My mom's 93rd and Friend's Birthday Party

My mom's birthday is July 24th and she turned 93 and my friend Debjani's birthday is the 22nd. We get along so well even though I am actually closer to her mom's age than her.

I planned to have a BBQ and swimming party outside and do an ocean or beach theme. I asked Debjani what she wanted and she wanted to mix a bird theme also and so I did.

I pulled out everything that I thought I would need and laid them on the kitchen table and countertop. The morning of the party, I started laying the tableware and decorating the dining table outside by the pool, in between cooking. And then it started raining, and raining and raining. It did not stop all day so I had to bring everything into the dining room and I had to wipe all the plates because they all got wet. Ugh! Just added more work for me.

More work for me was fine because the celebrants were really glowing.

So, I set up the table, buffet style in the formal dining room. We were expecting 25 people.

I prepared and cooked all of the food except for the garbanzo Indian dish that Debjani brought, so I was really busy the last 3 days, grocery shopping, cleaning, baking, marinating and cooking. Dr. Som, Debjani's hubby flew from NY for the weekend, where he is doing a fellowship and he helped me cut the watermelon and grill the chicken and ribs.

The food!....BBQ'd ribs and chicken, beef with macaroni, pancit, crab claws, roasted potatoes with rosemary, grilled veggies, fruit salad, corn on a cob, watermelon, Garbanzo beans dish, fruit plate and Mocha chiffon cake.

And nope, I did not stick to my strict diet, lol. I figured I deserve to eat after all the work I did.

I bought this shell centerpiece from Williams Sonoma. I added a turquoise candle and surrounded it with glass stones.

I baked the chiffon cake from scratch. The glass dome messed up the side butter icing but it was really good, moist and light. I placed 3 candles on each side so that each celebrant can blow 3 each.

I borrowed the 2 wooden pelican birds from the guest bathroom.

I used 3 types of plates, some with shells, a set of Pfaltzgraff white ones and a set of Homer Laughlin's Cavalier Eggshell , which is one of my favorite sets.

I also used 3 sets of flatware, one with bird handles, another with blue bubbles and I don't know what the third pattern is called.

How do you like my mermaid wine bottle holder? Isn't she a cutie?

I served Whittard of Chelsea English mulled wine tea and it was really good. I had to refill the teapot at least 4 times.

I also served sweetened iced tea and of course various soda and beer which I just left in the porch cooler.

Here we were singing "Happy Birthday" to the celebrants before they blew out the candles and everybody laughed because my mother blew them all out, lol.

Here we are, almost all of us!

Happy birthday to my dearest mother! I hope my skin is that good when I get to that age, IF I even get there. Happy birthday to my dear friend Debjani too! I hope you have more and more birthdays to come so we can celebrate again and again.

Thank you so much for coming to join me in this special event! We all had a great time!

I would like to link with the following gracious ladies:

Marty's Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Lady Katherine's Teatime Tuesday at http://ladykatherineteaparlor.blogspot.com/

Sandi's Teatime Tuesday at http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/

Martha and Terri's Teacup Tuesday at http://www.marthasfavorites.com/
WandaLee and Pam's Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday at
http://theplumedpen.blogspot.com/

Susan's Tablescape Thurs at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Trish' Tea Party Tuesday at http://sweetology101.blogspot.com/


Thank you so much for hosting, sweet ladies!