Happy 80th Birthday Tink

When my Mom was born, her parents couldn't decide on a name so they nicknamed her Tink.  After a month of pondering they came up with her real name, but she is still fondly known as Tink by many.  

Yesterday we had an 80th birthday party for her with family and friends.   I wanted the decor to be not too Christmassy, but with hints of red as that is Mom's favourite colour and in keeping with her name I thought a few Tinkerbell things would be just the touch.

There were Tinkerbell serviettes,

and Tinkerbell cupcake decorations.  They were actually Tinkerbell stickers that came in packages with two sheets so I had my daughter stick two identical ones back-to-back with a toothpick inbetween to put into the cupcakes.

Our family is a bit chocoholic, but I recognize that not everyone is, so there were lemon cupcakes as well as chocolate ones.  Kate made and decorated every last cupcake - thank heavens as it was a lot of work and she did a fantastic job.  Kate made eight special cupcakes (one for each decade) with miniature toadstools, snowflakes and candles on them.

We didn't just eat cupcakes, though.  We started off with tourtière (meat pies), pickles and relishes, three kinds of salads, and bread.  There was also a fruit plate and frozen yogurt with the cupcakes.

Do you see the gorgeous, amazing, humongous bouquet of flowers in the corner?  Mom brought it with her for us all to enjoy at the party.  My Mother is a retired minister and a long-time and well-loved elderly parishioner passed away a few days ago.  The family asked my Mother to do the funeral, which she did.  The family knew it was my Mother's birthday so they insisted she take the flowers home with her.   So my Mother celebrated her 80th birthday by doing a funeral in the morning and having a party in the evening.  That is just how my Mom rolls. 

She's still incredibly active - going for hikes, travelling, visiting family and friends, and spending time at the cottage.  Until just a few years ago, she and my father built houses for Habitat for Humanity all over Canada and the United States taking part in several builds a year.  At first she was doing painting and some building, but gradually got more skills so was able to put up siding and even help with electrical work.  May we all be so healthy and active when we are 80!


Happy Birthday Mom (Tink)!