by BlondieWrites on December 16, 2009
Christmas parties are much less common than they once were. But it’s still great to be able to get together with our friends and family during the holidays. Why not throw a Christmas party of your own?
One reason that many people do not have Christmas parties is because of budget concerns. Throwing a party can be an expensive proposition. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be. If you follow these tips, you can have a splendid Christmas party without spending a fortune.
* Sending invitations to your guests can be surprisingly expensive. Store-bought invitations aren’t cheap, and you’ll also have to pay for postage. Keep your costs down by sending them by email or inviting guests by phone.
* Make it clear to guests if they are allowed to bring others to the party, and ask them to let you know how many people they will be bringing. It’s easier to plan for your party if you know how many people to expect.
* Forgo the catering and do the cooking yourself. It will take some work, but cooking everything at home is much less expensive than having someone else to make the food and bring it in. Have the family help to make it a little easier on yourself.
* Better yet, make it a potluck. If each guest brings a dish, there will be plenty to eat at very little expense to you. You could even have some guests bring drinks, plates, cups and plasticware if you like.
* Keep the decorations simple. Your Christmas tree could serve as the focal point. Use inexpensive tinsel or garland and Christmas lights around the house, and hang up a few sprigs of holly or mistletoe here and there. There’s no need to spend lots of money to make your home look festive.
* If there’s snow outside, put some in ice buckets and bring it in to chill drinks with. This adds a nice festive touch and saves you money because you won’t have to buy ice.
* To save money on entertainment, put a karaoke machine to use. If you don’t have one of your own, borrow or rent one. Make sure that get the singing on video if possible!
* Make handmade ornaments to give out as party favors. You can make them quickly and inexpensively out of plastic canvas and yarn in Christmas colors.
* If you want to make Christmas parties at your house a tradition, start planning for next year as soon as Christmas is over. You can get 50% or more off regular prices for decorations after the holiday.
Christmas parties are lots of fun, even if you don’t spend a lot of money on them. A frugal party is no less memorable than one where no expense was spared. So don’t wait for someone else to throw one. Take it upon yourself to organize the festivities!
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by BlondieWrites on November 28, 2009
Christmas ornaments made from ordinary pipe cleaners and inexpensive acrylic beads are very pretty and easy to make. They look quite impressive yet are easy enough for small children to make. This is a nice Christmas craft idea to use again and again. Older people and kids will enjoy making these Christmas crafts, too, which can be varied to make a number of different sparkling ornaments for your Christmas tree.
To make the bead and pipe cleaner ornaments, you need common pipe cleaners in desired colors and acrylic beads. Two types of beads are particularly effective when strung on pipe cleaners. One type are called sunburst beads, but are also known as paddlewheel beads, snowflake beads, or starburst beads. These beads have six faceted paddles spaced equally around a center that contains the hole for stringing. When several of these sunburst beads are strung consecutively, they fit against each other in an interlocking pattern.
The other type of bead that is also effective for this Christmas craft is called the tri bead or propeller bead. It has three rounded bumps arranged around the stringing hole. Like the sunburst beads, the tri beads interlock when strung consecutively. For the most sparkly and attractive Christmas ornaments, get tri beads and/or sunburst beads in translucent colors of red, green, and clear. The tri beads can also be found in metallic gold and silver which can be used in these Christmas crafts as well.
Pipe cleaners can be found in silver and gold tinsel as well as chenille of all colors. For the Christmas craft, the best colors to use are the metallics and Christmas colors. The beads cover the pipe cleaners, but the ends will need to be twisted together and made into hangers, so they show.
Anyone, even small children, can string these beads on pipe cleaners. Bend up the end of the pipe cleaner so the beads don’t fall off. The pipe cleaner works like a needle, making a needle unnecessary. For best results, show the children how to alternate colors when stringing, or start a pattern of three colors. When the beads are strung on the pipe cleaners, they can be bent into different Christmas shapes. For instance, string red and clear beads alternately, then bend down one end of the pipe cleaner for a candy cane shape. Or alternate red and green beads and form a circle for a wreath. Use red pipe cleaner to form a small bow to decorate the wreath. Form a hanger for these Christmas crafts or simply slip the circle over a branch of the tree.
If you experiment with clear beads and silver pipe cleaners, you can make some beautiful snowflake or star ornaments. Snowflake designs can be twisted of silver pipe cleaner only, without the beads for a simple but pretty decoration.
Bead and pipe cleaner ornaments are a Christmas craft you will find yourself using every year. Children and their parents will both appreciate this simple yet pretty Christmas crafts.
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by BlondieWrites on November 19, 2009
by BlondieWrites on November 16, 2009
by BlondieWrites on November 11, 2009
The First World War was known as “the War to end all Wars” and was a war with a large social and political impact on the world even still today. Many men fought in the war, and while the United States entered the war late, and suffered the fewest casualties of all of the participating nations, the number of casualties the U.S. suffered was about 116,000 in total, the war was still devastating.
The official end of the war date was November 11, 1918, and at the one year anniversary President Wilson proclaimed November 11, 1919 to be “Armistice Day.” This was the first nationwide commemoration of the First World War.
On November 11, 1920 the countries of England and France held ceremonies to commemorate the war through the laying of rest an unknown soldier. The following year, the United States did the same by relocating an unknown U.S. soldier from his grave in Europe into the current day Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington D.C. There was great ceremony around the event and the casket was placed into the tomb at exactly 11:00am on the morning of the 11th of November, 1920. President Harding requested that all flags be flown at half-mast to commemorate the day and the great loss of life of the soldiers who fought in the war.
While this played out in other countries, the people of the United States took the unknown soldier to mean both the losses we faced as a country, as well as each American’s loss and sacrifices in war. Because of this, in the years which followed, many states adopted laws declaring November 11th as a legal holiday.
On June 4, 1926 the United States Congress enacting a resolution asking the president to issue a proclamation to display the national flag on all buildings on November 11th. The resolution again named the day “Armistice Day.” On May 13, 1938 Congress enacted a new law which made the day a national holiday.
In 1947, two years after the end of World War II, a “Veterans Day” parade was held in Alabama on November 11th. In 1954 President Eisenhower signed a bill into law officially changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
In the years which have followed, three more soldiers have been interred into the tomb of the unknown soldier in Washington D.C. They are a soldier from the Second World War, the Korean War, and one from the Vietnam War.
In 1968 a law was passed moving Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. However, many people protested because of the significance of the November 11th date, and in 1978 President Ford signed a new law which restored Veterans Day back to November 11th.
As of today, the Veterans Day National Committee has the job of coordinating all federal Veterans Day ceremonies. Each year the current President of the United States visits the tomb of the unknown soldier and places a wreath while taps is played. In addition, many states hold their own ceremonies to remember the fallen soldiers of war and the sacrifices of those who serve their country face each day. It is very popular for town and cities to have Veterans Day parades to honor those among their communities who have either lost a loved on to a war, or who have a loved on currently serving in the armed services.
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by BlondieWrites on October 24, 2009
Planning a Halloween party can be a very fun thing to do. Whether you will be hosting adults, children, or a mix of both, Halloween parties are fun and exciting to have and to attend.
To help plan your Halloween party, and have it be the event of the year, here are some ideas to get you started in your planning:
Halloween Party Idea #1 – The first thing you need to do is to decide on a budget for your party and if you will be having adults, children, or both in attendance. Once you have made these decisions then it is time to start planning your event.
Halloween Party Idea #2 – Food and drinks are always a big part of any Halloween party. Here you can be very creative with items such as “scabs” other wise known as dried cranberries. Items such as bleeding cupcakes or things which look like eyeballs are generally a hit. Or you can go with a more traditional fare of cookies and candy.
Halloween Party Idea #3 – For beverages for your party you can make a great slimy punch out of lemonade, sugar, meringue powder, and seltzer water. To this add some green food coloring and stir. The mix will be slimy and frothy.
Halloween Party Idea #4 – Always a fun idea at Halloween parties is the addition of dry ice to beverages. This will make them send off fog and is always a hit with both adults and children.
Halloween Party Idea #5 – Decoration for Halloween is fun. You can make tombstones in the yard with simple Styrofoam cutouts and even hang lights and ghosts in your trees. Inside your home you can decorate with spider webs and other spooky items which you can purchase at any local store during the Halloween season.
Halloween Party Idea #6 – For a Halloween party you want your home to be dimly lit but not too dark so that people are tripping over things. Also a fog machine or cauldrons with dry ice in them can give a great effect.
Halloween Party Idea #7 – Music is always nice for a Halloween party. However, rather than have it playing in the room your guests will be in, try setting your tunes in a near-by room so that people can still talk and enjoy themselves. If you have a adult party use scarier music than if you are hosting children.
Halloween Party Idea #8 - Playing games is always a hit at any party. A fun game for adults is charades using scary movies and themes. For children, bobbing for apples can be fun if the weather and space allow for it. Also, contests for the best costume always go over well. (Let your guests know this on your invitations.
Halloween Party Idea #9 – If you want to amaze your friends, you can write secret messages on your drinking glasses. To do this, take a mixture of dish soap and water and write messages with it, using your finger, on the outside of some drinking glasses. Once you are finished place them in the freezer to frost over. As your guests drink, and the glasses warm, your messages will come into view. This is always something people will be amazed at and talk about for a long time to come.
Halloween Party Idea #10 – One of the best things you can do while you are planning any party, especially one for Halloween, is to go online and search for creative ideas. You will find a wealth of creativity to help you make the most of your party experience.
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by BlondieWrites on October 22, 2009
Halloween Trick or Treat Yummy Recipes
Get our collection of yummy Halloween recipes, just in time for trick or treat. You get 30 easy
and yummy ghoulish recipes.
http://tinyurl.com/ydh5flo
1. Flying Broomstick Ghosts
2. Wacky Halloween Lollipops
3. Hay Bale Candy Drops
4. Green Monster Toes
5. Spooky Graveyard Squares
6. Halloween Oatmeal Cookie Triangles
7. Mystery Halloween Cookie Pops
8. Munchable Scarecrows
9. Squirmy Crawler Cupcakes
10. Totally Batty Cupcakes
11. Caramel Candy Apple Surprise
12. Creepy Black Cat Cake
13. Creepy Crawly Ice Cream Cups
14. Trick or Treat Ice Cream Cones
15. Halloween Banana Bites
16. Glitter Popcorn Snack
17. Strawberry Rice Mini Rounds
18. Oh So Gooey Nachos
19. Wicked Witch Popcorn Balls
20. Crispy Rice Pumpkin Pops
21. Fluffy Ghost Pops
22. Eerie Eyed Mint Cocoa
23. Ice Spider Punch
24. Wrapped Up Mummy Dip
25. Monster Face Burgers
26. Ghoulish Squirm Sandwiches
27. Pumpkin Joe Pie
28. Crispy Witch Fingers
29. Frankenstein’s Coffin Surprise
30. Bloodshot Red Ghoul Eyes
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This is an ebook in PDF format. Upon receipt of order, your ebook will be emailed to you via email as an attachment to your email.
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by BlondieWrites on October 22, 2009
Creating a Memorable First Halloween for Baby
Pictures, albums and home video may be the only way children ever know they even participated in trick or treating as a baby. Who are we kidding? We all know the fun of baby’s first Halloween or two is more for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings. Here are some suggestions for saving money on baby’s first trick or treat experience as well as safety tips to make the night as fun as it can be.
Be Frugal with Baby’s First Halloween Costume
The first Halloween costume should be special, but that doesn’t mean it has to break the bank? Before you go crazy spending out of your budget for a Halloween outfit for baby, try networking with other parents. Many parents save their own children’s first costumes. They may be open to swapping costumes with you or willing to sell their little one’s old costume at a minimal cost. If this isn’t an option for you and you find you need to purchase your baby’s costume, there are lots of children’s thrift stores and boutiques that carry precious Halloween outfits in the month of October. Another option for making sure baby’s first costume is cute and inexpensive outfit is to check eBay.
Safety Tips to Keep Baby’s Safe and Sound
• Pass On Inhibiting Costume Items
Babies do not like to wear masks and most will fight and cry in discomfort if you put them in costumes that restrict their movements.
• Avoid Scary Masks and Costumes
Don’t be surprised if older babies are frightened by other people’s masks and costumes as well. This is not a time to instill fear into your baby. Sometimes adults and older children find it funny to show babies “the ropes” without realizing they can inadvertently scare infants.
• Keep Weather Conditions in Mind
When choosing your costume, keep in mind what your weather will most likely be that time of year. In the northern part of the U.S., it is not unusual for children to wear coats over their costumes. The more south you go, you may have children overdressed in 80 degree weather. That adorable fur bear or lion outfit may not be the most comfortable outfit for baby if you live in an area that’s still a bit warm on Halloween. Don’t over or undress baby.
• Give Family & Friends a Call Ahead Before Visiting
You have special people in your life that you’ll want to share baby’s first Halloween with. A phone call ahead to these people to be sure they are going to be home will help ensure that pictures (or videos) of baby with this special someone can be taken. Try and make your plans up to a week ahead. You don’t want to be disappointed later when trying to scrapbook your child’s first trick or treat experience and someone is missing.
Celebrate Baby’s First Halloween Again and Again
Just like every other first for your little one, you’ll want to keep record of his or her first Halloween with pictures, video and other keepsake items. One way you can do this is by creating a scrapbook that will preserve these items for years to come. Get creative in how you layout your album. Don’t be afraid to take pictures with props that symbolize the holiday and the season. Hay bails and pumpkins are just a few ideas; you can also check with your local craft store for other embellishments such as stamps, stencils and more.
Memories are something we all have. With some extra care and planning, Halloween and your baby’s first trick or treat experience can be most memorable for everyone involved. Who knows, that adorable first Halloween costume might find its way into the senior year book later.
No matter what costume you choose or how you remember the day, keep the tips and suggestions above in mind for a safe, happy and fun Halloween.
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