feels like mad men

The Mad Men surprise was a hit!! These photos speak for themselves so I’ll try not to babble on too much. We successfully pulled of a surprise 30th birthday party for Amy. She is not the easiest person to keep a secret from … especially one that twenty of her closest friends know about but somehow we did it (thank you to EVERYONE for celebrating, showering Amy with 30th birthday love and dressing to the nines in your Mad Men attire – let’s do it again next weekend). I’ll spare you my stories of visiting every Goodwill in the Twin Cities at least three times each for party prep and Mad Men decor and say that most importantly, Amy rolled into a new decade very loved and surrounded by a mess of Mad Men!

birthday party reunion

My little brother was just in town for a surprise birthday weekend! He turned TWENTY-FIVE on the 2nd of November and was gifted a plane ticket right into Minneapolis. Thankfully, the gracious giver (i love you Alyson) gifted herself with  a ticket as well which was a treat for everyone. Dad was able to drive on home from his current living quarters in Nebraska (where he’s building the new Corn Huskers Stadium) and the rest of us residing from Golden Valley to Stillwater came together for a giant family weekend! Take all that and add in my baby sister’s 5th birthday and you get:

1. Great food
2. Better company
3. A giant sleepover
4. Our first family photo since Addison was born (aside from sweaty wedding pics)
5. Lots of Polly Pockets + an Easy Bake Oven

Needless to say we had a great time being together. It was so nice to all be in one place at one time without any major life events going on. I loved every minute of it and am so thankful for these people and the way we’ve come to be.  

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to the one and only – my Mom! She would be 54 today and lookin’ wonderful, I’m sure. I keep getting older and the image I have of Mom stays this young, beautiful 40-something year old face.

To celebrate, I made a dinner that always reminds me of her – STUFFED SHELLS. I made a few tweaks based on my vegetarianism, but the spices all stayed the same, so I was able to strum up the oh-so-familiar smell that once filled her kitchen.

To make up for the absent hamburger, I chopped spinach leaves + artichoke hearts and mixed it up with the mozzarella + parmesan. To keep it smelling familiar, I always throw in garlic, thyme, fresh basil, and lots of oregano. Spread on sauce and … WaaaLAH! Done.

Actually, I had to make one other change … The co-op was out of large shells, so I substituted with manicotti noodles. In short, my attempt to make “Mom’s Stuffed Shells,” came out as “Ashley’s Spinach + Artichoke Manicotti.” Oh well. I tried. To defend my amateur cooking skills, it still smelled the same so I was happy! It’s the thought that counts, right?! Hehe. We think of you all the time and miss you constantly, Mom. Happy, happy Birthday!