• A Fairy Party

    Ready for a photo-heavy post?  ‘Cause that’s what you’re gonna get.  It’s Fairy Party time! Last weekend, my daughter Mia turned six years old.  For those of you who have been Lemon Sugar readers for a while, you know that my daughter and my niece were born just 17 hours apart, so my sister and I always combine their family party.  I look forward to planning this party every year, and we’ve had some fun themes in years past.  This year we went with a fairy-inspired…

  • A Spa Party & Funfetti Cupcakes

    Welcome to the most disorganized party I’ve ever, ever put together. Good news is, it worked.  The girls had a great time and they don’t know that I threw it all together in just a few hours. Bad news is, I knew.  I could’ve done so much more with this awesome concept, but I just didn’t have the time. You may have seen my daughter’s 8th birthday party here last week, and this week, we followed up with her “friend” party.  My Lindsey friend owns an…

  • A Beach Birthday Party

    Well, I survived.  I survived my first party since I’ve gone back to work in an office environment, and it was a success.  Now, I didn’t cook – it was catered, I just did the baking, and I had a little help from the candy aisle at the grocery store, but somehow I pulled off a cute little beach party in the middle of November and lived to talk about it. My Madeline turned eight years old this week, and as much work as it…

  • Spinach Queso Dip

    So, let’s talk football. My family is obsessed. College football on Saturday, NFL on Sunday, Monday and even Thursday sometimes. High school football on Friday nights, fantasy football leagues everywhere I turn, and pick-up games of catch before and after Sunday dinner. Now, I like football as much as the next person (ok, well maybe a *tiny* bit less), but I have to say that I get more excited about the football parties and the tailgating than I do the actual games. And right at…

  • Easy Entertaining for Last-Minute Guests

    We do a lot of last-minute entertaining at our house. While I am always one to go overboard when it comes to birthday parties and other celebrations, over the years I’ve figured out how to entertain guests on a much smaller scale. My kitchen is right in the middle of my house, and it’s open to EVERYTHING. This is good, because my intention was to make the kitchen the heart of our home, and it really is. On the flip side, however – it’s open…

  • A Rainbow Party

    Last weekend we celebrated my daughter’s and niece’s 4th birthday with a Rainbow party.  They’ve been talking about it forever, pretty much since the day after their Princess Party last year.  We were a bit hurried, especially after we ate dinner because the weather was supposed to get bad, and everyone kind of left in a mad rush to beat the storms. As usual, I focused the decoration for the party around my dessert table.  A simple white table cloth allowed the rainbow colors to…

  • Make-Ahead Game Day Recipes

    March Madness is here! It’s my favorite holiday. Yes. Basketball tournament time is a holiday around here. Everyone fills out brackets, skips work (or takes reaaallly long lunch-breaks) on Thursday and Friday during the first two weeks, and you can’t go far without spotting someone sporting their team colors. There’s nothing worse than the disappointment when your team gets bumped, and there isn’t much better than rooting for your team as they make it deeper into the tourney. My team won a few years ago,…

  • Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes & A Bridal Shower

    Last weekend my sisters and I hosted a bridal shower for my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Abbey.  Since it was a late afternoon, Sunday shower with impending bad weather, we kept the menu light and desserts simple.  The theme was “From Miss to Mrs” and it turned out to be an adorable celebration!

  • A Family Birthday Party

    My oldest daughter turned seven years old yesterday.  I realize that every year, I find myself lamenting that it’s just not possible that another birthday has come and gone, but it really does amaze me just how quickly time flies.

  • Anniversary Party

    This past weekend, my siblings and I were honored to host a party celebrating our parent’s 40 years of marriage.  We invited friends, family, co-workers, old neighbors – you name it.  Even though it was a holiday weekend, we were happy to host over 80 people. Today’s blog post isn’t about food – although the food was pretty tasty – and it’s not about dessert – even though I made 12 dozen cupcakes.  Today’s post is about family and friends and a lifetime built on…

  • A Princess Party

    Two of my favorite little princesses just turned three years old.  My niece, Ruby Jane and my youngest daughter, Mia Kate, were born just 17 hours apart and have grown to be best buds.  Well, usually.  They get along when sharing isn’t involved.  But that’s just a phase, right? When my sister and I asked the girls what kind of party they wanted, they barely skipped a beat before they decided it should be a princess party.  And who are we to argue?  This meant…

  • Is It Summer Yet?

    Sometimes, when it rains, it pours.  Sometimes, when it pours, it doesn’t stop.  Even if you’re hosting a barbecue for your family.  Even when the linens are pressed, groceries are bought, cupcakes are made and the twinkle lights are hung. We have had an unseasonably warm spring in my part of the world.  Our trees bloomed early, tulips and daffodils poked out of the ground weeks ahead of schedule and people are just itching to get their gardens started.  Mother Nature, though – she’s got…