Poems can be used in so many ways. They can be part of the wording for announcements, invitations, thank you cards and of course e-cards. I sometimes find looking for the right one a bit of a long process and then finally I start to find a few poems that are closer to what I want to say. I start to feel more positive about finding a great poem.

The range of poems available is extensive. Because of the huge range everyone should be able to find the poem they need. You can check through the poems that are free to use and pick out what you want. There are many online sites that are totally dedicated to bringing you the right poem. They are fun to look through and well categorised.

One way which I think adds a hugely personal touch is to write your own poems. Think of what it is you are trying to achieve. You may be trying to capture a final moment at graduation with your friends. You may be trying to say goodbye, to celebrate, congratulate, recognise the successful end of a long journey, celebrate a hugely successful graduate of recognise a triumph against the odds. If you try hard you should be able to come up with a poem that works well. You may well know the graduate very well. You may know their passions, likes, dislikes, sense of fun, interests and how hard they have worked. The graduate may be your child, close friends or close relative. You may well have watched them grow up. An example graduation poem is:

I held you in my arms
I kept you from harm
You lit up our lives
We loved your little smile
And now you are so wonderful
A graduate, strong and successful
To college you’ll be on your way
We will love you everyday.

I hope you can write better graduation poems that have real meaning for you and the graduate.

Before starting out on any graduation planning the first thing to do is establish the budget. The budget will determine how far you can go with diplomas, decorations, party entertainment, gifts and favors, for example. However I have to say I took a slightly different route. I estimated how much I would like to spend and compared that to the funds we had available. I found we were $300 short. I gave myself 4 weeks to raise the money. We baked cakes and sold them to the parents. We made up a family favorite recipe book which we again sold to the parents. However these activities only raised $40. The rest of the shortfall was made up with funds from a sponsored walk and a donation from local businesses.

The next step was to plan the ceremony. The ceremony was designed to be a simple affair as we knew the parents would create a special atmosphere with their enthusiastic support of each graduate. There were 20 graduates and we arranged a simple set up of rows of chairs facing a front table. The table had a traditional white cover, flowers and the diplomas. At the side of the table there were plants which were also placed around the venue. The parents seating was arranged around the side of the venue giving them plenty of space to be able to see the ceremony and take photos. We were fortunate to have a local football player who gave a motivational speech. The children filed out one by one to receive their diplomas. We also set up a formal photograph area with a blue backdrop, flowers and a flag. A parent who is also a professional photographer took a portrait of each child which was sent free to their parents within a few days.

After the ceremony we had a great party arranged. The DJ played great music for them. We had a very well decorated party venue with lots of balloons, streamers and the kids artwork. Typically we had too much food as the kids just wanted to play.

I hope your kindergarten graduation ideas work as well for you.

To me, apples are the best and possibly the most versatile fruits on the planet. And, I love that they have a varied and sordid history — from Eden to Snow White (they’ve been through a lot!) So naturally I channel all this apple-love into a fun apple harvest dinner party.

I want to have fun at the party and not be exhausted from cooking and prepping all day so my plan is to keep everything simple. I’d like to have dinner on the deck, so I decide to keep the party to 8 guests total including my husband and me. Next, I make sure that my party space is ready for guests. I make a list of the things that need to refreshed after my summer dinner parties like: buy more citronella fuel for my torches, get a few more votives for the table, sweep the deck and give the cushions a fluff.

I want to include apples in my table décor, of course, but I want it to be simple and fresh. I choose the theme of “fresh from the orchard” and I decide to create centerpieces using paper lunch sacks filled with apples. I roll the sides of the bags to various heights and tie ribbon belts around the sacks for a punch of color. I add tags with sayings including “tasty” & “juicy” to the ribbon for a little fun. These centerpieces will also be great take-home gifts for my friends. I’ll be sure to slip my favorite apple pie recipe into the bags before they leave so they’ll have inspiration for using their apples at home.

Because I’m obsessed with decorative papers, I create apple-themed place cards and menus for my party. These cute little cards are available on my website if you’d like to use them for your party too. Decor tip: slipping the place cards into the tongs of the fork at each place setting adds a little extra dimension to the tablescape and is a great way to display them.

Now for the good stuff – the food! I always have drinks and tasty bites ready to go 10 – 15 minutes before party time. These little lifesavers are great for those early bird arrivals and keep us all happy until the last guests arrive. I decide to make little apple, ham & brie stacks. These remind me of little croque monsieurs – without the bread. Yum! They are great because they can be prepared in advance and then served at room temperature. I think I’ll slide mine on to little skewers to make them even easier to munch. Perfect little no-fuss bites. I think sparkling apple cider and apple martinis are just right with these. Cocktail tip: I recommend using a cocktail mixer when making apple martinis – these shortcuts make “tending the bar” a snap!

For dinner, I want to start with a small salad of mixed greens combined with sliced apples and topped with candied walnuts (which I buy pre-candied in the nut aisle at my local grocery store) and a shaving or two of Parmesan cheese. Bleu cheese crumbles would be a delicious alternative to the parm, if you prefer. Drizzle just a touch of olive oil and apple cider vinegar and voila! Salad is served.

For the entrée, I am craving ham slowly roasted in apple cider with an apple-honey-mustard glaze. Now remember, I said I don’t want to cook all day, so I’m going to rely on my slow-cooker (also known as a crock-pot). This is my favorite entertaining secret weapon. I get all the benefits of a slow cooked meal without having to hover over the stove for hours. To accompany the ham, I’ll make cheesy cheddar grits and apple-cabbage slaw. These will be easy to prepare shortly before guests arrive.

But, how to end this meal, that’s the hardest decision. I love apple pie and I’m sorely tempted to go that route but the siren call of apple-cider donuts is too much for me to resist – plus I can set up stations so that all of us can participate in making them which will be a lot of fun for all of us and create some great memories. What more could an apple-crazed gal like me ask for?

Here are a few of the recipes to try: 

Rustic Ham with Apple-Honey-Mustard Glaze

Ham:
1 fully cooked ham, 3 – 5 pounds, be sure it will fit in your slow cooker
4 cups apple cider, or enough to cover (apple juice may be used if cider isn’t available)
12 whole cloves

Glaze:
2 cups apple cider
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
½ cup honey
½ teaspoon or a pinch of ground cloves

1 – Roughly score ham with a knife and randomly stud with whole cloves.
2 – Place ham in slow cooker and pour apple cider over ham to cover.
3 – Cook on low for 8 hours.
4 – During last 20 minutes of cooking preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare glaze. In a small bowl, combine cider, mustard, honey and ground cloves.
5 – Place ham into a roasting pan and brush glaze over top of ham.
6 – Bake for 30 minutes or until ham is browned. Remove from oven and allow to rest on cutting board for 30 minutes. Note: Leaving the ham in the pan will encourage more cooking and not help the ham cool down.
7 – Slice and serve!
 
Apple Cider Donuts:
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 ½  cup  granulated sugar
3 teaspoon  cinnamon
1 ½  teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup  apple cider
1/3 cup  buttermilk
1  egg
1  egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups  Bisquick
  canola oil
1. In a bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add in 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon of nutmeg, combine well. Next, add apple cider, buttermilk, egg, egg yolk and vanilla, mix thoroughly, scraping sides of bowl to be sure batter is well blended. Finally, stir in bisquick.
2. In a shallow bowl or pie plate, combine 1 cup of sugar, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of nutmeg. Set this aside to coat hot donuts after frying.
3. Flour your hands and your countertop and lightly roll dough to a 1/2-inch thickness. Try not to work the dough too much – you don’t want it to become tough. Use either a 2-1/2-inch doughnut cutter or 2 graduated sizes of glasses. Dip cutter or glasses into flour between cuts to keep cutting easy. Reshape dough and cut again. Roll remaining dough into small donut “holes.”
4. Fill a large frying pan ¾ of the way full with oil. Heat over medium heat. Place donuts into hot oil – be careful not to crowd the pan. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes or until golden brown. Gently flip the donut and cook another 2 – 3 minutes. Remove donuts from oil with a slotted spoon or tongs. Drain on paper towels.
5. Immediately dip hot donuts into sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg mix.
6. Repeat with remaining donuts and “holes.”
7. If not eating immediately, allow donuts and holes to cool on cooling rack. Store in sealed Ziploc bag in refrigerator. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Looking for more festive holiday party ideas this holiday season, stop by Jennifer’s blog or her website Jennifer Carroll Designs today.

Have you ever had problems coming up with good gift ideas for guys? Well, join the club! Men are not the easiest people to buy gifts for. Here are a few ideas to help you out with finding the perfect gift for a guy.

Ingenious Ideas

First of all, you should decide what kind of gift you want to give him. It could be something personalized – something that is related to his hobby, something unique or something that is just a fun gift.

A personalized gift is always treasured. Almost all gifts for guys can be personalized. Mugs, T-shirts, framed pictures or photo albums make great gifts. You could also get his initials engraved on other gifts that you buy for him.

Men love gifts that are related to their hobby or passion. For example, if he’s into sports in a big way, you could go to his favourite team’s website and get him gifts from there. You could also buy him tickets to the season games. If he’s into cooking, you could get him grilling tools which have his initials engraved on them. If he loves music, you could get him tickets to a concert or CD’s of his favourite music. You get the picture… Find out what he loves and your work is halfway done.

If you want to give the man in your life a fun gift, you have quite a bit to choose from. T-shirts with funny and personal messages, boxers with funny images, adult board games that both of you can play are a few ideas. If he is environmentally conscious, you could plant a tree in his name.

Now, if you’re looking for graduation gifts for guys, here are a few suggestions. College graduates would like gifts that they can use when they start work. A nice watch, a good writing pen, a card case or a leather writing portfolio with his initials engraved are a few ideas. You could also get him a business suit, luggage, accessories for a new apartment or a bottle of good wine. On the more expensive side, you could buy him a car or short holiday to an exotic place.

For a high school graduate, you could get stuff that he could use in his dorm. An answering machine, a microwave, an iron, an alarm clock or a small fridge or a small TV are gifts that he would find useful. Desk supplies, a state-of-the-art laptop, printer, an electronic note taker or a tool box are other gift options. On the lighter side, a gift certificate to a music store or a limited edition of a book he’s interested in, also make for unique gifts.

If you don’t find any of these gift ideas for guys useful, you could always resort to the usual gifts of hankies, underwear, belts, socks and ties.

1. Choose a theme for your party

Having a theme for your party actually gives focus to your goal. Choose an appropriate theme if it is during the holidays. Or, will it be for a graduation, a birthday, etc? While these are obvious questions to address, you will need to make a decsion. With your theme you will then be able to buy theme specific party favors and supplies. Without a doubt, choosing a theme makes your party fun and enjoyable for your guests, so pick a theme.

2. Know the age group of the your guests

This will help you plan any needed activities to keep your quests entertained. As an example, if you are planning to invite a lot of kids, it is a good idea to supply something that they can do or play games with. Get someone to help you with the party to coordinate these activities while you attend other host responsibilities.

3. Decide the best way to invite your guests

There are many ways to invite people. Going to a card shop for invitation cards is the traditional way. Now that everybody just about has an email, using an online invitation service to contact your friends is great way to manage your invites. What is so useful about these online services is the ability to track how many people are coming as well as getting feedback from your guests.

4. Where will you hold your party?

Is it going to be at your house, a friends house or held at a rented venue? Will it be inside or outside? If outside, you will need to consider the weather conditions and be prepared to make any last minute changes. Do you have enough room for your guests? When you host your party at home, time and effort will go into preparing your home. While a venue can be expensive, it shifts the responsibility to others and lets the host enjoy the party more.

5. How much food will you prepare?

Do you know what kind of food to serve? Will you have a sit down dinner or spread out food on a table buffet style? Do you enjoy preparing the food yourself or do you have a caterer in mind? When answering these questions you will be deciding what will be best for your party.

Although much goes into planning a party I have touched on the main points of a successful party. When you have a theme, know your guests age, chosen your invitations, selected your location and decided how you will prepare the food, you will be able to face just about any type of party or event from now on. Taking on this fun challenge can be very fulfilling and can be most memorable for your guests.

For older ages take your guests and yourself back to the days when you would run around your home playing at being cowboys, the sheriff, the outlaw and other wild west characters. In those days you may have watched westerns where the bad guy bought it in the end. I still like to look back on some of those epic westerns. I also like the moody Gregory Peck movies where he is the reformed gunslinger trying to shale off his past. Now imagine your guests getting dressed up as cowboys or the sheriff. They will probably go right back in their minds to their childhood and be all ready to have fun.

For younger guests a wild west party is such a great theme. They can run around and play so many games. They will be all dressed up and ready to play. The range of games, the excellent decorations and the fun favors and prizes will surely make it a great party.

You may even have one of those wild west venues or theme parks close to you. They can make the best party ever. They have the overall atmosphere, the right setting and the entertainers to make it fabulous. The whole party will be taken care of by the venue. They will have props, games, prizes, food and fun. They will have theatrical shows and shoot outs at The OK Corral.

For example, you have a graduation party or a birthday party to arrange for a kindergarten child. The budget you have will determine how far you can go, however you should be able to find or borrow lots of wild west stuff to use. To make the venue excellent you can fill it with decorations and games areas. The kids families may help with setting the venue up. Starting with murals, you can use murals to create a jail, bank, saloon, barber shop and a hotel. The mural will show the front of the building and give it a name related to the guest of honor. The rest of the decorations can have photos of the birthday person or graduate dressed up as either the sheriff or an outlaw. I like the idea of wanted posters with the guest of honor pictures as the outlaw. Borrow as many cowboy hats, boots, cacti, western movie posters, posters of the wild west, horse equipment and wild west signposts as you can. Also have lots of cowboy language on your party signposts.

Add in lots of cowboy type games and music, and you will have great wild west party ideas. I also like the idea of hiring a bucking bronco and a fastest gun video game.

I hope you love your wild west party ideas.

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