Dinner Conversations

Last night is one of the first nights in a while I've actually been able to join the family at the dinner table.  With my dad in the hospital still recovering from his heart transplant sometimes I don't make it home until they are already fast asleep.  So, last night I made pasta with Italian sausage and ground beef in a fabulous, so not homemade sauce, and we sat at the dinner table and gabbed.  I decided to bring out a page I ripped out of a magazine months ago to start some conversations.  TV was turned off and we had a great time.  I thought some of the questions would be over 5 year old G's head but he had some great answers along with the big kids.  Here's a little taste of our Q&A session:

Name 5 things you would take on a deserted island.

G (5 years old):  1. Drinks
                             2. Food
                             3. Towels ('cause you know I would need a bath)
                             4. you guys
                              5. and a massage person 'cause on my island there would be someone to come and massage me and it would turn into Hawaii where they would serve me food and everything.....

R and T both totally cheated and chose Food, Drink and Shelter for their top 3 too....I told them they were too old for that and had to pick again.  They still stayed super practical, matches (in a baggie), cell phone with solar charger (in a baggie), inflatable raft.

If parents could switch places with kids and kids could switch places with parents...which one would you be? We said that you would have to remain in that person's body.  So, if you were Dad, then you looked like Dad.

T (12.5 years old) had the best answer for this one.....he said that he would be his dad.  Then he went on to describe what he would do....
I would go to Dad's work and I would declare it Poofy's Dance Party Day and I would get the whole refinery to break out in dance.

Niiice.  Not sure his Dad's work would go for it.

If you could be anyone in history, including people alive today, for one hour who would you be?

T said Mark Zuckerberg
R (almost 10 years old) said Selena Gomez (hmmm....wonder why....maybe a little thing called Justin Bieber)
I said Ellen (because we would be BFF's for sure if we met so I might as well be her for an hour, and it wouldn't hurt to be her during one of the 12 Days giveaways)

Those are just a few but it was a blast....it's interesting to see what everyone comes up with.  I'll leave you with the rest of the questions so you can steal them for your own dinner convos.

If you could have only one of your senses, which would it be?

Parents can visit one of their kids at some point in the future; kids can visit their parents at some point in the past.  Where would you go and what time period would you choose?  (This is my favorite and we missed it last night! Would have loved to hear these answers)

You can go get anyone from the past and bring him or her to the present for one hour.  Whom would you bring and what would you do with them?

If you had the ability to transform into an animal, which animal would you choose?

Name 5 places you want to go in the next 10 years.  What 5 things do you want to do there?

You can't time travel, but you can send one object back to anyone you want.  What would you send them and whom would you send it to?

What is the one thing you wish you had discovered?

Have fun!

Monster Bash.....a party in pictures

Our little monster turned 5  last week much to my dismay.  I tried putting a brick on his head, giving him coffee like no body's business and living in denial.  He still turned one year older.....which means the baby of the house...is actually a big kid now.  Yes, G will always be referred to as the baby and I've got no problem with that....he does....but who's asking.  \
So, this past weekend we had a Monster Bash for his party.  It turned out wonderful, the weather was amazing and plenty of his little buds showed up.  I am by no means crafty so thank goodness for Pinterest and the ability it has to inspire me to do more than just order a cake and invite some kids over.  I did order cake...let's not get crazy here....but we had our little theme and really had fun with it.

Enjoy!

The invites were simple!  Neon printer paper, white paper, googly eyes, and a permanent marker to make them however you please.  I just cut out various types of "teeth" and folded the invite where the monster could have an overbite or under bite...hee hee.  Inside it said:
Our little monster is turning 5! 
Come and have a SCARY good time with us at a MONSTER BASH!
insert your info and you're good to go.

Meet our monster for Pin the Mouth on the Monster!  I free handed him the night before on a piece of neon poster board and secured him sticky tack.  I drew all kinds of mouths on more of that great neon paper and cut them out.  I knew that we would have girls and boys and this party so I made sure to make some plump lady mouths as well as scary monster mouths.  The kids really enjoyed this.  We used sticky tack for the back of the mouths as well and gave everyone a prize of crazy fingers!  So fun.   You will also need a scarf to blindfold your little monsters, I spun them around as many times as their age. 

 Some of our tables before the food.  I found this great blue pumpkin at the local grocery store and it was just creepy enough to use as decor.  I almost painted an eyeball on the pumpkin to make it a monster but decided against it.  We used the cheap but oh-so-fun vampire fangs for table decorations and craft paper to cover tables.  I always snag the vampire fangs from Target, you get 30 of them for just a few bucks. They go a long way.  Decor, favors, etc.  I found the cute spider tins at the Dollar Spot at Target. Perfect for all of our plastic ware and goodies!

This would be our Green Goop punch!  It is super creepy with the swampy look the sherbet gives it.  All you need:  Lime Sherbet, Sprite or 7 UP, frozen limeade concentrate, frozen lemonade concentrate.  This was crazy sour, which the kids dug but I could've dealt with a little less punch.  If you want to do this for a grown up soiree just add rum.  And don't forget the gummy worms for effect!  B found this great "cauldron" in the camping department at a local store.  Worked out perfectly.

I am kicking myself right now for not taking a picture of the actual monsters in the boxes!  I was in such a hurry to have the boxes put together that I blanked on that. Epic fail.  I will have to take one later of the one that G adopted.  My 9 1/2 year old daughter took on the Adopt a Monster booth.  I let her make the poster for it and decorate all of the monster boxes.  Inside the boxes we had: 

little stuffed monsters that my lovely and crafty friend made for us.  There was such a variety of colors and facial expressions...all the kids loved them! 

a Birth Certificate of sorts.  I just made a little card that asked for the new name of the monster, the kiddo who was adopting it, and the monster's fave food that I filled in for them.

I also squeezed in the box the other favors, hand tattoos, pencils, etc.

This was HUGE hit.  The kids loved taking their turn at the booth and naming their new creature to take home and take care of. 

Cake Time!!

For the monster munchies we only made a few things....the party was from 2-4 so not really a meal time.  I adapted my Twirly Whirly Pizza into Pizza Bites.  Served with marinara.  If you would like the recipe for the Twirly Whirly Pizza it can be found on my blog here.  I filled these pizza bites with kid friendly things, turkey pepperoni on 2 of the "loaves" and turkey pepperoni and mild sausage on 1 "loaf".  These are easy and great for parties or weeknight dinners paired with a salad. 

The mummy dogs were big hit and pretty darn yummy!  I used turkey dogs (with no nitrates!) and crescent rolls.  We vetoed the idea of the mustard eyes because we were dealing with 4 and 5 year olds.  They are blind mummies. 

I also didn't take a pic of my Monster Munch but it was a great addition to the table and also for the G's pre school Pumpkin party.  I served the concoction in small, clear, plastic cups and here is what you will need:

Chex Mix

Plain M&M's

Crunch and Munch

Mix together, you will need to do this in small batches or use 2 big bowls and transfer. Looked great in a huge bowl with a ladle for scooping at the party.

and presto!  You have a fabulous mix that is terrible addicting for kids and grown ups alike. 

I hope this can help someone else in their party planning! 

Until There Was You {Book review} and amazing Q&A with Kristan Higgins

I might be one of those women who only read what others consider thought provoking.  I might have been one of the snobs in the library or bookstore quietly judging your book with a high heel on the cover.  I might have been one of those chicks that dubbed everything with a romance title "chick lit".  Then, I started discovering amazing authors like, Elin Hilderbrand and Jodi Picoult and realized that not every plot has to be so intense to be a great read.  I loved the female characters that were written and how they were so easy to relate to and actually fun to read about.  So, after getting my feet wet, I moved on to Emily Giffin.....and loved every book.  Then, on my Nook, Kristan Higgins was recommended as an author I may enjoy.  So, I tried out one of her books and feel completely in love with her writing style. 
Kristan Higgins writes female leads that are in depth and flawed and also hilarious and quirky.  She has male leads that make you truly want to get into her head and see who she had in mind while writing them.  The family bonds and intricate details of the towns she moves to for each book are just huge bonuses in a wonderful piece of fiction.  Her sense of humor is impeccable and truly makes me laugh out loud while reading in a room by myself...which is an accomplishment because you know we all like an audience when we laugh.  She is one of about 4 authors that I wait for each new book to come out and snatch it up as soon as I can. 

Her newest book, Until There Was You, will evoke in most of us the awkward teenager we were.  Posey, a pixie of a woman, has an endless stream of family and friends to keep you interested and tagging along to see what might just happen next.  In my mind, she seemed very Lucille Ball, always on her toes but teetering just the same.  Whether she is gabbing with her flamboyant and gorgeous brother in law or working at her architectural salvage yard...she is busy.  Staying busy comes in handy when someone moves back to town. 
Liam, Posey's high school crush, comes strolling back into town, complete with his black leather jacket.  This time, he has a teenage daughter in tow and a reason to stay. 

Liam will make you swoon and growl at the same time....and not in the good way.  In one minute you love him to pieces....single dad of teen daughter (bless his heart)....but the next minute you want to thump him on the head for not noticing Posey for the amazing woman she is.  Liam seems to think of Posey as an annoying piece of the town's history but when he does ask her out....you wonder if she should go with her racing heart or stick to her guns. Does Liam really feel for Posey or just need a distraction during this transition time in his life?

Reading Until There Was You, the reader will fall in love with each character in their own way.  From the big, lunk of a Great Dane to even the German restaurant Posey's family owns.  Even in your despise of some characters, like all great books, you will find some positive traits to bounce back on.  Kristan Higgins really knows how to grab your attention and make her characters so believable and so charming that you want to read each of her books and then pass them on to friends. 

I was lucky enough to be have a little Q&A with Mrs. Higgins and can't wait to share it with you!

1. Which characters from your novels so far, do you find yourself relating to the most and why?




It’s funny…I relate to them all on some level. There’s always a certain theme to a character, though I might not know it at the time: Posey from UNTIL THERE WAS YOU wants to feel chosen; in TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, Grace wants to make everyone happy. Harper from MY ONE AND ONLY wants to feel safe. I could go on, I guess, with why I relate to every one of them. But when my husband read ALL I EVER WANTED, he said he liked that book was his favorite, because Callie reminded him of me (he’s a prince, that guy!). Callie feels responsible for the happiness of everyone around her, and I guess I do, too. Doesn’t every mother?



2. What are your must-haves for a successful writing experience? Perfect place? Absolute quiet? Craziness of your house? Family far, far away?



I like to have my dog with me (my colleague, I call her); I like to have quiet; I like to have some Hershey Nuggets close by . To paraphrase Stephen King, the only must-have feature is a door that closes. I do have an office now that’s just down the street from my house. It’s a tiny attic apartment with lots of light, a microscopic kitchen and no Wi-Fi. Heaven, in other words!



3. Where do you get your inspiration for the settings of your books? Which is your favorite setting so far? As a Southern girl, I wouldn't mind seeing more settings in the South....what do you think?



All my books are set in places I’d like to live. I grew up in a small town, and I love their intimacy and familiarity (and nosiness!). It’s so comforting to picture those snug little towns, the café where the counter people know how you take your cuppa joe, the guy at the post office who flirts with you every time you come in. I think CATCH OF THE DAY and THE NEXT BEST THING had the settings that I loved the most…places that I could picture so clearly I felt like I was living there. (Just so you know, next spring you’ll see both those places again…!).



As for setting a book in the South or the West, you never know. My sister lived in Georgia for a while, and man, there were some gorgeous towns down there! A few years ago, my family and I drove across country, and I fell in love with a number of places…Kansas, Montana, Oregon…But I think I’d have to spend some time there first, getting a feel for the culture and rhythms of speech, stuff like that. I always want my books to feel authentic, and that’s definitely true for the setting aspect.



4. I love the humor and wit in your characters, especially the female leads, I find I relate to the sense of humor. Do you think of yourself as a funny person or does that come out more in your writing?



Thank you so much! I’d say I’m fairly funny live and in person, but writing is a gift, in that we get that extra time to think up the great comeback or snappy answer.



5. The flaws in your characters are always evident but lovable. My favorite character so far has been Grace, who doesn't love a history buff teacher that just happens to be a Civil War reenactor?! Do you have a favorite character so far or do you find they are all too much a part of you to pick?



I think I love my heroes to an unhealthy degree. It’s a good thingsecure man and B) those guys are imaginary. I loved Grace too, especially when she’s pretending to die on a Confederate battlefield. Malone from CATCH OF THE DAY remains a special favorite (I think he has a cult following), and Nick from MY ONE AND ONLY. But wait till you meet Liam and Posey. Those two are special, I think. I hope readers will feel the same way!



Thank you so much for the opportunity to do the Q&A!



It was absolutely my pleasure! Thank you!

See?  I told you she was great. Is there a bad thing about a new book coming out from a fave author?  Yes, a long wait until the next great book.