I guess everyone needs a family...even hippos

Oh my gosh! This is an unbelievable story that One Fabulous Mom posted on her blog. I can't imagine having a hippo roaming the house and I know one dog that wouldn't stand for it like the dogs in this footage. But, as I said in the title of this entry, I guess everyone needs a family. I hope that everyone enjoyed the spring weather this weekend and let's hope it continues!
http://glumbert.com/wii/view.php?name=pethippo

Blackboards...just like in the 5th grade

So I have been working on pulling things together for the party and stumbled upon this cute alternative to the cheesy, frat-party red Solo cups (not that I didn't fully enjoy them in my younger years...). We are having a caterer/family friend boil the lobsters and the sweet corn and as I understand it the way he makes his money is on beverages, so we are planning to also get the beer, wine and soft drinks/water from him. I thought the idea of the blackboards on the cups were great and a perfect way for people to remember the details of the party! I love details! Additionally, I was talking with B's grandmother (who tends to keep everything) and she has an obscene amount of blackboards. So, my very resourceful boyfriend is going to cut these large pieces of blackboard/slate, into perfect sized pieces to lay on top of the lobster traps! My idea is to then lay the appetizers on the blackboard and write the name of the appetizer with chalk on the 'tabletop'/blackboard. I am going to place the lobster trap 'tables' on the sea wall, which should be perfect height for serving. So now everything is coming together and the blackboard detail will be carried throughout the entire party!

I'm Elinor Dashwood (and I'm surprised)!

Take the Quiz here!

Fish bowls!

My mom found these great fish-shaped bowls for the party in varying shades of blue and white. I absolutely love the antique finish around the edges and will certainly fit in perfectly with the antique-ness of the lobster traps! I think they will be perfect for spreadable cheeses and other appetizers or sauces too. Everyone should check out wrapables.com where my mom found these...there are great items for great prices! I am certain the fish shaped bowls will nicely complement the rest of the decor and will hopefully prevent lobster overkill! Have a great Tuesday everyone!

--JM

Happy Masters Weekend!

It's a great weekend for TV...golf specifically. I love watching the Masters and will certainly miss seeing Brett Quigley walk to course in Vineyard Vines this year. I also wanted to post Mickelson's kids as caddies...darling! Have a great one!

--JM

A Dog Party!

We have decided our dog, N, needs to be in style for the lobster boil too! We have found the cutest nautical collar (also posted on other preppy blogs) at Harry Barker. We did a little research and a shop, Paws for Treats, in my hometown carries the brand...so tomorrow we are headed to visit grandparents and have to stop in to get the pup a new collar for the lobster boil! I am sure everyone has seen the cute grosgrain ribbon type dog collars that are so popular, but unfortunately Mr. N gets out of those via the black snap! Smart dog...I know! Fortunately, the nautical collars are latched with a prong, just like a belt, so we are in business. He will certainly fit right in and won't have to wear anything too over the top! He despises that handkerchiefs they put on at PetSmart/Petco and any other accessories that may cramp his sleeping.

Our party is attracting quite the crowd, and, not necessarily a large crowd of homo sapiens, but appears we may have a small army of dogs to celebrate with us. Many of our friends have become parents to pups recently and potentially we may have our Rhodesian Ridgeback, a pug, a Weimaraner, two Labradoodles and a husky running the beach! I have no doubts they will keep themselves busy and hopefully we can keep then away from the butter dishes!

In my collar investigation I also found the best dog food container I have ever come across, so much better looking than a rubbermaid tote!

--JM

We won't be eatting with our hands....

I spent a significant amount of time over the past few days perfecting the art of wrapping three utensils in a napkin without losing symmetry. I wanted to post a picture of my progress for two reasons: a) I'm proud and b) I want my mom to be proud too! I picked up the ribbon at Hobby Lobby and I think one of the best parts of shopping there is the 40% coupons available on the internet to print and bring in. I found the napkins and silverware at the 'Dollar Delight' where you might be under the impression everything is a dollar, but that, my friends, is a fallacy, at checkout, everything is $1.50...still worth it.

'Dollar Delight' also provided some heavy hardware to crack open the lobsters without the price tag, which had been a concern of mine previously. Ofcourse I bought them one day before a man who had 92 lobster crackers listed for 25 dollars on eBay contacted me to let me know that he had relisted per my request, after bidding to late the first time they were listed! All part of the experience I guess...

On another note, I do want this blog to touch on our everyday lives, so on that note, I wanted to share something I read in a magazine recently and am certainly going to try this week...directions are as follows to clean tarnished jewelry (which has been turning up in my jewelry box frequently). You only need three things: a) baking soda b) aluminum foil c)glass casserole dish. Line the dish with foil and place your jewelry on top (be certain not to overcrowd). Sprinkle with baking soda, cover with boiling water, and allow it to soak for ten minutes. Now, ofcourse, you may be wondering how this removes tarnish...well, for the scientist in all of us, the answer is this: tarnish gets transferred to the foil via a chemical reaction in which the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) catalyses the reaction and wa bam...shiny and new! So, dear sister, H, trips to the jewelry store every weekend are actually not as neccessary as you think...give this a try and make a shiny jewelry store in the kitchen.

Off to watch my favorite show of the week, 'Jon and Kate Plus 8'!...and ofcourse to listen to how B would like to work on his negotiation skills and trip to small claims court (vs. Spirit Airlines) for losing our beloved rum on our recent return trip from the British Virgin Islands. If anyone may be considering this airline for your trip to the Caribbean, feel free to contact me and I can send you a list of 101 reasons why to reconsider! (#1 being the baggage handlers quickly identify boxes of alcohol and suddenly feel dehydrated).

Hope everyone had a great Monday!

--JM

Invitations/initial prep

I wanted to share an image of the cute invites I sent. We invited about 100 people and hope that summer madness will not be in full effect in early June and more people will be able to make the bash. I ordered the Stacy Claire Boyd invites from InvitationBox.com and would recommend the website to anyone in search of cute invites and great customer service. I sprang for the extra fifteen dollars to have a proof sent to me via e-mail before going to the printer and that small investment was totally worth it! We had a few minor cosmetic changes made and they did a fabulous job of formatting our rather long message to fit beautifully within the space provided. I chose a catchy message I had seen on other lobster boil invites...'Heads or Tails, meet us down by the lake. B's graduation is drawing near so we want to celebrate!' We have 35 confirmed guests, with the majority of our slacker friends failing to RSVP, most likely, until a few weeks before or until we bug them!

Additionally, the location of the party is going to be perfect...granted it isn't the Atlantic Ocean, we are going to be at B's parents Lake Michigan home with plenty of lawn space for tables and lawn games in addition to 'warm' (keep your fingers crossed!) water for sailing, kiteboarding, jet skiing and other water sports.

My wonderful family is making the trip from NH to the Midwest to celebrate (and hopefully can avoid checking an additional suitcase of 'lobster decor and other needs only available on the east coast.') My dear mother is going to arrive a week early to help with cooking, assuming I don't drive her crazy before her anticipated arrival with a million more questions! My sister, H, will be here too, so 'Ms. 16 going on 25' can tell me all about how I have lost my east coast prep ways and the proper changes I can make to recapture them.

I have begun bringing some of the party decor to B's parents house on our recent visits. Most importantly, the lobster traps I found in Chicago...thank god for Craig's List. What I find most humorous about my lobster trap experience is not that lobster traps somehow made their way to Chicago for who knows what purpose, but rather my curiosity getting the best of me in searching 'lobster traps' in NH and approximately 100+ were listed in the past week on Craig's List. Oh the luxury of being a 'coastie' (as B terms me).

The picking up of the lobster traps was an experience in and of itself. My friend L and I were planning on putting them in a Jeep Liberty prior to the famed 'Chicago South Side St. Paddy's Day Parade'. We arrived at a warehouse in which the lady I had contacted tried selling us old bed frames, dressers, bicycles and other antiques in addition to what we came for, the two lobster traps. She too, did not know how they made their way to the Midwest. I wish I had pictures of L and I loading the larger than anticipated lobster traps into the small SUV being sure not to lose wood pieces falling from the traps, as they were a little loose due to the constant subjectivity to salt water! I stayed in Chicago with L for the night and thoroughly enjoyed my next day of work driving around without the ability to see out the back of the car! Needless to say, the lobster traps have been repaired enough to make the most perfect serving table for appetizers and sides. More on that project later...

--JM

We're having a party...a lobster party.

Over the past few months I have found myself pleasantly surprised by the many preppy bloggers out there and have decided, I too, would enjoy preppy blogging. For starters, I thought I would chronicle the party I have been planning in preparation of my boyfriend's law school graduation (woohoo!). After twelve years on the east coast I have recently transplanted myself to the midwest and with me brought New England preppiness, specifically, the traditional New England Lobster Boil. Many decisions have been made prior to the start of this blog, so I am going to do my best to play a little catch-up and keep you posted on all the challenges and fun planning a New England Lobster Boil in the midwest can be! Please feel free to comment with ideas and encouragement as frequently as your preppy heart wishes!

--JM