Tough sell. That's what you are, a tough sell.
Two days ago I asked how spontaneous you are. I asked, hoping I could convince a handful of you to host a gathering in celebration of National Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sunday, September 19).
Selfishly I was hoping you might consider hosting a few rounds of Pirate Bingo and donating any booty earned to the House of Shine's Yellow Envelope Project. Every $20.00 we raise allows us to tell one more person he shines. Mostly, though, I was just hoping you would see this holiday as a chance to gather in community and to spread shine.
We've got some booty of our own. Five loyal readers have donated tool belts, chock full of tools you will need to Shine at everything from baking to writing to making paper crafts and more. All you need to do in order to win a belt is be the among the five groups donating the most to our Yellow Envelope Project. Here's another view of the tool belt titled, Paint the Town Red.
The silver lining to our readership's, seemingly, limited interest in hosting an event is that winning a tool belt will be easy. Gather your family around the dining room table and let the kids donate a couple bucks allowance, so they might purchase a Bingo card. Create a sense of occasion by sending your kids invitations in their lunch boxes.
Yesterday we covered an invitation idea that could be made in 15 minutes or less. I did it in eleven (counting time to take photos).
Today we cover food. Simple food. Food a working mother who wants-to-shine-but-who-comes-home from-work-exhausted could do. Unlike the pirate cupcakes that I made a few years ago (when I wasn't working), the cupcakes pictured below were easy peasy. Bake for 18 minutes and decorate in five. I know that totals 23 minutes, but the baking time is time you could spend doing something else.
Chocolate cupcakes, vanilla frosting, graham crackers crunched up to look like sand, and gold coins as treasure. Family Circle won't be featuring my cupcake idea, but I'm pretty sure the kids attending our Pirate Bingo party will be plenty pleased.
Add to the cupcakes something savory like Pirate's Booty Aged White Cheddar Corn Puffs, coupled with bottles of root beer, and we're on our way to simple, but fun-filled event.
I know we've got some cooks out there. Feel free to join us in the Community Forum labeled, Today's Post and chime in on other grub a hostess might serve.
Shining off until tomorrow...