To July 1 or Bust
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| Thu, 05-20-2010 - 10:58am |
Our family schedule is a nightmare until at least July 1, when I have a 3 day weekend.
DD18 is a senior and has senioritis pretty bad. Her softball team won their division, so instead of being done, onward we continue with practices and games into June - so she is gone almost every evening. We have upcoming softball banquet, honors night, health care program awards, and graduation itself.
DS16 still has lacrosse until next Monday, then he is done, thank gosh, except his banquet - of course on the same day as our graduation party!
This week I taught EVERY night after work. And not always local, but from one side of Metro Det to the other (A2 to Troy for those who know.) It was over $700, and I can use the money, but is wiping me out physically. I am not sleeping due to hot flashes, and stress about the grad party, so when I wake up wet, I can't go back to sleep as I am obsessing.
I got a new vehicle, as mine was starting to cost more to maintain and has 167k miles on it. I need to sell mine, and we have to get it on Craig's list because I will pay off one CC with the money. Yep, fraid to say I now have a car payment - but in about 60 months, everything will be paid off except our house, even kids' college! Counting down.
The grad party: I have no sisters, so no help really at all for planning or talking it out (my brother says, "whatever you want to do.") It is a combined party for my parents 50th anniversary and DD's HS graduation. Makes sense if you knew our family and how close my parents are to my DD.
We belong to a club on a lake by our house so we rented the facilities - $500 and includes beer and pop. We don't need tents or tables as they are all there.
The facility has 3 building we will use: Dance hall, kitchen house and concession building all in a row(remember Dirty Dancing, think that kind of a summer place, but not half as posh, and 60+ years old, but clean and freshly painted and maintained.)
We will have a band in the dance hall (excellent 7 pc. live band and friend of our family) and do up that dance hall for the anniversary part with gold tablecloths (plastic), a poster of my parents, banner, cake table with mini wedding cake, custom napkins (sprinkled in with cheap gold napkins.) Tables on the outskirts of the dance floor will be covered and have gold balloons on them and gold Hershey kisses. I got posters, banners and custom napkins on a deal (20% off) from Oriental Trader.
The kitchen house next door (a little house with a small eating area and kitchen) will be used for the buffet, and graduation memory and cake tables.
The concession stand area will be where beer, wine, pop and water will be.
Large sturdy picnic tables will be set up along the wide cement walk in front of these three buildings - with blue then gold table clothes, alternating (DDs school colors - and thank gosh 50th is gold too!) I will have graduation decor on them, with custom M&Ms, and snacks, as well as a little flower centerpiece of sorts (dollar store kind of thing with fresh flowers from Costco.)
Down the hill, near the beach there is volleyball, we will take corn hole, horseshoes and more games, as well as swimming. So think old fashioned big picnic for 200 people.
Food will be:
- Chicken (local grocery store charges $.69/pc for baked chicken)
- burgers and dogs on the grill (DH will grill)
- Cabbage rolls (my aunt is making)
- ranch style pork n beans (with ground beef)
- Swedish meatballs
- rigatoni with sauce
- Green beans - hot
- rolls
- salads - lettuce, fruit, pasta, taco, etc. about 10 salads my cousins and I are making.
- Dessert includes 2 cakes from Costco, and a chocolate fountain with dipping things. As well as the anniversary cake in the dance hall.
What do you think - enough food choices? Anything easy I am not thinking about I could do?
Oh yeah, debt support group - cost is all out of pocket, no CCs! Food from Costco and GFS. My brother is helping with almost half the band cost, but I am doing all else.
STRESSED is an understatement!
We have things every weekend leading up to the party! argghh please get me through it all!
-Marie



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Hi Marie,
Why do I think you would not be happy unless you had this much on your plate LOL! And as far as plates go.....that all sounds fabulous!
My only suggestion is since you have meatballs on the menu, you probably don't need ground beef with beans. Just a suggestion.
Good luck, July will be here before you know it!!
Good thought, I was trying to get a balance there on the menu. Ok no meat in beans.
I just want the three people I am close to to have a wonderful celebration.
I did finally break down today and spend a good bit on some good herbal vitamins for peri-menipause, let's see if that will help the hot flashes any.
I do wish one day to have a simpler life, but I want it when I am debt free and can totally enjoy my relaxation. I also hate turning down teaching opportunities because they pay really well, and the need so many instructors at that Community college level it is insane.
DH reminded me that we are making great progress. He paid down over $8k so far this year, me over $3k so that is $11k, wow! We have also saved $5K in 401ks and stock purchases, so maybe we don't see a better lifestyle yet, but we are getting there.
-Marie
Ugh, the dreaded drive from Troy to Detroit...
Is it me or have graduation parties gone WAY too overboard??
I think you have too much for a party. My husband is one of 5 and only one other one has kids and they are grown. Their grad parties were not this elaborate, mine wasn't either (some 20 years ago). Close friends and family will do. Nichole isn't going to have this extravagant party in 2 years, we cannot afford it.
My 2 cents
Kelly
Thanks, last night's drive was especially bad with I96 closed for a tanker oil spill in both directions.
Yes, DD will be a Spartan by August if she is not already. (DH and I will not wear green at any games, we have our blue wardrobe. lol!) She will be pre-nursing at MSU and already has credits to get her to second term Freshman status. She got about half of the tuition/room and board in a combination of scholarships and grants for academics. So we have to come up with about $8-10k per year. We have savings for her two years we will use and continue to pay down other debts. Then I am saving in a company stock plan I can use and she might have a bit of student loans at the end if she does not work and budget wisely. We will work with her and teach her!
Oh, you are in for so much fun in a couple years.
-Marie
Remember it is a double party, also my parent's 50th.
My party when I graduated was about 100 people at the house. Our house is on a single lane dirt road and sits on a steep hill. We can't have tables and chairs, let alone parking there. We have two acres, but it is dense forest and leads down to a swamp! (The peepers sound like a loud chorus in April.)
The rental of the club is at a member rate (membership is $150 a year, and our kids swim there in the summer) and it cost less than DH's cousin's table, chair and tent rental.
The food is not too elaborate - we are talking chicken, burgers and dogs as the main things.
We have the chocolate fountain, why not use it?
I am also one of 26 cousins on one side. They all have families now. Just that group alone is over 90 people, so when I say close family, this is what it is. Just a big Polish/Ukrainian family!
-Marie
LOL!
Liz
Student loan paid in full 2/2010
Car loan remaining balance
Liz
student loan paid off 2010
Bathroom remodel loan paid off 2013
Pending Car loan to be paid by the end of 2014!!!!!
Marie-
First of all congratulations on all the nice family events.....
Secondly if I bring my famous key lime pie (Ill bring ten) and my famous paella (sorry I am not sharing the recipes)....can I join the fun....Galpal3 is Polish and her family is crazy fun....
Haha
Duke
I hope its a smashing success...Many blessings to you...
Hi Marie,
I just want to say I think your celebration sounds like it will be really amazing and special. I don't think it is too much, considering it is also a 50th wedding anniversary. Those special celebrations are the ones that people cherish for a lifetime. I have grown up without family around--I don't have contact with one half, and the other half is on another continent...so the rare times I have gotten to visit extended family are really important.
I hope your celebration is truly fantastic!
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