Pot Luck Contributions

All - I am so sorry for my hiatus - again. I've been trying to blog and just have run out of motivation for the time being. But, I'm back in the saddle. Thanks for your support and comments on past posts - I hope I can continue to share great ideas with all of you!

This weekend we're attending a Surprise Birthday Party for one of my husband's friends. I'm so excited - I love birthdays - and wanted to share with you what I'm planning for the night. It's a potluck, so I want to share the dish I'm cooking, what I'm wearing, and the presents we're thinking of picking up for the Birthday Boy.

First off, food. (Duh!) Pot Lucks are hard - do you bring something closer to an appetizer, or a side dish? Maybe a dessert or a main dish? Especially when you don't have much contact with other attendees (in an effort to keep it hush hush), you have to just go with your gut. And, as a true southern woman, I'll probably make WAY too much food to share. Luckily, all of our husbands tend to be human garbage disposals, and there are never many left overs.

I hate standing around the table serving myself food and figuring out how to eat a dip. They're always delicious - don't get me wrong! But finger foods are usually the way to go. I tried some jalapeno poppers for my first Stella & Dot show, and they were so-so. So, I'm going to try re-working them for this weekend. First, I'm going to cut the crescent roll triangles in half, so that I have 2 smaller triangles (I found there was just too much bread). Then, I'll dollop the cream cheese, and instead of dicing the jalapenos like I did last time, I'm going to cut them into strips, so that little bits poke out of the ends. I'm hoping this will also add a little more heat! The idea is that they'll end up looking something like this:

Source: Brit + Co

I'm still debating on a second dish.  What do you think? Salty? Sweet? I'd like something Weight Watchers friendly so I'm going to keep thinking it over...

Second off, my outfit! It's only forecasted to be a high of 54 (boo) and the party is just in an apartment, so nothing fancy. There will be dogs there, I shouldn't wear anything I don't want to have dog fur all over it (as if all my clothes aren't already covered... thanks, Loola.) Ever since I started selling Stella & Dot though, I've been anxious to try out different pieces with different outfits, to help my customers see the versatility of the jewelry. So here is what I'm thinking:

A nice, comfy sweater, my Eddie Bauer vest, and a cute bauble necklace. I'm thinking my Juniper Statement Necklace will go perfectly...

As for a present for the Birthday Boy, what guy doesn't just love a gift card? I don't know him very well, and you know how boys are, so I'm thinking a $25 gift card to Best Buy will be a great surprise - you know, in addition to the party!

I hope everyone has a great week! See you tomorrow!