get mixed up with “gosh, do we want lasagna for dinner – what do I need for that?”
• Start a little pile of stuff in a designated area. I put decorations and non-perishables like red wine and bags of chips in that pile.

2 days before

• Begin baking/ cooking items that will last. I did chocolate chip cookies and brownies since they will keep longer than chopped veggies.
• Start cleaning areas that won’t get dirty like a guest room.
• Pull out serving dishes & put them in your “pile” (AKA as my squirrel stash). That way you know what’s going where. 

1 day before

• Prep other items that will last. I made the bottom layer of my 7 layer taco dip and cooked the bacon wrapped lil’ smokies and refrigerated them.
• Keep on cleaning and hiding junk in the closets :)
• Begin to chill wine, sodas, beer if you aren’t doing an ice bucket.

3-4 hours before

• Finish cooking, chopping fruit & veggies, etc. 
• Set the table if you are having formal dining.

2 hours before

• Get yourself ready. I made the mistake to get ready first thing in the morning and spelunked fruit tea all over my shirt I was planning on wearing :/

1 hour before

• Set out serving dishes, start warming up any crock pot items.

Party time! Guests arrive!

• Pull out refrigerated items and then have fun!
• Don’t forget to take pictures or ask for a friend to take some for you. I of course have no pictures except for the one prep pic :/

I follow this formula for Thanksgiving dinners to smaller brunches.

How do you plan for a party?

Any tips or tricks for an awesome party?

Moving for Dummies

1. Thou Shalt NEVER pay for boxes. Get them for free on Craigslist or at liquor or grocery stores. If you are classy like me, you go dumpster diving and find other awesome treasures.
2. Duh,  heavy items (like books) in small liquor boxes and light stuff (like pillows) in the big boxes. 
3. Thou Shalt pay for good packing tape and bubble wrap. Seriously, nothing is worse than hearing your boxes popping open in the middle of the night because of cheap tape.
4. Thou shalt also pay for good movers. Worth every penny. Your back will thank you. 
5. A good Southern Belle offers her movers water and lunch. Treat people good and they will work hard for you.
6. Wrap valuables in t-shirts and sheets to save on bubble wrap.
7. Get your hair cut and wash your sheets before you move. Lord knows when you'll have time to do it after.
8.  Paint before you move in (if you can).
9.  Plan on moving your food (like on a cooler) before the last minute or you could end up with a trash bag full of condiments in your car and a broken Worcestershire bottle in your backseat. (and that will smell every time the car gets hot, like every day).
10.  Stay organized (my motto fo' life!). Having a sheet of paper (I referred to mine as my "moving manifesto" and might have distributed copies to my parents and husband) with all the phone numbers for the day of (with new account numbers) is soooo convenient.

The Good

A lot of good has been happening as well as bad and my peep over at Champagne-n-Pizza, who redid my blog, is having this super-fantastic, positive link up. So here are ten things that are good in my life.

1. I am so thankful for parents that I'm close with & that came to help us move.
2. Minor League baseball game promos. We took the 'rents to Star Wars night at the Bowie Baysox.
3. Fireworks- the baseball game ended with fireworks (and they were actually really good)! Best $15 for a ticket I've spent in a long time.
4. Themed dinners. We had an authentic crab boil (well Wegman's steamed them for us) for my    parents' last night with us.
5. Wegman's!- My new favorite grocery store ever. Live music, samples out the wazoo, LOVE!
6. I am also thankful for a sweet hubs who picks the meat from crabs and puts it on my plate because I am grossed out by the innards :)

7. Soft kitty, warm kitty, purr purr purr (Big Bang Theory reference for those of you that don't watch the show)

8. We has a house!

9. Chick-Fil-A. I love their char-grilled sammishes, they're healthy and cheap, and there's a Chick-Fil-A right down the road from our new place!
10. My blog & all my bloggy friends who make my day with their comments :)

A Quick Recap of the Bad

Sooo, moving SUCKS. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, and we had awesome movers from Two Marines Moving, but it still SUCKED!
My 'rents were in town for a week and a half to help. They were a HUGE help, but I felt awful they just ended up working most the time.
Here's a quick picture recap of all that's been going on as it's been very exciting- NOT. Tomorrow I will follow up with the fun stuff we actually did.

1. Our car's check engine light came on the day we moved. We took it in the next day and thought we'd get the MD state inspection. I got a rental car and chose a huge truck because I thought I could buy some furniture and haul it. Didn't happen, but I still got to be a bad a** with  big truck for 2 days. 
2. We painted 4 rooms with 2 coats each in the new heezy in 2 days.  I am still picking paint out of my hair. Yes, I chose "key lime pie" for my bathroom.
3. I went to the DMV on one of my days off and it was 3.5 hours and I go there when they opened. Apparently, your proof of residency docs have to have your full name on them, while the change of address letter I brought from the USPS only said "Brown" on it. Grrrrr.
4. I did get a plant and a welcome mat for our porch though. The bad is my legs are so big and white & I want to be skinny and tan. Le sigh. 

Moving On Up

Whoo hoo, the parents are arriving tonight to help us paint, move, unpack, and all that good stuff.
My pops recently retired, so this is his first big vacation, poor guy.
I will be MIA for a few days since I will be *gasp* without Interwebz and will also be pretty busy. BUT, in the mean time, one of my stylish bloggy buds, Rita Marie has generously offered to re-do my design! She just re-did hers, and I love! So, when I come back next week, it'll be a new Little Pink Droppings.

Anyhoo, what's a blog without pics.

 

Apparently, one kitty (fat Gus), loves selfies. It took me 20 fuzzy shots to get this with Brutus. 

 This is me last night among the boxes, right before my awesome dance. 

The pics of my dancing were so atrocious, but because I like y'all, I'll give you a glimpse. 

Don't even ask.

So Long, Farewell,  auf Wiedersehen, Good-Bye (for now)!

What Can You Do Without?

We have been packing for the last four weeks and are now pretty much done. This week, I have 2 black skirts, 1 grey skirt, and a handful of shirts & getting dressed for work has been super quick and easy.

Looking into my clean closet, I was reminded of Amish, Buddhists, Nuns (and hippies) who forgo material possessions for a simpler more spiritual lift. And I sometimes think I would like that. I get so over Tory Burch flats, Louis Vuitton purses, and other ridiculously overpriced status items. (At least until we move and I go crazy at HomeGoods.)

Anyhoo, further evidence is in The Happiness Project. Anyway, the first chapter talks about organizing and how people are happier when they have less choices (like an overfull closet compared to a closet with a few items that fit aren't unmanageable).

What could you do without in your closet or life?