Super husband came to the rescue! While I was plopped on the couch with my foot elevated, he ran all over town getting everything on my two-page grocery shopping list and finding store-bought decor items to replace the ones I couldn't finish. Disaster? What disaster? He had it covered.
We started the birthday party morning with opening presents from the parents. This was done first because she was just dying to open the packages.
After, we set up the main decor. My daughter had the camera and took some pics while my husband and I set up. I always wear my apron while in the kitchen. Yes, you can see the baby bump!
Outside fabric bunting was on all the balcony railings and from tree tops. We flew the Dutch flag all day in honor of the festive occasion. Inside, paper curling ribbon slingers were hung from the lights.
Besides our regular table, the husband and a very nice neighbor (we literally pulled him in from the street as he was walking by) brought my craft table up a flight of stairs along with a few chairs to ensure we had enough seating. The tables were laid end to end, even though one was an oval and one was a rectangle. For continuity, the decor items ran the length of both.
I used regular glass drinking glasses to hold everything, but popped in paper cups to add some color. The tables were lined with jumbo-sized paper parasols, colored drinking straws, cutlery, and a few nibbles.
The marshmallow pop bouquets were super easy to make. Each one was a regular marshmallow jabbed with a wooden skewer. The top of the marshmallow was dipped into warm water, tapped a couple of times to knock off any excess water droplets, then gently pressed into a small dish filled with rainbow sprinkles to coat.
The marshmallow pop bouquets were super easy to make. Each one was a regular marshmallow jabbed with a wooden skewer. The top of the marshmallow was dipped into warm water, tapped a couple of times to knock off any excess water droplets, then gently pressed into a small dish filled with rainbow sprinkles to coat.
Our cake was purchased from our favorite bakery: Sweet Things in Utrecht. She does all our birthday and special occasion cakes (including our wedding cake). I hope she never retires because she is now such a family tradition! I shot over an email asking for a two-tiered cake with a peacock theme. We didn't give any further instructions, just let her do her thing. This is the delightful cake she created especially for us.
After a rousing birthday song...
... the daughter gleefully severed the peacock's head....
....and promptly ate it. She said it was very sweet and loved how it turned her tongue blue! I cut generous slices of the chocolate cake layered with caramel sauce and fresh whipped cream for everyone to enjoy.
After a rousing birthday song...
... the daughter gleefully severed the peacock's head....
....and promptly ate it. She said it was very sweet and loved how it turned her tongue blue! I cut generous slices of the chocolate cake layered with caramel sauce and fresh whipped cream for everyone to enjoy.
When cake was over, I started to tidy up and prepare dinner. My father-in-law thought it was funny how I put on an apron every time I went in the kitchen. He borrowed one to follow suit. Such a ham!
Once the family left, the girls sat down to a spaghetti-with-homemade-sauce and garlic bread dinner. An "almost midnight" midnight snack of sausages in soft buns was served along with popcorn while they watched a movie. At midnight the lights may have gone out, but not the giggles.
Sometime around 2:30 am the husband got grumpy enough to lay down the law, and paced the doorway deliberately creaking the floor and/or a door so they were well aware of his presence. Within 15 minutes there was nothing but the regular breathing of sleeping girls.
In the morning, they were served plain granola cereal with their choice of milk or yogurt. I had 14 little dishes of miscellaneous nuts and dried fruit scattered around the table for them so they could "make their own special muesli combination." Each drank a tall glass of orange juice or milk and by 9:30 am the house was once again filled with the giggles of 12 girls.
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