recent thoughts  •  phone blog  •  livejournal  •  chat  •  join stvlive.com  •  visit stvlive.com

Posts Tagged ‘party’

It’s Friday, Right?

Friday, June 27th, 2008

I failed in my mission to find a coloring table cloth like the Blues Clues birthday one I had 8 years ago. The only one I found was religious and made for crayons (vinyl). So instead, I am going to print out a bunch of free coloring sheets and stick them on to a white paper background. Does anyone know where I need to go to get white paper in a roll that is wide enough for a table?

I’ve ordered my two little craft projects, so the craft table should be ready to go for my birthday party once I figure out what I’m covering it with. I’ll need some party supplies from the local party store right before the event, and I need to figure out what kinds of cupcakes I am going to make (yes, I am baking my own birthday (cup)cake. Sad?)

So far, I have 5 yeses and 5 noes on my party invite. The 5 noes are all going to be out of town on vacation (except the one that lives out of town). Big surprise there. I guess I should have been born in September or something. But 5 yeses is more than double one of my parties when I was little, heh.

I feel crappy today, but it will pass.

My Birthday…

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008

It’s my birthday in less than a month! (Click here for to sign my birthday card or see my wishlist.)

I’ve never had good luck with birthday parties. It’s the curse of being born in the middle of July. Just about everyone goes on vacation when I want to have a party. I think we only tried to have a party for me a couple times when I was little. Both times, I’m pretty sure only 2 kids showed up. The only party I’ve had As an adult was 8 years ago. That one actually had a good turnout. A miracle, I’m sure. I must be a glutton for punishment, because I decided to try again.

I sent out my invitation yesterday (If I missed you, it’s because I don’t know your email address – send me a note!) I’m not expecting many yeses. But, if a few of the people I care about show up, then it will be worth it.

Because I missed out on so many parties growing up (and because I’m a dork), the party theme is going to be puppies and balloons and girly colors. I plan to set up my Twister game and a craft table. I want to make a bunch of cupcakes in different flavors. I’m even turning my laptop into a “photo booth” because the wedding one was so much fun!

Here are some questions for you…

  • Back in 2000 I got a Blues Clues paper table cloth that was a giant coloring book page. I want to order something like that but I can’t figure out what search terms to use. Help! (1, 2) I suppose I could always try to find a big plain paper table cloth and use a sharpie or 5 to make my own coloring sheet…
  • So, I have free software to run my photo booth (though not Mac’s “Photo Booth” – I couldn’t get that to print right on a 4″x6″ and it has big-time bugs that force you to restart it constantly.) The Software is really ugly, but works well. I just need to decide if it’s worth it to try to “build” an actual booth for it. I’d probably only table a bunch of cardboard together and decorate it. Should I bother? The alternative is to hang a backdrop on the wall and just have the laptop facing it.
  • I want lots of balloons and can get them cheap online where I’m ordering plates and stuff, but how do you get the helium to fill them with? I don’t want to rent a giant helium tank that I can’t even lift. Is it easier to just buy filled balloons at the party store that day? It is pain because you can’t fit many in a car and the strings all tangle together. I thought you could buy a small tank of helium, but if you can, what do you do with it once it’s empty?

That is all for now. I need to get back to work, and I should probably eat something today.

Rock Band Party

Monday, May 5th, 2008

On Saturday, we had Dan’s birthday Rock Band party. It was a lot of fun! We wore costumes and band tees like last time. We spent entirely too much money on having the party catered, but it was super tasty! It was great seeing friends that we don’t see enough of now that we are out in Ashburn.

1. Haha…, 2. Jack & Britt, 3. Jack Rocks Out, 4. The Venue, 5. Taco Time!, 6. Rock Out!, 7. Rock Out!, 8. Rock Out!, 9. Rock Out!, 10. For those about to rock…, 11. Tattoos, 12. m/, 13. Moose!, 14. Party!, 15. Crazy Nails!, 16. m/, 17. m/, 18. Rocked too hard…

Guest Room & Party

Monday, April 28th, 2008

Been busy, as usual…

Thanks to a 25% coupon for World Market, Danny and I picked out new furniture for our larger guest room (formerly our roommate’s room). It is getting delivered this afternoon. So, this weekend, while Danny was in Baltimore for a concert, I worked on painting the walls. It was mostly painted already – gray on 3 walls and dark brown on a fourth, but the brown made the room look small (it was on the longest wall and really closed up the room). The gray wasn’t edged except for where I had had time to cut in before the roommate moved his stuff in. I ended up painting the brown wall the same gray as the rest, thanks to some kickass primer from Ivan. I touched up the rest and painted the trim. Done!

Danny’s task is to install and new fan/light. Unfortunately, the wiring is not set up for the fan to be on any sort of switch. Boo. We scored some cute bedside lamps for $9.99 each at the mall and got one of those bed in a bag things for $30 off with a coupon. We have our old tv and tivo to put in there. Eventually I want to put some abstract paintings up in there, but I just started them.

We are finally getting the room done because we have guests coming down from PA to our party on Saturday (and because of the great World Market deal!) Laura, who lives in MD, has the other guest room booked as usual for one of our parties.

I am excited about the party. I need to decide what kind of cupcakes I’ll be making. We know which restaurant we are ordering our catering from, but not what we are getting yet. There will probably be a lot of last-minute food and alcohol purchasing on Friday.

I still need to finish the tutu for my 80′s pop star costume. I ended up getting a totally different shirt that the ones I posted in my poll, since I saw one on Target’s site for $10 less ($9.99!). We still don’t have a hair band wig for Dan. It’s not easy to find costume wigs when it isn’t Halloween.

I’m hungry and I want Mexican food not that I am thinking about it… Mmm…

Party Saturday!

Friday, February 15th, 2008



Aw Yeah!, originally uploaded by punquin.

Hey, baby. Will you be my valentine?

I am typing this with my nails wet (Wing it Wine) in preparation for our party tomorrow. We are having a Rock Band (the game) party, and a bunch of us are dressing up. I will be decked out as an 80′s glam metal fan girl. Sweet! It should be a really fun party, and I hope people can make it. I know that I don’t make it out to many parties (mostly because I am too meek to go on my own), and I hope my friends don’t hold that against me.

Today I am working from home in order to be able to get some of my pre-party stuff out of the way. Yesterday, I bathed and groomed Benny at work before coming home. Today I spent my lunch break bathing China in the downstairs bathroom. She is currently passed out on a towel. I have several loads of laundry in rotation, and I am doing coats of nail polish in between bits of work.

Danny has been dealing with a mystery ailment/injury since returning from London. At first, he thought he had broken a rib, but he’s been cleared of that. For now, he is on pain medicine and antibiotics. His next step is a cat scan. After having to spend a couple days in bed, I am glad that he is able to be upright again. He’s not sure how much he can rock out at the party, but hopefully it will be enough to save the rest of us from failing out of songs. We need a strong lead guitarist!

Late afternoon today, Dan has a haircut at the mall. I’m going to tag along and buy a rock t-shirt for Ivan’s costume and try to find day-glo eyeshadow for mine. Then we need to hit Costco or the grocery store for party snacks and drinks.

Cleaning-wise, I need to make sure all the potties are clean, vacuum everything (including the couch), sweep everything, clear the kitchen counter, put away odds and ends, clear room in the coat closet, and set up the arraignment of the game and seating in the livingroom. I got some inflatable guitars, but I need to see if I can find any other decorations. Maybe just tinsel curtains and a colored light thing? Dunno… I still need to “customize” my t-shirt. I am practicing on a $3 craft store tee. I think I’ll just be making it off-the-shoulder and cutting off all the hems.

Any last-minute food or decoration suggestions for a Rock-themed party?

Happy Birthday, Benny!

Saturday, December 15th, 2007



Birthday Collage, originally uploaded by punquin.

Benny had his first birthday party today, and it was so much fun! (See the pics here.)

The day started with a trip to the grocery store on the way to work, where I got people cupcakes and a bunch of balloons. (I had made Benny’s dog-safe cake the night before.) As soon as Benny and I got to work, I started setting up the room for the party. I wanted to make it look nice since all the employees and a bunch of dogs were invited. One of the dog’s (Bree the sheltie) mommy was even coming with treat bags of cookies for the guests. She is too sweet! Everything looked great, and the employees were circling like vultures when they heard there were cupcakes.

We had the party at 1 pm. I got the huge surprise of a former coworker showing up with Bree’s mommy. She hadn’t seen Benny since he was 8 weeks old. All the doggies enjoyed the cake, and Benny got some great presents.

This was the (canine) guest list:

  • Benny the Golden
  • Luna the Golden
  • Bella the Beagle Mix
  • Charlie the Aussie
  • Jackson the Aussie
  • Stella the Aussie
  • Bruno the Beagle Mix
  • Trevor the Mini Aussie
  • Jack the Aussie Mix
  • Chase the Yorkie

Oh, and Dudley the Lab arrived mid-party for daycare and “crashed” the party for some cake, heh. When I was done cleaning up, Luna came back to the office for an “after party” with Benny and his new toys. Then he napped off all the cake until it was time to go home. He was Snoozie McTiredson by then.

Happy Birthday, Benny! I can’t believe you are already 1-year-old!

Halloween!

Friday, September 21st, 2007



Genie, originally uploaded by punquin.

One of my favorite things about fall is Halloween. And, I’m really excited about it this year because our new neighborhood really gets into decorating their houses. We found this house around Halloween last year, and I’ve been looking forward to it ever since. There are so many kids that I’m sure I’ll have to buy a ton of candy.

I’ve started sewing my costume. I am going to be a genie this year. I definitely chose the most over-complicated genie costume pattern on earth. So far I’ve only done the pleated bust part. The instructions were simple, but it wasn’t easy. It is a little bit above my sewing level, but that is how I improve – by forcing myself to do something harder each time. I’m starting early so that if Danny actually thinks of a costume idea, I can sew it for him too. Oh, and my costume will not be pink like in that picture. She looks like Genie-Barbie-goes-to-Prom. My colors are closer to the upper left. I still need to get 9 yards of various trims, but I can’t find any that are the right color in any local stores. I wish Potomac Mills wasn’t so far. They have a huge G Street fabrics with a big trim section.

We’ve decided, with our two friends, that this year we are hosting a Halloween party here at our house the Saturday before Halloween. Last year they had one at their house and we went early to help set up. So we are reversing this year. I want to send out the Evite today, but Danny still owes me his guest list.

So with the trick-or-treaters AND the party, I want to really decorate well. I’d love to do a graveyard in our front yard and then lots of spooky cobwebs and stuff on the porch. I’ve been researching places to buy tombstone props and various ways to make my own, and I’ll probably go with bought ones. I don’t have time to make anything tha would hold up to the elements. I’ve saved many to an Amazon wishlist for reference, but if a graveyard sugar daddy feels inspired, they could certainly send some my way. Hah!

We also need to plan our yearly apple/pumpkin picking trip. I’ll probably want a bunch of pumpkins. Last year I got a lot of tiny ones and made tea light holders for the party. Though I might need to get a few carvable fake ones for the party from Michael’s so I can light them for the party. I remember my pumpkins tend to go mushy after being lit all night, so they wouldn’t last until Halloween day.

I have more to say, but that is it for Halloween for now…

Par-tay

Thursday, November 30th, 2006

Holiday Housewarming Party

We decided on December 22nd for our party. I have the invitation all ready to go, but I realized that I don’t have anyone’s email address! Oops! So, if we are friends in meatspace, please email, IM, or TXT me your email address so I can put you on the invitation list.

And, that’s our house. I drew it. But, it’s not really decorated yet. Wishful thinking.

Franx!

New House & Party

Tuesday, November 28th, 2006

I have a number of things I want to post about, but I think I will split them all into separate posts to keep it less complicated

We love our new house. I took a few pictures, but we don’t have a single room that is completely done yet, so I didn’t put too much effort into it.

We had the master bedroom and bathroom painted the day before we moved in. I chose a pale tan color – like coffee with a lot of cream. The bedroom as a feature wall done in a cappuccino color. It highlights the pretty vaulted ceiling. I need to figure out what art to put on that wall. I may end up painting something, but I am waiting for our new comforter set (that will actually fit our new king bed, unlike our old one) to arrive so I can visualize the whole room. We are getting damage to the carpet fixed as well. They are going to have to work around our furniture – that is the one room that is actually filled.

We had the finished basement painted before we moved in as well. We had too much furniture going in down there (all our office furniture) to try to move it around and do it ourselves. I choose an olive green/gray color. No pictures of that yet. We want to eventually get something to put the tv on, and a futon couch.

The kitchen is nice now that I finally got everything out of the boxes. The appliances are crappy, but we will be replacing them. I am going to paint the walls green. We are having blinds installed throughout the house on the 15th – the homeowners had just put crappy window coverings up to sell it.

On the main floor, the family room, dining room and front room (living room?) all have oldish carpet. We are going to install hardwood in those rooms. It will make clean up easier, look pretty and increase the resale value of the house. We wish we could do the whole house, but it’s too expensive. I am going to try to paint those three rooms, in addition to the kitchen, before the floors are put in (not sure when that will be yet).

The dining room will be red with black Ikea furniture (that we don’t have yet). I am undecided on the color of the front room… We are thinking of making it a den/pub room with a pool table and darker walls.

The living room is going to be a brownish/tan/caramel color. I have spent so much time trying to decide what furniture to put in there. Right now, we have nothing in there but our tv and some random temporary stuff. I ordered a red couch and armchair from Ikea that we really liked, but we were stuck on the rest. I ended up making a mock-up of the room in Photoshop with the walls and floor done, and I pasted furniture into it until I found a combination I liked (and that was fairly inexpensive).

We would like to do a combination holiday party / housewarming party in December. We could use a little holiday cheer. I know it is always tricky finding adate that works for a party around the holidays, so I am putting up a poll. Local people and friends who are willing to travel – please pick what works for you (comment if more than one works).

I’d love to collect donations for the Animal Welfare League as a part of the party. A gift exchange game would be fun as well. In the past, we’ve done an Italian dinner buffet at a holiday party – that went really well. We will have two guest room and plenty of floor for anyone who needed to crash for the night.

Thus ends my house update. I will post about other things separately as time allows.

Take the Party Date poll!

Doggy Birthday Parties!!

Tuesday, October 10th, 2006

Bree’s 2nd Birthday
Originally uploaded by punquin.

Today I had two doggy birthday parties to run at work. So, last night I stopped at Target to get some presents, cards, and gift wrap. Bree, the sheltie, is one of my favorites, so I got her some more expensive toys. She got a pink Chuck It tennis ball thrower, extra balls and a crinkly ladybug stuffed toy. The other birthday girl was Abby, the yellow lab. I wasn’t sure if she liked toys, but I knew she liked treats! So, I got her some Three Dog Bakery cookies.

The parties went well. Bree’s was first, because her mom brought the cake and balloons in mid-day and wanted to stay for the party. I got everything set up in the party room after I got off a conference call, then brought in the birthday girl and some of her daycare friends. Everyone loved the designer dog bakery cake (carob peanut butter). I brought some home to my girls – apparently China doesn’t like carob. Bree is a popular girl and got presents from me, another employee and one of her doggy “classmates”.

After Bree’s mommy left and the party guests were sent back to naptime, I switched cakes and threw Abby her party. Her mom had baked both people cupcakes and doggy carrot cake. I tried the doggy cake – it was very good! Tasted like carrot muffins. I avoided the strange frosting though. Everyone but Milo liked the cake.

The parties took a big chunk out of my day, but how can I say no to them? So much fun…