Shirley's Party Advice Part 7 - how did they all get so big...

[stealthsquiggle]

Part 7 - link to previous one to follow!

hiphip - do you even need to ask? Of course it is OK to use it as an excuse to get Chinese (note to self - must task DH with going to Chinese supermarket between now and then as we have eaten our stocks of frozen ducks..)

re drinks - I think "the first drink is on us" is more than fine, especially if you put a footnote somewhere on the invitation that it is a cash bar so that people have got money with them. If they don't want to come on that basis, then more fool them. If you have any extra funds, then if you are planning on doing any sort of speech (even if it's "yippee we're married - thanks for coming, let's eat cheese") you might want something fizzy to give everyone a glass then?

What are your CNY plans stealth?

I've bought the children little Lego horses with red saddles so far but that's it. I can't decide whether to dig out a couple of the Chinese warriors that DS has in his minifigure collection or just leave them as is. The saddles do have little clips for holding flags so I might see if I can find the Chinese script for each of their names and make the horses into little place markers.

No idea what to do for food this year though. DS is a fish fiend so I might try cooking a small whole fish but otherwise it'll be the same old food we always have - tempura prawns and spring rolls to start, maybe some shredded duck and pancakes, 5 spice chicken legs and chow mein style noodles and sesame bananas and ice cream for dessert. Maybe I'll swap the chicken for the fish this year. I know whole fish is lucky and everything is supposed to be golden...

I think we might make red chinese lanterns and those coin trees I linked to earlier and I've been saving loo rolls to make some fish.

hi
Blatherskite where did you get the lego horses from? My DD would love one of those at our CNY celebration!

Thanks

I don't have any plans, Blathers . I bought some paper lanterns and LED tealights, but that's it so far. If I survive to the weekend and get this auction of promises cake done in time then I will think about it..

Good old ebay. I had to buy the saddles separately but only because I wanted red.

If you don't mind spending a little more, there are a few Lego Friends sets with horses in too

Blathers - I ate a whole fish (can't remember what!) at a Thai place that had a lovely hot sweet and sour sauce on it with something like pak choi and others bits and pieces cooked in with it. Was delicious! And once you've chucked the bits in the foil or whatever you just need to put it in the oven and leave it.

Stealth - thank you. DP is currently trying to convince me we don't need to do any drinks at all but I think that would be the height of rudeness. He seems to have no clue with this sort of thing. Whatever happens I'll put my card behind the bar!

Blathers - I ate a whole fish (can't remember what!) at a Thai place that had a lovely hot sweet and sour sauce on it with something like pak choi and others bits and pieces cooked in with it. Was delicious! And once you've chucked the bits in the foil or whatever you just need to put it in the oven and leave it.

Stealth - thank you. DP is currently trying to convince me we don't need to do any drinks at all but I think that would be the height of rudeness. He seems to have no clue with this sort of thing. Whatever happens I'll put my card behind the bar!

thank you Blatherskite. we do have the stable and horse box so a couple of horses already. will take a look on ebay to see if there is one we can add to the collection for CNY!

Me again. My phone is really pissing me off it wont remember me as logged in so i have to keep logging in everytime i come back to the site even if ive clicked on a link.

Can you all help me? Its my mums 60th, she says shes having a bbq in the summer but wanted a meal with immediate family now. After every restaurant discussed im getting fed up and dh said "fuck it, just let them all come here!" My brother probably wont cone if we meet as a restaurant as he's always skint. So it looks really likely im gonna end up(begrudgingly hosting and making a cake)

I was thinking of doing the"mini hog roast" style buffet, slow roast pork, maybe ham for me, apple sauce, stuffing, new potatoes. What else can i make so its special enough for her birthday, easy enough for me as dd2's party will be 6 days after!!! Im a bit pissed off to be fair as she keeps asking me about the plans and i specifically said im not planning anything if shes hosting her own bash in the summer.

Help

If you asked people to bring stuff, would they? It seems to me that hosting and providing a cake is more than she deserves enough for you to do. Can you let the DDs loose on a roll of paper to make banners? She would have to pretend to be pleased with that. Add some balloons and call it a birthday .

Panic over my brother just rang and said he'll be staying in my home town so need to book the restaurant. My mum was moaning about the carvery near her(she loves it there and goes all the time but was saying how she thought she should be coming to me!)

So stress free carvery with skint brother totally prepared to pay his share! Thank goodness! My mum'll whinge but i cant see the issue, a place she frequents with her entire family and she still has her own party she wants to throw. Bet she moans.

Glad you've got your Mum's birthday sorted DW. Hopefully she'll be too busy enjoying herself to complain

Hi, new Chinese dress for DD hanging in spare wardrobe (thank you eBay). Thinking we will do Peking Duck pancakes...do you know any supermarkets that sell the pancakes? Have really struggled to find them in the past.
Last year got fortune cookies from Tesco but the large Tesco is 20mins drive away and don't want to drive over for nothing so does anyone know if Tesco likely have fortune cookies or have they been spotted elsewhere?
Thanks again

Paintyfingers - not at all. Where have you been? You are seriously behind on your obsessing . I am well on the way for DD's October birthday

Pancakes in supermarkets - no, I have never found them. We get them from Wing Yip (Chinese cash and carry) - if you have smaller Chinese supermarkets near you they would have them.

of the new dress. Maybe next year for DD...

Help help help

DD is "Friday Morning" (Man Friday) in the school panto. Her costume request has come home as "rags" (with a "you know what I mean - right?" note from her teacher)

DD burst into tears, said it was a rotten part, said she wanted to be a princess like her type cast queen bee friend. I have promised to produce some pictures to show her what I have in mind and I can't find any. Waaaaah.

Blimey, that is hard! Searching for "cast away" seemed to be slightly more useful than Man/Girl Friday....

DS has come home and announced that everyone will laugh at him if he wears a onesie as part of his squirrel outfit so I'm panicking again too

How exactly does he see a squirrel working without a onesie ?

Mind you, he does sort of have a point in that he would have to strip to go to the loo so you would have to make sure he had something (T shirt and shorts?) on under it, I guess. I think he needs talking back into that one, though.

I have a negotiated solution with DD about "rags" - which has stopped the tears, at least - she wants to girlify it, so shirt (last seen when DS was a musketeer ) and handkerchief skirt, with shell necklace (which she has) and bare feet (not sure about that in February but I don't have any better suggestions). We have scavenged for material but she wants it all dyed brown. I have a sketch to show her teacher tomorrow - I will charge my dead phone and then I can text it to you.

I think I may have won him over :) He wanted a brown t shirt and trousers (he has trousers but I would have had to buy a t-shirt and then make a tummy patch etc) but I showed him the picture of the onesie I've found next to the picture of Scaredy Squirrel in the book and I think that convinced him. Will have to wait until they arrive now and see if he is enthused or bottles it. Will definitely put something else on underneat so that he can change if he really wants to although he gets really hot easily so that might make it coming off inevitable.

Will then have to make him either a "Friend kit" or "Emergency Kit". I'm going for friend as the Emergency kit has bug spray and a net in which wouldn't be good for taking into school even if I bodged the bug spray out of something else I think. Friend kit is a toothbrush, an air freshener, a lemon (out of the food play bits), a mirror (DD as a plastic one), a comb (got) and a name badge - easy. I might add binoculars if I can get a cheap pair from the pound shop and a "friend checklist" if I have time and a printer - ours is currently bust*. Will bug DH about that one in a bit as I really need one to get Thank you cards done amongst other things.

*Don't worry, I know better than to ask you about one

Is this a good moment to admit that I have not the slightest inkling who scaredy squirrel is ?

Scaredy Squirrel

Only now I've checked Amazon, I've realised that there are loads of Scaredy Squirrel books that we don't own! This could be expensive.

Basically, he is a squirrel who is scared of everything. Mostly silly things like Killer Bees and Sharks. He therefore never leaves his lovely, safe tree - but then he does and it's all OK :) DS loves them.

Looks like DD would like him - was that one of DSis's brilliant finds? I suspect it's one of those book day costumes which requires child to be clutching the book in question otherwise no-one will get it - we had the same problem with Thistle, the fairy from The Dolls House Fairy

We have that book. I would have got it

Yes, I think the original Scaredy was one of DSis's finds. The Elephant and Piggie books are along the same (very) silly lines. 'Goldilocks and just the one bear' is a fun take on a well known tale and 'The Worst Princess' is a good one for a young feminist :)

Well if your DD wants to be Thistle sometime I have a perfect costume except that we have lost the wings - the skirt is beautiful, if I say so myself - it co-incided with a US trip so I went fabric shopping and all the petals are different [modest]

Have you got Pigs Might Fly? ("once upon a time there were 3 little pigs, but you know that - this is about what happened next. So, twice upon a time...")