It's Party Planning Time...

I have two very different parties to prep for over the next two weeks.

First, my baby sister (aka the Frugalista, aka the Brat) is having a baby in October so my other sisters and I are throwing her a baby shower.

I know what you are thinking. She's just a baby herself, how can she be having a baby! I still remember going to the hospital to meet this little baby girl that made her way into the world just days before my 8th birthday.

Actually, I'm super-excited for her and her HHBL. They will be great parents to a very lucky little girl. The Brat is having the first baby girl in our family. After having FOUR daughters, my dad hoped, prayed and loudly wished for a grandson for years. He now has 4 wild and crazy grandsons and what does he want? A granddaughter! The man is never satisfied.

So glad that the Brat - my dad's baby girl - is giving him his first baby granddaughter. Won't that be a great photo!

The other party is a kid's party to celebrate the premiere of Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 3.

My nephews are HUGE Star Wars fans. When we went to Disney World this summer, the older nephews were way more excited about the Star Wars weekend than meeting Mickey!

So they are so going to flip over this party! I'm planning to have up to 10 children under the age of 10, as well as at least that many adults, to entertain, feed and corral! The party will finish with the season premier of the cartoon series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

My party pack is going to have some fun party favors, including some Hasbro Star Wars action figures, but I want to carry the theme throughout the food, decor and activities.

Since food is the common denominator of the two parties, that's where I started.

I headed to my local Wal-Mart to grab some supplies! In addition to some fun Star Wars napkins and plates, I grabbed some treat bags for the baby shower. We are planning to serve bite-sized desserts and send a treat bag with some goodies home with everyone.

I want to try some fun decorated cookies/brownies and I'm not all that great with icing, so I wanted to practice before baking for the actual parties.

I decided to do to my test run with bar cookies instead of brownies - basically out of laziness - and used 2 tubes of cookie dough as my base.

Before I got started, I also stopped by my local Kroger's to grab some groceries.

You know the old saying, "don't grocery shop when you are hungry?" It's true!

I grabbed some honey BBQ chicken anytizers from Tyson (never had them before and have to say they are yummy) and one of my favorite quick and easy sides - Ore-Ida Easy Fries! I paired them with the healthy weight Green Giant veggie mix - black beans, edamame, sugar peas and carrots...yummy - and a fountain Coke Zero!

Overall, it was a quick and easy meal, except for one thing...I put my Easy Fries on top of my microwave cover dish (just too lazy to take out the cover dish) and this happened.

Oops! Guess I'm on the lookout for a new cover. At least the Fries weren't affected!

Now back to the party food trials. My good friend over at Going Jane sent me a couple of ideas for Star Wars party food. Her kids are HUGE Star Wars fans - fanatics, really - so she's the perfect gal to consult with. Her first idea was a Darth Vader shaped brownie using a bell-shaped cookie cutter and white icing.

Here's the first attempt...

Not bad, but I'll try again with brownies because the cookies cut awkwardly.

I also tried some butterfly and flower cookies for the baby show. Decorating is definitely not one of my fortes. I'll keep trying!

Any suggestions for food for either the baby shower or the Star Wars party? All are welcome!