I am so lucky to have a great group of girlfriends who are supportive, fun, and are always ready for a gif in the text string.  This January seemed to take us down hard.  Everyone got sick, or their kids got sick, or something dramatic happened that kept us all apart.  

We're due for a girls day.  One involving booze.  

I can't wait to celebrate my lady loves with a fun boozy brunch.  This one is so simple that you can whip it up after the kids have left for school and be done in time for a p.j. clad brunch before 9am! (My kids leave at 7:30am)

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We don't usually go out for Valentine's Day.  We used to.  But then with kids it became more challenging for us to find a sitter, a reservation, and a restaurant we'd want to spend a fortune at for a prix fix menu.  

So we stay at home.  It's fun to spend time with the kids and do something special for them.  I started making a family friendly valentine's dinner when my oldest was a baby and the tradition has carried on.

And then we go out to dinner another night when it's not the night every other couple goes out to dinner.

My favorite part is having them make their own heart shaped pizzas.  They could make plain shapes too, I guess, but it's Valentine's!  Have a little fun with it!  For my kids, all I really need is cheese and pepperoni.  But you can add olives, bell pepper, sausage, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and different kinds of cheese - like feta.

In the video I made fun soda floats with my kids.  It's a simple option that's a huge win for the kids - and doubles as dessert.  But I really really like dessert and I am not the hugest fan of soda floats...

The point is to have a fun cocktail that's just for the kids.  Floats are a great time for everyone - but Shirley Temple's are just as popular.  My kids also love Dry Soda's - the Rainier Cherry flavor is a favorite!  

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Last month my girlfriend and I were out to a boozy lunch and we decided to host an Oscar Party - we've even figured out how to project the show on a big screen in the Fire Station!  

But what to serve...

Nothing goes better with movies than popcorn - and I love popcorn.  I worked with Pop Secret to plan a fabulous popcorn bar with delicious flavors and dreamy mix-ins.  I literally can't think of a better way to watch the Oscars and hang out with the girls.  Except for the cocktail - that's coming later this week!

The fun part about a popcorn bar is popping up a few flavors of popcorn {I popped Double Butter and Cinnamon Roll} and filling bowls with loads of your favorite candies, nuts, etc.  We even tried a few savory things and they were delicious.

How are you celebrating the Oscars?

Popcorn c/o Pop Secret

Photography by Alexandra Hedin

Styling by Jenny Batt

Last night the Oregon Ducks competed for the National Football title, this weekend the Seahawks hope to defend their Super Bowl trophy - even if you aren't into football, this is a good excuse for a party.  And food.  And great if you live in the Northwest because I literally don't know anyone who isn't watching football right now.

Seahawks Beast Mode Punch

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White Chicken Chili  

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Slow Cooked Street Tacos

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars 

Roca Patron Tequila

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Floating Flamingo Coasters

Old English Christmas Crackers

Cheers Mylar Balloons

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Ice Cream Scoop

Don't forget!  Order now through December 10, 2014 and get 20% off at

RedStamp.com

when you use promo code CHEERSTO2015

If there is anything that has ever seemed sillier to me than decanting and aerating wine, I'm not sure what it could be.  I pay a lot of money for the nice bottle of wine.  Why on earth am I going to pour the wine OUT of the fancy bottle?  Then no one can appreciate the label and revel in my genius of buying such a swanky bottle of wine.

But then I was introduced to a new fancy aerator and I decided it was time to grow up and figure out what the hub bub was all about.  I texted with my friend the wine maker, researched online, and taste tested {it was hard work and it was all for you}.

Here's what I learned.  Always decant a nice bottle of wine.  If it's old, there could be sediment in the bottom and that's yucky.  If it's not old, it brings out the aromas by being exposed to air.  If you bought a cheap bottle of wine, decant or aerate that thing so it isn't so "biting."  So basically, always decant.

Aerating is a quick and dirty way of skipping the decanter and leaving the wine in the bottle {hooray!  see my fancy label!}

Lenox Decanter

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Waterford Linsmore Decanter

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Riedel Apple Decanter

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TRIbella Aerator

By the time Thanksgiving is here my family is going to be so tired of turkey.  And stuffing.  And everything else.  Luckily, no one tires of a cocktail.  

To celebrate all things Thanksgiving, I put together a tiny little video to get you excited for the easiest side dishes ever - Weeknight Party Girl style.  

Brussel Sprout Salad {with bacon!}

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Herb Rubbed Turkey

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5 tips for a great turkey

 ::  Stuffing Apples

Last week I got to host the coolest party with Tree Top - an apple party!  We celebrated National Apple Month by pressing fresh apple cider, making apple crafts, and eating apple-tizers.  It was a blast!

Apple Cinnamon Popcorn

There are a zillion more photos and cool things after the jump!

To decorate for the party - and celebrate all things apples - we built a giant plywood screen across the back of the truck bay and I painted giant apple slices on them.  I cut honeycomb balls into apple shapes inspired by these honeycomb fruit over on Studio DIY.  Before the party started we gathered all of the children who are members of "my team" and got a picture of the gang with our favorite brand logo!

One of the crafts we made were apple bird feeders.  These are so simple to make.  It's great for using apples that are a little bit older - and creating a little fun fall craft with your kids.  Also, the birds will eat the seed as well as the apples.

Washington Sliders {made with apple sauce, Beecher's cheese, bacon, and locally grown mustard} 

The most exciting part of the party was pressing fresh apple cider.  I picked up more than 140 pounds of Washington State apples from the local farmers stand to turn into juice.  It's amazing how captivated a group of children can be when there is apple grinding happening.  

The children all took turns throwing apples into the grinder and got to try their hand at turning the grinding wheel.  When it was time to press the apples, the children also got to press the apples but it gets hard after a few minutes so Mr. Hedin took over that job and the children used small milk bottles to collect the juice as it poured out.  

Not everyone cared if they drank the cider fresh off the press.  I mean, why would you when there was a cooler full of juice boxes in the kitchen?

I also discovered recently that if you mix Tree Top Three Apple Blend with ginger ale {equal parts} you get a deliciously spicy and sparkly apple mock-tail.  

The Three Apple Blend is also amazing mulled!  

My children's favorite craft was turning juice boxes into mummies!  We used electrical tape and skinny duct tape from the hardware store to turn juice boxes into fabby little monsters.

SWAG!  No one left the party empty handed!  We filled bags with copies of my book, apple juice bottles, and apple sauce squeezers.  Perfect sizes for lunch or for toting around in your bag to keep the kids happy. 

I am a huge fan of the Tree Top company.  Their juice has always been my first choice because it's based in Washington State.  When they approached me to work with them I was ecstatic.  I love when I get to promote companies that I already support.

Tree Top is a grower owned co-op that supports more than 1,000 growers in the Pacific Northwest.  That means the apples in the juice are locally grown and 100% of the apples are grown in the USA.  Tree Top supports local farmers and local families.  I'm a huge fan.

This party and post were sponsored by Tree Top