Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend, and all you Moms were pampered and adored. I had a fun day laughing and shopping with my Mom, and another day being loved on by my family. It was perfect!
But as much as I adore my family, it seems the
crazier our lives get, the less time I spend with my girlfriends. Between
soccer games, piano recitals, birthday parties and meetings, there is little to
no time left over for a personal life away from home and the
office.
And girlfriends are essential! Who
else is going to let us ramble on about annoying co-workers, colored pants, and
the merits of hiding gray hairs?! Who else can advise us on the latest face
creams, the best pedicure spots and give ideas for birthday
parties?! Spending time with my friends keeps me sane, and
helps me to stay connected with people experiencing all the same guilts and
joys of motherhood.
It’s all too easy to
get wrapped up in my own life, so spending time with my friends is something I
decided to make happen. I recently hosted a little get-together at my house,
with no purpose other than to see my favorite people and catch
up!
No
theme and no pressure. Just girl time. And since we’re all moms, I made it easy
for them by including the kids. And I made it easy for myself by keeping the
snacks and decor easy.
I simply cleared off one
area of my kitchen counter for a drink station and a few yummy treats. The
decor was a bundle of tulips, and bright paper plates and
napkins.
Girlfriends and cocktails
go together like Lindsay Lohan and probation, so having a signature drink was
essential to our get-together. Instead of the trouble and expense of stocking a
bar, I bought inexpensive champagne and the new Simply
Cranberry Cocktail. I’ve been buying Simply Orange® for
years, and the makers gave me coupons to try this new cranberry flavor; my
whole family is crazy about it. Unlike most cranberry cocktails, it’s the
perfect blend of sweet and tart.
My cute mom (one
of my best friends and always up for a cocktail!) got things going by
popping the champagne top. Nothing signals a party like that
sound!
I dipped the rims of
champagne flutes in water, then red sprinkle sugar, for a more festive look.
Keeping the champagne and Simply Cranberry Cocktail separate allowed everyone
to mix their drinks to their liking. Obviously the some mixed in more champagne than other. Just sayin’.
lushes
Isn’t it a pretty cocktail? And the pink is perfect for a Girl’s
Party.
The food was simple to
prepare and perfect for nibbling on throughout the evening. The chocolate
cupcakes are actually muffins with a dollop of frosting. The
cookies are store-bought shortbread with melted white chocolate
(tinted pink to match the drinks) spread on top. Everything
was picked up in one quick trip to the grocery store. After all, the idea was
to spend time with my friends, not stress over planning a
party!
I
dipped the bottles from the Pancakes & Pajamas party in red sugar and
added a festive straw so the kids could feel part of the occasion. Most of them
skipped the champagne. I kid. Only one drank champagne. I kid again. Simply
Cranberry Cocktail is made with no added preservatives, so I don’t hesitate giving it to my kids.
It comforts my soul to
spend time with people I’ve known most of my life. There’s nothing like a few
hours of unconditional love to reassure you of the job you’re doing as a parent
and spouse. And all the cackling laughing is an
added bonus. Everyone runs from the camera now for fear of ending up on this blog, but I managed to corner these two.
 |
| How beautiful are my friend and mom?! |
Nothing fancy, stressful
or time consuming. Just a laid back eventing of snacks and cocktails, with kids
playing happily in the other room. Now why don’t I do this more
often?!
make a party or get-together at your home more festive? Tell me about it in the comments for the chance to win a
$100 gift card!
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Looks like so much fun! I love any type of theme- something where I can decorate desserts or have a table setting that all flows together.
I tweeted!
https://twitter.com/#!/TheYuppieFiles/status/202014504270315520
I love Simply Orange and will have to try their Simply Cranberry now. I love dessing up the table when I have people over, because I rarely do otherwise.
Such a great idea! I adore your blog! Thank you very much! I also love to mix champagne with Simply Raspberry Lemonade with frozen raspberries in it!I love your gingham shirt where is it from???
It looks like a great time! I like to keep things simple by buying some goodies from the store that are already made for me!
What a fun night in! Those are also my favorite types of nights!
How fun! Best way to make it more festive is with some adult beverages – makes anything more fun!
I love throwing a black table cloth over my dining room table, breaking out my white everyday serving pieces, and making cute little cards to label each dish! It's a lot of preparation, but my sweet hubby loves to go to the store for me after I had made a list, and it is always worth the hard work when you see everyone enjoying the party!
Looks like a fun night! I need a girls night in stat!
I try to make things festive on the patio. I love patio parties! I turn on my Christmas lights that I have (to look like Joe T Garcia's patio), put some floating candles in the pool, and it totally sets the mood!
I love having a color theme to tie everything together! And White twinkly lights are always festive, no matter the season!
I love a casual get together where everyone brings some kind of dip or finger food, and there's plenty of beer and cocktails. LOL Our go to drink is making a big pitcher of white sangria with Simply Orange orange juice, a bottle of pinot grigio and lots of fresh summer fruit.
I LOVE to cook – simple things most of the time, but my friends think I spent loads of time on them. 🙂
I love giveaways and pretty parties!!
I love choosing a theme, such as Mexican, Indian, or Japanese foods. Then I try to serve authentic food and drinks true to that ethnic group. I also like telling my friends beforehand so they can dress for the occasion. So much fun, and a great way to learn about another culture!
Ok, from a mom of two older girls you can tell your sweet momma that she does NOT look old enough to be your mom! We love Simply Orange, and will have to try the cranberry (hubby loves his Cosmos!).
Two things I always keep on hand are candles and clear vases/hurricanes, no matter the theme they work well when decorating for a get together.
Honestly, my friends are just happy if I have some kind of alcohol and/or snack in reach. Props if I offer a cocktail (usually my signature drink here: http://voyage-on.blogspot.com/2012/03/lime-out.html. Break out a board game and you've got a hot party, in my book!
I can say the drink was quite tasting and the party was really fun!
Love the easy party Cassie!
It looks like you had a great party! I love the idea of a girl's night with champagne cocktails and yummy treats! So fun.
If I am having a party for someone, I try to do something a little special just for them in their honor. For example, I made a "memory tree" for some friends moving away of all their fun times while they were here!
For me, it all comes down to food. If you have good food, you have a good party.
You are amazing at everything you do! Your mom looks like she should be your sister. She must have given birth to you when she was a pre-teen! Lol.
My mom loves to have people over – and her best tip is to keep it casual. She's a very gracious hostess who can greet you with bare feet at the door, carry on conversation and finish her cooking all at the same time!
A little bit of wine makes anyone feel festive;) but really I would say don't stress too much about it, it makes the environment feel tense too!
I love this idea! It is so much fun to hang out with girl friends. as much as we love our kids and husbands so quality girl time is essential.
My friends and I try to get together once a month and have a plaster party. Its really chilled out, just some snacks and drinks around the table. We hire a local lady to come down with a few choices of plaster pieces, paint, palettes and brushes and we all paint, talk, eat and relax. It's really fun! (and cost only $8 per person)
You and your mom look so much alike – beautiful! I love adding fresh flowers and some fun Printables for a more festive look.
This looks like the perfect kind of get together…and how adorbs is your mama?!? (c: I had no idea that they were making a cranberry version, because their orange mango is my FAVORITE! (c: I'm pretty sure that FOOD is how I make any occasion festive…it's the best (c:
Love some girl time and can't wait to try this cocktail!
Tweeted your fun giveaway!!!
https://twitter.com/#!/AubreyEdwards3
I looooove the simply pink lemonade! To die for.
nicole_warner@ymail.com
Love the sugar on the rims! Your mom is so cute!! I like to find cute ways to arrange the food and the serving ware…so it's not just laid out in plain packaging on the table. 🙂
Such a cute idea for a girl's night! We haven't had one of those in forever! 🙂
I saw the new cranberry online and I think I'll pick it up at the store today.
First — happy Mother's Day! Glad you had a lovely weekend celebrating you!
Second, my girls and I do this stuff too, and I love it! My favorite is champagne with the lemonade and a few frozen blueberries, but I'd love the try the cranberry!
Jen M.
mccluskeyja@yahoo.com
Fresh, beautiful flowers!
Woo hoo, looks like fun! One of my fav ways to make a quick get-together festive is to put luminaries along the steps up to our front porch. It takes 5 minutes to place them outside and light them and they make it clear that fun is inside!
a cohesive menu!
my favorite way to dress up party is by serving up a themed cockail in a fancy glass. In the summer I love putting together a big pitcher of margaritas. For mothers day I made up some mango-ritas. Delish!
Tweeted about your festive skills!
https://twitter.com/#!/martha_susan/status/202132436505735170
I love when we can move the party outdoors, and I like to keep the apps, snacks, and dinner in theme, usually something coastal!
themes are great. One of my favorites is a chocolate party! Everyone brings their favorite chocolat dish and the recipe. I use the adorable southern living at home beverage server filled with milk. We all vote on the best recipes and I do giveaways. It is chocolate lovers heaven!
This is simply adorable – LOVE the setup.
I like to mix and match with a (sort of) theme…variety of food choices, cocktails, pulled together with color or a soft theme. As long as the food is yummy and it looks pretty, I'm happy! 🙂
xo,
Brooke
http://www.decorgreat.blogspot.com
music! nothing sets the mood for a party better than the perfect tunes. i love the challenge of putting together the perfect playlist
For me, it's about the food and drinks!
That party looks fabulous Cassie- and your mom is so pretty- just like you!! Pour me a drink:)
keep things simple–its more about the company than the details 🙂
Looks like so much fun. And I'm digging that your mom is always up for a cocktail and it wearing a sweet cardigan!
For a party, I think you're right on the money when you keep things simple!
It looked lovely!
A friend gave me a chocolate fountain a few years ago. I put out bananas, pound cake, and strawberries with skewers and let guests have fun. It is a real icebreaker, I've found, for people to have this to do when they first arrive.
I always start with fresh flowers, try to keep the food semi-homemade, light some candles and add some fun background music. But the most Important Ingredient in hosting a successful get together is focusing on the guests. Once I remember it's not about me or how I look or how my house looks, I can focus on making sure my guests are relaxed, feel at home and have a wonderful time. What a stress reliever!
I've found that doing as much of the prep work as possible in the days leading up to a get together makes the actual party that much more fun for me to host. There's nothing worse that running around at the last minute cleaning/shopping/baking/etc. to take the fun out of entertaining.
Having a variety of food- something for everyone- is something that I think makes a party enjoyable.
(love your kitchen)
I love to host brunch parties for girlfriends. Pretty flowers, simple food, and ample amounts of coffee and greyhounds to drink. The parties can last for hours at home and often lead to afternoon girls shopping trips.
For parties I love making the sweet treats… lol. One of my favorite cake decorating one that I made is here http://www.angiegetscrafty.blogspot.com/2012/01/since-i-have-no-new-projects-for-2012-i.html
The last picture on the post
tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/lechatnoir35/status/202607565799047168
What a sweet party! My favorite way to put the finishing touch on a party is a festive drink. Be it sangria (white AND red or course) or sparkling pink lemonade, it is a fun way to tie in the theme and the edibles!
Simply Orange is delicious and you've made me want to try this flavor as well. I'm hoping to get my girlfriends together soon so your ideas will come in handy!
What a great party! I love you backsplash! My fav way to add finishing touches to a party is flowers and candles! Cheap grocery store flowers all over the place! They make everything more festive!
Such a great idea! I always say "it doesn't have to be so hard" and often times you just need someone to bite the bullet and pull everyone together. Work with what you've got right?
p.s. Where did you get your cute top?
I love this idea! I was just thinking about needing a girls night! I love how simple but fun you made this!
Cooking and eating outside makes for a fun party!
Love Simply Cranberry!! My family and I drink it all the time. What a fun party!
I like to cook lots of appetizers. They're more fun when you have a selection & a party is a great excuse
My favorite way to make a party or get-together at my home more festive is to use lots of paper decor to tie everything together (food labels, flag buntings, etc.).
I like to use simple streamers in different ways.