Finished

Well I finished the Twilight series.

I read book 1, then 3, then 2, then 3 again and then 4.

I really enjoyed the series but am pleased it is all finished now and I can get back into a normal sleep patterns

Can't blog now reading

I was given Twilight for Christmas last year and I have finally found time to start it.

(If you don't know this book you have been living under a rock)

The book is great and I am enjoying it. I started reading it on Monday morning on my flight from BrisVegas to our National's capital. I finished it later that day - after working a full day.

So then of course I needed to buy the sequel. So I went to the shops at lunch Tuesday and bought.....the third book in the series of four. Not the outcome I was after.

I didn't realise I had bought the wrong book until I was on the plane home last night. At which time I was looking down the barrel of a darn boring 2 and a bit hour flight. I thought about it for a few minutes and then started the third one. I figure I will read the second on next.

Because that is how the numbers go right? 1...3...2....4. Makes perfect sense.

The Party: The menu

I kept the menu simple. It was just cold meats and salad.

The potato salad was ...well...awesome!

And dessert was the birthday cake - YUM!

Valentines Day

Tom and I celebrated Valentine's Day this year more so than most - in that we actually remembered on the day to say " Happy Valentines Day". I went as far updating my facebook status to reflect my Valentine's Day wishes to my dear husband. I know I know...we are a very romantic couple :)

But seriously - as if love should be celebrated one day a year with flowers, a nice dinner and some sexy new underwear. I think that would be selling love short. Love is so much more than that.

Love is the back rub I am getting while writing this post. It is the packet of pink tictacs that my husband bought me a few months ago because I love pink and I love tictacs. It is the cuddle when I am tired and feeling sorry for myself. And getting up in the middle of the night to get me a panadol because I have a headache. Love is the thousand of little things my husband does for me every week. Not the one dinner he buys me once a year.

The Party: The day

The day started off like any other day, I got up, got dressed and ran out of the house having slept to late. We started at the party product place to get the helium cylinder, balloons, streamers and banners etc. Then to pick up the cake and back home to start making the salads.

In my infinite wisdom and mostly because of my good taste and need to organise everything myself I self catered the party. Luckily I had help. My brother peeling about 6 kg of potatoes while I cooked 1 kg of bacon. Then my awesome friend came over and started on the green salads. I should publically apologise for making her start with the onion, I honestly didn't think that salad onions made people cry - I was wrong - cutting them up had her in tears in seconds and me in tears when I wiped up the cutting board - they were potent!

So my friend cut up onions, tomatoes, capsicum (green and yellow), cucumber, celery while I did my thing putting now cooked potatoes with the bacon and copious amounts of potato salad dressing.

After all was ready we went to the hall to decorate. The balloons and banners really made the place look great. And Tom set up a projector on a screen to play photos of Grandma all night.

We had nuts and chocolates on the tables. Pink and Green napkins in the Champagne glasses and we all had to really think about how to set the table "properly".

And after all that we went home for a quick nanna nap before the big event.

The Party: The invitation

Next the party needed some awesome invites so that previously mentioned family and friends will know to attend.

So after several expensive trips to several stationery shops. I put together these little babies - are they nice?


Please note sticker lace on left of invite which took me hours and hours to put on the invites.

I sort of underestimated how long it would take me to construct the invitations. This is what each one involved

• Cut backing card to shape
• print invite on paper
• cut paper to shape
• stick paper on card
• stick lace sticker on card
• stick magnet on back of card
• print name/address on envelope
  
• put invite in envelope
• seal envelope
• put "invitation" sticker on back of envelope
• put stamp on front of envelope

So I thought it would take one afternoon - it took three solid nights and that was with my lovely husbands help!

Anyway we sent them out and almost everyone said they would come along - Yay!

The Party: The cake

In my wisdom I decided to buy a cake from a catering company and decorate it myself. It started well....

But I wasn't happy with the underlying icing - so I re-iced it.


And then decided I had ruined it and cut it up.


In retrospect it looks ok. But in the end I bought one from a shop....

.

The Party: The planning

My Grandmother turned 90 this year. This wonderful event had to be celebrated so I organised a party for all her family and friends. The tragedy of living to this wonderful age is that you see most of your friends pass away - so sadly there were not many friends to invite - but lots of family.

I have organised several parties over the last few years, including my husband's 30th for 40 people and my mother's 60th for 80 people. As a result I have a pretty good template for parties. But the best parties take lots of people helping. So I took the natural course of action for the public servant I am; I held a meeting.

Well it was more of an afternoon tea. But it was great. I invited my parents, brother, cousin and mother's cousin. After some heated discussion and debate we had decided on a format, menu and assigned tasks. From this I created a spreadsheet and a comprehensive word document including a run timetable.

We were well on our way to a very organised, smoothly running party.