The Westmoor Summer Party

It’s that time of year again!! Time for the Westmoor Club’s annual summer party! It’s one of our favorite nights of the summer because it means good food and dancing…both of which we cannot live without.

Can you guess the theme that the party planners (our mom, Emily, and our friend Carole) came up with this year?! A couple years ago it was a Luau, last year it was Tuscan, and this year it was…(drum roll)…Cote d’Azure! The party planners worked very hard to pull this off and I think they did an amazing job of transporting all of us to the South of France with their decorations and yummy food!

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^^This year the same band (Eye 2 Eye) that played at Emily’s wedding played for us and it was amazing! We are kind of obsessed with them…especially Penny the lead singer!

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cotedazur14^^The boys looked quite spiffy with their colorful pants, don’t you think??

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While we were dancing away, Penny came out to sing with us and the next thing we know, she was pulling us on stage to sing RESPECT with her! And it was caught on tape:

We always have such a blast and this year was no different! Here’s to the cutest party planners I’ve ever seen for creating such a fun night for us…

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I can’t wait to hear what next year’s theme will be! Any ideas/suggestions??

And just because this video never gets old to me, here is Emily showing us her best moves at last year’s party!

 

A Tea Party Bridal Shower for Julia!

My best friend Julia is getting married a week from today!!  You all probably remember Julia from her Nantucket Girl feature.  In honor of her upcoming nuptials, Patty, Caroline & I hosted a bridal shower for her.  We decided on a tea party theme!

SIDE NOTE: I have something to admit.  I have grandma tendencies.  I mean I know it is obvious that I love my grandmas.  But I also love grandma decor.  I started collecting vintage tea cups when I was 16.  Yep.  And I own a lot of hobnail.  Steve loves it.

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Vintage teacups, cake stands, paper fans, doilies, pretty posies, mason jars tied with lace, paper straws and banners.

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The Peach Tea Cocktail, finger sandwiches, fruit salad, guacamole, spinach & artichoke dip and hummus platter, pastys, scones with cream & chocolate chip cookies! (Stay tuned for the Peach Tea Cocktail recipe!  I’ll be posting about it later this week!)

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We wanted to spice up opening presents so we had a an idea that involved the groom to be!  Before the shower, we sent off a questionnaire to Julia’s fiancé Steve.  We asked him questions like: What is Julia’s favorite flower? What did Julia wear on their first date?  What movie star does Julia remind you of? etc.  In between opening each presents we asked Julia the same questions to see if their answers matched!  It’s kind of  like the Newlywed Game.  Julia did really well!  I think they are meant to be!
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Thank you to everyone who came to help shower the bride to be!  We love you Julia and can’t wait to celebrate you and Steve on June 21st!!

Oscar Party Treats!

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The Oscars are tomorrow!  Are you having a viewing party??  The Milly & Grace Girls love any excuse to throw a little party… and an Oscars Party is one of my favorites.  So I put together a few must have treats and traditions that would be perfect for an Oscar Party.

First up, Caramel Corn… When I think of popcorn, I think of the movies.  An easy way to fancy up this classic movie treat for an Oscar Party is to cover it with sweet caramel and edible gold stars!  I think Caramel Corn is going to be my newest Oscar Party Tradition…

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This was my first time making caramel corn… it was really easy!  I used this recipe but doubled the vanilla (I always double the vanilla in every recipe… especially my cookie recipes).  I sprinkled the Edible Gold Stars (available at Michael’s) after I took the popcorn out from the oven!

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You can easily make customized popcorn bags!  All you need are these little white bags, letter stamps and a ink pad!  All available at Michael’s.

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Red Licorice is a classic movie theater treat from the 1920’s.  I was reading up on Bon Appetit’s History of Movie Theater Treats that the war between Twizzler and Red Vine started in the early 20th century.  Fun Fact:  Twizzlers were born in the mid 1800’s and Red Vines were born in 1920.  I know I am not the only one that always thought that Red Vines were the original red licorice!  I used to be a Twizzler girl back in the day but now I LOVE Red Vines more! (Who knew I could write so much about red licorice?)

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Chocolate Covered Strawberries are an Ott Oscar Party Tradition… I decided to fancy them up too with a sprinkle of gold! I might have gone a little crazy with the Edible Gold Stars!  That little tube of stars goes a long way.

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And finally, every party has to have a signature drink!  In honor of Shirley Temple, I decided to try out a new cocktail.  Everyone knows the “Dirty Shirley” which is a Shirley Temple with Vodka.  But I thought I needed to keep it classy…

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A Champagne Shirley Temple Cocktail was born!  Grenadine, Champagne, finished with Sprite and of course…. a cherry on top!

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And there you have it!  A few sweet treats for your Oscar Party!  If you need something savory, you can always do a cheese plate or these amazing Chipotle and Rosemary Spiced Nuts.

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That little Oscar in all those pictures above is from my 13th Birthday party!  Maybe one day… I’ll be able to replace it with a real one?!  A girl can dream!