Make a Memory {Twinkie Party}

Here we are, week 9 of the Make a Memory series. Each Monday now through the end of August I will feature a special family tradition from one of my favorite bloggers. It is so important to create lasting memories with our families and this will be a fun way to get ideas for fun traditions we can start with our own families. So let's dive right in and see how Alison from Oopsey Daisy and her family make a memory!

Hello Tipsies!

My name is Alison, and I am the queen of oopsey daisies!

I am a crafting airhead, and my little blog, Oopsey Daisy, tells about my crazy creative adventures. I like to sew, modpodge, craft, decorate, photograph, hammer, paint, teach, and create!

But of course family comes first, and they are the reason behind everything I do. I am thrilled that I can share a little bit about my family with you today. So thanks, Michelle, for this fun opportunity!

Here's my little family growing up. See me with my bangs and big red sash??

Something you should know about us...

I have the coolest family. We had tons of family traditions. And most of them are incredibly cheesy!! We did crazy fun things that I rolled my eyes at as a teenager--but now I beg my parents to bring on the fun once again!

Just this week we introduced my husband and son to a tradition we had growing up as kids...

The Twinkie Party!

In our family, a Twinkie party is a "fancy" celebration of our accomplishments.

This tradition is more like an inside joke, and it begs an explanation.

So here's the story:

Once upon a time my Dad and Mom met at a little school called BYU. He liked her. Then she liked him. After a little off-and-on romance, my Dad decided that he definitely wanted to pursue their courtship seriously. So he planned a surprise!

He kidnapped my Mom from her apartment. Blindfolded her. Even placed a box over her head so she couldn't see a thing. He drove her to a park and set up a chair. So there sat my unsuspecting Mother, blindfolded, as my Dad set the scene for a romantic date. He set up a small table and chairs. He even covered the table with a lace tablecloth and lit candles too. He set the table with fine china, and poured some soda pop in crystal goblets.

When he finally took off the blindfold, my Mother was in awe of the romantic scene, but finally laughed out loud a their entree. My Dad had cut a Twinkie in half horizontally and placed it on each of their plates. It was the first-ever Twinkie party.

Growing up, we were cheap. Really cheap. So whenever we wanted to throw a little celebration, we had a family Twinkie party!

It had been years since our last Twinkie Party. I couldn't wait to share this tradition with my husband and son!! To spruce things up a little bit, I made this Twinkie stand. Don't these Twinkies clean up nice?!

How about some Twinkie toppers?? (You can download these at the end of this post.)

And why not a fun frame?? This is a spin-off of Mique's Rule the World printables. I was seriously laughing out loud the entire time I made this.

So we laid out our own lace tablecloth, and set out the fine china. We lit candles because my Dad always says, "This is called ambiance.... you pay twice as much for this in a restaurant!"

We filled our goblets with scrumptious Ginger Ale. Soda pop is always a delicacy--at least it was for us growing up as kids!

Before eating, each of us named some recent accomplishment. Then we all did a "Hip hip hooray!" cheer for that person. We cheered for big things like my parents celebrating their 33rd anniversary. We also cheered for little things like my husband having the chance to go wakeboarding recently!

It was my Little Man's first time cheering, but he loved yelling "Hip hip hooray!"

After cheering for everyone, we sliced our Twinkies (my Dad says this is because it makes it feel like it's twice as much!) and feasted on these little beauties! We ended the night by cleansing our hands on warm wash cloths--just like you would do in a fancy restaurant!

Do you want to know something funny? I don't even like Twinkies! But this was one of the most hysterically fun nights I've had in a long time!

Do you want to throw your own Twinkie party??

Just click here to download your own Twinkie toppers, print them on cardstock, cut them out, and hot glue the front to the back with a toothpick sandwiched in between!

Download your own "Given enough Twinkies..." sign here. Print on scrapbook paper and slide into a 5x7 frame.

Michelle, thank you so much for having me here today!!

Come stop by Oopsey Daisy and say hello!

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The story behind this is great! I love that she cut them in half to make them last longer. It is the quirky family traditions that make the best stories. I love that her dad even sports the Twinkie shirt! What a fun way to celebrate any kind of achievement, though I think we would have to go with Ho Hos or the hard to find Chocodile. Thanks Alison for sharing another fabulous way to make a memory!

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