Turn Any Event into a Party!

There is only one time a year when a group of girls get together to watch another group of girls walk down a runway half naked. And it is completely acceptable to eat popcorn, candy and oreos!

This year I decided to invite over some girl friends and watch the show together. Plus, some of us have a small girl crush on Taylor Swift and we wanted to watch her performance. 

No matter what kind of party you throw, I feel like invitations will always set the mood. 

I had a group of dairy farmers host an event at work last week and they drank a lot of milk! I thought that Strawberry milk and cookies would be something fun and different for my PINK themed party. [Lets just say, Strawberry milk is not everyone's favorite]

I LOVE POPCORN! It should literally be its own food group and is very necessary at any party. 

We had a complete buffet of treats to make any viewing party fun and exiting. 

I recently found the Archer Farmers Sparkling Soda at Target which was also pink!

Diva and her best friend Whitnee

It was a great night and I loved having my 4 best friends together!

I feel like you can turn any activity or event into a fun and memorable party! It doesn't take much just a little coordinating, great company and fun food. I like planning events and parties because I enjoy the outcome, I love seeing people get excited over the small details or unique treats. 

Until the next party - Happy Holidays!

xoxo,

S

Pre Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving always comes at the perfect time of year! It's a great opportunity to spend time thinking about everything we are grateful for and to really count the blessings in our life. There are so many things I am thankful for its hard to write them all down or even remember them, but my top 5 things I am grateful for this year are:

Good Health |  Family | The Gospel | Amazing Friends |The Opportunity to Chase My Dreams|

Every year for Thanksgiving my entire extended family travels to St. George and we spend the weekend together going to movies, shooting guns, 4-wheeling, going on hikes, and having a great Thanksgiving feast. 
However, the Sunday before my mom always cooks a Thanksgiving meal with the recipes she learned from her mother and its one of my favorite meals she makes. I had the privilege of decorating the main dining table for this wonderful meal. 

Theme: Simplistic Natural Harvest 

[Because we did dinner family style, I needed space on the table for the food dishes - so I tried to keep the decorations simple. I wanted to evoke fall's abundance so I used pinecones, fall leaves, twigs and burlap to help give it that rustic feel] 

My mom has amazing china & table clothes for just about anything. All the plates, silverware, glasses and napkins were hers. 

I found a great (free) template from TheTomKatStudio for place cards to keep with my simple yet rustic feel.

Coming up with a centerpiece was more of a challenge. I don't particularly love tall centerpieces in intimate settings because I feel like you can't have a conversation with the person across from you. Twigs and Pinecones were the perfect combination and allowed me to add a lot of special details. (also because the craft stores put away their Fall decor with Halloween and only Christmas decorations were out)

My mom makes THE BEST Homemade Apple Pie - which is a recipe that her mother passed down to her. 

I wanted to feature this wonderful pie and so I created a "Pie Display" area in the kitchen. 

These are just a few of the great things we had at dinner - these rolls are also made from scratch and were delicious! My mother is an INCREDIBLE COOK!

Almond Cranberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Spinach

Chopped Cabbage 

Green Onions

Cranberries

Candied Almonds

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Brianna's Homestyle Poppy Seed Dressing 

It was a delicious homemade meal and I seriously credit it all to my mother! She has always been an amazing cook and one day I will learn to be as great as she is. 

Maybe next year I will make some of the food. 

I am thankful for a great year and the opportunity to celebrate this holiday with loved ones.

xoxo

S