My birthday is at the end of August. Growing up I always considered it a curse to have a summer birthday. For many years I didn’t have a party with friends because they were either out of town on vacation or they were too busy getting ready to head back to school. Some twenty-plus years later, I’ve learned that having a summer birthday doesn’t have to be a bummer. Rather, there are plenty of ways you can infuse fun into an outdoor bash that makes the most of the season’s beautiful weather: Cupcake War: This year, my daughter is insisting … Continue reading →

The countdown to my daughter’s birthday party is on. However, unlike in years past when she decided on a theme for her shindig two weeks after Christmas, this time around the jury is still out. With time ticking I came up with a list of potential themes that I could probably pull off without enlisting Martha Stewart or Colin Cowie’s help. Here are just some of the fun, fun, fun suggestions my daughter will be choosing from: Bugs: My mom is a ladybug fanatic and has all kinds of decorations we could use for the party. Granted, my daughter is … Continue reading →

I’ve been harping on the fact that summer entertaining can be f-f-f-u-n… fun! The cheerleader in me strongly encourages everyone out there to host at least one outdoor shindig this summer. I’m confident that once you have one party under your belt, you’ll see just how fun outdoor entertaining can be. In previous blogs I touched on the importance of choosing a theme and how to get creative with the decor and the invite list. The next step in your outdoor party planning is devising a decent menu. After all, while you may spend countless hours decorating for your summer … Continue reading →