Bunco!

I play Bunco with the neighborhood ladies once a month, and November was my turn to host.

What does a full-time working pregnant lady doesn't have time or energy to do host and entertain properly do? OUTSOURCE!!!

I definitely had to call in reinforcements - my mom with the cooking and fluffing and preparation, and Jeff to sous chef, hang drapes, set up tables, trim bushes and blow leaves, and general fix-it stuff. Thanks to their help, everything went off perfectly!

We had 4 tables - 16 people (including mom and me), and a taco bar before the game started.

Here was the menu:
Softshell tacos, salad, or nachos
Shredded Crock Pot Taco Chicken (Jeff made this and people RAVED!)
All the Fixin's - lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, black olives, salsa
Crock Pot Queso
Crock Pot Black Beans
Cream Cheese Taco Dip - one with olives, one without
Veggie Tray and Dip - with carrots, celery, green and red peppers, and sugar snap peas
Scotcheroos
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Water, Wine, Coke / Coke Zero / Sprite

OOOEEE, it was so yummy!

I also had M&M's table snacks - did you know there are well over 4 kinds of M&M's now? We chose Plain, Peanut, Pretzel, and Peanut Butter.

After everyone had their fill, we started the game promptly at 7:30PM. We play 3 rounds of 6, and it takes about an hour and 15 minutes with 4 tables.

By 9PM, time for neighborhood announcements and the game was finished - just to award the prizes.

The loser's basket theme was anything BLUE or starting with a B...for BOY!!!!!!!!! The basket had a bunch of funny stuff in it (it always does) - like some blue plastic plates, a Butterfinger box of candy, some blue spa socks...sometimes getting the loser's basket is more fun than money! But I didn't win it this time. Bummer.

The big winner of the night was................MY MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She got an unprecedented FIVE Bunco's - which I don't think has been done in the 20 year history of the group. It was amazing! So she walked away with $20 from the night - not bad payment for a day's worth of work.

I am so grateful for their help - no way would I have been able to pull this off without them - ummm - literally working all day on Tuesday.

We joked that if I was by myself (like I probably will be next time) it would be a hummus and pita chip, deviled egg, cold ham slider kind of party!

I feel so special and loved that my mom helped "teach" me her hostessing skills. Her holidays and gatherings are always perfect - and now I know why. I kept saying "its good enough" but then she would do those extra touches ...and it was better.  I feel so lucky to have had the chance to work with her and learn all of her tricks of the trade - it's something those with moms nearby take for granted, but I definitely do not.

And I will be putting my new knowledge to good use soon when we host our first Christmas family holiday in December!