A 60th Birthday Party

Y'all, I feel like I have hit another "grown up" milestone. On Monday, I hosted my first family birthday party! My beautiful mother turned 60 (even though she sure doesn't look it), so we gussied up our half-finished house as best we could and had a proper celebration! My brother was even in town from Midland, so the whole gang was there! Days like this are such a huge part of why we moved back to Texas. After years of only being able to participate in family events via a phone call, I can't tell you how much I treasure these moments now.

Everyone piled into my parents' car and drove over to McKinney for lunch. Before they arrived, we decorated the house with paper chains and bunting, pretty flower arrangements, and old photos of Mom (thanks to a little help from my grandparents). We put on some Beatles tunes (Mom's favorite band growing up), and we were ready for a party!

Once everyone arrived and hugs were given all around, we gave a tour of the house to show off our latest progress, and then settled in for the important stuff -- food! Folks snacked on ranch dip with vegetables and crackers that my grandmother brought over and chatted while Brad and I finished up lunch preparations. We stuck with a southern-inspired menu of Jalapeno-Cilantro Pesto Stuffed Pork Loin and German Potato Salad with Bacon and Green Beans (both from The Homesick Texan's new cookbook) and Grilled Corn with Chili Lime Butter. I also made a pitcher of Watermelon Limeade and a pitcher of sweet tea (word to the wise - don't ever invite my family over for a meal if you aren't prepared to make sweet tea).

We squeezed seven people around our 6-person dining table and dug in! After plates were cleared, we got a little more comfortable in the living room, Mom opened presents, and we served coffee, Blackberry Peach Cobbler, and Blue Bell vanilla ice cream. Who needs birthday cake when you can have cobbler and Blue Bell? (Side Note: Blue Bell is another reason we needed to move back to Texas). With everyone full and happy, presents opened, important topics discussed, and dishes cleared, we said our farewells so they could hit the road back to Paris. Afterward, poor Charlie forlornly sat at the front door for a few minutes wondering where everyone had gone. It's not every day that he gets 7 people to shower him with attention and tummy rubs. What a day!

So with our first family event now a fond memory, here's looking forward to many more happy celebrations under our little roof!