How to Host a Galentines Day Party

I’m a stay at home mom with four kids and every now and then I need some girl time with friends! One of my favorite things to do is throw a party and bring everyone together. Next month in light of Valentines Day, I thought it would be fun to get all the girls together for a Galentine’s Party. I’m excited and wanted to help you throw your own! Here are a few tips and tricks I’ve learned to help make throwing a party a success.

INVITES:

First thing you need to do is let your friends know about your party! You can always send a card in the mail, however, I prefer the internet.  Specifically Evites.  Have you heard of it? (this isn’t sponsored, I just love it!)  I’ve used it for many of my gatherings.  Some things I love about Evites is:

1. Its FREE - they have lots of designs or you can upload your own design. You can download ours that we used for our party! Feel free to leave it as it is or use photoshop to add details to it.
2. How does Evites work? You enter in the e-mail addresses to invite.  It saves the e-mails for down the road when you want to host another party.  When you send it out, you will be able to see who has RSVP’d and who has looked at the evite.  I have a few friends who are notorious for not checking their e-mails - so I’ll sometimes shoot them a text saying “hey, check your e-mail - I sent you an invite” 
3. You can assign tasks.  Say you want your guests to bring something - you have that capability to make an assignment. (I usually ask friends to bring food)
4. There is a comments section.  People can comment their excitement, what they want to bring or why they can’t make it. 
5. You can send reminder e-mails or update any info by sending one e-mail. 

DECORATIONS:
Decorations always seem daunting when you search Pinterest. I often get overwhelmed. But I’ve found it seems easier if I focus on 2 or 3 ideas and then use flowers as a filler.  I love flowers from Trader Joes and will use some greenery for my balloon arch and to put on the food table.

BALLOON ARCH: 
I have always wanted to make a balloon arch.  I looked high and low for all the different Pinterest directions on how to make one and then found a whole kit on Amazon for about the same price and all packaged up together.  I already have a balloon pump (trust me - you will NEED one) but I found this one on Amazon for a good price

This is what I purchased for the balloon arch: BALLOONS
If you are an avid DIYer - I found this tutorial on Pinterest.  They even have links to the items they purchased which is a huge help.

FOOD TABLE DECOR: 
Along with flowers, I am making this DIY XOXO table cloth! They suggested buying white fabric, but I found a white table cloth on AMAZON that will work great.

I have some black craft paint and a paint brush.  This pinterest tutorial is my inspiration.
These XOXO balloons will be a nice touch to my balloon arch as well.

OTHER IDEAS:

• Photodrop – there are lots of ideas on Pinterest for a DIY, budget friendly backdrop. 
• Garlands and banners
• Chalkboard art or welcoming words

PARTY GAMES:
I’ve learned playing a game or two really makes a party. It helps people mix and makes a fun atmosphere.

FAVORITE THINGS GIFT EXCHANGE:  This is my favorite part of the party! I have found many great products from my friends while attending Favorite Things parties. I am combining this Galentine’s party with the idea behind a Favorite Things party.  I will have my guests bring their favorite items worth $20. Everyone will leave with another guests favorite thing. If you’re looking for gift ideas, check out this post. 

Ways to hand out gifts:  In the past I’ve had everyone put their name on a piece of paper in a bag.  Then we’ve gone around the circle and whatever name you drew out, that’s who gift you kept.  It makes the exchange fair - so people aren’t pining over popular gifts. It’s a great way to keep everyone happy.  I love this method, but I decided to step it up a notch for this year.

I will be gathering as many large paper bags from grocery stores as I have people coming.  Each guest will set their gift they brought in each individual bag. We will set them up at the end of the hall and do a ping pong bounce toss.  Whichever bag your ping pong ball ends up in after one bounce, that is the gift you will take home. I’m doing this for one reason: It’s a great way to mix friends! I’ve learned whenever I mix friends who aren’t super comfortable with each other yet, the more interactive games you can have the better. 

KAHOOT:  Have you ever heard of KAHOOT?  It’s a trivia game on the computer or phones that you make.  You create all the questions and answers and then each guest will open up the website and enter a pin designated to your game.  You start the game and the players have a certain amount of time (that you decide when creating the game) to guess the answers by clicking on colored squares.  The game keeps track of who answers the fastest and has the correct answers. You could give prizes for who won the top 3 or just the winner.

GALEN-GORIES:  We will also be playing a game called Galen-gories. You can download it here. It is similar to Scattergories. You will be given a sheet of paper with 10 questions on it.  Next to each question are lines. Above each line is a letter. Your host will set a timer and you will answer the questions going down the first line.  In this game the first letter is P. You will write down an answer for each question with something that starts with the letter that is above that set of lines.  At the end you will go over the answers. If anyone else has your same answer - you will cross off that word. You can’t use the same word twice. Play 4 rounds with the different letters.  The one with the most unique answers at the end wins. You can gift them a prize or just give them bragging rights.

CANDY BAR GAME:  Buy as many candy bars as you have guests.  Set the candy bars in the center. Everyone will sit in a circle (or stay in their seats) and will roll two dice. Set the timer for 5 minutes.  Each player will roll the dice on their turn. If they get doubles they can choose a candy bar and set it in front of them. Keep the dice moving fast around the circle.  The next player to get doubles can either steal the candy bar from another guest or grab a new one. You have potential to get multiple candy bars. When the timer goes off, you keep whatever candy bars you have accumulated.  If you didn’t want to use candy, you could always grab your favorite items to give out as a hostess gift or you could use dollars or any other food item.

FOOD:
As a host in the past I’ve always felt I needed to provide all the food.  This can be daunting, stressful and expensive. Now I usually ask guests to bring food and I usually concentrate on drinks.  In my evite I will have ask guests to bring either an appetizer, dessert, or soda.

I always provide ice, torani syrups (for a drink bar) and a big jug of water.  I will provide plates, cups, utensils, straws, etc.

My party is just a few weeks away and I can’t wait!  Parties simply make me happy. If you plan one, which I hope you will, please tag us using hashtags #livepresentlee

ENJOY!

2019 Favorite Things Gift Guide

I’ve hosted a few parties where we’ve exchanged favorite gifts and the number one question I get is “What should I bring?”  My love language is giving gifts so I’m constantly thinking, writing down ideas, and browsing stores for ideas. It’s not hard when you look around your house to think of some common favorite items you use daily.  Below are some of my favorite things to give you an idea. Hopefully this helps get your brain thinking outside the box too.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

1. SERVING PLATTERS - I have this one and am eyeing this one.  If you love to entertain or decorate, you can never have too many platters
2. DECORATIVE PITCHERS - This pitcher is so versatile or this pitcher   is similar.  You can use it for drinks, as a stand alone decorative piece or bring this with fresh flowers in it.  Either way you win.
3. TORANI SYRUPS - There are so many soda shops popping up and I’m obsessed.  However, I love to make my own concoctions so I always have a few Torani syrups at home.  Saves money and time. These two flavors are my favorite: coconut and pomegranate.
4. GAMES - games are such a crowd pleaser and a great excuse for another girl’s game night.  My all time favorite game is Telestrations  .  Code Names  is a close second runner. 
5. MOM HIVE or TRIBE necklace - We throw parties to spend time with friends we love.  Why not give one of them a Tribe necklace or a MOM HIVE necklace to show our appreciation. 
6. LAUNDRY HELPS - I recently learned about Oxyclean White Revive   and man, oh man I love it!  I also received some Downy Unstoppables  a few years ago during a favorite things party and I love doing laundry just for the smell alone!
7. BEAUTY PRODUCTS - There are a million ways to go with makeup or products so put together your favorites for one epic gift.  My favorite item is this Lash primer.  I also love this dry shampoo  when my hair is a few days out from washing and it smells amazing.  I also love this  dry texture spray when I want extra texture for my hair! 
8. CAR PHONE MOUNT - I love this  one because it has a command strip on the back to attach it to your car’s surface and it can be removed without any damage.  It has a magnet so you’ll put a magnet in your phones case and it sticks amazingly!
9. SALT LAMPS - Chris loves Julia (a home decor instagram account) posted about these, and I love the atmosphere they create.  Perfect ambiance to relax or use as a night light.
10. ARTIFICIAL PLANTS - or real plants.  I stick with artificial because I can’t keep a real one alive no matter how hard I try.  But there is beauty in a living plant. If you like to kill plants like me - this one and this one are good alternatives. 
11. MIXING BOWL - I was gifted a mixing bowl at a party like this and I didn’t think I would use it that much.  I’m biting my words though because I use it EVERY DAY! You can never have too many mid-size mixing bowls.  And this one makes me want to bake.
12. COOK BOOKS - I love to cook and I am always trying new recipes.  One of my favorite recipes is Banh Mi Tacos and it comes from Our Best Bites  cook book.  It’s healthy and delicious and kid approved. 
13. FAVORITE BOOK - Along with cookbooks, you can always gift your favorite book.  I’m as obsessed with Joanna Gaines as probably most of America. I’ve read her other book and I’ve read Chip’s book as well.  I usually prefer books I can read on my kindle, but her Homebody book  is a NEED in a hardcopy since it teaches so much and I need to be able to write things down.  I have mine sitting on my coffee table. Do you have a favorite book(s) you can share with someone?
14. ORGANIZATION - I’ve been faithfully watching Tidying Up on Netflix.  Although I was aware of her methods a few years back, this show has helped me to really get motivated to organize my entire house and fold all the clothes.  There are so many ways to organize and these labels   make everything look so pretty.
15. HAIR TIES - scrunchies are all the rage nowadays (and back in the 80’s when I was a kid lol) this hair tie is a grown up version that makes even my bad hair days look put together and comes in a few patterns.  This one  is a more simple version. 
16. MEASURING CUPS AND SPOONS - I love to bake and can bake all day long.  I often go through a few sets of cups and spoons measuring out all my ingredients and am constantly replacing my sets.  These spoons and cups are swoonworthy. 

Other options not posted in picture but would be great alone or gather a few items to combine into one gift:

• Organization for drawers and more label options

• Basket of favorite scents - Combine lotions, candles, air fresheners, car fresheners, chapstick, etc and gift a basket of your favorite scents

• Baking tools -  most of my friends have been married awhile and probably have their same utensils and baking items since they’ve got married.  Gifting things like spatulas, silicone baking sheets, meat mashers or cutting boards  will bring joy back into cooking!

• Soap - I love Bath and Body works soaps but it’s hard to make it into the store.  I’ve recently discovered this brand at Target and I get compliments on the smells and look all the time.

No matter what you decide on - your friends (or you) will love discovering new items so pick one of ours or go with your gut.  Either way have fun and don’t stress!

WE CAN DO HARD THINGS-(LAURA NEIBAUR)

There are some trials that are quite obvious for the outside world to see: a death in the family, a hospital stay, a divorce, or a major illness or injury. Then there are trials that may not be quite as obvious. When a family is struggling through a financial crisis, those on the outside may not immediately be aware of the problem. The judgement, fear and shame that come with financial struggles often leave those family members hiding their pain.

When you become aware of a friend of family member that is facing financial difficulties, it can seem impossible for you to know how to properly support them. Today we are delighted to have Laura Neibaur share with us some of her personal experience with financial difficulties. Her experience and vulnerability will help supply you with a better sense of what can be helpful to those close to us who are going through a financial crisis.

Laura and her husband James have been married for 13 years. They have seven children and very recently moved from Denver to a big farm in the mountains of Idaho. Their first child was born with a birth defect called gastroschisis. He became their “half-a-million-dollars-baby" with all of the medical bills from his surgery and hospital stay.

They both graduated from college and headed to Denver with two kids, a year’s worth of savings, and a wonderful job lined up for James. The day James was supposed to start work, he was laid off. This began many years of really bad luck and trials. After three business attempts failed, through no fault of their own, they were in a very scary situation. Laura said they were incredibly embarrassed and ashamed and didn’t want anyone to know or to ask anyone for help. The stress of having their power shut off, having to buy used clothes that were covered in cat urine for their children, having little food at times and having their third little boy in and out of the ER for many months led to Laura becoming incredibly sick. Her appearance changed, she was in constant pain and she couldn’t take care of her children.

Laura said, “I wouldn’t trade what I leaned. All of these experiences made us so much more compassionate of other people. We were brought so low that we could never look down on anyone else. Everything worldly, even our health, was taken from us. Wonderful blessings have come to us since those years and, miraculously, I am completely healed with no serious, lasting scars. The greatest blessing were the lessons we learned.”

What were some things that were said to you during your financial difficulties that were helpful or uplifting to you?

We appreciated when people took time to understand what was really going on without passing judgement first. We appreciated people who tried to find the good in the situation. There were dear friends who were our friends even though we couldn’t afford to do anything fun with them. One of my dearest friends comes from a very wealthy family. She never treated me differently than anyone else. She even spent time with me at my tiny little townhouse and wanted to be my friend, not because of what I had in life, but because of who I was.

Were there certain things that were said to you or your family during this time that were hurtful?
The hardest part of this trial was probably the judgement. Even from well-meaning family members, we received comments that made me cry myself to sleep at night and feel terrible shame. We finally had to get on food stamps and some people judged us for that. A close relative once told me I should not be pregnant if we were too poor to support them. That baby we had was the only joyful thing that came out of that entire year. He’s eight now, and still brings us joy. We’ve tried to give back in every possible way, but at the time, we needed some compassion, not criticism. A lot of people assumed that we were in that situation because we had been stupid with money. There were MANY things we wished we’d known before going through this trial, but 90% of it was not our fault.

Can you tell us about some acts of service that meant a lot to your family when you were struggling financially?
Even though it was really hard to accept charity and we felt embarrassed receiving it…every little thing meant so much! A nail polish. A pretty pillow to go on my ugly couch. A hand-me-down outfit that still had good wear. There were people who knew our trials and made a really nice Christmas for my sweet little boys who had nothing that year and wanted Tonka trucks. People brought us boxes of food and left them on our doorstep. The night we ran out of food, a lady from church showed up with a big pan of corned beef and cabbage. It’s our favorite meal to this day. Some people randomly sent gift cards. But, really, just being a friend and withholding judgment was the kindest gift we received. We appreciated people who tried to help us find employment, but more than anything those who actually provided us with odd jobs like a summer job on a farm or few weeks fixing a fence…anything helps!

Were there any actions from others that have been hurtful to you or your family?
We noticed that once we were no longer “cool” because we didn’t have worldly things, we lost some friends. People didn’t want our advice or thought we didn’t have much to offer so we were left out of a lot. Truthfully, we did have a lot to offer and we needed friends and kindness more than anything. It was also awkward with some people who did know our situation…I felt like I had to justify anything I purchased. Don’t assume people aren’t trying everything! Sometimes we just get the short straw in life and it takes some time to figure things out.

How would you suggest going about bringing up your desire to help a loved one who you suspect is struggling financially?
I think the most important thing would be to let them maintain dignity when you talk about it. They might not want to discuss details, or they may open up and spill their guts. If I felt like the person was trying to relate a little and genuinely cared, rather than, "possibly" relishing in the fact that they were not in the same situation, it was usually very clear. Sometimes I needed to know I still had worth in their eyes, beyond my financial situation. It was one of those trials in which I really did want to know I wasn’t all alone and maybe even hear hopeful, realistic stories and see a light at the end of the tunnel. One friend ask occasionally how things were going, she would also encourage me to look forward to fun things in our future. She also made me feel good about other aspects in my life. She’d ask my advice on decorating or parenthood or baking. Funny thing, now I give lots of financial advice and help people with the very thing that was so hard for me once. No one wants to be defined by one trial in their lives, or one situation. Those experiences help define our futures but they don’t always show the best of ourselves at the time.

How is your family doing today?

One of the biggest lessons we learned from this was how to get out of it. After many, many years and a lot of bad luck I decided I had to figure something out. We spent two years researching debt, savings, and budgeting, and learning everything we could about how to help ourselves. We worked so hard those years and met each and every one of those goals. Our financial situation is very different now. I’m so glad we went through that so we can help other people and so we can look at them differently. Sometimes all a person needs is a little love and some knowledge. I want anyone who is struggling financially to know that there is hope!

We are thankful for Laura’s candidness to help us become a bit more confident in helping a loved one going through financial difficulties. We want to reiterate the idea that sometimes all that is needed is a little love and that even just the little things help. If someone in your tribe is struggling financially, the most important thing you can do is to show up! Be there for them with any judgements left at the door. 

To follow Laura and her family’s journey at their new mountain home in Idaho, check out her blog at https://ponycreekfarm.blogspot.com/. 

Gift Ideas

• Gift cards
• Food donations
• Small, personalized presents like nail polish or hand-me-down clothing
• A listening, non-judgmental ear
• Invitations to free or low-cost activities

WE CAN DO HARD THINGS-(JENNA LIESCH)

There are some stories that can only be described as miraculous. Judah Liesch’s is definitely one of those. Arriving on the scene exactly 100 days before his due date, Judah sent 184 total days in two separate neonatal intensive care units before he was finally able to go home (a few extra medical supplies in tow) to his 3 siblings and incredible parents. Today, he is a growing and happy 2 year old with Cerebral Palsy that keeps his entire family on their toes!

Judah’s inspiring mom, Jenna, was gracious enough to share with us some thoughts on what you can do to help support a loved one with a child in the hospital. She said, “If you know anyone going through any kind of trauma with a child, offer yourself in whatever way that you can, that would be a blessing to THEM. Offer to take their kids, make them meals, buy them coffee, drive them to the hospital... make yourself available as much as you can!”

What did people say to you that was helpful while you were in the hospital, pregnant with Judah, and while he was in the NICU? 

When we were in our early days of praying for Judah while he was still in my tummy (we were in and out of the ER over 9 times before my water finally broke at 19 weeks!), I remember my Pastor encouraging me to believe for the best, rather than dread the worst. We can choose our thoughts! Just after Judah was born, I had a friend who had also gone through a NICU journey, and she encouraged me to just take it one day at a time. Those words became my motto! We also choose to keep the right perspective through everything that we were needing to do just to get Judah home with us. I remember telling myself, and his doctors, that we just want him to come home- no matter how long it took, or how we were bringing him home (he came home on 24-hour oxygen and CPAP/respiratory support, which came with 8 hours a day of nurses too!), what mattered was that we got to actually bring him HOME.

We know people mean well, but they don't always say the most helpful things. Were there certain things said to you that were hurtful?

Oh yes... I think in general, people mean well, but words can hurt! I remember people saying things like 'everything happens for a reason' which was so NOT helpful when you have a sick kid in the hospital! Another example of 'hurtful words' would be people making empty promises. I had people promise us meals, which made me so excited and feel so thankful, only to find out they weren't going to come through on those promises! If you say it, then do it!

Were there any specific acts of service that were especially meaningful to you or your family during the time Judah was still in the hospital?

The BEST acts of kindness that we received while in the hospital with Judah was COFFEE!!! We received so many Starbucks gift cards- enough so that we were able to grab a good cup of coffee every morning before heading into the hospital. It felt like 'forced' self-care, and was so good for me. I would say to others- find out what that mom loves/needs-what would be a treat for her- and do that thing! For me (and I think for most sleep-deprived moms of newborns!) it was coffee!