Despicable Me Minions Birthday Party

This year for my sons birthday, he wanted to do a Minion Birthday Party.  I was very excited because I LOVE these cute little yellow things and couldn't wait to get started.  The only problem was, I couldn't find ANYTHING for his party that didn't cost an arm and a leg.  I'd rather spend the money on gifts and location rather than party stuff that will only get tossed in the trash later.

Food:

Since the party was also a pool party, I used sand buckets and filled with different treats.  We than had hamburgers (I forgot to bring the hotdogs) and chips.  I also brought small snack bags and filled with the remainder fishy crackers, animal crackers and pretzels and added to the goody bags so nothing got tossed in the trash or brought home at the end of the party.

Favors:

I was able to find the plastic party goodie bags at my local party store but the price tag was close to $4.00 for 8 and I really didn't like the look of them.  I decided to see what I could come up with at a cheaper cost.  I started by making a trip to my local Dollar Store.  There I found plan yellow gift bags 10 for $1.00.  Next I tried to find the eyes on the Internet but ran into the problem of how much it was going to cost just to download the template for the eyes.  I decided to create my own computer generated template. 

Here is a sheet of 10 different eyes you can use for your bags, cups or anything else you need. 

I printed them out on Avery 5163 Shipping Labels and than took the time to cut them out (which takes a while) and peeled and stuck to the bags.  I just created a template for the pants and then used a black sharpie to draw the pockets and things on blue card stock.  It was easy to just glue these to the bags.  I then used my sharpie to draw a mouth of different shapes and sizes.  My son wanted to help and added hair to the bags.  I had all the supplies on hand but the yellow bags, so 10 goody bags ended up costing me 10 cents each.

I also wanted to make little minions that could go into the goody bags.  I used the template for the eyes and then created the pants and made a sheet of labels that I could cut and add to the mini cakes. My trouble was finding cakes that didn't have writing on the package.  I had no luck there so I had to make do with what I could find.  I also put the leftovers inside the goody bags as well.

Cake:

I had a hard time finding cake toppers.  I was lucky enough to find this cupcake cake at my Kroger's and then found all the characters at ToysRUs.  It turned out rather great since I had his birthday party at the water park and didn't have to worry about cutting a cake.  The kids just grab the cupcake they wanted without an adult having to cut and put on a plate for them.

All and all it was a great birthday.  Everyone had fun and enjoyed the party.  I hope my ideas and templates help you create something magical for your little ones.

Garden Retirement Party for my Co-Worker Rose

I met Rose close to four years ago and we became fast friends.  When I found out she was going to retire, after wiping the tears from my eyes, I started planning her party.  Most of my research came up with traveling themes and since she was not planning on traveling any place, I needed to come up with something else.  I know that she loves to garden and since her name is Rose it kind of made since to create a party around that.

Decorations:
For decorations I went with simple and cheap.  I found the template for the flower on Yahoo Images and printed them on colored card stock.  I then cut them out and punched a hole in the center for the Pops.  I found the brown plant starters in the garden section and stuffed it with a round styrofoam ball.  I found the foam flowers at the dollar store and added them to the outside.  They kept falling over so I added some fish tank rocks I had at home to the bottom to give it a little more weight.

Food:

For the knives, spoons and forks....i put a napkin in a flower pot and then placed the items inside to give it a more decorative look.  

 We ended up with a lot of food and it was all gone by the end of the party. 

 I took the buns out and placed them in my Longaberger basket. 

 A friend made the veggies in the flowerpot.  It was so cute and Rose was able to take the flowerpot home to reuse. 

 These are bite size Greek Salads made with Cheese, cucumber and tomato.

Next I made "Dirt Dessert", White Oreo Truffles, Banana Pudding and Cherry Cheese Cake.  I love making desserts :-)

 The cake was made by Krogers.  We asked them to come up with a Garden Theme cake and this is what we got.  I think it looks awesome and is one of the best cakes I've had from Krogers.

 Gift:

Coming up with a gift was really hard.  What do you get someone that has everything?  We decided to go with the Garden idea again and just made a basket for her of things she could use.  

 I wanted something unique for all of your co-workers to sign to say good-bye besides a card that would more then likely be tossed into a box and forgotten.  We went with a coffee mug.  Everyone signed just a plan white mug with different color sharpie markers.  Allow the writing to dry 5 minutes before someone else signs so the ink has time to dry.  After it was finished I baked it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  I tested a small dot on the bottom to see if it would wash off and it stayed.  So now she has a mug she can use and think of us every time she drinks her coffee.

 After we figured out what to get her, the basket was rather easy.  Knee pad, flower wind things (can't think of the name right now), garden tools, bug candles, flower seeds, garden magazine, garden gloves and a bucket to put it all in.  Bug spray or sun screen would have been good but I didn't think of it at the time.

This party was both fun and sad.  I will miss my friend at work but am happy that she can now enjoy the time doing something she loves.  Hope you find some of these things helpful in any party that you may want to have.  

Lion King Baby Shower

Last weekend I put together a baby shower for my niece, Kasey.  Everyone knows that I HATE spending money on store bought favors so I like to design my own.  Below is party stuff and the information to help you make your own.

Guest Book:
Instead of using a guest book to sign in, I made a calendar for everyone to pick a date of when they think the baby will come. I made the calendar on PowerPoint and found the lion background print on Yahoo Images.  I then found a few baby Lion King images on yahoo and added it to the calendar to tie it in with the theme.  I found a picture frame at the Dollar Store and removed the glass.  I found pink hand and footprint stickers in the scrapbook section at my local Wal-Mart. These worked great.  Since this was an outside baby shower, I left bug spray out for our guests as a special touch.  

Table and Decorations:
I went with green table clothes and mixed and matched yellow and green plates.  I wrapped fork, spoon and knife inside of a napkin and tied with pick ribbon saying "It's a Girl."  I placed these inside a clear cup as sort of a center piece.

I had a pop-up shade tent that I hung plastic table clothes in different color to give the tent a more party feel.  This was a pain in the @** and I will not do it again :-)  I then blew up pink, green and yellow balloons and hung in the center with pink pacifiers hanging down with "It's a Girl" ribbon.  This was nice because every time the wind would blow you would here then cling together like a wind chime.

Games:
 For games I created a card style document which had all the games we were playing.  Below is the template I created.  I deleted Kasey's name and shower date to allow anyone else to use this idea for their party.  One game that is not listed is the play-doh baby.  Each person was given a small container of play-doh which I was able to find at Wal-Mart for 20 cents a piece.  Using the play-doh they had to create a baby.  It was pretty funny to see what everyone came up with.

Favors:
My favorite part of any party is the favors.  I always go over board but I love coming up with the ideas and creating each item.  For this party I did several different ones.  Since it was a Lion King party I had to do something with animal crackers.  I filled a snack size baggy with cookies and then taped it to green card stock.  I made the tags and printed on label paper and just peeled and stuck it to the card stock.  I love labels and use them like stickers ALL THE TIME!!!  Below is the template I created minus the name and shower date for anyone to use.

Next, I created "Bun in the Oven" boxes with Cinnamon bun cookies inside.  The small boxes I got on sale at Wal-Mart years ago.  I think I paid something like $5.00 for 100.  I use them all the time so if you find them on sale....grab them up!  I just happened to find the cookies by chance. I found the oven on Yahoo Images and added the "Bun in the Oven".  I also added the "time" as the date of the shower.  I created the stove top by using PowerPoint and then just found images of a towel and oven mitts to add.  I again used labels to print these images out on and then peeled and stuck onto the boxes. 

Last I created a peanut favor.  I found the boxes at the Dollar Store (10 for $1.00).  You can get a huge bag of peanuts for around $3.00 at your local store.  I also grabbed some yellow tissue paper to add a touch of color.  I found the monkey on Yahoo Images and added the saying along with Kasey's name and shower date.  I then printed it off on....you guessed it....labels! Below is the template you can use to make yours.

Other:

To add a little more fun to the party, I had a Diaper Change station set up where guests could leave a note for the parents on those late nights when all you want to do is sleep but your baby has other ideas.  Everyone had a blast coming up with cute things to say. 

 

For my first baby shower, I think this turned out really well and I was able to keep within a budget by doing a lot of things myself.  I hope this give others ideas of their own and you have has much fun as I did.

Until next time!

Backpacking Dolly Sods West Virginia

Earlier this week, I stuffed my backpack and headed toward Dolly Sods for an overnight hiking trip.  This was my first time at Dolly Sods and my first time backpacking by myself.  My pack weighed in at 30 pounds and contained; food, water, tent, sleeping bag, map, dog food and some other personal items. It took me an extra hour to arrive at my starting point, Bear Rocks Trail, because I missed a turn and had to backtrack some.  It was still early when I started off.  The plan was to hike in 6 miles and camp overnight and then hike out on a different path 8 miles back to the car.  It didn't work out as planned.

The start of the trail looked promising.  Scout, my dog, was so excited and wanted to stop every few feet to smell everything around him.  At the end of this path and a steep downhill rocky path and a small camping area off to the side.  Further down the hill is another camp site beside a creek.  Someone had taken the time to build rock seats around the campfire pit.  The ground was soft and cleared.  The trees overhead keep the sun from beating down on you. 

There was two paths off of this site.  Neither were marked but my map of the area told me to stay left.  I took the left path and ended up climbing up the mountain on a very small path with weeds up to your knees.  FYI, make sure you treat yourself and your pet before going into Dolly Sods. At the top of the hill was another campsite.  This one over looked a really nice rock pile and stream. 

I walked around this area for a while trying to find another path but came up empty so decided to retrace my steps back to the creek campsite and take another path.  This path lead to another steep climb but the path was wider and paved with tons of rocks.  This path goes on for miles of pretty sites and turns.  One of the paths brought me to a field of ferns.  It was just breathtaking to stand in the middle of nothing but all these ferns as far as the eye could see. 

After a short stop for some water and jerk, Scout and I continued climbing up the hill.  Mile after mile passed and I started to think I was lost because there was no more signs.  The path looked well used so I continued to walk.  I researched the park before coming and learned that bears will sometime make off with the path signs so I wasn't to worried.  More miles passed and I found myself on top of the mountain.

All the tree limbs were pointing one way.  It was pretty cool to see.  I read up on the wind pushing the trees so much that the limbs just grow that way.  I continued on, keeping an eye on my watch that counts miles walked and I knew that I was over my 6 mile limit and my campsite should have been close by.  The clouds were starting to turn and the wind was picking up.  I knew the rain was coming and wanted to get all set up before the rain came.  Miles after mile passed again.  The path became smaller and the mud was getting deeper and deeper.  I was starting to think I had taken a wrong path when I saw another couple and their dog ahead of me.  After a talk with them I figured out that I was only about 3 miles from my car.  I joined them on the hike for the next two miles, through the mud.  At the bottom of the hill to Bear Rock Trail, Scout and I took a much needed water and food rest.  

By the time I made it back to my car, we had hiked the complete trail all in one day.  14 miles with a 30 pound pack on my back.  Scout and I drove to Seneca campground to set up our tent.  After a really good meal of beef stew and tons of water, we retired to our tent just in time for the rain to fall. 

West Virginia Turns 150 Years Old

My wonderful state turned 150 years old last weekend.  And in true WV style, the people came together for an amazing celebration.  The grounds of Charleston was covered with fun things to do for all members of the family.  It was a very hot day and we had our National Guards Men and Women there handing out bottle water and manning the First Aid tents.  They also provided a rock wall for the kids to play on, which is where we spent most of our time.  

But the best part was the 3D movie which was played with the front steps as the back drop.  You will have to see it for yourself because no words can describe it. After the movie a stunning display of fireworks was launched from the Capitol's roof.  See below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y44dmxJFVu0

I know my state gets a bad rap but that is only because outsiders have no clue what the people of this state are really like outside of Hollywood movies.  Truth is West Virginia has many first in the USA that lot of people have forgot. 

• The only state in the Union to have acquired sovereignty by proclamation of the resident was WV.
• On July 1, 1921, WV was the first state to start sales tax. (That one really isn't that great).
• In 1926, WV opened the first federal prison exclusively for women in the US.
• On November 8, 1954, WV Memorial Tunnel became the first in the nation to be monitored by television.
• On October 6, 1896, Charles Town became the first rural free mail delivery, which then spread throughout the US.
• On December 3, 1787, James Rumsey launched the first steamboat in Shepherdstown.
• In 1908, Wheeling started the first outdoor advertising when the Block Brothers Tobacco Company painted barns and bridges with "Treat Yourself to the Best, Chew Mail Pouch."
• In 1928, WV's House of Delegates member, Mrs. Minnie Buckingham Harper, became the first African American woman to become a member of a legislative body in the US.
• On October 23, 1870, Charleston, WV laid the first brick street in the world on Summers Street.

I could go on and on but you get the point.  I love living here and having such a awesome "backyard" to play in.  We have white water rafting, rock climbing, hiking, camping, history, culture, four wheeling, fishing, boating, hunting, scuba diving and so much more.  

So before you judge West Virginia or it's people, why don't you just jump in your car and make your way here for a weekend and find out for yourself what a beautiful place it is.  

Moving On

This pretty much says all that I need to say today. 

WV Writers Conference 2013

I’m sad to say that the three days I wait for each year has come and gone.  I’m talking about the WV Writers Conference held each year at Cedar Lakes, West Virginia.  This year the conference had approximately 45 workshops to pick from and tons of items in the book store.  I was also lucky enough to outbid others on some really great books that I can’t wait to start reading in the silent auction.  I will say that I was so excited after hearing the buzz about Flowertown by S.G. Redling that I skipped the nightly entertainment after the awards banquet and dived right into starting it.  I will let you know what I think in a later post.

 For all that do not know, WV Writers has been around since February 1977.  The first conference was held in June 1978 at the Charleston Culture Center and housed close to 200 state wide writers.  I discovered this organization when I moved back to WV in 2010.  My first conference was in 2011 and I look forward to it every year.  It has been a wonderful place to meet others who love to write and to learn the trick of the trade in the business. 

I’ve been writing for more years then I care to say.  I started in high school as a reporter and by my senior years, was made editor-in-chief.  Since then I have been hooked and have wrote on and off since then.  The conference has helped me get the juices flowing again and opened my mind to allow my characters to find their voices and tell their stories.  I hope to have something to submit for next years conference.  Wish me luck!

The conference offers many opportunities to writers to get their work noticed.  You can submit your work before the conference to be judged for a small fee.  There is also several chances at the Conference to win an award if you missed the mailed in submission deadline.  One would be The Writer’s Wall which allows you to post your work on boards for all to read and vote on.  Another is to read your work to a group and let others vote for the People’s Choice Award. 

I saved the best for last.  The conference offers pitch sessions for you to speak to an agent about your book.  Why not skip sending out another batch of query letters and take a chance to meet an agent to pitch your book face to face.   Best part….no waiting months for rejection!

There were so many workshops that I can’t list them all.  Below I have giving you a brief Review of some of the workshops I did attend this year:

“Every Novel is a Mystery and the Devil IS in the Details” by Marie Manilla. 

This was a really great workshop to start off the weekend.  I learned that you need to leave clues throughout your novel that leads up to the big reveal at the end.  Manilla gave us a really great exercise in which we pictured two different people going into any place you want them to.  We were asked to list everything that the characters see from their point of views.  I picked a woman in her early twenties who was raised to be tough and her grandmother who sees everyone through rose colored glasses.  They are on a road trip and stop at a gas station.  The younger woman sees all the exits, video cameras, how many people in the store, every potential hiding spot and any items that could be used for a weapon.  The grandmother sees what snacks she wants for the trip, bathroom door, and the college shirt the cashier is wearing happens to be the place her brother went to.  I was also asked to share my thoughts with the class and I learned that I’m very shy speaking to a group of people.  That is something I need to work on.

 “Marketing To Your Target Audience” by Christine Witthohn 

This workshop was huge source of wonderful knowledge for anyone wanting to publish their books.  It was really nice to speak to agents and authors about the process.  I really had no idea that before you want to publish your book, you should start marketing it 9-6 months before the book is released.  Places like twitter, facebook, writers groups and conferences are a great place to start.  Plus, it’s FREE!  You must know WHO your target market is.  Who is your completion? What is your books hook?  Even simple things like book titles and cover art can make or break your book.  I also learned that swag doesn’t really help you sale your book.  A simple thing like business cards work better to get your name out there and cause the buzz to start about your book.  Websites are awesome if you spend the time to make it good.  Agents normally will google your name to see what is out there if they are interested in you.  Your score on Amazon does make a difference.  If you have a book for sale there then you need to create an author page to start building your score.  Sad to say but thing like this, my blog, are old school.  I also learned in the agent world, 25 lines on a page is equal to 250 words per page.  It’s a good rule of thumb for publishers to quickly figure out the word count.  

"How to Pitch Your Book" by Christine Witthohn

     Who doesn’t want to know this?  In a nut shell, work on telling your complete story in three sentences.  When you think about a pitch, think about TV Guide and the short summary they give of TV shows and movies that will hook you to watching.  Your pitch should be no more than 3 minutes and included; word count, genre, your stories hook and summary of story.

     "Social Media for Writers" by Heather Isaacs

     If you haven’t, open your world to social media.  Follow agents and people that you know that write.  Agents will sometime let everyone know that they are on a hut for a certain book.  If you just happen to have that certain book then it could be as easy as submitting your work to them.   

      “My Evil Plan is Working! by Sheila Redling

I loved this workshop and it was so full of writers that people were seating on the floor.  In one of Redling’s handouts, she had three tables with the titles of each being; Quality, Villain and Hero.  She also made great points when writing about the relationship between Hero and Villain.  You need to ask yourself basic questions like;  Why would your hero fight the villain?  How does the villain justify his acts?  What does the villain have to gain?  Why are they against each other?  I have also learned of the Mary Sue Litmus Test (see the link below).  This little test is a good way to find out if your characters are too good to be true.  Meaning, does the world fall at their feet?  Does your characters touch seem to turn everything nice and rosy.  I have never heard of this before and was excited.  http://www.springhole.net/writing/marysue.htm 

      “Introduction to Writing Graphic Narratives by Robert Tinnell

I have never thought of doing a comic strip but since there was not another workshop that I wanted to attend in this hour slot, I took a chance and went.  I was presently surprised to learn about the amount of work that goes into one comic.  Each page of script equals about two pages of comics.  One should never use more than 7 panels to a page.  Bookstores are looking for comics that are around 106 pages or 53 pages of script.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog review of the books I read and love. I'm a huge fan of books. There is nothing in this world better for relaxing than getting lost in a really good book on a rainy and cold afternoon. Over the years I have read thousands, so many in fact that sometimes I'm known to buy the same book twice! This year my state is celebrating its 150th birthday. My local library has started this fun group activity to read 150 books in one year. As of today (May 21, 2013) I am at 72 books with 78 left to go and not even half way through the year.

I came up with the name Book, Wine and Time because everything else I could think of was taken. Who would have known the amount of blogs out there.

I thought this would be a great place to start documenting my books and maybe giving my opinion on each one. I read anything and everything as long as it can hold my interest.  Even the books that I find really bad, I still can't seem to put them down until the last page. I had one of these a few weeks ago...dry, slow.....BAD. But others loved the books so to each their own.

My taste lately has been YA. I find the high school romance and first taste of love refreshing. I like action and adventure and light romance. Although since ALOT of the free ebooks are romance, I find I'm reading more and more of them.

What I look for in a book?

1. A book needs pages. What I mean to say is a book has to be long enough that a story is developed and draws the reader in and keeps them in on every page. I find some books are just to short and the story just seems rushed.

2. Beware of the love at first page. When I read things like "I would die for her" on the first few pages of a book after the characters just meet, I want to toss the thing right out of the window. It's a book....stop making characters fall in love so fast. Pull your readers in by dragging it out a little. Let the readers fall in love with the characters before they do. Makes for a better books to read.

3. The F-bomb. I'm not sure when this became so big but I'm finding it more and more in books and it kind of drives me crazy. To drop this word now and then is not that bad but to have every sentence spoken out of a character’s mouth having this word in it kind of kills the story.

4. And the one thing that drives me crazy is when a story just ends and leaves you hanging for the next book that doesn't come out until years later. I can't stand this. I read so many books that most of the time I forget all about the next one coming out. I kind of wish that if someone published a book series that they would complete the whole series before they sale the first book. That way, if you like it, you can buy all the books and enjoy the complete story. Although there is a few really GREAT books that I have my calendar marked for when they come out.

With all the above being said...I hope you enjoy my blog and I hope that the books I read and post about will be something that interests you to read as well. Everything I state will be my opinion. Please take note that I'm doing this for fun, nothing more. Enjoy!