Jessica's Murder Mystery Birthday Party!!!

A few weeks before her party, we got an invite from Jessica to her Murder Mystery Birthday Party!! About a week before the party I was able to solidify our plans for the week and RSVP that we would be there!  

Then, Jessica invited us (Billy and me) to participate as characters in the event!!!  I was even more excited!  We'd never been to a party as suspects that wasn't at our house!  It was set in 1850s New Orleans and was a masquerade theme!!! 

In the days leading up to the party, her "Mardi Gras" RTIC cup came in.  It was so beautiful*!  I put her character name on it, so that she could remember her party, where someone(s) died for a long, long time! ; )

Just a few days before the party, we found a stash of beads at a church sale! = )

The party was AMAZING!  They had a photo op wall, homemade crepe bar (savory and sweet!), masks for those who didn't have one, and craft ones for the kids!

And, in an unexpected turn of events, we got to sit with the birthday girl and the rest of the Stepp family!

I was a hypochondriac who loved the social scene, but not my husband = ( and Billy was a judge who sleezy politician.  We were double excited to wear our masks that we procured for our upcoming murder mystery dinner in October!

In between narrations, we were to move about "in character" and answer questions to the best of our ability (given the two or three paragraphs about our character we were provided in the email.) = )

Spoiler: Billy died.  He wasn't the murderer. lol. (And Emily was not thrilled that her daddy was dead)

Spoiler 2: Jessica was a double murderer!!! What an excellent birthday gift! lol

Somehow Emily and Grace ended up with the "dead" sign and wanted a chance to imitate the message.

Juliet spent her time collecting all of the strands of foil that fell from the entrance cover of the door, and ultimately making up a shiny skirt. = )

It was a wonderfully fun time, and I'm so happy that we were invited to celebrate in Jessica's special day! 

later days

 *I'd seen it on the website so many times, but it doesn't look that good in the picture, and Mardi Gras season is such a short time, that I never even considered it.  But, since the party was set in New Orleans at the end of Mardi Gras, it seemed just perfect!  And it was even better than I imagined!

edit: written 6-15-23 backdated for continuity.

Murder Mystery Party, Year 3: Hawaii

For obvious reasons, we did not party in the summer of 2020, but thankfully did not have to skip our on our mystery party.  I had planned a 100 year house party, that would have taken the place of our mystery party anyhow.  So, really, this would have been year three even without corona!

The day before, Sarah helped me fill the swimming pools that my mom had collected earlier in the year with sand.  We used her truck to pick it up, and ended up with half of a cubic yard, which weighs over 1000lbs!

This year's murder happened on an estate in Hawaii.  Present at the party: an island chief of Polynesian descent (Jared, in a Maui costume!), a swimsuit model all the way from New York (Jessica), a local luau dancer (Me), an unlucky tourist (Billy), former surfer and coworker of the deceased (Matt) and millionaire's wife, possibly lover (Deb, who in reality was 8 months pregnant!), stumbling onto the scene of the crime was a golfer (Juliana.)

Emily wanted to make some fancy tags for all the guest cups, and Grace hand colored flowers to label all the plates.  It all came out so cute!  All of the pictures are courtesy of Deb's phone, since I hadn't had a chance to take pictures of anything!

Just the ladies in front of the tiki bar that Billy helped me build.  

During our warm spell in March or April? Emily came with me and we found a metal workbench, some boards for a bunk bed and a mirror on the side of the road.  Billy helped me put the stand and boards together, then we found a board in the shed to use as the roof.  The thatched top is actually cuttings from our ornamental grass in the front flowerbeds. It sat outside for months between making it and the party, but it looked so cute!

I painted the mirror with chalk paint, then used marker pens to make up the drink menu.  Grace and Juliet were asking me for the juices off of the menu for the entire week leading up to the party.

Grace and Emily were big helpers setting up the party, because poor Billy had a sleepless night and still had to go into work Friday morning.  So, he was trying to catch a nap before the party.  I was trying to put the finishing touches on the decor and finishes cooking the food, so it was a hectic afternoon.

The bone in pork loin (that I ended up at 3 different stores to track down) took so long to cook, but came out really really tasty!  We also had caramelized onions, pineapple & avocado salad, and bananas and berries in cream.  

Jessica and Deb took care of the kids food with pizza, pasta and so much fruit!!

The pig is kind of lost in the circle, so here it is before the party.  We had toyed with the idea of a real pig, but they only sell sucklings, and I didn't like that.  A search on the internet showed that I could also buy a dissectible pig, but same issue.  I found a life like looking magician's prop, but when I signed up for the site and went to ship it, it would have run over $30, just for a prop.  So, thrift shop for the win, sadly the only one they had was a tiny little Hamm, from Toy Story. lol 

He got to hang with us the entire time, since it was warm enough not to need the fire.

At one point, there was a cat that the kids found under our side deck, and thought that the correct course of action was to bring it inside the house.  Like I wouldn't notice when everyone is spending all evening in the girls room instead of on their computers? Or they all 'suddenly' want to sleep in the same room?  The cat was very sweet, but the kids would not leave it alone.  When our neighbors came home, they said that it was a stray, but that they were considering adopting it.  I was relieved to be rid of it, and it had only been a few hours!

It was a great time, our previous murderer was the prime suspect most of the evening.  But the cases against each suspect were fairly strong! 

It turns out that the murder was:

*Matt, as Bo-Jo*

which lead to a very entertaining conclusion for our evening. ; )  

I am so so thankful for this fun group of people, who show up in full costume and pour their energy into their characters! <3

Unsurprisingly, I'm already excited about next summer's murder!

later days

*the text here is white if you'd like to see who the guilty party turned out to be!

Our fun from last year can be found here.

The first year can be found here.

21st May, 69th Day of Quarantine, 42nd Day of School at Home

The high today was a sunny and pleasant 73F!

I spent a good chunk of time on the phone with my bank and Orkin, trying to resolve a double charge. The manager was supposed to call me back, but never did.

Schooling on Thursdays is pretty good, as the workload gets progressively lighter during the week, and my kids are pretty good at front-loading their week.

I ran to pick up some goodies from Deb's porch for our MOPS MAD night, and left a box for Hanna, since we failed to meet up at the park.

I spent some more hours on my teaching certification.  150 hours is so daunting, so I'm trying to push through while I have the motivation. = )  I like the new program well enough, but I am still disappointed that they removed all the 'free' courses from the Gateway platform.  In the new platform though, you can watch the videos at double speed which is way cool!

We also got in the field guide we were instructed to order for school in the fall, and it is so cool!  Emily, William and I spent some time outside trying to identify the plants in our yard.  We didn't find a perfect match for the tiny white flowers, so I'm not sure what they are, even now. We identified the bird that has nested on the backside of our carport: a house finch!

Sarah came by and mowed my lawn for me (score!) so now I don't have to worry about that for another week. = )  I also sent a bag of school supplies that is destined for the school to live in her basement until next October when school is well underway it will be welcomed instead of a burden.

Grace must have been MIA yesterday when we were building the trolley, because she didn't even know about it.  She had a good time pretending to be a doctor and passing out medicine (milk duds) and giving shots for sore throats...  At least I know these will get use even if we discontinue homeschooling!

We all contributed some names to a 'drawing' for what we should call our book trolleys.  Emily and Juliet submitted the winning names: "Candyland" and "Homework Trolley."  I wanted Holly & Molly, the book Trolleys. But I didn't win. = (

It was warm enough that the kids set up the slip and slide for some outdoor water fun!

For dinner we had PF Changs freezer sweet and sour chicken for the first time.  With the exception of the bag recommending only cooking one bag at a time (so i had to lengthen the cook times) I was very impressed and will buy it again!

Thursday night is the weekly meeting with the other parents in Alice's class.  Since MAD was right after, I tried setting up the webcam on my upstairs computer so that my phone wouldn't die during the meeting.  That computer was too old, so Billy moved up my CPU to use with the upstairs auxilaries.  I had to bring up speakers, then headphones since the speakers weren't loud enough.  Sadly, the wifi is just too slow, and I ended up at the parent meeting on my phone anyhow.

Thankfully, it was a short meeting, so I was able to return everything to it's proper place and re set my downstairs station before the MOPS event.

We played a little bit of a game, but mostly just enjoyed chatting.  It's so nice to not be in this alone!

Because of the double meeting, it was a quick group bedtime for my crew, and a slightly late bedtime for me.

Tomorrow William has a local doctor's appointment, and they will be coming out to the car??  So many new adventures!

later days

April 10th, 28th Day of Quarantine, Day 8 of Spring Break

The high today was a brutally cold 36F.  There was a dusting of snow on the ground when I looked out the window.  brrr.

The sharps box was full, so my first stop was a the post office.  No-one was there, and it was a quick in and out.

I made the trip over to Sam's today.  I arrived at around 9:45, got some gas first, and when I made it into the foyer, I was the 2nd person in line, thanks to the new regulations limiting shoppers.  I waited less than a minute, but it felt like there were plenty of people in the store.

I used the scan and go which makes life so much easier!  I also picked up a couple of items for Jessica.  I dropped those off, and since the food bank is no longer accepting in person food donations, went home.

Billy unloaded my car, and once everything was put away we had General Tso chicken with rice for lunch.

My mom sent money so that I could rent the new Trolls movie for the kids.  They were happy campers!

For dinner we had BBQ sandwiches, and William at two of them!

Then, we went back into our 'theater' and watched Onward together, since it is on the Twin's Disney+ from Aunt Rocky.  Once I finished watching it with the kids, I convinced Billy to watch it with me. I didn't cry at all the second time I watched.

We were in bed before 10 after a lovely, movie watching, evening.

later days

March 23rd, Day 10 of Flattening the Curve, School at home day 6

The expected high today 44F, but there was snow on the ground when we awoke. = (  I had planned a trip to sam's and place and order with Kroger to supplement missing items, so I was extra disappointed about the added obstacle of slippery roads.

I was out the door before 8 though, so I had time to run the recycling to Sarah's (and drop mail in the post box.)  Thankfully the snow was only on the grass and was already starting to melt.

I paid the big girls $5 each to help Grace (Alice) and Juliet (Emily) finish their school work, and an extra dollar to help William if he needed it.

I was the 5th person in line, at 8:30.  Once they opened at 9, they only allowed 30 shoppers in at a time.  Items were limited to one* per person, which is tough for me, since there are so many of us to feed, but I managed what I could.  They had almost everything on my list, except for chocolate syrup, tortillas, our favorite chicken bites and milk.  (It probably helped that I had shopped online first to see what they already had marked as "out."  They were really low on potatoes, frozen meat, deli meat, rice, peanut butter and soap.

As I was leaving the lady asked if I were "stocking up," and I actually responded, out loud: "no, I have five kids, this is a typical week."

Way back when, when the twins and I would shop, they would have to hold things in their laps because I didn't have a spot for everything in the cart.  Then, once they started the 'shop online' option, I was all about it and my life became so much easier!  It is tiring to do it old school! ; ) Thankfully I was still able to log in and use the 'scan and go' feature of their app, so I did not have to stand in line to check out (or touch any of the registers/card machines.)

The snow was quickly melting as I dropped off a few things with Jessica, and headed to pick up my Kroger order.  There were lots of people in the pick up slots again (4-5 this time) and the poor guy was bringing out loads alone.

My final stop was to take a few items to the food bank at the Presbyterian church in Holt, then it was home to unpack all the groceries.  I wore gloves for the majority of my expenditure, and it just feels so weird.

The kids were mostly finished with their school work (except for William) and they had done an excellent job of keeping the counters cleared for groceries.

Billy called for take out at Charlie's, and went to get it while I finished tucking away all the groceries. I was happy to not have to stress about feeding everyone while all surfaces were covered in groceries.

After lunch it was time for outside recess (again) and the kids were building snow structures.

And now, (just after 3pm) the snow is mostly melted, except where the kids compacted it.

William took a short nap, and Emily and Alice made chocolate milkshakes for everyone. = )

I pulled out our DVD/CD tub to catalog.  I cleaned out a (very) few titles that I no longer feel the need to keep.  Going through the videos is a little like going through a time capsule though.  I kept listing of titles to get rid of that are "Billy's movies" until he caught on and took exception to it. = )

For dinner we had corndogs, carrots and leftovers (for me.)  William did finally finish his list around 6.  Hopefully tomorrow he will get back into the grove we found at the end of last week!

later days

P.S.  I was able to buy 5 of the Easter Egg sets to gift the kids from Enisi and Edudi, which made me happy. = )

March 2nd

Today the high was 47F!  The wind was still bitterly cold, but compared to last week, this week was 'warm!'

Sam's was on my agenda today, so after dropping off my dear ones and picking up my mom (with a recycling drop off mixed it) we headed that way.  We both had checks to deposit at the bank, but there was no cash back available on a Monday morning.

After leaving Sam's my mom was recounting a story about a nearby chocolate shop that she had patronized with her friends. Of course I tuned the car around!  I bought a 1/2lb box, and all of mine were so good! (I bought a handful for Billy too!)  = )  The lady in the shop made fun of me because I didn't' even make it out the door before I taste tested one.

Once we were safely in the car with our chocolate boxes, we headed to Jessica's to drop off her groceries. = )  Next stop was returning Avia to Sarah's.  Then I had to dash home, toss the groceries in, and head up to the school to help gauge auditions for the talent show.

Alice and Emily were both auditioning today and did great!  Alice is doing a magic act, Emily and her friend Abby are dancing to 'Shake it Off.'

I had some time afterward to look for dry ice at Carl's without luck.  By the time I finished sorting and storing groceries, it was time to collect my children.  = )

For dinner we had chicken in Ramen with peppers as a side.

And after dinner, we snapped Emily's final pictures as an 8 year old!

She is so excited that she is having trouble falling asleep tonight, but she'll be one happy girl when she wakes!

later days

February 3rd

Today's high, according to my vehicle, was a lovely, 52F!  It was sunny with mostly clear skies.

Watching Alice and Grace, one at the beginning of her elementary education, the other at the end, approach the school today, I felt very sentimental.  How has Alice's time gone so fast?

Once I regained my composure, I came home and checked the mail. Next it was time to pick up Avia. After dumping the recycling tub, we headed to Sam's.

I was thankful for the warm day, since we had driven my card all the way to Grand rapids last week oh, I needed more gas than I typically take in a week. = )

There were not many people at Sam's, which made for a very pleasant experience. Also, they've set up a counter, near the door, exclusively for pickup orders! I'm a big fan.

After leaving Sam's, we headed to Jessica's with her order. Then it was time to drop my mom back at Sarah's.

Before going home, I brought up the water and juice that I had volunteered to bring for the twins' 100 day party this Wednesday. = ) I also brought the water for their Valentine's party, but it turns out that water is heavy. Lol. I was really worn out by the time I made it to their classroom with the water and the juice.

I was home before noon, unpacking the car and putting away groceries.

I snacked on the rotisserie chicken for lunch. Meanwhile, I was cooking up the 5lbs of hamburger meat that I bought to freeze. I also knocked out a load of laundry.

It was soon time for pick up!  Willam was not the biggest fan of the vanilla protein powder that I bought, nor the protein chips. He did, however, eat 1.5 BBQ sandwiches for dinner. There is also plenty of leftover meat for him to munch on this week. = )

Tonight Alice started practicing her magic routine for the talent show. And we started filling out class Valentine cards. Most excitingly, we booked Emily's 9th birthday party!

later days

Crafts

Our First MOPS meeting wasn't until the end of September this year, which gave me some time to sew, once the big kids went back to school.  I helped with décor for the meetings, and even had time to make each of the ladies at my table a welcome gift!

Sent the teachers some of those cute toilet paper pumpkins, monogrammed napkins and Halloween socks to kick of October. = )

I even got to a point where my sewing desk was clear!

But, this week the crafting urge kicked in, so I made a set of bags for Jessica's little ones.  The J's were too much for me to keep straight, but the vintage angel/avocado green was just too perfect!

I've also been working on William's birthday invitations, but they are not ready just yet. And next it will be time to start on teacher Christmas gifts! = )

later days

Murder Mystery Party

This past week, I dedicated my time to preparing for our party on Friday. Using all of the literature provided by A Cajun Killing, I shopped for food (at a lot of stores) and ended up sending Billy out for a few last minute items.

The invitations provided give a description of what each character would have worn. For this game there was a Ship Captain, Weeping Widow, Gambling Man, Scarlett Woman, Piano Man and a Stowaway.

I set the table with the antique China I inherited, which just happened to be time period appropriate* and finished making all but the chicken. I also made some cloth napkins, since ours are practical vs. pretty.

Full disclosure, the backpacks stayed put, but I did try to make it look a little less colorful. = )

When Jessica, Jared and their crew arrived, she helped me peel two heads of garlic, and luckily laughed when I realized I only needed two cloves. oops. She also helped measure the other spices and plucked off thyme leaves.

When Deb, Matt and their little ones got here, we sent the 12 kids out on the back patio to eat. They had quite a spread themselves. Jessica brought popcorn and watermelon, Deb brought mac and cheese with veggies, and Emily had laid out platters of crackers, meat and cheese! The men folk sat outside, while we finished up. Once the kids had eaten, we were ready to play.

The game comes with cassette tapes, so I had to buy a Walkman**, since I haven't had a cassette player since before Emily was born.

The game allowed for lots of breaks (and interruptions) but was so easy and fun to play! We were able to eat all four courses while playing, since it is mostly conversation.

We had varying options on who the murder was, and if memory serves Jared was the only one who figured it out.

All of the players had a good reason for wanting to kill off Mr. Thorpe IV, but only one did. Since I'm sending it along to Caroline, I'm not going to post spoilers, but it was good. = )

A close up of the gambler's bling:

I have two more in the pile, and one of them calls for a fourth couple. It's set in 90's Hawaii, which is totally fun. I'm certainly looking forward to solving the next mystery.

later days

*1905

**somehow I managed a picture of the cassette player, but not the 12 children who were incredibly well behaved the entire evening. They were seriously so good.