The Foreman Five

Peace Out Single Digits- Fun 70's Birthday Party Theme

Planning and throwing a party is one of my absolute favorite things to do. But to be honest I was so stressed about this party. Emily begged for months to host her first slumber party but we only had one little problem. Our home was still under construction! I tried to convince her of letting it go but she wouldn't let up. I finally agreed but was so concerned about throwing this party. The idea of a slumber party was daunting on its own, hello 13 tweens under my roof. But hosting while under construction was another level.

I live for sibling costumes but I fear my days are numbered on getting my oldest to agree. Insert tears and tissues!!! It's hard to find cute and unique sibling/family costumes. I'm always looking for new ideas and thought others might be as well so I thought I would share our past costumes. One of my favorites was this Race Car Driver and Pit Crew. The girls and I were part of Jack's pit crew which was unique and so adorable!

I typically hate store bought costumes so I either have something made or I buy clothes that can fit the theme. For this set I bought a traditional costume for Jack and then traditional clothes for the girls.

I live for a family costume and this year the theme was "sports". Jack was a momo rider and the girls and I were his cheerleaders. This year I asked Emily what she wanted to be and she said a cheerleader. I then based everything around that to make a family costume work.

I love celebrating all holidays, special events and milestones but I LIVE for our North Pole Breakfast which kicks off the Christmas season. It's the day our elf, Jingle arrives from the North Pole and it gets everyone in the spirit of the most magical season. Every year I throw a different themed breakfast to celebrate the occasion. This years theme was reindeers and hands down has been my favorite so far.

I'm the queen of easy peasy when it comes to cooking and baking. I love homemade (read semi-homemade) but I don't have the time or the energy for a super hard recipe. I love this recipe because it only takes minutes to whip together; you could even make it the same day you need to serve it. Just allow about 4 hours to set in the freezer.

I was looking for a dessert recipe for our Thanksgiving meal but I wanted it to have a slight twist from the traditional. Since citrus is in season and I'm looking for any way to sneak in some extra vitamin C I wanted to create a recipe with mandarins. I always get my citrus from Bee Sweet Citrus because they have year-round availabilty for oranges, mandarins and lemons. They have speciality citrus varieties during the California domestic season. Right now us locals can look forward to Meyer Lemons, Cara Cara Navels (hello gorgeous!), Blood Oranges, Star Ruby Grapefruit and Pummelos. Another reason I love supporting Bee Sweet Citrus is because they are a family owned and operated grower, packer and shopper of citrus.

Enjoy your sweet and delicious dessert and wishing everyone a blessed Thanksgiving!

Ingredients:

2 blocks of cream cheese (16 oz each)
1 C. plus 2 Tbsp. of granulated sugar
1 C. of mandarin oranges, peeled
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 C. Cool Whip
Graham Cracker Crust (ready made)

Instructions:

Add cream cheese, sugar, oranges and vanilla to a stand mixer and mix on low until all the ingredients are combined and smooth. Gently fold in the Cool Whip. Pour mixture into crust and freeze for at least 4 hours. Top with a dollop of Cool Whip and a mandarin/orange.

The Lord is Within Her; She Will Not Fall

Emily's First Holy Communion was scheduled for right after the world shut down so of course it was postponed. Unfortunately, it was moved to the hottest day of the year and didn't look normal at all. Looking back the day makes me a little sad because it's one of the most important days in a child's life and it was stripped of all the sacred beauty. But overall, I am grateful for Emily to receive this sacrament.

Since we were still in quarantine we did a very small party to celebrate the occasion. Despite the intimate gathering I still wanted to make the day special for Emily. The decor I used was simple: a chalkboard with bible verse, ballon arch, cake and flowers.

Halloween Fun & Traditions 2020

Halloween is such a fun time of year and this year it was so nice to get out and keep our traditions alive! Anyone who knows me knows I live for traditions. Is it even Halloween if you don't take a trip the pumpkin patch, carve pumpkins and go trick or treating?!?! Those are our favorite activities during the season.