Friday, April 2, 2010

A Birthday Party

Jonathan had twenty-six guests,
not including us,
at his birthday party last night.

He was thrilled that our 87 year old
Associate Pastor came. Pastor Jack
is a very popular guy with lots of
stories to tell.

He was a veterinarian for most of his
life and then God called him into
ministry. He was Pastor to a
church in Delaware for years before
moving to Lancaster County upon his
retirement.

Anyway, this is supposed to be about
Jonathan's party, isn't it?

Well, first the overview of the food
table....



I took the two leaves out of our big
dining room table and pushed the table
to one side of the room, under the window.

This gave more room for seating and helped
with multiple conversation areas.
I highly recommend this if you have not
tried it before and your home is on the
smaller side.

Peanut M&M's and Tootsie Rolls were
perfect in these fun jars.
Soon, these jars will be terrariums
as Mikey's Spring Horticulture Project
but for now....they hold edibles!



I had in mind to make Jonathan
a "Cheeseburger Cake".
However, since I had never done it
before and only had one chance to
get it right on the afternoon of the
party, I chose to get a Costco Cake
as well. I didn't want to take a
chance on ruining his party and not
have a cake.

Mikey and Chelsea took Jonathan
away to a park to play Ultimate
Frisbee with friends for the afternoon
so I could surprise him with my
efforts. Hmmmm....



Bread and seasoned olive oil.
Yum!
It is easy...and popular.
The bread was gone at the end
of the evening!



Two cheese balls were at the center
of our menu. Georgia made them up
for us from recipes I chose.
They were so very good!

They were the nod to the
cheese in the cheeseburger.
Then there were meatballs...
the beef. And of course the
bread. So we had all of the
parts represented.

A lemon cheese ball.
You can go here
for the recipe!
Your guests will love it!
I served it with chocolate
graham crackers.



The most popular Cheeseball.
Bacon, cheddar, Ranch....
Awesomeness!
The crackers are Honey Wheatables
made by Keebler.
Cheese ball Recipe HERE.



Chelsea made these M&M cookies.
They looked so pretty on this
plate.



The plate looked great on this stand.
I recently purchased it from Melissa
at The Inspired Room, from her OpenSky shop.
I can see this being a staple at every party.
Offering additional table space and interest
by adding height.

I have another blog purchase and
a gift to share on Monday.
It has just been too busy to get
good photos.



Chelsea also made this
amazing pudding dessert.
Layers of chocolate, vanilla
and banana pudding with graham
cracker and sliced bananas
layered in. So good!
And so pretty!
This just happens to be the
third container that Mikey
will use for his terrariums.
Thought I would get some use
out of it first since it was
in the way. New, in the box,
no less! Would be a shame
to not use it! Smile.



And now for the disaster of
a Cheeseburger Cake.

Not exactly what I had
envisioned but I could see
it getting better on a second
or Tenth try.

It was good for
conversation anyway....



Jonathan would have preferred the real
thing and we promised to get him one
today...but he thought this was pretty
funny.

Here, we are being directed in the
Happy Birthday Song.



Soon after this
the guys broke out a much funkier
version of the Birthday Song and a Conga
Line broke out. I kid you not. It was kids
and Grandmas alike going around the living
room, kitchen and dining room. Until somebody,
who shall remain nameless, spilled a glass of
drink. LOL

I missed most of this foolishness as I was
serving cake and ice cream.

We have truly interesting
family and friends.

He enjoyed his party and is
off and running into this new
year. One of his ideas for a
gift to buy with birthday money
is a lifetime fishing license.
I know that will make his Uncle
Allan very happy.
It will also guarantee some relaxing
time along a gurgling stream....
Sounds great to me.
Only I don't have to be fishing.
A book to read and a comfy chair.
That is all I need.



It is Good Friday. I hope yours is filled
with meaning. We will have a Good Friday
Service tonight and then look forward
to a Sonrise Service on Sunday.
We don't start at the crack of dawn
so I don't call it a Sunrise Service.
We are celebrating the resurrection of
The Son!
Hallelujah!!!!

Photobucket

14 comments:

detweilermom said...

Sounds Like and awesome time was had by all. Hope you and yours have blessed weekedn and Easter. I am doubly thankful that Dave is coming home!

Diane Shiffer said...

Man Becky, that is an amazing spread! Those cheeseballs look sooo delish:-P

Now as for that cheeseburger cake, I thought it looked adorable. And Noah thought it looked yummy... so there. If it makes you feel any better I tried to make frosted carrot muffins in the shape of teddy bears for the little boys of an ailing church friend the other day. They looked like some type of deformed water mammal. Suffice it to say they never left the house. My own kids ate them, and my only comfort was that they apparently tasted good. Ahhh, well... we live and learn, right? ;)

Karen said...

Belated birthday wishes to Jonathan!

Your food table looks scrumptious and I think the cheeseburger cake is quite cute!

Elena said...

Wow, looked like an awesome party!! Your cheeseburger cake looks amazing. Good job. Very creative:)

sherry said...

Oh wow that's a great party table! Thank you for offering up some recipes - I'll be making the cheeseball one for sure. As for the cheeseburger cake. Hm. I can't quite get my brain around that one. Maybe it's just too early for me cuz I've only had one cup a'joe so far. Hm.

Tell your son HAPPY BIRTHDAY from Tickleberry Farm! :o)

jAne * tickleberry farm

tea time and roses said...

Hello Dear Becky!

Everything looks delicious!! Even before you named it, I spotted that wonderful banana pudding on the table!!:o) One of my hubby's favorite desserts, and yours looks beautiful and a lot more fancy.:o)

I can imagine just how much fun Jonathan had! Wish I could have join ya!:o)

Enjoy a beautiful Resurrection Sunday!

Smiles...

Beverly

Betty said...

Happy Birthday to you new teenager!! I think the cheeseburger cake turned out great. I'm sure it was a conversation starter. My daughter had a conga line at her wedding...lots and lots of fun.

Betty said...

Ohhh...and Happy Easter Becky!

Brittany Ann said...

I think your cheeseburger cake looks amazing! I'd hire you to make that any day!

Happy Birthday to your baby!

And Happy Easter to you and your family!

Kelly said...

We are really sorry to have missed this! It sounds like you all had so much fun! This sickness stuff is for the birds.

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

It was so much fun - your mom was in rare form the few minutes she was at the party! I saw a whole new side to her personality! :)

Thanks for inviting us - the kids had a great time! So did I!

Emma* said...

It was a really...unique party;-) I mean with the conga line, and Grandma Ruth's awesome imitation of Jonathan's dancing...or whatever you would call it:-D

And the treats were very good! Chelsea did a wonderful job on it ALL!

Simple Home said...

It sounds like a great party and the food looks delicious. I think you did a good job on that cheeseburger cake :-)
Blessings,
Marcia

Tamara Jansen said...

Oh man, I wanna come to YOUR birthday parties :)