Party Planning

Written by Mary Mernda


Continued from page 1

Cleaning

Asrepparttar saying goes, "cleanliness is next to godliness". Unfortunately, cleaning is probablyrepparttar 111401 least glamorous task at hand. However, it is also one ofrepparttar 111402 most important because it leads torepparttar 111403 next major area, presentation. It is best to do as much ofrepparttar 111404 major cleaning as possible onrepparttar 111405 day beforerepparttar 111406 special event. This will help prevent wearing yourself out onrepparttar 111407 appointed day or cleaning too early and finding it necessary to reclean. We've included a handy check list and some pointers that we've learned from experience. This is all going to sound like pretty common sense information, but while being inrepparttar 111408 middle of preparation, it is sometimes easy to overlook evenrepparttar 111409 most basic elements. Checklist:

Kitchen:

_____ Clear off as much as possible from coutertops. This will helprepparttar 111410 area to look neat and uncluttered. It is expected to see certain things on a counter top such as a coffee maker, canister set or a cookie jar. Butrepparttar 111411 3 cans of soup you bought last week should be put in their proper place. _____ Clean all dirty dishes. Nothing says unprepared like walking into a kitchen with a sink full of dirty dishes. _____ Oncerepparttar 111412 dishes have been cleaned, store them properly. _____ Have a trash can available inrepparttar 111413 vicinity ofrepparttar 111414 serving area if this is not a formal dinner. Always be sure to use a clean trash bag. If necessary, take a half full bag and store it out ofrepparttar 111415 way untilrepparttar 111416 event is over. Bathroom:

_____ Cleanrepparttar 111417 toilet (includingrepparttar 111418 top ofrepparttar 111419 tank) andrepparttar 111420 sink. _____ Again, clear off as much as possible from coutertops. _____ Do you have a large family? Are there various towels and washcloths hanging around? Put them all in a clothes hamper. It looks so much neater that way. _____ Place clean towels in a area where it is convenient for your guests to dry their hands. _____ If you have one of those liquid soap dispensers, ensure that it is atleast half full. Totally filled is best. _____ Place a spare roll or two of toilet paper where they can easily be seen. A small basket holding these can add torepparttar 111421 overall appearance. _____ It looks best ifrepparttar 111422 shower curtain is drawn shut. This will also hide any clutter from shampoo bottles, etc. If there are doors onrepparttar 111423 shower, shut them.

Serving/Eating Area:

_____ Clean all corners and baseboards. These areas tend to be neglected during routine cleaning. _____ Dust any horizontal surfaces. This is another area that can be overlooked from time to time. _____ If you are using a room that will feature a view ofrepparttar 111424 outdoors, take time to thoroughly clean any windows. And you're done! Now that wasn't so bad after all.

Presentation

Congratulations!!! You've made it throughrepparttar 111425 most difficult section, preparation and moved on to presentation. This isrepparttar 111426 area that is featured by most people, but we believe good preparation leads to good presentation. While it is important to considerrepparttar 111427 layout and presentation ofrepparttar 111428 food serving area, we feel that some time should be taken to considerrepparttar 111429 overall appearance of your event area withrepparttar 111430 food starting out asrepparttar 111431 focal point. As you are undoubtedly aware,repparttar 111432 serving area will become unkempt, therefore, it is a good idea to includerepparttar 111433 entire event area when working on presentation. One point to consider isrepparttar 111434 style ofrepparttar 111435 serving dishes. Once again, this will be somewhat dictated byrepparttar 111436 location of your event. There are those who preferrepparttar 111437 clear or colored glass type of serving dishes. Others prefer a ceramic dish. The choice is yours. Since this is a special event, we suggest refraining fromrepparttar 111438 use of cheap plastic serving dishes if at all possible. Many people have told us they've picked up quite a collection over time discount stores. Some have even told us of finds they've made at dollar stores. The next thing you might want to think about isrepparttar 111439 use of a center piece. While there is nothing wrong with this, we are ofrepparttar 111440 belief thatrepparttar 111441 food itself isrepparttar 111442 center piece. Now that your guests have enjoyedrepparttar 111443 food that you have prepared, it is time for them to relax, mingle and talk with each other. A nice idea that we've seen to help promote conversation duringrepparttar 111444 quiet periods is to place a few photo albums in an area where your guests can browse them. This is especially helpful if you have a group of people that tends to spend a lot of time together. As they flip throughrepparttar 111445 pages they will recall bygone days that you've spent together. If you have children, maybe an album of kids photos as they were growing up. This may spark memories of their own children or even their childhood which can lead to some pretty interesting conversations. Another idea we've been made aware of is setting out a conversation starter book. An example we've seen is a book that asks questions about Christmas. There were questions such as 'what was your favorite Christmas gift.' Remember, even though you may be dealing with adults, they're still children at heart. Produation

You may be asking yourself, as many before you have, "what is produlation?" It isrepparttar 111446 euphoric feeling you get when you PRODuce a premier event and receiverepparttar 111447 congratULATIONS of all who attend. You've done such a fine job you can even congratulate yourself. You've put all ofrepparttar 111448 hard work behind you. As you were preparing, I'm sure there were times when you were asking yourself if it was worth it. Now you know it was, so ENJOY yourself!!! One last thing, which will helprepparttar 111449 produlation continue. If you readrepparttar 111450 menu section,repparttar 111451 produlation will continue as you pull out some ofrepparttar 111452 food you've held back and restock your party feast. ranchandpenthouse.bravepages.com © Ranch and Penthouse 2003. All rights reserved.

I'm a 50 year old happily married housewife with 3 nearly grown children. Through the years my husband and I have enjoyed entertaining family and friends in our home. As a result, we've created a small list of do's and don't's that make party planning easier and more enjoyable.


Making Summer Friendships Last

Written by Deborah Shelton


Continued from page 1

3. Pen Pal Club Start your own pen pal club! Swap addresses with your new friends and make a commitment to keep in touch. Be creative— don’t limit yourself to writing letters. Send an inexpensive gag gift every so often, or an audiotape letter. Send lists of your favorite things. For instance, one month send your pen pals a list of your 20 favorite movies, and then compare your lists.

No matter how you decide to keep in touch, don’t let summer friendships end when summer ends.

Deborah Shelton is a mother, freelance writer, and author of the brand new book, "The Five Minute Parent: Fun & Fast Activities for You and Your Little Ones." Visit Deborah's website for more family-friendly ideas: http://www.fiveminuteparent.com


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