this past weekend we celebrated rich's mom, chris. she turned 60 on sunday and we threw her a surprise party! she kept trying to plan her own party: have everyone she holds dear at the house, food, wine (with this group- it's a given!), a bonfire and a campout with brunch in the morning. sounds like fun, right? but a girl cannot- i repeat- cannot plan her own monumental birthday party!! the family took over and planned exactly what she wanted... without her knowing!
between her three kids (rich, laura and bob) and the significant others (can't say spouses yet because rich and i aren't married... yet... i'm working on that!) split up the duties and away we went! our list: shredded chicken, baked beans, salsa and chips and of course, cupcakes and decorations!) i already have a reputation in this family for baking and cooking- love it!
friday night was a mad kitchen frenzy at our house! the girls (rich has three) helped too. we got enough done so that we could all flop down to watch "The Hunger Games" before we crashed.
saturday morning it was cupcake decorating central! the girls love to help when it comes to this so i let them loose with the sprinkles!
chris was off for the day with her sisters, shopping and touring a winery in hastings (and had NO clue what we were up too!). by saturday afternoon, the kids had decorated chris' house and the gazebo in the yard. we had enough food for a small army and guests were arriving! by 4:30 she arrived home and was taken by complete surprise! the kids met her on the driveway with the signs they had made just for her.
the party had begun and didn't end until late Sunday afternoon!
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| With all of her grandchildren |
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| Her granddaughters made her a video about what they love about her.... tears of joy are what you are seeing in this one! |
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| The whole family- including Lady (the dog) |
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| the perfect end to a perfect evening! |
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| Sunday morning hike up "the mountain" behind the house |
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| The Wine Sisters! |
before i go, i thought i would share my recipe for homemade salsa (which was a hit at the party, thanks to laura's homegrown peppers and tomatoes!) this time of the year provides so much homegrown goodness! making this involves a little work (chopping) but is so worth it once you get a chipful in your mouth! yumm-ee!
Garden fresh salsa
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow (or orange) bell pepper
4 large tomatoes
1 medium red onion
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1 small jalapeno
1 small pkg fresh tarragon
4 cloves fresh garlic
3 T balsamic vinegar
• Chop up everything! Peppers, tomatoes, onion and fresh herbs can be roughly chopped but be sure to mince the jalapeno and garlic.
• Put it in all in a bowl and spoon in the balsamic vinegar. Mix until balsamic vinegar is blended. Let sit for 30 minutes before serving to give the flavors a chance to meld together.
• Serve with your favorite tortilla chips
• Refrigerate any leftovers to eat the next day- chances are, you won't get to this step!
