Birthday candles

These candles made me laugh. Do you have a scary age? I randomly freaked out when I turned 27 (I felt so old) but now my birthdays don't scare me anymore.

(Via Hither & Thither)

34th birthday

Yesterday was my 34th birthday, and, I have to say, it was one of my favorites. We just celebrated in a low-key family way, and it was so nice. First, on Wednesday night, Alex took me to see the The Book of Mormon. Our friend (who actually happens to be Mormon) helped us get discounted house seats through her friend who works for the play. When we showed up, we realized we were sitting fifth row center! We were so close, we could see the sweat on the actors' faces; it was crazy.
Look how beautiful the boxes were on the sides of the theater...
The play was absolutely hilarious, and the acting was fantastic. Jon Stewart said the play was "so f**king good it makes me angry," which seemed about right. We had smiles plastered on our faces the whole time.
The next morning, my brother and his French girlfriend Audrey came over for breakfast. She recommended Bien Cuit, a new bakery in our neighborhood...
...so we headed over there for delicious pain au chocolat and carrot bread. (Toby preferred the former:)
That evening, Alex and I went to Junoon, a fancy Indian restaurant in the Flatiron district.
The food was exploding with flavor. We had crispy cauliflower, fried paneer cheese and duck meatballs just to start, and then shared lentil-encrusted mahi mahi and lamb shank braised for five hours.
During dinner, Alex surprised me with a handmade Mason Pearson brush. I've wanted one ever since Caroline explained that the boar bristles evenly distribute your hair's natural oils to make it extra shiny. Plus, every woman in my family had one growing up—my mom, my aunts, my grandmother—so in a funny way, it feels like I've finally grown up. :)

Happy birthday, Lucy

My twin sister Lucy and I are turning a whopping 34 today. We've officially reached our mid thirties. Whattup! Everyone says your twenties are the time of your life, but I actually prefer my thirties. (My twenties were all over the place:) What about you?

A while back, on this post about paying for your parents, a reader named Angela commented, "As a Filipino, I send my mom flowers on my birthday." How sweet is that? So my sister and I are giving flowers to our mom today. Thanks for the idea, Angela!
(Bottom photo by flower stylist Amy Merrick)

The Best (Buttermilk) Birthday Cake You'll Ever Have

What do you like to eat on your birthday? When we were little, my sister and I always begged for pumpkin pie (of all things) for our January birthday. But as an adult, I see the beauty of a classic cake with tall candles. Well, Nicole from Making It Lovely has agreed to share her recipe for the gooiest, richest buttermilk birthday cake...
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Happy birthday to the bird dog, Penny Lane!

A lot of people ask why I named my business Bird Dog Wedding.

For two reasons:

1. In hunting (and, no, I'm not an avid hunter by any means), to "bird dog" something means to send your dog to track and find whatever you're hunting. So, I apply this term to my wedding design. I hunt for the perfect wedding inspiration and design for each and every client, with the passion and tenacity of a bird dog ;).

2. The major reason, however, is my little bird dog, Penny Lane, the Brittany. She never ceases to inspire me with her quirkiness, loyalty, and overall sweet disposition. She brings a lot of joy to my life, and I decided to dedicate my business's name to her.

So now that you all think I'm a little crazy, I'd like to wish a very happy birthday to my girl! May many squirrels cross her path today.


 {Photos by Paige Newton Photography}

Motherhood Mondays: Parachute birthday party

Laid-back birthday parties are the best, and this idea is genius: Just get a parachute! Little dudes can spin it around, sit underneath it and even get bounced on it (one at a time) while grown-ups hold the edges. (One of my earliest memories is when my kindergarten class did a parachute dance for our parents. We rocked it:)

P.S. Toby's birthday party.

(Via Momfilter)

Happy 2nd birthday, Toby!

Today is Toby's second birthday!!! Hurray!!! (I cannot believe this happened two years ago, it feels like yesterday.) To celebrate, we threw a birthday picnic for him last Sunday. Here are some photos, below, if you'd like to see....
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