Star Wars Surprise 40th

Truth be told: my husband is a true Star Wars Geek. Totally and completely in love with everything Star Wars. I think I won him over when one of our very first conversations was about the movies. I like Star Wars as well, but I am not nearly the "Fan Boy" he is.

This brings me to his 40th birthday. I wanted it to be special. I wanted it to be unique. I wanted it to be a surprise. But above all, I knew I wanted it to be Star Wars themed. I did a lot of research for this party. Spent a lot of very late nights searching, gathering, and creating the perfect party. Let's just say I started this in January and his party was just last weekend.

This was definitely a labor of love. I absolutely love my husband and so he became my muse. The first thing I decided on was the food. I saw other Star Wars themed parties in my internet searches and loved the idea of naming all the food "something Star Wars." I also liked the idea of having it all laid out on a table with signs that told you what everything was. Pics are below, but please don't mind my cheesy, horrible set-up!

The cookies were a hit! Yup, "Wookiee Cookies They're Chewie" was number two on my list of favorite food from the party. I found the recipe HERE if interested on making them yourself. I will say they do take some time, but all worth it in the end. Best part, they are so delicious!

My number one favorite food from this party was the birthday cake. Yes, the Sarlacc Pit and Boba Fett make an appearance and boy did it pack a punch! I found the "How To" video HERE. I made my own yellow cake from scratch and I used ground Nilla Wafers instead of ginger snaps. This cake not only looked bad-ass, it tasted yummy, too.

The food makes the party, in my opinion. It's the highlight. But it wasn't the only thing that caught guest's eyes...

Backside and Front

The invitation was my second creation for this party. These were handmade by myself and really took some time to do, but I loved every second of it. I had seen similar handmade invitations on the internet and wanted to improve on it. I wanted to make them a little more grown up looking. Mind you, pretty much everything I found on Star Wars themed parties were for kids. So I created my lightsaber and then my wording - in the voice of Yoda.  It was then time to print, cut, paste, and insert for the perfect lightsaber invitation.

Next came the stamp. I designed the stamp so guests would know right away that it was a surprise and that it had to do with Star Wars. The envelope is the very first impression and I wanted it to stand out. I addressed all the guests by some kind of Star Wars name, whether it was a family: "clan" (The Gorman Clan), or individuals: "Jedi Master Joe" "Princess Judy" "Weapon Master K.C." "Jedi Diplomat Richard" and so on, and so on, and so on.

The extras came in the way of posters. The one at the very beginning of this post and the one here. I created the wording to try to get our guests pumped about really making this the best birthday surprise Dan has ever had. I included his very first picture (from the hospital) which his hand was in the most perfect position to hold a lightsaber. I also included a pic of him now...his head anyway! I put his head on Luke Skywalker, his favorite character. Then I made his lightsaber blue to stay consistent with the baby pic and the invitation.

Now, every party must have party games and what better for a 40th Birthday than some fun old school games with a twist? I'm talking about Pin the Tail On The...Tauntaun? Yup! Pin the Tail on the Tauntaun. Awesome! I found the pic online, removed the tail in photoshop, made it black and white (cheaper for printing), and went to Staples to print it 18"x24". I printed the tails at home.

Next I made lightsabers out of pool noodles. I swear I was getting high off the fumes of the sharpie marker. I figured we could all battle it out and no one would get hurt.

Then came the Jedi Training Quizzes. Yes, a quiz of seven questions for each Star Wars movie. You can find the quiz HERE. I gave away Star Wars Pez dispensers as the prizes.

I was going to make a Darth Vader pinata so our guests could have a lightsaber battle with him but I ran out of time. Very disappointed, although it did rain all day, so that made me feel a little better about it. I mean, I wouldn't have done the pinata inside, so I guess it all worked out.

My mom thought I was crazy for doing "kiddie" games, but isn't that what you want for your 40th? You want to be reminded of the simple times in your life before responsibilities, before work, before marriage, before kids. You want to know that you still can be fun and have fun playing games that once made you jump for joy if you ever went to a party where these games were played. Nostalgia. Plain and simple!

Star Wars cereal... Cool!

Such a comfy Jedi robe

Ok, so this isn't Star Wars, but it is Star Trek and that's just a good.

Nice wrapping paper! LOL

Oh boy! Anyone who has seen our backyard will know this was the perfect gift

A great big "Thank you!" to my parents and my in-laws for helping me pull this surprise off. Without your help, the party would not have been. 

"Thanks a bunch!" to Dan's close friend, Kevin, for getting him out of the house so I could set up. You really are a true friend. 

Lastly, "Thank you!" to all those who actually replied to this invitation and for the one's who were able to make it. Hope you all had a good time eating, drinking, playing, and just catching up.

So that was that. The party came and went and now I wonder what I'm going to do with all the extra time I have now that I don't have to plan anymore. Oh, yeah... take care of my three little ones and get more sleep!

A Look Back 6/19 - 6/25

• Saturday, 6/20: Lily and I were looking at a picture of me when I was pregnant with Killian and Piper...

Lily- "When Lily big girl, me have Piper in my belly."

Me- "Well, you can have your own baby inside your belly."

Lily- "NO! ME HAVE PIPER IN MY BELLY!!"

Me- "OK. Calm down."

Lily- "Can Lily have Piper and killian in my belly?"

Me- "Sure, Lily. You can maybe have twins, too."

• Sunday, 6/21: Father's Day. It was a lovely day that consisted of breakfast in the morning, just the five of us. Lily gave Daddy her gift... Matching Mickey Mouse shirts. 
  

Then I took a pic of all of them...

Then I got the best father's Day gift of all... yeah, you heard that right. Dan took the kids to his parent's house and I got to spend some much needed alone time to get a few things done. After I danced and sang my heart out to a very loud mix of my favorite 90's girl bands, I cleaned a bit. It was a good time!

• Monday, 6/22: Lily is too funny...

Lily- "Piper is a brother."

Me- "No. Piper is a sister. Killian is a brother." 

Lily- "Killian is a son and Daddy is a son."

Me- "That's right! And what are you?"

Lily- "Lily a moon."

•  Also Monday, 6/22: This happened-

• Killian got his 2nd tooth this week. Now he has both bottom fronts. Piper already has four teeth. Is it wrong for me to tell Killian he's losing to his sister in the milestone department. Maybe I should stop that since, 1: it really isn't a competition. And 2: I really don't want them to feel like everything is a competition with the other.

Men are better than women!

Men,
We women do not care about the ugly-ass sweater you bought just to show off to us. We have better things to be excited about, like you thinking we are useful and even pleasant inside the house. Gee, it makes us beam just to know you won't be hauling us up a cliff when we secretly want to hurl you off of one. Because, let's face it, women are such a drag on a mountain. So you go ahead and show off that warm, hand fashioned sweater you bought for yourself. Show it off to your mountain buddy because isn't he the one you want to look good in front of anyway? On the level!

Why ruin the evening, Mother?

Oh look, Mom is yelling. Of course Dad and son are thinking that Mom is always yelling for some reason or another. Better get Mom some New Ivory Soap for her "nerves." Yea, that'll help! Taking a bath is the sure fire way to relax and forget about all the bullshit you have to put up with day in and day out. It's also the best way to be the perfect wife and mother who will just laugh at the mess the kid left after running through the house with mud on his feet after having just washed the floors. It's also the best way to shrug off the fact that hubby tells you he just wants to relax and eat dinner after a hard day at work when he can clearly see that you have had a rough day yourself. No, "Thanks for making my favorite dinner, Mom." No, "Gee Honey, the house is spotless, you've done a good job." But don't let your feelings get the best of you, Mom. Don't let anyone know how hard it is for you to do what you do all day. God forbid they see you a little stressed out. No. Just get that bar of soap, take that bath, because as all of us SAHM's and housewives know, there is always enough time in our day to unwind in a nice warm tub.

Does your husband yawn at the table?

Yipee!! Most husbands have stopped beating their wives! Good for them. But wait…now they have to endure agonizingly boring meals? That's just crazy! Husbands would much rather prefer dull conversations with their wives than a boring meal. Spice it up with Heinz! Do it now, lady, before your husband starts beating you again!