The Greatest Showman Sing-a-Long Movie Night!

I’ve come to know for myself that when stress and negativity try to get the best of me I simply need to throw a party to relieve that tension. To most party planning can be stressful, but for me it calms and makes me see what’s most important, helping others enjoy life. I haven’t thrown a party in a while and it was time to get creative and let go of all the stress.

It’s all in the details

I love seeing my girls get excited about a theme. I think my husband secretly likes it too….well maybe not….but he always brings a smile, fake or real, to the party!!

It’s a Circus Down There

I really never know what kind of circus I’m getting myself into. When I tell my girls they can invite just a ‘few’ friends I have to understand that the few who they invite can really sound like 20 wild kids!! But if they are having that much fun then I’ve succeeded!!

Make What Matters

This is what makes the party planning so special to me! I enjoy making others happy by highlighting those simple details, like these quotes. I hope my guests read them as they walked in because that’s really what makes all the extra planning time worth it.

DIY

These DIY party signs are just pieces cut from an old card board box. When my husband is ready to eat dinner and can’t sit at the table because all my crafts are out, he knows I’m in serious party mode….and he lets me! He simply nods his head and walks to the sofa for a movie/ dinner night!

I just had to!! An old wagon and Pinterest can spark some fun ideas!

If you have a hula hoop lying around you have to somehow use it for a Greatest Showman party! We can definitely rewrite the stars and make our own memories, right?

Concessions

This is what happens when you decide to throw a party literally just a few days before the big day.  Yes, just hours before I decided to throw in a banner and well, I did not realize I added a letter until later in the evening AFTER all the guest ate. Oh well! Either my girls have really polite friends or they didnt even notice. We all know though that great food and good company can calm the nerves so who cares about those simple mistakes. Let’s just eat and be happy.

Plenty of Popcorn

A quick run to the movie theater ended up saving me so much time and money! This $5.00  hugh bag of leftover popcorn lasted all night and we were still left with more than we needed!

Homemade Cracker Jacks

There are so many cracker jacks copy cat recipes on line, but I think I found a keeper!

Homemade Cracker Jacks

Pop 1/3 cup of kernels in a pot with 2 tablespoons canola oil over medium heat. Once popped place popcorn in a big bowl. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a small sauce pan stir together 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup corn syrup, 1 tablespoon molasses, 6 tablespoons butter and  2 tablespoons water. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until a thermometer reads 250 degrees, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and carefully whisk in the 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Quickly pour the hot mixture over popcorn. Carefully stir to coat as much as possible, then add 1 1/4 cups peanuts in halfway. Pour coated popcorn into greased cookie sheets. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to coat more evenly. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes. Break into pieces and store in an air tight container.

 

Outdoor Movie

Once dusk hits turn on your outdoor movie projector, maybe give your neighbors a heads up on the late night noise level, and get the movie started. Let me tell you a sing-a-long is so so so much more fun to watch. We can all shout out our best voices and no one cares. It’s all just big smiles and laughs!!

Keep that DIY Movie Clip Board for your next movie night…cause when you throw your first one everyone will be begging for another!!