Ah boy. We are rapidly approaching the time of this month that can drive me a bit batty. There are a bunch of family events coming up and because I love to make people smile, I’m hoping this year won’t be an exception.
First up is Valentine’s Day. In traditional circles, Valentine’s Day has always been a more feminine-driven holiday where women get catered to in a bevy of chocolates and roses. Well, I have a tendency to walk to the beat of my own drum, so I like to make Valentine’s Day special for those I love. That means I create beautiful tablescapes, enjoyable culinary experiences, and thoughtful gifts. Or at least I try to. Last year was perfect! I planned a beautiful surprise for them.
This year, things are going to be a bit..er..exhausting. My father in law’s birthday is a few days BEFORE Valentine’s Day. Not a problem. The family typically likes to gather together for a celebration. It’s a minimum of 28 of us at any birthday function. We have to call ahead for a large place setting and then wait until every member of our party is there before seating. If someone is running late….sigh…
Then there is FatherWinter’s birthday, which occurs a few days after Valentine’s Day. Yep. A FEW days AFTER Valentine’s Day. Not a surprise. It’s been this way since my days of courtship with FatherWinter, so I’m not unprepared except for one thing. Our Honeybee’s first birthday is the day AFTER FatherWinter’s. Yep. You read that right. Back to back to back events. (insert scream of horror here)
So what does that mean? It means I’m going to be putting the event planning skills I learned in college to good use.
I can’t do much about my father in law’s birthday. We never know where we are going until the day of because it has to correspond with his schedule. So, we may do it on a weekend or we may celebrate on his actual day. No telling there. We just have to be as flexible as possible.
The plan for Valentine’s Day is simple. Since it is on a Saturday this year (woohoo!), I’m waking the family up with a Valentine’s breakfast complete with recipes from my favorite sites and blogs.
Photo courtesy Abigail’s Kitchen. But I’m making my own version
Afterwards, there is a church league basketball game for FatherWinter. We’ll attend that as a family. Afterwards, I want to try and make the rest of the day nice for the family. Valentine’s Day lunch will be wraps and salads with Valentine cupcakes. I’m not yet sure what’s going to happen for dinner, but either I will prepare (and if I do, I’m going for surf and turf) or we will go out together. Seafood is at the top of my mind though as I REALLY have a taste for crab cakes. But hubs is a meat-meat man, so I’m thinking crab cake, a nice steak from a favorite restaurant (I’d rather leave it to the professionals), a nice spring salad, mashed potatoes, and a Valentine’s day surprise (his mother’s peach cobbler). Shhhh…..
So, I’ve locked on the Valentine’s Day stuff in my head, but the following weekend is Honeybee’s birthday party. We’ve spoken of a few of the details. I’m looking forward to coming to the birthday location early for decorations. I found an awesome sale online last night from Cookieskids.com. I purchase a couple of really cute and inexpensive dresses from the site and will have a couple of surprises for Honeybee to open on her birthday. She is still so small for her age, but so very feisty as well. The dresses chosen will more than match her personality–cute and bold 🙂
I am still holding mental hands with my sisterfriend at FlourishingHope. She’ll be helping me with some of the more intricate details (like everything haha). I just hope I don’t scare her off…
Just a bit of inspiration…calm down…calm down….
I really just want everyone to come and have a great time and celebrate wonderful meetings with Honeybee. Prayerfully, she will one day be able to look back at this birthday beside FatherWinter, Superbug, and I and know that she has always been loved and cared for, and that her milestones are ALWAYS cause for celebration. 🙂
Now, I have one more quandary. What on earth to do for FatherWinter’s birthday?
I wanted to go all out and plan a massive surprise party! BUT FatherWinter nixed that one. Sigh. So, I went with plan B. I’ve contacted his favorite baker and she is preparing to bake him a cake. I’m also going to be presenting him with several of his favorites, so these guys will be making an appearance:
IHOP Omelette
Full Rack Baby Back Ribs
Macaroni and Cheese
A bit of coleslaw will accompany and then we’ll cap everything off with his special birthday cake. As for gifts? That night, I am presenting him with three very special gifts. But I can’t tell you what they are just in case some of the family read the site and accidentally tell him. Hopefully, if all goes as planned, I’ll be able to share them with you later!
All in all, it’s going to be quite interesting. FatherWinter is very appreciative for everything he receives, but he likes what he likes. So anything to keep him smiling is a boon for us. (Plus, our family is super competitive. I have to bless him with a birthday on par or better than what he did for me last year).
Looks like our household is going to be jumping for a while. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
I’m looking forward to the journey and the challenge…and of course sharing it with you all.
And thank you so much for all of your help!!!!!
Lol, let's hope not!!!
LOL nah, you won't scare me off!