Party Snack Ideas: "Snowflake" Pretzel Snacks

These "Snowflake" pretzel snacks are a great idea for Frozen themed parties, and using only two ingredients (three if you use sugar or sprinkles), they're super easy to make!

What you'll need:

• Almond bark or Wilton melting chips
• Pretzels
• Sanding sugar or sprinkles
• Parchment paper

Use pretzel rods to make magic wands for Cinderella themed parties, or regular pretzels for that snowflake look for Frozen themed parties.

Different colored sprinkles make these a great choice for just about any party theme! 

Here's a step by step tutorial from Chef Maid Mom.

Party Snack Ideas - Cinderella Macaroons

Have a Cinderella party coming up and want to give your party guests the royal treatment? Dive into decadence with these delicious Cinderella inspired French macaroons. Great for Frozen parties too.

 

 What you'll need for the cookies:

• 3/4 cup of almond flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 egg whites (room temperature)
• 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• royal blue gel food coloring
• pearl dust

Use Lemon Curd and Cream Cheese Buttercream  for filling.

 Here's the video cookie tutorial from I See Melanie:

 

A Princess Feeds the Homeless.. Cinderella's Thanksgiving Perspective

This Thanksgiving, Roro the Clown and I volunteered at a free Thanksgiving dinner for people in need.  I'd never done anything like this before.  It was pretty eye-opening.

I do so many birthday parties for fantastic kids from many walks of life and many, many cultures, but it's rare that I see kids whose parents aren't able to provide them even with a full Thanksgiving meal.  Real, live Princess entertainers aren't the first priority of folks who have to work to afford a birthday cake.

I was a little nervous when I drove up.  Nobody looked like me.  Nobody came from my background, or had anything at all in common with me, that I could see.   I really haven't had much exposure to homeless people, or people who are needy or severely disabled.  What were they going to think about me, in my fancy high-falutin' dress?  I sat in the car and stalled, fixing my lipstick, getting my hair just so, before working up the courage to walk in there.

Now I've done more than 2000 parties. I do not get nervous walking up to the door anymore, EVER.. but this was just different.

I took a deep breath, pasted on my Princess smile and walked in.

And all the volunteers and guests turned and gave me huge smiles, clapped their hands and welcomed me to their dinner.  After the opening prayer, where everyone gave thanks that they had abundance enough to share, I felt like part of a big family.

Also, it's impossible to be nervous
around Roro.  He's just so much FUN!

The reactions we got from the kids were fascinating and wonderful.  One little boy wouldn't take off his motorcycle helmet the whole time we were there.  Another one insisted on keeping his hood pulled down over his eyes (we nicknamed him the Ninja).  One adorable little girl just followed us around, demanding balloon after balloon and giggling.  Each kid was different and unexpected in ways that made me rethink my approach and my character.


After I left, I went to my Mom's house, where the food was plentiful and we were surrounded by luxuries.  I looked around at the big screen TV blaring Beatles Rock Band, the gold-leaf plates, handmade wine goblets, and all the beautiful little things that make Mom's house feel like home.  I looked at my family - all in amazing health, all smiling and interested in one another's lives.. and I felt my heart burst open with gratitude.. for all that we have, and all that we take for granted every day.


I'm grateful for the opportunity to see life from another perspective.  Thank you all for being part of my amazing life.. and I hope your Thanksgiving day was magical too!

Our Princess Christmas Video Shoot

Last night we shot the majority of our new Princess Christmas video.  We've got a couple more scenes to shoot and some editing to do and I'm hoping to have it completed in early December.

I'm feeling so Christmassy this morning.  We decorated my downstairs to look like the inside of a Christmas present, and it just turned out delicious - all the lights, flowers, and fabric turned my living room into a wonderland.  (I had breakfast in there this morning.. I want to start every day by sipping tea while surrounded by fairy lights.  :)

I was listening to Darrell beginning the video processing this morning, and .. wow!  The quality of the music is blowing me away.  We've got some amazingly talented Princesses!  I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

My plan is to make a video that can be personalized.. so our Princesses can sing Merry Christmas directly to your special little girl, on Christmas morning.  Check our YouTube Channel in the next couple weeks to see the finished product!

Cinderella Wishes for Young and Old

Today I played Cinderella at a birthday party for a fabulous 4-year-old, then headed across the bay and performed a Cinderella Singing Telegram for a fabulous 73-year-old.  What a delight.

I've been Cinderella a million times for the little ones (217 times in the last 7 years, to be exact).  I think she may be my favorite character to play.  This show was especially fun since the birthday girl's older sister was there too, and I'd performed for her 3rd birthday back in 2003..  She had her other 10-year-old friends there, and the four of them were almost more excited by the Princess energy than the little ones were!  They knew all the words to all the Disney songs I could throw at them, and gave me a run for my money on princess trivia.  :)

But the real jewel of the day was performing for the 73 year old.  It was a birthday / retirement party, and the guest of honor had run an operating room at a local hospital for the last 30 years.  I sang to her, danced with her, did some magic for her and declared her an official Princess of the Realm, and thanked her for all her wonderful love and hard work for her patients over the years.  The sparkle in her eyes really rivaled the 4 year old's for excitement!

Being a Princess is exhausting hard work at times, but days like today fill me up with so much gratitude - how lucky am I, to be able to just put on a costume and then create that look of happiness in so many different eyes?