Luau Graduation Party

My sister Jessie and I decided to throw our little sister, Danielle a luau graduation. We had it last sunday--and it turned out pretty great. there was a lot of kids and they all seemed to have a nice time. when we were decorating in the morning we were a little nervous with the booming thunder and sprinkles. we tried not to think of the doom and gloom that the weatherman promised. lucky for us he was wrong! it turned out to be really nice the rest of the day and night!! besides being really super muggy the weather was sunny and the luau went on until 10 or so at night. the only thing that kind of bothered me about the party was the menu. i had planned on having your classic hamburger and hot dogs, but wanted to jazz it up with grilled pineapple as one of the possible condiment/topper. I also was hoping for kabobs with shrimp and veggies....my father didnt like this plan and decided pasta, meatballs, sausage and peppers along with the hamburgers and hotdogs. personally, i thought it was silly to serve hot italian food at a luau in 90 degree weather---but he paid for the shin dig so i had to let it go. jessie and i also planned on making the cupcakes ourselves but again...my ever controlling father said NO! we ended up buying them and were a little disapointed that the frosting was airbrushed---they didnt come out half-bad. ohhhh and the cake we ordered. its a photo cake with a pic of danielle at a very young age wearing my older sisters cap and gown. notice the congratafjkads;lfjsd. they messed up so bad on the writing and piping. big y bakery stinks! other than that, i was really happy with how everything came out. the whole family worked hard to make everything nice, im glad we had something special for danielle. i really liked the cupcake tiers we made. i saw a how-to on cakejournal.com, the main difference is i couldnt find any "cake dummies" for the pillars. we ended up using rectangle floral foam---they were pretty nifty though. anyway, just thought you might want to see a glimpse of the decorations and the graduate:

Ten Things to Try

1. Pay the price for strength and progress in the challenging role of wife and mother by taking time for daily scripture reading and prayer.
2. Do a quick "Priorities-Check-Up". Ask yourself if you are making timein your life for the things you value most.
3. Work with your own mood swings and energy levels.
4. Have a system for accomplishing your housekeeping tasks. A plan, time-limits, and an established routine can help you use your time more effectively.
5. Make routine work pleasant by listening to tapes, memorizing, planning, or meditating while you do chores which take little concentration.
6. Schedule an "island of time" for yourself each day and watch your morale improve(blogging!!)
7. Share your interests with your children. If you write poetry,read and discuss it with them; if you paint, let them watch and imitate you.
8. Give your best to your family by doing your best for yourself. (developing your own interests and taking care of your appearance..etc.)
9. Try new ways to show your husband love and support. Pray for him in family prayers, tell the children (in his presence) how grateful you are for their special father, or plan a special program to honor him.
10. Keep an "eternal perspective", remembering that if you trust in the Lord, do your work well, and put first things first-"the best is yet to come!"
To parents, with love pg 43-44