Pumpkin Party (Girls)
Ages 5-12
What a weekend! However, before we get into that, I want to go ahead and share the party for this week. Last Thursday, after school, we had our 13th annual Pumpkin Party. The party has changed over the years. When the guys were little (4 years old and up), we had a few friends over, decorated pumpkins and made homemade pumpkin pies (until they became too cool -- 7 or 8 depending on the boy). With Roxie and her friends we have continued the tradition, but with a few additions and subtractions. This is what we normally do now. A date is set for after school (usually on a Tuesday or Thursday) before Halloween. It's only a two hour party (3:30 - 5:30), so everyone has time to do homework and get a shower before the next school day. As soon as the kids arrive, we have our snacks. Simple Halloween paper plates, napkins and orange plastic cups, bowls of popcorn and then one of several "scary" desserts. This year we had a ghost graveyard cake. I'm going to break one of my own rules and put a RECIPE on PARTY/EVENT day.
Ages 5-12
What a weekend! However, before we get into that, I want to go ahead and share the party for this week. Last Thursday, after school, we had our 13th annual Pumpkin Party. The party has changed over the years. When the guys were little (4 years old and up), we had a few friends over, decorated pumpkins and made homemade pumpkin pies (until they became too cool -- 7 or 8 depending on the boy). With Roxie and her friends we have continued the tradition, but with a few additions and subtractions. This is what we normally do now. A date is set for after school (usually on a Tuesday or Thursday) before Halloween. It's only a two hour party (3:30 - 5:30), so everyone has time to do homework and get a shower before the next school day. As soon as the kids arrive, we have our snacks. Simple Halloween paper plates, napkins and orange plastic cups, bowls of popcorn and then one of several "scary" desserts. This year we had a ghost graveyard cake. I'm going to break one of my own rules and put a RECIPE on PARTY/EVENT day.
You will need the following:
Chips A'hoy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Large Container of Whipped Cream
Milk
Milk
10 - 15 Oreo Cookies
1. Pour 3/4 to 1 cup milk in a deep bowl. Put 2 to 3 Chips A'hoy Cookies at a time in the bowl and count to 5 letting them soak in the milk. Line the bottom of 13 x 9" glass dish with the milk-soaked cookies. After the first layer is down, spread whipped cream over the cookies.
2. Repeat the layers.
3. Crush the 10 - 15 Oreos and sprinkle them over the top of the dessert. Use large marshmallows and decorate them with black gel icing making little ghost faces (one for each child) and put them on top of the dessert.
4. Refrigerate until time to serve.
OPTION: You can also use Milano Cookies and write RIP on the front of them and stick them halfway in the dessert and use them as cemetery head markers. It is a "beyond easy dessert" and it serves eight kids very easily... and it gets them in the mood for a little Halloween party. As you can see from the picture, it is not the most beautiful dessert you will ever see, but every girl exclaimed, "Cute! Can I have that ghost?" It takes very little to make them happy. Remember... simple. After snack, we begin the Cobweb. I learned about Cobwebs in a book a friend of mine bought at a Yard Sale many years ago. You have to get a skein of yarn for every child invited. (I suggest 5 to 8 children.) Make sure if you have 5 children, you have 5 different colors of yarn.
On your back deck, a room in your basement, your family room, etc., you tie the end of the yarn at the "starting point" and go around the room, under chairs, around door knobs, behind the couch, etc. When you've gone around, under, and over at least ten things, tie off the end of the yarn. Now you're ready for skein number 2. Same starting point, but different paths. By the time you are threading numbers 4, 5, 6, etc. it starts getting a little harder to maneuver.
When it's time for the party, open the door and let the kids take it in for just a moment. Have everyone hold the end of their yarn and then cut the first knot. Everyone starts at the same time, keeping the yarn in their hands in a ball as they go over, under, through and around all the other kids and furniture. It is a great time.
When the Cobweb is over, it is time to start decorating the pumpkins. Every year we try a different kind of pumpkin. We never carve... too many kids with too many sharp objects. We've made kitten pumpkins with pipe cleaner ears and tails and painted eyes, noses and mouths.
Last year we did tissue paper pumpkins with small squares of different colored tissue paper and Mod Podge. Follow the Mod Podge instructions and cover the pumpkin with the tissue paper. Before the Mod Podge can completely dry, sprinkle with gold or silver glitter. Beautiful! This year we made "Decorator Pumpkins." We used metallic paints and painted the base gold or silver. Then we used all different colors of metallic paints to decorate. I had a copy of the magazine page the idea came from and while the kids were eating their snack, they looked at the magazine picture and then came up with their own creations. All were unique and all were very pretty.
By the time you've had your snack, finished the Cobweb and decorated the pumpkins, it is usually time for parents to be picking up the kids. If you want to throw in a light supper of Crock Pot Hot Dogs (see earlier recipe) with chips and pumpkin cookies, that would be easy and fine, too.
It is by far one of my favorite (and easiest) parties to throw every year.
Weekend Update
Friday Night Football Game - CHECK
Austin's Saturday Morning ACT Test - CHECK
Josh's Workout at Church with Buddy - CHECK
Roxie's 6th Grade Pageant - OH, MY WORD!!! Can you spell STRESSSSSS! I think my wedding day was less stressful. And nothing went wrong. I was up very early. The dress was ready. The cameras were all souped up. She had her makeup done by 9:25 (reminder - pageant is at 3:00). Then we had to wait until her 12:00 hair appointment. From 9:25 until 12:00 was an eternity... for me! She loved her hair. The lady doing her hair, Miss Debbie, told us to add glitter to the makeup (she has three older daughters so we consider her an expert), so off to the store we ran to get glitter. After we were "glitterized," we put on the dress and headed to the pageant. All the little girls were very elegant, and their gowns were amazing. I was truly proud of all of them. Roxie didn't place in the Top Ten, but she said she had a good time, and on the way to eat with all the grandparents, she made calls to her friends to congratulate them (her idea). I was very proud of her, and thankful she was able to lose with dignity and grace. All in all, she declared the pageant "fun," but didn't know if she would do it again. Either way, I'm okay. I think I have the hang of it now. Well, mainly the glitter part. I think I'm going to wear glitter this week. Maybe it'll make me look younger! (And not just white glitter... I'm going all out and getting the purple or pink glitter!) If you see me out, be sure and tell me how young and hip I look. It will be appreciated I assure you!
High School Musical - CHECK
Supper for 9th Grade Boys' Bible Study - CHECK
Amazing Race - CHECK
Weekend officially over and ready for the week to begin - CHECK
Roxie's 800 point project - Uh, well... Did anyone notice all the CHECKs we had up there. We had 8 completed CHECKs. That's huge. That should count for something. We should get 200 points in Science just because we completed 8 out of 9 CHECKs for our family for the weekend. Sigh!! That's not how the world works, is it? Don't worry. We're going to get it done (and done well, I might add). We Faulkners may look like we're falling apart under pressure, but we do get the job done! We've still got Monday night to put finishing touches on the poster and work on the presentation. I think it's going to be fine.
The last two weekends have been pretty much devoted to Austin and Roxie. I've told both of them that Josh gets a little extra attention next week. They've both agreed for the moment, but I'm just waiting to see what pops up on their "must do" weekend list.
Tomorrow I will have a wonderful "grown-up" cake (no marshmallow ghosties) that's not only easy, but would be a great dessert to take to any holiday parties coming up.
Have a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
