6-28-09 Eliana the Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl

Friends:

Wow! What a weekend! Because Eliana and I have been on the road touring, we haven’t had a chance to celebrate her birthday with a big bang, until now. Last night, we went to the “Greatest Show on Earth,” The Ringing Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. It was a spectacular show.

6-28-09 Soleil, the makeup artist with Eliana, the Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl

Today, we had Eliana’s Diva Rock Star Birthday Party.We mailed out invitations a couple weeks ago that included a hand-created pink zebra electric guitar and star clapper personalized with the guest’s name. The invitations were mailed in a large bubble envelope covered in “Diva” and “Girls Rock!” stickers. The guitars were very big.

First, we tackled the party set-up. We decorated to the hilt. The colors were pink zebra and purple leopard. Check out the table! A large vase of fresh flowers (don’t all divas have fresh flowers delivered?!) are on top of a cake plate, which is set on a platform of 4 glass blocks, forming a square. A pink and black feather boa is wrapped around the base of the glass blocks. Pink candles sit on each corner of the glass blocks. There are hot pink and black table cloths which is accentuated by a square zebra print runner. The guitar in front of the vase is the party invitation created by my oldest daughter, Soleil.

6-28-09 The Diva Table

The rock star paperware was purchased from Oriental Trading. This is what the individual place setting looked like. Each rock star had her own setting. On top of the plate is an electric guitar luggage tag (in which pictures of the girls were inserted). Behind the plate is a pair of glittered star sunglasses, which every diva MUST have! Guitar glitter is sprinkled all over the table.

6-28-09 Girls Rock! Place Setting

I assembled fab goody bags that even included Eliana’s Diva Party Mix. The goody bag contained stickers, a tiara, hair extensions, a “Diva” or “Girls Rock!” necklace and bracelet, blow-up microphone, a jewel tattoo, a rock rubber duck, eye shadows, and lip gloss. Each bag and all its contents were personalized.

6-28-09 The Diva Rock Star goody bag

The girls were instructed to come dressed as rock stars and they totally did. First, they went to the hair station, where they had their extensions and tiaras done. Then they they moved to the makeup station where fantasy makeup was applied by Sassy Sunshine Beauty.

6-28-09 Bienelyn gets her makeup done

They then went to the nail station where they had diva nails done with glitter, designs, and cool colors. Finally, they had a fashion photo shoot. I set up a back drop with pink and zebra fabric. The photos were for their “album cover” and “concert promotions.” They posed with electric guitars and microphones. The girls were so sassy!

6-28-09 The Diva Rock Stars, coming in concert soon to a venue near you!

These cute girls so totally rock!

6-28-09 The Diva Rock Stars totally ROCK!!!!

Breanne, the rock chick in the neon green, had a special outfit on. Her grandma and mom sewed it the night before! How awesome is that?!! After the photo shoot, the girls munched! They had jumbo popcorn chicken, pizza rolls, spinach & asiago chicken sausage, quesadillas, mini quiches, star sugar cookies, deli wheels, grapes, raspberries, and blackberries. They even toasted the Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl, Eliana!

6-28-09 Raising a Toast to Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl, Eliana

Afterwards, they did the birthday “cake,” mini cupcakes creating the shape of an electric guitar. I drew a guitar template on thick poster board secured to a cookie sheet. “Happy Birthday, Diva Eliana!” was written in white frosting on the poster board. Nine hot pink candles adorned the cake, on the neck of the guitar. Here are the girls with the birthday star.

6-28-09 Eliana's Guitar cupcake cake

After eating cupcakes and Itty Bitz ice cream (just like Dippin Dots), the girls rocked out with their favorite karaoke songs. Here are Breanne & Eliana jammin!

6-28-09 Breanne & Eliana rock out to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face"

Eliana opened presents and got some really cool gifts. Nana, Paw Paw, Uncle Gary and her cousins gave her GUITAR HERO for the Wii! Now that’s in keeping with the theme! Uncle Gary also gave Eliana a Lady Gaga CD. She LOVES it!

6-29-09 Eliana gets Guitar Hero & Lady Gaga CD

A special thank you to Nanny Lisa for being such a wonderful “guest hostess!” Unfortunately, we were so busy taking pics of the girls that we forgot to take pics of each other! We gave the girls one final parting gift – a customized album cover with their name, photo & album cover. Special thank you to talented Soleil for doing her magic graphic design work to create the album covers. Pictures of the girls were uploaded to the computer, manipulated in Photoshop, printed and inserted into thin line jewel cases to act as both a CD and picture frame. The girls even picked their album names. We had “Divalicious” (Eliana), “Rock Angel” (Josie), “Rock Princess” (Bienelyn), “Attitude!” (Jasmynn), “Girl Power” (Breanne), “Rock Star” (Camrynn), “Ready to Rock!” (Jaden), and “Girls Rock!” (Ashlynn).

6-28-09 Breanne with her "Girl Power" CD

As a final thank you for coming, each girl will receive something special in the mail. We wanted to make Eliana’s 9th birthday a celebration for everyone, making each girl feel special – like the Diva Rock Stars they are!

6-28-09 Jaden & Eliana take the world by storm!

Eliana, I hope you had a wonderful birthday party. Breanne, Bienelynn, Jaden, Camrynn, Ashlynn, Jasmynn & Josie, thank you so much for coming. You girls ROCK!!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Eliana's Spookover Door Sign - October 18, 2008

Friends:

Saturday was a blast! The night of my 8 year old daughter, Eliana’s Spookover, finally arrived! Eliana was ready for some swashbuckling fun. Argh, matey!

Pirate Eliana - October 18, 2008

We worked all day cleaning, decorating, and cooking. I set up my spooky backdrop and decorated the table full of frightening food – bloody pigs in a blanket, petrifying pizza party pinwheels, Jack-O-Jam cookies, popcorn chicken parts, witches brew and more. Check out the table. I love the mummies marrying under the Tree of Terror.

The Spooktacular Table - October 18, 2008

This is what the Witches Brew (lime sherbet ice cream in 7Up) looked like…

Witches Brew - October 18, 2008

All the girls had their own cups with their names on them. The girls came in costume. They are so adorable!

The Spookover Girls - October 18, 2008

No one had the same costume on – we had Hannah Montana, a princess bride, a mermaid, Sharpei from High School Musical, a pirate, a hip hop dancer, an angel, and an aquamarine princess. 8 crazy cuties ready to party! Here’s a parent-to-parent tip: I had all the parents/guardians fill out an emergency card with all their contact numbers on it – just in case…

We began with The Ghoulish Guessing Game. They each had a Halloween monster pinned to their back and they had to ask 10 yes-or-no questions. The first to guess their monster won. Next, we had a costume contest. My mom, Josie; my husband, Antonio; and I were judges. We judged the girls on three categories: creativity, originality, and attitude. Each category was worth 10 points with a total possible score of 90. The judges had score cards that were totaled at the end. The girls strutted down the “runway” and then had to talk about who they were. The pirate won with 79 points with the hip hop dancer and princess bride tied for second place. The girls loved winning prizes.

The Pirate and the Princess Bride - October 18, 2008

After that we moved on to “Pin the Hat on the Witch.” I made a witch with different colored hats with double stick tape on the back. The girls were blindfolded with a sleeping mask and spun around 6 times. They pinned their hats to the witch. I took pictures of each hat after they were placed so we could remove the hat and judge in the end whose hat was closest. It was funny to see where the hats were placed!

Pin the Hat on the Witch - October 18, 2008

After that, we moved on to The Creepy Clothes Race, a relay game. The girls were divided into teams of two, with four girls on each team. They were given a bag of clothes that contained a hat, a cape, a shirt, shorts, gloves, and a scarf. Each player raced to the opposite side, dressing in the creepy clothes and then raced back, undressing, stuffing the clothing in the bag, and handing it off to the next player. I played “Ghostbusters” as they raced. It was laugh-out-loud zany fun!

Creepy Clothes Race - October 18, 2008

Our last game was “Keepin’ It Under Wraps,” a wrapping mummy with tissue paper game. Again, the girls were divided into two teams of four girls. The smallest girls on each team were the mummies. The remaining girls on the team were the “wrappers.” Each wrapper was given a roll of cheap toilet paper. They had to wrap the mummy as quickly and as best as they could without the paper ripping, which it did – plenty! It was hilarious. They wrapped and rolled to the song “Monster Mash.” The team with the best looking mummy at the end of the song won.

Keepin It Under Wraps Game - October 18, 2008

Afterwards, the girls had a massive tissue paper fight. I wish I could be a kid again! Such uninhibited joy!

Tissue Paper Fight - October 18, 2008

And yes, they helped clean up the mess too – very quickly! After all the games, the girls were ready to settle down and eat.

Then we began crafting. We made Batty Sock Bats from socks, foam, googly eyes, and chenille sticks.

Crafting Batty Sock Bats - October 18, 2008

These are the finished bats. Aren’t they the most boo-tiful bats you’ve ever seen?!!

Batty Sock Bats - October 18, 2008

Here is a closeup of the bats…

Batty Socks Bats Closeup - October 18, 2008

Next, we made mummies out of toilet tissue rolls and Boo Bags from white paper lunch bags.

Boo Bags - October 18, 2008

After our creepy crafts, we headed outside to the screened, covered patio for marshmallow roasting and spooky stories. I told several stories including “The Ghost of Mable Gable,” “Bloody Fingers,” “The Ghost with One Black Eye,” and “Blood Red Lips.” The patio was dark except for several lit candles. It was the perfect spookmosphere.

Gathering for Ghost Stories - October 18, 2008

Finally, around 1:30 am, we headed inside and set up the sleeping area on the floor of the living room. Everyone brought their sleeping bags. I put in the movie, Ghostbusters, and all but three girls fell asleep. The last three girls fell asleep around 4:30 am! That meant that I was up with them!

In the morning, Antonio made Eliana’s Devil’s Food Monster Muffins. The girls had a spooktastic time and I was ready for a nap!! LOL Two of the girls had never been to a sleepover and they loved it so much, they want to do it again! (Yes, maybe next year, girls!! hahaha)

Wrapping the Mummy - October 18, 2008

It was a successful Spookover and Eliana was elated. And that’s all a Mummy can ask for, right?! Happy Spooky Season!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

I did it! I pulled it off (with lots of help – Thanks, Mom, Clay, Gary, Jennie, Papi, Soleil and kids). Antonio’s 40th Birthday Fajitas-n-Ritas Surprise Fiesta was a success. Ole!

His best friend, George (pictured above) took Antonio out for the day for a belated birthday celebration to have lunch and to see the WWII Baseball exhibit at the National World War II (D Day) Museum. Antonio left after 1:30 pm so I didn’t get started preparing for the party until 2:00 pm and the party was scheduled for 7:00 pm!! I had to hide everything at my mom’s house. I chose a Mexican Fiesta theme because Antonio and I met at a Mexican restaurant 17 years ago…

I had less than five hours to cook, clean, decorate and get ready. My mom, Jennie (my mother-in-law) and I did the cooking. Soleil and my brother, Gary, helped with the decorating. On the menu: beef fajitas marinated in tequila, lime, garlic and Southwest seasoning; cheese enchiladas; Mexican casserole; refried black beans; Spanish rice; chicken tortilla soup; walking taco; Fiesta pork roast; nachos; chips and salsa; pineapple, grapes, and strawberries with cream cheese fruit dip; caramel cake; and birthday cake. In addition, we had a fruit punch fountain, sangria and of course, the MARGARITAS! I set up a fajita bar outside where people could make their own fajitas or burritos. We had all the fixins – grilled onions, grilled bell peppers, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, lettuce, and tomatoes. There was a ton of food inside and outside.

We waited for Antonio with sombreros on… When he walked through the door, we all yelled, “OLE!” Was he surprised! He had no idea that this was going on. It was a big sigh of relief for me because I had to do some elaborate “storytelling” to pull this surprise party off. We had tons of friends and family who helped make this night special. (Love to my best friend, Lisa and Johnette…)

Petros, Antonio’s friend and co-worker, volunteered to blend the margaritas and boy, did he blend a bunch of margaritas! Here is Petros (no, hats off to YOU, Petros!) with his wife, Katarena, and our friend, Harold (who LOVED wearing his hat – yes, Harold, you may have one to keep). LOL

It was such a wonderful party. We had a great time eating fajitas, sipping on ‘ritas and eating AND dancing Salsa! I wanted to show my husband that yes, 40 is fabulous, especially when you are surrounded by friends and family. We had over 30 people helping us celebrate! Now that is living! Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

We certainly managed to spice up Antonio’s birthday. What a celebration!

Here is my mom, Josie – 2 pot holders, 4 margaritas, 6 sombreros, and 8 hours later… Yes, she really is wearing 6 sombreros! (Thanks for all your help, Mom! I could not have accomplished this without you!)

Find the “Fiesta” in your life and celebrate with friends and family. Ole!

Warmly, Dianne