‘Girls Night In’ Articles at Sweetnicks

The Makings of a Pinterest Party {Girls’ Night In}

April 24, 2012 · Narrative

I fell into the habit of an annual Girls’ Night In party. But as one of the guests leaving Saturday night said, “We should do this every month.” Once a year ~~might not be~~ isn’t enough.

Last year, a group of friends converged at my house the night before I flew off to Seattle. We made bracelets out of t-shirt material, and sent them off to an orphanage. That was awesome.

This year, a few months ago, I decided on a Pinterest-themed party, since quite a few of my friends use the site as much as I do. Potluck-style. Everyone brings a few dishes, inspired by pins from Pinterest. And I planned a craft that I also found on Pinterest.

We started pinning things to get the ideas flowing. One friend remarked that it looked like mostly desserts and cocktails.

I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.

But it actually ended up vastly different.

Only two desserts.

Mom Juice and bottles of wine.

And lots and lots of deliciously savory food.

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Weekend Photos in Review

April 22, 2012 · Narrative

Any weekend that kicks off with Friday afternoon cupcakes from a co-worker is bound to be good.

We know three families with autistic children, so when I heard about the 5k to support autism research, it was a no-brainer. Especially when one of the families was participating in the walk.

And if I can convince someone else to get up at 6:30 am to do it with me? Even better.

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Planning a Girls’ Night In

December 15, 2011 · Ad-Free, Narrative

Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There’s no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com.

This time of year, our calendars bulge with holiday commitments, parties, and general chaos. That’s why I pretty much never have a holiday party. Instead, we plan more out-of-the-box ideas … our Rainbow Cake party twice a year to celebrate both the beginning and end of school, our Chinese New Year celebration, our annual Valentine’s Day party, our bacon fete, and parties just because. Which are sometimes my favorite kind.

Back in the Spring (yes, it has taken me this long to blog about it), I hosted a Girls Night In. It actually ended up being the night before I left on my Seattle/Starbucks trip. I debated about rescheduling the party, but had been so looking forward to it. With a little careful planning, you too can have a party the night before you fly across country for Starbucks College! Especially if you make it a potluck affair with awesome friends.

The reason for the party to begin with? I had heard about Craft Hope, an organization that tries to meet needs of orphans through handmade goodness, and at the time, they were looking for people to make handmade bracelets, to be sent to orphaned children clear across the world. I have long considered adopting, even when The Ex and I were still married, so this was something that I didn’t need arm twisting to participate in. Add in a group of fun girlfriends, an array of homecooked food and Mom Juice, and directions to make bracelets using t-shirt material, and a perfect Girls Night In was born.

The bracelets are relatively simple to make but require coordination. Of which I have exactly none. Spoken by the person who sprained her ankle. Wearing sneakers. Just walking down three steps. Luckily out of the group of ten of us, there were at least 3 or 4 that got the concept quickly. And they schooled the helpless. Or hopeless. Depending on your perspective. And how much Mom Juice had been injested at that point.

Madeline just saw this picture of me and responded with “Oh Mom, you look cute!” Yeah, that was back when I had hair. I feel like it’s barely grown an inch since I lopped off 9 over the summer. It is s-l-o-w going for sure, and a cut I won’t likely repeat.

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