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Parties/celebrations

Whether you're planning a birthday or a hen do, you'll find plenty of ideas for your celebration on our Party forum.

Shirley's party advice part 4 - Better at party planning than Pippa Middleton

999 replies

BlatherskiteOfTheLivingDead · 29/10/2012 18:33

New thread :) Everyone welcome.

OP posts:
Tinkerisdead · 29/01/2013 13:21

Thanks mate. Ive seen the fruit rainbows on pinterest and was def gonna do that but with big bowl of yogurt at the end? Thought about doubg it with veg too but have to miss out blue! With dips.

Im utterly fed up. Doing everything on my own cos if dh working so far and then he texts to say ge may stay in a hotel. I had to say no cos soneone needs to hold dd2 whilst i make the cake if shes awake all night again.

Im not doing jellies as i'd have to make 21 of them but i did buy blue jelly so i'm gonna do it for dd's actual birthday tea on the 6th. Dh says ge wont be there as "doesnt want to waste a day off." Thinking of taking her to the zoo but dd1 would miss gymnastics and prob sulk about it.

Ive also got two gluten free-ers coming to this party. May just throw cheese and glutenfree crackers at them at this rate. Ive just selected a load of photos to make a timeline of the year backed onto rainbow shades of paper. Think im just emotional as my baby is a year, dh is being a bit of a knob and ive got the party fear! X

Blatherskite · 29/01/2013 14:10

I know it's probably sensible to save the holiday but Sad at the thought of your baby's 1st birthday being a "waste". Would DD1 not be excited enough by the Zoo to not miss gymnastics?

I made 20 jellies in the end but had help so I don't blame you for cutting them.

Is there a Dominos near you? They do GF pizza these days. Otherwise could you make erm..some baked potatoes for them?

Tinkerisdead · 29/01/2013 17:30

Yes!!! Spudulike!

stealthsquiggle · 31/01/2013 21:57

Checking in from San Diego - DW I might well be around if you are awake all night.

How did the letter biscuits go, Blathers?

Blatherskite · 31/01/2013 22:07

Ah, that's where you are!

I used the recipe Holly Bell suggested in the end and it worked well. I almost froze the raw biscuits before baking because they wouldn't fit in the fridge so I left them in the freezer a bit too long but it worked and the ones on the top shelf were perfect. The bottom shelf did loose a bit of definition but they were still OK. They were really yummy too.

There was a recipe on the back of the box but it's all in American cup measures and I don't have any. I have UK cups but I don't think they're quite the same size.

Dress up day is tomorrow. DS is really excited. He loves his t-shirt and did his own book cover tonight. He's copied my copy of the Book Eating Boy cover. It's actually really good too!

stealthsquiggle · 31/01/2013 22:14

Did you find the Peggy P recipe online?

Blatherskite · 01/02/2013 13:22

Yes. I found the one I used on the DM website though so I'll copy and paste to save them getting more hits :)

Makes about 25 medium-sized or 12 large cookies

200g unsalted soft butter
200g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
400g plain flour, plus more for dusting

Optional flavours
For vanilla cookies, add seeds from 1 vanilla pod
For lemon cookies, add finely grated zest of 1 lemon
For orange cookies, add finely grated zest of 1 orange
For chocolate cookies, replace 50g of the plain flour with 50g cocoa powder

Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and chosen flavouring until well mixed and just becoming creamy in texture. Don?t overwork, or the cookies will spread during baking.

Beat in the egg until well combined. Add the flour and mix on low speed until a dough forms. Gather it into a ball, wrap it in cling film and chill it for at least 1 hour.

Place the dough on a floured surface and knead it briefly. Using marzipan spacers, roll it out to an even thickness.
Use cookie cutters to cut out the desired shapes and, using a palette knife, lay these on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Chill again for about 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 180C/160Cfan/350F/gas 4.

Bake for 6?10 minutes, depending on size, until golden brown at the edges. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Wrapped in foil or cling film, they will keep well in a cool dry place for up to a month.

Tip Always bake equally sized cookies together to make sure they cook in the same time. If you mix different sizes, the smaller ones are already cooked when the larger ones are still raw in the middle.

Blatherskite · 01/02/2013 17:17

Y'know, sometimes DH's grinch-ness astounds even me.

Today, I popped in to Hawkin Bazaar to pick up a couple of those plastic jointed snakes to put on the table when we have our Chinese New Year meal at the weekend - they cost all of 65p each - and he was moaning about it!!

"What do we need them for?" "Why do we need to have a chinese meal?" "Why can't we just have a normal meal?"

He's going to be really unimpressed with the kids chop sticks I've got them!

Is " My husband is a bloody party pooper" a valid reason on a divorce petition do you think?

stealthsquiggle · 01/02/2013 22:02

Divorce petition, or murder defence - either one.

Blatherskite · 01/02/2013 22:07

Ah good.

The food is all on the grocery order now and the kids are going to love the chop sticks and snakes so I'm ignoring the moaning anyway.

Tinkerisdead · 03/02/2013 21:07

Could be worse blathers. He could slit his wrist over your carefully crafted cake! In front of 50 guests!

stealthsquiggle · 03/02/2013 21:28

OK, DW, tell all.....

Blatherskite · 03/02/2013 21:48

You certainly made my party look tame by comparison.

I got my dates mixed up and decided Chinese New Year was this week. I had begun marinading the chicken before I realised so I made the chicken, noodles and pak choi anyway. The kids hated them. Need a rethink before next weekend I think. We tried the chop sticks but they just messed about with them

stealthsquiggle · 03/02/2013 22:02

Dim sum. Potsticker dumplings. I have yet to meet a child who won't wat those.

Tinkerisdead · 03/02/2013 22:02

Pmsl at the kids not appreciating the chinese. I bet dh was smug ha ha.

Stealth. Party went brilliantly. I did a fab balloon arch, rainbow fruit, a timeline of photos on rainbow papers, rainbow lollies and a pot of gold coins at the rainbows end. We had music group do singing and parachute play. The cake was brilliant with a peg dolly in her tutu that matched dd's and a tutu round the cake. So we sing happy birthday and dh cuts the cake. Slips and cuts his wrist.

Blood poured down the cake table so i say let me see? As he took his hand away blood arches past the cake shooting into the air. We called an ambulance but my nurse friend and another who was a top bod in st johns ambulance stopped the bleeding. We cancel the ambulance hand out cake sheepishly hurrying people out and then dh went to hospital.

Its a deep hole rather than a slash so they've glued it and steri strips but he canr move/twist his wrist without it hurting/seeping so driving to work may be a problem. Gotta laugh though cos not a drop went on the cake. He's thoughtful even in attempted suicide!

Blatherskite · 03/02/2013 22:13

You've not met my kids Stealth!

After what was it, 3?, attempts at those bloody sponges, I bet he knew you'd kill him yourself if he rendered them inedible DW Grin

Tinkerisdead · 03/02/2013 22:23

Yes three attempts! And we ate a failed yellow cake for pudding one night and dd1 started shrieking the following day "my poo!! Its bright yellow! My poo is yellow" it was panic stations til i pictured the lurid sponge cake.

stealthsquiggle · 04/02/2013 12:51

I will allow that my own DC are possibly not the best yardstick for Chinese food, as they are human dustbins eat most things. DD's favourite thing to eat at Chinese restaurants (never managed to replicate it to her satisfaction at home) is deep fried baby octopus. Lots of it.

DW - all I can say is at least it was memorable and he didn't bleed on the cake Grin.

I need to come up with a plan for the weekend. The dragons are expecting a good sendoff for "their" year (and the snakes would quite like a party too..) - DC are on half term next week so I could do something Sunday evening, which would give me a bit more time (possibly even time to go to the Chinese Cash & Carry...)

Blatherskite · 04/02/2013 13:22

I can't decide whether to give up on the whole idea of CNY or to try again. I have considered getting some crispy duck and pancakes as I think they might go down well and after some persuading, a few noodles did get eaten but I'm not sure what else I would make and I'm not sure if it's worth the hassle!

I've still got the plastic snakes to give them but nothing else at this point.

stealthsquiggle · 04/02/2013 17:01

I am doubting my own judgement now, given that you don't think they will eat potstickers ShockGrin, but crispy duck pancakes (minus the spring onion and, initially for DD, minus the hoi sin sauce) have always been popular here, as has "special fried rice" although, TBH, that is such a faff to make that you are better off getting it from a takeaway.

Could you get some fortune cookies, maybe?

Tinkerisdead · 04/02/2013 18:40

Im not ignoring u both but i bow out of chinese new year having done rapunzel, then elf on the shelf daily activities, then xmas, then rainbows. This is my rest period.

Wake me up for Easter.

3birthdaybunnies · 04/02/2013 19:50

Ha, I did the same as you Blatherskite got all the stuff then realised that it is next weekend. Dh and dd1 not keen on Chinese food anyway so not sure how to sell it to them again. Wondered about having red envelopes but replacing the money with notes that each family member writes saying what they really like about the other person. A gift of positivity.

Though being sandwiched between bear/pyjama party and egyptian party, I may just declare last weekend as the alternative CNY and give up!

Blatherskite · 04/02/2013 20:20

I think potstickers look nice but the kids would view them as hidden weirdness I think. Duck pancakes would work as they can put in they're own fillings and vaguely resemble Fajitas which they will eat - even though DS's tortillas contain only salsa and salad and DD's cheese and salad but we're getting there Wink

They're not great with rice but I may give it a go. I've got some fortune cookies and prawn crackers which they'll eat. There are tempura prawns in the freezer which DS will eat and spring rolls which DD will eat. I was going to do griddled bananas with ice cream and toasted sesame seeds for pudding which I know they'll both eat - even if DD did pick out the bananas last time because the pieces were "in the way of my ice cream"...so I'm almost there, I could just do with another main course type thing.

stealthsquiggle · 04/02/2013 20:34

You can't give up, Blathers - there are dragons in your household who will be expecting their end-of-year piss up celebration

Blatherskite · 04/02/2013 20:38

But I've just written "They're own fillings"

I need to do this for the dragons!

DD has decided that the original dragon is now Roary's daughter and the two you sent us are cousins. I think the bunnies are another branch of the family as are Dolly who is a Princess and Goofy who I think is her Prince.

I'm wondering whether the kids would eat sweet and sour? They sort of liked Satay chicken at the weekend...