It's Dangerous To Go Alone - A Legend of Zelda Birthday Party

I thought about coming on here and just writing my post and pushing "publish" like no big deal...like I haven't been here in 7 months.  But I have to be completely honest and tell you that I almost forgot how to even get here.  I was going to feel really stupid if I had to email one of you and ask you how.  Fortunately, I got to hang on to a little bit of my pride, and I figured it out myself.

That being said, how the heck are you guys?

One of my New Year's resolutions was to make a point to stop by here at least a couple of times a month and dust off the cobwebs.  So, here I am.

*blows dust*

*coughs uncontrollably*

I have so many things that I've wanted to blog about.  I actually am having a hard time figuring out where to start!  I know crazy problem for someone who hasn't blogged in 7 months.  Trust me, it's not that I haven't had any "material", I just haven't had the time!

Did you all know that I went to LA to the Breaking Dawn 2 Premiere, camped out for 3 days, and met Robert FREAKING Pattinson?  I'm sure if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram, you picked up on that little tidbit.  I still pinch myself every once in a while.

So, that's totally bloggable, right?!

I've also thrown a few parties and such that I would like to blog about.  I love putting stuff like that on here, because it's a way for me to keep track of my own ideas and I know I always love finding blog posts like that when I'm trying to plan a party.

Last Saturday, Isaiah turned 9!  Can you believe that?  When I started this blog, he was 4.  I seriously have NO idea where the last 9 years have gone.  He reminds me constantly that he'll be a teenager in 4 years.  WHA?!  No.  I'm planning on doing everything within my power to change the age of becoming a teenager...maybe adding in a few new numbers between 9 and 13.  Something.  I can't just stand by and let this happen.

So, Saturday, we had a Legend of Zelda party.  If you know Isaiah, you know that he always wants something crazy and off the wall.  It was fun going old school.  I should have paid more attention back in my Nintendo days, because I had to keep using the 8 year old (now 9...only 4 years away from a teenager).

Let me tell you, there are just not that many Zelda party resources out there!  I looked high and low...blogs, Pinterest, websites, etc.  I finally found a few good ideas over on the Zelda Party Channel.  Surprisingly (or not), there are more adult party ideas out there than their are kid friendly ideas.

Here's how we did it:

Isaiah's top request was a Triforce Treasure Hunt.  So, I found a free template for a Treasure Hunt online at Parents.com and customized it to fit our party.  I made some signs for different parts of the yard using places from the Legend of Zelda games.  I led the kids around the yard as they searched for pieces of the Triforce.  Sometimes, they would have to solve a math problem or a riddle to know where to find the next clue.  Then, when they had all of the pieces of the Triforce, they put it together and flipped it over for their final clue, which led them to Isaiah's Room where there was a treasure box full of gold (aka chocolate coins).  The kids loved it and it took up a lot of the party time!

The other activity that we did was making shields.  Even the girls loved this!  They totally got into designing their shield.  They put a lot of thought and hard work into them.  Then, they took them with them on their Treasure hunt!  

Along with some swords, of course, because it's dangerous to go alone! 

For food, we had pizza and Red Potion Punch.  The punch was a recipe I got off of the Zelda Party Channel website and it was DELICIOUS.  I'll definitely be putting it in my file for future use...would be tasty for an "adult beverage"...I'm thinking tequila or rum, probably.  I used frozen strawberries, so it gave it a slushie consistency.  I made individual servings by pouring it into 8oz Mason jars.  Since it started out semi-frozen, they stayed cold for hours (with the lids on)!  This was a big hit with the kids and the adults!

I basically just used lots of green and gold for the decorations and found some Zelda party supplies on CelebrateExpress.com...and failed to take any decent pictures of the decorations...so, just use your imagination. 

The piece de resistance of any party, if you ask me, is the cake!  My cousin's wife's sister  (did you get that?) started making cakes a couple of years ago and she has been a wonderful resource for me when I'm planning an event!  She never fails to come through with an AMAZING cake and she's always up for a challenge.  I love her...and this cake!  Isaiah loved it, too.

He was one very happy 9 year old...who will be a teenager in 4 years.  

A Phineas and Ferb Birthday Party

Saturday morning I woke up and said...

Ferb, I know what we're doing today!

I planned a Phineas and Ferb party for Isaiah's birthday.  He's nuts about that show and I had the most fun planning around the theme.  It was a win-win!

I couldn't find any invitations and I had thought about ordering some off of Etsy (there are several people who sell custom Phineas and Ferb invitations on Etsy and Ebay).  I just couldn't find any that were exactly what I was wanting and I was on a short time frame.  As usual, I had waited until the week I needed invites sent out to find invites.  So, I went to Office Depot and found some fun paper, snagged a cute/wintery Phineas and Ferb pic from the Internet...wrote up a little invite and inserted the pic and voila...

Invites on the cheap.

I was able to find TONS of decorating stuff on Party City's website (click HERE).  They had a great selection and great prices.

I was up in the air about the cake until the last minute.  I just couldn't decide what to do with it.  There were so many possibilities.  I could have went with something from the theme song.  For instance, I had thought about having an Eiffel Tower cake made and putting Phineas and Ferb scaling up the side...or I had thought about having a Yeti cake made and putting Phineas and Ferb around the sides giving him a shower.  The wheels in my head were turning, but I really didn't have the time to wait much longer, so I just had a simple Phinea and Ferb-ish cake made at my favorite local bakery (Merritt's for all you local peeps...they never disappoint). 

It wasn't elaborate or anything, but I thought it was cute and went well with the rest of the decor.

Isaiah made it known that he wanted to build "contraptions" like Phineas and Ferb, so I set up a table with all sorts of craft/building materials.  The kids had a blast using their imaginations and putting together their very own contraptions.

We also had a couple of games.

Pin The Tail On Perry was fun! One of the perks of my job is working with a bunch of drafters.  We have a huge plotter at our office and one of the guys printed Perry out for me, but you might be able to have it printed some where.  I found a pattern for a platypus tail on line and saved it, colored it orange, printed them, and cut them out.

Find the Lawn Gnomes was a hit! 

I told them that the EVIL Dr. Doofenshmirtz had STOLEN all of our lawn gnomes and we need them back!  I sent them on a hunt for all the lawn gnomes they could find.  Prior to the party starting, I had went around and hid 40 lawn gnomes all over...under tables, on walls, under chairs...anywhere inconspicuous.  They had fun finding them and they were rewarded with mini chocolate bars. 

For the lawn gnomes, I just found a picture of one that I liked online, saved it to my pictures, a printed them out on card stock.

I also set up a Dr. Doofenshmirtz Laboratory and performed a couple of experiments. 

We inflated a balloon with vinegar and baking soda and made green slime!  It was SO cool. 


I'm not sure who had more fun them or me!  LOL.

We served cheese pizza and carrots w/ ranch dressing, at the request of the birthday boy.  I was going to serve grilled cheese because P and H's sister, Candace, loves grilled cheese.  I was going to cut them all into fourths and put them on a skewer.  Grilled Cheese on a stick!  Sounds cute, right?!  Isaiah INSISTED on cheese pizza.  Oh well. 

We also had a yummy Sundae Bar and a Candy Bar.  The kids loved making their own sundaes. 

Their favor bags consisted of Phineas and Ferb stickers and tattoos, pencils, sticky hands, a compass, Phineas and Ferb fruit snacks (found at Wal-Mart and Target), and a Phineas and Ferb Mix CD.  For the CD, I just downloaded about 10 of Isaiah's favorite Phineas and Ferb songs onto iTunes, made a playlist, and burned it to CDs.  I found some really cheap CDs at Office Depot (10 for $1). 

Every kid also got some cool shades just like Phineas and Ferb wear (found them at amazon.com).

(the two adorable children above are courtesy of my one of my best friends, blogger at my3ellas.

I think it was a success. 

I know the birthday boy had fun...he said, and I quote, "it was the BEST day ever". 

That was what I was going for.

I'm sorry if you tried to click on the link to my last giveaway from yesterday's blog post.  I forgot to link it up.  So, you can click HERE to make sure you entered.  Promise.  It'll really take you somewhere.  Not over the rainbow, but it will take you to my giveaway, which is just a $10 Starbucks card and a $10 iTunes card and another little surprise...no bluebirds flying and it wasn't sang about once in a lullaby.

I don't know what the heck I'm talking about.  Just go enter my giveaway.  I'll announce the winner in Thursday's blog post.  Hope you're all having a great week so far.