RS Party Party

Party Party Information!

For those of you who missed the activity, we missed you!  Amy Greenland gave us a great lesson on gift giving and has tags for simple gifts if you want her to help you with that.  Heather has some awesome cake baking tips to get your cakes looking professional and would be happy to answer questions for you, I'm sure.  Thanks to everyone who came and everyone who taught (Amy, Brigitte, Laura, and Heather) and Sami for helping prep.  It was really a fun afternoon!

Below are some of the things we learned there.  Hope this gives you some help with your next big event...

How to Make a Gift Bow...

Zoom in on the image and talk to Brigitte Papa if you have any questions!

Cake Decorating

Buttercream Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tbsp heavy cream

Mix butter and sugar on low until well blended.  Mix on medium for 3 more minutes.  Add vanilla and cream and mix for another 2-3 minutes.

Royal Icing
(glue for gingerbread houses, or make-ahead decorations)

3 tbsp meringue powder (found in craft section at stores)
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
6 tbsp water

Beat all ingredients at low speed for 7-10 minutes or until icing forms peaks.  Keep icing covered with wet kitchen towel to avoid drying out.

Decorating Icing

(preferably just for accents.  *you can cut this recipe in half or smaller)

1 1/2 c. Crisco shortening
2 lb. sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 c. water
1-1 1/2 tsp. clear vanilla or desired flavoring

Cream shortening, sift sugar over the shortening, add scant 1/2 cup of water and flavoring. Mix on low speed to prevent air bubbles from forming. Cover bowl with damp towel and use as desired.

Ganache

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Put ingredients in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat and stir until melted together.  Put in the fridge and cool for approx. 40 min for pourable ganache, and longer for spreadable.  For both types, spread/smooth with a spatula if necessary and chill until set.

New to decorating?  Check out www.wilton.com and select Cake Decorating 101 on the left of the page.  They have great tips on frostings, fondants, and decorating that are free!

Party Games!

Questions?  Talk to Sami Jones

Games, Games, and more Games


Sami’s personal quote, “Games make or break a party! Gotta love the games!”
**I am also all about inexpensive ideas that are fun and get people involved. I usually have several games prepared and feel out the party to see if you want to play all of them***



Some of my Favorites:


Birthday Party (adapt to age and gender)
Photo Booth- bring props could go with a theme, have someone take their picture.
Music- kids especially (freeze dance, musical chairs, hot potato, cake walk)
Scavenger Hunt- things around the room or backpack or purse
Balloon Stomp- tie a balloon to leg and run around and pop everyone else’s.
Relay Games- dress ups (pile of clothes to put on), water cup with a little hole in it run and fill a bucket up to the line, egg on a spoon.
Paper Bag- on one foot bend down and get it with your teeth. Progressively cut the bag shorter with each round


Baby Shower
Memory- have the matches go with candy. (i.e. breast feeding they get a milky way bar, pacifier-ring pop, etc.)
Present Bingo- fill out Bingo cards with gifts they think she will receive. As she opens they cross them off and try to get Bingo. (have cheap presents to choose from)
Don’t Say Baby- Safety pin and collect others when they say baby, Person with the most pins wins.
Sing Off- two teams. Have the players think of songs with the word baby in it, until a team can’t think of a song (other words, love, sweetheart, etc.)


Cool/Helpful Internet Resources
(mostly blogs) http://karaspartyideas.com/-AMAZING
http://partiesandholidays.blogspot.com
http://blog.hwtm.com/
http://familyfun.go.com/
http://www.marthastewart.com/

Catering

Laura Theodosis is our culinary expert and can help you with questions re: food at your next event!

Catering – Tips and Tricks to do it yourself!

You are excited to share the food you love with the people you love at an event  - now how much food will you need?  Many factors play a part: the length of the event, number of people and the types of food you are serving.

Appetizers

Evening function with no dinner:

        10-15 pieces per person. Make sure it's substantial. When appetizers are served buffet-style vs. passed on trays, people tend to eat more.

Evening function with dinner following:

        3-5 pieces per person. Can be lighter foods such as cheese or veggies.

Late morning or early afternoon with a meal following:

        1-3 pieces per person. Again, can be lighter, such as veggies or cheese.

Beverages

        About 3 beverages per person at a party.

        A 2-liter of soda fills ten 8-ounce glasses.

Breakfast

        Offer juice, milk and water.

        People will drink about 2 beverages each.

        Offer a main entrée (about 5 oz). Offer 2-3 side dishes (4 oz. each) with bread or a starch and dessert.

        Fruit makes a great breakfast "dessert." Estimate a half to one cup of fruit salad or 3-5 pieces of sliced fruit per person.

        Serving pastry only? Estimate 2 pieces per person.

Lunch

        Offer soda and lemon water.

        If serving hors d´oeuvres, plan 2-4 per person.

        Accompany your entrée (about 5 oz.) with 2-3 sides (4 oz each), bread or a starch and dessert.

        For buffet-style, plan on 4 oz meat and 2 oz. cheese per person, allowing for one to two sandwiches each.

Dinner

        Serve water with a lemon slice in addition to any other beverages.

        Plan 3-5 hors d'oeuvres per person, depending on your number of courses.

        Offer your entrée dish (5-7 oz.) and 2-3 sides (4 oz. each for veggies, 2 oz. for beans or pasta). Of course, offer bread, salad (1 oz w/out dressing), possibly soup or an appetizer.

Desserts

        Plan 1 slice of cake, tart or pasty, 4 oz. of a creamy dessert, such as mousse or pudding, 5 oz if serving ice cream.

        Remember, more people mean more courses and more choices.

General Tips:

When estimating food and drinks, always round UP. Try to guess what items will be most popular. Remember that more options mean smaller individual portions.

No cooked dishes, soft cheeses, cut up fruits, lunch/deli meats or dips should sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours.  Use chafing dishes and beds of ice or coolers to maintain food temperatures.

Day 12 of 12

scripture: Luke 1-2
(there isn't an additional story for this day)

Day 11 of 12

scripture: Matthew 24

Miracle of the Christmas Tree
Pearl B. Mason

I was teaching fourth grade in my hometown in Wyoming.  It was the day before our Christmas program was to be given.  School routine was forgotten as we sang carols and rehearsed plays under the magic spell of the lighted Christmas tree.  Names had been drawn and apparently all the pupils had brought their gifts.

In this class was a girl who was different from the rest of the pupils because of her almost indescribably unkept, frowsy appearance.  She came from a family of nine healthy, robust, aggressive children.  There was none of this in Louise.  I never think of her but I picture a frail child standing before me in a long, loose dress, pinned at the neck with a big safety pin, and a sash wound around her waist to try to keep the oversized dress on her tiny frame.  Her mousy hair always stood out like a cocklebur and she would wait for me every morning at the top of the stairs and stammer, “G-g-good morning,” to me.  I always responded kindly to her greeting, and her face would light up with a smile that would almost turn her inside out.  If Louise had any enthusiasm for anything, it was to find someone who would befriend her.

I had wondered who had drawn Louise’s name.  Since I had heard nothing, I had supposed everyone had accepted the name he had drawn with kindness and all was well.

As I returned to my room after dismissing the class for the day, I was surprised to find one of the girls waiting beside my desk.  She held a small square box in her hand, and quietly she began to tell her story.

Walter, the most popular boy in the class, had drawn Louise’s name and had wrapped a big piece of coal in tissue paper for her.  It was easily recognizable under the tree.  Hazel was afraid it would make Louise cry.  Could she please replace it with this gift?  She had earned it by helping her father in his general store after school.

Well, the big moment finally arrived.  The Christmas program was over and Santa had come to distribute the presents.  No one recognized the janitor behind the genial Santa mask as he began calling names and handing out gifts.  I realized that this tree nad the gift under it would be all the Christmas little Louise would know.  Her eyes were dancing and she could hardly keep her seat for excitement as she listened eagerly for her name to be called.

The boys were excited too.  They knew which name Walter had drawn and they were curious to see what he had done about it.  He was anxious, too, to prove to his buddies that he had no affection for the person whose name he had drawn.

Finally Santa called “Louise.”  She almost climbed over herself to get out of her seat and to claim her present.  Each gift so far had been a nice one.

The sound of snickering among the boys stopped and all eyes were on Louise as she was handed the little square box.  Nervously, she began unwrapping the package.  Suddenly a feeling of real joy filled every heart as we saw the wonderful expression of happiness and surprise that came to Louise’s face as she lifted her gift from its box.

“A doll!” she whispered, cuddling it to her and rocking it tenderly in her arms as she returned to her seat, where she continued to pour upon it all the love and affection for which she so earnestly yearned.

To Louise, the doll was not a gift from anyone – rather a Miracle fo the Christmas Tree.  To the rest of us, it was the Miracle of Christmas!  A dramatization of the fact that it is blessed to make someone happy.  No one had really meant to hurt or be unkind.  Hazel, in her remembering one of the least of these, had made it possible for the true spirit of Christmas to be magnified in every heart that day.

It was as though our little Louise had become the Christ Child before our very eyes.

Day 10 of 12

scripture: D&C 7:19-20, 22-24

My Christmas Miracle

By Taylor Caldwell

For many of us, one Christmas stands out from all the others, the one when the meaning of the day shone clearest.

Although I did not guess it, my own truest Christmas began on a rainy spring day in the bleakest year of my life. Recently divorced, I was in my 20's, had no job, and was on my way downtown to go the rounds of the employment offices. I had no umbrella, for my old one had fallen apart, and I could not afford another one. I sat down in the streetcar, and there against the seat was a beautiful silk umbrella with a silver handle inlaid with gold and flecks of bright enamel. I had never seen anything so lovely.

I examined the handle and saw a name engraved among the golden scrolls. The usual procedure would have been to turn in the umbrella to the conductor, but on impulse I decided to take it with me and find the owner myself. I got off the streetcar in a downpour and thankfully opened the umbrella to protect myself. Then I searched a telephone book for the name on the umbrella and found it. I called, and a lady answered.

Yes, she said in surprise, that was her umbrella which her parents, now dead, had given her for a birthday present. But, she added, it had been stolen from her locker at school (she was a teacher) more than a year before. She was so excited that I forgot I was looking for a job and went directly to her small house. She took the umbrella, and her eyes filled with tears.

The teacher wanted to give me a reward, but -- though $20 was all I had in the world - - her happiness at retrieving this special possession was such that to have accepted money would have spoiled something. We talked for a while, and I must have given her my address. I don't remember.

The next six months were wretched. I was able to obtain only temporary employment here and there, for a small salary, though this was what they now call the Roaring Twenties. But I put aside 25 or 50 cents when I could afford it for my little girls Christmas presents. (It took me six months to save $8.) My last job ended the day before Christmas, my $30 rent was soon due, and I had $15 to my name -- which Peggy and I would need for food. She was home from her convent boarding school and was excitedly looking forward to her gifts the next day, which I had already purchased. I had bought her a small tree, and we were going to decorate it that night.

The stormy air was full of the sound of Christmas merriment as I walked from the streetcar to my small apartment. Bells rang and children shouted in the bitter dusk of the evening, and windows were lighted and everyone was running and laughing. But there would be no Christmas for me, I knew, no gifts, no remembrance whatsoever. As I struggled through the snowdrifts, I just about reached the lowest point in my life. Unless a miracle happened I would be homeless in January, foodless, jobless. I had prayed steadily for weeks, and there had been no answer but this coldness and darkness, this harsh air, this abandonment. God and men had completely forgotten me. I felt old as death, and as lonely. What was to become of us?

I looked in my mailbox. There were only bills in it, a sheaf of them, and two white envelopes which I was sure contained more bills. I went up three dusty flights of stairs, and I cried, shivering in my thin coat. But I made myself smile so I could greet my little daughter with a pretense of happiness. She opened the door for me and threw herself in my arms, screaming joyously and demanding that we decorate the tree immediately.

Peggy was not yet six years old, and had been alone all day while I worked. She had set our kitchen table for our evening meal, proudly, and put pans out and the three cans of food which would be our dinner. For some reason, when I looked at those pans and cans, I felt broken-hearted. We would have only hamburgers for our Christmas dinner tomorrow, and gelatin. I stood in the cold little kitchen, and misery overwhelmed me. For the first time in my life, I doubted the existence of God and His mercy, and the coldness in my heart was colder than ice.

The doorbell rang, and Peggy ran fleetly to answer it, calling that it must be Santa Claus. Then I heard a man talking heartily to her and went to the door. He was a delivery man, and his arms were full of big parcels, and he was laughing at my child's frenzied joy and her dancing. This is a mistake, I said, but he read the name on the parcels, and they were for me. When he had gone I could only stare at the boxes. Peggy and I sat on the floor and opened them. A huge doll, three times the size of the one I had bought for her. Gloves. Candy. A beautiful leather purse. Incredible! I looked for the name of the sender. It was the teacher, the address simply California, where she had moved.

Our dinner that night was the most delicious I had ever eaten. I could only pray to myself, Thank You, Father. I forgot I had no money for the rent and only $15 in my purse and no job. My child and I ate and laughed together in happiness. Then we decorated the little tree and marveled at it. I put Peggy to bed and set up her gifts around the tree, and a sweet peace flooded me like a benediction. I had some hope again. I could even examine the sheaf of bills without cringing. Then I opened the two white envelopes. One contained a check for $30 from a company I had worked for briefly in the summer. It was, said a note, my Christmas bonus. My rent!

The other envelope was an offer of a permanent position with the government -- to begin in two days after Christmas. I sat with the letter in my hand and the check on the table before me, and I think that was the most joyful moment of my life up to that time.

The church bells began to ring. I hurriedly looked at my child, who was sleeping blissfully, and ran down to the street. Everywhere people were walking to church to celebrate the birth of the Saviour. People smiled at me and I smiled back. The storm had stopped, the sky was pure and glittering with stars.

The Lord is born! Sang the bells to the crystal night and the laughing darkness. Someone began to sing, Come, all ye faithful!

I joined in and sang with the strangers all about me. I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all.

And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses.

Day 9 of 12

scripture: John 8:12

The Truth about Christmas
By Rex D. Pinegar

It was soon to be Christmas. My twin brother and I had reached the age when we knew the “truth” about Christmas—there really was no Santa Claus. Whatever gifts there might be would be bought from my parents’ own small income. Our family’s humble circumstances had always provided little help for Santa Claus. Max and I had decided between us that we would ease Mother’s concern about it and so confided in her our knowledge. She merely replied, “Well, is that so?”

Christmas Eve came. Our family decorated the tree, made candy and popcorn balls, and placed our homemade presents beneath the tree. Dad sent us boys to bed, indicating that we were to stay there until he called us in the morning. Still laughing and giggling from the fun and excitement, Max and I followed our older brother, Lynn, to bed. With some effort on our part and some added encouragement from our father, we finally quieted down. Sleep came at last.

It seemed I hadn’t been asleep long when Max awakened me with the news that it was 7:15 a.m.—time to hurry to the living room. Our excitement and noisy efforts awakened our father. As we reached the kitchen door we heard his somewhat irritated voice saying it was only 2:45 a.m. (we had read the clock backwards) and we were to get right back into bed and wait as we had been told earlier!

We turned back toward the bedroom. It was then that we saw it! Even in the very dim light it was beautiful! We sat down in the dark and described to each other a most unexpected surprise—a Hiawatha Streamer bicycle! The fact that there was just one bicycle, that there was snow on the ground outside and no place to ride, or that we couldn’t read which of the children the gift was for somehow didn’t matter.

It seemed that we sat there for hours, counting each tick of the clock and anxiously awaiting the call of our father. Finally we heard Dad’s heavy footsteps as he walked from the bedroom. He hardly needed to beckon us to come.

There it was—“TO THE TWINS FROM SANTA”—the most beautiful bicycle we had ever seen. It was cream-colored, decorated with a bright red stripe and shiny chrome fenders, and completely outfitted with headlight, tool compartment, fender rack, reflector, and spring seat. We could hardly believe it was ours! Soon my brothers and I were clearing a pathway in the snow (shoveling the driveway had never seemed so easy) and were riding the sleek new Streamer. We ignored our cold hands and toes. What a wonderful time we had!

In my excitement and almost total preoccupation with our wonderful Christmas gift, I had failed to notice that there were few other gifts beneath the tree for other members of the family. Christmas stockings contained an orange in the toe, a few nuts, and some hard candy. Hand-wrapped pieces of honey candy and homemade fudge completed Santa’s treat.

That evening as we went to bed, Max and I talked about the day’s event—the bicycle. We planned how we would use the bike. We would get a paper route. We would have transportation to work during the summer, and we would be able to ride to school during the winter. It could be put to so many uses! Then our wonderment returned. Where had the bicycle come from? We knew Mom and Dad couldn’t afford to buy it. We were also aware of the wartime shortages. Who had made this prized gift possible?

It wasn’t until several years later that we learned the beautiful, heartwarming truth. The sacrifice and concern of a loving mother, brother, and sister had made possible that unforgettable Christmas. Our brother had worked extra hours at a creamery after school. Our sister had done housework for a neighbor. Our mother had saved money from her early morning work at the cannery during the harvest months. They had worked extra hours and had sacrificed their time, their earnings, and their own Christmas gifts to provide a special Christmas for the young twins.

The happiness of that Christmas was surpassed only by the discovery of their secret and their love and sacrifice for us. Here was the true spirit of Christmas—an older brother and sister lending unselfish support to parents, desiring to give anonymously that which they’d never had themselves, seeking no credit or praise for their act, expecting no reciprocation. This example of the love of children for parents and brothers I shall always cherish and value as a priceless gift.

The bicycle is gone, long ago worn out by two energetic boys. Its shininess faded through constant use and enjoyment. The years, however, have only increased the glow of true Christlike love between family members. This act of love, and others like it, created ties that have brought our family members to the aid and support of one another many times and under every circumstance.

How valuable are the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ taught to us in our homes. They strengthen us, bring us everlasting joy and happiness, and, if lived, bind us together in an eternal family relationship.

Day 8 of 12

scripture: Matthew 28:1-6

The Little Match Girl

Hans Christian Andersen

It was bitterly cold, snow was falling and darkness was gathering, for it was the last evening of the old year – it was New Year’s Eve.

In the cold and gloom a poor little girl walked, bareheaded and barefoot, through the streets. She had been wearing slippers, it is true, when she left home, but what good were they? They had been her mother’s, so you can imagine how big they were. The little girl had lost them as she ran across the street to escape from two carriages that were being driven terribly fast. One slipper could not be found, and a boy had run off with the other, saying that it would come in handy as a cradle some day when he had children of his own.

So the little girl walked about the streets on her naked feet, which were read and blue with the cold. In her apron she carried a great many matches, and she had a packet of them in her hand as well. Nobody had bought any from her, and no one had given her a single penny all day. She crept along, shivering and hungry, the picture of misery, poor little thing!

The snowflakes fell on her long golden hair which curled so prettily about her neck, but she did not think of her appearance now. Lights were shining in every window, and there was a glorious smell of roast goose in the street, for this was New Year’s Eve, and she could not think of anything else.

She huddled down in a heap in a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected further out into the street than the other, but though she tucked her little legs up under her, she felt colder and colder. She did not dare go home, for she had sold no matches and earned not a single penny. Her father would be sure to beat her, and besides it was so cold at home, for they had nothing but the roof above them and the wind whirled through that, even though the largest cracks were stuffed with straw and rags. Her thin hands were almost numb with cold. If only she dared pull just one small match from the packet, strike it on the wall and warm her fingers!

She pulled one out – scr-ratch! – how it spluttered and burnt! It had a warm, bright flame like a tiny candle when she held her hand over it – but what a strange light! It seemed to the little girl as if she were sitting in front of a great iron stove with polished brass knobs and brass ornaments. The fire burnt so beautifully and gave out such a lovely warmth. Oh, how wonderful that was! The child had already stretched her feet to warm them, too, when – out went the flame, the stove vanished and there she sat with the burnt match in her hand.

She struck another – it burnt clearly and, where the light fell upon the wall, the bricks became transparent, like gauze. She could see right into the room, where a shining white cloth was spread on the table. It was covered with beautiful china and in the center of it stood a roast goose, stuffed with prunes and apples, steaming deliciously. And what was even more wonderful was that the goose hopped down from the dish, waddled across the floor with carving knife and fork in its back, waddled straight up to the poor child! Then – out went the match, and nothing could be seen but the thick, cold wall.

She struck another match, and suddenly she was sitting under the most beautiful Christmas tree. It was much larger and much lovelier than the one she had seen last year through the glass doors of the rich merchant’s house. A thousand candles lit up the green branches, and gaily colored balls like those in the shop windows looked down upon her. The little girl reached forward with both hands – then, out went the match. The many candles on the Christmas tree rose higher and higher through the air, and she saw that they had now turned into bright stars. One of them fell, streaking the sky with light.

“Now someone is dying,” said the little girl, for her old grandmother, the only one who had ever been good to her but who was now dead, had said, “Whenever a star falls, a soul goes up to God.”

She struck another match on the wall. Once more there was light, and in the glow stood her old grandmother, oh, so bright and shining, and looking so gentle, kind and loving. “Granny!” cried the little girl. “Oh, take me with you! I know you will disappear when the match is burnt out; you will vanish like the warm stove, the lovely roast goose and the great glorious Christmas tree!”

Then she quickly struck all the rest of the matches she had in the packet, for she did so want to keep her grandmother with her.

The matches flared up with such a blaze that it was brighter than broad daylight, and her old grandmother had never seemed so beautiful before, so stately before. She took the little girl in her arms and flew with her high up, oh, so high, towards glory and joy! Now they knew neither cold nor hunger nor fear, for they were both with God.

But in the cold dawn, in the corner formed by the two houses, sat the little girl with rosy cheeks and smiling lips, dead – frozen to death on the last evening of the old year. The dawn of the New Year rose on the huddled figure of the girl. She was still holding the matches, and half a packet had been burnt.

“She was evidently trying to warm herself,” people said. But no one knew what beautiful visions she had seen and in what a blaze of glory she had entered with her dear old grandmother into the heavenly joy and gladness of a new year.

Day 7 of 12

scripture: D&C 19:16-19

A Brother Like That

C. Roy Angell

A college friend of mine named Paul received a new automobile from his brother

as a pre-Christmas present. On Christmas Eve, when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this your car, mister?" he asked.

Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas."

The boy looked astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you, and it didn't cost

you nothing? Boy, I wish--"

He hesitated, and Paul knew what he was going to wish. He was going to wish he had a

brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels, "I wish,"

the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."

Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively asked, "Would you like to ride

in my automobile?"

"Oh, yes! I'd love that!"

After a short ride the urchin turned, and with his eyes aglow said, "Mister, would you

mind driving in front of my house?"

Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his

neighbors that he could ride in a big automobile.

But Paul was wrong again.

"Will you stop right where those two steps are?" the boy asked.

He ran up the steps. Then, in a little while, Paul heard him coming back, but he was not

coming fast.

He was carrying his little polio-crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step,

then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.

"There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for

Christmas, and it didn't cost him a cent. And someday I'm gonna give you one just like it.

Then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've

been trying to tell you about."

Paul got out and lifted the little lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older

brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.

That Christmas Eve Paul learned what Jesus meant when He said, "There is more

happiness in giving."