Anna Turns Eighteen

Right in the middle of all of the 'end of year'

• two in education
• two end of years for Scott and I
• helping our girls wrap up their end of years 
• two graduations coming
• two daughter's birthdays just two weeks apart...

... yes, right in the middle of all of that came Anna's eighteenth. 

Celebrating my girls birthdays is so close to my heart and so very important to me. We have a few traditions that actually 'make a birthday, a birthday' in our home. 

• we always wake up our birthday girls on their day singing to them - no matter what day of the week it is - they always wake up with a sweet blessing and song
• they always pick any cake they want from my Birthday Cakes cookbook - such a special cookbook now since all of their birthday cakes come from there. Always from scratch... it's just our thing
• they always get a very special dinner of their choice - no matter what day of the week it is - even if I have to start making parts of it the weekend before
• since our porch is (mostly) still new, that's a new tradition for us - cake and presents out on the porch, since my girls have spring birthdays and we are eager to be outside

Anna chose a shortcake with homemade raspberry jam filling and homemade whipped cream for 'frosting'. Classy, fresh, summery, perfection for Anna. (vintage book I found, now out of print - my girls talk about who is going to inherit this book someday) 

So just like always we sang our sweet daughter awake for the seventeenth time (she missed her first birthday with us as she turned one in China)

On the weekend I made homemade raspberry jam. (from my Anne of Green Gables cookbook Anna gave me for Christmas) 

And I made the shortbread cake, cooled it, wrapped it, and froze it so it would be easy to work with mid week. 

On the day of her birthday, Scott and I worked together to make something new and fun for Anna. Every since our trip to Vancouver and the crepes she had there, I knew I wanted to figure out how to make crepes. We decided on Montie Cristo Crepes. They are crepes filled with red raspberry jam. Now, for the cake I made homemade raspberry jam but for the crepes I decided to buy some speciality jam which turned out perfect. 

We prepped all of the ingredients the weekend before - diced the organic turkey and ham - had it all set to go. Made the crepe batter the night before also. 

So while Scott was flipping crepes (he got really good by the end) I was stuffing and filling them. (and putting together the cake - layer by layer. 

Monte Cristo crepes are stuffed with raspberry jam first, then turkey and ham, topped with swiss cheese. ummmmmm.... 

We just kept flipping and stuffing - flipping and stuffing until we were done - and they were so amazing!!! Can't wait to make crepes again! 

Once dinner was ready, it was time to celebrate out on the porch!

We feasted on crepes and then 

And then cake time!!! 

Yup, got lots of pictures of this beauty...

Happiest of birthdays Anna. We love you! May all of your birthdays be sweet. 💕