Here's a taste .. and catch-up

Below are some of the food from my 'tiki' party:

fresh basil, fresh mozzarella balls and a cherry tomato - topped with balsamic


Cheesecake with Strawberry and pineapple - recipe HERE
(first time i made cheesecake, it was slammin')

Strawberry Margarita jello shots - recipe HERE
(non drinkers were taking these babies down - SO YUM)


fruit skewers that i lined the watermelon with
(which i made watermelon balls inside the watermelon)

Shrimp salad on cucumbers - recipe HERE

Frozen peanut butter and chocolate banana bites with coconut - recipe HERE


So there's a lil 'taste' of my party .....
FOOD:  there was lot of chips and dip; hummus and veggies; coleslaw and potato salad; i had 4 different kinds of sushi rolls; of course burgers, dogs, and sausage; made a remoulade sauce for shrimp cocktail; ect.

DRINK:  oh the drinks - i'm becoming quite the mixologist lately! - beers were Stella, Amstel Lights, Blue Moon, and Coors Light - had some Smirnoff wine coolers for the lighter drinkers - then of course BUBBLY! - i mix EVERY drink i make with some Bubbly - cuz i mean WHAT doesn't taste good with champagne?!?! - had the Pinnacle there, vodka, gin, rum, chambord, tequila, ect. - my Mom was like "is this a drinking party or food party?" - my response "hello DRINKING, food is just there to eat so we can drink longer"! -- haha

DECOR:  a hula skirt from Hawaii - tiki men banners - glow stick bracelets - glow stick animal glasses - tiki men cups - tiki men plates and napkins - palm trees - Hawaiian flowers - hula girl cut out to put your face through - tiki men beer glasses - flamingo Christmas lights - tiki hut menu cards - all the girls had their own initial beer wrapper - lei's- ect.


My *boo-boo* Story
only *boo-boo* news to report was that i fell down my stairs - (it's an oak spiral staircases - that goes up to my 3rd floor) - i don't quite 'remember' the 'event' - but i was walking up the stairs to go to the 3rd floor balcony (where we were continuing to party the night away - somehow being on the balcony meant we wouldn't wake the neighbors - go figure!) - i had Kayleigh in my arms and Joe was behind me holding Rusty - how i hear it, i went to reach for the railing and MISSED - so i just umm fell back and to the side (meaning a REALLLLLY long way down) - Kayleigh went flying - Joe threw Rusty out of his arms and caught me the best he can - after i landed - Joe said us 3 (me, Kayleigh and Rusty) were just looking up at him b/c he was now falling on top of us - but with his cat reflexes he SOMEHOW missed landing on top of us - then i went into the fetal position clutching my ear - my ear still KILLS - i'm still convinced it's BROKE even though it's impossible, i'm STILL going with it's broke! - anyway after 30 seconds in the fetal position - and everyone saying "OMG ARE YOU OK" - my response was cool as a cucumber "um yeah, i just slipped, jeeze!" - then i got up - proceeded to climb the stairs to the 3rd floor and the PAR-TAY continued! - next day we all awoke, went for breakfast (weird story there, that for another time), then went to the pool and more beers and sun - it was a GOOOOOD weekend!


*pics to come - PROMISE*
i know! i know! - i'll try and be quick with the downloads - i still never posted July 4th weekend photos! *bad blogger* - i have SO many photos on my camera - i gotta get TO it fast! - between doctors appointments, work, friends, my house, ect - i swear i never have enough time in a day - good news about all the stress, i'm losing weight! (was gaining for a long time) - gotta look at the sunny side of things!



Mom/Me Update:
i spent the week down the shore with my Mom - thinking it would be her last week down there b/c she would be starting radiation Monday - well her oncologist called and said NO WAY - no radiation, the breast HAS to be removed ASAP! - so we have the radiologist calling us to come in and her oncologist saying surgery now, meanwhile her surgeon is saying NO surgery for awhile, her body is too weak for any more stress - and ZERO progress on my Mom's feet or eye sight - so lots of doctors to meet up with this week - figure things out - how it's all going to work - get my Mom into support groups and therapy - and somehow come out of all of this with a smile - i'm having panic/anxiety attacks with everything going on - they went away for a bit, but now back, which are SO freakin' scary to have - last one i was in HomeGoods down the shore waiting on line and BAM on came 'one' - SOOOOO scaryyyy .. ANYWAY - so we are moving and chugging along my friends - 1 way or another we will get through this all and be A-OK! -- i still got to meet with a few more oncologist and need to find a GYN-oncologist for myself - i haven't made any decisions yet on my body b/c of the responsibilities i have with my Mom and Dad first - soon as they get healthy, i'll kick into high gear and get myself cancer free for good! - the kicker of it all, Joe gets to take lots of pictures of me 'pre-surgery' (if you know what i mean), i wanna always remember how i looked before 'the day' *augh crying now* - ANYWAY .. lots of up's and down's - but it's LIFE rigth?! ... bring on the Champagne!


PHEW - still with me?!


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22 comments:

  1. Erika, your party food looked amazing. So glad you had fun and that you and Kaleigh were o.k. I feel down the stairs once and got stitches in my head and I was extremely dramatic over it... blood freaks me out... think Susan Lucci x10. I NEED those chocolate bananas.

    As for your Mom, the poor woman has been through so much. I am keeping you both in my prayers. Panic attacks are the absolute worse! I have had maybe 3 or 4 and I wouldn't wish them on anyone. Do you have a therapist that you can talk to? Sometimes one on one is better that a support group because you can focus on just you and have an outlet for your worries and tremendous stress/pressure you are under. Love you. xoxo

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  2. Awesome food!! :D I want to have a party now.

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  3. I am so jealous that I wasn't at your party. This all looks so yum and summery.

    My dad would love the tomato/ basil bite things!!

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  4. I am loving all your food! I'll have to try those cheesecake sticks!!
    Also, love how you use the word 'slammin'.
    That's one of Brad's favorites :)
    Can't wait to see pictures!

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  5. blessings and love to you and your family. I pray that you all get healthy very soon. Stay strong!
    xo
    MosaMuse

    MosaMuse.blogspot.com

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  6. I'm sorry to hear that you took a stumble on the stairs - that's terrible! Also, hang in there in the coming weeks and try to not let the stress and anxiety get the better of you (as hard as that is), just be strong for your mom.

    xoxo ~ Courtney
    http://sartorialsidelines.blogspot.com

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  7. Holy COW! I'm bookmarking this page because it all looks so delicious!

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  8. Your mom is in my thoughts and prayers, and so are you :)

    As for the party, sounds like a good time with grat food...minus the tumble!

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  9. oh my goodness, it must be so much to process. *hugs* to you and your mom. you sound amazingly resilient, so i'm sure your mom is the same :)

    the party sounds like it was a blast (minus the fall!) and the food looks AMAZING!! great job!!

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  10. Everything looks amazing!! I'm dying to get the keys to my rooftop terrace so i can throw a little party there!


    d e g a i n e

    http://www.fashiondegaine.com

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  11. Those spinach-wrapped olives and cheese look SO delicious! =)

    http://pinkchampagnefashion.blogspot.com/

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  12. what amazing food you made! i love fun finger foods like that.. hang in there and hope your mom is doing well.

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  13. 1. i love the caprese on a stick. 2. those jello shots look divine. 3. i am so, so, sorry about your mom. 4. yes, bring on the champagne, indeed.

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  14. Erika you're party food looked off the chain sister!! I'm so sorry you wiped 'er on the stairs, but hats off for picking back up and carrying on. That's you in a nutshell gf. Hang in there and take time for you whenever you can. I'm so sorry about your mom--keep on hanging in there. You and your family are in my prayers!!

    xo,
    C

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  15. Erika,
    Sorry about the fall, but really, the party looks like it was a great time and all the food looks yummy! I am praying for a bright outcome for your mom and you're always foremost in my thoughts and prayers. You're positive attitude always inspires me! XX

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  16. wow that's quite a spread! I wanna come to one of your parties!! And I definitely want pics!

    I think I missed something... your having surgery? I hope everything is alright. And I my best wishes go to your mom and your family.

    XOXO

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  17. Oh girl I'm so glad your back! That food looks ridic and the party sounds like it was a serious rager! Hope you have recovered from the fall...guess it was just the sign of a good night?! lol. Thinking of you and mom...sending good vibes and saying prayers..big hugs! xoxo

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  18. Looks like a totally delicious party, darling!

    xoxox,
    CC

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  19. Hi Erika, I am recent follower and I have to say, you sound amazing. I love your positive attitude!

    I love the pics so far of your tiki party! My sister and I had one a few years ago, your pics make me want to do it again! With your recipes!

    Your blog makes me happy, thank you for that. Good vibes to you and your mom!

    Sheri

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  20. Delicious ! Thanks for that idea for the party !
    kisses

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