The women in my family are what you may call extreme overachievers. My mother started it. She is good at everything she does, but her philosophy is "if you are going to do something, be great at it." For instance, if she is going to throw a party (which she does a lot of) it is done with decorations, food, drink, and entertainment that would leave a Las Vegas event coordinator in awe. However, she is not shy about asking for mine and my sister's help in the manual labor of what we call "the pre-party party." Since we know that this help and work is going to be asked for and expected, we make the most of it. Making the most of it includes the following: three bottles of wine, strawberries, melted chocolate, and usually another bottle of wine.
We will meet up after our day jobs, usually 6pm, and start the traditional activities of laughing, arguing, joking around, and coming up with the coolest decor ideas you've ever seen. Dad and my brother-in-law, know better than to come within half a mile of us due to the fact that our conversation topics get a little out of hand. So it just us three girls, all creative in our own right, yet different enough to generate several ideas for one task. In the end, we come out with something unique enough to earn several "how on earth did you think of that" compliments from guests.
Example: We threw a Luau engagement party last summer that consisted of about 75 guests. The tables had yellow table cloths with a center piece of tropical flowers and pineapples. We dug two different pits outside, lined them with large rocks and kept a fire going in each all night. Drinks were served in what looked like two huge aquariums with plastic fish and seahorses floating in them. Food was served on a boat turned upside-down and consisted of shish-ka-bobs made with beef and veggies and pork and pineapple. There was also potato salad, coleslaw, and as a joke mac-n-cheese (the groom always asks mom to make it for him). Dessert was grilled pineapple and peaches with homemade vanilla ice cream. Drinks were served in plastic cups that looked like coconuts and pineapples, lays were provided for everyone to wear, and there was a hoola-hoop contest once everyone had enough alcohol in there system to be good and loosened up.
Another party was a Barn theme, where we had hay bales for guests to sit on, food was served on a piece of old tin layed across two saw horses, and we found an old metal water trough to fill with ice and put beer and cokes in. We had burgers, and several homemade pies (my sister's chocolate meringue is the best). Tables were covered in butcher paper and crayons were available for kids to color on them with. We had horseshoe pitching and two metal roping dummies. We served tea in mason jars and chips in feed buckets. Very laid back and fun.
