By Liv
Young man Tostenrude turned 32 this weekend. Stella had to out-do me by singing him a special birthday song and baking him a delicious wooden birthday cake :)
Showing posts with label Birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birthday. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Happy Second Birthday, Stella!
By Liv
Stella's birthday isn't actually until July 20th, but since we left Oxford on July 17th, I decided we should host a birthday gathering before leaving England, so we could celebrate with all of our new friends.
And what's more appropriate for a little girl living in the romantic English town of Oxford than a proper Mad Hatter's high tea birthday party? Especially since Stella enjoys having her very own high tea at home every single day.
As I have mentioned about 39 times in my previous posts, I have made some amazing friends during our time in Oxford. I have met people who I know we will be friends with forever. Some of those friends came to the rescue on Stella's big day and helped me to put together a fantastic gathering. We had over 20 people join us to celebrate and we served a completely gluten/egg/dairy free menu that was delectable and delicious:
• Tea Sandwiches •
Chopped olive & cucumber
Wafer-thin turkey & hummus
Almond butter & strawberry jam
• Fruit •
Strawberry, banana, grape and peach fruit skewers
• Treats •
Ginger cookies
Brownie bites
Chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate cookie sandwiches filled with vanilla frosting
Shortcake fingers
• To drink •
Mimosas
A selection of fruit and black teas
The decorations were perfect, the food was delicious, the weather was delightful and the company was wonderful. We couldn't have asked for a better day to celebrate our daughter's 2nd birthday.
Mahdieh did most of the decorating and did a fantastic job. Stella says, "Thank you!"
Stella's birthday isn't actually until July 20th, but since we left Oxford on July 17th, I decided we should host a birthday gathering before leaving England, so we could celebrate with all of our new friends.
And what's more appropriate for a little girl living in the romantic English town of Oxford than a proper Mad Hatter's high tea birthday party? Especially since Stella enjoys having her very own high tea at home every single day.
As I have mentioned about 39 times in my previous posts, I have made some amazing friends during our time in Oxford. I have met people who I know we will be friends with forever. Some of those friends came to the rescue on Stella's big day and helped me to put together a fantastic gathering. We had over 20 people join us to celebrate and we served a completely gluten/egg/dairy free menu that was delectable and delicious:
• Tea Sandwiches •
Chopped olive & cucumber
Wafer-thin turkey & hummus
Almond butter & strawberry jam
• Fruit •
Strawberry, banana, grape and peach fruit skewers
• Treats •
Ginger cookies
Brownie bites
Chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate cookie sandwiches filled with vanilla frosting
Shortcake fingers
• To drink •
Mimosas
A selection of fruit and black teas
The decorations were perfect, the food was delicious, the weather was delightful and the company was wonderful. We couldn't have asked for a better day to celebrate our daughter's 2nd birthday.
My helping hands: Vini, Thanzeem, Yuvi, Neelima, Lakshmi and Mahdieh.
Taste-testing every single flavor...
The ever handsome, Jamal.
Gluten free and still delicious!
Ellie Claire sporting her Mad Hatter Hat.
The Royal Tea party and the birthday girl at the head of the table :)
Stella sat in her chair at the table for almost 2 hours, sipping tea and eating cookies!
Anas & Thanzeem :)
The Gareys: looking fabulous as usual!
Enjoying some tea and treats.
Neelima loves Stella.
The whole group.
Rahul is one of Stella's favorite new friends.
Stella loves Anas and Thanzeem.
Vasu & Neelima are always so happy to see her, too!
Stella loves Laka and Ash!
Anas trying to convince Stella that he's cooler than Rahul :)
These girls love the bambina soooo much!
How many tea sets does a girl need? In Stella's case, the answer is three. This is just one of them :)
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Liv hits the big three-oh.
By Liv
I woke up, like any other day, to the soft and sweet voice of my daughter whispering, "Hi, Mama!"
Nick had scoped out a breakfast joint that he really wanted to take me to. It was called "Dharma's" and was 100% vegetarian and organic. We had a tofu-scramble breakfast burrito and some delicious coffee. My tummy was full and I was content to go home and change in to my beach ware and sit in the sand all day...
Somewhere between breakfast and the beach, Nick side-tracked and pulled in to a Spa. He then announced that I would be spending the morning in a state of ultimate pampering. I cannot explain my excitement at this point :) I spent the next 3 hours being covered in gooey body-firming concoctions, inside a steam tent, then massaged and relaxed and finally with a skin rejuvenating facial. Just when I thought my spa day was over, I was greeted with a personal tea service for one. Ah... I could do that every day!
The remainder of my day was spent eating delicious taqueria tacos, walking and playing in the sand on the beach and wrapping up our day with a sushi dinner followed by a birthday key lime pie. I can't say exactly how different it feels to be 30, but I can say that I'm glad I have such a loving family to share the day with me.
I woke up, like any other day, to the soft and sweet voice of my daughter whispering, "Hi, Mama!"
Nick had scoped out a breakfast joint that he really wanted to take me to. It was called "Dharma's" and was 100% vegetarian and organic. We had a tofu-scramble breakfast burrito and some delicious coffee. My tummy was full and I was content to go home and change in to my beach ware and sit in the sand all day...
Somewhere between breakfast and the beach, Nick side-tracked and pulled in to a Spa. He then announced that I would be spending the morning in a state of ultimate pampering. I cannot explain my excitement at this point :) I spent the next 3 hours being covered in gooey body-firming concoctions, inside a steam tent, then massaged and relaxed and finally with a skin rejuvenating facial. Just when I thought my spa day was over, I was greeted with a personal tea service for one. Ah... I could do that every day!
The remainder of my day was spent eating delicious taqueria tacos, walking and playing in the sand on the beach and wrapping up our day with a sushi dinner followed by a birthday key lime pie. I can't say exactly how different it feels to be 30, but I can say that I'm glad I have such a loving family to share the day with me.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Partying it up like a one year old!
First, I'd like to thank my lovely friends, Judy and Glenda, who traveled all the way from Salt Lake City to be here with us for Stella's birthday. It was so nice to have some friends around to celebrate with.
Nick and I figured that we will have plenty of chances to put together crazy kid-centric parties in the coming years, so this year we decided to stick with a simple BBQ. Our neighbors, Sigfried and Elza, came over and between the 8 of us, we had a wonderful time celebrating our lovely Stella's first birthday.
The weather was perfect for an outdoor feast, so we sat on the veranda and soaked in the warm German breeze while enjoying a delicious dinner followed by two birthday cakes: One lactose-free chocolate cake made by yours truly, and one mini German cake made by Elza. We had a wonderful time and look forward to her next birthday!
Opening her 3 birthday-morning-gifts. One memory: a snow globe with our photo inside, one creative gift because she is a double-cancer (which means she is super creative): a coloring book, and one thing that grows: a packet of Aster seeds (because we live on Aster Street.
Judy and Glenda were so happy to see Stella. Last time they saw her, she was only a few weeks old!
Elza, Siggy and Nick.
Goooooal!
Birthday dinner.
Mmmm! Enjoying a delicious lactose-free chocolate cake :)
Chef Boyar-Liv :)
Chef Boyar-Elza :)
Thanks for the adorable hat, Lilli! Stella loves it - but for now, she loves the box even more!
Shiny paper! How surprising!
Auntie Jess, Uncle Chris and Cousin Seren sent her this super creative bag with photos printed on it. Stella adores it!
Spending the day with the gals in Hannover.
Stella LOVES the attention!
Nick and I figured that we will have plenty of chances to put together crazy kid-centric parties in the coming years, so this year we decided to stick with a simple BBQ. Our neighbors, Sigfried and Elza, came over and between the 8 of us, we had a wonderful time celebrating our lovely Stella's first birthday.
The weather was perfect for an outdoor feast, so we sat on the veranda and soaked in the warm German breeze while enjoying a delicious dinner followed by two birthday cakes: One lactose-free chocolate cake made by yours truly, and one mini German cake made by Elza. We had a wonderful time and look forward to her next birthday!
Judy and Glenda were so happy to see Stella. Last time they saw her, she was only a few weeks old!
Elza, Siggy and Nick.
Goooooal!
Birthday dinner.
Mmmm! Enjoying a delicious lactose-free chocolate cake :)
Chef Boyar-Liv :)
Chef Boyar-Elza :)
Thanks for the adorable hat, Lilli! Stella loves it - but for now, she loves the box even more!
Shiny paper! How surprising!
Auntie Jess, Uncle Chris and Cousin Seren sent her this super creative bag with photos printed on it. Stella adores it!
Spending the day with the gals in Hannover.
Stella LOVES the attention!
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