Mark and I have emerged unscathed. I think this has been the easiest party to host so far.
As I mentioned previously, the theme of Emma’s party was “favourite things.”
I’m particularly proud of the invite we created for this one. Emma and I wanted something which would highlight a few of Emma’s favourite things and give sneak preview about what was going to be happening on at the party. I uploaded a couple of photos to Flickr, found a couple others and made a 3D paper cube using Flickr toys.
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Emma’s tenth birthday is on Friday and she’s invited three friends for a sleepover. We’ve deemed this one a “favourite things” party. We’ll be serving spaghetti for dinner (with Nana’s special sauce of course) and root beer floats, followed by popcorn and a special movie (she chose Howl’s Moving Castle). And then of course, there’s the cake (golden) and ice cream (vanilla).
When I found out one of the little girls has a serious nut allergy I had a bit of a freak out. I have been so busy this week. Did I even have time to ensure the kitchen was nut free? What could I do to minimize the risks?
Well, this is what I’ve done.
1) Spoke to the mother. In fact, she came over this afternoon and gave me a tutorial on how to use an epi-pen. The odds of the girl having an allergic reaction are very slim, but now I feel good knowing I know what to do in case of emergency. The child will have an epi-pen and the mother is on my speed dial if I need her.
2) I’ve checked the ingredients on the cake mix and the frosting and ran them by the mother for her approval. In the past I’ve used candy from the bulk store as cake decoration but this time I’m steering away from anything bulk. Bulk food bins and scoops can be contaminated with nuts/nut residue. I’m buying prepackaged candies to decorate the cake and I’m …
3) … paying close attention to the labels. i.e. Is the Chapman’s ice-cream nut free? Check!
4) I’ll give the kitchen and dining room table a good wipe-down.
5) We’ll refrain from eating anything nutty the day before.
6) I’ll unwrap a fresh block of butter for the next day’s pancakes. (I’m worried about PB residue.)
7) I’ll try not to hover and freak anyone out.
I hope I have my bases covered. Any additional tips would be most appreciated!
I am struggling to write a 50-word bio for an upcoming bloggy junket (more on that later!).
I figure if I could muster 50 people to contribute one word – or 25 people to contribute TWO words each – I can have this thing sewn up in no time. (!)
Can you help? Surely you can come up with two words! Leave ’em in the comments below. :)
While you’re taking care of that I’ll leave you with a couple of sample shots from last night’s lighting class. (Which has been AWESOME. I am learning so much.)
