Skip to main content

Happy Birthday (and a Hangover)!

Guess who is super handsome and is celebrating a birthday today?

This guy!
Tim and I have both had an amazing weekend celebrating. Yesterday I got my 14 mile run in during the morning in honor of Sherry Arnold, which I was happy to do. As I read more posts from people who participated I feel part of something big and I am so proud to be one in a large group that honored the life of Sherry.

Post-run it was time to get ready to celebrate something else - my wonderful husband's birthday. We had a few friends over for a fun dinner, plenty of drinks and some impromptu guitar playing and singing. My kind of night. I made a bunch of foods with no discernible theme other than they are Tim's favorites:


I made bruschetta, a big salad, Thai chicken satay with a spicy peanut sauce, veggies and pita with hummus and a massive plate of sushi. (Homemade brownies and cookies and cream ice-cream for dessert!) I'm not going to lie - I wasn't sure if the food would be well received by everyone. Turns out everyone loved it. A few people tried sushi for the first time and were fans!

Today after a breakfast of Nutella crepes I gave Tim the gift EVERY husband wants for his birthday. You know what I mean.....a table saw. Oh yeah. We went to Home Depot to get it and then stopped in at Old Navy to get hubby a new pair of jeans. I picked up a new sweater too, apparently the one I was wearing with elbow patches is unfashionable? Whatever. I rock it. 



So hostesses with the mostesses (run with it, I know it's not a word) - do you prefer to make simple food for parties everyone likes or try something new?
Normally I say stick with stuff everyone already likes, but I really wanted to make Tim's favorites last night. It worked out though, thankfully!

What is the sign of a better party - beer in red solo cups or glasses of wine?
I started out with sauvignon blanc but ended with beer in a red solo cup...it was one of the those nights. AKA - hangover today!

Comments

  1. Happy Birthday to Tim! That food looks great! How do you make Chicken Satay? I have never tried it on my own!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy Birthday to Tim! Birthdays always involve the favorites of the birthday boy/girl. I am a very minimal drinker, but I'd pick the beer.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I try to mix it up a little- at least something that I know can please most people (which is why bread and cheese or chips and salsa are often great options) but I like to have a little fun and add some other options as well. I have very adventurous eaters as friends though - so I'm usually not too concerned that people won't like what I make.

    Happy Birthday to Tim! Glad you guys had a good celebration!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy birthday to Tim!!!

    We rarely have parties (last one was during the world series in October), but when we do it's Dominoes Pizza ALL THE WAY. And beer. Wine is for sippin' while chillin' on the couch during the week. Beer is for partyin'! :) And go ahead and break out the tequila while you're at it. haha

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy birthday to your husband!

    I can't say "red solo cup" without singing that Toby Keith song. He's ruined it for me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy Birthday Tim!!!! Sounds like a great birthday all the way around!!!

    I'm a big fan of making lots of appetizer things so people can have whatever they want/like. I usually try to make at least one thing I know each person will like (ex: Sally likes nanchos and Bob likes hummus and Mary likes nuggets - then I'll make nanchos, hummus, and nuggets for sure but then I might also make 2 or 3 other things that I don't know if they like but that I like so if they don't . . .more for my hubz and I)

    I'm not a beer drinker so for me wine glasses - but I can have a blast watching my hubz drink beer with his best friends so . . . that usually makes for a pretty good time!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy birthday to Tim! Sounds like a great time.

    When we have parties, we do potluck style, so then I only have to make one or two things. I'm tricky like that.

    My friends are wine, Mike's friends are beer and solo cups, so we have a little bit of both.

    ReplyDelete
  8. happy birthday to hubs! sounds like a great day :) I'm not risky, so i stick to the basics for parties. I'm not a huge beer or wine fan, but I like drinking any drinks out of red solo cups. I'm so classy, I know

    ReplyDelete
  9. Happy birthday to Tim! All that food sounds really good! I like wine, but red solo cup type parties are usually funner!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Happy birthday Tim!!!
    I like wine...white wine!
    for parties...we need basics...usually now there are several guests under 10...they need basics!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Glad you had such a great time.. happy happy birthday to your hot hubby!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Happy birthday to the hubster!! The food looks fantastic. We make lots of different dishes so that everyone is happy.

    ReplyDelete
  13. happy happy bday to hubby!! but the REAL gift for him is that he has the pleasure of having ur awesomeness around for yet another year. ;) i think nutella crepes only further instill that fact. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I am terrified of making food people don't like because people constantly make comments about the weird food I eat at work so I usually stick with the obvious...pizza, chips and salsa, etc. I say both have their place at different but both wonderful types of parties. You can't beat a glass of wine on Friday night after a tough week but you also can't play beer pong or flipcup with it.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Happy birthday to your hubby!

    I usually go as all out as possible when we have dinner guests. I'm really looking forward to having access to normal grocery stores here in a few months so we can really do some serious entertaining! You'd be up for driving a few hours down south for a dinner party, right?? lol

    ReplyDelete
  16. Happy hubs bday! I tend to make a lot of different things just to make sure that if someone doesn't like something, they have options. Yes..I am Capt People Pleaser...

    ReplyDelete
  17. Happy birthday to hubby!!!!! Sounds like you treated him well! I am never a hostess BUT I think I would stick with the basics mostly because I'm not the best cook. I like very simple dishes. I feel sorry for my future guests! No beer or wine for me. Best party will have tons of water and if I'm feeling crazy, maybe some iced tea or root beer. Oh yeah. I'm a wild one ;)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Happy Belated Tim and vanessa you look super sexy in that last pic ;)

    and Neither Colin, nor I drink beer but we're weird and have a stock supply of "house beer" for guests. We always have wine and hard liquor....b/c we don't drink much. Although as you know I drank on the weekend lol

    ReplyDelete
  19. Happy Birthday to your hubby!!! I love simple fun food so I think you did great.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Happy birthday to Tim! You cooked up a serious feast for him - I'm impressed by the sheer number of cuisines represented!

    I will happily take either red solo cup beer or a glass of wine. Or wine in a solo cup. Because I'm kla$$y that way ;)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Happy birthday to Tim! I like doing a mix of some basics that anyone will like and then one or two more creative dishes. I also love hosting when I get to do a bunch of apps, I think that is way more fun than a formal dinner. And I'm more of a wine drinker….but nights with a red solo cup are normally a good time too!

    ReplyDelete
  22. In high school it was a dream of mine to wander around my future college campus in a turtle neck and jacket with leather patches on the elbows. What?

    ReplyDelete
  23. happy birthday to your hubby!!! the food looks delicious and i am always a fan of solo cups ;)

    ReplyDelete
  24. I always make whatever the boyfriend likes for his birthday and there is no theme. He likes wantons, he likes curry, he likes Italian, he likes sushi, he likes lemongrassy stuff, he likes MEAT. He gets it all! :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Happy Birthday Tim!! Looks like a fun celebration to remember!! I usually end up with red solo cups by the end of the night - I believe I was drinking out of one all of New Years actually...classy :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Race the Bar 5k Recap (AKA: A Personal Worst!)

Do you remember a few weeks back, when I was all braggy about running in Florida in February/March? Sunny mornings around a lake with a light breeze off the water have turned, cruelly, into humid stretches of time where I am humbly reminded of my own limitations. You guys, I see these gazelle-like creatures, men and women alike, who prance on my running route with compression socks, a soft glow of perspiration at their brow. It's beautiful. It's also a harsh reminder that I am not them. I am currently running in the thinnest, smallest items of clothing I can without offending anyone (shirt stays on, people). I dare not step outside without some awful visor or wide-brimmed hat. When I hop in the shower after a run, my face is a deep crimson that causes my husband to voice his concern for my general well-being. Have I mentioned this is what happens after my easy runs, with a few walk breaks thrown in? Yeah. It's humbling. Now, I'm not complaining. It's beautiful

1st Wedding Anniversary--Celebrating with Chocolate!

One year ago today, I married the love of my life. And I couldn't be happier! In celebration of our very first anniversary, here are some pictures of our favorite moments together: Our first trail race together Hiking together in GA And of course, our wonderful wedding in Hong Kong. We both decided to keep things very simple, with a casual ceremony with a few friends and family and then lunch at the Mandarin Oriental. Exactly what I wanted! With our parents after making it official! Our entire wedding party. Just family and dear friends! Goofing around with my garter at the reception lunch! You think you know what couples do after they get married? You know, their first night at man and wife? If you guessed eat ridiculously delicious chocolates in their bed at the Grand Hyatt, you're right.  Oh, I haven't changed. One year later and I still celebrate with sweet things! Thanks Tim, for being a wonderful husband. I love you!

Brace Yourselves: Cuteness is Coming

One of the hardest things about moving, for me, was wondering how the cats would adjust each time. Although our cats are super travelers at this stage, I feel really guilty every time we have to pack them up and force them onto a plane. I remember my grandma telling me years ago that when she moved with a cat, they put butter on their paws. That way, the cats spent the first day in a new house licking their paws to get them clean, and that was enough time to lose the "smell" of the old house. I love that story, and I wish the same principle applied to longer moves. Anyway, that's a super long intro to say that for the fellow cat ladies out there, our three fur babies are insanely happy in this jungle gym of a home here in Florida. It's warm, there are plenty of sunny spots to curl up a take a nap, and they have lots of room to spread out. Despite the space, of course, they still usually want to take a nap on my head at night. Obviously. They also love climbing on ou