They just don’t make them any sweeter!
I love my grandma Gretchen - a whole lot! She is kind hearted and good natured. She loves the Lord with all her heart. She is quick witted & a master scrabble player. She is an incredible bread baker & an impressive quilt maker. She is a magnificent gardener, and so much more! She is one of my most favorite people in the whole wide world!
Last June she was turning 90 and I thought we MUST do a little something for her, however, she is also a “no fuss” kind of gal. She definitely doesn’t want any attention on her, and would be fine just spending the day working out in her garden. Well I think turning 90 is a momentous occasion, and one that should be celebrated!
My aunt Kristy and I got together to discuss what we could do for her, and we decided on a very simple setup of just a dessert table, and lots of chairs for family and friends to gather - as my grandma would love that the most - just everyone getting together!
We knew right away for the desserts that we wanted everything to be chocolate - as it is one of my grandma Gretchen’s favorite things!
My aunt Jan made chocolate cupcakes, my aunt Kristy bought the gigantic chocolate cake from Costco (if you’ve had it, you know the one!) I bought mini chocolate doughnuts and made my favorite chocolate/chocolate chip cookies.
My cousin Kiera of Just Another Home Baker made the most adorable chocolate buttercream cake complete with a chocolate drip, french macaroons & sugar cookies on top! It was so delicious and my grandma absolutely loved it!
I kept the dessert table simple with chocolate desserts, photos from her life, and a large ninety spelled out in flowers.
The month prior to my grandma’s celebration, I had just helped setup a spring mini photo session where we had used a bunch of faux flowers. I decided to reuse these flowers & give it my best shot to create a nine and a zero, as the dessert table needed a nice focal point for such a momentous birthday!
I used chicken wire to cute out the numbers, and then just started adding flowers to it. I think it turned out not so bad for my first try at doing something like this!
Our rustic wooden wall was the perfect backdrop to showcase old photos of my grandma Gretchen throughout her life. I showcased all kinds of images from her senior high school photo, to baby photos, to photos from her wedding day & working in her large & always impressive garden! I printed off extra images so guests could take home some of their favorites!
It was so fun watching my grandma and guests gather and reminisce over the photos and to listen to stories from back in the day!
Throughout the day my grandma had the sweetest smile on her face! She was certainly enjoying the day, and I’m so glad we put something together for her!
It was a special day, filled with lots of love for my grandma Gretchen - a birthday I hope she never forgets!
And now, probably one she will not ever forget, as just yesterday I went over to my grandma’s house to share with her the exciting news that her 90th birthday party had been published in Mingle Magazine’s Summer 2020 issue! She was thrilled & couldn’t believe it!
Sadly this year we weren’t able to celebrate her birthday because of COVID, but here’s hoping next year we can! Love you so much grandma!
