Keep Calm and Carry On

The time for making resolutions is upon us.

Unfortunately, my head hasn’t stopped whirling from the past couple of months.  It was like the Disneyland tea cup ride.

And while everyone else’s ride may have stopped after Christmas.  I had the one final go around for my five-year old daughter’s birthday which happens to fall on New Year’s Day.

I can sympathize with having a birthday on New Year’s Day, because I too am a New Year’s baby.  Which is why I couldn’t cheat her out of having this special day to herself; after all, it’s not her fault that the big day is just a week after Christmas.  I can really relate to what my mother went through with me growing up.

So, with Christmas wrapping paper still on the floor, I leaped into party planning mode.  “Just make it simple”, I told myself.  “Yeah, right”, my true self answered.  Sure, it may have been easier to phone in a Chuck E Cheese party or something similar, but it’s just not like me to do something so impersonal.  So, keeping in theme with the holidays, I chose (at the very last minute) to have a Sugar Plum Fairy Snowflake birthday party….simple, right?

I got the Nutcracker-themed party idea from my friends at TomKat studio, however, this party was not available to purchase.  No problem, I figured I would just do it myself and began feeling even more confident after I read this text from my friend, Jennie, “Oh the best events r the last minute ones!”.

So, with Michael’s after-Christmas sale on my side, a few bucks bought me a gaggle of all things sparking purple, shimmering pink and glittery silver.  It took me an hour to plan the party (it’s not planned until it’s on paper), an hour to confirm friends (“I know this is so last minute….wasn’t sure if you were in town……birthday party……New Year’s Day”) and an hour to decorate.  Then I was off for a trip to my favorite cupcakery.  Voila!  Now it’s a party.  Plus, I spent less than I would have given that mouse to host a party at his noisy pizza joint. My favorite cupcake stand makes any occasion more elegant and festive; it was one of those victory finds at my HomeGoods store.

Jennie was right.  The party was the best….with a bunch of simple snacks and and some “melted snowflake” punch, we had a great New Year’s Day birthday bash.  And here is what I learned:

1. For melted snowflake punch mix together 2 parts white grape juice with 1 part grape soda and throw in ice cubes made from sparkling sugar and water.

2. For events that are “the best”, mix together close friends, personal touches and a bunch of purple glitter.

3. There’s no easy way to clean up purple glitter.

Now that this ride has stopped I am taking a look around at resolution lists unmade and to-do lists undone.  All I can think to do is grab a pen and paper and Keep Calm and Carry On.