Birthday Party

This past weekend we celebrated my parent's 70th birthdays (Dad's was in October and Mom's is in December). The party seemed to go well and everyone seemed to have a good time. My sisters and I wanted to do this party for them because our parents have always been very special to us. The nice thing about this party is it was not done by others we hired but by ourselves as a labor of love for them. This was their birthday presents from all of us. 

Invitations were handmade. The decorations were simple but pretty. We used pumpkins on the tables which Mom will can sometime this week. We had found some pumpkin wicker baskets also that we put on the tables filled with candy corn. The wicker baskets will be reused and the leftover candy corn will be used as treats for my friends animals. Our food was all of our specialities that we make. I made cheeseball and 2 different snack mixes. My other sisters provided another cheese ball, veggies and dip, meatballs, queso and salsa for chips and we had a pickle tray featuring all the pickles my parents and sisters had made this summer. As you can see the food was simple but feedback from others said it was delicious. People came, sat and visited plus

played games that we provided from our own homes if they chose.  

The cakes were my design. Mary, my oldest daughter baked all of the cakes from scratch. My sister Deb and I made the different frostings and decorated them. We had 4 different cakes. Mom's cake had flowers and butterflies on it and was white with white frosting. Dad's was fishing themed and was chocolate with peanut butter icing (his favorite cake). I also made a Halloween themed cake which was white with chocolate icing. The last cake was my black forest cake which was chocolate with chocolate frosting and cherries. The cakes turned out wonderfully. I'll try and share some of the recipes sometime.

I tell you all the details not to brag or bore you but to let you know how easy decorating and catering your own parties can be done. We rented a simple room in an addition's club house. We provided all of the drinks, food, and decorations as well as the entertainment. A friend of the family, hosted the party as a gift to all of us so we did not have to worry about refilling food plates. All invited said they had a wonderful time. It was a great way to honor my parents but also not break the bank and be better to the earth.

The best part was my parents asked that instead of gifts if people would donate money to two of their favorite charities. One being their church's preschool where they volunteer and the other being the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation which is the genetic disease in which my youngest daughter has been diagnosed. 

The next time you have a big event in someone specials life like a significant anniversary date or birthday, try your hand at making some of the things yourself. You will be surprised how easy it is to do.