What I Made Wednesday {Lord of the Rings/Minecraft Birthday Party}

Ever since Kiddo was born, we've always had his birthday party at the house, put on by Super Hubby and me, and always themed to the max. When Kiddo got to be a little older, we took birthday-themed parties to a whole new level. Each party we created whisked the party guests to an imaginary world, depending on the theme. To get a glimpse of the lengths we go to create these imaginary worlds, just check out Kiddo's birthday party from last year, click here.

For every party we made it easy for the kids to really get into the theme. Kiddo has always been into imaginative play and he befriended many kids of the same nature, so you can imagine how cool it was to don a Jedi uniform and pretend you were mastering Jedi skills like at the Star Wars party. Or, how about donning a pirate's sash, eye patch, and bandana as they scavaged the yard looking for doubloons at the pirate party. There has been a spy party, Ninja party, I can go on and on. As wonderful as this was, we knew it would come to an end once Kiddo turned a certain age. That age was 11. Kiddo still likes imaginative play, but he was inviting kids that perhaps could not appreciate getting into the spirit of things and dressing up and pretending to be in another world just wasn't going to go over as a huge hit.

The various adventure locations on the map.

So, how do you have a Lord of the Rings birthday party, create a special world, and get 11-year olds to be willing participants? You create a virtual world where they adventure into a video game, all together as a Fellowship, and complete an adventure Minecraft-style!

Super Hubby has his own computer consulting firm so it didn't take that much effort to procure 8 computers, and all the other hardware we needed to make this work. To see how we prepped for the party, click posts here and here to get caught up. Now, on to the party itself!

The explanation of this party is beyond my comprehension so if you're really interested in replicating this party, please e-mail me directly and Super Hubby will give you all the technical details. Here's our To-Do list for the party from a technical level. Techies should get it.

Minecraft     
Bree
Dense Forest
Time Portal
Upgrade Beds, chests
Fix mountain pass – stairs out, bridges
Minas Tirith – scavenger hunt
Update syntax of notes
Texture pack
Setup laptops
Cables
Mice/keyboards

Server
spawn-animals – false
view-distance- 9(far)
PVP-false
Add my username to ops.txt to become operator
Test move command, etc

 

On a more understandable level, imagine 8 party guests, brought in to the party as Elves, following the calling indicated by the party invitation, see it here. Each has their own computer and mouse already awaiting their arrival. Each guest sits at the computer and designates their own avatar in the virtual world where adventure awaits. Thanks to a server, each guest is in the same world, at the same time. They see each other. They must work together, as a Fellowship, to complete the adventure. Contrary to Minecraft, this adventure requires no mining or crafting. It is purely an adventure.

At designated areas, there are notes dispersed to our adventurers to help them along their journey. Because I didn't want our guests to be glued to a monitor for the entire party, we had designated stops along the way during the adventure. For instance, when they left Hobbiton, they were to all meet at the Prancing Pony in Bree. There, the elves left their computers and came upstairs to partake in meaty snacks only a Hobbit could love: salami, cheese, crackers, olives, pickles, and ham. To quench their thirst, we served Butter Beer. (I know, it's a Harry Potter thing but it was such a big hit last year, we had to repeat it).

  I purchased iced coffee glasses at the Dollar Store and embellished the glasses with border stickers. Believe it or not, I've washed these glasses in the dishwasher and the stickers have stayed put!

Back to the adventure, and through the portal, our Elves returned to their posts and continued on. They stopped at a cave; another opportunity to take a break from the computer screens. We served them Lembas Bread at that point.

Before the big battle, they reached the Castle in Gondolin. Here, I used our dining room and made a royal spread consisting of very Lord of the Rings-inspired foods like potatoes, steak on a stick, chicken kabobs, more Lembas Bread, corn on the cob, and, of course, more Butter Beer. During the feast, we found some great riddles we had the kids try to figure out during dinner. Great fun!

Finally, the kids went back to their adventure for the climactic end - the big battle. They all had to work together to defeat the enemy. Afterwards, they headed to Minas Tirith for a scavenger hunt. Each floor, 5 total, had at least 4 artifacts in chests which the birthday guests could find. It was a free for all at Minas Tirith.

This 5-hour party was so cool and I know I'm not doing it any justice in describing it in my non-techie way. Everyone had a blast, it was unique, and memorable, and we still created a world, just in a virtual sort of way. So cool! Great job, Super Hubby!

Birthday Wishes for Super Hubby

What do you say to a man who holds your heart? What do you do for a man who gave you the world wrapped up in one little bundle of boy? Whatever it is, it just isn't enough to express my love and devotion to Super Hubby. Happy Birthday, my sweet!

Kiddo and I love you dearly, respect you immensely, and cherish you like crazy. There won't be a big party, expensive gifts, or 45 balloons, but there will be love. Love is all we need!

I love you and consider myself the luckiest girl in the world! Happy birthday to my best friend. 

And, since it is a day of gifts, congrats to apham17! You are the winner of the Jack and the Giant Slayer Blu-Ray Combo Pack! Just shoot me an e-mail with your address and it'll be sent to you! Congrats!

What I Made Wednesday {An Elevenses Birthday: Tolkien-Style} THE INVITATION

I'm a firm believer in the birthday invitation. It introduces the theme to your guests, it sets the scene, and it evokes excitement and mystery. The invitation is the all-important, initial first step to any party planning so you've got to get it right (no pressure).

Like last year's decade celebration with a Harry Potter theme, this year's party break down will be issued in several installments because this post would read like a book otherwise. It won't have as many "chapters" as the Harry Potter theme (last year's party was insanely awesome), but it will be incredibly interesting to follow nonetheless, if you choose to come along on this little journey to "there and back again".

There are so many various races in Tolkien's classic, The Lord of the Rings, like the elves, the hobbits, the dwarves, etc. We decided to make all our guests elves and, in so doing, relating the invitation to an elvish character.

The Invitations

"Lembas. Elvish waybread. One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man."

—Legolas Greenleaf on Lembas.

There are several elements to this party invitation including Lembas bread, the Mallorn leaf, writing the guest's name in Elvish, and creating the scroll with all pertinent party information. There's a lot to this invitation but we'll take it nice and slow. Ready?

Lembas Bread

The idea behind the Lembas bread is to send it to each "elf", wrapped in a Mallorn leaf, with an invitation to an adventure, The Great Journey. How do you make a bread depicted in literature that no one alive has actually made, smelled, or tasted? You rely on the author's descriptions and try your hand at doing the best you can with it. But, I also had a little help from this website, to which I should give proper credit.

I tried two different recipes: the one found at the website and my own scone recipe. I'll admit, the scone recipe matches more to Tolkien's description of Lembas bread being dry, brittle, and a bit crumbly. But, the Lembas bread recipe I found at the website was soooo much tastier. I opted for deliciousness over authenticity since the bread was going to be consumed by kids we wanted to come to the party. (You can't excite with crumbly bread, no matter how true to the story.)

Follow the Lembas Bread recipe at this website and you're good to go! (The lemon extract makes ALL the difference so use it.)

Mallorn Leaf and Note

Once the Lembas bread is made, it will be delivered, wrapped in a Mallorn Leaf and tied with raffia or twine. During this project I learned something new that has changed my crafting world forever! You know that foam sheet you can get at any craft store on the planet? Well, if you apply a little heat to it, it's like putty in your hands! You can shape it and bend it any which way you like without melting it and when it cools, it stays the way you shaped it. Don't believe me? Check out my Mallorn Leaf instructions...

What You'll Need
Printout of leaf template, found here 
Green foam sheet (I purchased the large one so I could get 2 leaves out of it)
Black ballpoint pen
X-acto knife or scissors
Heat source (like an electric stove)
Raffia or twine to tie the leaf together with the invitation
Lembas bread


What You'll Do

Cut out foam leaf using template as your guide.

I made 7 invites, plus one to keep for nostalgic purposes, so I purchased 4 green foam sheets to get 2 leaves out of one sheet (so thrifty). Once you get the leaf template printed, cut out the shape and trace that shape onto your foam sheet. Using an X-acto knife for ease, or scissors if you don't have the knife, cut around the outline of the leaf.

Using a black, ballpoint pen add the veins of the leaf as indicated on the template.

Draw the veins using a black ballpoint pen.

OK, here's the fun part. That leaf is flatter than a pancake right now. I really want the leaf to hold the Lembas bread securely so I'm going to apply heat to where the folds should be. I used the burner on my electric stove. BE CAREFUL! It doesn't take a lot of heat to begin to see the foam become malleable to fold. Once it begins to lose its stiffness, take it off the heat and fold it to how you would like it to bend. Allow the couple of seconds for it to cool and repeat until the folds are precisely where they should be (follow the pictures for clarification).

The pointy part will tuck in once the bread is inside.

What You'll Need to Know to Finish
For sanitary purposes, I wrapped each Lembas bread in wax paper. I opened up the Mallorn leaf, placed the Lembas bread in the center, and folded the leaf around the bread like so (see picture). Be sure to tuck the point of the leaf into itself.

Take a looonng piece of raffia and securely tie the leaf in place, leaving enough slack to attach the rolled up invitation (details follow).

Visit this website to convert each guest's name into Elvish. This site will also show the name in Elvish writing. Kiddo's name translated in Elvish to the name, Erufael. Super Hubby found this wonderful font named, ElvenCommonSpeak, and used it for the note and the invite. I purchased tan-ish card stock with a slight texture for the note cards.

Attached to the Lembas bread was a note that had each guest's name and their Elvish name, as well. When they opened the card, this is what they read:

  Erufael sends this Lembas Bread, Elvish Waybread, as sustenance while you await your journey. Wrapped in a mallorn leaf for freshness, "one small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man." It is also offensive to evil creatures, in case you happen upon Gollum in your travels.

The Invitation

Map of Gondolin on back of invite

The type of paper the invite gets printed on makes a big difference. We used a parchment paper with a grey hue to it and it turned out beautifully. The invitation served several purposes. First, it gave the pertinent information about when, why, who, what, and where. The second purpose was to set-up the adventure that awaits our journeying elves. And, lastly, the invitation contained a map necessary for the journey once they arrived to the party. That's a lot from one little invite. Here's the map on the one side of the invite. They'll need this map of Gondolin to navigate through the adventure.

The other side of the parchment read the actual invitation in that really cool font.

Long ago in the First Age

past the Grey Havens

and far over the Blue Mountains

was once a great city of elves.

Though hidden from the world

its secret was betrayed

and the city fell.

A gateway to the past has been opened.

A traveler from another time has entered the Third Age.

Erufael has summoned you, an elf of strong character

to travel with him back to his homeland.

If you desire adventure, come to the Prancing Pony

at xxxx The Shire

in the village of xxxxx

on Saturday, the Eighteenth of May at Five in the evening

for a Tolkien inspired Minecraft expedition

Celebrating Kiddo's Elevenses birthday

RSVP to Lilly

Bring this map, and beware green, creepy men

HOLD THE BOAT! Did the above invitation mention Minecraft, the hottest internet video game around? Yup! Are we combining a Lord of the Rings theme with Minecraft, somehow? Yup! Tune in next week to know how in the world we were able to make this cool party happen.

What I Made Wednesday {Birthday Party Re-Cap}

Friends, it's May, Kiddo's birthday month. This Saturday we're hosting Kiddo's "elevensies" birthday party and we are super busy getting ready for it. If you've been here for awhile, you know how overboard-nutso we get when it comes to planning these parties. Not sure what I'm talking about? Click here, link by link, and see our efforts from last year's Harry Potter-themed party. Then and only then will you understand why I have no new What I Made Wednesday for you today. Thanks for understanding:-)

Everyone's a Comedian

 Me: I'm heading out to check the new grocery store in town, Earth Fare. I even have a coupon for a Free Whole Chicken!


Super Hubby: Where in the world are we going to keep it?

Ba-dum Ching. He's here every night folks. Try the veal.

The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of: Part Three

Need to catch-up before reading Part Three? Click here for Part One, click here for Part Two!

Now was the time for the big reveal. Super Hubby came up with a plan, but it went about as good as best-laid plans go. Without Kiddo noticing, we set the new camera underneath the couch, we placed the Amazon gift certificate and NED card behind the pillow between myself and Super Hubby. We told Kiddo we wanted to do a video of the whole excitement of winning first prize and wanted to send it to Grammie in New Hampshire, since she was unaware of all the news.

Card signed by NED donors sending kind words and well-wishes.

Kiddo gets his old camera, sets it up on a tri-pod, and Super Hubby wrote a script so we could read off of it while filming the details. A script, Super Hubby? We are not actors, we are not news anchors. Now, we know why. Our results are so failing it would be too much of an embarrassment to show the actual video. We really did try to capture the whole moment on video, but did not succeed.

Kiddo yells action and Super Hubby and I start our lines...

Super Hubby: Hi, I'm Kiddo's dad.
Me: Hi, I'm Kiddo's mom.

Kiddo: stops filming and asks, "Why are you introducing yourselves to Grammie? She already knows you."

Busted!

Super Hubby: Just hit record and listen...

About half way through my lines I start crying. This is overwhelmingly emotional, folks. Seriously! Kiddo just thinks I've gone off the deep end and is utterly confused.

We had Kiddo join us in the shot on the couch and we presented him with the Amazon gift certificate and NED card, signed by all the contributors to the fundraiser. Kiddo's reaction was somewhat obscure, as he wasn't quite grasping what was happening to him.

Then, Super Hubby asked Kiddo to reach under the couch and see what else the NED people had for him. When Kiddo held that camera in his hands, his initial reaction was complete shock. He was confused because he didn't understand why complete strangers would do this for him. I wish I could show that part of the video but it would be too embarrassing for Super Hubby and I, as our performances were B-Movie, at best.

It was only afterwards that THE moment dawned on Kiddo. We went into the kitchen, Kiddo still a bit in shock, and I had him sit down as I read every single e-mail between the NED representative and me over the last month. Then, and only then, did IT happen. As I read the numerous communications, Kiddo's eyes started to well-up with tears. It finally hit him. He finally got it. He sat there in silence, tears gliding down his cheeks, and he slowly began to speak to us about his disbelief that strangers could believe in his dreams so much that they would provide him the tools to fling him into the 21st century, helping him to do more, be more, grow more.

The unforgettable moment had happened for Kiddo. It didn't need pomp and circumstance. It didn't need a script, and it certainly didn't need to be captured on tape. That moment will rest in the mind of Kiddo forever. And, along his journey, where ever it may lead, when he needs it, he will be reminded of the support and encouragement he received from the good people at NED to follow his dreams. It will help Kiddo to Never give up. It will remind Kiddo to Encourage others, like he was encouraged by Team NED. And, it will make the idea to Do your best a real way in which to live life. Just look what can happen from one little video contest! Kiddo, without even knowing it, when you uttered those words of yours, your "platinum" was just around the corner.

The moment hits him.

The day Kiddo received his gifts from NED, Kiddo went into his room, closed the door, and privately filmed some words of appreciation to Team NED. If you'd like to see it, click here.

There are not enough words of appreciation that I can bestow on the All For Kidz/The NED Show crew. You've given my son the gift of a moment that he will truly never forget. I know he'll take it and pass along your good will and intentions as he journeys on his path. Thank you for everything.

The best way I know how to show my appreciation is to introduce The NED Show to you, dear reader. I know many of you are teachers and school administrators. You've written to me asking to know more about The NED Show and I hope these past blog posts help you to recognize the purity of their mission and the way their message resonates in their own daily lives. They are not paying me to say this, but please, if you are looking for a character-building school assembly program that is entertaining and effective, consider having The NED Show at your school. Thank you.

Kiddo even LOVED the Amazon Gift Card Box Tin!

The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of: Part Two

Now, the rest of the story...

Source

If you've joined us a wee bit late, click here to read Part One, and get caught up, first.

It's enough of a good story that Kiddo enters an International video contest and wins First Runner-Up. It's enough of a good story that Kiddo gets awarded a $100 Amazon gift card to help him towards a purchase of a new camera to replace one that's older than Kiddo himself. And, it's enough of a good story that Kiddo decides to pass on his good fortune by donating the gift card to the school in the spirit of Fair Play. It's a good story. But, great stories have another elemental layer that just knocks your socks off. For a great story, keep reading...

"One does not notice the platinum at his feet when he holds gold in his hands."  - Kiddo

Life pretty much went back to normal in our household. One day, I get an e-mail from an individual at All For Kidz, the people that produce The NED Show. It reads:

"Our whole staff loved seeing 'Kiddo's' film, and hearing the story that went along with it. There is even a bit of a movement here to fundraise for one of those cameras for him. Isn't that something! Honestly, this is an amazing opportunity for us to be a part of something extra special, and I hope you decide to give us this opportunity."

Wait, WHAT?! They can't be serious. But, they were. The people at NED live what they preach. NED isn't just an acronym to spout, it's a way of life for them. The sheer suggestion of fundraising for a camera was "encouragement" with a capital "E"!

The campaign began.

An interoffice memo went out to the entire NED staff, performers, administrators, just about everyone. And, then, I get this e-mail updating me on how things are coming along.

"I sent the below email to all my staff, and wonderful and generous gifts have been flowing in. People here are overwhelmingly excited to be supporting such a dedicated young man to further pursue his craft!"

Then, I get this e-mail days later...

"After many emails, this is one that I'm especially excited to send.

As a filmmaker, 'Kiddo's' commitment to his dreams touched my heart. And because the whole staff here believes in the NED values, people were very moved by both the NED video as well as 'Kiddo's' altruism with the Amazon certificate.

Building on that excitement, I sent out a flyer (attached) on Wednesday to all the NED Performers, phone support staff, admin, and fellow creatives here at All for KIDZ/The NED Show. The response was incredible. All in all, 37 individuals in our company jumped at the opportunity to contribute to 'Kiddo's' future filmmaking endeavors."

Guys, can I tell you, they were hoping to raise $150. Not to be too tacky, but by the end of the campaign and after the above e-mail, they raised way more than double their projections from 40 individuals!

Is this for real? Can people really be that generous and caring? They sure are at All For Kidz. The entire time Super Hubby and I are in shock, and, all the while, Kiddo doesn't have an inkling as to what is happening. We kept it from him because we just didn't believe this was actually going to come to fruition. But it did.

The supporters from All For Kidz purchased an awesome "boss" video camera for Kiddo and put the remaining balance (yes, there was enough raised for a balance!) on an Amazon gift card so Kiddo can purchase a boom mic kit. The best part, each individual signed a card with a heartfelt message that encourages Kiddo to follow his dreams.

Now, it's time to reveal to Kiddo all that's been conjured behind his back for the last month! When we present him with the generosity shown by strangers, we want it to be a defining moment for him; a moment where he will look back and remember how people he didn't even know offered him support to follow his dreams. It's moments like these that can define who we are, guide our own future actions, and remind us that selfless love and hope still exists. Thank you to all the people at All For Kidz/The NED Show for walking the walk and talking the talk. You guys are unbelievably incredible people whose genuine support and encouragement shines through in all that you do.

See how we spring it on Kiddo and see his reaction on next Tuesday's post!