The Forties are Fabulous!

Forty!  This year is a big one for me, and I wanted to celebrate in a way that was equally big!  I love parties and throwing parties, and so I decided that this year I wanted a big, fabulous theme party.  Happliy, I also had some very wonderful friends and family that were in on the idea too.  What better theme for turning 40 than a 40s era party?  After all, if the forties are supposed to be fabulous, than what better way to start my forties than with a fabulous 40s party?

As soon as we decided what kind of party to throw, my next big concern, obviously, was what I was going to wear!  You know me.  I love dressing up! I didn't know what I was going to wear at first, but one thing I was sure about was exactly how I wanted to do my hair!  I ordered a snood on Etsy (yes, that red net is called a snood), then watched a dozen youtube videos on how to do Victory Rolls!  They call them victory rolls because during wartime, due to rationing, dresses were plain and material scarce so when it came to fashion, women turned their attentions to their hair!  A glamourous hairstyle was cheap, and one of the favorite styles of the day were victory rolls.

That being said, they were stinkin' hard!  My hair and I were having quite a battle of our own in the hour before the party, but given enough tries and a whole heck of a lot of hairspray, I finally won! Victory was declared!  Maybe that is why they are called Victory Rolls!  (It is a good thing hairspray wasn't rationed back then, that is all I can say!)

As far as the dress, I looked everywhere, even ordered something that didn't work from an expensive vintage style place online, but in the end I found this fun polka dot dress at Steinmart - cheap.  Perfect!  Add some cherry red lipstick and a pair of earbobs and I was ready to party like its 1945!

My dear friend Shari hosted it at her beautiful home, and half the fun was decorating!  I am a big Independence Day nut when it comes to decorating, so I already had all the big buntings and flags.  We put them up and it instantly brought so much color to the place.  How cool is that huge 48 star flag that I found at a garage sale?  I love it!  It is coffin size and old enough to have only 48 stars, so I imagine it very well could have once been draped over the coffin of a WWII hero.

Shari surprised me with the fun set of starry red banners that wished me Happy Birthday!

But as great as all the patriotic decor was, we didn't want it to look like just a 4th of July party.  We wanted to really make you feel like you were back in the forties.  So I printed off a bunch of great old pictures of WWII soldiers and families that I found online, and replaced my family photos I had in silver frames.  It didn't cost a thing and I really like looking at those pictures and thinking about those folks who did so much to ensure the freedoms that we still enjoy today.

And check out those absolutely awesome cases under the table.  Together they held a reel-to-reel movie projector that we had on display (forgot to get a picture of that, and an old pay phone.  Oh well).  But the cases are just as cool as the projector, don't you think?

More of a forties feel with an old typewriter, an military jacket tossed over a chair, and a whole bunch of fabulous 40s era printed tablecloths!  I LOVE my vintage tablecloths, and I happen to have plenty of terrific ones that went with the red, white, and blue scheme.

One of the very funnest ideas was the 40s candy bar!  This was all Shari's idea, and she is a genius!  Shari did her homework and researched which candies they had in the 40s and we put together this little bar so everyone could bring home a little baggie with a taste of the 40s!

We found some candy with reproduction vintage packaging at Cost Plus which just really added to the color and fun!

We used the vintage packaging and old toys and games to add color and fun to the display.  Check out those fabulous WWII blocks that I found a few weeks ago!  One one side of the blocks, you can put together little WWII soldiers, airmen, and sailors, as well as their tanks, planes, and ships, and the other side of the blocks can be put together into one big 48 star flag!  None of the pieces are missing.  What a great find, huh?  We put the candy in some of my milk glass containers.  The candy bar was a huge hit, though it took some convincing to get folks to actually take the candy because they were just enjoying looking at it.

Shari did the drinks too, and she found these perfect Coca Cola glasses at the dollar store!  They were perfect for her yummy lemonade that she served in a fun vintage style jar dispenser.  She even found striped paper straws!  Perfect!

But for us Mormon folks, the open soda bottle bar was the center of the action.  She found several different vintage bottles of soda also at Cost Plus!

Everyone had fun picking their favorites or trying something new.

Soon the guests started arriving, most in costume, and the fun started in full swing! Roxanne, glamourous as always, and Gita sporting a vintage style hat! Love those ladies. Dayna shares a story with Dennis and Mike sports his own fedora as well.

I loved Michelle's red Rosie the Riveter bandana!  We had a Rosie poster up outside next to an old black pay phone, but I forgot to snap a picture of that.

These guys got my vote for the best costumes.  Kimberly had her hair done up in a "rat"!  I saw her pin that hairstyle on Pinterest, and I was really hoping she'd do it! She pulled it off. She even wore saddle shoes.  They looked awesome!

All the beautiful "girls back home"!  What soldier wouldn't want one of these pretty faces to come home to?  Melissa, Tara, Roxanne, the beautiful hostess Shari, and of course myself with my Mom and sister, Lisa.

But a party is just not a party without the FOOD! And, simply put, the food at this party was SOOOO Good!  Shari actually found a cookbook from the 40s and used those recipes and made assignments.  Thanks to everyone who helped bring the delicious food!!!

We decorated behind the serving table with the famous "kiss" picture taken on V-Day at Times Square and rosettes that Shari and I spent an afternoon together making.  They turned out pretty cute, I think.

We used old suitcases as risers for the food to bring us the idea of a homecoming, and this was definitely the kind of food the boys wanted to come home to!!!

Juicy ham, fried chicken, buttery peas, super yummy homemade mac and cheese, deviled eggs, scalloped potatoes.  The whole table was comfort food, representing the best cooking of every American soldier's mom!

And then add hot homemade bread, cornbread muffins, homemade jam, spun honey, watermelon, and of course, a bright cucumber salad straight from the Victory Garden, and you have the ultimate home cooked American meal!

I am not exaggerating when I say that everything was AMAZING! (No, we didn't actually eat the SPAM, it was just put on the table for good measure.)  We had enough to feed an army of GIs!

The only bit of the whole food thing that I did was the "Victory Garden" veggie tray that I put together.  I used little veggies in a planter box I found at Home Depot, and made little garden markers with images of Victory Garden propaganda posters of the day.  I thought it turned out just adorable and so colorful!  I think the trowel for serving the veggie dip was a nice touch.

For dessert (no, the candy was not the dessert - it was the appetizer!) Brooke made these incredible lemon bars and her famous coconut layer cake!  Am I a lucky birthday girl or what to have a birthday cake like that?!?

The lovely ladies and their strings of pearls, working in the kitchen.

Time to eat!  Dig in!

Knocking down a peach soda (don't worry, I didn't have to drive.) I'm loving the gloves, though I had a heck of a time finding gloves big enough.  I have a collection of about 50 sets of old ladies gloves and they are all SO tiny!

David & Tara, Mom and Dad, Shirley & Mike.
By the time we ate it was actually cool enough to sit outside.

Now THIS is a party!

I had gathered some fun props, hats, and aprons and set up my own photo booth.  It was so fun to capture old time photos of all my favorite people, starting, of course, with my own parents!

Brent and Melissa try their own version of the "kiss."

Tara is working on her victory garden when her GI Dave comes home.

Dayna and Lisa do-wop with and old microphone!
And me with my dear friend, and hostess with the mostest, Shari!  (How she can look that beautiful and fresh after running around like a mad woman to throw this party is really beyond me!)
I love these ladies!

Shari and her GI, Mark.  (I love this first picture.  It looks so vintage.  I think it is the somber expressions on their faces.  They really are smilers.)

Sue and Ron - happy he's home!

Looks like Nonie was baking when her soldier Keith walked in the door.

The Campbells really knew how to steam up my photo booth.  Now thats how you do the "kiss"!

Shirley and Mike: I think she likes him!
I love that General Patton smile, there, Mike.  Yikes!

Denice and Ty.  Look who ran off and joined the Navy?

Dayna and Dean.  Another soldier returns home safe to his beautiful domestic goddess and of course, another victory kiss.

Roxanne and her man, Chris in his fedora; painting the town red!

And of course, I get to welcome my own GI home too!

After that, all that was left to do was turn up the big band sound, head outside to the dance floor, and celebrate victory with some foot stomping swing!  Mark and Dave's brother Brent came down to teach us all how to do the Jitterbug!  He was a good dancer, and a good teacher too.

We all had a few laughs as we tried not to step on each other's feet.

Shari turned out to be quite the dancer.  Swing it, lady!  My parents were having a great time, and those Coxes - they didn't need to learn a thing.  Those guys really know how to cut a rug!

I don't know what was more fun - dancing or watching the dancing?

Um... I think dancing! (Especially when it is combined with kissing.)

That party was swingin'!  We wore ourselves out and worked off some of that comfort food!

I think everyone just had a wonderful time.  I know I did!

I came home one happy lady!  My party was perfect.  Really perfect.  I just felt so loved and sure that, for myself, the 40s was going to me one fabulous decade!

Thanks, everyone!

Twenty Years Ago

Twenty years ago I knelt down and looked across an altar at this face and said one simple word.

"Yes."

(Just LOOK at that face! Can you blame me? This picture was taken just minutes before he asked me to marry him! Yes, yes, yes!)

Twenty years ago!

He was the sweet faced recently returned missionary, the white boy with the Mexican accent, who couldn't get through a sentence without slipping in to Spanglish.  He had a big heart and big dreams and he was a big guy - taller than me, which was certainly a plus, with big strong arms that I have always made me feel completely safe from the world when wrapped in them.

I was young, very young, just 18 and newly out in the world, off at college.  I had my own big dreams: graduate school, a mission, studying abroad.  I was young and smart, and was going to see the world!

And then I met him,... and decided the world could wait.

I said I was young, but fancied myself an independent and forward-thinking woman who would never be so absurd and foolish as to become a teenage bride!  So I made him wait until a whole week after my 20th birthday which I was convinced was much more sensible.  Like a week makes a difference.  I guess I was sillier than I thought, wasn't I?

Yet, in the days and years and decades since, I have increasingly been amazed and grateful that we made such a wonderful choice when we were so young and so very naive!

I did make my choice carefully, I think, and prayed and prayed to know if he was the ONE.  He was, I was assured, exactly that.

I married him because he was ambitious, and so hard working.  I married him because he loved children, and he loved the Lord, and he was pretty darn crazy about me.  But most of all, I think I married him because he was to very cutest boy I ever saw!!!  That's the truth.  I was young, and he was a hunk, and there it is!

And that is why as the years have gone by, and I have gotten smarter and understood the ways of the world and seen others' relationships struggle and dissolve, I have realized how very, very lucky I was.

Now when I see girls get married that young I cringe, which, I realize is exactly what others probably thought about us.  They are so young!

But I also think that being young, it some ways, was such a good thing for us.  Sure, we both had some growing up to do, but we got to grow up together - towards one another - into one another, even.  Neither one of us was set in our ways, and the world was open to us completely and we could decide together which direction to step and which paths to follow.

Twenty years ago.

But you'd think that in all that growing up we have done (and continue to do, truthfully) together , that we would be more and more like each other. Not so.

Dennis and I are SO very different in so many ways.  He was the jock, I was the brain.  He is sports and movies, I am arts and literature.  He is the trusting optimist, I, the cautious pessimist.  He is street smart, I am book smart.  He is practical, I am aesthetic.  He is always planning for the future, and I love to reminisce about the past.  He is touch, I am feel. He is camping, I am B&B. He is a leader, I am a teacher. He is a night owl, I am the early bird.  He is buffet, I am gourmet.  He is usually calm and controlled, when I am am emotional time bomb.  A vacation for him is relaxing by the pool, for me it is seeing the world.

And yet our differences are what makes us work.  He is quite literally my other half.  We round each other out and we give our children two very different sets of talents and skills to draw from.  And because we look at the world differently, I think we make pretty good decisions, when we make them together.

Like, for instance, the decision to establish a new family together - twenty years ago.

And so we did.  I said "yes" and he said "yes" and then we took a peek of what eternity looks like in the mirrors of that sacred sealing room the LA temple.  And then we stepped out into the sun, into the real world, and started on that journey to eternity together.

Twenty years ago.

And it has been a great ride so far!

I was young and I had wanted to do so much and see the world, and at the time I had thought I had, gladly, given that all up for him.  But that was not true at all.  I did get my degree and my graduate degree.  We supported each other in our schooling, and he became a better student than ever when he had a family to support and who would support him.  He has always been so supportive of me and my dreams.  He has always encouraged me in my every pursuit and endeavor, whether it is art, or photography, or singing, or teaching, and he is always so genuinely proud of my talent and accomplishments.  I feel like I can do anything, because he will always be behind me, believing in me.

 And we have seen so much of the world - together.  The world is a big place, and should really be shared with the one you love.  In fact, we spent our very first anniversary, exactly 19 years ago, in Vienna, thanks to Dennis' one correct answer on a TV game show!

We have been back to Europe 3 times since. Germany and Austria, London & Italy, France, and Spain.  And we have seen the majority of these, the United States, most of them with 6 kids in tow.  But there is so much of the world to yet see, and we plan on seeing it all together.  And I will get to go on my mission one day - only I will get to have the best companion ever: the eternal companion I already picked, twenty years ago.

Then the babies came.  And came and came.  Because we were so young, we waited 3 1/2 years to start our family, but once we started, we quickly made up for lost time with 4 babes in 4 years.  Life was hard for both of us.  I was home, feeling quite trapped and overwhelmed with 4 in diapers, and he was trying to start a career and trying to build up clientele, all while serving in the bishopric.  But we somehow got through and made it work, together. Then, just when things started to come together and the boys started school and Dennis got settled into his career, he got fired and had to go out on his own.  And then another baby came, and another (all boys!) and he worked more and more and was gone more hours than ever trying to make it a go!  But his boys and his wife were his life.  Everything he has always done has always been for us.  He assured me that his long hours were to build up his business, and promised me that when his business was finally up and running smoothly and prosperous enough, he would be able to spend more time with his growing family.

I didn't really believe him, worrying that even though I had married him for being hard working, I might have married a workaholic, and that the more his business grew, the harder he would work, and that he might miss his growing family all together.

I was wrong.  As his business grew and prospered, he was, as he promised, more available for his children.  He is not a workaholic.  He doesn't live to work, but works hard for his family, and when he is not working, he wants to spend every minute with his family.  I hope he knows how wonderful he is in my eyes for this, for knowing that no matter what, he would work as hard as he had to, and do whatever is necessary, to provide for us so that I could stay at home to raise our children.

How could I have known this about him, twenty years ago?

And guess what?  He is not just crazy about his kids, but after 20 years he is still madly and totally crazy about me!  He thinks I am beautiful and tells me that EVERY DAY!  Even when I was prego with twiners and huge as a house.  Even now that I have had 6 kids and am sporting the laugh lines and frown lines and all manner of lines.  His eyes still light up when I walk in the room. His eyes.

The same eyes that still belong to that handsome face that I looked into when I knelt across the altar from him...

And said "yes"...

Twenty years ago.

Happy anniversary, Honey!  You still make me feel completely safe from the world when I am in your arms. I love you!

Happy Hunger Games!

Derek and Dylan decided a long time ago that this year, they were going to have a Hunger Games party!  Now the great thing about having two perspective 13 year olds, is that they are pretty capable of coming up with ideas and helping to throw their own parties.  These guys spend the last few months coming up with ideas and putting this party together, and it was a GREAT one!

Food was kind of easy.  These are the Hunger Games, after all.  My idea was to really stay true to the theme and not serve anything so the kids would be very hungry, but the twins convinced me that some food would be in order.  So we kept snacks simple and true to the theme: apples and goat cheese on rustic bread, and flamin' hot chips and cheetos.

Here is a copy of the invitation.  

We kept the decor simple too, after all, this party was all about the activities, not the decor.  We just hung a few streamers and a few HG posters.  But the one cool thing we did do was hang these parachutes from the ceiling. 

 Of course, the highlight of the display was the fire cake with Katniss' arrow right in the middle!

Of course, when they said they wanted to have a HG party, I loved the idea because it meant one thing: I'd get to be the Capitol's own favorite fashionista, Effie Trinket!

When the kids, I mean prospective tributes, all arrived, as was mandatory, the first thing they had to do of course was register.  They did this by signing their name and putting their bloody thumbprint on the ballot cards that were then taped closed with black tape and tossed into the glass jar.  Now we were ready for the reaping!

The kids were all nervous as we announced the district and then pulled the names of the tributes from each district - and boy and a girl from each, of course.

 Each tribute was given one of these tokens from their district to wear throughout the games.

The red berries were for a game we played a little later on during training where they had to try to identify the poisonous berries.

 As you know, the very first thing that happens after the  reaping, is that the stylists get a hold of the tributes and do their magic!  The district teams had 10 minutes to costume one of them with an outfit that represented their particular district.  The twins were in charge of this and had collected all kinds of fun materials for the stylists to use: foil, paper plates, colorful duct tape, toilet paper, plastic bags..., you name it!

 The kids had a blast and got pretty darn creative.

Cinna would have been proud, no doubt!  And I was glad nobody decided to set themselves on fire!

And what happens after the tributes have been to the stylists?  Why, they get interviewed by Caesar Flickerman himself!  Nate did a great job of playing Caesar with his tuxedo and blue slicked-back pony tail.  Dazzling!

The interview with Caesar was a game along the lines of "I cannot tell a lie." Caesar asked them about some ridiculously silly thing about them, (such as "I understand that when you are nervous you chew on other people's fingernails.  Is this true?") and they have to respond and explain it as if it is true without laughing or breaking character.  

 It was pretty funny, and the tributes all did a pretty good job of it.

And as we all know, after the interviews the real serious work of training begins.  First, the tributes were trained how to identify poisonous berries as in the pic above.

Then they played "Dodge the Careers, a game that the twins made up.  The tributes from districts 1&2 got to throw water balloon grenades at the other tributes who had to run past and try to snatch up backpacks without getting soaked.

 And what do you imagine were in those backpacks that were so important to those tributes?  Well, towels, of course!

 The next game in training was called Tracker Jacker Tag.  First the girls got to be the Tracker Jackers and were each given several sheets of round stickers.  They had to chase the boys and stick on as many stickers as they could.  The the boys got their turn to be the Tracker Jackers.  Whoever had the fewest "stings"won the round.

 Sadly, a few tributes didn't make it.

 The last part of training was practicing camouflage techniques by decorating some of Peeta's cookies.  We provided earth-tone frosting and pictures of various things in nature like tree bark, grass, and cracked mud and let the tributes practice their camo skills.

 Grass, bark, even flowers.  These kids could give Peeta a run for his money!

 When the tributes were all trained they were ready to be transported to the arena.  But before we left, we thought it would be best to sing Happy Birthday to the birthday boys while there where still enough tributes still alive to sing to them and share the cake.

 The flames!  Forget the cake. Everyone just wanted to eat the flames!

 Then we transported the whole group over to the "Arena." It was really our property a few blocks away where we will be building our new house, but for now it provided the perfect place to shoot and run.
Before the official Hunger Games began, my dad set up a archery range and let the tributes all have a chance to hit the mark.

 The kids LOVED trying their skills with a bow and arrow!  And what were they shooting at?

 Bags of apples, obviously!  I think everyone had a better appreciation for Katniss after giving archery a shoot! (Pun intended)

Finally, it was time for the Games to begin!!!

The tributes were placed in a large circle around a retention basin on our property, and down in the ditch was the cornucopia (a tent, actually) filled with and surrounded by all kinds of mortal weapons and supplies.

 And then the gamemakers shot the tiny little cannon, and the games had begun.

 There was a mad rush into the cornucopia as the tribute grabbed hold of anything they could get their hands on.  Others took a different strategy and just ran off as fast as they could.

 Oh the excitement!  Oh the carnage! This was life or death!

 Some tributes refused to go down without a fight. (How many weapons is too many, do you think? Geeze Dylan!)

 The action was intense and the careers were a force to be reckoned with.

 And every tribute used whatever skills they had at their disposal.

 Finally, just as the sun was setting, there were only two tributes left alive!  They fought to the bitter end! (And if you ask either one, they will tell you that they won. That is for the gamemakers to decide, I suppose.)
After all, this Hunger Games was not so much about who won, but who had the most fun, and I really think that from what I saw, it was one huge tie!

These are the numbered bags we prepared for the "feast"at the cornucopia, but we ran out of time for that.  But that was fine, because they all took them home as goodie bags.

It was an awesome party, and so fun to pull together.  Derek and Dylan had some great ideas and really worked hard to make their Hunger Games party a huge success.

I do believe the odd were ever in everybody's favor that day!


(PS, if you want to throw your own Hunger Games party, I have a more descriptive "How To" post about it on my other blog, Out of the Attic, here.)