Caitlyn and Victoria celebrated their birthdays on the beach, with friends.

As I unwind from the busy day, I am so thankful that we scheduled the event yesterday and NOT today. Why?

party location yesterday                                      party location today

When planning an outdoor party, weather is always a stressful factor. As a precaution, we had a tarp set up to protect the food. This was the scene:

We roped off our area from the general public – and added some colorful fun.

Party planning included the location, activities and the menu. The beauty of the beach is that the location itself provided the activities. As you can see – the kids kept themselves entertained.

When discussing the menu, the over-all theme was SIMPLE and lots of it. I wanted it to be easy with minimal trash/wrappers that could end up littering the beach. With over 50 guests and kids playing in the ocean, I knew that we needed to have a steady flow of food over the hours. The final decisions were all finger or toothpick foods. Hot Dogs – with all the toppings – to include chili, cheese and sauerkraut, chips, fruit, popsicles and cupcakes. The hit of the day – was the guacamole (recipe included below.)

One dessert was edible sea glass. I had never made candy before, and I could have benefitted from a candy thermometer, but I was pleased with the outcome. Served on brown sugar sand.

And there were cakes! Continuing with the no-utensil plans, we did cupcakes, arranged in beach-themed shapes, we had a surfboard for Victoria,

a palm tree for Cait and a fish.

While I love planning celebrations for my kids – I am breathing a sigh of relief. With the party and the flood in the apartment, it was quite a week.  A day of R&R today, and tomorrow on to Easter preparations.

As promised, a recipe.

GUACAMOLE

3 avocados

1 lime (just the juice)

10-20 sprigs of fresh cilantro

Garlic – fresh or powder

1 can black beans rinsed well and drained

1-2 cups corn

Grape or Roma tomatoes, diced

salt and pepper

• Mash the avocados in the lime juice (leave 1 pit in the guacamole to prevent browning.)
• Add cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper – mix and mash well.
• Gently fold in the corn, beans and tomatoes.
• Serve with tortilla chips or on top of a grilled chicken breast.