1/13/10

Everything You Never Knew You Missed

On October 31, 2009 (chuckle) I hosted a Harvest Party. I hope to do one every year that I have children who will enjoy it. I'm not a fan of focusing on the death and darkness part of Halloween, but there's so much good food and fun to be had without all that. Plus, it's shameful how many close and precious friends and family I have in town that I seldom see. Any excuse for a party is an opportunity to see each other!

I had so much fun designing invitations and picking out Spencer's costume. I think I started planning the first week of September. I'd hoped to pull this off myself, with Jonathan just assisting by watching Spencer on his day off so I could cook and get last minute details pulled together. Well, that was a ridiculous plan. By the time the week of the party rolled around, Spencer had entered an "I do not play alone AT ALL" phase that lasted until Christmas. (Maybe he just needed new movies, because those have helped a lot, ha!)

Also, as is always the case, a much needed kitchen appliance broke the day before the party--the microwave! It was only a year old. Actually, the microwave did not break, the microwave plate inside shattered into hundreds of pieces inside the microwave while I was using it. Scared me to death. The manufacturer said the plate probably had a small crack in it to begin with, and they nicely agreed to send a new one. That's all fine and good but not helpful in my predicament. Most culinary experts will tell you that microwaves are not essential. However, I'd purchased 3 boxes of microwave popcorn to make popcorn balls. And I wasn't sure how to do that sans microwave.

Now, if you are a rational, or shall I say, even-tempered individual, you are thinking, "Lauren, you can still use the microwave. Just take all the plate pieces out." And you would be right. However, I am not a rational, even-tempered individual and this bit of truth did not dawn on me until weeks later when the new plate came and I was cleaning little pieces of the old one out of the perfectly functional microwave. To be fair, it didn't dawn on my husband either. But again, I digress.

Eventually, all crises were managed, and we had a party. I was thrilled that people actually came AND seemed to enjoy themselves. There was the added bonus of seeing little children dressed up as various animals! I wish I had a picture of the turtle costume one of our friends made for their little boy. It was adorable, and the perfect thing for him because he was just beginning to crawl, so you saw the his "shell" a lot. He looked just like a little Anne Geddes turtle baby!

Spencer has the luxury at this point in his life of living near BOTH sets of grandparents. I should rephrase that. I have the luxury of living near both sets of Spencer's grandparents! So, they were all in attendance. These photos are compliments of "Papa Kurt," and Nana brought a few new books to the party. One in particular was about dogs and had actual wheels, so it was an instant hit.


My own mother apparently conquered all of her neuroses that held her back as she raised her own children, rose to the occasion, and came in costume! A hand-sewn costume, no less, of Spencer's favorite character--Miss Patty Cake.
I'd been saying for months that the reason he liked Miss Patty Cake so much was because she reminded him of his Gigi. One of the noticeable similarities exists in their shared characteristic of tiny, but long and skinny, chicken legs (see below). A phenomenon of which I personally know nothing.

Did I mention I've never seen her in a costume of any kind before? Seriously, never. Spencer took about thirty minutes to convince himself that this woman was, in fact, his Gigi. That, or it took him thirty minutes for him to decide to let Miss Patty Cake hold him. But after that, he was thrilled with the arrangement.
You can see the ghetto caramel apples I made. I have to say, they were delicious. Unfortunately, they looked ridiculous. I had a moment of "brainstorming" when I convinced myself that the apples might come off of the sticks too easily and that forks (with their many tongs) were the obviously superior choice. Forgetting, of course, that forks have an angular shape that causes them to look crooked.

O well, lesson learned.

3 comments:

  1. Looks like a fun party! It's amazing what grandparents will do for their grandchildren. Oh, and to ease your mind about the microwave popcorn-it actually does NOT cook properly without the plate. I endured the burned popcorn smell for a night when I discovered this sad truth.

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  2. Your party sounds like such a hit! Sooo fun!! And how cute is your mom! Oh my goodness!! Loved visiting the other day! Thanks again for calling, seriously made my day!

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  3. Lauren!! I love your blog and seeing you adorable family. thanks for your comment about the life--i'll let you know if we start having intense cravings for it! :) haha...
    have a great weekend!
    xx

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