fairy tea party favors, food, & a confession

which first…okay confession :)  So many of you ask me how i have time for all this.  Well here’s the sad truth – i don’t anymore!  And I’m afraid all the crafting for birthday parties is coming to a slow end.  One of the reasons I used to do it was for the craft activities for the kids…they loved helping with all of it!  And i used to actually have patience when a whole cupcake mix was dumped on the floor – no problem!  we have nothing else to do let’s start over.  But as homework, dance, laundry, dinner, baths  (yes to all of those that know me all too well, i am actually into bathing them now..sometimes daily), S&J, and just life pile up now there is no time for error so i find myself waiting until kids go to bed or maybe one child is up to get started on the birthday food, decorations, etc.

The second reason i put so much effort into these birthday parties is to be able to throw the party they (okay I) want without breaking the bank.  that reason is still in place so the crafting and baking continues…

The third reason is for the kids (shouldn’t this be the first?! – i am confessing though)… there is nothing like seeing their faces when they see the party for the first time (because while in a perfect world they would help me get it all ready but instead i ship them to their grandmother’s for the day – that may sound like a convenience but it’s a confession – i wish it was easy and fun to let them help me) allowing the party to be completely ready, decorations, food, etc. before they see it.

Having said all that and truly believing that it has to slow down a bit, I know that I’m not capable of sending out quick and easy invitations or spending top dollar for thumbprint cookies…so we will see.  I won’t kill myself over it but there eventually has to be a happy medium.   So onto the (waytoomuchtimespentonthese) favors & food…

thumbprint cookies: perfectly imperfect as usual (i quadrupled the recipe)

• 1/4 c packed brown sugar
• 1/4 c shortening
• 1/4 c butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 c all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven 350.  Beat brown sugar, shortening, butter, vanilla, egg yolk with electric mixer on medium speed.  Stir in flour and salt.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls.  Pres thumb into center of each cookie to make indentation (don’t press all the way to the pan).  Bake 10 min. or until light brown.  Let cool and fill the indention with icing (recipe below)

icing:

• 1 c confectioners’ sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk (i just pour milk in a little bit at a time until i get the consistency i want and it seems to be more than 2 teaspoons)
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla (or almond) extract
• food coloring

Stir together confectioners’ sugar & milk until smooth.  Beat in corn syrup and extract until smooth and glossy.  Add food coloring. 

I froze the thumbprint cookies too (after adding icing and letting it harden a bit – it worked well for me last tea party.)

mini cupcakes (notice the reuse of cupcake liners) I buy the cupcake mix in a box (duncan hines this time) and put these in freezer bags and freeze until the day of the party.  And I will ice them with store bought icing … go me!

favors – fairy wings & wands (just pictures for now)

 

 

 

and I had a fun idea for fairy dust but in my new attempt to not spend ridiculous amounts of time on things I am scrapping it (i think, maybe)

happy week!