Pirate Party!

Ahoy There Me Hearties!   Well we survived our International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

 

Even our teenage boys got in the spirit of the day and texted their friends in pirate lingo.  Twas fun hearing an occasional Arrggh, and Shiver me Timbers, as they would be conversing with acquaintances on the phone.

And although I would have loved to use this fun idea, I just didn’t have the time.  Maybe next year.  For the Family Fun’s Treasure Chest Cake see directions here. 

I especially found the comment about baking it in large loaf pans helpful, as it’s much easier to frost baked sides instead of cut sides.

If your a wee bit more adventurous you could try this one.  Instructions here.

For our little shindig, I plundered some pirate plates, black cups and loot at the local $1 store.   Arggghh,  Then I loaded them up with Buccaneer Grub that included. Pirate Cookies made from Fudge covered Graham Crackers with White Icing Gel.

And any Pirate Party on board our ship wouldn’t be worth it’s salt without a little Root Beer and Pirate Booty.

And if you can eat fish and not feel like your stomach is rolling on the high seas then for your main course have some Clam Chowder, Hard Tack Biscuits, and Salted Meat Ocean Adventure Chicken Nuggets.

I know, I know, this isn’t the most nutritious grub to grace your Pirate Plate.  So work it off by playing a rousing game of…

Pirate Charades.  Act out words like treasure, parrot, eye-patch, Hook, Jolly Roger, Skull and Crossbones, Walk the Plank, spyglass, cannon, peg leg, Black Beard, Shiver me Timbers, Cabin Boy, etc.

And what’s a Pirate Party without a Treasure Hunt.

Make your map from a brown paper grocery bag.  Crumple it up and soak it wrinkled paper in a blended mixture of 1/2 cup water and 1/8 cup cocoa powder. The plus side is that the map smells great and looks ancient.  Wring the liquid out and dry flat.  When it’s dry just decorate it with colored pencils and you have a nifty Pirate Map.  Hide your loot then let your little buccaneers search for their buried treasure.  It’s a bonus if you have a nearby beach or sandbox at your disposal.

We couldn’t make it to the beach today on account of the abundant liquid sunshine.  But between the cloudbursts the girls and I enjoyed an nice jaunt through the neighborhood looking for that Treasure.

And what’s a Treasure Hunt without the Pirate Eye Patches?

We looked high and low for that accursed gold but all we found was some frightfully delicious wild blackberries.

And some precious trinkets dropped by a very generous tree.

  

And all the gold we found just happened to be in a beautiful last display of summer.

The girls we a wee bit disappointed in the natural treasure hunt wild goose chase I led them on. 

Not me.  I loved every moment with them.  Especially loved to see them helping each other out.

 

The surprise came at the end of the hunt when we arrived back home and Prince Erik Captain Erik presented his little crew with a bag of loot.  

We let them know that you can search for treasure the whole world over and no matter what you find, it will never be as sweet or rewarding as the treasure of family and home.

Might I say I have the best Captain and Crew ever! 

Arghhhh!

Many thanks to Beth of Road to Joy for giving me an early heads-up on fun.

It's the perfect excuse I've been looking for to turn the mundane into swashbuckling fun. Life is still as though our family was on a voyage through rough seas but the ship is sound and we are plowing through these murky, turbulant waters with stout hearts. Might I say we have the best Captian at our Helm as well. I'm constantly reminded of the quote. 'When Life Sends Storms, Learn to Dance in the Rain.' So that's just it... we are going to have a Jig inspired Pirate Party Day at my house on the 19th.

Humm, I wonder what the young-un's will think of us doing some pillage and plundering of the garden, or looting the Library? Maybe there might even be time for a little viewing of my favorite pirates. Handsome Jack....


Or the Pirate from my youth - Long John Silver from Disney's Treasure Island.



Or my newest villan infatuation. Jason Isaac's Hook from the Live Action Peter Pan.

Be still my black heart. I can't wait.

Bloomin' Pirate For a Day - Beware!

In honor of...


My entire post will be in Pirate Prose.... Ahhhhhrrrggg! (Due to the difficulty of reading pirate, I'll offer my un-proper English translation)

Preservin' fruit be a pain. The blaggard short in the ole Stove-top belayed me best efforts at saving some grub (pears). Three n' somethin' hour for 5 pints of pear butter. - Tis enuf to make yer blood boil. There's but nine more scurvy batches of booty to preserve before we's can swab the gangplanks of the fruity Grog. (I tried canning and the short in the stove-top extended one batch of pear butter by over three hours. I've probably got nine more batches to go before I can clean my sticky floors.)

Then the ole Dryer keelhauled an' took aboard some addled crew of screeching banshies (started making horrendous metal scrapping noises) to pierce the eardrums of any good Buccaneer. So the crew's britches have been flying in the breeze of the cabin. Why not on deck? Tis foul weather topsides. Neptune summoned a billy of a storm thus rendering useless the lines.
Capn' Erik ain't holdin' well to the blimey mess. It's shipshape or walk the plank. Avast, we be praying for some fair winds. (The dryer started making really bad noises, so I hung clothes to dry all over the house because the wet weather is back. Prince Erik isn't happy with the new decor - he even tried taking the dryer apart himself.)

Bucko Evo-man scrapped his last pair of trousers. So me matey Hope and I be goin' on a voyage to pillage Value Village's port plunder of some more respectacle Bosun britches. (Everett is down to one pair of school uniform pants that fit him and since it's our month of nothing but needs I headed off to Value Village to see if I could find some more. Update - found 2 for less than $6.)

Tis in a hurry we be, before the hands turn up. Gangway! Beware the Wild-eyed Wench (me) baring the wee curly haired lass should you come upon her on the seas. (The house is a mess and I'm in a bad mood)