Yesterday, we hosted a mystery party to celebrate LG’s 10th birthday, coming up on Wednesday. If I weren’t suffering the effects of days of insomnia, compounded by having had said party, I would attempt to tell you all about it. But, since I am sleep-deprived and not at all confident in my ability to string words together, I think I’ll just show you some pictures.
The party theme was “The Mystery of the Missing Necklace.” All guests were advised ahead of time that they would be playing a role in the drama, and were given suggestions on how to dress their part. Most did so. We decorated with balloons (I LOVE balloons 🙂 and with homemade “crime scene tape,” including across our front door:
Today, most of the crime scene tape has been taken down. However, I have left it across the powder room mirror. I told you, I haven’t slept in days; “CAUTION CRIME SCENE” is absolutely what belongs across my mirror 😦
We got started just a little late, because Ivanna’s Daddy couldn’t find our house even though we gave him directions. They kept driving by, until finally some of the party went outside (20 degrees!) to wave them down:
The girls were told about the theft of the Princess’s necklace, then introduced to the suspects:
And thoroughly briefed by Daisy Diamond (aka LG Fairchild), ace girl detective:
Each girl had a separate script/booklet, with clues to share with the other guests. They listened attentively to one another, even taking notes, like good detectives do:
Some of the most fun clues were the singing ones:
Even Biscuit played a part. A big part, actually. He was “Bandit,” the dog, who turned out to be the criminal. Not surprising; he’s very bad. Some of you will be pleased to note that I did cut him some eyeholes for the occasion, so you can just stop complaining:
After the mystery was solved, I asked the detectives to strike a pose (yes, you are seeing more than I ever show, I’m comfy with this much today):
Next, it was time for cake. I am no cake decorator. But my kid really wanted me to home-make her cake this year, and for her, I have been known to do things that I cannot actually do:
And yes, if you are a good detective, you will learn something here that has never before been revealed on this site 😉
During the food part of the party, I was introduced to some new “Olympic Sports:”
Cake diving . . .
Ice cream diving . . .
And cheese cutting . . . no, seriously, the kid says, “Mrs. Fairchild, take a picture of me cutting the cheese!”
The party ended with some very enjoyable “freeze dancing:”
And all the guests left with a gift from us, a detective’s fingerprint kit:
This is one of the weird things about LG’s mama. It is sometimes difficult, having an “only” and not raising her to feel entitled (I try not to use the word, “spoiled”), and I want her to think of parties as being times to enjoy the company of friends, not just to get more things and stuff. So I try to make sure that guests go home with more than what they brought.
Overall, this party was a huge hit. I would recommend that mystery website to anyone looking for party ideas. And this one was much easier on the grown-ups than last year’s!
Thanks for coming! Now, please don’t wish the child any wishes until Wednesday, when I’m sure I will write about her again! She is already milking this birthday like crazy. A family party will take place next weekend. I really can’t imagine where she got the idea that everyone should just drop everything and comply with her every whim, just because it’s her birthday 😉
What Was I Thinking? 