Two Birthdays

This weekend 6 of us gathered around our little dining table for a birthday lunch.  My mom and her husband Roger share the same birthday week.  They like to treat themselves to a trip in honor of their birthdays, but this year they took the trip in January.  An early vacation meant they were able to celebrate their birthdays with us in person this year.  January and February are both excellent months to travel to warm places, so I don't blame them one bit for getting out of dodge each year!

To feed the masses, Paul made 2 loaves of our go-to bread recipe, one of which had a generous amount of garlic cloves studding the top of the loaf. (Thanks for the reminder of this easy and tasty embellishment, Rita!)

I baked a Red Wine Velvet Cake and got a little fancy with the powdered sugar.

When we were cleaning out my Grandma Rose's apartment, I snagged a few dishes from a partial set she had.  I love them and think of her every time I use them.  The largest platter has become my favorite cheese platter plate.

The guests of honor!

My sister Jessy brought over a quilt my mom made long ago.  It is in a sad state of disrepair, but Jack isn't picky.  Jessy wrapped him up and he went to sleep immediately.  When you can't see or hear too well, you can sleep right through a party.

We got to see a scrapbook of their recent adventures.

Paul was busy stirring the soup, so he got to look through the pictures later on.  We served one of our favorites: African Peanut Soup.  I also set aside some of the Coconut Curry Squash Soup for the party, too. It is nice to have multiple options to satisfy everyone's tastes.  With a salad Jessy brought and all of our appetizers, it is safe to say everyone had plenty to eat. Although, that is usually not a problem around this crowd.

After the meal, we gave the birthday boy and girl their presents.  Jessy gave my mom a LOT of scarves.  Here she is modeling all of them at once.

And, after all of that, Jack was still sleeping! He is estimated to turn 15 this month (105 in people years, they say), so I guess we can consider this blanket his birthday gift.