Bring on the Popsicles

I'm on the hunt for popsicle molds. We've already had way too many 90-degree days and it's only June. The only way I'm going to endure this heat is with a freezer full of frozen treats, so let's get this old-school popsicle train rolling.  

How to Throw a Leap Year Party: Part Two

Five holidays. One night. Presenting: All-iday 2012, a photo essay. 

{Read Part One of How to Throw a Leap Year Party, here.}

Halloween: The Dining Room 

Costume photo booth

Glittery black bats!

Trick or treat ("treat" meant pulling something out of the giant bowl of Mexican candy)

 

Thanksgiving: The Kitchen

{How are there NO photos of the food??? Oops, we really dropped the ball. It was delicious}

20-lb turkey!

Sausage stuffing with caramelized onions, baked in muffin cups

Brussels sprouts/bacon skewers

Mini-sweet potato pies with toasted mini-marshmallows on top

The best cranberries ever (thanks to Lucy for the recipe)

Preschool-style Hand Turkeys adorning the kitchen cabinets

Decorate your own Hand Turkey 

Fourth of July: The Bathroom

Ha. This was one of the most controversial party-planning elements. After MUCH discussion, the downstairs bathroom was dedicated to our nation's birth. The upstairs bathroom became the designated W.C. No PBR was harmed in the process. 

Whiskey

Beer

Patriotic music piped specially in (there was however, an iPod harmed in the process; bathtub full of beer water and electronics don't mix)

 

Christmas: The Living Room

A Christmas tree with edible ornaments– gingerbread cookies, truffles, cupcakes and candy canes

Carefully wrapped, hilarious, $10 gifts under the tree (I think someone left their Aaron Carter CD at my house...)

Ornaments, boughs and bows galore

New Year's Eve: The Front Porch

Champagne Tower

Balloon Drop

Countdown to Midnight!

Parting Gift: Bottle of Water + Aspirin

This party was crazy fun and will probably never be duplicated. The whole thing would not have been possible without the laser-like creativity of Melissa Mobley Copon. Together, we make stuff like this happen. 

Now mark your calendars for Leap Year 2016!

Happy Weekend!

Still can't believe I was here.

At last! The first weekend of June. Doesn't it feel glorious? Just last week I was in an Italian taxi cab, careening around the Colosseum at reckless speeds (pictures of my epic gelato affair to come). Now I'm in Saint Paul, with a garden to tend and a summer to get kick-started. 

Grand Avenue shuts down on Sunday, becoming the longest stream of corndog-eating amblers you've ever seen. Our house on a hill is the perfect spot to watch the crowds go by. On the docket: boxes upon boxes of Old Dutch potato chips, hot dogs on the grill and an ice cold refrigerator full of our nation's finest, PBR.

It feels so good to be home.