8th Day of Christmas Giveaway: It's a surprise...

omg, I've been reading the comments on those who say their already done with their Christmas shopping... and, if I weren't the nice person I try to be, I'd want to hurt you, lol

Before I forget, I thought I'd tell you about the party I got to throw for Eli this past weekend... if I want any longer, I'm liable to forget, lol.

Anyway, I had an idea a couple months ago that Eli should have a party. After all, she's been a wonderful cousin and friend to me... she even puts up with the moments where I'm witchy :-o

So, first things first... how are you going to keep this secret from the birthday girl? Easy, you tell her you're actually throwing a 'Christmas Party'. This also lets me to get her to help me with some party planning for said 'Christmas Party' lol... um, no, I have no shame. I usually need all the help I can get.

Two weeks before the party and I still hadn't given out the invitations as planned, eek. So, I get my sister, Minion #2, to help me. Note to self, Minion #2 needs her own minions and cannot always be counted on. When did she start handing out invitiations/calling people? A week or less until the party 0_o I was not pleased... but, hey, you get what you pay for... and since I didn't pay her, lol.

Ah, so how do I keep Eli away from the party until everyone arrives?
I get my best-friend, Alberto, aka Minion #3 to distract her. I told her the party was 1/2 an hour later than what it really was. Then, I had Minion #3 to call her and ask for help. He told her that he wanted to surprise me with jewelry for Christmas, lol, and wanted her to help him pick something out. Poor guy actually stayed there about half an hour with pushy sales people just to keep her away. Now that goes above and beyond the duty of friendship :)

Oh, before she actually went to the jewelry store, I get a text from Birthday Girl saying she won't be making it to my party 0_o. Say wha-? Either, she was joking because she had figured out it was a surprise party, or she was serious and I was going to have a panic attack!

Turns out she was serious! Luckily, her family convinced her to go without telling her it was a surprise party *phew*.

Two hours before the party, everything that could go wrong did go wrong *sigh*. At exactly 4pm, Minion #1 calls me to tell me that her car broke down... she was supposed to help me clean and decorate, grr. Also, Minion #3 needed to go back home to get ready before meeting Eli... what do we find out? His car was at my house... but, the keys were at my step-mom's 0_o Yes, so I had to drive him over to step-mom's house, even though the food for the party was being delivered soon. Luckily, I had my younger cousin with me, whom I left in charge of decorations... by the way, 14yr old boy's idea of decorating do not match those of my idea of decorating, lol

With minutes to spare, I made it back to my house and sent my step-mom to the store for some things I forgot... then called my aunt to pick up sweet bread... yes, I was sending guests out to run errands for me... again, I need all the help I can get, lol

All in all, the party was a success and I'm eternally grateful for all those that helped me, including the birthday girl, Eli, lol.

Want to know what I learned from this party:

1. Always have a plan A.. B... C... D... E... F.... seriously, you always need a back-up plan, lol
2. When you're renting tables and chairs, make sure you know where they are located. Um, I went to their online site and didn't realize they'd be over 1/2 an hour away from me *sigh*
3. Write things down... like the fact that you need to order cupcakes. I remembered that I forgot, lol, last minute and had to scramble for cupcakes.
4. Save reciepts... I always over buy, just in case.
5. Don't be afraid to ask for help... just know, though, that it might not be done your way.
6. Always thank your minions... you never know when you're going to need help again :)

After all that, would I ever throw another party again? Heck yeah! It might be in another couple years, after I recover from this one, lol.

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So, onto today's prize... well, it's a secret. It's like a Secret Santa gift... except you know who the Secret Santa is, moí.

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Today's Question:

Do you like to throw parties?

While I am an introvert, I must admit that I do like to throw parties. I may try to hide from everyone, but hey, at least their having fun, it's all good ;)