Since we were gone during Ben's birthday and life was crazy when we got back, we decided to combine Ben and Grandma's birthdays, since they were both belated. I had just got done with one of the busiest weeks of my life. For some reason coming home from vacation is harder than it sounds. I was fresh off of being nominated and won, to be the Southwest Chapter Rep for the WSGA, and being absolutely miserable preparing and anxiously surviving a virtual interview for a job I really wanted. I really could not wait until life slowed down a bit, but I don't think it will any time soon.
I asked the both of them what kind of food and dessert they would like to have and they almost didn't care what it was. Ben obviously needed it to be gluten free. After thinking about it for a few days, Grandma said she wanted ribs, mashed potatoes and salad. Ben likes food so he agreed to that menu. Desserts are hard when it comes to gluten free, so I decided to make pies since "Pi" Day was close to the party date.
I called, messaged and emailed everyone to let them know we were having a birthday party, where it was, what time and what kind of food we were going to have.
I've had some success with my Key Lime Pie, which isn't gluten free, (I would have to make my own crust) and found a gluten free Blueberry Chia on the internet a couple months ago and this party gave me a reason to make it. That Friday after work, I went to the store to grab the ingredients I would need for dinner and the pies. Just about everyone messaged or called me to ask what Ben wanted for his birthday. I had no clue and had them message him to find out. I deal with this during Christmas too. It's like people are afraid or don't want to take the few minutes to ask the person. It's weird.
Ben and I spent Saturday cleaning up the house and doing laundry. Later on, that afternoon, I made the pies so they would be ready the next day and I wasn't trying to rush. I put them both in the freezer to set. We did a few last-minute things before going to bed.
The next day, we got up and finished up the rest of the house. Ben prepared the ribs because they were going to have to be in the oven for a bit. He took the membrane off of then and rubbed them down with our pork rub seasoning. He wrapped them up in foil and stuck them on a sheet pan and threw them in the oven. As it got closer to 2:00, Ben helped me peel the potatoes so we could get them cut up and in a pot. I had no idea how many potatoes to make so I just cut up the whole bag of them and hoped for the best. The salad, I dumped it in a bowl and added some shredded carrots, some cheese and called it good.
As the food got closer to being done people started to arrive. We finished up the food and put it on the table. Once everyone arrived it was game on. We all nabbed some food and sat down. People asked us how our trip went since we haven't had a lot of time to share it with our family. We shared pictures and everyone passed Brian around. He is getting more rambunctious and is not too far away from walking.
We cleaned up and I grabbed the pies. We sang Happy Birthday to Ben and Grandma and dished up some pies. They both tasted fantastic! Both Ben and Grandma opened their presents and thanked everyone for coming and their generosity.
Everyone gave out hugs and headed home to get ready for their upcoming work week. Ben and I spent some time doing dishes, vacuuming and putting the tables and chairs away. It was great to get together and hang out with family.
Happy Birthday Ben and Grandma!
Next Adventure: Easter
