Pretty Cakes And Lovely Presents

Pretty cakes and lovely presents seem to go hand in hand, don't you think? This post is a two-in-one. This is about a surprise birthday party for a sweet girl and the lovely presents that I received this holiday season. Actually, let me make this three-in-one because this story is also about our post-holiday party with my family although I am not including messy pictures of Hawaiian bbq. Pretty cakes and lovely presents are more beautiful to look at than loads of meat (although delicious! *YUM!*).

Every year, my siblings and I celebrate Christmas in mid-January. It is just  difficult to find the date to get together while also dealing with our own family's holiday gatherings.

Mr Sweetie and I hosted my siblings' holiday get-together this year at our house in the suburbs. It was just supposed to be me and Mr Sweetie, my  siblings, SIL and BIL, and nephews and niece. A family friend was invited which turned out to inviting more friends. In the end, my sister and I decided to turn it into my SIL's surprise birthday party. And what a surprise birthday it was!

My  SIL (sister-in-law) is like a sister to me. I do not even think of her as in-law but just like a real sister. We all grew up together in the Bay Area because she and my brother started dating as soon as we moved to the US when we were just kids. My SIL, sister and I have known each other almost all of our lives and we share many memories together. In fact, before my she and my brother even got married, her parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents treated me and my  sister like one of their own. My parents and her family are also very close because of this.

My  SIL loves to cook and take care of us. As you can see from my IG and Sunday posts, she is always feeding me. On my birthday last year, she also gave me a birthday lunch while my parents were visiting from Manila. It was truly special.

This girl is a blessing to all of us. I have been given another sister to one I already have. It was a joy to throw her this birthday party and see her all surprised and happy. She is often the one celebrating people with her cooking and decorating. It was great that this year, we celebrated her. 

Mr Sweetie and I had the party catered by ordering Hawaiian BBQ chicken and steak. My sister brought shrimp balls, another guest brought embutido (Filipino meat roll). My SIL, the celebrant brought pansit (rice noodles) thinking that the party was for Mr Sweetie.  We had lots of rice, of course. When she walked in we yelled "SURPRISE" and it still did not register that the party was for her. My sister handed her a birthday girl crown. The rest was lots of eating and drinking wines. There were tons of food!

I got her two kinds of cakes -- a raspberry cheese cake and a white jam cake. Another guest brought a coffee cake. It was a super-fun evening of celebrations with friends. The cakes were devoured with more wines. 

Since it was a holiday party as well for me and my siblings, we managed to secretly exchange presents among ourselves while the guests were busy enjoying themselves. We did not want to open presents in front of guests.  I was finally able to give my presents to my siblings, nephews and BIL. I gave both my sister and SIL Coach watches. They were very thrilled. I gave my nephews North Face jackets because those were what they wanted and they can use them for a long time. I gave my baby nephew a microphone which he used non-stop. That baby loves to sing. Mr Sweetie gave him a remote control car and he played with it all afternoon as well. My brother was over the moon when he saw what I got him which were two Ferrero Rochero chocolates the size of bowling balls. I knew that they were the perfect presents for his sweet tooth. My BIL got a Old Navy vest from me.  Everyone really liked their presents. I am happy because I feel like I gave them something that they  could use and will not just end up as junk. 

As for the lucky girl that I am, my sister gave me a black Coach purse! Score! She gave my SIL the  same purse but in purple. My SIL gave me a set of Victoria Secret perfume which I was happy to get. 

I waited for the holidays to be over before I decided to post the presents that I got. I am not one who is into material things. I am happy to get presents even if it was a seashell that one took from a beach because it means that the person thought of me. The dollar value does not matter. For me it is really the efforts and memories that count. I like to give presents more than receiving one but when I get one I feel truly happy. 

So here are my lovely presents this holiday season:

Girl power coaster and socks from Jax, cat necklace from Caitlin (because she knows that I am a cat lady!)  and super-cute holiday  survival kit from BFF are among the pretty presents that I got. I also got a very pretty  Aldo pink wool scarf from J but I have yet to take a picture.

I got fluffy socks from almost all of my GFs -- J, A, Jax and BFF. (I love wearing socks in the winter time. They came in handy this winter as it has been  so cold! I also got candles and mask from A. Another candle a new friend, Steph.  A cat toy from a client for my kitty. Love all of them!  Love the mug and socks from BFF, holiday survival kit (super-cute!), candle and hat. 

 

I got these from Mr Sweetie -- a pair of Aldo gloves and knee-high boots and 3 pairs of pants for Athleta AND

A pretty silver ring from Mr Sweetie

It has been a beautiful holiday season with all the celebrations, birthdays, delicious eats and pretty presents. I am truly thankful for my family and our friends, and for my SIL on her special day.  They are my ultimate blessings and presents from the Lord.