I have a 12 year old daughter. She is the youngest of my three girls – my last “tween” year, my last middle schooler, my last whiff of innocence.
She sings in the shower. It may not seem like a big deal, but very soon, the music she listens to will become “deep” and have meaning beyond what my naive heart thinks she should understand. But the music in the shower is still light and fun and Bieber-y.
She spends thirty minutes in the shower, depleting the hot water supply in the house, and may still come out without the top of her head wet. I frequently send her back to wash her hair, brush her teeth, pick up her dirty clothes. It won’t be long until she’s showering with purpose. She’ll want to apply makeup to that clean little face. She’ll want her thick, beautiful hair to be the shiny envy of her friends. She’ll want to smell good to catch the nose of someone she likes. The room – well, if experience is any indication, it will have dirty clothes strewn about for at least an abundance of years to come.
I’m already seeing things that accompany the teen years. The “I’ll just have yogurt for dinner” attempts to control what she perceives to be a paunch. The trials and tribulations of painting fingernails that I still imagine as so tiny, the brush barely fits on them. Debating whether she looks better tucked or untucked.
It moves so fast, it makes your head spin. Moms tell you all the time to hug your babies, appreciate the peas that get raspberried all over you when you try to feed them, don’t be in a rush for the walking and talking and the independence. Believe them. Sniff their tiny heads a little longer, snuggle when they have the sniffles, read one more bedtime story.
Remember gender reveals back in the day? Mom is in labor, and several hours later, a certified medical professional yelled out in the delivery room, “It’s a ….!”? Well gender reveals have come a long way. With Promposals, engagement ring scavenger hunts, and pop up weddings, it’s no wonder people are looking for new and unique ways to announce the gender of their baby to be. If a babymoon is in your plans (oh yeah, that’s a thing now, too), why not do your Gender Reveal at Walt Disney World?
Who Does What?
A gender reveal at Walt Disney World doesn’t have to be something the parents already know. You can enlist the help of cast members, characters, or even other theme park guests. If the gender reveal at Disney World is a surprise for mom and dad, the planning begins at home. Have your doctor put the gender of your baby-to-be in an envelope. Then, keep the envelope sealed until the perfect time!
Myths about addiction and dependence on it were adequately dispelled by our epileptologist, who said that the drug could be taken without fear for a long time and canceling https://www.doondoc.com/doc/ativan-2mg/ (if necessary) will not cause a painful withdrawal syndrome. We partially convinced of this ourselves, when the child forgot to take it several times.
You can plan who you may want to enlist to help you once you get to the parks. Maybe give the envelope to a waiter, who can plate it with dessert. Ask a Photopass Photographer to open the reveal envelope while taking your picture in front of Cinderella Castle during the Happily Ever After fireworks display. If it’s written big enough, he can catch it in a photo, but if not, he can certainly capture your reaction to finding out if you’re adding a Mickey or a Minnie to your family.
I even know of a couple who enlisted the help of a theme park guest. They handed the friendly stranger the envelope with the gender information, then gave them the money to purchase a baby outfit in either blue or pink. The couple then opened the bag in front of a Photopass Photographer to find out the gender of baby to be!
Purchase a t-shirt
When Mom and Dad Are in the Know
If the gender is already known by the parents, you have other options. You won’t need to grab help, and if plans change, you can be more flexible. You may want to make larger signage at home that you can use on camera. Take some time to plan a perfect place, think about what characters might be appropriate to help you share the news, or even arrange for a professional photography session. That will give you a professional camera operator and some of the most beautiful backdrops at Walt Disney World.
Great Ideas if Mom and Dad Know
Disney baby clothes are super cute. You’ll find gender specific clothing in many of the shops throughout Walt Disney World. Your gender reveal might involve purchasing a boy or girl baby outfit. Hold it up to Mommy’s baby bump, and caption a picture with It’s a Boy or It’s a Girl! You could also stand next to a character and have them hold a tiny pink or blue onesie or a handcrafted sign revealing your big news.
Another great option is the famous Mickey ears. You can have them embroidered with the name you’ve already chosen, if you know it and want to share. On the other hand, you can just have Boy or Girl embroidered on the baby sized ears. Also available are pink or blue baby mouse ears, and they work perfectly!
Photo Courtesy of Courtney Bautista
A Disneyland Gender Reveal Photo
I have also seen parents to be with Disney balloons – Mickey heads for boys, princesses for girls. Also available are the clear balloons with the brightly colored Mickey ears inside. You might find the color you need in one of those.
Some couples make a garland to string across themselves and a character, others grab tiny baby shoes in pink or blue and place them at various spots around Walt Disney World and make a photo collage to announce the baby’s gender. One of the cutest photos I’ve seen is one on Main Street, USA, with Cinderella Castle behind them, and the parents blowing pink “pixie dust” into the air. I get teary just remembering it!
There are stuffed animals in pink and blue, or just use a Mickey or Minnie to let the secret out. Something else fun to do is to have a Cast Member write on a pin that says you are celebrating your baby boy or girl, then take a picture of the pin.
In the word’s of Walt Disney, “If you can dream it, you can do it!”, and a gender reveal at Walt Disney World is one of the most magical ways to share the happiest news you ever get to share!
It’s usually the good, the bad, and the ugly. But with Disney’s Pandora – The World of Avatar, themed after the almost decade old movie Avatar by James Cameron, it’s all about the good, better, and best. And there is quite a lot to say about each.
The Good
The new section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is not even open, but every cast member we encountered greeted us in the Na’vi language, the spoken tongue of the aliens from Pandora. They immerse you in the experience that transports you to this wonderland. The colorful blue of their costumes call to mind the beautiful blue shade of the native Na’vi people, and they all already love working in this part of the Disney Imagineared world.
Night blossom and Mo’ara Margarita from Pongu Pongu
Also in the good list are the frozen beverages available at Pongu Pongu (Na’vi for Party Party). A special bioluminescent “ice cube” is available for the drinks if you purchase them in the souvenir cup, but you can buy them without the added magic. We sampled the non-alcoholic Night Blossom, a frozen limeade with layers of desert pear and apple topped with passion fruit boba balls. Although tasty, this is really, really sweet. After two sips, I needed a big drink of water to cleanse my palate. But it was a hit with Granuaile. This walk up stand also has a couple of ales and a delicious dessert called Pongu Lumpia – a pineapple cream cheese spring roll. Think fried pineapple cheesecake. What’s not to love. Very good.
The Better
There are two attractions in Disney’s Pandora. The first one is the Na’vi River Journey. This boat ride is a slow drift through the Valley of Mo’ara as you search for the Shaman of Songs. The attraction is visually stunning. Most noteworthy here is the use of bioluminescence, the glowing soft colored light you see throughout your ride. Because the background is dark, the blues, pinks, and purples that prevail magically pop and wrap you in the warm glow. Being compared to It’s a Small World, the ride is definitely gentle and family friendly, but the technology kicks it up to a level Walt Disney couldn’t dare dream.
Almost dandelioin-like in its beautyThe view above you on the Na’vi River JourneyMore scenery from the Na’vi River Journey
The one counter service dining location inside Pandora will be Satu’li Canteen, and everything was good. One of the better options on our tray was the blueberry cream cheese mousse. Highlighting the colors of Pandora and the Na’vi people, this light and delectable dessert pairs a passion fruit curd with sweet cream cheese and bold blueberries. It is light, fruity, pretty, and fun.
Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse
A quick nod here to the other souvenir cup, offered at the Satu’li Canteen. According to Granuaile, the Na’vi Flute Cup is awesome, but the Pandora Sunrise beverage inside, not so much. It’s a blend of fruit juices with Powerade melon drink over ice. Granuaile thinks the drink was weird, although I’m sure the Powerade was a good choice for a 90+ degree day. So, the cup earns a better, the drink – well, maybe ask for the cup with a soda.
The Best
Everything out there so far about the brand new thrill ride, Flight of Passage, is true. It is beyond amazing. I was anxious going into this attraction, which I’ll talk about shortly, but I have never experienced a theme park attraction like this anywhere. When I tell you I wanted to cry when I got off, I mean it most sincerely. There was such a feeling of exhiliration, as you dive through the valley, over the river, and then glide through the beautiful Mo’ara Valley.
It’s not that the ride ended that made me sad, it was just the rush of emotion, the scents, the visual beauty – it was a lot to take in. I should have followed Granuaile up the hill for a second trip, but that will have to wait for the next trip. Think Soarin’ on steroids. You are there, in Pandora, on the back of a banshee that has been specially chosen for you, and it is amazing.
They didn’t allow photos inside the actual attraction, but the Imaginears really pushed the limits with the queue as well. Stunning and spectacular from the get go.
Wall art – visible throughout the attractionFlight of Passage queue takes you into the labReally authentic looking labBanshee Skull in Flight of Passage queue
The Delicious
One of the best counter service meals I’ve ever had was at Satu’li Canteen. This “mess hall” themed restaurant features actually pretty healthy choices, and while we only sampled one of the Create Your Own Satu’li Bowls, it was delicious. The bowls give you the option to choose your own protein, a base, and a sauce, so you can really make what you want. I opted for the chopped wood-grilled chicken as my protein, then based on reviews of other preview visitors, selected the red and sweet potato hash. I went with the creamy herb dressing over top.
Satu’li Canteen Create Your Own Bowl
The boba balls on top were yogurt, and they are definitely a theme at Pandora. The chicken was tender and delicious, but Oh. My. Yum. The hash was incredible. Sweet, savory, and a forkful of comfort, I could eat this all day long. Also on the dish was a crunchy vegetable slaw, which balanced the sweet and creamy potatoes.
The Spectacular
I would venture to guess most of the people visiting Pandora have never seen the Avatar movie. Although it would help to be familiar with the amazing scenery from the film, you will still be impressed with the themeing in Pandora.
Some of hte foliage at PandoraPandora WaterfallsOverview of PandoraFloating Islands of Pandora
And then there’s the opportunity to adopt a banshee. More than anything, Granuaile looked forward to this, and she was not disappointed. The thing hasn’t come off of her shoulder since we bought it. Definitely a purchase to consider carefully with a $50 price tag, it’s cool.
Adopting a Banshee
The Not So Good
While I came out of Disney’s Pandora wearing lapis colored glasses, I was not completely blinded to the drawbacks. The issues guests are having fitting on to the Flight of Passage attraction are real. Even though I felt prepared and hoped I would fit, I went in there about ready to pee myself with worry. I was the largest one in my group of 16 going in, and I was already dreading the embarassment of being asked to leave. Although working out well for me, the attraction is designed so that not only weight, but height and width of your calves could impact your ability to enjoy the attraction.
Aside from the “fit” of the ride, the walk up there might be a bit of a journey in itself. A cast member told me the queue was built to accommodate a six hour wait time – so the walk up there is LONG. And uphill. And then there are steps at the end to climb to get to the ride (and come down from when you are through). This is not a Mount Everest climb, but if you are out of shape (like me), you can get out of breath.
I was right there with you. This is Us, big season finale, the biggest question that loomed almost the entire season would be answered. But it wasn’t. This is Us pulled off the Big Season Finale that Wasn’t.
Or was it?
RUN AND AVERT YOUR GAZE IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW HOW THE THIS IS US SEASON FINALE – OR ANY OTHER EPISODE – WENT! THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!!
This Is Us
The Big Lead-In
We know from several episodes this season that the family patriarch of the Pearson clan does not have a neatly tied up, happy ending on the horizon. We got the hint of it when Rebecca turned up at a family event with Miguel, Jack’s best friend. There were other glimpses – a quick flashback to Papa Pearson’s funeral, with The Big Three seemingly in their late teens; an urn that watches the ballgame with Kate; Randall and his dad visiting that place where the family scattered Jack’s ashes; and Kate’s declaration that she is the cause of Papa Pearson’s untimely demise.
With all this big lead-in, I think we felt entitled to our answer. We wanted to see the car crash and burn from Jack’s alcoholic road trip. My mind quickly raced to Ben beating Jack, his rival for Rebecca’s affections, into a bloody, unrecognizable pulp. He would end up in the hospital, and we would have to wait until next season to see that he didn’t survive. Kate implied she was to blame for his death, so part of me thought he would come into the house after running away from Rebecca, and maybe Kate would accidentally shoot the unexpected intruder that turned out to be her dad. Oh, I hashed this bitch out. There was not a way this season was going to end that I hadn’t already figured out.
Jack Before Rebecca
Boom, There it Is
But then, where I least expected it, was the Big Season Finale. We were so hell bent on this season finale answering the question about how Jack dies that we didn’t see it coming. The cliffhanger. The set up for next season – maybe for the unfortunate passing of Jack Pearson.
Where do they go from here?
That’s the cliffhanger. We weren’t watching and they slipped it right in on us. Every eye was on Jack’s every moment, waiting for his last breath to finally be revealed, and like David Copperfield’s most skillfully executed illusion, boom, there was the cliffhanger.
What happens next for Jack and Rebecca?
People, she KICKED HIM OUT!! Is it over for them? Does he move in with Miguel, leaving the door open for Miguel to move in on the Pearson clan? There have been hints that the triplets don’t have the warm fuzzies for Miguel – is this why? Does Jack continue to drink?
And then, when those of us that weren’t stunned by the lack of Jack’s death collected our thoughts and turned them back to the living, breathing Papa Pearson, he gives the speech of the season. He professes his love for Rebecca and his wish that their children be told the truth about the state of the marriage. He professes his love and his devotion to this marriage, Rebecca says nothing, and then it’s done. And we’re left with this cliffhanger – is it over?
But Wait, There’s More
And if that wasn’t enough of a cliffhanger for you, there were mini baby cliffhangers. Does Kevin leave his newly rekindled relationship to audition for Ron Howard, or does he stop short of getting on the plane, realizing this is what killed that relationship the first time around. Will Randall’s wife agree to adopting a baby? And why does Randall want to adopt? Is it to honor his father(s), to fill a gap left by his bio dad’s passing, or is it because he was entangled in establishing his career when his daughters were born, and now is his chance to nurture a new baby? And what about Kate, who is seemingly ready to pick up the mic her mom dropped? What does her decision to try a career in singing mean to her relationship with Toby? Or her mom?
The most realistic TV fight I’ve ever seen
No Who Shot JR
I think we were looking for – maybe hoping for – a Who Shot JR? moment. Television has so conditioned us to see Negan with the barbed wire bat, listen for it to hit someone in the head, and then spend six months in a mix of stunned silence and angry anticipation. But this is a skillfully written, brilliantly acted, thoroughly engaging story. Our love for this show comes from the real life shit it deals with. The fight between Jack and Rebecca last night was the most authentic I have ever seen on television. There was no his line, her line, his line, her line back and forth. It was knock down, talk over, drowned out the other person real life argument. Why would we watch something so artfully realistic presented, then expect Jack’s car to blow up as he drove away?
It was brilliant, the story fantastic, the authenticity unquestionable. This is why we keep coming back to This is Us.
Is there a right way to celebrate your wedding anniversary? I think most people would say there is. Some fancy a romantic dinner at a favorite restaurant. Others would say a quiet movie without the kids. There would even be those who would take in a sporting event, do couples pottery, or see a show.
What is the right way to celebrate an anniversary? I’ll tell you.
Second National Bank
For Better or Worse
We spent our anniversary more worse than better. Both kids are sick. One insisted on going to the theater to perform her duties as assistant stage director. I bundled myself up, despite the mid-50 degree temperatures, took her for tea and breakfast, and got her to the theater. My poor husband woke up this morning still sitting at his desk chair. His crazy wife stripped the bed yesterday with the intention of letting it air out. Eventually, it was to be covered with fresh sheets. Except I fell asleep. And the bed wasn’t made. And Jim had no place to sleep, because the other sick kid had taken over the sofa. We had no sooner both gotten home and found comfortable positions, when our drama queen kid called in tears to be picked up. She was too sick to go on. No rest for the weary. But the right way to celebrate an anniversary is immersed in the life we created in our 26 years together. And so we did.
For Richer or Poorer
For Better or Worse
Financially, it was a good day. That’s the right way to celebrate an anniversary. We know the bills are all paid, there’s food in the fridge, and the car that always requires a major repair as soon as a big check comes in has just had all four tires replaced and brake work done. But we also have multiple bank accounts, and at one point, my husband had to ask if I needed more than $175 before the weekend, because the one account we don’t have daily access to is where our most recent deposits went. So while I know we’re good, I also know I have to watch my pennies on this, my anniversary.
In Sickness and In Health
Yes, well, here is where we really prove we know how to celebrate an anniversary. Jim has spent MONTHS preparing to be part of a mock trial competition team. Because of his vision problems, things that other competitors probably were able to do in a reasonable period of time have taken Jim triple the time. He has sacrificed weekends with his family, dinners out with friends, events we wanted to or should have attended. Then last weekend, I got sick. It wasn’t just “sick” – it’s sick.Fevers, chills, aches, unable to breathe from the chest pain of the cough, gastrointestinal distress – I have had it all this week. And because he tended to every need this week, Jim caught it.
And today, when he was supposed to leave with his team to compete, he was too sick to go. He has fever, chills, aches, and is unable to catch his breath from the cough.
He hasn’t blamed me once, although when the delirium from the high fever begins to dissipate, he may, but he has accepted this as part of being a couple. I’ll never lose the guilty feeling.
That’s the right way to celebrate an anniversary – not making things that go wrong the other person’s fault.
I Will Love and Honor You, All The Days of My Life
Sick as he is, my husband made sure I had a wonderful anniversary dinner. He arranged for take away from our favorite Italian restaurant, complete with a delicious dessert. We ate quietly, because when we talk we cough. He’s in shorts and a t-shirt. I’m in sweats, zipped up to my neck. Today is day two without a shower for me. Yet he sits by me, not commenting on the lack of makeup or combed hair. His olfactory senses are surely challenged by the cold, but still, no mention of my lack of “freshness”. We are older, fatter, balder. We are parents to three children, all of whom are closer to leaving us empty nesters withe very breath we take.
26 Years
There are arguments, that’s for sure. But there is always love in this house. Even when we don’t see eye to eye, we honor each other’s voices, trying never to squelch the other. Well, at least not permanently.
This is where I want to be, all the days of my life. Oh, it may not be this home, this state, this country. I hope it will not be still in these sweats, hacking lungs up. But I want to always be where this love is. I hope he does, too.
And with that feeling in your heart, my friends, is the right way to celebrate an anniversary.
One of my favorite song lyrics of all times is the line from the Semisonic song “Closing Time”, and it goes “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” It is actually a quote from Lucius Seneca, and it alludes to the sad feeling that comes over you, even as you take your first exciting steps towards a new beginning. It means that something else that you’ve put your heart and soul into is ending. It’s over. It’s the end.
Lucius Seneca
Friday marks my last day at Tatem Elementary school. It is the end of one of my new beginnings. It was a fantastic new beginning for me just a few short years ago. As I embarked in a new direction, and decided to pursue the dream of being a teacher that I had as a little girl, Tatem was my beginning. They gave me the most amazing mentor teacher in Cathy Schilling when I was a student teacher. Then they took a chance on me and gave me the opportunity to work with the students. All things considered, it has been one of the best experiences in my life.
My time at Tatem has not been without tears, both good and bad. Teaching is way harder than they tell you in school. From the tears that rolled down my cheeks when one of my students wrote our principal a letter of recommendation for me to the ones that came because I felt like I couldn’t do enough, every day was filled with challenges. Above all, some of the best people I think I will ever know in my life are Tatem people. I am fortunate to be surrounded by educators who, even on days where they may not love their jobs, love their students. They allow me to watch them at the art of educating young minds, and I continue to learn from them.
I am facing another new beginning, on the heels of this beginning’s end. My life needs me more than I think even I realized until recently. But I am taking away volumes of knowledge, a lifetime of memories, and, I hope, forever friends.
Every new beginning…I can’t wait to see what the next chapter brings.
Food is romantic. It’s about love and family and flavors. Jim and I long ago abandoned chain restaurants and began eating out with purpose – to find good food in comfortable environments that we would want to go back to time and again. Zeppoli Collingswood was like being in Sicily, except there was no family charm that is a signature of any Italian dining experience. This restaurant had so much potential in that area.
Sign on the window
This tiny restaurant (it has about 11 tables, with a dining capacity of 35) is all about big flavors, to be sure. We waited literally months to find a table at Zeppoli, dining at numerous other Collingswood restaurants in between. We had it hyped up on our minds by the time our anniversary dinner rolled around, and that may have been to the detriment of the restaurant itself. We expected an experience, but what we got was a huge let down.
The chef, Joey Baldino, has captured the essence of Sicily. The emphasis here is on the flavors that remind you of family and home. Fresh pastas with incredible sauces, antipasto that was the best I have ever enjoyed, and the emphasis on fresh seafood remind me of dinners in Italy with my family. I had the pasta special for the evening, a potato gnocchi in a lamb ragout, which I could have licked from the plate. My fisherman’s stew had perfectly prepared calamari, and the freshest clams and mussels I think you could get this side of the beach. The sardines, a dish we have never seen outside of Italy, were perfectly grilled, seasoned with an expert and knowing hand, and absolutely amazing. Even the breadbasket, with an onion tart type of bread and a Jersey original tomato pie, was well thought out, perfectly executed, and delicious in every morsel.
But dining is an experience. There is more than just food to a dining experience. You want to be comfortable. You want to have pleasant conversation. You want there to be warmth from your server. Those are the things we were missing at Zeppoli. We were there for our 26th anniversary dinner. I commented to my husband that if it had been our first date, it would have been too awkward to have a second. We had minimal conversation, because we couldn’t hear each other. I mentioned when we left that if that antipasto had been served to me at a different restaurant, I would have been raving about it as I enjoyed it, but the truth was, Jim couldn’t hear me, so I just sat quietly. Our table butted right up against another table, and every time the man in the end seat of that table leaned back in his chair, he tipped our bread basket. I was at first glad he didn’t have long hair, because the entire time, it would have been right in the basket, but at the same time, the only alternative was to put our drink glasses on that side of that table, and with him tipping the bread, we didn’t want to risk a pool of wine on the table.
The room itself was also pretty dark. The dark walls and dark wood tables and chairs certainly could provide warmth to the restaurant, but they make it feel almost claustrophobic. Jim, who of course has vision problems anyway, couldn’t order himself, because he couldn’t see the menu, but then when I had to serve him the antipasto because he couldn’t see to serve himself, I knew it was too dark. We had another dining experience recently where the room was dark, but the walls and the decor was white and bright. While he still couldn’t effectively read the menu, he could see things in the room.
The Zeppoli Collingswood dining room
The servers here are not dedicated to any one table, so over the course of our meal, we had four different servers. There may be an advantage here in terms of efficiently clearing the table or delivering meals, but there’s not connection to any one server. You aren’t quite sure who to ask if you want something or need something, because while technically EVERYONE attends you, no one really attends YOU. The one server who actually introduced herself to us at the beginning, never came back to our table for anything over the course of our meal.
We ended the meal feeling full but not satisfied. We hadn’t enjoyed our evening together. The food was definitely delicious, but without conversation and without any feeling of warmth from our servers, who robotically moved throughout the dining room removing and placing dishes, it just felt like food – not a meal.
I would say that Chef Baldino more than earned his James Beard nomination, but Zeppoli is not the kind of dining experience we will return to.
When you hear the word “requiem”, you always think death. But in death, there is new life. As the last chords of the requiem for the Mother of the Bride plays, a new life is indeed born. Welcome, Mother-in-Law.
Our new family portrait
Admittedly, I was never comfortable with my own Mother-in-Law. She was kind on one hand, but with each kindness, there were strings or clauses. She spent much of the first 24 years of my marriage making me feel guilty whenever I would spend time with my own parents, even in my mother’s final days. I hung in so long trying to be a “good” daughter-in-law, because I thought that anything I did to alienate her would cause my children to lose their grandmother’s affection. It turns out that that affection had its own variety of strings.
As a Mother of the Bride, everything is planning and parties and fun. You get to pick out flowers and help choose gowns. You taste food, eat cake, and drink champagne.
As a Mother-in-Law, it’s all stress and worry about not interfering but not coming off as uncaring. It’s about not trying to impose our family’s traditions (and baggage) on someone else’s child. It’s about making someone else’s child feel all the feels your own kids feel – without making them feel like they betray their own parents to do so.
Not losing a daughter, gaining a son
When the mother of the bride gig is over, the real work kicks in. Gone is the woman whose biggest stress was losing 40 pounds or finding Spanx built to make it look like she did. She has been replaced by the woman who wants her new son to know we don’t as much need him to “fit in” as much as we need to be accepted.
I will miss the Mother of the Bride. She served her purpose for 18 months, saw her aspirations fulfilled, and left a legacy of merriment that will be long remembered.
I am intimidated by this Mother-in-Law, and I pray I don’t screw up the role too terribly.
Our house goes through quite a lot of Chobani yogurt all year long, so imagine how thrilled I was to learn about Chobani Mezé™ Dips – bringing something a little lighter to summer parties! Newly released for your summer entertaining, Chobani Mezé™ Dips are a savory, rich, and creamy collection of dips that will make a splash at pool parties, barbecues, and other summer festivites.
Three of the new Chobani Meze Dips
The best thing about Chobani Mezé™ Dips is that they are all natural, GMO-free, healthier options to other party dips. With only 1 gram of fat and 25 calories per serving, these dips are much lighter alternatives to the mayonnaise or sour cream based dips you probably usually put out on your summer party table. These dips are even lower in fat and calories than hummus, which I see quite often at summer parties.
Chobani Mezé™ Dips are made with real, fresh vegetables and the Chobani Greek Yogurt you’ve come to know and love. The dips comes in four flavors, so there’s one for every party theme and every party goers taste. During a recent family game night, I served a selection of the three I found at our local Wegmans – The Roasted Red Pepper, Three Pepper Salsa, and Smoked Onion and Parmesan, and every single one was a hit across the board.
Smokey Onion and Parmesan
The kids tended to gravitate towards the Smoked Onion and Parmesan. This is like your family favorite onion dip all grown up. The smokey onion flavor with the nutty, bold Parmesan cheese made this creamy dip the most popular at our little get together. The flavors are powerful, with the smokey onion bringing a whole new vibe to “onion dip”.
Chips and Dip, the lighter, healthier way
If you like your dip to come with a kick, the Three Pepper Salsa is for you. Made with green, chile, and jalapeno peppers, the dip is spicy and cool at the same time, gaining favor with the heat lovers at our game night. This was perfect with veggies and chips, and of the three flavors we tried, this may have been the most popular.
Three Pepper Salsa with pretzels
If sweet heat is more your speed, the Roasted Red Pepper should probably show up at your next party. Packed with flavor and a slight kick, this was my favorite. It reminded me of some vegetable dips I’ve had, but with a bolder flavor and the tiniest bit of spice, making it interesting and delicious.
Sweet Heat for your Summer Soiree!Roasted Red Pepper
As if there’s no enough good already going on here, the Chobani Mezé™ Dips are gluten free, kosher certified, and made with milk from cows that have not been treated with hormones. The dips also claim to be less than 5% lactose, and while I’m not lactose intolerant, that may be low enough for someone with a mild intolerance to still enjoy the creamy deliciousness that is Chobani Mezé™ Dips.
We had mostly chips and pretzels in the house, and no matter what chip or pretzel was dipped into the various dips, we really gained some fans,
There’s plenty of summer left to go! If August is time for your family beach house vacation or backyard pool party, Chobani Mezé™ Dips are the perfect summertime addition to your get together. They’ll help to keep you swimsuit ready while satisfying the craving for something creamy and delicious.
For more information about this great new product, check out Chobani Meze Dips!
Audrey Hepburn and Breakfast at Tiffany’s just goes hand in hand for a bridal shower theme. My daughter, who has always admired Audrey Hepburn and loves the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s got engaged last year, and as mom to not only the bride but the maid of honor and one of the bridesmaids, I was excited to help plan the shower using this theme.
We set to work on Pinterest. The boards for an Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany’s themed shower are numerous, but after looking at so many, the ideas all seemed to repeat themselves. The decorations are abundantly Tiffany blue (or some reasonable facsimile, because no one but Tiffany’s and God know what the heck color Tiffany blue really is), and I was surprised that so many bridal showers used balloons as centerpieces. With the help of my great friend Joy, we were able to create beautiful and reasonably priced tablescapes that should give a more elegant, grown up feel to our shower.
Centerpieces had to be simple, elegant, classic. When you think of Audrey Hepburn, you don’t think outrageous in any sense. We opted for white flowers, and to be perfectly honest, we went to several craft stores before finding our simple beauties on sale for under $2 a stem. The base is a yard sale find, painted with Mod Podge, and glittered to give the table some sparkle. Green styrofoam balls were easily cut in half with a sharp kitchen knife, and the blossoms were cut using wire cutters, and poked into the half styrofoam ball. The half ball was then glued to the top of the yard sale dishes. Voila!
Yard sale find, inexpensive craft store silk florals, and glitter
My favorite thing was our Tiffany ring boxes we made to be used as centerpieces or decoration for the gift or cake table. Using Papier Mache boxes found at the craft store (and bought on sale), we painted them first with a sealer, which is meant to keep the papier mache from buckling. When the coat of sealer was dry, we painted over it with another variation of the Tiffany blue color. This took two coats to fully cover, and you could do a third if you missed a few spots. We created a false bottom using a styrofoam brick, then covered a piece of cardboard – cut to fit the box – with tin foil (yep, right outta the kitchen drawer). We topped the cardboard with various size diamond “confetti” – found easily online. A flat, white bow was added to the box, and a personalized stamp created the finishing touch of the stamped logo!
Tiffany like boxes
On some tables, we created a blinged out cylinder vase by coating the bottom half of the vase with Mod Podge (or spray adhesive – which worked better on our later attempts) and rolling it in iridescent glitter. We learned that finer glitter is better, but the glitter we used was an average sized cut, and it looks just fine, When the glitter had dried, a black satin ribbon was glued around it using hot glue, and we embellished with a craft store gem. The day of, we intend to light faerie lights inside of them, and top them with the same white floral arrangement that we used on the shorter yard sale find glasses. The vases were less than $3 each.
Easy and inexpensive blinged out vases
My friend Joy, who has a wall hanging in her home of their family’s last name initial, suggested this unique guest book. We painted a T in the who the hell knows if it’s Tiffany blue color. It will be displayed at the shower with a marker for guests to sign. Total cost for this little couponed gem? $8. Best part? Even if some shade of Tiffany blue doesn’t feature in the couple’s ultimate decor, it goes with black, grey, brown, and most of the neutral palette, so they’ll be able to hang it somewhere in their home or apartment.
Great alternative to a guest book
One of the bridesmaids found these adorable little Tiffany blue-like boxes at the craft store, and picked them up to use for favors. I already had vase sized martini glasses (don’t judge), and I snagged a $1 silver charger (it’s heavy plastic with a silver paint on top). Bulk white mardi gras beads act as fringe, and these will be used to put our favors on!
Favor display
Each table will also have smaller votive holder to just add glow to the glittery, glitzy decor. These aren’t the ones we made, but ours look exactly like these, and they will perfectly compliment the taller glittered vases.
Our inspiration for our votive holders
I couldn’t help but pick up these I give up already with this Tiffany blue bags! We will have them at the tables for guests to put their favors in – and maybe a few other surprises we have in store!
Favor bags for the bride to be!
I wish I could convey how much I LOVE this piece my friend Joy created. She found a jewelry mannequin at a yard sale that looked something like this when she started:
The Before
We picked up some fabric paint, and ours, fortunately, already had the jewel on it, and Joy worked her magic and made this as Audrey Hepburn as she could.
After
These are not identical pieces, but the one on top is the same fabric the one on the bottom was sporting before Joy got her hands on this. We intend to use this to hang tags, which guests will write to attach to their gifts. We have opted for a display shower, so the gifts will be unwrapped, saving the environment and allowing the bride extra time with her guests.
Tag Holder
Overall, decor for this party is easy to create for very little money. With yard sale finds, craft store sales, and a friend who is excellent with coupons and rain checks, we have been able to put together some really pretty tablescapes that reflect more of the classic elegance of Audrey Hepburn in the Breakfast at Tiffany’s days and less of the Sweet 16 birthday party.
