And who doesn’t like a BBQ/Party in the backyard, on the deck or on the patio!
Here are some great tips for stress-free entertainging.
Enjoy!
PICK A DATE Choose a time and a day that will be convenient for most people. Don’t forget to check the weather.
KEEP IT SIMPLE It is easy to get overwhelmed when planning an event. Try not to over-complicate things. Simple doesn’t have to mean boring.
DETERMINE A BUDGET Decide how much you are willing to spend and stick to it. Plan your menu, decorations, and entertainment around the set budget.
INVITE PEOPLE Facebook Event is the cheapest and one of the easiest ways to spread the word to your friends and family about the upcoming event. In just a matter of clicks, you can send a detailed invite and find out who will be able to make it. You can always go with traditional hard copy invites; although it may be more costly.
PLAN THE MENU When it comes to planning a menu for a summer party the options are limitless. you can have everything from a BBQ, to just casual finger foods, fresh fruits, salads, appetizers, and refreshing drinks. You can even invite your guests to bring their favorite summer food item to share with others.
ORGANIZE A SHOPPING LIST Once you figure out your budget, menus, and the theme, make a categorized list of the items and ingredients that you will need to purchase at the store. Try to buy every-thing you need a day or two in advance.
INVOLVE OTHERS Ask a couple of friends for help to avoid work overload and potential stress. Give each person a responsibility. For example, one person can help with invitations whereas another can be in charge of the decorations.
CHECK YOUR SUPPLY Create a check list of all the items that you will need in accordance to the number of guests. Make sure there is enough food, chairs, tables, napkins, cups, and other necessary items.
CREATE THE SPACE Set specific areas for food and drink tables. If children will be attending, plan on having a safe spot for them to run around and play.
BREAK THE ICE Add a casual group activity or start an engaging conversation to get your guests interacting with each other while maintaining a comfortable and inviting atmosphere.
Fresh Caprese Salad Submitted by Adrienne Snyder, NC Makes approximately 2 servings –
INGREDIENTS: • ½ cup cherry tomato halves • ¼ cup mozzarella cheese ball halves • 2–3 tablespoons olive oil • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar • 1–2 drop Basil essential oil • Mini wooden skewers* • Fresh basil leaves for garnish
DIRECTIONS: 1. Place tomatoes and cheese in bowl. 2. Top with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 3. Add Basil essential oil; stir and eat. * Need a quick and easy appetizer?
Thread tomatoes and cheese onto mini wooden skewersand drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil mixture.
Wild Tropical Smoothie Submitted by Vanessa Zamorano, CA –
INGREDIENTS:
• 5 drops Wild Orange essential oil • 1 cup frozen strawberries • 1 cup frozen mango • 1 ½ cup pineapple juice
DIRECTIONS: Mix in a blender; pour and enjoy!
Lemon and Orange Granitas
INGREDIENTS: • 6 large lemons or 4 medium oranges • Sugar/honey to taste • 4 cups water • 2–4 drops Lemon or Wild Orange essential oil
DIRECTIONS: 1. Clean and wash fruit. Cut off the top quarter and slice a thin bevel off the bottom of the fruit, so they stand up straight. 2. Using a grapefruit knife, carefully remove and save the flesh and juice; be careful not to cut through the bottom. Stand the rinds on a plate or cookie sheet and freeze until solid. 3. Combine scooped out flesh and juice with essential oil in a food processor or blender; pulse until mostly pureed then press mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. 4. Stir in water; add sugar or honey one tablespoon at a time to taste. Pour mixture into large roasting pan or baking dish, large enough that the liquid isn’t more than one-inch deep. 5. Freeze for 1–3 hours. Remove mixture from freezer every hour and scrape with two forks to break up ice. 6. When the granita is frozen, rake until glittery. Scoop into frozen lemon or orange shells and serve.
If you would like more information on any of the essential oils used in the recipes above, please send me an email at: ali.moll@hotmail.com
Follow my FACEBOOK PAGE for more essential oil tips and information.
Can you believe it is already the middle of October?
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year, and I love to decorate my home for the holiday. This year it seemed to sneak up on me a bit or something because here it is mid October, and I still have my bins of decorations scattered around the house. I’ve been trying to a do little bit each night, but it seems to be taking forever. I think I need to pack up the bins, and call it good for the year 🙂
Just a few pics of some areas in my home that are decorated and ready for Halloween and trick or treaters. 🙂
Do you decorate for Halloween? Thanksgiving? Or just Christmas? Do you think it’s too excessive to decorate for every holiday? I’d love to hear what you think!
Enjoy your day! Tomorrow is Friday and then the weekend! Woo Hoo!
The highlight of my weekend is the title of my post!
My beloved Utah UTES beat No. 5 Stanford on Saturday night! I mentioned back HERE, that I LOVE this time of year!
I absolutely love college football and tailgating!
Saturday was such a beautiful day! We’ve had a few games that were unbearably hot, and the last two games were cold and wet….so this weekend was especially nice. It was perfect football watching weather! A gorgeous fall day, with a slight chill in the air, and the sun shining down on us! And the game was FABULOUS! Loved it!
How was your weekend? Did you watch any football? Go to any games?
Is it really October? I can’t believe how fast this year is flying by! Craziness, I tell ya!
I also can’t believe I haven’t posted in so long. And I really don’t have any reason why I haven’t. I did have my 30th high school reunion last month (I know, I know, I can’t possibly be old enough! wink!), and the planning for that took up a lot of my extra/free time. I will have to do a post about that soon, and show some of the fun decorating type things we did. It was a great time, and I loved seeing so many friends and blasts from the past!
I’ve been toying with the idea of hosting a Holiday Boutique before Christmas. Have you ever hosted a boutique? Any thoughts or advice? I’ve been trying to get my craft on, and get some things ready, but my creative mojo seems to be hit or miss lately 🙂
I have become obsessed with embroidery. And tea towels. And boxes with embroidery thread sorted by color (I’m weird). Carl has been on a different work shift the past few weeks, so he tries to get to bed before nine. That is way to early for me, so I have been spending some time stitching up a storm.
Fun stuff! I’m a total novice and don’t really know what I’m doing, but it has been a really good stress buster and relaxation tool for me these days!
Welp, no idea if anyone is out there reading anymore, but thanks for stopping by if you are! I hope you are having a FABULOUS Wednesday!
What have you been doing this fall?
Any college football fans out there? If so, what team do you root for?
Happy Friday! I am so glad that Friday is finally here. What a long week!
So this month is my 8th Anniversary. Anniversary of what, you might ask? Well, this little blog of mine turned 8 years old just about a week ago. Crazy!
Eight years ago, I didn’t know anything about blogging (I still don’t), but I decided to start documenting what was going on in my life. I was an avid scrapbooker at the time, and my son was getting ready to start high school. I felt like I wanted another way to document everything. My very first post can be found HERE. Totally cracks me up! My blog has taken many twists and turns over the years, focusing mostly on scrapbooking and my kids, moving to crafting a bit, taking an almost two year break (very sporadic posts), and ending up back to where it is now. Pretty much where it began. Just me and my thoughts and my life. Still documenting things, both big and small, exciting (to me) and non-eventful (to you), happy and sad.
It’s been fun to look back on some of the posts and remember a specific time in my life. I’m so glad I decided to start a blog 8 years ago. Even if I am the only one still reading it!
Pretty crazy to go back and look at some of the posts! So much has happened in the last 8 years! So much that I didn’t even blog about!
All in all, I’m really glad I started this blog! It’s nice to be able to look back on the years! And it is always nice to connect with others via the internet! Thanks for coming along on this ride with me!
HAPPY FRIDAY! And now, I have a couple of questions for you:
Do you blog? If so, for how long?
Do you like reading blogs? What are some of your favorites?
Thanks for stopping by! I’d love to hear from you! Leave me a comment!
Well, it’s finally here! The most wonderful time of the year!
I bet you thought I was going to say Christmas, right?
Well, I do LOVE Christmas! But today is the first day of college football, and the first day of Utah Football Tailgating! I couldn’t be more excited! We have such a fun group, and we always have a FABULOUS time!
WOW! I can’t believe it’s already been twelve weeks since my ACDF Surgery in May! On the one hand it seems like it’s been longer than that, but when I look at how far I have come in a short time, it is crazy!
I mentiond that I had been in pain since last November, and it was hard to even imagine what being pain-free would feel like…..well, it feels pretty freaking FABULOUS! Although, I’m not 100% pain-free yet, I’m pretty close! And being able to get back to being active is the BEST part!
My x-ray from my first follow up appointment with the neurosurgeon, showing the plates and screws that now reside in my neck:
According to my neurosurgeon, my neck is stronger than ever now. The part that takes time, is the fusion part, which can take up to a year to complete. It involves making sure that my new discs (cadaver discs + my bone shavings) fust together with my spinal cord, etc. I will be going in for follow up x-rays every few months, in fact I go in tomorrow.
I’m hoping to be released to up my exercise a bit, which includes running more. I have been walking like crazy and slowly jogging a bit, while trying to keep my neck somewhat stable. No hard core running yet. I’m not able to go boating, or mountainbiking yet. Nor am I able to play golf, go on rollercoasters, etc. What I have been doing is “light” zumba (what is that?), yoga and walking. Baby steps! I’m just thrilled to be able to get those endorphines going a bit! It makes all the difference in the world to me!
I’ve had such wonderful support through all of this! My husband and daughter have been willing to go walking with me anytime I wanted and my Zumba friends all kept me and my family fed during the first few days of post surgery, as well as keeping me motivated to heal and get back to class. And to those that have sent emails/comments/messages to keep my spirits up…THANK YOU! I am very blessed!
One day at a time! It’s all good!
Happy Thursday friends! We are so close to Friday and the weekend!
Have you ever had a major surgery that put you out for weeks/months?
What is your favorite way to get fit in the summer months?