Busy Bee Lifestyle » Tip of the Week

Preparing for Thanksgiving

Host Bee — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:26:06 +0000

Tip of the Week – Get Ahead for Thanksgiving!

Although it’s too soon to actually start cooking that special meal, I love ideas that will give me a head start on the big dinner – and while I’ve detailed a few of those suggestions in a Thanksgiving Countdown Planner, here are a few more very easy things that you can do to get ahead:

Get Practical Now

Self clean your oven.
Stock up on disposable plastic containers, saran wrap, tin foil and food storage bags for easy clean up.
Clean out your refrigerator, getting rid of everything you can! Think – old condiments, salad dressings, and such. Make as much room as possible for your Thanksgiving meal.
Are you tired of gathering chairs from around the house? Call now to rent chairs – they’ll all match on turkey day and be gone with the leftovers!
Trying a new recipe? Practice now!
Shop for non-perishables – it will make the final shopping trip much easier!

And Again, a Day or Two Ahead

Clear your countertops of all unnecessary appliances and decorations.
Write out and post a copy of your entire menu in the kitchen (listing even the little things like butter!)
Use post-its to label a dish, bowl or platter for every dish to be served.

Here’s to a stress free and delicious Thanksgiving Dinner!

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Get Your Guest Room Guest Ready

Host Bee — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:24:14 +0000

Tip of the Week: Get Your Guest Room Guest Ready!

Last holiday season, I offered readers a set of suggestions to create a Five Star Guest Room, with ideas that worked whether or not you actually had a guest room! The tip covered the basics like special sheets, towels and more thoughtful touches like reading materials and a water carafe.

Since then, I’ve picked up a few more clever, but simple, additions that will make having guests easier on you and allow your guests to feel right at home!

Provide Ample Information for Your Guests

Write out a detailed list of the activities that are planned during the visit
Collect brochures of local tourist attractions, along with maps, bus/train schedules, taxi phone numbers, etc.
Post important phone numbers by your back door or on the kitchen counter. Include the house phone number, your cell phone number and emergency contacts.
For a very comprehensive worksheet, print out Real Simple’s guide entitled “What Every Guest Needs to Know.” This worksheet would be perfect for use in a vacation home!

Let Guests In

Remember to either make a spare key or let your visitors know where the spare key is hidden
Alternately, provide guests with your home’s security code

Terrific Towels

Choose a color for guest towels that is different from your family’s everyday towels. This way, guests will know which towels are theirs in a shared bathroom. Tie up each towel set with a pretty, coordinating ribbon.

Although this may sound like a bit of work, it will definitely be worth it when your guests are comfortable, well informed and not setting off your house alarm!

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Celebrate the Day of the Dead!

Host Bee — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:04:34 +0000

Tip of the Week: Celebrate the Day of the Dead!

Whether you love Halloween so much that you want the festivities to go on or you’ve never been a fan of the candy and costume extravaganza, here’s the perfect holiday for you to celebrate: Day of the Dead! Far from serious or scary, this Latin-American occasion cheerfully honors departed family members with lots of food and colorful decorations!

A Latin-American Tradition

Traditionally, the party takes place between November 1st and 2nd in Mexico and certain areas of the United States, and is marked by vibrant paper flowers and decorative skulls to symbolize death and rebirth – not to scare!

Plan to serve classic Mexican dishes like empanadas, chicken mole, tamales (take out works well here!) and for the finishing touch, candy sugar skulls and Pan de Muerto or Bread of the Dead.

Invite guests to a big, family style meal, raise a joyful toast to those gone from us and enjoy this unique holiday!

Resources

For some traditional Halloween fun, enjoy fabulously frightening ideas for Halloween entertaining, decorating, gift giving and more:

Create a Custom Party Favor

Host Bee — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:24:44 +0000

Tip of the Week: Create Custom Party Favors!

No child’s birthday party is complete without the goody bag delivered at the conclusion of the festivities and sometimes I think that my children look forward to their party favors even more than the party! If you’ve ever wished that filling those favor bags was a bit easier, Shindigz has the perfect solution.

Create a Favor Pack

If you head to ShindigZ, there’s a terrific option called “Create a Favor Pack” where your first step is to choose a container from a huge assortment of options. The containers range from simple cardboard boxes to rattan baskets to beach pails to fish bowls! Once you click on your preferred container, a prompt entitled “Get Favors” will lead you to a specially selected array of favors that coordinate with the theme or style of your container! Pick as many or as few favors as you’d like and you’re done!

To locate the “Create a Favor Pack” from ShindigZ’s home page, click on the orange tab “Create It,” and then select “Create a Favor Pack.”

Favors for Kids and Adults

For example, if you click on the very cute plastic fish bowl container, the “Get Favors” section offers fish bubbles, tropical fish craft kit, sea life putty, gummy sharks and about eighteen other ideas! There are also favor boxes that would work for adult celebrations and baby showers!

Stop driving from party store to party store in an effort to create clever party favors – it’s all available through one stop shopping at ShindigZ!

It’s serendipity when the products we love are from the sponsors we love!

Host a Chocolate Tasting Party!

Host Bee — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:41:16 +0000

Tip of the Week: Host a Chocolate Tasting Party!

If you’re like me, the kids have settled into the school year, Halloween costumes have been ordered and we’ve set up some semblance of a routine! What’s next? Setting aside some time to reconnect with our female friends! And I have the perfect plan – host a chocolate tasting party!

It’s Easy!

This fun night “in” can be pulled together with minimal effort!
After you’ve invited some friends (think between 8 and 10), here’s all you need to do:

Select Your Chocolate – Select six or seven types of chocolate from different parts of the world like Ecuador, France or Belgium. Try to include white, milk, bittersweet and semi-sweet varieties.
Pair Chocolate with Wines – I was also happily surprised when I learned that like cheeses, chocolate can also be paired with wines that enhance the taste! And so if you’d like to serve wine at your party, head to The Nibble – a terrific website with a pairing chart for wines and chocolates!
Set Your Table – On the night of the party, cut the chocolate into small chunks and label each serving dish with the type and origin. Set out pitchers of water and plain water crackers to cleanse palates between samplings.
Create a Score Card – Encourage guests to smell the chocolate first, let it melt in their mouths and then try to identify the chocolate’s texture and flavor. If you have time, create a type of score card on your computer. (Some experts recommend starting with the lightest colored chocolates first working up to the darkest.)

That’s it! And if you want to make this evening even easier, Cambria Cove offers a Chocolate Tasting Invitation Kit that includes fill-in-the-blank invitations, tasting score cards and table tags for labeling the chocolate! (pictured at top)