In this post I'll include the decorations and in the next one I'll put all the photos with people.
Although I usually have so much fun doing a themed party, this time I didn't really have a theme. I basically just put bunting (you know, those cute little banners/garlands of fabric or paper?) on anything that was standing still. For instance, here is the front of our house with a bunting I made three years ago and have used many times. It says "Happy Birthday" but it's a little hard to read in the photo.
It was October, so that's why the pumpkins are out! I made another bunting by tying ribbons onto a piece of twine I had and I think it turned out pretty cute (and way girly). And by the way, how sweet is my husband? He knows I always want photos of the decor so without asking he just went around and started photographing everything for me. Do you see him in the mirror?
We had about 20 people at the birthday party (family and practically-family only!) and since the air was getting a bit chilly I decided to make tomato soup and fancy grilled cheese sandwiches for everyone. I have to say, that is one of my favorite fall meals. I got some good crusty bread, four different kinds of cheese, mustard my dad brought back from France, fresh basil, and tomato slices, and then my sweet mother and sister (Erin) assembled a custom sandwich for everyone. Oh my goodness. They were so tasty. As a side note, did you know that if you're making grilled cheese for a crowd that you can make a bunch at one time in the oven? They taste just as good. Simply brush the bread with melted butter and put the assembled sandwiches in the oven at 350 for 10-20 minutes (just keep an eye on it).I had to make the cake from scratch. First birthdays are a big deal! I made the ubiquitous rainbow cake. I only told one or two people that I was doing it and it just looked white from the outside. When people asked what the flavor was (prior to cutting it) I said "vanilla," which was true. When I cut the first piece it might have been my imagination but I swear I heard people gasp in surprise. It was so much fun. I was really happy with how it turned out.
Here's the outside, looking rather plain and with my little cake bunting on it:
And then...
Here is Maggie with a slice.
Do you remember a few months ago when I said I would be using the glass milk bottles at every party I ever had? I wasn't lying. Here they are with various shades of pink striped straws. We put apple cider in them.
This is kind of a boring photo to end on but I wanted to show these craft pumpkins that I bought for 50% off and then spray-painted pale pink. The color's off because of the filter on the photo but they were really cute in real life. I guess you'll just have to trust me.
Okay, check back soon for more birthday photos! I was just thinking back to Finn and Maggie's first birthday parties and remembering how much fun they were, and Carolina's first birthday was, too. I'd say each of my kids' first birthdays are tied for first place in my mind. It was just a warm and fuzzy kind of night!
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