I turned 40 on the second of March and I must say, I have been spoilt rotten by my friends and family. The first two celebrations were very intimate and honesty, I wanted the celebrations to go out with a bash!
The 1st celebration was with my bestie at Ons Huisie Restaurant where I was first spoilt with an incredibly good wine and some luxury chocolates (which I gobbled all by myself!) and then we were treated to n incredible birthday supper, complete with oysters, champagne and a glorious sunset!
The second celebration was with family and I was surprised and spoilt rotten with a ridiculous amount of decorations (which I repurposed for birthday party #3), a 4 course menu, a heated swimming pool and even chocolates on the bed (these ones I did share with @zakludick! Lol!)
I had tried organizing the get together with all of my precious friends, including those I consider family, and was offered the home of one of them to host my party. With a giant swimming pool, indoor fireplace for the braai and most gracious hosts, we were set to go.
First, I tried organizing it for the weekend following my second 40th Birthday Celebration which was only the four of us (cats not included) and was super special as @zakludick and I also scored a weekend away without kids! Honestly though, we were super tired and needed to pay attention to our family life like responsible adults π±π±ππ
So then I tried to organize it for the weekend after, but no-one seemed to be available. So I organized it for this past weekend, thinking that no one would come and it would just be our family and the hosts.
Despite this, I thought there may still be a chance of more people coming, so I baked up a storm (which I'd honestly been doing for weeks by that point and was exhausted) with the help of @merenludick @aimeludick and @zakludick
πβπ¦ππ³οΈβππClaire's Crazy Bakes and Kitchen Hacks: Chapter 63 - Magical Stuffed Unicorn Poop Rainbow Pride Cupcakes Part 1πβπ¦ππ³οΈβππ
πβπ¦ππ³οΈβππClaire's Crazy Bakes and Kitchen Hacks: Chapter 63.2 - Magical Stuffed Unicorn Poop Rainbow Pride Cupcakes Part 2πβπ¦ππ³οΈβππ
π©βπ³π§β€οΈπβClaire's Crazy Bakes and Kitchen Hacks - Chapter 65: Donut Inspired Cinnamon Sugar Cupcakes with an Apricot Jam Centre! A Real South African Treat!π©βπ³π§β€οΈπβ
πβ€οΈπ€¦ββοΈπ©βπ³π§βClaire's Crazy Bakes and Kitchen Hacks - Chapter 66- What-A-Mess!πβ€οΈπ€¦ββοΈπ©βπ³π§β
And I refilled my giant pink "40" balloons and got what started out as 6 helium filled black happy birthday balloons. We lost two in the parkinglot due to hectic winds, one popped and one flew away, so I got ANOTHER two balloons, which, when I got home, were also lost to the sky. Sigh. And they weren't cheap! At least we didn't lose one, or both of the giant "40" balloons, which would have been far more tragic.
Upon arrival at my friends house, I was overwhelmed by surprise guests and there were many more to come. Even my niece came to join us!
It was such a special evening of laughter and music. With @zakludick being the braai master, and even making a potato salad ahead of time, I could just sit back and relax and enjoy being spoilt by my friends!
he really is so good to me and I love him very much!
I was given some beautiful gifts - all so thoughtful and completely "me."
These cat earrings were given to me by my absolute bestie ( I have a handful of friends that I call my besties... they're like sisters to me) and combine my two most favorite things, music and cats!
This bottle of wine comes from my other besties @jusipassetti and @therneau, along with some mini bunting cakes and chocolate which have obviously been long gobbled by now! The bottle of wine is super special - and I will write a whole post about it - because it is my favourite wine in the world! And it's definitely not cheap! It was extremely thoughtful <3
I was also given a bunch of tulips! I don't even think I have seen them in real life, but @juliadick managed to find purple ones! They were SO beautiful.
She also gifted me this beautiful bracelet: Greek in origin that is supposed to ward off evil spirits.
and an ever so special handmade card from Jasper's daughter Maddi!
My niece gave me this lovely bath pampering set which I will definitely use, as soon as I find a quiet moment.
Andy's Club #2 and receive some valuable feedback on my new songs! I talk about these in ππ΅πΈπ€The Wizardry of Songwriting Part 13ππ΅πΈπ€ and they ar all 3, brand new songs. It was like a bonus rehearsal, but valuable feedback from people close to me who actually care about me and the content...and with tequila... 
We sang and laughed and shared stories the whole evening. @jasperdick and I even got a chance to practice our set for Saturday
which I paid for heavily on Sunday when I woke up feeling like I was dying. A proper 40 year old hangover!
I definitely think I am done with birthday celebrations for now: with @zakludick and I now unable to even look at a cupcake!
I must say I was overwhelmed by love the whole way through all three celebrations and turning 40 has had an amazing start!
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