And there was dancing, and singing, and movin' to the groovin'

I may have mentioned that March was a very busy month for me. Volunteer work was starting to feel like a full-time job.

I learned a lot about myself, working with others, where I excel most, and where I'm most happy giving my time.

By far, the best (and hands-down most fun) thing I worked on (for months) was a fundraiser for our Temple.

It was a huge retro Bat Mitzvah party.

Think groovy to the max and "more bar, less mitzvah".

We put in a TON of work and it was such a high to see how it paid off.

People had a blast!

The DJ jammed fab 70's music for hours. We learned the Hustle (though I have a sneaking suspicion that many attendees already knew how to do it).

When it came to the food, the caterer took groovy to a new level. Can you say mini martini-glasses filled with tomato soup with a wedge of grilled cheese (picture the lime on your cosmo)? Fluffernutter sandwiches. Cheese cut into different sized feet and placed on real patches of grass. Fondue.

It. Was. Amazing.

In all, we had over 100 attendees of all different ages, which was so cool, and we raised over $5000 that will help defray the cost of religious school expenses and other needs.

However. The best part of this event was that theme-dressing was highly encouraged. And how could I, whose name was on the invitation, not show up in some knockout gear.

For women these days, it's fairly easy to find something in a department store - so much passes for retro. But I wanted to be more "authentic".

As a novice "seamstress" I got the brilliant idea to make my own bell-bottoms out of a pair of jeans I already owned. I was pretty sure I could figure it out, but consulted my good friend Google just to be sure (you'd be amazed at how many tutorials exist on the subject). At one point I was thinking that my lofty goal was highly over-ambitious, but I managed to pull it off (luckily you can't see too closely in the pics!)

I pulled a shirt out of my closet that can only fall into the "what was I thinking when I bought this/perhaps it was post-partum psychosis" category. Yes, I carry the torch of having worn it out in public and thinking I looked cute and hip. That's another story. BUT it worked.

My recent haircut (which some of you will remember I initially hated but am now rather enjoying) lent itself perfectly to a rather Velma-ish do (please note: I do NOT wear it like this on a regular basis, and it rather worries me that I can look both the way I do on a normal day AND the way I look below).

Borrowed platform sandals with a cork bottom, some SUPER cheesy gargantuan gold earrings purchased on clearance, one of my mom's "back in the day" necklaces, and some fabulous makeup artistry finished the look.

Ta-Da!

The Mad Hatter had a ball "helping" us get ready. Check out my flares!

Hubby did not want to get dressed up and I told him he was SOL. When he finally suggested that I get him a wig, I ran with it.

I purchased the shirt from the Young Men's section at Marshalls (40% polyester, right in line with the era!), the facial hair, wig, and chest hair (not that he needed help in that department, but it came with the set) from the party store, and our neighbor who does his own comedy show hooked him up with the bling. He was quite the hit when he entered the room!

Here's our new family picture!

And a full-length shot to show off our complete and utter grooviness

I danced so much ALL night (yes, my back has been paying me back all week) that this is the only picture I have from the actual event! For their protection, I have Picniked the innocent.
We dubbed this trio the Fro Bros. A Bar/Bat Mitzvah reception is not complete without fun giveaways from the DJ. Along with tons of other funky loot, the Mad Hatter was the lucky recipient of the hot pink vinyl pageboy hat and glitter sunglasses (the pom-poms were a great behavior gift from one of our many trips to the party store)

Which she clearly took an immediate liking to . . .

She even insisted on wearing the glasses to preschool both days this week.

Sum it up to say, a good time was had by all.

In fact, DH and I agree, the best night out we've had in a really long time.

If volunteering can provide this much fun, sign me up for the next event!