Moira's Fun Birthday Dinner

Moira wanted to help me prepare her birthday dinner so she came Friday morning and the first thing we made was dessert - Key Lime Pie - her choice. She wanted something "Springy". So she made the graham cracker crust, following my instructions and then the filling. We used the recipe on the bottle of key lime juice, which was 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk, 3 egg yolks, 1/2 cup Key West lime juice. Combine all ingredients until smooth. Pour filling into graham cracker crust crust and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and then refrigerate at least four hours. To serve, top with whipped cream. She learned how to separate eggs the "old fashioned way", even though there are gadgets that you can use.

YUMMY!! 

She wanted to prepare the veggie plate and felt very grown up using my very sharp chef's knife. She has great knife skills!

So artistic!

Mo chose the menu: mashed potatoes, fried chicken drummettes, corn on the cob, and of course those veggies. We set the table using my mother's American Fostoria goblets and silverware I just brought back from California. Such a pretty table! Mo thought the goblets looked like pineapples. She calls them the "pineapple cups".

After dessert she gave us a mini viola concert, playing the four pieces she is working on in the summer strings class she is taking. She gets a beautiful tone from the instrument! Her parents rented it during the school year, but they gave it to her for her birthday present. She loves it!

The "Green Team" and Grandma - enthralled.

Then Papa joined her at the piano to play along with her. Great fun for all of us!

A little lesson in rhythm.

Bom-da-dee-dee-bom-bom -- or something like that!

Oh! I get it!

We finished off the evening with a "drawing lesson". When we were at California Adventure in Disneyland, we visited an animation attraction where we learned how to draw Donald Duck. So using the drawing book we purchased there, and the instructions we remembered, every one had a sheet of copy paper and a pencil (at Disney, no erasers allowed!) and drew Donald Duck. Papa, Esther, Brett, top down on right. Really very good!  Mo's is in the middle with the shaded hat. Audrey's above hers, Maeve and Isabel even got into the act and did very well, for their ages. It was fun. Another time we'll have to try another character (actually Mo drew Goofy after we finished.) - you can even followed instructions for the "Cars" characters.

Such a fun time to celebrate Moira and just be together!