Here it is and  Christmas is right around the corner.  I feel like I am running out of time.

I need to time to do all the crazy, cool and exciting things I want to do. One of them is host one banging arse party where we all laugh, joke and have so much fun that our kids' kids tell stories about that epic party thrown by great-great-great-great-great grandma Divian. *Cue cloud atlas soundtrack*

So while searching for ideas for muh partay (that is bound to be of epic proportions, because, hello, it's ME) I found some stuff I cannot wait to try...

In the spirit of holiday parties, here is what I am loving ideawise.

1. This hot chocolate bar. (Even though my college freshman daughter tells me I try to be too fancy...the nerve of her! She will appreciate this when she is older)
2. This Copper Drink Shaker because, well, it looks amazing. Just think of all the pinterest drinks you can dream of making with this bad boy.
3. I like bar carts and I can not lie...when a bar cart walks by with a circular frame it is epic.
4. When it is a recipe from 2008 and still has you drooling. Gingerbread.

I have four kids. I am a single mama, divorced since 2007. 

Trying to come up with birthday ideas for my kids that are budget friendly that I can do on my own is tough. 



When my youngest turned thirteen this summer, I knew I had to make it special. At the time (and still to this day) I was obsessed with candy cakes....over the top cakes topped with anything you can find. I am no baker but I loved making her cake.




I opted for a simple taco bar. Easy enough, right? You cook your meats and everything else is pretty much prep. Yes, this was so easy.



This is a fabulous idea because, well, who doesn't love tacos? What kid hates candy? A win-win, right?

Right.



My kids and our guests loved it. Even though the cake fell on the back side, nothing was left. All food was eaten and we didn't know whether to pass out from food overload or be super hype from our sugar high.



This was one of my favorite parties to put together. Outside of the taco bar, we had an ice cream mini bar and the best part???? The best part was that it all cost me less than $100. I'm taking all the food, the Dollar Tree decorations and errthang....less than $100.



Tips for buying on a budget for a birthday party:

• Check out your local dollar store. 

• Dollar Stores have tons of candy for goody bags, candy bars, chips, drinks, and decorations. 

• Clearance!

• Tons of grocery stores and stores in general have clearance sections or baskets. Look at those clearance bins for candy or decorations for some awesome deals. I got all the toppings for the ice cream bar for 90 cents a bag.

• Plan a simple menu but display it in a high end fashion.

• Burgers, hotdogs, tacos, etc....display your food items on coordinating serving platters. It really makes a difference.

• Be Creative!

• Make decorations for inexpensive items.

I had hard taco shells, flour tortillas, and bags of doritoes that they could use to make their own Taco-in-a-Bag. Seriously, dudes, this was so good.

So going into 2017, I have a ton of food related things on my bucket list. While baking more homemade bread is one of the simplest things on that list, it ranges all the way up to a more complicated Victorian inspired Dinner Party.



I say inspired, because seriously, there is no way I can recreate the opulent luxury of the interior of the Victorian dining room, but I may be able to recreate some of the recipes of that time..while taking a few shortcuts, of course. (Seriously, so thankful for some of the stuff we can find at the grocery store)



I love for my children to experience different things. I remember being a live in nanny for a family in Atlanta back in the early 2000. Each week the family would go to the  grocery store to get the food for that week. Each week they bought exactly the same thing as the week before. Every week, they had the same meals over and over. Hamburger Helper, Spaghetti, and fried chicken. There was no variation, deviation or anything.And I mean that, that is what they had each day of the week, one of those three options. To change it up meant, going out to dinner at a local franchise restaurant.

That experience led me to not wanting such a routine for my family. Not that anything is wrong with that, but I like to think that food can be an expression of love. I also think that having a diverse palette can lead you into being more accepting of other cultures, people, places...more diverse as a person. I know, a bit weird, but in my mind, that is what I think.

Not wanting to serve the same thing over and over, led me to being a lot more adventurous in the kitchen. So many times, I will find a recipe from another country or region and my kids and I will try it. It leads to discussions about not only the food, but the place and the people. Good food, good times.

With the Victorian Dinner Party, I can go over etiquette with my kids, talk about the time before all of these new-fangled gadgets and doodads we have now adays.

So yeah, this is on the bucket list for 2017. Must. do. this.

What is on your bucket list for 2017?