New Years Eve Ideas for the Kids

Click here to watch!

Skip the baby sitter this year and get the children in on the celebration! Check out my tips on Today Show.

My New Years Resolutions are already be challenged!

One of my New Year's resolutions was to be more spontaneous and it is being challenged right out of the gate!  When my friend called and invited me to join her in the Bahamas this week, I sort of laughed but then my husband said "GO!"  Well, why not?  I got on the phone, reserved a flight, and started dreaming about what I would pack.  I will definitely keep my other resolution of always packing only what I can carry on the plane!  No more over packing for me!

Here are my tips for packing light:

-Pick a color scheme and stick with it.  It will help you stay on track with the things you pack.

-Limit the amount of shoes you take.  They are heavy and take up a lot of space!

-Make sure that every item you pack can be worn with more than one thing.

-For impact, take dramatic accessories.  Chunky bracelets and necklaces are a great way to add a punch to your mix and match outfits.

-Wear your bulkiest and heaviest items on the plane.

Bon Voyage!

Setting Goals

I love sitting down with Justin about this time of year and talking about goals. We always look back at last years goals and set new ones too. Here are a few tips that we found work really well for us:

• Write out your goals. Justin likes to use an Excel spread sheet to set goals out in categories. He makes a column of categories such as Personal, Professional and Financial. He then makes a column for the next year, five year and ten year projections. If that doesn't work for you, then make a simple list! I like to make the list on my computer so that I can print it out and put it above my desk on my bulletin board and I don't need to worry about loosing them!
• Make your goals measurable and specific so that you can reward yourself when you reach them! They can be lofty but be sure they are specific. For example, instead of "travel more" your goal should be "take a trip to a Presidential Library."
• Write your goals in the positive. For example, write out what you want to do (Save $1000) not what you want to stop doing (Stop spending so much).
• Share your goals with your close friends or family. If you know that someone else knows what you want to do, you are more likely to do it!

The Photo Stand

Can you tell that we had a lot of fun at Justin's fortieth?  The Photo Stand has provided lasting evidence! The Photo Stand is the perfect element to add to any get together and I must say that I am glad I took DJ Lucy Wrubels advice and set out some props for people to play with.  Each of the photos comes out of the machine 4x6 and can have a logo or date on it.  We also had the images flash up on a TV that was in the room.  It was so much fun!  The bonus is that we get a CD of all of the images as well as a web-gallery!!!  What a blast!  Too book ThePhotoStand for your next party check out www.ThePhotoStand.com

A New Years Celebration Countdown

Who doesn't love Rachel Ray? You can imagine how thrilled I was when I was asked to contribute to the Rachel Ray Everyday New Year's Countdown story called "Happy Hour." It is featured in the December/January Issue on page 138. Here are a few of the highlights! You can read the entire story here: www.rachaelraymag.com.

11:00 - One Hour to Go: Greet your guests at the door and leave a little goodie for them on the coat rack or hanger. As they take off their coat they can get in the New Years spirit by wearing the hat or feather boa you left for them. Place a stack of cards, pens, and a small box on the table and ask each guest to write out their wishes for 2010. Take turns reading them out loud (anonymously of course!) over cocktails later in the night.

11:15 - 45 Minutes to Go: Set out savory appetizers and snap photos and videos of your guests that you can email them the next day.

11:30 - 30 Minutes to Go: Refill the appetizer platters and check on the drinks and punch. Make a round thru your party and pick up empty plates, glasses and napkins. Remember to use small serving trays and buffett trays and refresh the food more often so that it always looks fresh and stays warm.

11:45 - 15 Minutes to Go: Cue the celebration and send subtle hints that it is time to gather for the countdown. Dimming the lights or blowing out candles in the rooms they should move from should do the trick. Get help from a friend to assemble some trays of sweets that you can put out after the countdown. Assembling them now will save you time later. Unwrap a few bottles of Champagne so they are ready to pop!

12 - Celebrate!

One of the hardest parts of a coctail party is figuring out how many drinks will be needed! Below is my cheat sheet to help you figure out your numbers.

# of People	10	25	50	100
Bottles of Wine per 2 hours	5	13	25	50
Bottles of Champagne per 2 hours	3	10	20	40
Bottles of Beer per hour	20	50	100	200
Bottles of Liqour per hour	1 1/2	3	6	12
Mixers for Liqour drinks per hour (1L)	4	9	17	33
Lemons and Limes	3	7	13	25
Ice (lbs)	5	13	25	50
Paper Cocktail Napkins per hour	40	100	200	400
Linen Cocktail Napkins per hour	20	50	100	200

Big Table - Little Notice!

 

One of my favorite Texas Hostesses, Carla McDonald, sent me this fantastic photo of her New Years Eve table.  She did a fantastic job of whipping a breathtaking table together with inexpensive items from Hobby Lobby and Party City!  Here is what she writes:

Here's a picture of my very last-minute New Year's Eve party table, which I did all by myself!  We decided about a week before NYE to do this party so I scrambled!  I took all the Christmas ornaments off of the slim flocked trees and replaced them with New Year's Eve 2009 stuff: noisemakers, crowns and hats, 2009 glasses, streamers, etc.  On the table, I used a silver lame fabric for the tablecloth, Lucite candelabras and lots of votives.  I made a bunch of small arrangements of white cabbage flowers with glitter sprinkled on them to make them festive.  Cabbage is supposed to bring good luck and I didn't want to serve any!  I also put white boas on the backs of the girls chairs so that they could have fun with them all night and flirt with their dates, which they did.  After dinner and a champagne toast, we had the solarium cleared out and turned it into a disco with a microphone for singing along to classics like Car Wash.  It was such a hoot!!!  I always say, I'm never happy unless I'm planning a party!

Thanks so much for sharing, Carla!!!  Send us more of your fantastic celebrations!