Over the weekend, we celebrated Julie's birthday with a birthday brunch. The festive look of everything brightened up the gray day of December.
O' Tannenbaum!
Angel made a wonderful whipped creme spread with homemade cinnamon crisps...
and Julie made Santa Grinches for the girls.
Here's Mark, Danielle and Julie enjoying her Breakfast Casserole, Egg-Free Pancakes (her recipe is surprisingly better than regular!) and bacon.
Kassidy, Dan, Danielle, Angel, Kyle and Tyler...ooops - put your finger down, Tyler!
There we go!
"Happy Birthday tooooooo youuuuuuu....."
Julie's request - my mom's best chocolate cupcakes (with coffee in them), buttercream frosting with sprinkles of white snowflakes and blue shot.
Missy wondering...
where did those cupcakes go?
And, just what she wanted, a iSi Gourmet Whip.
Rob, Julie and Brent
Her sweet snowmen collection and painted branches from The Center.
Julie made this one, but my mom and I used to make them when I was a little girl. First saw them at The Museum of Science & Industry on the tree from Poland. We used to call them "porcupines", I think.
Her lovely mantel (with quilted stockings by "Me".
and all the critters...
The warmth of a fire...
Brent playing his guitar.
Dan and Danielle chillin'
and amid all the hustle and bustle of the season, here are Julie's sentiments exactly. She usually sings this to me if we are out shopping together. Ha!
But her favorite bird, the cardinal, was right out in her tree proclaiming the day because on that day in December when she was born, she was the best Christmas present anyone could receive...
my daughter.
